Fantasyland Archives - Moms Make it Magical

Photo of people riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Background is light purple with text above Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for highly Sensitive Kids. From moms make it magical dot com.

Is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train a Scary Ride for Sensitive Kids?

Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom, Rides & Attractions / By susan

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for Highly Sensitive Kids: a Ride Review and Rating

Are you planning a trip to Disney World and wondering if your highly sensitive, sensory sensitive or anxious kids will enjoy Seven Dwarfs Mine Train? Or will they be scared and have meltdowns instead?

Look no further!

Here you’ll find a thorough overview of one of Disney World’s popular rides—Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Maybe some of your kids’ triggers are sudden noises, noise level, darkness, bright or flashing lights, speed, or “scary” visuals. Sometimes, these seemingly minor things can cause sensory overload meltdowns in our sensitive family members.

If you don’t like spoilers and it’s your first time going to Disney World, STOP READING NOW! The reason for creating these ride reviews and ratings in the first place is to make sure there are NO surprises that will throw off you and your family. But continue on if you’d like all the details about Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and want to find out if it’d be a scary ride for the sensitive or anxious members of your family.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Ride Info

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, also sometimes referred to as 7DMT in Disney abbreviations, is a rollercoaster found in the Fantasyland section of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. It first opened on May 28, 2014. Since then it has been one of the most popular rides at Magic Kingdom as indicated by the long wait times. It is also one of the attractions at Magic Kingdom that use the Individual Lightning Lane (where you can pay extra to bypass the standby line). So, this clearly shows that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is usually in HIGH demand!

It is themed after the beloved dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It feels like you are racing through a diamond mine on a rustic mine train. Inside the mine, you’ll get to see glittering jewels and see all of your favorite dwarfs whistling and singing while they dig. The audio-animatronic technology used for the dwarfs make them look super realistic!

This coaster travels both outdoors and indoors. There are also two on-ride cameras that take pretty epic pictures and videos of guests. You’ll need Disney’s Photopass to access them.

On Ride Photo from Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

There is a minimum height requirement of 38 inches (97cm) for this ride. If you’ve got taller kiddos, this could be one they are tall enough to ride at the age of 2 or 3 years old! My son was one month shy of 3 when he was able to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It’s a really quick ride, as the duration is about 2 minutes, 50 seconds long. This ride is NOT recommended for expectant mothers.

While it IS a roller coaster with a height restriction, is it really that scary for sensitive or anxious kids? Let’s break it down and figure out if this ride will be an enjoyable one or totally unpleasant for your child.

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Will My Highly Sensitive Child Enjoy Peter Pan’s Flight?

3 Comments / Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom, Rides & Attractions / By susan

Have you wondered if your highly sensitive child will enjoy their experience on Peter Pan’s Flight? Peter Pan’s Flight is a classic Disney ride, which was an opening day attraction at Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971. It is located in the Fantasyland section of Magic Kingdom, right across from “it’s a small world”. It is a slow-moving ride where you board a “flying pirate ship” over London, and then to Never Land. The pirate ships are suspended from a rail on the ceiling, to simulate the sense of flying.

Because it is a fairly gentle ride, there is no minimum height requirement. Infants and small toddlers, expectant moms, and older adults (if ambulatory) should be able to ride without a problem. I often see this ride and “it’s a small world” being recommended as some of the best rides at Magic Kingdom for very young children, kids who scare easily, and those who dislike typical thrill rides.

But what about for highly sensitive or sensory sensitive children? Let’s go through some of the attraction details to see whether your highly sensitive child will enjoy Peter Pan’s Flight, or totally hate it and freak out.

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Will my highly sensitive child like “it’s a small world”?

3 Comments / Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom, Rides & Attractions / By susan

Ride Rating: “it’s a small world for the Highly Sensitive Child

“it’s a small world” is one of those iconic Disney rides. You can find it in the Fantasyland section of Magic Kingdom, right across from Peter Pan’s Flight.

There is no height minimum, so anyone from babies to expectant moms to the elderly can go on this ride! Let me rate this ride for you from a “Moms Make it Magical” perspective, so we can minimize those potential meltdowns for your highly sensitive kids.

Sudden Noises – ⅕

Your highly sensitive child may dislike sudden noises. “It’s a small world” is definitely more of a ride with constant noise with the repetition of the catchy song throughout the entire 10 minutes and 30 second duration, as opposed to sudden noises. This is why I give this a low rating.

Noise Level – ⅗

“It’s a small world” wouldn’t be what it is without the infamous song! From what I’ve seen, it is a “love it” or “hate it” situation from both adults and kids. If you’re curious, I personally love it and don’t mind the song being stuck in my head all day long.

But this is exactly why I would rate the noise level at a 3. It is not a quiet ride by any means, and the song playing loudly on a loop might be too much for some little ears (or even some adult ones too, if you’re part of the “hate it” camp)!

Darkness – ⅖

This ride is not too dark at all! Most of the scenes are lit brightly enough to see all the animatronics dancing and singing. One section that features Australia, New Zealand, and the Polynesian islands had a bit of a darker color palette than the other sections, but overall, highly sensitive kids with a fear of the dark shouldn’t have a huge issue on this ride.

Bright & Flashing Lights – ⅕

While it is VERY colorful and there are lots of moving parts, bright and flashing lights are not something to worry about on “it’s a small world”. There are no sudden transitions between darker areas and brightly lit sections.

Speed – ⅕

This is a slow-moving boat ride, which moves at a pretty consistent pace throughout. Just watch for the very end when they bring you back to the exit gates–it is a little jolting transitioning out of the water, after a mostly smooth ride. But really, no major speed concerns here!

Drops – 0/5

The ride moves through the different scenes without any drops or unexpected movements. It is very tame in terms of any “thrill” factor.

“Scary” Visuals – ⅖

What is scary to one child isn’t always scary to another, so this is extremely subjective! My kids did pretty well, but the Australia, New Zealand, Polynesian section did have a variety of large tiki masks displayed, which could freak out some kids.

K used to cry at our local children’s museum because of a “sun with a face” that creeped her out and we never ended up renewing our membership there since she hated it so much!

But anyway, the visual scenes overall are very pleasant as they try to promote a happy world where people of all cultures get along.

Crowded/Close Proximity to Others – 0/5

Crowds are often overwhelming for highly sensitive kids. On “it’s a small world”, there are several rows of seating on these boats, and they will seat your party together in these rows. So, there is a low likelihood of being squashed in like sardines and having to be in close proximity to virtual strangers.

Strong/Unpleasant Smells – 0/5

Disney is known to use the sense of smell to make their attractions even MORE immersive without you fully realizing it. In this case, I don’t recall any strong or unpleasant smells, so this shouldn’t be an issue even if your kid’s sense of smell is just as strong as your dog’s! 😉

Wetness Factor – 0/5

Some highly sensitive children are extremely uncomfortable getting wet or sitting around in wet clothes. While “its a small world” is a boat ride, you will NOT be getting wet at all! J was a little fearful of getting splashed after having ridden Frozen Ever After at Epcot, but he was fine after many many times of reassurance.

TOTAL SCORE – 10/50

How do we understand the rating? A lower score means less sensory overload, while a higher score means a greater likelihood of being overwhelmed and overstimulated. Based on that understanding, “its a small world” is a ride I would generally recommend for highly sensitive children (and adults), as long as constant noise and visual stimulation isn’t a huge trigger!

What has YOUR experience been on “it’s a small world”? Do you love it or hate it? Click the image below to join my private Facebook Group to share your opinion and get more tips on planning your Disney trip with your highly sensitive kids!