Tame WDW rides for anxious child?

[Raine81]

We are taking our soon to be 6 year old to Disney World late this year. He is autistic and has a high level of anxiety. He will go on a small handful of kiddy rides at our local amusement park (bumper boats, carousel, and a few other kiddy spiny rides). We plan to visit all 4 parks when we are there. Trying to figure out the tamest of the rides to start him off on. My worst fear is we take him on a ride that scares him and then he refuses to try and go on any others. Once he tries something he usually likes it. It is just overcoming the initial hurdle. He is currently obsessed with Olaf/Frozen for example and I mentioned to him that DW has a Frozen ride and a sing along and he wants great detail of what to expect, which I can’t tell him because I haven’t been to DW in many years. Ride suggestions? Best way to front load him suggestions?

 

[CeCe0906]

My granddaughter deals with anxiety and some sensory issues in loud environments. The best thing we did was have headphones available as some of the rides had the volume turned up really loud. Just knowing I had them readily available if she needed helped her.

Also, the Frozen shoe at HS is awesome! Fun for the adults and kids. The Frozen Ride at Epcot is fun also, but there is a very short drop near end. If a small splash may bother , don't sit him at end of row

Also, we watched YouTube videos of every ride, so she would know what to expect. And she picked out the ride she wanted to do.

Her first ride is allll of Disney? The Carousel
But by the end of the trip, we were Thunder mountaining, and Slinky Dog dashing.
MK
I'd recommend Small World, Jungle Cruise, Dumbo( put him in charge of uo and down), tea cups( let him decide how much spin), Peter Pan, Carousel, Aladdin Carpet
Winnie the Pooh is fun, but heffalump part us a little scary for younger
Tiki Room is fun, but loud at end with pretend volcano


AK
Safari, Gorilla Trail, Rafiki train, Bird show, Lion King Show, animation class is fun for all ages

EPCOT
Ariel and Aquarium, Living with the Land, Frozen. Maybe test track if it is later in trip and they have watched the video. Fast at the end, but fun designing car

HS
Midway Mania, Minnie Railway, maybe Star Tours if he like SW. Alien swirling saucers.

But really make time to watch a few videos. For anxious kids, it doesn't spoil the surprise, it makes them feel more in control and can have fun.

 

[g-dad66]

Magic Kingdom: Carousel, Small World
Epcot: Living with the Land, The Seas with Nemo
Hollywood Studios: Alien Saucers, Toy Story Mania
Animal Kingdom: Safari, Wildlife Express Train

 

[Raine81]

My granddaughter deals with anxiety and some sensory issues in loud environments. The best thing we did was have headphones available as some of the rides had the volume turned up really loud. Just knowing I had them readily available if she needed helped her.

Also, the Frozen shoe at HS is awesome! Fun for the adults and kids. The Frozen Ride at Epcot is fun also, but there is a very short drop near end. If a small splash may bother , don't sit him at end of row

Also, we watched YouTube videos of every ride, so she would know what to expect. And she picked out the ride she wanted to do.

Her first ride is allll of Disney? The Carousel
But by the end of the trip, we were Thunder mountaining, and Slinky Dog dashing.
MK
I'd recommend Small World, Jungle Cruise, Dumbo( put him in charge of uo and down), tea cups( let him decide how much spin), Peter Pan, Carousel, Aladdin Carpet
Winnie the Pooh is fun, but heffalump part us a little scary for younger
Tiki Room is fun, but loud at end with pretend volcano


AK
Safari, Gorilla Trail, Rafiki train, Bird show, Lion King Show, animation class is fun for all ages

EPCOT
Ariel and Aquarium, Living with the Land, Frozen. Maybe test track if it is later in trip and they have watched the video. Fast at the end, but fun designing car

HS
Midway Mania, Minnie Railway, maybe Star Tours if he like SW. Alien swirling saucers.

But really make time to watch a few videos. For anxious kids, it doesn't spoil the surprise, it makes them feel more in control and can have fun.

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! I appreciate you taking the time to list all those rides

 

[Raine81]

Magic Kingdom: Carousel, Small World
Epcot: Living with the Land, The Seas with Nemo
Hollywood Studios: Alien Saucers, Toy Story Mania
Animal Kingdom: Safari, Wildlife Express Train

Thank you for the list!

 

[scrappinginontario]

My thoughts

MK:
- Dumbo (you can ensure elephant stays low except all go high at the end)
- Carousel
- small world
- Peter Pan (if okay with heights and dark)
- Buzz Lightyear

Epcot:
- Living with the Land
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- Mexico boat ride
(I would probably not recommend Frozen due to backwards drop)

DHS:
- Toy Story Mania
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Playhouse Disney
- Frozen sing-a-long
- Lightning McQueen show

AK
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- walking paths

I agree with taking headphones. They make such a difference!

 

[Raine81]

My thoughts

MK:
- Dumbo (you can ensure elephant stays low except all go high at the end)
- Carousel
- small world
- Peter Pan (if okay with heights and dark)
- Buzz Lightyear

Epcot:
- Living with the Land
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- Mexico boat ride
(I would probably not recommend Frozen due to backwards drop)

DHS:
- Toy Story Mania
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Playhouse Disney
- Frozen sing-a-long
- Lightning McQueen show

AK
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- walking paths

I agree with taking headphones. They make such a difference!

Thank you for your list of ideas! Really there is a backward drop in Frozen? Is it comparable to the small forward drop on Pirates ? Headphones are a great idea!

 

[ilovevacation]

I have a 6 year old also but he has been there before so I suspect what he likes and yours may vary. Looks like you got some great suggestions. Maybe watching some ride through video on YouTube would be helpful. That way he can have an idea what to expect and maybe guide what you start with. Hopefully giving him that power will give him some comfort and confidence and you will have a successful trip.

 

[Raine81]

I have a 6 year old also but he has been there before so I suspect what he likes and yours may vary. Looks like you got some great suggestions. Maybe watching some ride through video on YouTube would be helpful. That way he can have an idea what to expect and maybe guide what you start with. Hopefully giving him that power will give him some comfort and confidence and you will have a successful trip.

Do you have any suggestions for good YouTube ride through videos geared towards kids?

 

[DL1WDW2]

I recall many enjoyable trips at Disney Springs for those simple childrens attractions outside of the Earl of Sandwich. They have a small carousel and a small train ride . Also offers a water/ splash area too.
I am thinking the Aladdin spinner near the Jungle Cruise is milder than Dumbo.

 

[Raine81]

I recall many enjoyable trips at Disney Springs for those simple childrens attractions outside of the Earl of Sandwich. They have a small carousel and a small train ride . Also offers a water/ splash area too.
I am thinking the Aladdin spinner near the Jungle Cruise is milder than Dumbo.

Thanks for the info I didn’t know Disney Springs had kids attractions! The last time I was there I was in my early 20’s and Pleasure Island was still a thing and the area was referred to as Downtown Disney! So much has changed, since I was last there.

 

[Ursula J]

I agree with all the recs above. My girl, now 15 and up for anything, was an incredibly sensitive, fearful child when we first went. She was 5. She like AK the best-- loved the animals and the relative quiet. Easy to find space to step aside. MK was too much for her except Tom Sawyer Island. I'd try to watch the parades on YouTube first because she freaked out at the sudden noises even though we weren't right there to watch-- some small fireworks, etc.

The main thing I wish I'd done was adjust my expectations. Short park days with times for pool and hotel activities. I'd envisioned a full- day thing with fireworks, etc, and I was sad. But if I'd been more realistic, I can see it all as a success now!

 

[gatorlisa]

Thank you for your list of ideas! Really there is a backward drop in Frozen? Is it comparable to the small forward drop on Pirates ? Headphones are a great idea!

The drop isn't backwards. There is a small part where you do go backwards, then the boat pivots, and as you go past Marshmallow and the snowgies, there is a drop, similar to pirates, maybe just a little bit longer/bigger, but the boat is going forward for the drop.

I second the suggestion to use YouTube videos. If the unknown is the biggest hurdle and your son would like to know lots of details ahead of time, YouTube is full of ride POV videos.

 

[Raine81]

I agree with all the recs above. My girl, now 15 and up for anything, was an incredibly sensitive, fearful child when we first went. She was 5. She like AK the best-- loved the animals and the relative quiet. Easy to find space to step aside. MK was too much for her except Tom Sawyer Island. I'd try to watch the parades on YouTube first because she freaked out at the sudden noises even though we weren't right there to watch-- some small fireworks, etc.

The main thing I wish I'd done was adjust my expectations. Short park days with times for pool and hotel activities. I'd envisioned a full- day thing with fireworks, etc, and I was sad. But if I'd been more realistic, I can see it all as a success now!

Thank you for sharing your experience with me I keep trying to remind myself that the trip to WDW is to make my son’s dreams come true, not mine, and that I will also have to adjust my expectations like you mentioned so I don’t end up feeling sad when things don’t happen how I hoped they would.

 

[juxtapose]

My son is similar. Noise canceling headphones are a must for him. He likes them in all rides even if we don’t think it’ll be loud. He also wears them on all shoes and for watching parades. Honestly our first trip when he was 3 was rough because we didn’t understand how to help him and what his triggers were. Now he’s been a few times at 4 and 6 and those trips were great.

At MK he loves the carousel, buzz Lightyear (do after toy story if you can), Winnie the Pooh, It’s a small world, Peter Pan (do after a non-flying dark ride), little mermaid is a big hit, people mover, jungle cruise, railroad. He did Barnstormer and Haunted Mansion once but did not want to do them again.

Epcot: nemo, spaceship earth, gran fiesta are good to start with. We haven't done Ratioulle but I think that would be okay. He did test track and frozen once each but would not go again. We got him into the seat in Soarin but he panicked and we had to leave before it started.

AK: safari, walking the animal trails, both shows, Navi river, triceratops spin is hit or miss for him (same with Dumbo).

DHS: he loves Star Wars so he did like millennium Falcon and we got him on Rise which he ended up being scared of. Toy story is his all time favorite ride. I think he’d like Minnie railway but we haven’t been.

 

[Rory607]

Absolutely go on YouTube and watch ride videos. I lost my youngest’s trust with the Frozen ride because I said the drop was “small.” It isn’t a roller coaster, of course, but it’s bigger than you might think. He also refuses to ride Pirates anymore because we went to DL and I promised there was only one small drop. The DL version has two Knowing what to expect is so important for anxious kids. Mine rides ROR, even though there is a drop at the end, but he is okay with that one for some reason.

 

[Peaseblossom36]

Also consider that other riders may make him feel anxious, we didn't have a child when we went but the dad sitting in front of us on the Frozen ride made like the drop was going to be huge and really freaked his daughter out. He had me convinced it was going to be bigger than I thought. Sound headphones are definitely a good idea since it's pretty loud. I could see it being way overstimulating, between the sounds, lights and movement.

I like 4K WDW for ride through videos. They don't talk, just ride the ride so you could watch together and talk about what's happening. You could even adjust the video speed to slow it down so they can really take it in. I believe they have a video of every ride and the parades.

 

[Jmljasmine]

My sensitive daughter like the People Mover (or TTA) best. It does get dark when it goes through Space Mountain but she is fine with that if cuddled. What was surprising to me is she didn't like under the sea (afraid of Ursula) and she didn't like Small World (the very unrealistic volcano that I had never noticed before scared her...)

 

[MamaMermaid]

Definitely YouTube some rides but I think the rec's you've gotten here are great.

 

[Skippyboo]

How do you think he will be with the character meet and greet? That might be a way to ease him in , visit Mickey at MK.