Orlando Roller Coasters
 

Dear Fodorites,

I am traveling with a 9 1/2-year-old in three weeks to Orlando. The mummy ride in Universal comes highly recommended. Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad come highly recommended in the Magic Kingdom. In your experience, are they too intense for a child of this age? I know their is some variance among children, but what is the overall consensus? From what I read, the Rock'n'Roller Coaster and The Tower of Terror in MGM appear too intense. I am thinking of skipping those rides. Any advice would be helpful as to planning for the roller coasters. Thanks.

Howie67

As a 50 ish woman prone to motion sickness and vertigo, I survived the Tower of Terror. I did pass on the rock n roller coaster. ;-)

We were in Orlando in December, and two of the boys with us were only 6 and 9 and both loved these rides. They went on Big Thunder Mountain twice. I don't know about Universal or MGM as we didn't hit those.

My son was 12, and he did fine on Big Thunder, Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster. For a 9 1/2 yr old, if they've done other coasters, I'd say go on all but the Rock N Roll.

I have seen plenty of kids on the Tower of terror who ADORE it...as well as Expedition Everest in the Animal Kingdom which I think is MUCH better than Big Thunder Mtn.

The question is, are these rides "too intense" for 60+-year-olds like myself...in my case..not at all

I'm not a big fan of roller coasters, but Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were O.K. The Mummy is intense and I would pass on it in the future. Kids may love it, however... I don't know.

I would pass on the Mummy roller coaster and Rock'n Roller coaster for a 9 1/2 year old. All the others would be fine.

Thanks everyone. ddipetrillo, what about Tower of Terror for a 9 1/2 year old?

The height restrictions are a pretty good place to start on whether a coaster is appropriate for a child that age in terms of size of the machinery where you ride. After that, it depends alot on the child. My 4 year old was tall enough for Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain and absolutely loved them both. Personally, I don't like big drops too much, so Splash Mountain freaks me out more.

One thing to consider is that in Space Mountain, riders sit in a single file, so you can't hold someone's hand. The Tower of Terror is just drops, no loops or other coaster type stuff.

As for imagery - the Mummy has a "scary" storyline and it is meant to startle. Space Mountain is not scary at all beyond the coaster part. Big Thunder Mountain isn't either. Rock and Roller Coaster is short, quick, and smooth. It's quite fun. Tower of Terror is very slightly creepy.

Unless your 9-year-old is terrified of coasters, Big Thunder Mountain is nothing. Just some bumps and dips. Space Mountain is pretty tame -- slightly bigger drops, but it's in the pitch-dark and it's very herky-jerky.

I am NOT a coster person, but Rock 'n' Rollercoaster was comfortable. Smooth, safe, and lots of cool things to see. It does go upside down, but because it's indoors, the drops and elevation are minimal. My younger nieces and nephews love this ride, but they are definitely coaster people. I still haven't gone on Tower of Terror because I hate freefall, and haven't been to Universal since Mummy opened.

My daughters have been riding all coasters at WDW (except Everest as it's new) since they were 5 and 7. No signs of brain damage yet and they are 11 and 14 now. In my opinion WDW coasters are pretty tame compared to what's out there at other parks.