Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!
Prior to our recent trip to Walt Disney World, my son was adamant that now that he is 8, he is ready for many of the rides. We watched YouTube videos of Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, etc. We talked about the rides endlessly. We encouraged his interest but told him it was his decision what he rode.
The first "big" ride on the agenda was Splash Mountain. He rode this with his Father and came off with out a drop on him. How is that possibe? Well, check out our ride photo…
Ryan is the one in the back right corner. You can't see him? That is because he DUCKED as far down as the lap bar would allow! But I promise, that is the photo from Ryan's first ride on Splash Mountain. LOL!
Next up was Space Mountain and here is where the brakes went on. He waffled for a while but eventually made a firm decision that he did not want to ride. A combination of the dark factor and the seating arrangements combined to put this one on his "do not ride" list for now. (Space Mountain has individual seating, you can't sit next to someone.) No worries – my husband and I each rode on our own and met back up after to go about our day! I highly recommend never forcing your child to ride something they do not want to. I certainly encouraged him to ride and even tried some mild bribery but when he was clear that it was not for him, we moved on. And for my son, knowing he had the ability to say no, meant feeling more empowered to say yes to other things!
Haunted Mansion was next on his hit list and the new interactive queue is amazing! So much to play with and look at that I was sad to have very little wait with which to explore this new area. We had prepared Ryan for some of the effects and let him in on a few of the inside jokes. Once he felt like he was "in the know" he fell in love with the humor of the ride.
Up tomorrow… Can we conquer Everest?
Be well and make magic wherever you go!
Sara Varney
Travel Planner
