Young Elementary Age Kids and Attraction Scary Factor

[LiveToTravelNicely]

Hi Everyone! I'm taking my niece (age 8) and nephew (age 5) on our next trip to WDW in 2016!!! That being said, I've never traveled with young children before to the world, so I would like some input from others with children in this age group that have actually experienced the attractions with these children already. I know I'll get a variety of "not scary" or "scary" answers, so if you could give me a bit of feedback on the child's demeanor such as "the ride was scary for him, but he scares easily" or "my daredevil 5 year old had no problems with the ride!", I would be especially appreciative.

Specifically, I'm wondering about
1) Haunted Mansion (even more specific-the lightning/scream in the stretching room)
2) Pirates of the Caribbean
3) Dinosaur
4) Great Movie Ride
and for the heck of it, 5) Tower of Terror

 

[Robo]

Look up each attraction's ride-through videos on YouTube, and show the kids ahead of time.
They'll know what to expect.

 

[starjazz]

I have 7 and 4 year old girls. My 4 year old's favorite ride is Haunted Mansion. She's totally okay with "scary" like ghosts, etc. But she's not a big fan of drops or hills/speed in the dark, so she won't ride Dino or Pirates. She does like BTMRR if its day time. The first few times, both of my girls during HM wanted to be held during the scream/dark part, but after that they have been brave ever since. My 7 yo is tentative to try everything, but usually can be convinced, and inevitably likes everything. Tower of Terror was perfect example. Wouldn't do it forever, until she was with her cousin (also 7), and when he wanted to, she did. After that, they did it a bunch. She was never afraid of Pirates, even at age 4 and up (earliest we went was when they were 2 and 4). Movie ride, never an issue for either kids. Dino, still an issue for the 5 yo, no prob for the 7 yo. 7 yo is into thrill rides, likes them all. 5 yo is into the spectacle, but not into dark drops. Hope that helps!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

At 8, DD was a chicken with the heart of a daredevil. She was terrified of all of the big rides the first time, and her first words after the ride were always, "LET'S DO THAT AGAIN!" Of that list, she tried all of those willingly (and enjoyed them) except Tower of Terror - I had to bribe her to ride ToT, but she loved it after she did it.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The only one of those rides that ever scared my boys was ToT. Dinosaur was too loud for them for a while, but they laughed during the ride when we got the ear plugs.

 

[caracarn]

Of the 5 you mention only ToT and Dinosaur ever scared any kids I have taken to Disney and we took some of them as young as 18 months (no we did not take her on Dinosaur or ToT at that time but just showing we took 'em young). ToT is really determined by the fear of dropping. There is very little on the ride itself that would scare anyone who understands ghosts and cobwebs. I'd place the thematics on par with Haunted Mansion. For Dinosaur however the ride move fast, it is dark and then suddenly a HUGE dinosaur appears ar various places around your car, this one freaked the pants of a few of my kids at the ages you describe. I think just being open about what the ride is will help.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

@caracarn - Wheel of Time fan?

 

[ajwolfe]

The only one of those that has ever bothered my kids was ToT. The rest they were fine with at a young age.

Have fun!!

 

[sharona]

Hi Everyone! I'm taking my niece (age 8) and nephew (age 5) on our next trip to WDW in 2016!!! That being said, I've never traveled with young children before to the world, so I would like some input from others with children in this age group that have actually experienced the attractions with these children already. I know I'll get a variety of "not scary" or "scary" answers, so if you could give me a bit of feedback on the child's demeanor such as "the ride was scary for him, but he scares easily" or "my daredevil 5 year old had no problems with the ride!", I would be especially appreciative.

Specifically, I'm wondering about
1) Haunted Mansion (even more specific-the lightning/scream in the stretching room) DD12 still closed her eyes during that part of HM but otherwise enjoys the ride. She is a little creeped out by the grimness of the CM's She is not a fan of anything "scary". She avoided the HP movies for years because she found Voldemort to be creepy.
2) Pirates of the Caribbean Never an issue for DD or my nephew (13) when they were younger. They loved it.
3) Dinosaur Both DD (5 at the time) and my nephew (6) HATED this ride. We adults didn't like it either. Too loud, too bouncy/jerky, too scary. It's been a no go for us ever since.
4) Great Movie Ride I don't remember any issues with this one. Is it scary?
and for the heck of it, 5) Tower of Terror DD and I have been too chicken for this one so far. There is a similar ride at a local amusement park that DD loves but it's all outdoors. I think DD would do TT for the thrill of it but the "creepy" factor knocks it off our list.

I really think this depends so much on the kids personalities. Some kids love creepy/scary stuff and others don't. Same goes for thrill rides. I would do POTC first and if they are not bothered by the dark then move on to HM. If you're not sure how something will go over, save it for just before the end of the night or before a break so if there's an issue it won't ruin the rest of that day.

 

[ArwenMarie]

The rides you mentioned could scare kids in that age group...or not. There's no way to really say because every kid is unique.

I agree about viewing the YouTube videos, that's the best way to see!

 

[scrapquitler]

Hi Everyone! I'm taking my niece (age 8) and nephew (age 5) on our next trip to WDW in 2016!!! That being said, I've never traveled with young children before to the world, so I would like some input from others with children in this age group that have actually experienced the attractions with these children already. I know I'll get a variety of "not scary" or "scary" answers, so if you could give me a bit of feedback on the child's demeanor such as "the ride was scary for him, but he scares easily" or "my daredevil 5 year old had no problems with the ride!", I would be especially appreciative.

Specifically, I'm wondering about
1) Haunted Mansion (even more specific-the lightning/scream in the stretching room)
2) Pirates of the Caribbean
3) Dinosaur
4) Great Movie Ride
and for the heck of it, 5) Tower of Terror

My son rode all but Dinosaur when he was 4, and wasn't scared of any of them. We did discuss them ahead of time and reminded him that it was all pretend, and 'fun' scary not real scary, and that he was perfectly safe. Now that we went back and he is 12, he HATED TOT, but not because it scared him, but he just didn't like the physical sensation of the drop (though he loved all the coasters, including RNR). And he is generally scared of EVERYTHING.

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

I really think this depends so much on the kids personalities. Some kids love creepy/scary stuff and others don't. Same goes for thrill rides. I would do POTC first and if they are not bothered by the dark then move on to HM. If you're not sure how something will go over, save it for just before the end of the night or before a break so if there's an issue it won't ruin the rest of that day.

Absolutely, and this will be their first experience with theme park rides, so I want it to be a good one. We're planning to ease them in slowly. In addition to saving "iffy" rides for the end of the day, we're also not doing anything the first day that is in that category. I'd hate to put them on a ride that freaks them out on the first day, and then they are scared of the potential to get scared on everything thereafter. We're going to start the trip either in Fantasyland or the West side of Future World (Nemo, Living with the Land, Soarin, and Figment).

They both love the "funny feeling in (their) stomach" when on a tire swing, and same goes for the feeling you get at an IMAX film. That's when I knew they were good candidates for WDW! However, my nephew doesn't like scary scenes in Disney movies such as Aurora going up the stairs to the spinning wheel, but he loves all things dinosaurs. I'll try the youtube method; that's a great idea.

I'm still interested in others' opinions on the subject with their own experiences/observations/tips!

 

[MainMom]

Took my 9 year old niece for the first time. She rode everything. The only one she absolutely said was terrible was TOT. She got off of it shaking. My 10 year old son refuses to ride it. My DD loved it at 10.

 

[tink9702]

Specifically, I'm wondering about
1) Haunted Mansion (even more specific-the lightning/scream in the stretching room)
2) Pirates of the Caribbean
3) Dinosaur
4) Great Movie Ride
and for the heck of it, 5) Tower of Terror

1. Haunted Mansion - my kids were fine, made sure to hold their hands and no problems
2. POTC - this is supposed to be scary? no issues at all
3. Dinosaur - DS did okay, said it was a bit scary (startling). DD was too short to ride
4. Great Movie Ride - didn't go on it at all
5. ToT - DS refused to go on it, was terrified just watching from the outside

We also avoided Bugs Life & Stitch.

DS (5 1/2 at the time) is a bit of a daredevil, but DD (not quite 4) is a big big chicken and did fine on Haunted Mansion & Pirates.

 

[LoveThatMouse!]

I just asked my college DDs what they remember as being frightening when they were that age and these were their top 3.
Surprisingly this is what they said.
Heffalump part of Winnie the Pooh ( I would have NEVER guessed)
Bug's Life(I thought it was only because of the stinger but one of them said 'It was the WHOLE thing!')
Dinosaur(one of my daughter's still won't ride bc she was so traumatized at 6.)

We didn't force them to ride ToT or Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain etc until they were ready. We did reward with pins once they rode the big rides though, and they still have those pins many years later. Awesome 'trophies'

A good way to ease them in to some of the coasters was to ride Barnstormer first and then tell them how the others coasters were in comparison. ie. BTMRR is very similar to Barnstormer just longer and a tiny bit bigger. 7DMT a step up from BTMRR. We also told them that they could gauge the intensity of the ride based on the type of safety restraint they had. Safety belt vs. lap bar vs. over the shoulder harness. These all apply with the exception of ToT which is just a belt.

 

[abs1978]

We went last year when my daughter was 4. She liked PoTC. We did not try Dinosaur or The Great Movie Ride because neither DH nor I like them. Haunted Mansion was closed but we'll try it our next trip. I bet she'll be fine and love it. Winnie the Pooh was one of her favorites. On the other hand, she was terrified of Barnstormer and refused ToT of course. She also thought Voyage of the Little Mermaid was scary. She hid her face in my lap the whole time. I plan on bribing her to ride SDMT this time--we'll see. Totally crazy--things we thought she would love she hated and vice versa. For example, she can't wait to ride Soarin and Star Tours again!

 

[BuzzyBelle]

I just asked my college DDs what they remember as being frightening when they were that age and these were their top 3.
Surprisingly this is what they said.
Heffalump part of Winnie the Pooh ( I would have NEVER guessed)
Bug's Life(I thought it was only because of the stinger but one of them said 'It was the WHOLE thing!')
Dinosaur(one of my daughter's still won't ride bc she was so traumatized at 6.)

We didn't force them to ride ToT or Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain etc until they were ready. We did reward with pins once they rode the big rides though, and they still have those pins many years later. Awesome 'trophies'

A good way to ease them in to some of the coasters was to ride Barnstormer first and then tell them how the others coasters were in comparison. ie. BTMRR is very similar to Barnstormer just longer and a tiny bit bigger. 7DMT a step up from BTMRR. We also told them that they could gauge the intensity of the ride based on the type of safety restraint they had. Safety belt vs. lap bar vs. over the shoulder harness. These all apply with the exception of ToT which is just a belt.

This made me laugh because it is my kids exactly! We took DD when she was 3 on Winnie the Pooh and she was terrified. However she loved Barnstormer that year and rode ToT last year at 4 and it is now her favorite ride. She is a thrill ride junkie but still doesn't want to go back on Pooh DD12 hates Bug's Life and refuses to go on it again. The bugs totally creep her out. She also wouldn't go on ToT until she was 10 because she psyched herself out. Sometimes when they're older they build it up in their minds so much it's way worse than the ride actually is.
We also give pins to DD5 when she conquers a big ride. We never force her or lie to her about what's coming. She has watched youtube videos so she knows what to expect and like others have said we reinforce the ideas that it's all make believe and the people are just robots. No bad guys are allowed in Mickey's house She's super excited to have reached 44" so she can do Everest and Space Mountain this summer. I think being completely honest with them about what is going to happen is key.

 

[Linda M]

My five year old granddaughter wasn't actually frightened in Haunted Mansion but she didn't like it. The Great Movie Ride was boring for all of us, including her!

 

[Kathryn777]

My favorite trick I stole from my brother in law. On rides that are questionable , like the haunted mansion, Pirates we will point at things that might be scary and see "oh isn't that silly" and make light of it. It gets us a much better response than saying "are you ok" which seems to be my daughter's (5) cue to panic. Tot scares me badly, and I think my daughter picked up in it, and she hates it now

 

[Rosebud123]

My then-4 year old dd was more afraid of HM than TOT! You never know what's going to scare some kids. My son, now 11, has always and continues to be afraid of the drop in Pirates but loves Space Mountain. LOL.