Help me decide if Gringotts is OK for my child

[Kivara]

I think it all depends on the person. Some people would say drops/loops are the scary parts, others darkness, fire, etc. I know some people think FJ is scarier because of a fear of spiders. There are also dementors and a dragon in FJ.

My youngest doesn't like rides/shows with fire...he loves coasters and the drop on Dudley Do Right, but he won't ride the Mummy because of the ceiling fire & prefers the back row in the Sinbad show because of the fire

 

[diesel]

Trying to decide if I would like Gringotts. I can do Pirates and Big Thunder Mountain. I've done Space Mnt before but not for years and have never done Splash Mnt. Do you think I would like Gringotts? I've actually done FJ - just closed my eyes through the whole thing. I do that with Soarin also. I'm thinking I might be able to handle Gringotts although I am not a fan of drops I can do Big Thunder. Any thoughts?

 

[VacaPlanner2012]

There is no real drop on Big Mountain, so hard to compare those two. Quite frankly, I have ridden some of the biggest coasters in the world and would take them over Soarin any day, that ride gets me more than the rest. I would say that Gringotts drop is more comparable with Rock n Roller Coaster, but still not quite exactly.

Personally, I love the effect in Gringott's, but it is more because of the moment of suspension than the actual drop, that is quick. Close your eyes, hold your breath, then enjoy the rest of the ride!!!

 

[bchbetha]

Trying to decide if I would like Gringotts. I can do Pirates and Big Thunder Mountain. I've done Space Mnt before but not for years and have never done Splash Mnt. Do you think I would like Gringotts? I've actually done FJ - just closed my eyes through the whole thing. I do that with Soarin also. I'm thinking I might be able to handle Gringotts although I am not a fan of drops I can do Big Thunder. Any thoughts?

I think you'll be fine.

 

[macraven]

no problems, just do it.

 

[Disxuni]

Interesting! Everything I've read said FJ is scarier. I think what we may wind up doing is having my older son and me go and give it a try and then I'll decide if my younger one can handle it. Means standing in line twice, but oh well.

How is Flight of the Hippogriff compared to Mine Train?

From what you've said in your original post I would imagine that the younger one cannot handle Gringott's unfortunately. The rollercoaster parts do not last long, but are fast and can be intimidating due to it being pitch black. Also, as for someone who finally experienced Mine Train and knows what Flight of the Hippogriff is about, I would say, to be on the safe side, maybe not have him go on that either. While it's a much shorter ride (a little less than a minute), the track goes relatively high (compared to what you can see on Mine Train), which I do not know if he can handle.

 

[chmurf]

Last october was DS's first time on Gringotts (2 months shy of his 8th birthday) .

He's scared of the drop at Splash Mountain. He rode it once when he was 6 and swore never again ... lol ... we'll see about that

He's a scaredy cat, but begins to get into thrill ride, but still tries to chicken out when getting close to the loading zones of Expedition Everest, and still talks about how he thought his brain would leave his skull while riding Rock'n'roller coaster ...
when you look at onride pictures of him , even as tame as 7 dwarves mine train, you'd swear he's absolutely petrified by fear ... (trust me he's not)

So, back to Gringotts.
He started screaming when the cart dropped. Then first turn he started to cry, with real tears and all.
DW held his hand and told him he could close his eyes if he wanted to. He yelled "no I want to seeeeeeeeeee" ...
He we still crying when he got off the cart. A Team Member even came to see if he was alright.

On the second step of the stairs, going down, he screamed "that was so cool, I want to do it again", then resumed crying ... well ... kids ...
We rode it several times since that first time.


Just give it a try. That's the only way you'll know. Don't make it look like you're scared that your child might be scared , or that you're scared for them... they will pick your emotions up, and be scared, not because it's scary, but because you're scared. And if mom or dad are scared, then "I" (child) probably should be scared too.
More often than none, we transfer our own fears onto our children

 

[macraven]

Did he scream again the second time you took him on that ride?

 

[chmurf]

Did he scream again the second time you took him on that ride?

he screams at the drop, like everybody else

 

[macraven]

I haven't been on that ride with many screamers

 

[babesboo99]

We are going again this Fall but when we were there last time it was 2014 when Harry Potter opened and I took my then 7 yr old twins on it and they loved it. If they dont fear little things like that at home then you should be ok . There are quite a few turns and I believe a little bit of what feels like a drop but other than that it was fine.

 

[hubbard53]

my son, 5.5, loved Gringotts and every other ride at Universal that he could ride at < 48" ... Oh except for Simpsons... for some reason, he HATES the simpson ride. His favorite ride was the Jurassic Park River adventure. But strangely enough, he does NOT like Star Tours at Disney. I guess each kid has their own likes/dislikes and it's easier to leave it up to them although waiting in line for Gringotts for them to opt out at the end would not be pleasant

 

[shoppgirl]

My DD12 is not afraid of drops....she goes on all the water rides that have huge drops (JP river adventure), the problem for her with Gringotts was not the drop or fast turns, but the fact that it happened in the dark and she had no ability to visualize what was going to happen next, nor how big of a drop she should brace for! My DD has never been a fan of dark indoor rides unfortunately. That used to stop us from going on a lot of rides when she as younger. She's getting better with the dark rides!

 

[kbelle8995]

I prefer Gringotts over FJ. Specifically because FJ throws you around a bit. Then again I don't like spiders and those things spook me a little even though I know they are fake. Let him watch it online. I also think the child swap usage is an excellent idea.

If 7 Dwarfs is too much then the child in question might not be ready for this one. May I suggest letting him wander around.

You might look into an interactive wand and doing the activities instead of Gringotts.

 

[TwoMisfits]

my son, 5.5, loved Gringotts and every other ride at Universal that he could ride at < 48" ... Oh except for Simpsons... for some reason, he HATES the simpson ride. His favorite ride was the Jurassic Park River adventure. But strangely enough, he does NOT like Star Tours at Disney. I guess each kid has their own likes/dislikes and it's easier to leave it up to them although waiting in line for Gringotts for them to opt out at the end would not be pleasant

Could be Simpsons and Star Tours make him motion sick. I know of all the Universal rides, Simpsons and FJ are my one-and-dones, b/c they make me a little ill, while I can handle 3-4 rides on the other simulators (Spiderman, Transformers, Gringotts) before I start getting the same reaction...