[Question] Youngsters on the Matterhorn

[Cadensmama07]

Hello all, I had a question for you. My son (who is almost 2) is and inch taller than the high requirement to go on the Matterhorn bobsleds and Gadgets Go Coaster. I wanted to know what age did you first take your kids on.

I'm just a little worried that he might get super scared.

Thanks for all your help Mice Chatters. Love you all!

[Bob Weaver]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

Does he really want to go on those? I refused to go on the Matterhorn until I was 14. I would suggest if he wants to go on Gadget's, then take him on that, and see what his reaction is before considering the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn is a lot longer of a ride than Gadget's is.

[Karalora]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

I'm not a parent, but I'd definitely think twice before taking a toddler on the Matterhorn. The Yeti's appearances are very abrupt and he roars very loudly.

[Disney1]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

I took my son on the Matterhorn when he was 3 1/2. He was scared but I was terrified. It felt like he was going to slip out of my arms and the seatbelt. I was trying to hold on to him with one arm and the bar with the other but he kept sliding around and going airborn even a few times with the jerks and hills. I just booked another Disney vacation and was talking to a Disney reservation lady and she said she had the same experience. Personally that is the first time I have ever felt the height restrictions weren't strict enough on a Disney ride.

[Cadensmama07]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

I took my son on the Matterhorn when he was 3 1/2. He was scared but I was terrified. It felt like he was going to slip out of my arms and the seatbelt. I was trying to hold on to him with one arm and the bar with the other but he kept sliding around and going airborn even a few times with the jerks and hills. I just booked another Disney vacation and was talking to a Disney reservation lady and she said she had the same experience. Personally that is the first time I have ever felt the height restrictions weren't strict enough on a Disney ride.

WOW!!! Thanks for that! That really makes me think twice about going on it. I wonder with the height requirement if its ment for the slower side (fantasyland side). I just wonder. I don't know tho.

[SCUBAbe]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

gadget go coaster is a bit wilder than it appears. I would wait to go on that one.

[sleepyjeff]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

Took my son on The Matterhorn when he was 4.....he's 13 now and still refuses to go on it again even though he's been on the far scarier Expedition Everest at WDW.

[mycroft16]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

Matterhorn is a very intense ride. It isn't actually going super fast, but the really tight clearances and caves coupled with the incredible bumpiness of the ride all add up to a very intense feeling of speed and out-of-control-ness.

The seatbelts definitely will keep you in the ride if they are pulled snug, but they are designed the way they are to maximize the airtime you get going over sharp dips. With the seatbelts attached behind you instead of directly to the side you lift up off your seat a few inches even though the belt is holding you in just perfectly. There is no danger of you coming out, but it will maximize the out of control feeling. For a parent trying to hold onto a child who may already be really scared of the other aspects of the ride, this could just make it totally terrifying.

[sir clinksalot]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

14!!!! My kids were riding stuff like Goliath and Superman at Magic Mountain when they were 7.

Matterhorn was the first coaster for both of our kids, and both of them LOVED it. They were probably around 2 or 3. I would take them on during the day the first time though, as it can be pretty dark at night.

Of course, it depends on your kids, but I don't find Matterhorn to be any more scary than Haunted Mansion or Pirates. If they can handle that, they will be fine. Especially considering the seating arrangement on Matterhorn.

[ScottG]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

My son cried after the first time on a roller coaster (Space).
I asked him if it was too scarry.
"No" he cried, it wasn't long enough..!

[Disney1]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

14!!!! My kids were riding stuff like Goliath and Superman at Magic Mountain when they were 7.

Matterhorn was the first coaster for both of our kids, and both of them LOVED it. They were probably around 2 or 3. I would take them on during the day the first time though, as it can be pretty dark at night.

Of course, it depends on your kids, but I don't find Matterhorn to be any more scary than Haunted Mansion or Pirates. If they can handle that, they will be fine. Especially considering the seating arrangement on Matterhorn.

I think it's true that it depends on the kids. However; both of my kids were fine with Pirates and the Haunted Mansion so I'm not sure you can use that as a factor. In fact, my 6 year old daughter loved Tower of Terror & Space Mountain but didn't care for Matterhorn. Probably the biggest reason I was so scared is that my son was a small 3 year old and very lightweight. Although I'm sure it was safe, as his mom I wasn't comfortable at all with it and he didn't like being jerked around so much. See how he does on some of the others before you make the call, but I definately wouldn't force him on it.

[NikNak]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

Like a few have already said, it depends on what each individual child can handle. My mom took me to Disneyland for the first time when I was almost 3 and I was tall enough to ride most of the bigger rides. I loved all the rides so it really wasn't a problem. The first one I wanted to go on was Splash Mountain. You probably know what your sons limits are, so trust your instincts.

[Deanna]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

there used to be an age requirement too, kids had to be 3...

[fourmountain]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

I would say "no" to both, although...your mileage may vary and only you know what your son is ready for. Speaking from my experience, I just recently got my seven year old to go on Matterhorn and it was too much for her. Physically, the ride can be very jarring for someone who is small. You slide around a lot and it's quite bumpy. Mentally and emotionally, the ride is fast and can be scary (think of your impressions of Yeti at two years old). Would you want to have nightmares about a six foot tall, white furry monster that loudly growls with red eyes? As for the Gagget Coaster, it's quick, but get down on your knees and look at it from your son's perspective. It's a tall drop and even as an adult, it makes your stomach tingle. That feeling isn't quite as explainable to a toddler.

[NeverNeverland]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

Someone on here posted that her 2 year old brother rode it, but YMMV I guess.

It does depend a lot on the kid. I was terrified of roller coasters until jsut a few years ago but was fine with Tower of Terror and others. I would start with Gadgets.

[aimster]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

I wouldn't even go on Space Mountain until I was 12. I was terrified of roller coasters until then. Now you can't get me off them!

[Karalora]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

So what you're saying, aimster, is that you made the above post from a roller coaster? Those are some steady hands you got there.

[Cadensmama07]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

Thanks everyone for all the great ideas. I really thought that Caden (my son) would be afraid of Pirates (the drop) and such. But I was totally shocked when he said after "AGAIN."

But I think that I would have to try it (in the day time) and see. But I still think I need to think about it a lil more.

[Schmielsen]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

I don't know that they originally had an age limit for the bobsleds. My parents took me on it in 1959 when I was 2 and I loved it--or so I'm told. That same visit, however, I refused to ride on Storybook because there was NO way I was going to sail into a whale's mouth. 50 Years later, my parents and sister still enjoy pointing to the exact spot where they stood while trying to convince me to ride it. All kids are different. What scares one won't faze another.

[Cadensmama07]

Re: Youngsters on the Matterhorn

I don't know that they originally had an age limit for the bobsleds. My parents took me on it in 1959 when I was 2 and I loved it--or so I'm told. That same visit, however, I refused to ride on Storybook because there was NO way I was going to sail into a whale's mouth. 50 Years later, my parents and sister still enjoy pointing to the exact spot where they stood while trying to convince me to ride it. All kids are different. What scares one won't faze another.

Thats so true. Never thought of it that way. Wow... i remember that I would not go on Storybook b/c of that. To this day I have never been on it. Even with my son in tow. Weird I know. That whale still freaks me out, so does the movie.

I thought that Caden would be scared of Murphy in Fantasmic. But now everyday I come home and he asks for "Dagan." Kinda odd.