Question about my kids and rides

[blebert]

We are headed to Disney early next year for 3 days. We are going to MK, EP, HS. I have 2 year old and a 4 year old that scares easy. What rides will they be able to do at those parks so I can plan according. I also have a 9 and 8 year old too that we have to find stuff for them to do as well but they get scared too.

 

[Homesick for Disney]

I've traveled with a 3-year old and a 4-year old, one who was a daredevil and one not so much. At MK, I would start with Fantasyland for your little ones to see what they like. Jungle Cruise and Buzz Lightyear are good stops, too. I would then try them out on the Barnstormer and then BTMRR if that one's good. From there, you can try for Splash and Space.

At Epcot, we found that the kids loved Mission Space (green), TT, Soarin', Maelstrom, pretty much everything. Even the more intense rides at this park a fairly mild.

As far as HS, ToT and RnR are two of the most intense rides on property. I'd save these for last once you've gauged how they handle everything else.

We always tried to start with milder stuff and worked our way up to the scarier stuff.

 

[memakwed]

I guess it depends on what your children are scared of and fears. As a child I had a fear of boats/drowning in water- like to swim not afraid of water itself so my parent's took me on POTC in MK and Maelstrom in EP. As a 37 yr old still have not done Maelstrom again and have learned to love POTC becuase my child is fearless. My point is since your kids ages are varied and they may not be scared of all the same things, take their fears into account and read the description of the rides to make the best choice for each one.

Here is a little idea of what I can think of:
MK
Fantasyland- outdoor rides like dumbo, carosel, good!
Teacups good if they are ok with spinning bad if they aren't- my DH
Peterpan great if the are ok with heights but if the little ones don't like hieghts they will perceive they are high up when they aren't really and could be a problem.
Small world- good bright airy but it's all the same figure dressed for different cultures -if they have a problem with dolls ( ya know the creepy doll thing) pass on it.
Haunted mansion dark during the day very dark during the night. Not persay a scary ride but if they are afraid of the dark pass on it.
BTMR- overall ok but if they don't like fast then pass
Splash mt- If you don't like drops pass on it- not dark or creepy though
Country bear jamboree- good as long as you like animatronics. I have friends their kids are scared of animatronics so they can't go to disney- they're everywhere. Same goes for hall of presidents and carousel of progress.
POTC- good unless they are scared of drops- a very miniscual one to adults to little ones a totally different feeling or if they don't like water or boats. a little darker than other rides could be scary for tiny people.
Magic carpets great you control the height of the carpet just like dumbo. Out doors .
Jungle cruise good unless you don't like boats or water.
tree house good unless you don't like heights
Space Mt. not good if you don't like fast, or dark.
Stitch- not good if they scare at all just pass on it. We love it but again my child doesn't scare easily. Dark, harness holds you in seat and very sensory. Again just pass on it based on the fact you already have concerns.

I tried to cover what I could think of but you get the idea of what I'm saying it's all about your idividual fears and what scares one doesn't scare the other.

If they have specific fears I would give you the run down for the specific rides that could play into those fears. Hope I helped

 

[ninafeliz]

We just got back from a trip with a 2 1/2 yr old boy. He has been to WDW before and we took him on anything that we were allowed to take a baby and then toddler on. Well, between last November and now he has developed some fears that we didn't see coming! He doesn't care for rides in the dark, which we found out while on Peter Pan. I never thought of it as at all scary until he got upset as soon as we took off over London and it was dark. He liked Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, and Small World in the MK. I'm pretty sure he would have loved Barnstormer but we had to head to Epcot and didn't have time to wait in line. In Epcot he liked Nemo in the Seas and Living with the Land, and oddly enough he did like Spaceship Earth despite it being quite dark a lot of the time. We were only there for 3 days, and only went to the parks one day (plus a rain drenched MNSSHP when he didn't ride anything and went back to the hotel early to sleep and not soak his stroller). We go back for a week over Halloween, so we'll find out more of what he likes then

 

[Pixie Princess]

We are headed to Disney early next year for 3 days. We are going to MK, EP, HS. I have 2 year old and a 4 year old that scares easy. What rides will they be able to do at those parks so I can plan according. I also have a 9 and 8 year old too that we have to find stuff for them to do as well but they get scared too.

At MK I would avoid Stitch's Great Escape. Forgetting that it is horrible attraction in general IMO, it is in the dark and has one of those harnesses that you pull down over your head which just compounds the fear factor for those that scare easily. On our first trip my 4 y.o. niece tried to crawl out from under the harness. The ride really upset her and my DD who was 6 at the time.

I'd also think twice about Mickey's Philharmagic. It is a 4D movie musical attraction. I love it! However, I don't think I've ever been when the 4D effects haven't caused a child to start crying. They are nothing scary, but for little ones being squirt with water or having air puffed in their face can be upsetting. It also tends to be pretty loud which can be upsetting for little ones. Most of the water and air puffs occur in the first couple scenes as I recall. The 4 y.o. might be okay if you talk about what to expect up front.

At DHS, I might think twice about Star Tours for the 4 y.o. It isn't particularly scary, but it is jerky. However, if the 4 y.o. tries the roller coasters at MK and likes them then ST should be no problem.


The 8 and 9 y.o. might have issues with Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. (and the 4 y.o. if they meet the height req.) My DD was not much of daredevil where rides were concerned until she hit 10, however she did ride RnRR with no problem when she was 8. It is an indoor looping roller coaster. It is in the dark though, so she had no idea she went upside down until I told her months later. Had she seen the loop upfront she never would have ridden it. ToT...well the name says it all. My DD(12) finally came to like it in the past year. She wouldn't even try it until she was 10. I love the ride, but it really is terrifying.... in a good way. It helped my DD knowing that while it feels like the car is falling, it actually isn't. It is being pulled down.

At Epcot the only thing I might be wary of is Mission Space (green) for the 4 y.o. because it also has a pull down harness. The ride itself isn't particuarly scary and there are all sorts of fun buttons to push! If the 4 y.o. knows what to expect with the harness upfront, it might be okay.

As the pp said, just start with milder stuff and work your way up.