3 1/2 what should we?

[Dano1182]

My son is three and a half.Can anyone advise what rides and shows we should go to or aviod.Leaving Thursday.This will be his first trip and we don't want to

 

[going2wdw]

It's hard to say without knowing more. Some children are more cautious and it is good to try to avoid darker rides. I wouldn't do Haunted Mansion or Snow White's scary Adventure first but Winnie the Pooh or just walking around toonland is a good place to start. Dumbo is a first thing to do if you are there early.

If your son likes Disney movies he probably won't find many things that are too scary. The scary things at WDW that he can ride or do at his age would be comparable to the scary parts in some movies which is fine with some and not others.

<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC size=4>Janette</font>

<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC>WDW ~*~ Offsite ? - 1976, Vistana - Jun 1988
Vistana/Contemporary - Jun 2000, OKW - Feb 2001
BWV - DIS Convention Nov 2001</font>
<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC>Disneyland ~*~ Apr 1998</font>

 

[TexasErin]

Our DD was that age last year and it was very surprising to see what she was afraid of. She was afraid on any inside dark rides. She was scared on El Rio del Tiempo, Maelstrom, the Land boat ride. However she loved Dumbo and Goofy's Barnstormer. She is afraid of the dark. After she became hysterical on Living with the Land, I told her that she was going to have to stay at the child care at the hotel. Cruel, I know, but none of us were having any fun. After that she got over it and had a great time. She loved Haunted Mansion and POC. Part of her initial fear also could have been that she was getting accustomed to the rides. We also bought her a little pen flashlight and told her if she got scared, she could turn it on and shine it down on her shoes and that really did the trick. I would also start off on smaller rides, like It's a Small World, Winnie the Pooh. We are going again in August and she is already looking forward to some of the dark, inside rides. Save plenty of time for the carousel and take along a small flashlight. Try to keep the mood light and cheerful with your son when you are on the rides so that he will know that it is OK.

87- off-site
91- Dolphin,PO
93- CBR
00- Dolphin
8/01- YC

 

[sara]

Hi! You are so lucky to be leaving so soon!
Hope you have a great trip!!!

I agree that it depends on the child. Take it slow and let him/her decide what he/she wants to do at first. I have two kids and they each went at that age. My DD would ride anything, even TOT had I let her! But, she also used a pen light on the dark rides. She did not like Haunted Mansion. Now, my DS didn't even want to ride Dumbo at that age. It took a couple of days to get him to try it. He liked the cars and the carousel. He does enjoy Disney World, just at a different pace than his sister. Both my kids enjoyed the swimming pool the best

Have fun! It's great to see Disney through a child's eye!!

 

[ddickson]

My dd, at that age, didn't like any of the dark rides. POC terrified her. However, she loved BTMRR and Splash, Jungle Cruise, Buzz, all of the Fantasyland rides. Try out Barnstormer first, then go on to BTMRR. Just be prepared to do it again and again and again and again! Don't forget to do Muppet 3D at MGM and the Safari at AK.

 

[LeahA]

We are going in 3 weeks with my son, who is 3 months shy of his 4th birthday.

We went last year a few months before he turned 3 and he really wasn't afraid of any of the rides, but, he was afraid of some of the charachters.

I can't wait to see how he is this year. I know he'll want to go on everything he can, and then afterwards, we'll have to see his reactions.

 

[erinch]

my brave 3 1/2 year old is a little daredevil and went on everything her 42" entitled her to. She loved splash mountain the best and was furious she couldn't ride BTMRR. (We're going back two years later and she's now a brave 46" which will get her on just about everything.)

The biggest problem we had was the obsession with the characters and autographs, which consumed every minute we would let it. The worst part of our vacation was the wait from hell to see mickey in toontown (which i would avoid in the heat and sun like the plague.)

The point at which she broke was having to walk in between running on attractions.

 

[camper]

Toon Town is alot of fun if you can get there when it is not too busy. We had a great time there late in the evening, had the whole place almost to our selves.In fact we actually got to see Mickey with out even waiting in line.
The peter Pan ride is great for that age also. The Main Street Electrical is great for everyone.
At Epcot Center my kids have a blast playing in the water that shoots up from the walkway. Animal Kingdom has a great playground for the children.