By Pink Diva
Maleficent
I hate being scared. I have never understood why people want to watch scary movies or go into haunted houses. My parents first took my sister and I on The Haunted Mansion when I was five. I had my eyes closed the entire time. From the moment we were in the queue until we were back in the sunlight my eyes were shut tight. It probably wasn’t until I went with my husband on our honeymoon that I rode the ride with my eyes open. That’s how much I hate being scared.
Now that I have little kids, who also do not enjoy being scared, we have been careful about what they do at Disney. Unfortunately, some of the attractions have some unsuspecting scary parts and I’m here to let you know which ones.
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover There is no height requirement for the PeopleMover. It is a mostly slow-moving ride through Tomorrowland. Guests step into their tram and can relax for the ten minute tour. You get a neat view of the rides in Tomorrowland as you go through some of the buildings. It gets a little scary going through Space Mountain. Since Space Mountain is in the dark, so are you when you go through. It is completely dark for a very short amount of time, but long enough for it to make the list. I usually keep my phone out and shine the flashlight at our feet for the few minutes we are in Space Mountain.
Most of the ride is enjoyable and outside
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic This one is overall really fun. Donald gets himself into some shenanigans and winds up moving through some popular movies. The 3D experience brings the movies to life. It’s not necessarily scary, but when the characters pop out unexpectedly it can startle some younger kids. My youngest (3 years old) is usually on a lap during it and that is enough to reassure him everything is okay.
- Jungle Cruise The Jungle Cruise is a must-do for most families. The Skippers and their jokes are worth the wait. It is a fun boat ride through the jungles of South America, the African Congo, the Nile and the Mekong River. While on the Mekong River you go through a tunnel. The tunnel is dark, full of cobwebs, spiders, and snakes. It is a little creepy, but you are not in there for long. Disney Diva Tip: If you can sit in the front of the boat, you might even be able to drive the boat through the tunnel.
- Under the Sea-Journey of The Little Mermaid If you have seen The Little Mermaid then you know Ursula lives in a dark cave with her two creepy eel pets, Flotsam and Jetsam. As you go through the continuous ride it takes you into Ursula’s cave. The entrance has Flotsam and Jetsam along with what looks like glowing eyes. Normally this doesn’t last long, but if you are unlucky enough to stop at this particular point it may be a little scary. This happened to us the first time my kids rode it. The ride has to stop to let wheelchairs on and off and usually this is done very quickly, but sometimes it can last a few minutes.
Ursala in her cave
- Festival of Fantasy Parade This is one of my family’s favorite things to see at Magic Kingdom. The costumes are amazing, the song is catchy and it is full of characters. Towards the end of the parade, Prince Philip fights Maleficent- who is in dragon form. She is an amazing looking steam-punk dragon who has her evil birds with her. The birds can be scary since they wear masks and you can’t see their faces. Maleficent spits fire and roars. It is impressive, but has been known to be frightening.
The next list are rides that already have a thrill or scare component, but also has a surprising one.
- Pirates of the Caribbean The surprising part of this one comes at the beginning. There is a wall of water you go through (it’s steam, but not everyone going through it the first time realizes that) and then a short waterfall you ride down. It is also in the dark, which adds to the thrill, but can be scary if you don’t know it’s coming.
- Splash Mountain You can see the big drop. You can prepare for that one. However, one of the first small drops inside the ride is in the dark. We prepared our daughter for the big drop, but forgot about the one inside. That one scared her so much she didn’t ride it again for almost a year.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Again, it’s the dark that puts this one on the list, not the ride. There is a tunnel with bats in the beginning that can be frightening to a first-time rider. It’s difficult to tell from the queue that the dark tunnel is there. Once you are through the rest of the ride is mostly in the open and you only have to worry about the speed. Or if you put your hands up, touching the arches. (Or is that only me?)
After riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
While most attractions at Magic Kingdom are obvious in how scary they are, I hope this list helps on the few that scared our family. Are there any other attractions in the Magic Kingdom that scare your family? Let us know in the comments below!
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