Which is scarier for little kids - Pirates or Haunted Mansion?

[pixiedust33]

Would love some thoughts on this question as I figure out which ride to do first/whether I should skip one or both. My intention was to start with Pirates and if he did ok with that, do Haunted Mansion, which is one of my personal favorite rides. But I've heard from some people that's a bad idea because many little kids are more afraid of Pirates because it's both darker and louder, and starts in darkness with a bit of a drop. FWIW, I have shown him videos of both and he says he wants to go on both of them, and seems particularly intrigued by Haunted Mansion, but he's 2 and probably has no idea what he's getting himself into! Would also love to hear personal experiences of any other 2 and 3 year olds!

 

[sponica]

I didn't make it on either with my first at 20 months.

For my second kid, we only made it on Pirates and that was a disaster.

 

[pixiedust33]

I didn't make it on either with my first at 20 months.

For my second kid, we only made it on Pirates and that was a disaster.

Thanks for sharing! I have been hearing from a surprising number of people as I mention this trip to them in real life that their toddler freaked out during Pirates but was actually fine on Haunted Mansion. I personally prefer Haunted Mansion so now wondering if I should just skip the "test" with Pirates..

 

[BostonEd]

2 year olds don't really register that things in the Haunted Mansion are scary. Same with POTC, except it does have that drop, which I supposed could be really startling, or the highlight of their trip. If you have to pick one, pick HM.

 

[3rd_time_the_charm]

When we took DD at that age she did fine on both and wanted to go again.

 

[1420Elexismc]

When we took DD at that age she did fine on both and wanted to go again.

Mine too...he still loves both at 11 now

 

[pixiedust33]

2 year olds don't really register that things in the Haunted Mansion are scary. Same with POTC, except it does have that drop, which I supposed could be really startling, or the highlight of their trip. If you have to pick one, pick HM.

This is where I am now leaning! I do see that Disney has a "loud noises" tag on Pirates, but not on Haunted Mansion. It's been a few years since I rode it myself and I don't remember it being particularly loud, but if it is loud, that does seem good for us to skip.

I'm not totally sure the ghosts won't freak him out though - he does know what ghosts are and has grouped them in with "monsters" and "crocodiles" as "things that are supposed to be scary" but I don't *think* he would actually be scared of some friendly singing ghosts if we're there with him.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Pirates has a drop and splashes. My niece lost her mind during frozen boat for the same reason. She started sobbing on Small World because she thought the same thing would happen, and then was convinced that the crocodile in Peter Pan was real.

They rode the carousel a lot that trip.

 

[BostonEd]

Just tell him you're going on a ride to see silly ghosts. That worked for my then 3 yo. Oh I just remembered we skipped the stretching room back then. I was concerned about that, but not the ride itself.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Pirates is scarier for that age group.
You can ask to skip the stretching room at Haunted Mansion.

 

[pixiedust33]

Pirates has a drop and splashes. My niece lost her mind during frozen boat for the same reason. She started sobbing on Small World because she thought the same thing would happen, and then was convinced that the crocodile in Peter Pan was real.

They rode the carousel a lot that trip.

This is my fear! I definitely don't want to traumatize, especially on day 1 of the trip. I'm trying to curate that first morning especially well with rides I am reasonably confident he will like so he knows that at least some rides are fun. So, noted! Making sure I do It's a Small World before any other boat rides, because that's a nostalgic favorite for me and I think he will love all the dolls/sights and the singing.

 

[pixiedust33]

Just tell him you're going on a ride to see silly ghosts. That worked for my then 3 yo. Oh I just remembered we skipped the stretching room back then. I was concerned about that, but not the ride itself.

Excellent idea! Some prep about how we're going to go see some "silly pretend ghosts" and skipping the stretching room seems like the plan here, and I'll save Pirates for when he's a bit older.

 

[Peaseblossom36]

We rode both with our 2.5 year old and she liked both. She didn't want to ride Haunted Mansion again, but she wasn't scared of it (she was concerned when the ride stopped for awhile though) and we did skip the stretching room based on feedback I've seen on here. I hadn't been on either ride so didn't know what to expect.

We also watched The Muppets Haunted Mansion movie so I referred back to that, "This is just like the silly ghost muppet movie!" She also recognized pirates as pirates from having seen them on Mickey Mouse and Muppets Treasure Island. I also let her watch a few POV ride videos before the trip.

ETA- Mine LOVED the drop and the splash, despite having never been on a ride like that before I think just trust your instincts with your kid, you know them best of all. The only time we saw any hesitation with our kiddo was when another child was crying hysterically on the Winnie the Pooh ride.

 

[sponica]

Thanks for sharing! I have been hearing from a surprising number of people as I mention this trip to them in real life that their toddler freaked out during Pirates but was actually fine on Haunted Mansion. I personally prefer Haunted Mansion so now wondering if I should just skip the "test" with Pirates..

The only thing I dislike about haunted mansion is that it shutdown at least twice while we were on it last time. Both the then kindergartner and the then 20 month old hated pirates and were screaming most of the ride. Which is sad because it's my favorite ride, and I basically won't be able to go back on it any time soon

 

[Specter]

This is really tricky, because the pre-ride portion of Haunted can be scary for kids vs the drop on Pirates. I would probably do Haunted first, though. It being a favorite, as much as it will not be as good while dealing with an upset toddler, at least you'll get to do that one if you only get one.

FWIW, DD4 went on both of those rides at 10 months, 34 months, and 40 months and she loved it at each age. It really does just depend on the child.

I hope your little one enjoys them both and you get to do them as much as you like.

 

[MamaBelle4]

It's the stretching room and the darkness and the screams.

I've taken all 5 of mine several times, ages from 5 months up. None of them have ever been scared on Pirates. Half of them still will not get back on Haunted Mansion.

 

[Nabas]

Would love some thoughts on this question as I figure out which ride to do first/whether I should skip one or both. My intention was to start with Pirates and if he did ok with that, do Haunted Mansion, which is one of my personal favorite rides. But I've heard from some people that's a bad idea because many little kids are more afraid of Pirates because it's both darker and louder, and starts in darkness with a bit of a drop. FWIW, I have shown him videos of both and he says he wants to go on both of them, and seems particularly intrigued by Haunted Mansion, but he's 2 and probably has no idea what he's getting himself into! Would also love to hear personal experiences of any other 2 and 3 year olds!

At 3, 4, and 5, our children were not scared of either attraction, but we made sure both were fun! ("Watch for the Hidden Mickeys!" "See how many ghosts/pirates you can find!" "Wow, that's so funny!" "I love this part!" etc.) As they got a few years older, there were a couple of years when one was scared, even though they had been on both several times by that point. We got a bit more into the mechanics of the rides until they got used to it. (For example, "They use compressed air to make that head jump up.")

Make sure they know it's pretend before you get in line. Laugh and smile throughout both rides. The kids will follow your lead.

 

[1979figment]

Was just there last week with my 2 year old and she had no problem on either one. I have 5 though and none have ever had a problem on pirates. Three have been coming since under one. My 13 year old had a problem with haunted up to about a year ago. The rest are fine it’s just the stretching room part they don’t like.

 

[westie55]

When you enter haunted mansion, just tell a cast member you want to bypass the stretching room. I have done this many times.

I take my family to Disney once a year. My kids are now 8, 6, and almost 2. They all went on Pirates and HM every trip they’ve been on since they were babies. We’ve never had meltdowns or anything longer than momentary tentativeness on either ride.

Having said that, my cousin took her son at age 2 and Pirates was his first ride. He freaked out and wouldn’t go on any dark rides after that. YMMV. Once my kids reached toddler age, I always took them on other rides first and saved Pirates and HM for later in the trip so they had lots of positive experiences beforehand. Every kid is different and you never know how they’ll react. Even the same child might react differently at 2 and 3.

 

[Brett Wyman]

My 7 year old rides Tron and Guardians but is scared of Haunted Mansion. He loves Pirates.