A haunted house, a runaway train (or two) and a pirate battle… Disneyland attractions are designed to deliver thrills. But, what if the rides are a bit too thrilling for you? A visit to Disneyland Resort should be fun, so we want to give you tools to help you evaluate what rides are right for you or your child. Keep reading for our advice on how to identify scary elements of Disneyland rides and how to select the rights attractions for your group. Plus we have tips for what to do when you are ready to try a scary Disneyland ride for the first time.
Do Some Disney Research
If you have found MouseBrief and are reading this post, we will venture a guess that you are willing to do some advance Disneyland research. Let us point you toward some resources that can help you research the scary elements of each Disneyland Resort ride.
Take Some Tips from Disneyland
First, we want to point out that Disneyland provides helpful information about attractions in several places, and we can help you find and use that information. On the Disneyland app, Disneyland website and at the attractions themselves, Disney shares whether a ride has big drops, small drops and spinning. Disney also designates certain rides as dark, loud or scary and posts any health advisories.
Investigate Scary Rides on the Disneyland Website
Before you ever set foot in Disneyland, you can investigate these different attraction elements just by visiting the Disneyland website. Go to the “Attraction and Entertainment” section of the website. On this page, you will see all of the Disneyland Resort attractions listed. If you select any of these attractions, you will find all kinds of information including photos, descriptions and locations. Importantly for this topic, you will also see health advisories, accessibility information, height restrictions and advisories about scary or overwhelming elements of the ride.
For example, if I select Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disneyland Park, I learn that the ride has a 40” minimum height requirement and that Disney designates the ride as being a dark and loud thrill ride with small drops. If I click on the “Show Safety, Accessibility and Guest Policies” section, I will also learn about health advisories (including during pregnancy) and ride accessibility. This is a lot of information about what to expect from this attraction! Furthermore, I can view several photos, a short video, a description and this statement from Disney: “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a fast rollercoaster-type attraction designed for kids and adults. However, some sections of this attraction are bumpy and take place in the dark.”
If your concerns around a ride have to do with accessibility issues, Disney also provides a wealth of information about accessibility at Disneyland Resort. Visit this page (disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities) for information around accessibility.
Sort Through Rides on the Disneyland App
You can find a more limited version of attraction information in the Disneyland app. In both the Disneyland app and website, you can also filter the attraction list by things like height restrictions, physical considerations and “thrill factor” (i.e. those big drops, spinning, etc). There are quite a few other filters including intended age groups.
Get the Information in Person
We recommend using all of this information to explore what rides will and will not work for your group. Similar information is also posted in the entrance and queue area for Disneyland Resort attractions. So if you do not have a chance to research before your trip, or you just need a refresher, look for those signs. If you cannot find them or are confused by their meaning, ask a cast member for help.
Preview a Scary Disneyland Ride with Videos
The Disneyland website and app provide a ton of information about attractions, but often visuals communicate more than words. If you are trying to determine whether a Disneyland ride is too scary, try searching for ride-through or point of view videos online. We do not make these kinds of videos, but plenty of other guests do! You should be able to view videos that will give you an idea of the visual and sound elements in a ride. This can help you determine an attraction’s scare-factor, but it can also be a way of easing fearful riders into an attraction. If they know what is coming—because they previewed it from the comfort of home—in-ride surprises have less power.
Recently, we even found a ride video on Disney+ for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. If you have yet to ride this incredible attraction and already know you want to, we suggest skipping this “POV” video to avoid spoilers. But, if you are trying to decide if the ride is right for you, or if you want to ease a child’s fears, this is a great tool to have right on Disney+.
What videos cannot do is give you an accurate understanding of the physical sensation of a ride or even how dark it might actually be. That is why pairing a video with the online descriptions we just mentioned is a good combination.
Get a Preview in Disneyland
You can also get a visual preview of an attraction in person! Many Disneyland rides are outdoor attractions. You should be able to stand beside the aforementioned Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and get a good idea of the dips and drops involved.
Some attractions even have ride vehicles positioned outside the entrance. You can sit in an elephant from Dumbo the Flying Elephant, a teacup from the Mad Tea Party or a motorcar from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride all in Fantasyland. While simply sitting in these stationary vehicles will not give you a full idea of the ride, it can help to ease nervous riders into the experience. Plus, you can get an idea for how comfortable (or not) you will be in that vehicle.
Prepare for Social Interaction at Disneyland Resort
If your Disneyland ride fears have less to do with big drops and more to do with other people, we can offer some help in that area too. In Disneyland for Introverts we preview the amount of social interaction you can expect on attractions at Disneyland. We hope that will help you anticipate and plan for encounters with other guests.
Learn About Disneyland Ride Boarding Procedures
On the other hand, experiencing an attraction next to a trusted friend or family member almost always eases fears. Each attraction at Disneyland Resort has particular boarding and seating procedures. We share how those work in What It’s Like to Board a Ride at Disneyland. We hope that will help you plan for ridging together.
Do Not Be Scared to Ask the Right Questions
So far we have been giving you lots of tips for understanding a ride before you board it, but let us back-up for a minute. To understand what rides will be fun for the people in your family or travel group, you need to have some fruitful conversations before your visit.
We wrote Ask These Questions Before You Visit Disneyland to help you explore your party’s likes and dislikes as well as fears. We hope those questions might help you uncover what makes a ride scary for a particular person. Is it loud noises or heights? For some people it might be costumed characters.
We hope those questions and resulting conversations might also help you determine whether a particular experience is a definite “NO” or a “maybe…” If members in your group think they want to try an attraction that scares them, these conversations might help you determine how you can best support them. Disneyland Resort can be a rewarding, safe and supportive place to face some fears. We try not to push people to experience an attraction that is not right, but we also like to encourage those who are ready to be brave and try something new. That is one of the reasons we love visiting Disneyland with our kids! They have some wonderful memories of conquering their own “scary” Disneyland rides.
What to Do When You are Ready for a Scary Disneyland Ride
There is so much to do in Disneyland, that there is no reason to ride an attraction that is not right for you. But what happens when you are ready to ride something a little scary?
I remember my own sense of accomplishment when I rode my first roller coaster as a child: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. (Funny… but I did not realize the connection to the example I used earlier until just now.) I had wanted to try riding a thrill ride, but I was nervous. I observed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from outside the attraction, talked with my family about it, and then rode together with them.
Prepare with Different Videos
We already mentioned ride-through point of view videos in this post, so we will just revisit them quickly here. If part of what makes a Disneyland attraction feel scary is fear of the unknown, try previewing the ride with a video. We find that children especially like to know that the ride will end well, and seeing that happen can help. Plus, it will help you anticipate jump-scares or other scary surprises.
Another way to use videos is to watch a movie associated with a particular attraction. For example, if you have a child who would like to try riding The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, you could watch the film The Little Mermaid together. This would help you all become familiar with the characters, music and plot. All of these elements are duplicated on this particular ride. You could point out to your child how the movie ends ”happily ever after” despite some scary moments. When it is time to ride, you could help your child feel at home and safe by looking for those familiar elements.
Start with a Visible Attraction (if Possible)
In my personal example of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad being my first roller coaster, I recalled observing the attraction before riding it. If possible, try to do this with any frightened riders. Not all attractions are visible from the outside, but if you have someone who is nervous about riding a whole class of attractions, start with one that is mostly visible.
In my Big Thunder Mountain Railroad example, I was nervous about rollercoasters. Rather than starting with Space Mountain—which takes places entirely inside a building—I started with a ride that can be observed from many angles and has minimal indoor portions.
Have a Seating Plan
Before boarding a scary Disneyland ride, have a discussion about how your group will be seated. Take a look at the ride vehicles and note how many people are able to sit in a row. You can also pay attention to how close they will be to the rows ahead and behind and whether the seating is on a bench or individual seats.
If members of your family are afraid of an attraction but would like to try it, ask them who they would like to be seated beside. On many attractions, more than two people can sit in a row. Offer to let the frightened riders sit in the middle. If there are multiple rows, they may also prefer to sit in a middle row, surrounded by their support team. In my example of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, I was also comforted by being able to squeeze tightly next to a parent on that attraction’s bench seating.
Sometimes there can be a bit of a shuffle at boarding time, so talking about it in advance can help your scared-but-brave riders get their ideal spot. Fortunately, most Disney rides also have a kind of “on deck” staging area that allows you to arrange yourselves before boarding. (More on that in What It’s Like to Board a Ride at Disneyland).
On a related note, remember that Disneyland Resort does provide a Rider Switch service. If part of your family is able to ride while others cannot (or do not want to) ride, an adult can take turns staying with the non-rider and still get to ride with a companion later.
Remember, You Can Always Exit the Queue
If you are hesitant about entering the queue for a scary Disneyland ride, remember, that line entrance is NOT the “point of no return.” You can always exit the queue if you change your mind. Even if you get right up to the loading area and decide an attraction is not right for you, just let the cast members know. They will help you exit safely.
Knowing that you have the option of exiting a queue without riding might help you make those first steps to enter it.
Celebrate!
If someone has conquered fear and bravely boarded a scary ride at Disneyland, be sure to celebrate. Snap a commemorative photo, tell the next character you meet about the feat, and exchange some high fives all around. Disneyland is a wonderful place to find parts of ourselves we did not know were there.
If someone decides a ride is not for them, you can happily acknowledge that too. It takes wisdom and guts to understand yourself. Celebrate with a ride you love instead.
Motion Sickness is Scary, Prepare for It at Disneyland
Before we close up this guide to facing scary rides at Disneyland, let us spend a few more words on motion sickness. Perhaps you are avoiding rides because jerky movements or big drops make you queasy. Some people feel nauseous on screen-based rides. Here are a few quick tips in case you are concerned about motion sickness at Disneyland:
- Eat a bland meal before you ride and let the food settle. Riding attractions on an empty stomach can increase nausea, but so can having something greasy or spicy in your stomach.
- Keep some mint or ginger candies on hand. These two flavors help calm my stomach when I am feeling queasy. You may also want to keep some plain crackers with your candies: these help me too.
- Sometimes the anxiety over what will happen if you vomit can make the sensation worse. Stash a change of clothes and some wipes in your bag for peace-of-mind.
- If you are not sure what the motion of a ride will do to your stomach, opt for a seat where the movement is felt less. This is often in the middle of a ride vehicle, but ask a cast member for help.
- Some people choose to use motion sickness medication or acupressure bracelets when visiting Disneyland. Talk to your physician about whether these are good choices for you.
Thank you for reading this guide on how to handle scary Disneyland rides.
We hope you have found this post helpful. As you continue thinking about your Disneyland visit, we encourage you again to look at our post Ask These Questions Before You Visit Disneyland. If you are looking for some fun conversation starters, you can also try Fun Questions for Connection. And please, check-out our free and complete Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep and subscribe to our newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!
