Which attractions scary for kids?

[hope23]

My DS 5 & 3 are wary of scary things... wondering which attractions your kids (or you) have found scary and might be too much? Thanks!!

[MarkC]

Definitely stay away from the Haunted Mansion, and probably even Snow White at MK. Ellens Energy Adventure may be a little scary at Epcot and Dinosaur at AK. I would try to explain to them that some rides are made to seem scary but it's Disney and it's not real. Also, if you've been on the rides before, tell them what will happen so they won't be surprised. I think most of the other rides that might be scary have a height limit and they won't be able to ride most of them anyway. Fyi, my kids were 6 and 3 on our first trip. Except for the fact that their little legs tired quickly at times, it was a great trip. I'm sure yours will be the same. Good luck. Mark

[BugeyedMuggy]

Honey I Shrunk the Audience. I get deathly afrain when the mice run the floor.

[the other micki]

Definitely don't do DINOSAUR in AK, and although Tower of Terror only has a 40 in. height requirement, this would probably scare them also. But remember that you can do "baby swap", so you and your DH can still ride the scary stuff.

[rookie]

You can never be sure what will trigger a scared type of response. I agree with the posts above as the obvious ones. However, we had times when even Pooh and Tiki Birds have been classified as scary!

[LibertyTreeGal]

It's Tough to be a Bug, definitely!

[WDWNut02]

On our last trip my nephew was 5, usually after he got over the initial fear of getting on he had a really good time and wanted to go on again. This included Tower of Terror and Big Thunder Mt. (he digs trains). He even did rather well on Haunted Mansion, though he did't want to do it again. I would stay clear of Dinosaur, it's a rough ride as well as scary.

[emmatink]

My almost 3 year old daughter was scared on Snow White, Peter Pan and Pooh! I think it is because of the dark though so if your kids are not scared of the dark they should be okay. I guess it just depends on what scares them, be it heights, loud noises or dark.

[wire0monkey]

My DS 5 & 3 are wary of scary things... wondering which attractions your kids (or you) have found scary and might be too much? Thanks!!

The last time that we went my oldest was 4. "It's Tough to be a Bug" was not a good experience for him. "The Great Movie Ride" was also too much for him.

We did not take him on "Dinosaur" and "Stitch's Great Escape" and "Snow White's Scary Adventure" because we'd thought those rides would be too much for him.

[wire0monkey]

Definitely stay away from the Haunted Mansion

My kids did fine on Haunted Mansion. The ride is gentle and the ride isn't very gory.

[Mfarquar]

Stay away from Snow White. Disney was intelligent to include "Scary" in the title several years ago.

When my sister and I rode it with our parents back in 1985, we were terrified!We were expecting Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, not Ode to the Wicked Witch!

Back on that very first trip, I did fine with the Haunted Mansion. I think it was because my parents prepared me and let me know it would be dark. I was honestly more scared on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - there was a drip coming from the ceiling and I was convinced we had sprung a leak! I did not believe that we weren't even full submerged! :)

On the other hand, my sister still will not ride the Haunted Mansion to this day.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that every child is different, and you have to feel them out/see what little tricks work for them.

When my friend and I took her niece on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride about 11 years ago she was 3 and became afraid in the middle of the ride. We told her to scare the scary stuff back (she generally yelled, "boo!"), and she found it very empowering! As a result, we were able to add on a few more rides like the Haunted Mansion. She even had the guts to walk up to Captain Hook later in the day and tell him he didn't scare her!

The reaction of your children to the outside of the ride/queue will probably give you a good indication of what they can handle and what they can't.

I WOULD however, stay away from the following:
Dinosaur (I think I would have had a heart attack at their age).
Bug's Life
Tower of Terror
Have them close their eyes during the Alien portion of the Great Movie Ride
If they're scared of trolls, watch out for the Norway Malestrom ride.

I hope you and your family have a great, and non-scary time! :mickey:

[diz_girl]

My 3 y.o. niece rode the HM in December and fell asleep on it. Before she did, I pointed and laughed at anything that she might consider scary and I would say, "Silly man" or 'Silly lady", to try to put her at ease. I guess it worked.

My 18 m.o. son, on the other hand got scared and cried in POTC, at the point where you do the small drop and it's very dark inside. Once the drop was over, he was fine. He also tried to grab Davy Jones in the mist and cried because he couldn't grab him, but it wasn't because he was scared. So you never know what will trigger it.

[beksy]

The worst ride for us when we were little was Snow White (actually my sister still won't ride it!). She was a little unsure about the Haunted Mansion but did fine. We weren't afraid of HISTA. I never did the Bug movie (I'm afraid of bugs!) or Dinosaur (ran out of time!).

[DawsonAR]

My son at age 4 was scared of all the 3-D shows.

[JMTStone]

Agree with posters above. Tell them what's coming. "Its going to get real dark, then start flashing and you'll think Stitch is spitting on you, but that's just water". Also, "silly lady, she's not real" and "Nothing at Disney would hurt you" are good words to say before and during a ride. But make sure you get their agreement on trying the ride.

I know I'm going to cause a fuss but I have a story.... I listened to an older relative once and took my now 16 year old daughter on a roller coaster despite her protests and tears. They all told me to take her on and ignore the commotion and she'll learn to like it. I can tell you it was a horrible experience with both of us crying at the end. I felt horrible. She was genuinely terrified. I haven't done anything like that since (with our younger dauther or LISTENING TO MIL advice). When I see it happening to strangers at WDW, I cringe. I barely hold my tounge.

[princessesmom]

It definitely depends on the child. My son who is now 8, has never really had a problem with any ride or show, even on trips when he was 2 and 5. However, my oldest (who is now 13) was afraid of everything at the age of 4. Even Peter Pan scared her - the crocodile scene.

We were just in WDW a couple of weeks ago. My youngest (dd) is almost 5 and she was very afraid at Fantasmic, HM, and HISTA. We did not take her on Snow White and she refused to go on POTC, it would have been too much for her. She did not like BTMRR. She was fine with SplashM.

It comes down to what scares your children. The dark, scary scenes, monsters. Get a book that gives you a lot of detail on each of the rides ad shows and determine what will work for each of them. And I agree with the pp, don't ever force a child to go on something they don't want to go on. My oldest still has never ridden on SplashM. She has ridde on RNRC and SM and loves them, but there is something about that drop and getting wet.

Good Luck!

[Luthien Tinuviel]

I know some other people have already said it, but SNOW WHITE!!!!!!!!! I was 4 the first time I rode it and it scared me so much, I wouldn't even walk past the attraction for the rest of the trip! I didn't ride it again until I was 26 (kinda silly, I know) and while it wasn't as scary as it was when I was 4, I still could see why it was so frightening when I was little. This was the only attraction in Disney World that ever scared me.

[MistressGracey999]

I just wanted to share a couple of tips that have worked for our family over the years...

Start your MK day with something VERY benign, like Small World, and work your way up to more intense attractions. The more our kids enjoyed a ride, the more keen they were to go on the next one.

Buy a little light up toy for them to take on dark rides, or a small Mickey plush to cuddle. This worked wonders for us.

What bothered our kids more than anything was the volume of some of the attractions, and all of the shows. Buy some super soft earplugs and slip them in before any theater show, and Universe of Energy at Epcot.

If your child gets frightened on a ride, don't call it a day! Take them to Main Street for some ice cream or shopping and try another ride in an hour or so. As long as you reassure your child you're not going back to the ride that scared him, he'll probably be fine by then.

Have fun!

[Giggy]

Country Bears Jamboree scared me when I was 8......it was those animal heads on the wall! :blush:

When my sister was 4 and when she was 7 she wouldn't do Haunted Mansion but she doesn't like spooky things. We got her on it when she was 11.

I have also read people saying that Snow White was too scary for young children, though apparently the original version was far scarier.

[GINNY69]

Dinosaur at AK.. Your childs head will be in your lap through the whole ride...

[AXOAlum]

Utilize You Tube (just make sure and watch the videos beforeto make sure you won't hear any rude language). We did this when we took DS then 2 (not knowing what to expect) and he loved it. We watched ride videos on most every ride, no matter how un-scary it seemed. He loved the HM one, and was so excited to ride it after watching the video. Having a small light up toy is also a great idea! Good luck! :mickey:

[Kerry823]

On our first trip, my dd was 3. I was prepared to stay away from all of the scary stuff as well. However, what surprised me was when we entered the MK, a stage show was going on and the Wicked Queen was singing and dancing. My DD FREAKED OUT. Only my child would walk into the MK, be there less than 10 minutes, and start screaming in fright, "I want to go home".

Also, my DD was scared to death of any character that was costumed. Not the face characters like the princesses, but characters like Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, etc.

The morale of my story is to just take it as you go. Even the appearance of a character can freak a little one out.

[Joannelet]

I think the you tube suggestion is great! i do that now with my 4 month old :) we already virtually rode its a small world :) He loves it :)
I would suggest to keep yourself calm and not worried that they are going to be scared when you are on a ride. My niece and nephew rode maelstrom with us in Epcot. My sister had my nephew (her son) and I had my niece. My niece was 2 and my nephew was 4. My sister was scared for him which he totally fed off and he became scared during the ride. My niece I could tell at first was scared but then me and my hubby told her to wave to the trolls and bears that she saw and she ended up LOVING the ride. Again don't act scared yourself and your anxiety won't read off them either.
IF you see them getting scared make it a light experience. My sister and I use to scream really loud when we were scared and then it turned into a contest of who could scream the loudest at the scary parts (we did this mostly in Snow White :) LOL It totally helped. Have them wave to all the characters on the ride. I think that may help. Wave with them :) this reassures them that if your not scared then there is nothing to be scared about.

[fabfundisney]

My DS 5 & 3 are wary of scary things... wondering which attractions your kids (or you) have found scary and might be too much? Thanks!!

My son who was 3 at the time was afraid of Stitch's great escape.:down:

To my fellow intercotees, Is this ride still open?

[PETE FROM NYC]

Back in 1990, my niece, then 2 1/2, rode everything.At first she was afraid of the costumed characters, but got used to them later in the day and then she would hold on to them and not want to let go. As far as the attractions, she was not afraid of anything.

[DisneyFr33k]

It's Tough to be a Bug, definitely!

For sure!! Funny - my daughter (now 11) will ride anything - Tower of Terror, Rockin Roller Coaster, Space Mountain - the more thrills, the better. However, this show has always made her either ball up on the floor crying (when she was younger) or bury her head in my arm (last trip in October). The 4D stuff really gets to her!!

[GoofyMom09]

We are going back in April with our kids ages 3 and 1. I have been reading guide books with my daughter. She has already given me the list of "no way" rides. These include POTC, HM and Snow White. She knows this just by looking at the pictures in the guide. I'm going to follow her lead. Maybe this would work for you?

[WDWNut02]

[To my fellow intercotees, Is this ride still open?[/QUOTE]

Sure is, and on our last trip I distinctly remember a screaming youngster.:(

[Mickey91]

It depends a lot on your child. My kids were afraid of all the Roller Coaster type rides, Haunted Mansion, Dinosaur, your typical bigger kid rides. My DD(11), just rode the coasters this year and decided to like them. She still will not get on RRC, ToT, EE, Dinosaur, or the HM. My son (14) gets on everything but has only been doing that for a couple of years. But, I have also seen kids as small as possible get on everything and love it! Or be too small and scream from disappointment. It all depends on your child's disposition.

[jcvalenti]

It's so funny how different kids are. My 9 year old DS was absolutely terrified of EVERYTHING the first trip we had (when he was 5). HM, Thunder, Snow White, Kali ... didn't matter - he didn't want any of it.

My 2 year who went last year ? Literally ran to be the first in a car for HM, and rode every single thing he could with a smile. Though HM was "funny" especially the "noisy ball" (Madam Leota).

So really, you can't tell how they'll reacy until you get them down there.