9 Unexpectedly Overstimulating Magic Kingdom Attractions WITHOUT Height Requirements
An Overview of Unexpectedly Overstimulating and Scary Attractions at Magic Kingdom WITHOUT Height Requirements
Are you planning a visit to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World with your highly sensitive, sensory sensitive, or anxious kids?
Magic Kingdom is known for its enchanting and family-friendly attractions. It has the most options in terms of rides and attractions without height requirements among the Disney World theme parks, with EPCOT coming in second. This is why most families with infants and young children like to go to Magic Kingdom. There is just so much to ride and experience together as a family! However, there may be aspects of some of these rides that are unexpectedly scary for some sensitive kids.
A lot of people mistakenly assume that if a ride has no height requirement, then it’s not scary and should be suitable for ANYONE. But this doesn’t always hold true. Just because a child is tall enough for a ride doesn’t always mean they are ready for it. There are lots of other factors to take into consideration besides height requirement when it comes to how scary or overstimulating a ride is.
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Let’s jump right in and talk about 9 unexpectedly overstimulating Magic Kingdom attractions!
1. Haunted Mansion
Location: Liberty Square
This is such a fan favorite among Disney fans because of all of innovative work Disney’s Imagineers did to make this attraction come to life! You board a Doom buggy which takes you through this grand and eerie estate.
Reason for No Height Requirement:
The ride vehicle moves slowly throughout the whole attraction. The type of movement is similar to what you’d find on Peter Pan’s Flight, Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid, or the Seas with Nemo & Friends over at EPCOT. I’ve heard of several infants falling asleep or nursing throughout this ride because of the darkness and slow movement.
What to Look Out For:
The pre-show involves being in the “stretching room”, which can be really scary for highly sensitive or anxious kids. There’s a pretty creepy voice speaking, as well as thunderous sounds and flashing lights. You can actually request to skip the pre-show if this is the only barrier to enjoying this ride. Just speak to the Cast Member as you enter the queue. You’ll see various spirits and ghosts throughout the ride. Be mindful of the very end of the attraction where the Doom buggy turns to face a mirror and you’ll notice a few ghosts have hitchhiked and joined you for the ride!
2. Pirates of the Caribbean
Location: Adventureland
This is another classic Disney ride that many love due its immersive experience and detailed storytelling. It is an indoor boat ride through various scenes of pirate life.
Reason for No Height Requirement:
It is a slow moving boat ride, similar to “it’s a small world”, aside from a small drop. The drop is similar to what you’d experience on Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, which also does not have a height requirement. There are no quick twists or turns.
What to Look Out For:
It is VERY dark throughout the ride, starting from the queue. Pirates are obviously the central theme in this ride, and therefore includes scenes of pirates engaging in activities like drinking and fighting. There are also eerie skeletal pirates guarding their treasure. It is also fairly loud throughout the ride. As mentioned earlier, there is a drop near the beginning of the ride in total darkness. This could be a bit startling for sensitive kids.
3. The Enchanted Tiki Room
Location: Adventureland
This bird-focused show at Magic Kingdom is an opening day attraction at Disney World! It is known for the music and the first-of-its-kind animatronics. Be prepared to be singing “Tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki room” as you leave!
Reason for No Height Requirement:
Since this is a show, there are no limitations for who can experience this attraction.
What to Look Out For:
This show could be a little intense for kids who are scared of the dark. Some scenes are more brightly lit than others, but there is a point when there is a crescendo of drumming sounds which ends with a big thundering noise and everything goes black for a second. The tiki faces start moving and chanting as well, which could be a little scary for some little ones.
4. “It’s a small world”
Location: Fantasyland
This iconic Disney ride is known for the classic song that gets stuck in everyone’s head, and the animatronic dolls representing cultures around the world. Welcome to the happiest cruise that ever sailed!
Reason for No Height Requirement:
It is a slow-moving and gentle boat ride. The lack of speed and physical “thrill” makes this appropriate for ALL ages.
What to Look Out For:
It is generally light-hearted but if anyone in your travel party has a fear of dolls (which is surprisingly not an uncommon fear!), this ride is probably not for you. There are some shifts in lighting and mood between the different “areas” of the world, which could be a little startling for some sensitive kids. The constant auditory stimulation, though pleasant, may be overwhelming as well. The length of the ride is another aspect to be mindful of, as it is on the longer end at little over 10 minutes.
5. Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
Location: Fantasyland
Board a seashell and explore Ariel’s story, with fun songs and animatronics of your favorite Little Mermaid characters!
Reason for No Height Requirement:
This is a slow Omnimover ride vehicle. This style of ride vehicle is common at Disney, and you’ll see that the vehicles continue to move at a consistent speed throughout.
What to Look Out For:
The ride is very dark! There is also a period where you are going “under the sea”, and you start traveling backwards at an angle. Be mindful of the scene with Ursula where she sings “Poor Unfortunate Souls”, especially if you’ve got kids who are especially sensitive to villains.
6. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Location: Fantasyland
Go on an adventure with Pooh and friends through the Hundred Acre Woods, as you board a honey-pot vehicle!
Reason for No Height Requirement:
Again, this is another fairly slow-moving Disney dark ride. It definitely isn’t a physically thrilling ride.
What to Look Out For:
The ride vehicle does simulate bouncing movements to jump around with Tigger. Also, when Pooh falls asleep and you enter his dream, be prepared for some thunder and lightning effects as you encounter the Heffalumps and Woozles.
7. Peter Pan’s Flight
Location: Fantasyland
You get to board a whimsical pirate ship to “fly” over the city of London and various scenes from Peter Pan!
Reason for No Height Requirement:
This is yet another Omnimover-style ride vehicle where the chain of vehicles are continuously moving at the same pace. There are no big jolts, bumps, or elements of speed.
What to Look Out For:
This can very very dark at times. There are also a few scenes which could be scary to some kids, like Wendy walking the plank or Captain Hook standing precariously on the open jaws of an alligator (eek!). Those who have an extreme fear of heights should be aware that there is slight flying sensation, but in actuality, you really are not far off the ground at all.
8. Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Location: Tomorrowland
Go on a relaxing tour of Tomorrowland, as you ride a tram that travels along an elevated track throughout this land.
Reason for No Height Requirement:
It is not a very physically thrilling ride, as indicated by a lack of any restraint system (no lap bars or seatbelts). There are some twists and turns as the track curves around to different areas.
What to Look Out For:
While a lot of the ride is outdoors, there are some parts where you get to go inside other Tomorrowland attractions (namely, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Space Mountain). It is pitch black in a few of these sections. You may also hear screaming of guests riding on Space Mountain.
9. Jungle Cruise
Location: Adventureland
This is yet another opening day attraction at Magic Kingdom! Ride a boat along a river with lots of fun animal animatronics, with the guidance of a Skipper who will provide a ton of punny jokes along the way.
Reason for No Height Requirement:
This is a slow moving boat ride, where the focus is mostly on the Skipper and the various scenes along the river. No ride restraints are needed here.
What to Look Out For:
This ride can be a lot for those with auditory sensitivity. It is a lot of continuous and fast talking by the Skipper. Some of the jokes, if not understood as a joke, could be scary or confusing to sensitive kids. There are also a few parts where you are in the dark. You do have a chance of getting slightly wet as well.
So, there you have it! 9 rides at Magic Kingdom without height requirements that COULD be overstimulating or scary to sensitive kids.
This does not mean that all of these Magic Kingdom rides and attractions are guaranteed to be scary for your child. There may be rides that didn’t show up on this list that end up triggering a sensory overload meltdown! Instead, this is your reminder to be aware that seemingly harmless things can be experienced as “scary” to a more sensitive child.
Every child is different, and you know your child best! And if you know that your child is highly sensitive, sensory sensitive, or prone to anxiety, it makes sense to take the time to prepare yourselves for your Disney trip.
RELATED: How to Prepare Your Highly Sensitive Child for Disney World
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