Wondering how 2 yo's handle all the rides at WDW????

[disneygirl1977k]

Hi guys,
DH and I are taking 2 yo DS to WDW in October....he will be 28 months old exactly and I was just wondering how most 2 yo's handle rides like PoC, HM, IASW, Spaceship Earth and other rides like that....I am really excited about it, just wondering what others have experienced....Kristy

 

[AKLgirl]

whats ISAW?

 

[ksoehrlein]

PoC can be a little intimidating because it's so dark. Same thing with Spaceship Earth, although talking about how pretty the colors are can help. It's a Small World (IASW, to answer previous poster's question) is wonderful for 2-year-olds! Winnie the Pooh is great too except for the darker parts. HM can be OK, just because a 2-yo might not yet know enough about ghosts to be spooked by them. Journey into Imagination with Figment has been a big hit with my little ones at that age.

Keep in mind that your DS will be able to ride anything that doesn't have a height restriction, but that doesn't always mean it will be easy to properly restrain him if he is extra-squirmy on a ride. I was a little nervous when my DS rode Peter Pan because I almost didn't get him properly seated on the bench before the lap bar came down.

 

[LynnTH]

Last time we went by DD was 2-1/2. She was not scared of anything and loved all the rides that she was able to go on - she even loved HM (but that time her 5 year old brother didn't). She just kind of went with the flow and had a great time.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

When my dd was 2 she loved all the rides. She went on just about everything she could, including POC and HM. The only things she was afraid of were the 3D shows and Fantasmic. The first 3D show we went to was Bugs Life. As soon as they flung that first acorn into your face she didn't want anything else to do with it. It was kind of a sad moment, up until that point she had not been afraid of anything. She left Disney afraid of Villans, scary music, and of course 3D shows.

 

[beasleybear]

Our son was 26 months when we first took him to WDW last year. Of the 4 rides you mentioned we only took him on Spaceship Earth. We didn't feel comfortable taking him on Haunted Mansion or Pirates, and It's a Small World was down for rehab while we were there. We did do Spaceship Earth, and he fell asleep on it. (Ok, so it was naptime! )

He loved the Winnie the Pooh ride, in spite of the scary-to-some Heffalump & rain scenes. However, he was very familiar with the WTP movie and he likes the Heffalump part of it. So I wasn't too worried about that one. He also seemed ok on Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, Tomorrowland Transit Authority & the Buzz Lightyear ride. He didn't seem overly enthused about them, just curious. He loves carousels & trains, so we hit both of those for sure.

The things that he didn't like were the shows. He's sort of shy about crowds so this wasn't too surprising to us. We didn't even get through the preshow of Playhouse Disney or Muppets 4D, so after those two experiences we stopped trying any shows.

It'll be fun to go back with him next time since not long after we returned he REALLY got into Peter Pan & Buzz Lightyear. He'll like them even better next time!

 

[becca011906]

ME and dh took our kids age almost 4 and 22 months at the time to WDW, EVERYthing that abby was aloud to ride she did. she rode all of the above and more! She loved it, i'm very very worried about this coming trip and her... but that's another thread i was just coming her to start!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

ISAW=It's a small world.

My 2yo loves all the rides...she's been going since she's been 4 months old though. She goes on anything she's tall enough for and enjoys it every time.

However--if it is your child's first time....you may start on some basic rides and work your way up.

 

[GingerbreadCoffin]

The last time we took Jack he was 2 1/2.
IASW was down so we didn't get to try that.
The only thing that bothered him on PoC was when the pirates on the ship fire at you. We got him a gun to take this time so he can fire back.
He was a bit uneasy about HM. The only time he got really scared was in the graveyard when they pop up from behind graves and scream. He just hid his face and then he was fine. Afterwards he told me "That was scary Mommy.It was fun."Then he kept going on and on about how dirty that house was
The last time he was on SE was when he was 21 months.He was very quiet and pointed a few things out.He didn't seem scared or thrilled.The only thing that bothered him about it was after the ride.They had the exhibits about communication and near one of them the floor was clear and raised.He was convinced he would fall through.

 

[LibertyLover]

My DD was 30 months old in January when we took her to WDW for the first time. She loved the Teacups and Goofy's Barnstormer. PoC was ok although once or twice she cuddled close. Pooh was good because of the bouncy part with Tigger. The golden carosel was a big hit as were Aladdin's flying carpets (same for Triceratops Spin in AK) Peter Pan was a bit intense because of the dark, although Snow White was ok - go figure. She slept through Tiki Room - the gods only know how. Haunted Mansion was ok so long as my DH and I talked to her about how funny the different ghosts looked and weren't the noises they made silly. The only part she didn't like was the ending with the "hitchhiking" ghost. It appeared right where she was sitting and she asked me to make it go away. She also liked Jungle Cruise and kept talking about bad crocodiles. So there will be plenty of rides and things that your 2 year old should find fine, interesting and not too scary.

 

[RoRoLovesEeeee]

My DD was 2.5 when we went in May and she loved every ride and she got on all of them that she was able to. She was afraid in the Bug's Life 3D show though. She loved the Mickey's Philharmagic (SP?) though. She actually was reaching out to grab things. It was the cutest. i guess it all really depends on the child.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

Our children have always been so unpredictable. Our dd was 2.5 during our May trip. One day she loved POTC, and the next she was scared. Anticipating a cool, relaxing ride while almost 4 yo ds and dh visited Stitch, I took her on TTA. She was so frightened nearly the entire time!!! HM, on the other hand, made her laugh. Go figure!

 

[JMSMommy]

We took DS#1 when he was 34 months old (and 39.5 inches tall). He rode everything he could, HM scared him though. His absolute favorite? The Monorail! Then Buzz Lightyear or Goofy's Barnstormer (yep...got a thrill ride kid here). The other one he liked was "test flight" of Star Tours. That was a surprise for us...didn't know they would do that and we were planning on babyswap.

We went back when DS#2 was 19 months (and he's a short one). The 18month old LOVED IASW and Pooh. Didn't like HM (but then again neither did DS#1 that trip either). Peter Pan was liked as well. He wasn't sure about Dumbo, but loved Astro Orbiter. He liked Jungle Cruise (well flirting with this pretty lady), but didn't like PoC. He was whiney through Great Movie Ride. He liked the Carousel. Really liked Spaceship Earth (well it was our favorite because he fell asleep within 2 minutes due to cool DARK place). Really he was ALL about the characters, running up to them giving hugs, smiling, playing with them...regardless of where they were (yes we ended up skipping certain shows).

 

[shafke]

DD was 2yrs 3 months. Once we got her off the horsies in MK, she went on anything without height restrictions and just made it for Goofy's Barnstormer. She did not freak out but did not want to go back on it, probably because it was late and she was tired. The only thing she did not like on the trip were the face characters. We did the castle for breakfast and she would not even look at the princesses. She had no problem what so ever with 5 foot rodents (she loves Chip & Dale now) and 6 foot dogs.

 

[Deesknee]

Just got back with our teens & 22mnth old. 22mnth old loved it all! HM, Poc, IASW, all of the 3d shows, characters, fantasmic. IMHO it depends on each child, but also how everyone she is with is reacting. We tend to tell her things are "silly" that might frighten others. (ex. pirates with dogs holding keys) It works for us.
Best of luck.

 

[disneyfreak74]

We have been when DS was 2.5 and when DD was 22 months. Both did very well. Some of the shows they were a little vocal. But so were other older children. But it amazed me that they were not scared!!

 

[mookie]

I also have a question along these lines, too. Our dd is 2years 4 mos. old right now, and we took her to a few local carnivals, and she absolutely HATED all of the rides, producing screaming and crying fits! (This is the same kid last year that LOVED it!)

I'm trying to figure out when to book our next Disney trip, but I'm worried that she might be scared of the rides, and might not even go on IASW. DH seems to think that it won't be the same at Disney, because Disney is WAY more magical than (sometimes scary) carnival rides. I'm not so sure. Do kids really react differently to the characters and rides at Disney, because it's Disney?

She loves characters and shows, but the rides (even Dumbo and IASW) I'm afraid might send her freaking out. I don't want her to be scared, so I would obviously want to wait to go to Disney until she's ready, but DH seems to think that once she gets to "Mickey's House," it will be familiar, and she will be fine. Any thoughts?

I'm thinking wait until next summer to see how she does on the carnival rides again, and then book disney. But with having to plan ur trips so far in advance - we might not be going for another 2 years then!

Thanks for the help and advice, would love to hear any experiences with this, and how you handled it!

 

[Colinsmom]

DS was 2.25 years for his first trip. He loved all the rides we went on (including Tomorrowland Transportation Authority, PoC, Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear, Triceratops Spin, and many others) but particularly liked the shows. I wonder if it is because the shows gave him more bang for his buck in terms of waiting time vs. entertainment time??

He wasn't crazy about the Haunted Mansion - the pop-up "peek-a-boo guys", in his words, were a little too much. IASW was closed when we went, and we didn't try Spaceship Earth as *I* always found it kinda boring!

 

[PrincessLuvers]

I agree with it all depends on the child. We've been going regularly since moving to Florida when my youngest was 15 months. HM was always a great ride for her to catch a little nap on however she started getting a little scared of the ride when she was three. Now she's fine with it again. With the 3D movies, make sure to explain how things will appear to pop out of the movie and that if they remove their glasses then that will go away. My now 4 year old still slides her glasses off when the snake comes out during "Honey, I shrunk the audience" but loves the rest of the show.

We had friends with similar age childred come visit last summer and our kids couldn't wait to do the rides with them. They were just overwhelmed, I believe. The visiting kids were frightened to do anything... wouldn't even go into the cave-like waiting area for Bug's Life, the shows were too loud and scared them. We spent the entire time just walking around and seeing the sights. The kids still all had a great time soaking up the magic, even without the actual rides/shows. My kids were fine with just walking around as they knew there was a "next time" soon. The parents were a bit disappointed but realized that the experience is what you make it.

Good luck with your trip and remember to go with the flow!!