pmbrad

Hi! We are taking our first family trip to Disney World in Sept. Our kids are 8 (girl) and 6 (boy) and we are looking for feedback from people with kids of the same age on some of the rides.
Some guidebooks recommend these rides for children of this age, others say they are too intense. If your kids have been on the following rides, please let us know!

Expedition Everest (An. k'dom)
Dinosaur (An. K'dom)
Tower of Terror (MGM)
Space Mountain (Mag. K'dom)

Any additional advice for kids this age will be appreciated. Thanks!

dsquared

1st, will they meet the height restrictions for these rides?

2nd, check out allearsnet.com. They have a wealth of info and reader tips.

When I've taken my niece and nephew to WDW, I've started them out on the easier, less intense rides and move on to more intense ones if they're enjoying it. So much depends on the individual child's comfort level.

Ryan

Our son is 42" and he's been on Tower of Terror and Dinosaur. He HATED the latter ride. No nightmares but he wasn't thrilled. He was OK on ToT.

In terms of your children's enjoyment, I thinkit comes down to their temprament. Maybe try Big Thunder Mountain to gauge their willingness to go on the "E" ticket rides.

For what it's worth, my not yet 5 year old son has loved most of the rides the 3 times we've been.

Annabel

I think it all depends o the child. A good idea is to get on the single rider line (much faster) and have an adult check out the ride first and then decide. Only you know your child.

Another great place for TONS of info is here www.disboards.com Huge website and very helpful.

You are goung at a great time. WDW in Spet has very low crowds....but very hot and very humid.

ajcolorado

Dinosaur is fine just warn them in advance that Disney is trying to startle them but the whole thing is fake.

Tower of Terror - it just depends. My 8 year old thrill seeker loves it.

Space Mountain - my daughter (the afore mentioned thrill seeker) did this with her best friend at age 6 and was fine. Ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority thing (super slow) because it actually passes through Space Mountain so your kids will have an idea of what to expect.

caniac

Taking them on Tower of Terror will be easier if they are wearing diapers. Thank goodness I was wearing Depends when I took my 10 year old and 8 year old. We only rode it once! It is not for the faint of heart!

JoyinVirginia

I have taken both my kids when they were this age. DO check height restrictions on allears.net and tips there too. All the rides at WDW have a "baby swap" area where if one adult needs to wait with younger child, as soon as other adult gets off the ride the babysitting adult may get on without going thru the lines again. The cast members are VERY nice about this. When my youngest was 7 she was still too short to ride Rock N' Roller Coaster and was heartbroken, but the cast member gave her a special Mickey certificate that made her feel better.

My kids LOVED Tower of Terror at those 6 & 8. Space Mountain is MY favorite roller coaster, they are coaster fans too and enjoyed it. It IS inside a building and dark, so keep that in mind. Dinosaur is scary but will scare 6yo more, don't make them ride if they are scared. I have not been since Expedition Everest opened, we are going in late Aug. You didn't mention Mission Space in Epcot. It is EXTREMELY intense, it creates g-forces and actually made my chest hurt. Plus it is confining if you are the least bit claustrophobic. Once was enough for me, it is DEFINITELY an intense thrill ride!

mooselywild

Splash Mountain, big thunder. Tower is fun but it really depends on kid's temperament like Ryan said. If darkness/sharp twists bother them- Space Mountain will probably not do (eight year old sister freaked). Water parks if they like swimming/water

Tiki Tiki Room- little kids love that. Pirates unless they're easily frightened.

Star Tours- don't if they have any motion sickness at all.

don't miss parade or fireworks- very well done!

winnie the pooh, treehouse, and jungle cruise are worth the time. TS island is a good break place, to stretch legs and generally go wild.

Other advice-

1) Stay on property

2) Carry water and snacks, wear comfortable shoes, slather on sunscreen if sunny. Start early- go to big attractions first (esp. haunted mansion)

3) Get express passes WHENEVER POSSIBLE.

4) Decide what/how many meals and trophies you'll buy- then tell kids before you arrive and stick to your guns. Pin trading is a lot of fun for the kids- but it gets expensive. And everything in the parks is overpriced.

5) Most importantly- HAVE FUN! Smile and don't sweat the small stuff. It's much easier if you don't get frustrated or annoyed.

jetprincess

You are smart to research this. You can find out all of the height restrictions in advance for all of these rides. But mainly, you just need to use your own judgement. For example, I have a very tall 4 year old who is a natural daredevil. She was tall enough to go on Space Mountain but being that she just turned 4, I didn't feel that her little body was ready for it. The same went for Expedition Everest.

Chances are that your children meet the height requirements. It would just depend on your kids!

JoanneTravelMom

I'm going to echo the "it depends." I wouldn't even go on Tower of Terror! But there are tons of fun rides for the little ones, and the world showcase at Epcot is fun for all. I'll also agree with don't miss the fireworks, which may mean you go early to hit the big rides, go back to your hotel in the afternoon for a little rest and then go back in the evening. Have fun!

Joanne
http://www.vacationing-with-kids.com

fun4all4

I will add to the chorus of "it depends." We have taken our 2 sons to Disney several times at comparable ages to your kids....my older one loved Tower of Terror at the age of 5 (btw- I was scared to death and have not gone on again even though he has ridden a number of times). My younger son, now 12 year old, still will not go on that same ride. He started going on Space Mountain at about 9 or 10 and loves it now, but would not have at 6 (again, my other son rode as soon as could at 4 or 5 yrs. old). They have both like Dinosaur since maybe around 8 yrs of age?

I recommend starting with a few other rides to "build up" to these rides and also get a feel for what their interest and "scare" tolerance is for various rides. For example, how does Big Thunder Mtn Railroad go before Space Mountain.

Also, if one wants to ride and another does not feel ready, you can "swap" without having to wait in line twice (as explained by JoyinVirginia). Also, the child that does ride can ride twice, once with Mom and once with Dad while the other stays with the child that is not riding. Just all go up together and let them know you want to "switch off" or "baby swap."

Have a great time!!!