Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2. VISUAL IMPACT OF THE ATTRACTION FROM OUTSIDE
Big Thunder Mountain Rail-
roadandSplashMountainlookscaryenoughtogiveevenadultssecondthoughts,and
they visually terrify many young children.
3. VISUAL IMPACT OF THE INDOOR QUEUING AREA
Pirates of the Caribbean's caves
and dungeons and The Haunted Mansion's “stretch rooms” can frighten kids even be-
fore they board the ride.
4. INTENSITY OF THE ATTRACTION
Some attractions are overwhelming, inundating
the senses with sights, sounds, movement, and even smell.
It's Tough to Be a Bug!
at Animal Kingdom, for example, combines loud sounds, lights, smoke, animatronic
insects, and 3-D cinematography to create a total sensory experience. For some
preschoolers, this is two or three senses too many.
5. VISUAL IMPACT OF THE ATTRACTION ITSELF
Sights in various attractions range
from falling boulders to lurking buzzards, from grazing dinosaurs to attacking white
blood cells. What one child calmly absorbs may scare the bejeepers out of another.
6. DARK
Many Disney World attractions operate indoors in the dark. For some chil-
dren, darkness alone triggers fear. A child who is frightened on one dark ride (The
Haunted Mansion, for example) may be unwilling to try other indoor rides.
7. THE RIDE ITSELF
;
THE TACTILE EXPERIENCE
Some rides are wild enough to cause
motion sickness, to wrench backs, and to discombobulate patrons of any age.
8. LOUD
The sound levels in some attractions and live shows are so loud that younger
children flip out even though the general content of the presentation is quite benign.
For toddlers and preschoolers especially, it's good to have a pair of earplugs handy.
Disney Orientation Course
We receive many tips from parents telling how they prepared their young children for
the Disney experience. A common strategy is to acquaint children with the charac-
ters and stories behind the attractions by reading Disney books and watching Disney
videos at home. A more direct approach is to watch videos that show the attractions.
A Lexington, Kentucky, mom reports:
My timid 7-year-old daughter and I watched rides and shows on YouTube, and we cut
out all the ones that looked too scary.
