Mansion stretch room too frightening for children

[Princess Kaylee]

No, hun. To ALL small children who want to enjoy the experience. My daughter is no more privilege than yours or the next child. I never thought that she deserves special treatment. But for ALL small children there should not be instances that could traumatize or terrify their experience. Disney needs to be inclusive for all ages in all of its ride shows and attractions. If you want more terrifying experience then there is Universal down the road where those type of age-specific rides are found. But disney is not marketed that way and should not be run that way. It is aimed for the famillies with small children who should enjoy all the experiences together, including the smallest children who wish to enjoy. I never once thought my child is any more special -well she is to me of course - but in the grand scheme of things there should never be an entitlement where she alone gets certain privilege above other children. Sorry if i ever came across like that.

Plenty of 5 year olds would be fine with the stretch room, it's just your kid. I hated the Snow White ride in DL but we didn't write petitions to shut it down. Disney isn't just for kids. Here are some rides your kid may enjoy.
- Winnie The Pooh
- Mickeys Philarmagic
- Jungle Cruise
- Buzz Lightyear
- The people mover
- Small World
- Peter Pan
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- Rafakis Planet Watch and affection section
-Toy Story Mania
-Frozen Sing Along
-Voyage of the little mermaid
Muppet Vision 3D
- Nemo the musical
- The Lion King Live

 

[marni1971]

And this is STILL going??

 

[mf1972]

What in the actual F....

This has quickly become one of my most favorite threads of all time.

13 pages & growing. I'm surprised this is still going too. very good points posted here. I do agree, she should've researched it before taking her kid on the ride & paid attention to the signs. little common sense goes a long way.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Although this an old video. A CM From DL's Haunted Mansion tries to help out a little girls fear and explains the HM to see if they would convince her to go in...

 

[MadMax11]

This thread started as a customer complaint that an original DisneyWorld ride wasn't suitable in a park that was trying to appeal to families...at one point took a turn into the whole, "what's wrong with America..get off my lawn!" motif...and most recently has adults on a message board making fun of a 5 year old.

If it all weren't so funny, I'd be crying. Or vice versa. Or something. But I felt compelled to leave a post here in a sort of Epcot-ish Leave a Legacy sort of way...so that my great-grandkids can see my post one day in what is certain to be an historical thread.

 

[njDizFan]

It does not mean a 5 year old can not be, it means a five year old should not be and instead of babying her and expecting a classic ride to change for her cry baby she should be told to suck it up and grow up.

I applaud your "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality, toddlers needs to grow up already!

I think you should write your own parenting book while you're at it...I'm thinking of a title...

"The benefits of Traumatizing young children"

Chapter 1: If you kid is being a little whiney baby, wake up parents, they need to get over themselves this is a harsh world. I suggest forcing them into uncomfortable situations, like the complete darkness of a haunted house, even if that means kicking and screaming(bring an extra pair of underwear when they wet themselves). After all this means they will be much better adjusted when a real ghost were to attack them. When the zombie apocolypse comes only the alpha dogs are going to survive....

 

[Dead2009]

Nobody in here is saying to traumatize children nor is anyone making fun of the child but when the OP is honestly suggesting taking DARKNESS out of an attraction that's supposed to be HAUNTED, not to mention when said child is given the label of "little princess faire", that can give off the impression that she is babied. It doesn't help pretending you didn't know the Haunted Mansion had elements of terror, that's like pretending you didn't know you got wet before getting on Splash Mountain...which...is dark at times, as is Pirates, I could go on and on.

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

Nobody in here is saying to traumatize children nor is anyone making fun of the child but when the OP is honestly suggesting taking DARKNESS out of an attraction that's supposed to be HAUNTED, not to mention when said child is given the label of "little princess faire", that can give off the impression that she is babied. It doesn't help pretending you didn't know the Haunted Mansion had elements of terror, that's like pretending you didn't know you got wet before getting on Splash Mountain...which...is dark at times, as is Pirates, I could go on and on.

There is at least one person berating a five year old for being scared.

 

[Dead2009]

And one bad apple out of the bunch doesn't mean everyone else is doing it tho. The point should still stand though, it's on the parent to determine whether or not a ride is too scary for a young child, if there are signs saying "this ride may be too intense or scary for young children", it's probably best they don't go on it. Disney shouldn't have to change how the ride operates because of a kid or 2 getting scared.

 

[njDizFan]

Nobody in here is saying to traumatize children nor is anyone making fun of the child but when the OP is honestly suggesting taking DARKNESS out of an attraction that's supposed to be HAUNTED, not to mention when said child is given the label of "little princess faire", that can give off the impression that she is babied. It doesn't help pretending you didn't know the Haunted Mansion had elements of terror, that's like pretending you didn't know you got wet before getting on Splash Mountain...which...is dark at times, as is Pirates, I could go on and on.

The Haunted Manion is perfect as it is, it is one of the best rides in all of themed entertainment, and I would not suggest for a second that anything be changed...ever.

I was poking some fun at ninja girl for being over the top. When you start throwing out buzzwords like snowflake and entitlement combined with hyperbole, things were getting kind of weird.

Not all rides(or any) should be pandered down to the least common denominator and parents need to know when to... you know, do some parenting. But suggesting that all 5 year olds should not have fear of a haunted house is absurd. People come in different sensibilities and while a 2 year old may be fine maybe a 5 year old would not.

Not to drag this conversation out any further but my son( 5 YO) is afraid of fire and loud noises but would climb a 50 foot tree or ride Kinga ka(sp?) if you let him. And sometimes a younger child is, say an under 2, does not have the congnetive capacity to know they should be feeling fear in certain situations.

 

[RandomPrincess]

It does not mean a 5 year old can not be, it means a five year old should not be and instead of babying her and expecting a classic ride to change for her cry baby she should be told to suck it up and grow up.

I grew up with a dad with that attitude. It didn't make me less scared of things, it did make me more scared of my dad.

 

[mouse_luv]

Plenty of 5 year olds would be fine with the stretch room, it's just your kid. I hated the Snow White ride in DL but we didn't write petitions to shut it down. Disney isn't just for kids. Here are some rides your kid may enjoy.
- Winnie The Pooh
- Mickeys Philarmagic
- Jungle Cruise
- Buzz Lightyear
- The people mover
- Small World
- Peter Pan
- Kilimanjaro Safari
- Rafakis Planet Watch and affection section
-Toy Story Mania
-Frozen Sing Along
-Voyage of the little mermaid
Muppet Vision 3D
- Nemo the musical
- The Lion King Live

I actually agree with your post but for OP's kid and her fear of dark apparently, I would leave out the People Mover and possibly Muppet Vision and Philharmagic because gosh forbid it gets dark in there. In the case of the PeopleMover, very dark for a good amount of time (longer than the HM stretching room), while you go through SM.

 

[Dead2009]

Stitch's Great Escape also has scenes of total darkness and that's more of a kiddie ride than Haunted Mansion is.

 

[marni1971]

46 years and counting tends to suggest the OP is in a minority.

 

[Gabe1]

No, hun. To ALL small children who want to enjoy the experience. My daughter is no more privilege than yours or the next child. I never thought that she deserves special treatment. But for ALL small children there should not be instances that could traumatize or terrify their experience. Disney needs to be inclusive for all ages in all of its ride shows and attractions. If you want more terrifying experience then there is Universal down the road where those type of age-specific rides are found. But disney is not marketed that way and should not be run that way. It is aimed for the famillies with small children who should enjoy all the experiences together, including the smallest children who wish to enjoy. I never once thought my child is any more special -well she is to me of course - but in the grand scheme of things there should never be an entitlement where she alone gets certain privilege above other children. Sorry if i ever came across like that.

Both of my kids rode HM from very young, multiple times per vacation every year. My DS first experience was 14 months old and my DD first experience was 2 months old. Great family attraction from start to finish. A family favorite since they were small.

My DD's first experience with Space Mountain did not go well even though she loved Goofy and Thunder. It was propelled through the darkness so fast. Our solution was for her to skip Space the rest of the trip until she was able to emotionally able to handle it which she did the following year. We didn't ask that the attraction be brightened up so ALL children could enjoy. IMO parents need to adjust not the park.

 

[WondersOfLife]

I was flipping TERRIFIED of this pre-show when I was little. But I loved the ride... And you know what? I forgot about the pre-show once it was done. Who gives a poop how scary it is for little kids? They'll cry for a few seconds/minutes and then the ride starts and they forget about it.

On top of that... Have enough sense not to take your little easily scared child on an attraction that has the following words in them... The HAUNTED Mansion... Snow White's SCARY Adventures... The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter... I mean come on. It's common sense unless you don't speak english.

 

[alissafalco]

We recently returned from a 11 day Disney trip March 4 - 14. Exhausting but worth every minute of it. yet there are a few things I noticed and am concerned about, mainly the Haunted Mansion stretch room toward the beginning of the attraction. This was the first trip for our only daughter faire age 5. We thought this would be a good age for her first visit as it would be when she would be old enough to remember alot of the magic yet young enough to believe in the magic. One thing that really got her upset and in tears was the opening scene to Haunted Mansion at MagicKingdom. We never expected there would be a few moments of total darkness plus the lightning and scream nearly sent her into a fit. Disney is a place for families with children!!!!! I was appalled at how no cast member told us we probably should not take her into that scene. We spoke to a cast member at the ride exit who smiled to cheer her up, but still that beginning scene needs to either be changed or removed if disney is going to market as a family park for children. The rest of the ride is amazing, as our little princess faire could sit close to mommy and daddy if scared and there was no pitch black darkness. The music was fun and the characters inside the ride were more appropriate for children during most of the scenes. The beginning however really disturbed her and made her not wanting to ride too much more that day as she was still in shock of the total darkness. The majority of our vacation was great besides that one moment of terror in my daughters eyes. Please consider an update or change in the stretch room, maybe just to remove the total darkness to take into consideration the emotions and vulnerability of the child. When older she will learn to appreciate the ride for what it is as a classic.

Just dont bring her on it next time. My kids loved it and were younger than your daughter. I also went on as a very young child and was never scared. I dont expect Disney to change rides to what my child likes. Next time just keep on walking.

 

[marni1971]

It's got to be a wind up. Surely no adult can be this.... silly?

 

[Minnie1976]

We recently returned from a 11 day Disney trip March 4 - 14. Exhausting but worth every minute of it. yet there are a few things I noticed and am concerned about, mainly the Haunted Mansion stretch room toward the beginning of the attraction. This was the first trip for our only daughter faire age 5. We thought this would be a good age for her first visit as it would be when she would be old enough to remember alot of the magic yet young enough to believe in the magic. One thing that really got her upset and in tears was the opening scene to Haunted Mansion at MagicKingdom. We never expected there would be a few moments of total darkness plus the lightning and scream nearly sent her into a fit. Disney is a place for families with children!!!!! I was appalled at how no cast member told us we probably should not take her into that scene. We spoke to a cast member at the ride exit who smiled to cheer her up, but still that beginning scene needs to either be changed or removed if disney is going to market as a family park for children. The rest of the ride is amazing, as our little princess faire could sit close to mommy and daddy if scared and there was no pitch black darkness. The music was fun and the characters inside the ride were more appropriate for children during most of the scenes. The beginning however really disturbed her and made her not wanting to ride too much more that day as she was still in shock of the total darkness. The majority of our vacation was great besis that one moment of terror in my daughters eyes. Please consider an update or change in the stretch room, maybe just to remove the

Signs or no signs...it's called the Haunted Mansion. You can't expect sunshine, rainbows and unicorns inside.

I thought the same thing. It is called the Haunted Mansion. People these days always have to put the blame on something or someone else when something doesn't go their way. They don't want to take the blame. I have taken my own children since they were little and now grandchildren. Never thought to blame anyone or Disney if my children were scared in an attraction.

 

[Stellajack]

The beginning however really disturbed her and made her not wanting to ride too much more that day as she was still in shock of the total darkness. The majority of our vacation was great besides that one moment of terror in my daughters eyes. Please consider an update or change in the stretch room, maybe just to remove the total darkness to take into consideration the emotions and vulnerability of the child. When older she will learn to appreciate the ride for what it is as a classic

Did you by any chance explore the WDW with Kids forum on these boards? The thread below has great tips and advice for concerned parents.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...u-wish-you-skipped-with-your-children.899680/