Would Peter Pan scare a 2.5 y/o?

[MeeskaMomma]

After spending the day on these boards I am reconsidering a lot of our itinerary! I had originally planned on skipping PP after watching videos because I thought it might be scary for my 2.5 year old, but it looks like it is a favorite.

Is it really a must see? We plan to go back when DS is 4, should we wait?

While your at it, if there are any rides you took a toddler on that you regret, please let me know!

 

[bgraham34]

We went in Sept when my son was just about 2. All the dark rides he was scared of and said he did not want to go on again. Now he is 2.5 years old and he still remembers the dark rides and said he does not want to go on them again. We are going next week and will still try and take him on it. He might not like it this time around but we are still going to try. All kids are different you just don't know.

 

[OKW Lover]

Without knowing your 2.5 y/o there is no way we can answer this. Some children are fearless, some are fearful. Keep in mind that children take their clues from adults so if you do go, be sure to keep an up-beat disposition. Asking if the child is alright actually sends them the message that there might be something to worry about. Just go with a smile and enjoy it.

 

[wiigirl]

My 3 year old loved it.

 

[Sarahlovy]

My 2.5 year old loved all of the rides. It totally depends on your kid- I would say try one and go from therr

 

[JessM]

My brother loved PP at that age, he never wanted to get off haha. It's just dark, it's not loud or "scary". It depends on the kid but I wouldn't completely write off anything that doesn't have a height requirement. Don't force them to do anything that makes them nervous but you are probably aren't going to scar them for life either if they don't like something they don't have to do it again.

 

[DisneyMagicMomma]

PP scares me and I'm 27. It's totally about your kiddo and what you think they could handle. I have a fearless almost 4 year old, but we'd skip it. I don't like the ride and when I'm not terrified, I don't think it's all that impressive. I would let DS try it IF there was a 15 minute or less stand by.

 

[Funfire240]

My DS who was not quite 2.5 loved all the rides we took him on - especially PP (loves him thanks to Jake and the Neverland Pirates) and couldn't wait to get back on! On the magic carpets and Dumbo he kept asking to go higher and faster!
All just depends - my DS seems to have no fear and loved all the rides - laughed and screamed during it all.

 

[jennylyn_b]

We have taken our dd to Disney every six months since she was a year old. We leave in a couple days for her 4th trip and she will be 2.5 yrs old. We have taken her on every ride she can go on and she hasn't had a problem with any of them. PP, HM, POTC, etc.... She loves them and if she gets that should I be scared face we smile and laugh and clap and she does too! That let's her know its ok and there's nothing to be afraid of.
We have avoided its tough to be a bug though as the screaming of other kids would freak her out!

 

[pumpkinjl]

My 2 year old LOVED it!!! As long as your son is not afraid of the dark, he should be fine.

 

[Figment104]

We have taken our dd to Disney every six months since she was a year old. We leave in a couple days for her 4th trip and she will be 2.5 yrs old. We have taken her on every ride she can go on and she hasn't had a problem with any of them. PP, HM, POTC, etc.... She loves them and if she gets that should I be scared face we smile and laugh and clap and she does too! That let's her know its ok and there's nothing to be afraid of.
We have avoided its tough to be a bug though as the screaming of other kids would freak her out!

How did she do on HM? We're taking our 17 month old in 12 days, and I'm pretty much going with the same philosophy of if there isn't a height restriction it will be considered. I've been thinking over the rides that might cause an issue more and more now that we're getting closer, and now I'm thinking that we may just let DS hang with the grandparents while we ride and HM is on that list. I don't like the idea of being trapped on the ride with him if he freaks out, and it's not the shortest ride.

Thanks!

 

[Heather1979]

My daughter is an adrenaline junkie so any ride or any attraction was a hit for her, and she was 2.5 last time we went. My son was 15 months last trip, and he fell asleep on haunted mansion 2x! The only ride I felt scared on with him was Peter Pan because he was so interested in the stuff he was trying to reach out to it and I had a hard time keeping him seated!
I'd approach each ride with an open mind and I wouldn't say anything about it potentially being scary, just follow your child's lead when it comes to what they react to. And just because they act a certain way once doesn't mean they will again- it's like mealtime

 

[MSSANDRA]

I think almost all the indoor rides have at least a touch of fear to them, they can be dark or loud or have unexpected movement. PP however seems to be less so than many others. It's short for a long wait or a FP use but we love it. The only issue he have had was HM and DS was 5. At 2 the "haunted" concept will go over his head and just the music or lighting could be an issue, same with POC. You just have to try one and see how it goes. Pooh is a good one to start with, or Finding Nemo in Epcot.

 

[Figment104]

My daughter is an adrenaline junkie so any ride or any attraction was a hit for her, and she was 2.5 last time we went. My son was 15 months last trip, and he fell asleep on haunted mansion 2x! The only ride I felt scared on with him was Peter Pan because he was so interested in the stuff he was trying to reach out to it and I had a hard time keeping him seated!
I'd approach each ride with an open mind and I wouldn't say anything about it potentially being scary, just follow your child's lead when it comes to what they react to. And just because they act a certain way once doesn't mean they will again- it's like mealtime

I think almost all the indoor rides have at least a touch of fear to them, they can be dark or loud or have unexpected movement. PP however seems to be less so than many others. It's short for a long wait or a FP use but we love it. The only issue he have had was HM and DS was 5. At 2 the "haunted" concept will go over his head and just the music or lighting could be an issue, same with POC. You just have to try one and see how it goes. Pooh is a good one to start with, or Finding Nemo in Epcot.

Thanks so much for the advice. We probably will just play it by ear. If he seems ok going over to HM, then maybe we'll go through the queue, and depending on how he handles that we can always have someone take him out without actually going on the ride. He doesn't seem to mind the dark, but that's a good suggestion to start with something like Pooh or Finding Nemo.

 

[DaddyMickey]

My son is 2.5 and loves all those rides. The drop in the dark on POC used to get to him but he's over it now. Bring him/her on everything. I find that if you talk to them and play things out and point things out it's easier on the little ones.

 

[bumbershoot]

Start with the ones with the bright, cheery lines with the obvious "fun ride" payoff. Hold off on the ones with the darker lines, or the darker rides until he's used to what a ride really IS and what he'll get from it.

While you can nearly see all of the line of PP from the outside, it is perhaps a bit darker than, say, the iasw line (from my memory of my experiences), so maybe hold off on it a bit. Just see how he does and take things slow. And make sure that he's nicely fed, well watered, and well rested before trying anything even a bit worrisome.

How did she do on HM? We're taking our 17 month old in 12 days....

From our experience, having taken DS to Disneyland for the first time at 17 months old, he didn't mind ANYTHING at that age. Just a year old, no strong opinions on much of anything apart from being held, getting his mama milk, and having his diaper changed (wanted to be clean, hated the process...he was of two minds, there, LOL). Slept on POTC, etc.

When we went back a year later (at about 2.5) his opinions on things had changed DRASTICALLY. I never even got on Disneyland's HM that year, because he flipped out while just in the line (stretching room screamers did not help at all...wish they had a kid-friendly stretching room!) and we had to take the "chicken" exit (which, at DLR, was actually darker and spookier than the line, and we were all alone in long corridors...augh).


He continued to change and be different about rides on almost every trip after. He'd love a ride he hated, he'd hate a ride (or even a line) he'd loved. Back and forth. Crazy fellow.


At 17 months, though, he was Zen about everything. It was all about being close to his family, not about knowing if there was such a thing as being *scared* or not.

 

[ktlm]

Peter Pan and Small World were DD's absolute favorite rides when she was 2. We pulled a new fast pass for Peter Pan every time our window was up, and rode it multiple times every MK day. Does he like the movie Peter Pan? If so, he will probably love the ride.

 

[sunshinex7]

We just went 2 weeks ago and my dd2 loved it!!

 

[shelbyf31]

My son loved it and he was 1 & 1/2. My cousin in laws daughter wouldn't even get on it and she was five. It depends on the kid. We are going in May and my son, now three, can't wait to ride haunted mansion and splash mountain(he is very tall).

 

[chekhovgirl]

Peter Pan was my 2.5 year old's favorite ride. He still talks about it. But he also loves Peter Pan in general, though not even the Disney movie, the Mary Martin and Cathy Rigby musicals