Is Dumbo a Scary Disney Ride?
Dumbo: A Guide for Parents with Sensitive Kids
Are you wondering if Dumbo is scary or overwhelming for your kids?
If you’re going to Disney World for the first time and you’re trying to figure out which attractions you want to try or avoid, you are in the right place! Here, you will get a complete guide to Dumbo the Flying Elephant at Magic Kingdom.
As a parent of a highly sensitive, neurodivergent child, it is KEY to understand which attractions might be a good fit (or not) to avoid overstimulation and better manage meltdowns.
And while what’s “scary” is subjective, the details in this article will help you determine whether Dumbo is a scary ride for your family or not.
In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about Dumbo the Flying Elephant to help you decide if it’s the right ride for your family. We’ll break down the queue environment, and sensory triggers like noise, visuals, and speed.
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Is Dumbo Scary for Highly Sensitive Kids?
Ride Info
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is located in the Storybook Circus section of Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom. It is an aerial carousel-style type of ride, similar to those commonly found in theme parks and carnivals all around the world. As the name indicates, this attraction is based on Disney’s 1941 animated movie Dumbo.
The original version of this attraction opened at Disneyland in California on August 16, 1955. But this version at Magic Kingdom was also an opening day attraction in 1971! A fun fact is that this is the ONLY attraction that can be found at all six Disney castle parks worldwide.
Magic Kingdom’s version is unique because it features TWO separate Dumbo spinners—one which spins clockwise and the other spinning counterclockwise.
Queue Environment
The queue starts in a covered outdoor area, but the majority of the line is inside a circus-themed big top “tent” building. If you are waiting in the standby line, you’ll be given a ticket-themed pager. And you and your family can wait in this play area until it’s your turn to go on the ride. The play area includes things like slides, rope climbers, and elevated bridges.
This type of queue environment is VERY unique, and is often talked about in families with young children. It could be a great opportunity for kids to run free for a bit. But it’s also possible that this type of play area, especially if crowded, could be overstimulating for more sensitive children. Some families have reported that they found this play area dark and noisy. So this is something to be mindful of.
It’s important to note that you’ll skip this entire play area if you are riding Dumbo utilizing the Lightning Lane. So if you think it’ll be overwhelming for your kid, you may want to use Lightning Lanes strategically. Or on the flip side, if your child enjoys being in a play area to get out some of their wiggles, maybe you can skip the Lightning Lane here.
Ride Duration & Vehicle
Dumbo lasts about 2 minutes long, which is on the shorter end when it comes to ride duration. You board flying Dumbo vehicles, where you are secured with a lap belt. Each vehicle can seat 2 or 3 people. There is a little joy stick in front of you to control how high or low you fly, until the end of the ride when ALL the vehicles go up to the maximum height (17 feet) before all returning back down together.
Height Requirement
There is NO minimum height requirement to ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant at Disney World, making it accessible for all ages. However, height requirements aren’t the only factor when deciding if a ride is right for your child.
General Wait Times & Lightning Lane Usage
The wait times for Dumbo can vary depending on the time of day and time of year, but generally has short to moderate wait times. It is an option to use Lightning Lane Multi Pass to bypass the standby line here. This is a paid system that can help reduce your wait time in the standby line.
Try riding early in the morning or late in the evening for shorter wait times. If you are staying in a Disney resort, you can also try using Early Entry to hop on this with minimal waiting. Early Entry is a perk for Disney resort guests to enter the parks 30 minutes earlier. At Magic Kingdom, select attractions in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open during this time, including Dumbo.
Sensory Factors: Is Dumbo Scary?
Now let’s jump into the different sensory factors of Dumbo to help determine if it’s too scary or overwhelming for highly sensitive or neurodivergent child.
Sudden Noises 1/5
Dumbo the Flying Elephant at Disney World has a low level of sudden noises, making it one of the more sensory-friendly attractions. The queue’s bigtop play area does have some unexpected noises with circus sound effects and sounds of children playing, as well as intermittent announcements.The ride mechanism is smooth, with no sudden jolts or loud mechanical sounds, and the background music is gentle and whimsical. The most noticeable sound comes from the burst of noise when the ride begins, and at the very end when all the ride vehicles fly high and then return back down for its landing.
Noise Level 2/5
I like to differentiate overall noise level from sudden noises, as this is referring to more of VOLUME of sound instead of unexpected sounds. Dumbo isn’t a quiet ride by any means. There is constant noise from the water feature on the ride, as well as the background music during the entire duration of the ride. The sounds from the attraction at the beginning and the end when the Dumbo vehicles go up into the air and return back to the ground is also fairly loud. But it does help that this ride is outdoors, so the sound is not concentrated in an indoor area. It’s also a shorter duration, which can make the noise level a little more tolerable.
Darkness 1/5
Dumbo is entirely outdoors and takes place in the open air. There are no dark or enclosed spaces on the actual ride itself. But do keep in mind that the standby queue does have that indoor bigtop play area, which is a darker environment than the ride itself.
Bright & Flashing Lights 1/5
Dumbo’s water feature includes multi-color LED lights, which add some visual interest to this attraction, but it is significantly more noticeable at night. These light effects shouldn’t cause too much discomfort, even for those with sensitive eyes. But if you do find any light effects bothersome, it’s probably best to avoid Dumbo at nighttime.
Speed 1/5
The speed of any attraction can definitely add to the “thrill” or sensory overload for some! Luckily, this isn’t a major concern on Dumbo. Yes, it is a spinning ride but it moves at a gentle pace. The ride vehicle makes one rotation around the center in 13 seconds. And this Disney fan calculated that it travels at 8.6 miles per hour (13.8 kilometers per hour) – LINK https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/flying-fast-on-dumbo.937124/
Drops 1/5
Although Dumbo is a fairly gentle ride, guests will still experience one “drop” at the end of the ride when everyone returns back to the ground. It is an extremely slow movement back down, that it almost feels silly to call it a “drop”. But it’s a good thing to be mindful of in case your child finds unexpected movements a little overwhelming.
Scary Visuals 1/5
What’s scary to one child isn’t always scary to another, so this is very subjective. Overall, this ride’s theming is light and fun, with the circus-like atmosphere. There are no villains or scenes of conflict. No overtly scary scenes are here at ALL. However, if your child has a fear of elephants or circuses, then be mindful of that here! I am familiar with seemingly random fears—for example, my middle child discovered he is terrified of whales after riding Soarin’ Around the World. So I find it always helps to observe how my child is responding to different situations.
Proximity to Others 1/5
If you are spending time in the play area of the queue, it is possible that you’ll experience some crowds and closeness to others! However, in terms of the actual RIDE, there is nothing to worry about here. You’ll be seated with only members of your travel party. The ride has plenty of personal space from other groups.
Strong Smells 0/5
There are no strong smells you have to worry about when riding Dumbo. However, I do want to note that there is a smell-centric “attraction” in Storybook Circus that is themed after Dumbo. It is called Smellephants on Parade, sponsored by Scentsy. It’s a search-and-sniff kind of scavenger hunt, where you try to find all 8 Smellephant statues that are spread out around this area. But this is easy to avoid if you’re trying to only do Dumbo!
Wetness 0/5
Despite having a water feature, Dumbo does not get riders wet at all. The elephant ride vehicles sit above water as well when you’re boarding and exiting this attraction, but you won’t have to worry about getting wet.
TOTAL Sensory Rating for Dumbo 9/50
So, Is Dumbo Scary?
For most highly sensitive kids, Dumbo is NOT a scary ride. It is gentle, slow-moving, and visually bright and cheerful. It’s also a great choice for those who prefer outdoor attractions.
The biggest potential sensory challenges are the queue play area (if crowded), the spinning motion, and the sudden bursts of noise at the beginning and the end of the ride.
TIP: Use the Lightning Lane here to skip the indoor play area if your child is sensitive to noise and crowds!
If your child enjoys slow, scenic rides where they can control their movement, Dumbo may be a great choice!
FIND COMMUNITY
If you’re looking for more advice or support, I invite you to join my Facebook group for parents of highly sensitive and anxious kids planning Disney trips. You’ll find a welcoming community ready to share tips and experiences!
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