What are best rides for ages 2 and 3?

[DNS]

What are the best rides in any of the parks for ages 2 and 3? This will be their first trip. Many trips before them, but the little ones will have their first trip coming up soon. Rides like Dumbo and Pooh I'm pretty sure of, but I think we should avoid Snow White. Need advice.
Thanks!!

[darthmacho]

When my daughter was 2, she loved Small World. She sang the song from beginning to end every single time, and since it is fairly fast loading, and nice and cool inside, we went on many times!

I think Peter Pan, Snow White, the Tea Cups, and the Carousel would be just fine. Also, Aladdin's Carpets, Jungle Cruise, and even Pirates. My daughter went on all of these.

[KylesMom]

Don't forget Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and the TTA. :mickey:

[finaldynasty]

I would add the Nemo ride and Aquirium at Epcot. My DKs liked the Living Lands ride at Epcot as well. I would also add Aladdin to the list as well.

[diz_girl]

My eldest son was not quite 2 when we visited last and he loved Kilimanjaro Safari at AK. He kept calling out to the animals to "Come here". He aso liked the manatee in The Living Seas (or whatever it's called now) in EPCOT.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

Debbie Downer here giving you something to think about...

My 2 year old is a wild child, has no sense of fear or boundaries and just very outgoing. We seriously thought that we might take him on Splash Mountain because he is so adventurous and he was exactly 40” tall.

We quickly (and painfully) learned that our son had developed a paralyzing fear of the dark. We probably contributed to that fear after, like idiots, we choose Mickey’s PhilharMagic as his very first attraction. While I had read about using flashlights or other distractions to help kids with iffy-ness with darkness, my son became full-on panicked and screamed relentlessly until we got back outside each and EVERY time we went inside anywhere. It never occurred to me in my previous trips as adults-only that practically every attraction at Disney is, to some degree, dark.

DS2 literally hated every part of Disney except Small World, the “horseys”, Barnstormer, Aladdin, Dumbo, Tea Cups, Jungle Cruise, the Railroad, the playgrounds, and the Safari. Everything else, including EVERY “show” since they are inside and dark, was a no-go (he even hated Pooh and wouldn’t even get in line for Pan). While plenty of kids at WDW do wonderful at age 2 I wished that I had went down with a better idea of what might happen with a 2 year old.

Despite the terrible trip we had in June we did take him back in December and were able to have a great time since we knew in advance what to avoid (or at least do separately).

[Gator]

Snow White will be fine - it'll be like they're watching a real life cartoon. My kids had no fear when it came to all the dark rides.

Do the Carpet Rides. It's just like dumbo with 1/3 of the line. Also, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, and even Buzz Lightyear.

Epcot: Three Caballeros, Maelstrom, and SSE.
DHS: Toy Story, Great Movie Ride, and Tower of Terror (just kidding)
AK: Safari is a must for kids.

[MN_Dad]

While we were at Animal Kingdom on our last trip DD 3 & 1 went on Tricera Top Spin over and over while DW and I switch to go w/DD 14 on Primeval Whirl. I think the 2 little ones went on this ride 12 times in a row!

[magicman]

I will preface my ride suggestions by saying that it depends on your kids fear of darkness, heights, and loud sounds, but in my recent trip here was our successes with my 3 year old:
Magic Kingdom
- Winnie the Pooh (She loved the interactive queue and hanging out in the hollowed out tree. At first we wanted to rush on to the ride, but we realized she loved just hanging out there...so we did.)
- Peter Pan (Fastpass this ride as the queue is miserable)
- PhilHarmagic (We didn't let her put the glasses on until the movie started because she has limited time that she would wear them, but she did love the show).
- Snow White (we advance prepared her to laugh at the witch when she popped out).
- Cinderella's Carousel
- Dumbo
- It's A Small World
- Pirates Of The Caribbean
- Aladdins Magic Carpets

DHS
- Voyage Of The Little Mermaid
- Beauty & The Beast Stage Show
- Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playset (She loved this attraction, and she stayed on it for hours while the older kids rode the big kid rides.)
- Toy Story Mania (Required Fastpass)
- Fantasmic
- Muppetvision 3D

AK
- Triceratops Spin
- Bone Yard Play Area (Once again, she loved the play area more than the rides.)
- Lion King Show
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
Note: Do NOT do the Bugs Life Show (It is terrifying for small kids.)

EPCOT
- Finding Nemo
- Turtle Talk With Crush (if they can sit for 7 minutes)
- Figment
- Living With The Land
- Norway Boat Ride (A Bit Scary, but ok)
- Mexico Boat Ride
- Club Cool (to taste sodas...but not Beverly).

My advise: When they find a play area that they like, take your time & enjoy the moment. Don't rush small children around.

My thoughts...

[PinKy]

Yay! Kids first Disney trip! My children are: DS1 - 4 years, DS2 - 2 years and DD - 9 weeks (this year will be her first Disney trip - so excited!)

I wanted to mention one thing that really helped us SO much - we got the Disney Parks cd with ride/attraction music on it and played them in the afternoons and sometimes in the car so that all of our children (from the time they were infants) were used to the music and it was familiar to them, not scary. This allowed us to go on several rides that I'm not sure otherwise we would have been able to. For example - my boys (even a year or two ago) LOVE the pirates ride. They ask for the music all the time at home and so its neat for them to hear the music in the ride when we go to WDW.

Of course you'll want to judge rides based on your child's temperament/personality... but our kids enjoyed these:
*Pirates of the Caribbean
*Dumbo
*Pooh
*Journey into the Imagination
*Haunted Mansion ** we played the music for this (and other) rides from the park cd so that it was familiar and not scary when we got to the ride - our children are fine with this ride - but others (obviously) may not be. YMMV :-)
*It's a Small World
*Buzz Lightyear
*Country Bear Jamboree
*Liberty Belle Riverboat
*Jungle Cruise
*Tiki Room - (again - this one can be scary - we found that having them know the music ahead of time was immensely helpful - and there are always the exit doors if you want to give it a try but end up needing to exit quickly) YMMV :-)
*Peter Pan
*Carrousel
*Magic Carpets of Aladdin
*The Riverboat
*Tom Sawyer Island - WOO-HOO - stretch those legs and wiggle around time!!
*TTA Peoplemover
*Railroad (they loved this!)
*Playhouse Disney (which is now called Disney Junior live)
*Muppets
*We did all of the "boat-type" rides at Epcot and the kids were fine on them - not sure I would qualify it as "fun" for them - but they enjoyed being in a boat. :-)
*The Affection Section at Rafiki's Planet Watch
*Digging for Dinosaur bones (sandbox) in The Boneyard - near Dino-Sue
*Triceratop Spin
*the Train


This year we're trying out Chip & Dale's Campfire sing-a-long at the Wilderness Lodge - I hope they enjoy it - sounds like a fun thing to do.

Don't forget to make excellent use of the Baby Care Centers!!! They are a godsend!!!

Have fun!

[cardinalsfan_98]

While the Monorail may not qualify as a ride necessarily, DS2 LOVED it back in November, and still talks about it to this day!

[DNS]

I am learning a lot from this post. I would never have imagined that Snow White and Maelstrom would be age appropriate, but it sounds like they might be fine. Also I love the idea of the music CD.
Thanks everyone!!

[lovinmesomedisney]

Well, while all of the above are true, I think it totally depends on your child. My one daughter at three did EVERYTHING she was tall enough for. This includes TOT, BTMRR, Splash, Soarin, and more. My other daughter HATED Snow White. It really depends on the kid. Some have no fear, some fear everything. You know your children better than any of us.

Have a GREAT trip!

[Disney Goof]

Another good idea is to print out the maps from disney.com. You can start talking about the rides that way too.

The People Mover (blue train as my 2 year old calls it) is a must. Just be aware that there are spots were it is completely dark.

Winnie the Pooh
Speedway - the 3 year old should be able to drive. Just be prepared for whiplash.
Dumbo
Small World
Carpets
Definitely hit the play area by Splash Mountain - the kids love it

Good luck.
:mickey:

[Pirate Granny]

While our daughter...Mammabruski was a fearless child...we made the mistake of going on the pirate ride for the "first" ride...BIG MISTAKE...we forgot about the drop...yea, it's a small drop, but freaked her out...she screamed every dark ride for the rest of the trip...next trip she was fine...we now take it very slow introducing our last daughter and now our grandchildren.

Almost to our single digit dance...can't wait

[Goofy4TheWorld]

I wanted to mention one thing that really helped us SO much - we got the Disney Parks cd with ride/attraction music on it and played them in the afternoons and sometimes in the car so that all of our children (from the time they were infants) were used to the music and it was familiar to them, not scary. This allowed us to go on several rides that I'm not sure otherwise we would have been able to. For example - my boys (even a year or two ago) LOVE the pirates ride. They ask for the music all the time at home and so its neat for them to hear the music in the ride when we go to WDW.

Wow, I think that is a great idea and hasn't ever been mentioned on Intercot. I regularly tried to sit my son down for some YouTube time, but he is so much like his Dad that he wouldn't leave the computer alone (the last straw was when he lunged up out of my lap and pushed my 3-day-old monitor of the back of the desk and down to the floor) so he never got much out of YouTube. Plus I was worried more about familiarity with Characters than I was attractions because I had forgotten how scary the music can sound if you think about it from a child's prospective. In my case I forgot how aggressive the opening music of PhilharMagic was and it immediately tensed my son up and as soon as the squirts of water came out he was done! If I had made a CD of many of the no-go attractions that could have saved our trip a lot of pain. Great idea!


...we made the mistake of going on the pirate ride for the "first" ride...BIG MISTAKE...we forgot about the drop...yea, it's a small drop, but freaked her out...she screamed every dark ride for the rest of the trip...

Goofballs like me enjoy the company of others and their "big mistakes" so welcome aboard. :D

[Mickey'sGirl]

PinKy -- the music is a FABULOUS idea!

[RBrooksC]

I can say this, when we go to WDW in May, my two year old daughter will go on every ride for where a height requirement is not a problem.

That is the only consideration for me.

If she cannot ride b/c she is too short, then we will baby-swap to give my five year old two times to ride the ride.

[PrettyMinnie]

While the Monorail may not qualify as a ride necessarily, DS2 LOVED it back in November, and still talks about it to this day!

The monorail was always a big hit. Even the short ride on the MCO monorail was memorable. Whatever makes them happy.

For an actual ride, Kilimanjaro Safari was a HUGE hit. It was like going to the zoo but much, much better. Especially if you point things out. :thumbsup:

[KatieDuck22]

First trip to Disney my youngest brother was petrified of every ride. He loved going on Spaceship earth in epcot! SOARIN is a great ride for everyone alive! everything in fantasy land is a pretty safe bet. buzz lightyrs ride for sure! Pirates of the Caribbean....depends on how they do on other rides.

[sommer]

My son loved IASW, Buzz Lightyear, Dumbo, Teacups... he was scared of Nemo and Peter Pan. I wasn't prepared for just how loud the rides are. I knew they would be loud, but it's kind of ridiculous how loud some of the shows and rides are. We kind of got in a routine where DS would cover his ears, and I would cover his eyes if it was too scary. :mickey:

[Mousemates]

The carnival open air rides work best for little ones....dumbo, tea cups, carousel, alladin....and small world...also don't forget the train and river boat...and while parts of pooh might be a little dark...I would give it a try if for no other reason than the fun to be had in the very interactive queue.

[LisaP]

Wow great post! Thank you for all the responses! I'll use this to make my list for next month :thumbsup:

I would suggest to go to disney.com and search magical beginnings. You can print maps targeted for toddler appropriate rides and attractions. I used them for our last visit with DS2 at the time.

THANK YOU for the music suggestion! Can anyone recommend where to buy it? I haven't searched yet :blush: