Young children and Splash Mountain

[ks-man]

We are heading to Disney on Sunday.

My daughter is 3.5 years old and either just at or just under the 40" mark. Assuming she can go on the ride can anybody speak to their young children of 3 or 4 and how they handled a ride like Splash Mountain. I think she would love the bulk of it but I can't really decide if she would be freaked out by the drop (or if she would love it).

Over the last 3-4 months she has become pretty adventurous in terms of going on bouncy equipment and running up the playground by herself. She'll go down most slides without issue. I imagine that she would like it (with me or her mom sitting right next to her and holding her tight for the drop) but I'd love to hear other people who tried this. Please only comment about kids in this age range (3-4 and maybe "young" 5 year olds) as comparing my 3.5 year old to another's 7 year old isn't really what I'm trying to get at.

Also, are there any 40" rides that I should be thinking of other than Splash Mountain that would fall in a similar category?

Thanks.

 

[stargazertechie]

I was 3.5 on my first trip and LOVED splash mountain. That was the only height restricted ride my parents tried with me.

 

[hookedonears]

We are heading to Disney on Sunday.

My daughter is 3.5 years old and either just at or just under the 40" mark. Assuming she can go on the ride can anybody speak to their young children of 3 or 4 and how they handled a ride like Splash Mountain. I think she would love the bulk of it but I can't really decide if she would be freaked out by the drop (or if she would love it).

Over the last 3-4 months she has become pretty adventurous in terms of going on bouncy equipment and running up the playground by herself. She'll go down most slides without issue. I imagine that she would like it (with me or her mom sitting right next to her and holding her tight for the drop) but I'd love to hear other people who tried this. Please only comment about kids in this age range (3-4 and maybe "young" 5 year olds) as comparing my 3.5 year old to another's 7 year old isn't really what I'm trying to get at.

Also, are there any 40" rides that I should be thinking of other than Splash Mountain that would fall in a similar category?

Thanks.

Our daughter was just tall enough at 3 1/2 and went on it and loved it. It was her favorite ride afterwards.

 

[Raenstoirm]

Let her see the drop before bringing her on and ask her if you are worried. That way she knows there is a big drop. Honestly most kids that ride it, dont seem to have an issue. The adults are the problem!

 

[ks-man]

Let her see the drop before bringing her on and ask her if you are worried. That way she knows there is a big drop. Honestly most kids that ride it, dont seem to have an issue. The adults are the problem!

I kind of think if I show her the drop she will certainly not want to go on the ride but if we go on the ride she will love it and then will want to go on it 10 more times in a row. If I remember correctly there are a bunch of small drops before the big one so she will have gotten used to the drops.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

DD5 was 2 days before her 5th bday the first time she rode Spash. She was just barely 40". I took her on BTM before taking her on Splash...mainly just to see how she'd react to a more intense ride. I mean, she loved the Barnstormer when we went 8 mos earlier, but I wasn't sure. All in all, she loved both. She wound up doing a handful of the 40"+ rides...also tried Star Tours, Test Track, and Soarin'. She's hooked!!!

 

[IhrkeFamily]

My son was a month over 4 when we went on Splash Mountain. He liked the ride except for the drop. Did not like and would not go on again. I agree to ask her what she likes since each child is different.

 

[meredy338]

I took my DD two days shy of 4 and barely 40in on Splash in March. I didn't show her the drop ahead of time but she knew the music from the 4 parks,1 world CD and we had talked up the ride to her and she was excited to ride

She honestly was more afraid of the "dark" parts and the drop didn't seem to bother her. The second time we rode she had hands in the air! Second row...

She loved Test Track which of course is closed now and I wanted so badly to take her on BTMR which is closed and still will be in May. Here's hoping for soft openings!

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Let her see the drop before bringing her on and ask her if you are worried. That way she knows there is a big drop. Honestly most kids that ride it, dont seem to have an issue. The adults are the problem!

So true as a kid I did not mind the drop but as an adult it scares me go figure

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I took my DD two days shy of 4 and barely 40in on Splash in March. I didn't show her the drop ahead of time but she knew the music from the 4 parks,1 world CD and we had talked up the ride to her and she was excited to ride

She honestly was more afraid of the "dark" parts and the drop didn't seem to bother her. The second time we rode she had hands in the air! Second row...

She loved Test Track which of course is closed now and I wanted so badly to take her on BTMR which is closed and still will be in May. Here's hoping for soft openings!

She is so cute and brave

 

[Raenstoirm]

That is one of the cutest pics I have ever seen. Please tell me you bought the print!

 

[illi]

I took my DD two days shy of 4 and barely 40in on Splash in March. I didn't show her the drop ahead of time but she knew the music from the 4 parks,1 world CD and we had talked up the ride to her and she was excited to ride

She honestly was more afraid of the "dark" parts and the drop didn't seem to bother her. The second time we rode she had hands in the air! Second row...

She loved Test Track which of course is closed now and I wanted so badly to take her on BTMR which is closed and still will be in May. Here's hoping for soft openings!

Awesome! She's braver than I am. I still hold on with both hands!

 

[ks-man]

Agreed, I hope she taunted the little girl sitting behind her who is ducking into her parents. "Wus"

Just kidding of course, the picture is great and essentially what I'm hoping to get out of my daughter. If all else fails at least she loves "Zippadee Dooh Dah" so the ride should end on a good note.

 

[Lisa71]

My DD was 4 and loves roller coasters, but tried Splash Mountain twice last time and HATED it. She tried a second time with her Dad as she thought maybe it was just needing "A big guy" with her...nope, she tells me now at 6, it was the drop. Too bad they don't have an "exit here and avoid the big one" turn off. She rides Big Thunder Mountain, Star Tours, Soarin...but Splash is out.

 

[Lynn57]

You know your child best. I would have been petrified at 3 1/2, and my sister would have been sneaking in to ride it at age 2.

Example: She was five and couldn't get enough of Haunted Mansion, while I, age 9, cried outside because I was terrified.

Go based on what you know about your daughter and I bet you will have a fabulous time!

 

[meredy338]

Agreed, I hope she taunted the little girl sitting behind her who is ducking into her parents. "Wus".

LOL It was that little girls first time too and she was just over 4 also. My Ellie was telling her it wasn't so bad and "It's not scary. Its just for fun!"

That is one of the cutest pics I have ever seen. Please tell me you bought the print!

I SO wish I had bought it. We were in a hurry so I just snapped a pic with my iphone and never went back. I guess they don't keep them any longer than the same day. I'll just have to be satisfied with my grainy cell picture i guess

 

[familyfirsttimer]

My 4 year old rode(a few years ago) and I just told her we would let he know before the big hill and her dad would hold her tight. At the bottom of the drop, dripping, she asked if we could go again! LOL

This year @10 she just rode RNR for the first time last week on her 10th bday so I guess there was a little thrill seeker in there all along.

 

[Dustykins]

It's hard to say, because kids are so different. We haven't been to Disney yet, but my DD went on the Tidal Wave at Six Flags (which is the same height drop as Splash Mountain at least) last summer when she was 3 and she loved it.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

~My children were fine at that age! They enjoyed it more than me, actually. Splash is great because you can just hold on to your child if needed. It's one of our favorite rides! Have fun!

 

[HollyP]

Totally depends on your child and how daring she is. My daughter at 3.5 was disappointed she wasnt tall enough. At 5 Splash was her favorite ride we went on over and over. At 7 did it once and said no thanks and refused to go on again.

When she was 5 I put my arm around her holding her in. At 7 I didn't, so I think the weightless feeling at the drop surprised her and now she wont try it again. She's 9 now. I hope she's willing to give it a shot next time we go.