My son will be turning 4 right before our trip, and while he’ll be tall enough for most rides, I don’t want to freak him out too early in our trip.
We have a FP+ for Big Thunder planned for fairly early in the day on our first MK Day. I tried to get 7 Dwarves before BTMRR but couldn’t get a FP+ for that until later in the day.
What do you think about Big Thunder being his first real coaster?
I’ve thought about trying out Barnstormer first, but honestly, I hate that ride. He did a “kiddie” coaster like that at Dollywood when he was 2 and he didn’t love it… of course, he was only 2 at the time.
When he watches videos of BTMRR, 7DMT, and SDD he gets excited and says he can’t wait, but you never can tell how a kid will do when they actually get there. Also, when my daughters were younger, I made the mistake of convincing them to try RnR. They were so spooked by that experience, they didn’t want to try 7DMT, or much of anything else, later on in the trip.
Depends on the kid. My middle son did Barnstormer at 2 because that’s the only one he was tall enough for. At 3 (almost 4) he rode BTMRR after 7DMT. He had ridden one or 2 kiddie coasters before.
If barnstormer is an option I’d try it before BTMRR to avoid scaring him. But in the end, you know your kids better than anyone else.
I think showing your son the videos is a great idea!
My Daughter handled thrill rides very early and she was an amazing thrill seeker at an early age. On the other hand, my son was fearful, and despite his older sister’s bravery, he was quite intimidated.
Now, I’m in the same boat as you when I take my granddaughter on a trip next year (she’ll be 5). My sense of her is that she is going to want to do it, so I’m going to feed off her excitement and keep the tempo fun as we approach that ride. I’m also going to be prepared for that last minute panic she may feel, and be very understanding if she wants to leave the line just as we were getting ready to board.
I think the coaster itself was ok for my kids but both of my girls (A was 4 the first time she rode it and Z was 3 the first time she rode it) disliked the load clacking noise and that’s what turned them both off of it. I love that ride though so I’m hoping as they get older they learn to like it better!
DD (now 5) had just turned two the first time she rode it (yes, she’s tall!) and absolutely loved it. She’s a bit of a daredevil though - you know your child best.
My 4 year old will be going on BTMRR as well as anything w. 40 inch height limit. I know she’ll love the coasters but I’m pretty sure TOT will freak her out!
as others have said, really depends on the kid. This was one of our 5 yr olds favorite rides last year, but he also rode Everest twice and seems to love coasters in general. He rode Mine Train at 3 and loved that as well.
I think Barnstormer, while you may not like it, is a good test to see how he does. If you can, do it before the fast pass.
Both my girls did it at about four without much pre thought (whoops, bad Mum alert) and they were both fine. Back then they were both of the personality where they would think that if they’re with their Mum and Dad and they’re doing it and they think it’s okay and fun then I’ll do it too!
Not so much now that they are aged 16 & 13 - although when it comes to thrill rides they still love them.
- although when it comes to thrill rides they still love them.