Touring with Littles
We visited the Disney Resorts for years before we had kids. When our first kid entered the scene, there was no way we were going to stop, but clearly we needed to adjust our touring style. Here’s what we’ve learned:
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1. Take A Break!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Take an afternoon break. Downtime is really crucial for most kids, not to mention most adults. When the park gets hot and crowded, take refuge in your hotel pool and some nap time. Then, when the tired, cranky folks who stayed through the afternoon are giving up and leaving the parks in droves, head back, refreshed and ready for more. If your time at Disney is limited, an in-park break can go a long way too for both parents and kids.
2. Keep It Calm
The parks are super stimulating and really loud. You can mitigate this by leaving during peak times, using hearing protection, and taking breaks in quieter parts of the parks like in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Some kids find their strollers to be a get-away, especially if you hang a blanket from the front of the awning so that it’s shady and kinda private. Evenings can also be calmer if you avoid the 3 million people all trying to leave at the same time following the evening shows and fireworks.
3. Start With The Familiar
If your kid is hesitant to get on rides, start with something familiar like a carousel (many of the parks have one) or a ride where she can watch the whole thing before getting on. Dumbo, Teacups, Gadget’s Go Coaster, and Jumpin’ Jellyfish are good examples. YouTube has ride videos for just about every ride. My kids were often unwilling to try the unknown, but after watching a POV of the ride, they were good to go. That can help get them excited for the trip too.
4. Know The Two Types Of Scary
There are 2 kinds of scary: physical and atmospheric. Roller coasters are physically scary, and rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion are atmospherically scary. Rides like Guardians of the Galaxy and Indiana Jones are both. It’s good to keep that in mind as you try out rides. If your kid flips out on Pirates, don’t try Indiana Jones or Haunted Mansion. If he hated Gadget’s Go Coaster, don’t try Goofy’s sky school just yet. Read more about this here.
5. Know The Kid Faves
Many rides at the Disney Parks were created with small kids in mind, and they’re a pretty good bet for a timid rider. Some of these include It’s a Small World, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Tarzan’s Treehouse, the carousels, Casey Junior’s Circus Train (it goes a little fast at times) Dumbo, The Golden Zephyr, and the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters and Little Mermaid are pretty calm too. The teacups aren’t very scary if you don’t turn them. Dumbo, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and the Golden Zephyr, go a little high in the air for some sensitive folks.
6. Watch Out For The Sneaky Scares
It’s very frustrating when you think you’re on a ride that’s perfect for your timid rider but it turns out that it’s a lot scarier than you thought. The Finding Nemo Submarine Ride has freaked out several kids that I know. It might help to show your child ahead of time that it doesn’t really go underwater, because that was part of the issue for at least one of the kids. Snow White is less scary than it used to be, but there’s still a scary witch. Pinnochio has a tense part with Monstro the whale.
And then, of course, there’s the Pixar Pal-A-Round which has scared more than one adult who didn’t know about the two different sides. There are two different ways to ride this ride. The non-swinging cars are just a regular old Ferris wheel ride that’s suitable for anyone without an intense fear of heights. The swinging cars are a thrill ride. The lines have pretty good signage, but it’s good to be alert.
Another sneaky scare is the Disneyland Railroad. This is actually a great ride for kids at the Disneyland resort, but the section between Tomorrowland and Main Street goes through a tunnel with scenes of audioanimatronic dinosaurs fighting by an erupting volcano. For some kids this is cool, and for others it’s scary.
7. Do Something Without Lines
Disney parks have a lot more waiting in lines than parents or kids want. When you and your child can’t take another line, try something else. Here are some options: Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, the Casey Junior Splash ‘N’ Soak Station, the Animation Academy, Tom Sawyer’s Island, Snow White’s wishing well, exploring Toontown, the castle walk-through with the Sleeping Beauty scenes, visiting the fire station on Main Street, watching a show, or just stopping to watch the entertainment that pops up at random times and places.
8. Go Carefully With Characters
Meeting Disney characters can be fantastic or totally scary for kids. “Face characters,” where you’re seeing a real person’s face, are often easier for kids who are hesitant, and the characters usually make heroic efforts to interact positively with little kids. Peter Pan, the Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, and the princesses (except Sophia the first) are all face characters. Mater and Lightning McQueen are their own kind of thing. My kids didn’t find them scary. Characters in fully covering costumes like Mickey and Minnie are scary for some kids.
9. Know Disney’s Rules for Kids on Rides
You need to know Disney’s rules for young children riding attractions. If a child is under 7, they must be accompanied by someone 14 or older. This usually doesn’t pose a problem, but I once tried to ride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride with my twins who were 5 and my 11-year-old son. Mr. Toad’s is mostly a two-at-a-time ride. You could probably have an adult and two toddlers, but I couldn’t put both of the 5 year olds with me. Unfortunately, the 11 year old wasn’t old enough to take one of the 5 year olds either. Luckily, one of my kiddos was tall for her age, and the ride operator assumed that she was 7 and let her ride with her brother.
10. Understand The Rider Switch Pass, A.K.A. The Baby Swap.
The Rider Switch Pass is for when one of your kids doesn’t meet the height requirement or is scared to ride, but others want to ride. It’s great for parents to get to ride their favorites, but it’s really brilliant when you have have more than one kid, and they don’t all want to ride.
How it works:
It works like this: Your whole party approaches the ride, and as you near the queuing area, you see a cast member. Ask the Cast member if you can do a Rider Switch. They hand you what is essentially a FASTPASS (which no longer exist) but it usually says that it’s good for up to two or three people to return. So, maybe you send Dad and Big Kid on the ride. You and Little Kid go do something else (sometimes they’ve had us wait in a designated area, but that was only in Florida).
When Big Kid and Dad are off the ride, you take Big Kid with you for your turn on the ride. Use the entrance they direct you to (probably the Lightning Lane) and be ready to show your Rider Switch pass. Big Kid will actually get to ride twice, both parents get to experience the ride with the kid. In the mean time, Little Kid has gotten to do fun things with both parents.
Not all rides do Rider Switch, but generally the ones with height requirements do. However, height doesn’t have to be your reason to use the Rider Switch. One of my kids just hates getting wet on Splash Mountain, so we have used Rider Switch with them. Just remember that your whole party has to go up to the cast member together. They need to see that someone really isn’t riding, and you’re not trying to scam the system. They tweak the system periodically, but if you approach a cast member at the entrance, smile, and ask politely, they’ll tell you the procedure.
11. Manage Expectations
Before you head to Disney, talk to your kids ahead of time about what to expect. Kids see ads with characters riding Dumbo alongside guests and people skipping down the street laughing, holding balloons and Mickey ice cream bars. They don’t see ride closure notices or people with sunburns waiting in long lines. No wonder they melt down when reality hits! They need more realistic expectations such as: It will be hot in the afternoon. We will have to wait our turn to meet characters and to ride on the rides. We will buy one treat every night after dinner.
12. Know The Magic Numbers!
For a lot of rides with height requirements, 40 inches is the magic number. However, some rides have a lower requirement, and others a higher one. It’s a good idea to look all these up ahead of time, and some have changed over time.
Find the current height requirements for the Disneyland Resort here.
Find the current height requirements for the Walt Disney World Resort here.
Have you traveled to the Disney Parks with kids? What worked well (or not at all) for you? Be sure to scroll down and leave a comment below.
For more articles on the Disneyland Resort, please click here.
