wagonwheel2

It's been over 10 years since I've been at Disney, and never with a child of my own. My son loves the wild rides, and at 4 will probably meet the height restrictions for most rides.I already know I won't be taking him on some high impact rides such as Space Mountain, and Mission Space.
Any suggestions, and also advice on which rides can sit 2 at a time, versus him going in a single seat by himslef. Thanks for any input.

BayouGal

Have you researched Disney's web sites? Even the unofficial sites provide the kind of advice you're looking for. We haven't been in years so I can't advise you on the latest rides, and it'd be a long list anyway. You might also try typing in the word Disney in the search box of this board--you can learn a lot about your chosen destination(s) by reading Fodor's forums! ;-)

Enjoy your trip!

aggiemom

What about Star Tours - I assume it still there. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. The Teacups (I will never go on that again, though!). Dumbo the Elephant.

I'll probably think of more when I post this.

wagonwheel2

I have been all over the Disnay web-site, and although they give height restrictions, hard to tell which rides have room for two people or one.
Just looking for some personal experiences.

bennnie

Try disboards.com for more specifics. But I can tell you this much:

Mr. Toad's Wildride is gone and has been replaced with a very cute Winnie the Pooh ride that will allow you to sit with your son.

Goofy's Barnstormer - small rollercoaster that kids love and has made more than a few parents sick due to its tight turns.

Buzz Lightyear - this is a very popular ride - not fast or wild but you get to shoot at targets and your score appears on your car. Very fun.

AstroOrbitor - typical carnival style ride with rockets going around in a circle - what makes this one tough is that you are about 3 stories in the air.

Stitch's - I can't think of the full name but this attraction is horrible. You get strapped in and you will not be able to touch or in any way communicate with your son and there are creepy things that happen including a simulated burp with accompanying bad smell. Stay clear of this one.

Splash Mountain - very cute ride with some wild spots like a medium sized drop. I believe two can sit side by side.

Big Thunder Mountain - medium sized roller coaster.

At Epcot you've already wisely eliminated Mission Space but think twice about Test Track. Most of it is very slow and a little bumpy at times but then the main thrill is going 60 miles an hour on an outdoor track. Sits 3 across if I recall correctly.

Maelstrom would be good - only one little scary drop.

Soarin is a new ride that is a lot of fun - simulates hang gliding over California and is pretty gentle though it does rise up somewhat high.

At MGM, Star Tours is pretty rough - toss and turn type rough. Rock n RollerCoaster is very fast, dark and goes upside down. If Space Mountain doesn't meet your approval this one should be skipped also as should Tower of Terror.

At Animal Kingdom - the safari ride is great, the water rapids ride is fairly tame for this type of ride but you'll have to decide for yourself. Dinosaur is another ride that tosses and turns you around quite a bit - probably should be a pass.

Have a great trip. Remember to take lots of breaks - most kids love the pool more than anything. Try to fit in a character meal if possible. We liked the Liberty Tree Tavern a lot on our last trip. Use a stroller - there's lots of ground to cover.

amcc

My son, who at 3 reached the 40" height restrictions, rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and loved it. He sat in the middle of my husband and I, snugly, and it was alot of fun. I think it feels faster than what it goes because of the wind in your face. Splash Mountain was also the 3 of us across. He freaked out about Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom right when we walked in because of how dark it is and my husband took him out, and I found the ride a bit startling for my taste. My kid likes up and down and bumpy alot better than dark and scary visuals. Your child might be different. He hated the Haunted Mansion and Pirates, two things I thought he would love. and the Buzz Lightyear ride is fantastic.

gail

There is a book, updated every few years, called something like DisneyWorld with Kids (I think author is Birnbaum or something like that). Excellent resource for questions such as yours - gives scare factor, physical requirements, etc for each ride.

Don't be so sure about Space Mt and others like it - my daughter (now 15) found no ride too scarey at that age, although my son (now 19) still would rather eat ground glass than go on one.

padams421

You can sit 2 people next to each other on every ride at WDW except Space Mountain and, I think, the Astro Orbiter. On Space and Astro, you would sit either in front of or behind him. My sons were 6 before I would let them go on Space because I was nervous about not being able to sit next to them. Of course, both sons loved the ride, and had no problems with it. It was my issue, not theirs.

We just rode Mission Space last month. For less than a minute, you are pressed against the back of the seat as you "takeoff" in the rocket. After the initial blast off, the ride is quite similar to Star Tours.

MonicaRichards

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride still exists at Disneyland, they put the Pooh ride in Bear Country. Not sure whether you are going to Disney World or Disneyland, though.

wagonwheel2

Thank you all very much. These are the first hand experiences I'm looking for. My son informed us last night that he wanted to go on all the "scary" rides, but would prefer not to meet the characters, as they are "really" scary !

dsquared

wagonwheel, that's not an uncommon reaction to characters - after all, they're HUGE in person and little kids are sometimes taken aback by that!

Based on taking my 4 1/2 year old nephew thru Magic Kingdom some years back, Buzz Lightyear is an absolute must, Splash Mountain great if yours meets the height restriction, Pirates scared the *%^$ out of him (I'd forgotten about the skeleton saying "dead men tell no tales" in the voice of doom), loved Dumbo (and would probably like the similar ride called Aladdin's magic carpet or something like that), Peter Pan's Flight, Barnstormer and Big Thunder Mountain.

I absolutely would not take a 4 year old on Mission Space.

nina

I second the recommendation to check out disboards.com. It's positively eerie how much knowledge some of their members have about WDW.