PDA

View Full Version : Disney With a 4 Year Old



cherbie66
04-19-2009, 09:40 PM
We will be going to Disney (for the first time) in Sept. This is a few months before my daughter's 5th birthday. I was wondering what rides/attractions are a must for her and which ones would be too scary for a 4 year old.

thejens
04-19-2009, 10:33 PM
It really varies from kid to kid. The tricky thing is it even varies from month to month. My little 4 year old loved Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. He closed his eyes on the drop and said it was scary, but when I said "wow, but you did it!" He beamed with joy. He is more frightened of dark/scary elements. During Malestrom and Pirates he cuddled up to me and hid his eyes. I notice both my boys are less scared by thrill and motion and more spooked by dark concepts. My 10 year old has been on TOT and all the mountains fearlessly, but cowers throughout dinosaur. I think you just have to approach each ride with a positive attitude but follow her lead. The great thing about WDW is that there are so many attractions that are fun for the entire family. Beware, my kids favorite activities at that age are playing in fountains, spashing with Donald Duck, running about the bone yard...so always bring a change of dry clothes.

cherbie66
04-19-2009, 10:56 PM
Thanks for your input. It's hard for me to tell if my daughter will like the rides. I take her to Sesame Place where she loves the slides and the little roller coaster they have, but she has never been on anything bigger than that. I'm hoping she will be so excited that she will try everything. For the darker rides I plan on bringing a little flashlight and for the louder things such as fireworks, I plan on bringing ear plugs. We'll see how it goes! Wish us luck!

And any advice anyone has is always welcome!!

Magic Smiles
04-20-2009, 07:39 AM
My son grew up going on rides from the age of 1 and so very few rides scared him. Actually can't think of any that do. As previously mentioned it really depends on the child.
Just don't force them on any ride they obviously don't want to go on. Not only does that ruin it for the child and family, others around do not enjoy listening to a screaming, crying child.

TXTigger
04-20-2009, 08:24 AM
Before we went with our 3 and 5 year olds last Aug., I got as many videos related to Disney as possible. I got the vacation dvd and 2 different sing-a-long dvds. I also went online and found videos of the different rides. My boys loved watching all the videos and got very excited about the trip and the different rides. I also knew before we got there what they would be willing to go on and what might not be a good idea. My boys still love to watch the vacation dvd.

I hope you have a magical trip! :mickey:

marlaine
04-20-2009, 09:25 PM
Last year when my DS was 4, we went on everything that he was tall enough for. He loved Splash Mnt. and Big Thunder, Test Track and Soarin', He LOVED Kali River Rapids and Dinosaur and TOT-he was actually 3 when he went on that one!
The only 2 he was afraid of were Sounds Dangerous and Stitch. Both of them are dark-I think that scared him the most.
I'll never forget the look on people's faces when we came walking off TOT with him the first time. He was so proud!:)
As others have said, all kids are different. I found that watching the rides on UTube before we left helped!

thejens
04-20-2009, 11:16 PM
Zac, age 4 at the time, LOVED Kali River Rapids!!! We went on twice in a row.

gaffz70
04-23-2009, 01:15 PM
My kids first roller coaster was Vapor Trail at Sesame as well - are u from the area?
They then graduated to log flumes etc at Hershey Park - I 'm definitely getting my 7 yr old on Space Mountain this year and I'm gonna try my 5yr old on Splash Mtn and maybe Thunder Mtn.
My older son was scared at Mickey's Philharmagic when he was 6 - and we definitely made sure to stay clear of Bug's Life - the 3D stuff doesn't seem to go over as well w/ him.

Gooftroop5
04-23-2009, 01:37 PM
As everyone else says depends on your child my 4 year rides everything he is tall enough to ride & his favorite is Haunted Mansion & POTC. Where as his 10 year old sister still doesn't like the dark rides unless it is a coaster. Rides any roller coaster you put her on nothing scares her there. Ds 5yo likes the coasters but not a big fan of the dark rides. He has already requested not riding on several rides that are dark inside. Said he will only do haunted mansion during the daylight hours. DS 4yo can't wait to ride it at night again.

We did find that if you get them a fiber optic light dd when she was 3 rode anything then because she had her own "tinker bell" with her. We used the fiber optic because they were bright enough for her but not to bright to ruin anyone elses ride.

ldc12377
04-23-2009, 03:32 PM
I agree that it depends on the child. My oldest son was 8-9 on our last three trips and is still very picky about what he rides but my daughter who was 6-7 will ride everything. My youngest son who was 1.5-2.5 is also very picky about his rides and doesn't like anything that sprays water at him like Kali River but dark rides don't bother him at all.

I don't think anyone else has mentioned this but many of the rides that would be considered scary have "chicken" exits, ways to get out of line before getting on the ride. So if you get in line and then your child suddenly changes her mind, there are escape routes!! If you can find the exit, just ask the CM and they will show you the way.

lawgirl
04-23-2009, 03:49 PM
We took our nephews (who had just turned 6)...they are very smart, but very sensitive. It was my first time taking kids there. I tried, of course, to put myself in their shoes and remember what scared me when I was their age (I remember being petrified of some michael jackson 3-d show??) I agree with everyone that it does depend on each individual child. The boys are very sensitive to loud noises and darkness at age 6. Here's my experience park to park:

AK:
The boys absolutely loved the Safari and walking through the various jungle treks. They also loved the live bird show! Tough to be a Bug was too much for them- it was really loud and scared them. One wanted to go on Dinosaur...he was scared to death and cried...I say absolutely no to this one for small kids.

Epcot:
Boys loved everything here. Spaceship Earth and Soarin' were their favorites. They were a little hesitant about Maelstrom, but ended up really liking it. Another favorite- the El Rio del Tiempo. We rode that one numerous times. We steered clear of Mission Space- I didn't want to take them on it because it is so restrictive and once in it, you can't turn back.

MGM: Star Wars scared them- too loud and bumpy. They loved Indiana Jones! But it is really loud and explosive. That's all we did at MGM.

MK: They loved every ride here except Thunder Mountain RR...they were terrified and cried. I would skip that and Splash Mountain. Other than that, they loved everything else. I would caution against Stitch's Great Escape- the boys were scared of the loud noises and dark spaces. Also, Mickey's Philharmagic was loud for them. I would probably skip it. And no to Space Mountain.

I think 4 is a great age. I started going when I was a baby, and I still remember how real it all was to me. I think if you steer clear of the big rides I mentioned, then you should be good to go (except for all the gift shops after every ride! Our strategy was to give them each $20 for the whole trip. They could spend it on anything they wanted, but once it was gone, no more shopping at all. It worked really well.)

cherbie66
04-23-2009, 08:57 PM
My kids first roller coaster was Vapor Trail at Sesame as well - are u from the area?
They then graduated to log flumes etc at Hershey Park - I 'm definitely getting my 7 yr old on Space Mountain this year and I'm gonna try my 5yr old on Splash Mtn and maybe Thunder Mtn.
My older son was scared at Mickey's Philharmagic when he was 6 - and we definitely made sure to stay clear of Bug's Life - the 3D stuff doesn't seem to go over as well w/ him.

Yes. We are from Warrington. We've had season passes to sesame place since my daughter was a baby. We love it. My daughter would go on vapor trail and the big ducky slide over and over again all day long if I would let her. I secretly enjoy them too. This is our first trip to Disney, so we are both very excited!

andreallybadeggs
04-23-2009, 10:36 PM
Our DD's first trip was at that same age and now she's a cast member :number1:
She was a bit of a thrill seeker so she loved all
the big rides we could take her on but most of all she was (still is) a character nut. Can't tell you how many hours we stood in lines and she never even had an autograph book...she just wanted to hug every character she saw. Character meals absolutely thrilled her, especially lunch in the castle. Think she was occasionally a little frightened in the dark rides but we just kept reassuring her that everything was fine and we would not be hurt and she did well. Agree with pp that the 3-D movies can be a little intense so you might try to go all the way to the end of the row on those in case your little one wants to leave early. Can't remember much in the muppet 3D that was scary but haven't seen it for a few years. Treasure this time; it goes too fast.:mickey:

gaffz70
04-24-2009, 06:39 AM
Yes. We are from Warrington. We've had season passes to sesame place since my daughter was a baby. We love it. My daughter would go on vapor trail and the big ducky slide over and over again all day long if I would let her. I secretly enjoy them too. This is our first trip to Disney, so we are both very excited!

Small world..we're from warrington too, Chalfont. This is the first yr we haven't done the season passes - it was much easier and closer when we lived in Holland.

Gaz10
04-25-2009, 09:57 AM
we have been with our little girl since she was 2and the only rides she does'nt like are the dark ones, this includes Snow White which can be bit scary for little ones.Peter Pan is also dark but she was fine with that last year(age 4).
ones she loves are Mickeys philharmagic,Buzz lightyear,Goofy's barnstormer( try this before Big Thunder).She will love the shows like Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo and the Lion King.
The only one I would avoid is Dinosaur , I didnt like that!
If you have your own buggy/stroller take it with you because we tried going without and the park strollers are not that comfortable if they want a nap, Hollwood Studios have the best one. Our daughter got tired but could'nt get to sleep in any of the others, not fun.
Hope you have a great stay:mickey: