Will Haunted Mansion terrify my (almost) 2-year old?

[AzzySpazbourne]

We're headed to the world in about a week and are struggling to finalize our FPs. One dilemma we have is whether HM will terrify our 1.98766 (turns 2 right after WDW trip) year old or not?

If you think it's too scary, does HM offer rider switch pass? We're thinking of maybe splitting our party''s FP witha nearby attraction also offering the switch pass. Any suggestions?

Also, let me know of any "success" stories of kids (especially little girls) around my DDs age who made it through alive .

Thanks!

 

[Magic Band Defender]

Before DH and I had kids, we took my niece to WDW. She was about 9 at the time, sweetest little kid in the world. We get to MK, it's a beautiful day, we are so excited to be at WDW! Through dumb luck, the first ride we get to is Haunted Mansion. Poor DN got SO freaked out in the internal queue we had to take the chicken exit before we even got on board the ride. After that experience, she was scared to ride It's A Small World and basically any other dark ride for the rest of that day. Of course by the end of that trip, she was riding RNR coaster and Expedition Everest repeatedly.

Our son is 2.5 now and has been to WDWx2 and DLRx1. We have not attempted Haunted Mansion with him.

You know your kid better than anybody, but I didn't do it when we were in your position last month at WDW.

 

[MrsDuck]

This is such a personal question that really depends on you and your kiddo. Some kids do fine, others do not.

If it were me, I'd show her a ride through video on YouTube and see how she responds - just as a start.

It's a hard decision!

 

[calismic]

We took my daughter when she was 2 and she thought it was funny. Now that she's 4 she's afraid of it, lol.

 

[Chitownpeeps91]

We have always gone on it and my peeps loved it at all ages but if you have any questions I would not do it. Not fair to the other guests if they are crying.

Saw a dad force his toddler on the great movie ride. Chased the poor kid after she tried to not get in the car. She cried the whole time. I felt bad for her & for my family that was behind her. With fast pass plus it's not like we can just do it again.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We took my daughter when she was 2 and she thought it was funny. Now that she's 4 she's afraid of it, lol.

Ditto. My youngest was not quite 2 on our first trip and HM didn't bother him. He was a little scared at 3 but still went on it. Once he turned 4, he totally refused. We did make him go on it one last time last August when he was 4, but he said he really didn't enjoy it, so now we just take turns on it so he doesn't have to ride. He's old enough now (5) and has been on it enough times that we trust that he's making the decision because he really doesn't like it and not because he's an irrational toddler who's just refusing to be difficult. He's curious enough about it that I think he'll ride it again some day, but until he's ready, we'll respect his decision.

On our last trip, my oldest, who is now 8, finally decided she does like it (she'd been up in the air and kept trying it out to see if she liked it or not--LOL), but will only ride it during the day. She thinks it's too creepy at night, even though the actual ride is the same.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Oh, and there is no rider switch for this ride. If the rest of your party wants to ride, you'll have to take turns.

 

[Greenfield1984]

This is one of those rides where the younger kids are usually fine and they get scared as they get older. My DD7 hates it now but loved it as a little one. I say try it because usually at that age they'll do fine.

There is no rider swap on the HM, only rides with height restrictions offer it.

 

[Meech Loves Mickey]

I'm a big advocate for taking kids on all rides that they are tall enough for. If you act like she should be afraid, then she probably will be. If you act like it's no big deal, then she probably will be OK.

BUT that being said, you know you child best. You could do as a PP suggested and show her a You Tube ride video. Or you could take her on the ride, and if after the stretching room she is too scared, you can always leave thru the chicken door.


We've always taken our boys on HM since they were babies. (They are now 7 and almost 5.) They both love the HM and even know the stretching room spiel.

But in contrast to that, my younger DS all of the sudden hates the POTC. It was no different with this ride, they both have gone on it since they were babies, but during our trip last summer my younger DS threw a fit and refused to go on, saying he was scared and he hated how the boat drops. It is what it is. It's kind of a PITA that he won't ride it, but I would never force him to. (It's his loss!)

So OP use your judgement, and best of luck whatever you decide!

 

[fly girl]

I'm with the others. DD had no issues 2-4 years old. Hit 5 and was scared. Finally got her to ride Phantom Manor at DLP last week (she's now 7) and she thought it was great!

We did remind her beforehand that it all was fake, and mom & dad would never put her in a position to get intentionally hurt. That I think put her at ease too.

 

[amber_cntrygrl]

My youngest DS rode it at 15 months and LOVED it. Hopefully he still feels that way in November.
My oldest DS HATED it at the age of 4, and was "meh" at the age of 7.

 

[kamik86]

I don't think most 2 year olds would be scared of the ghosts. If anything they would probably be most scared in the stretching room (which really is the scariest part of the whole ride).

If your not familiar with the stretching room its a pre-ride little show where you stand in a little room and a narrator speaks to you. At the end it gets pitch black and you hear thunder. Most of the time someone in the room will scream (generally teenage girls that watt an excuse to scream). I have seen quite a few little kids get extremely freaked out at this part and not want to do the rest of the (much less scary) ride.

So if your kid is afraid of the dark or loud noises this part may be an issue and you may want to ask to skip it. The rest is easier.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

My DS was nearly 2 for his first trip and my DD had just turned 3 for her first trip. Neither was scared at all. But I agree all kids are different!

 

[Ambear]

I really think the queue is the scariest thing for kids. It has freaky noises and of course has a general creepy look that kids catch on to. When I was little I literally kept asking my mom if wolves were going to attack us in line lol. So I think the queue and the stretching room can really freak kids out before they even get to the ride which is actually less scary and more corny.

 

[L&Lfan]

Actually I found the Snow White dark ride (now only in Disneyland) to be more terrifying to me as a child than the Haunted Mansion. I did not go to my first Disney park until I was 8 so I have no idea what scares 2 year olds. But my gut feeling would be to skip all rides that are considered "scary" until children are older.

 

[richmo]

The key will likely be the stretching room at the beginning. Its dark, loud, usually crowded and scary to a little one. If you can "entertain" her through that, the ride should be OK. If she doesn't do well in the stretching room, there's a chicken exit right after that...

 

[Mom2Minnie]

Does anyone know if you can ask to skip the stretching room? If so, how does this process work?

 

[Pemeberly]

It really depends on your daughter, but generally I say go for it. To echo everyone else's sentiments, I apparently got more scared as I got older. My parents took me on it before I turned two, and they said I was fine. However, once I got older I got scared.

Just don't act like she should be scared and it sounds like she'll have fun!

 

[JJsmama]

I made the mistakes of taking mine on HM when they were that age of a little older. It was AWFUL. They were terrified and it pretty much ruined the whole day. After that, they thought everything was going to be scary. It took them YEARS to be willing to ride it. Plus, HM very frequently stops for a few minutes at a time or longer. Then even the non scared little kids get scared.

 

[jrandall]

I would say no. I'm not even attempting to take mine. It's entirely dark & although it's funny for those understanding the silly part of it, for kids it can still be spooky since it's based on haunted things. My 2 year old is very sensitive to scary images, noises, sounds, and dark places though. All of my kids have been. The way I look at it, there are plenty of entertaining rides for that age so I'm not going to risk putting them in a position to be scared. Some kids may not be scared but it's hard to say since kids are unpredictable with their likes at that age.