Ak's severe lack of kid's rides.

[PhotoDave219]

Should we just leave kids at home and pay someone to watch them while the parents go on a trip? While I would love to do that I would rather it be a family vacation which means the kids too. We took our daughter to DL when she was 2 and she loved it. She might not remember it, but there are pictures for her to look at. Kids that age are free too, so why not bring them?

I'm not trying to pass judgement, nor am i trying to start anything, however, Is this a case of You taking the kids to WDW to have fun, or you taking the kids simply for you to have fun? When it comes to vacation, which is the most important, what you get out of it or what your children get out of it? Im sure you had a blast with your kid, i dont doubt that. I just want to get inside people's heads and understand it, because i see sooooo many kids in strollers (a substantial percentage of which is very unhappy).

Yes, i know kids under 3 are free, 3 and up are not (although try telling that to a Brazillian tour guide today, looked like they were a few tickets short because of smaller kids and took it out on a park greeter for them doing their job), I'm just wondering if some parents out there use this as an excuse for them to go to WDW and save some money, as in the next year it would cost more.

I just see so many little kids and so many parents fustrated because of the way their kids act or because theyre so small.... I'm just trying to understand the rational behind it.

Perhaps this is just a larger issue that gets into parents and parenting and that sorta thing.

 

[Danny14]

With all of the hype around everest and the rumored expasnion of Kali, i think its tme to move away from thrill rides and put in some nice dark rides, maybe as part of a Beastly Kingdom type ordeal, or even some education rides themed to animals like the ride in the land is for farming.

Exactly my thoughts for the past few years. Dark rides are what make Disney parks special, and AK is seriously lacking dark rides.

 

[PhotoDave219]

How could you not bring a two year old to WDW?

Have you ever seen a 2-3 yr old when they see mickey for the first time or when they first get off of Peter Pan. Their eyes light up. That's what WDW is all about. It is about the innocence of children being enveloped by the created magic of Disney. For adults it is about regainig that innocence and looking at the world as a child again...to be happy, no strings attached and leave reality for a while. How better than to celebrate this atmosphere than with a small child who stares around with only wonder and amazement.

As for practical matters, a two to three yr. old does not need one of those bohemeth strollers that disney rents out. A combination of walking and an umbrella stroller will do just fine. (Umbrella strollers take up just as much room as an adult walking on the path ahead of you.)

While thats all good and i love that philosophy and the magic that is created through and from kids, from what i see for every very young child that has a positive experience, i see one with a completely opposite experience, screaming their bloody head off as if theyre in some sort of pain. I see the good and i see the bad; walking up and down main street i see both sides of the coin. Like today, i saw one lady nearly rip her 3 year old's arm off, another father scream at his little kid for flipping the turnstile before everyone got in and at least 3 or 4 kids in a stroller trying to get out and screaming like no tomorrow.

And by no means am i suggesting that WDW should ban kids under 3 or anything like that. Im trying to figure out why parents bring little kids in the summer with a heat index of 115 degrees? I'm trying to find the root cause of why parents will drag 30 pounds of baby or toddler supplies with them into a theme park when in a year or two down the road, that wouldnt be needed.

Lets not forget that Disney created his parks for "all the children of the world" not for adults who don't want to be bothered by kids clogging up the walking paths and ruining their good time.

And exactly what are you suggesting with this? Are you suggesting that i want WDW simply for myself or not to be bothered by kids? I hope not, i'd hope you werent making that sort of brash generalization. I'm looking at this from a point of view where Kids can actually go up to a character and see them and give them a hug, and have their eyes light up when they first see Mickey Mouse (or whichever character) and understand who he is, rather that be wheeled up in a stroller and placed next to him and be forced to endure a photo with a vacant look on the child's face. Lord knows ive seen so many kids run in terror from the country bears in town square because they were scared.

Yes, Disney is the place for fantasy and for dreams to come true, for young and old alike. I just wonder how young is too young. How young is TOO young?

 

[Atta83]

My parents went to Disney without me when I was a baby (under 3 years old). And I dont blame them. Yeah they could of taken me out there with the rest of the children but my parents did not want to run around with diapers, bottles, and other baby assecories with them. They tried once with my brother who was 1 when we went to sea world and had to leave early due to him. He cried all the time, he was hot and miserable, and crawled out of the stroller and hurt himself. I myself feel sorry for these young young children. I mean I know I am dying out in the heat, heaven only knows what these children are feeling.

But whatever parents want to do then I guess....

 

[BrerVeritas]

originally posted by PhotoDave219
I'm not trying to pass judgement, nor am i trying to start anything, however, Is this a case of You taking the kids to WDW to have fun, or you taking the kids simply for you to have fun?

Easy answer, both. Of course the parents have fun watching their children at Disney World, its those parents who look bored and like they are their only because their kids begged them that you have to watch out for. But how could you say a kid isn't having fun there. It;s the worlds biggest playground.

The thing you have to remember about kids is that they are fickle and are easily tired out. Just because a kid is crying and doesn't seem to be having fun, doesn't mean that 30 sec. ago he wasn't having the time of his life. A good parent should know when the child isn't having fun and now to give up for a while and find someplace to rest, like a hotel.

The parenting question you ask is not whether you should bring a child or not, but how you treat them while you are there. You don't need a big plastic rent-a-stroller, you don't need to go on every ride, and you most definitely do not need to be doing something every second so that you "get your money's worth".

 

[Lauriebar]

I understand PhotoDave's point. He is not saying that small children at WDW bother his experience there. He is simply asking about a parents motivation to take a infant or toddler on a vacation that might be better appreciated by a child a little older.

Our family researched height requirements before our first trip and as soon as our daughter was tall enough for the majority of rides we headed to WDW. That's just us. To be honest, our reasoning was more financial than anything.
We ride everything in all parks just to get our money's worth!!!

Whatever your choice, that's your right. You're the parent.

 

[BrerVeritas]

And exactly what are you suggesting with this? Are you suggesting that i want WDW simply for myself or not to be bothered by kids?

This is why I hate conversing on a computer...all nuances of meaning are lost.

No, that is not what I was suggesting at all. I am sorry if it was taken that way. I was no more suggesting that, than you were questioning my parenting skills. But, just as you were I am talking about many others I have seen throughout the park. I have seen people sigh and huff, when a kid decides he is too scared to go on Splash Mountain after all, and his mother has to wriggle him out of line. I agree some of the stuff is borderline child abuse. You have to know your child and treat them accordingly.

 

[PhotoDave219]

This is why I hate conversing on a computer...all nuances of meaning are lost.

No, that is not what I was suggesting at all. I am sorry if it was taken that way. I was no more suggesting that, than you were questioning my parenting skills. But, just as you were I am talking about many others I have seen throughout the park. I have seen people sigh and huff, when a kid decides he is too scared to go on Splash Mountain after all, and his mother has to wriggle him out of line. I agree some of the stuff is borderline child abuse. You have to know your child and treat them accordingly.

I agree completely, and i really didnt think you were suggesting anything by that. I'm equally offended by those who dont want children there, ive had peopel realistically suggest that WDW should have adult only nights and i'd hate to see that.

My point is that there are a lot of parents who bring a child to WDW when the child is too young and not ready (especially newborns). I guess the line when a child becomes ready for WDW depends on the child and how theyre being raised, just as there are some 3 year olds who are ready, there are some 6 year olds who are not.

The thing i want to understand is why parents bring children who are just not ready. There are way too many parents out there with the attitude of "I paid a lot of money for this vacation and youre not going to ruin it". (Ive heard that many, many times. Waaaaaay too many.) That and the newborns, why are you bringing a 10 day old kid into the harmful sunlight before their body can adapt to the outside world? Why do people bring kids who arent ready?

 

[Pixie Duster]

Because they have to Dave. There is a reason people do what they do, including the things we think are very questionable. Maybe they can't find someone to watch their kids. And you know what, a new born is gonna be okay in the sun. A 2 year old is most likely going to love it all, my nephew did...

The parents do what they do because they can, and honestly guys it's no big deal. You're in a family park the stollers are annoying but they are not an epidemic. When you put yourself in an environment with a HUGE assortment of people and personalities you're gonna see all kinds of things. Everyone has the right to enjoy the parks and although our perception of our fellow guests may not be positive, chances are we are looking at the situation the wrong way.

Now back to AK. Although it is my favorite park it is in need of a lot of things, like a nice family friendly (NOT KIDDIE RIDES - I despise that term sorry) dark ride.

 

[BrerVeritas]

Now back to AK. Although it is my favorite park it is in need of a lot of things, like a nice family friendly (NOT KIDDIE RIDES - I despise that term sorry) dark ride.

Thank you, I knew that I started this thread on a different topic...I had almost forgotten what it was...no dark rides(except dinosaur)...it makes me sad.

 

[Pixie Duster]

When AK opened a lot of attention had to be given to it's name sake, the ANIMALS so unfortunetely some great ideas were put on the back burner. Just give it time. But in the in between time don't forget the good things that are there.

 

[Erika]

The parenting question you ask is not whether you should bring a child or not, but how you treat them while you are there.

I think that sums it up right there!

I hate it- HATE it! - when a person expects a child to act like anything other than a child. My husband has a cousin whose father punished him for shouting (age 1), crying (age 1 1/2, at 9:30 at night) and running (age 2). This little boy has 2 other brothers. Can you imagine the family fun this group would have at WDW?

 

[Pixie Duster]

Ya that's just ignorant and lack of remembering what it is like to be a child

 

[Yellow Shoes]

Perhaps WDW is quite subtly fashioning its parks for children over 4 or 5 years old (when they are no longer free, dontcha know??)

I will defer to more seasoned Disney experts here, but when was the last non-height restricted ride built?

I'm not talking about a show--I'm talking about something that moves.

I simply cannot imagine that a classic animatronic ride is more expensive that a roller coaster or Mission: Space.

It does seem that parents of young children are being discouraged from bringing the kids by the lack of attractions for toddlers.

 

[barnum42]

(One we are sure was conceived there.)

You're not allowed to do THAT there? Are you? :lookaroun

 

[careship]

You're not allowed to do THAT there? Are you? :lookaroun

I'm not one of those "rules" people you know.....LOL

 

[ToTBellHop]

I can't say I blame Disney for making most of its rides geared toward the paying guests. It's very hard to make attractions that 2 year olds enjoy that everyone else will enjoy--even the Haunted Mansion and Pirates scares 2 year olds

 

[BrerVeritas]

I'm not saying that all or even most rides dhould be geared towards two year olds, but one or two per park that anyone can enjoy would be good.

Think about all of the family friendly dark trides at magic kindom and EPCOT(Classic EPCOT):
MK:- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - EPCOT:
Peter Pan- - - - - - - - - - - - - Spaceship Earth
Pooh- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Living with the Land
Buzz- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - El Rio Del Tempo
Small World- - - - - - - - - - - - World of Motion
Snow White(Depends on the kid)- - Horizons

Now think of MGM and AK the parks built since Disney started aiming towards thrill rides...The Great Movie Ride?

That's the only one I can think of, and the Alien scene is probably scarier than the Sow White ride.

Don't you think there should be at least one in each park?

 

[ToTBellHop]

It all has to do with marketing. You can't market most kid-friendly rides as well as big thrill rides. Even Spaceship Earth doesn't seem particularly kid friendly to me. I don't think most 2 year olds would have any idea what is going on, so if by "kid friendly" you mean not intense or scary, you have all of the shows at MGM, Animation (especially the new version), all of the shows at AK, Kilimanjaro, the animal trails. Gearing attractions toward 2 year old simply doesn't make money. Just look at Flik's Fun Fair--it has awesome theming but it's empty because even 4 year olds find the rides too slow.

 

[Pixie Duster]

Thank you! Disney is a place with variety. It has a little something for everyone. The main reason Walt built his theme parks was so that families could play together. He want a place where nearly each member of the family could go together and be entertained.

My two year old nephew, now 3, had no problem with Pirates or Haunted Mansion, etc. It just depends on the kid and it makes no sense for a theme park to make simple easy rides if the theming does not fit.

Although I love AK and I would love WDI to come up with a dark ride for it, it would be a huge challenge considering the whole theme of AK is adventure and there is not too much adventure in a slow moving "kiddie ride". However, they could most likely devise a dark ride or something like one that is "family friendly" meaning unfortunetely some 2 and 3 years olds may not like it, but most would and the rest of the family will like it too. That's what Disney is about.

Unfortunetely you can't make everyone happy, Disney can only attempt to make the majority of guests happy.