Fear Factor

A big question when going to Disney with little ones is what will scare them and what will be tame enough? Our boys are all over the spectrum on this one. Busy Bee gets scared on Dumbo and was terrified of any Carousel ride until recently... when we discovered he needed to just sit on the bench, where he is delighted to movie star wave to everyone as he goes around and around. Charlie Brown was surprisingly not concerned about darkness or anything really as a baby, but very cautious the older he gets.

Here are a few tips...

Fire. There's a lot of fire involved the special effects in Disney World and surprisingly, or not, it really terrifies some little ones. Surprising, to us... the torches around the lagoon light prior to the nightly Illuminations fireworks in Epcot. As soon as the torches were lit, Charlie Brown wanted to leave as an almost 3 yr old. This is controlled, "harmless" fire, so it was very surprising to me that he was afraid. Once afraid of that the loud noise of the Illuminations show and the actual fireworks didn't stand a chance- we got to leave as they were starting. Less surprising fear of fire... Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular in Hollywood Studios. There's also fire at Lights Motors Action in Hollywood Studios, though we've never had much concern over that (both Charlie Brown and Busy Bee have slept through that show- talk about surprising!)

Darkness. Plenty of rides in Disney World are dark. Actually, I would almost say the majority. A good trick, even if your little one isn't afraid of the dark, is to give them a glow stick they can hold during the dark rides. If they get nervous it's a good distraction, if not good for them :)

Loud Noise. Sudden loud noise. Charlie Brown has learned to be wary. He is always ready for Disney to try and scare him to death with the volume and intensity on even the simplest ride. In 2010, because we were curious, we finally stayed in the little theater in Norway after riding Maelstrom to see the short film about Norway. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement... how I wish Disney could make a 5 minute film that portrayed the character and little history of Norway without the sudden, loud noise, abrupt screen changes, and yes, fire, that didn't terrify my toddlers. At any rate... skip the Norway film, it was a bit intense. There's also sudden loud noise in Figment's Journey Into Imagination over in Future World in Epcot. That one startles the boys every time, but they are not afraid and always enjoy the ride.

For a good overview of all the rides Disney has to offer with regard to how scary they are to preschoolers, we love The Unofficial Guide's Fright Potential chart.