Should 6-year-old ride Dinosaur ride?
Walt Disney World: I am trying to decide if I should take my son on the Dinosaur ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
From Kim Hall
Posted October 23, 2005 at 4:50 PM
My son is and has never been on the Dinosaur ride in the Animal Kingdom. I've heard it is pretty scary and I don't know if we should go on it or not. He did'nt like Tower of Terror which he begged to go on at 5 years old. Not that he was scared but did not like the dropping sensation. I am also debating to take him on Space Mountain. HIs favorite rides were Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. He also liked Test Track which he went on last year and just made the height restriction.
Great Question! I love that you are concerned about your 6 year old on the rides! As far as I know, Space Mountain should be fine for him. The one thing is that he would be sitting alone in the car because it is one person per car (you can sit behind him). This really isn't that big of a deal, but if your son can sit by himself on the ride, then that ride is an all go. The darkness is the only thing that makes it any different than Thunder Mountain. Dinosaur is another story! I would have to say it depends on the kid! Techincally, there is nothing dangerous on this ride meaning that it is safe. If he went on Test Track, this should be fine! However, the ride, Dinosaur is sorta scary, but I am pretty sure that you figured that! Primaily the scary part is dramtic lighting and dinosaurs popping up! You son may like this ride, he might be terrified, only you and him can make that decision. It would be really good if he does know the difference between real and make believe! I would say that he would probably be ok riding Dinosaur, especially if he is willing to go on most of the other Disney thrill rides. Just use good common sense and access the situation. Also warn him, but not terrify him right there! Also, try the Tower of Terror again! It is really a great ride! Your son sounds pretty brave so he should be fine on any ride there! Have fun!! One good test whether Dinosaur is too scary for him (love to hear your responses): Can you please describe his reactions on the Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, Alien Encounter/Stitch's Great Escape, Maelstrom?
From T Bone
Posted October 23, 2005 at 8:36 PM
Man Anthony you love to use !'s, yea, take him on this ride, its great.
Whoops, sorry for all the !'s most of those should be .'s
My seven year old has been riding Dinosaur for 2 years. He loves it. Space Mountain is a new ride for him be he enjoyed it. He never liked Tower of Terror but I think it is the drop and the scary idea. He has never been afraid of Haunted Mansion. I would say go for it unless he gets scared of the dark or dinosaurs. Good luck and have fun!!!!
I think it would depend on the child's exposure to extremely scary circumstances. Dinosaur is probably the scariest attraction left in Walt Disney World (Alien Encounted was incredibly scary, but has been dumbed down by Stitch), and you should probably exhibit some caution. It scared the pants off me the first time I rode it, and being one who appreciates a good scare, it's one of my favorite attractions at WDW.
I would probably ride the attraction solo first, or use the child swap so that one of the parents can experience the attraction. Every parent is a little different, and just becuase some parents think it's OK for their children doesn't mean you'll think it's OK for your kids. For goodness sake, some parents think that R rated movies with cursing violence and gore are OK for their 5-year olds, but I guess that can be left for another discussion.
All I remember about Dinosaur was the dark. This was the darkest attraction I've ever (barely) seen.
Some kids hate the dark. Throw in the fast, turbulent motion, and the experience might be too intensive for many young kids. But if your child doesn't mind the dark, meets the height requirement and if he has good strength in his upper torso, neck and head, then he should be okay.
The point about motor control is important, though. Simulator rides like this (and Star Tours, Spider-Man, etc.) toss the body around and about in unpredictable ways. It can create a "shaken baby"-type effect on kids who don't have the neck and head strength to compensate for the vehicle's thrashing movement. Space Mountain is a good predictor for this ride. It's also a darkened ride, and since the dark obscures the track, it throws you around a bit without warning, though not as much as on Dinosaur. If your child enjoyed Space Mountain and it didn't bother him in any way, he's be a good candidate to ride Dinosaur without incident. If not, then don't even think about Dinosaur.
From Kim Hall
Posted October 28, 2005 at 10:51 AM
Thanks for all the good advice. My idea is that I'll take him on Space Mountain and probably not Dinosaur, this year anyway. If it is really scary like the Alien ride used to be. A friend told me she and her daughter were frightened beyond belief on that one. I've never heard of the child swap thing before so I'll look into that.
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