Anonymous wrote:There is a sliding scale of "scary". It is up to each parent to gauge what is appropriate for each child.

When our twins were 2.5, they did not like these: Winnie the Pooh (nightmare psychadelic scene), Peter Pan (Captain Hook stuff), Mickey's Philharmagic. We opted to skip Pirates of the Caribbean and a few others.

When they were 4, Winnie the Pooh was a favorite and the nightmare scene didn't bother them. They still didn't like Peter Pan and we skilled Mickey's Philharmagic.

When they were 5, Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan were fine. They opted to skip Mickey's Philharmagic because they remembered it was really loud. It no longer scared them, but they didn't want a loud movie.

I know other families who did all of the above at 3 or 4.

Basically, you mileage varies based on your child. There is still a ton of stuff to do for the younger or more sensitive (e.g. at 4, we spent 2 hours running around Tom Sawyer's Island and they loved it).

Goodness you are raising little snowflakes. Sometimes it’s good to take a few risks and get a little scared and learn that you won’t crumple and die.

Anonymous wrote:Amusement parks aren't for everyone, OP. I know my parents would hate it so we never take them! I personally have a VERY low tolerance for crowds, so I have certain rules for amusement parks: 1) Go on low crowd days; 2) Go early and go late. Use the afternoon to nap or eat indoors or do the not-popular things (Philharmagic!); 3) Never wait in any line that says it's more than 20 minutes, unless it is a fabulous ride and you are armed with snacks, in which case maybe 30 minutes; 4) Use whatever Fast Express whatever ticket the place sells; 5) Google in advance to find out where the tolerable food is sold; 6) And then just expect a certain amount of noise, overpriced crap, and crowds and roll with it.
I think those dumb Disney ads do a real dis-service -- everyone pictures themselves skipping down Main Street into the arms of a waiting Mickey Mouse. Whenever my kids see those ads, I say "They filmed that at 5 a.m. before the park opened."

Oh, and whoever came up with that Stitch ride should be permanently banned from the "Imagineer" profession.
There is just no excuse or explanation for how awful that ride is. They've closed the one at WDW now...I can't imagine what took so long.

It is the worst - I’m still angry that I wasted 5 minutes if my life on that stinkfest.

You mean like ‘It’s A Small World’ , Winnie The Pooh, Splash Mountain (all those singing animals!), The River Boat, Pirates of the Caribbean (boat goes 2 Mph), Jungle Cruiser (where they tell jokes out in the open air), the Mine Train (dwarfs singing?), Peter Pan, Snow White? What are you even talking about?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disneyland is just down the road. I had no plans on doing hours of research—-I talked to friends who have season passes and asked them about things, and nobody said anything about avoiding certain rides.

In addition, I can’t imagine any reason people would plan a three or more day vacation around this crowded, loud and expensive hellhole. It’s seriously awful.

OP is a drama queen. Get over yourself. I bet your kids/grand kids or whatever, are having the time of their life. So get off the internet and stop your bitching and moaning, and enjoy the family time. You are being so lame right now!

No. Disneyland is extremely crowded lately .. the past few years have been particularly awful. I'm with OP. You have to really know your stuff to have a pleasant time. Too many locals with annual passes. They need to raise the price by 100% and get the locals out.

NP the Fantasyland rides are definitely dark and scary in DL. Pinocchio, snow white, Alice, Roger rabbit are all dark and very loud. Oh and Mr. Toad.

Amusement parks aren't for everyone, OP. I know my parents would hate it so we never take them! I personally have a VERY low tolerance for crowds, so I have certain rules for amusement parks: 1) Go on low crowd days; 2) Go early and go late. Use the afternoon to nap or eat indoors or do the not-popular things (Philharmagic!); 3) Never wait in any line that says it's more than 20 minutes, unless it is a fabulous ride and you are armed with snacks, in which case maybe 30 minutes; 4) Use whatever Fast Express whatever ticket the place sells; 5) Google in advance to find out where the tolerable food is sold; 6) And then just expect a certain amount of noise, overpriced crap, and crowds and roll with it.
I think those dumb Disney ads do a real dis-service -- everyone pictures themselves skipping down Main Street into the arms of a waiting Mickey Mouse. Whenever my kids see those ads, I say "They filmed that at 5 a.m. before the park opened."

Oh, and whoever came up with that Stitch ride should be permanently banned from the "Imagineer" profession.
There is just no excuse or explanation for how awful that ride is. They've closed the one at WDW now...I can't imagine what took so long.

Anonymous wrote:Disneyland is just down the road. I had no plans on doing hours of research—-I talked to friends who have season passes and asked them about things, and nobody said anything about avoiding certain rides.

In addition, I can’t imagine any reason people would plan a three or more day vacation around this crowded, loud and expensive hellhole. It’s seriously awful.

OP is a drama queen. Get over yourself. I bet your kids/grand kids or whatever, are having the time of their life. So get off the internet and stop your bitching and moaning, and enjoy the family time. You are being so lame right now!

Disneyland is just down the road. I had no plans on doing hours of research—-I talked to friends who have season passes and asked them about things, and nobody said anything about avoiding certain rides.

In addition, I can’t imagine any reason people would plan a three or more day vacation around this crowded, loud and expensive hellhole. It’s seriously awful.

The alligator nightmare at Disney World should have resulted in this entity being sued for billions.

There are plenty of rides that aren't scary. Seems like you made bad choices of what rides to go on and are not taking responsibility.

For others reading, the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (and Land, and Universal) have in them a "scare factor" guide for each ride.

We reviewed them, watched a few videos on ones we weren't sure about, and had a great trip, tailoring it to miss those we thought would be too much.

book (also all this on their site, touringplans.com, much of it accessible with a free account)-
https://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Walt-Disney-World/dp/1628090669

blog about scares -
http://blog.touringplans.com/2009/05/31/the-scare-factor-at-walt-disney-world/

There is a sliding scale of "scary". It is up to each parent to gauge what is appropriate for each child.

When our twins were 2.5, they did not like these: Winnie the Pooh (nightmare psychadelic scene), Peter Pan (Captain Hook stuff), Mickey's Philharmagic. We opted to skip Pirates of the Caribbean and a few others.

When they were 4, Winnie the Pooh was a favorite and the nightmare scene didn't bother them. They still didn't like Peter Pan and we skilled Mickey's Philharmagic.

When they were 5, Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan were fine. They opted to skip Mickey's Philharmagic because they remembered it was really loud. It no longer scared them, but they didn't want a loud movie.

I know other families who did all of the above at 3 or 4.

Basically, you mileage varies based on your child. There is still a ton of stuff to do for the younger or more sensitive (e.g. at 4, we spent 2 hours running around Tom Sawyer's Island and they loved it).

did you do your research? many rides are not for the little ones. with ours we stuck to Belle's storybook thing, peter pan, etc. It's a small world was even loud but they handled it.

You would think, but a lot of the rides have a pitch black component, which when coupled with the loud noise, is scary. These are little kids, and we were in the section with the little kids rides—-dumbo and teacups—-so my grandkids weren’t the only ones. What really irked me was the cast members not saying if it was dark and loud even when specifically asked.

I’m so confused. I can’t think of anything at Disney that’s scary but doesn’t have a height restriction. Even Haunted Mansion isn’t scary. The only “scary” rides besides coasters are Dinosaur and ToT and it’s pretty obvious those are scary.