Anyone travelling to a Disney park with kids in tow will be wondering how many rides are appropriate for their children.
Some theme parks don’t have a great reputation for making their parks work for all ages, with rides starkly divided between rollercoasters for older thrill-seekers and tame fairground fare for tots, with not much in between.
The great news is that Disney is different. Not only does it offer many attractions that have all-age appeal, that you’ll want to go on again and again… it also does a great line in rides specifically aimed at children.
If you’re travelling to Disney with a baby or a toddler, see our piece on the best rides at Disney for little kids.
Once your child passes the age of six or seven, their personality will determine the kind of rides you take them on. If your child is scared of heights or sudden drops or suffers from motion sickness, some of the attractions we’ve highlighted below might not work for them – we’ve tried to flag when that could be the case. In other cases, the ride’s height requirement might mean they’re not able to ride, so do check those details from our list below.
In the case of some rides – such as Slinky Dog Dash and Astro Orbiter, you can actually see the ride before you get on it, so your child can probably get a sense for themselves as to whether they will feel comfortable once on board.
It’s also definitely worth finding out more about Disney’s Rider Switch Service if you have little ones – or kids of different ages.
Here’s our pick of the best Disney rides and attractions for children aged six, seven and eight:
Autopia/ The Tomorrowland Speedway
This is a miniature race car track which you can find in Disneyland Paris, California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Your little one needs to be 32 inches (81cm) to ride with you – taller if they want to ride alone. The accelerator pedal can be a bit stiff for children too.
Frozen Ever After
This ride is in the Norway pavilion at Epcot and is due to come to Paris and Tokyo too. There are two drops on the ride – they’re not that scary but check if your child’s love of Frozen outweighs their fear of any drops. There are no height requirements.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Trackless rides (which feel a bit like your car is sliding around on ice) are quite a recent addition to the Disney parks and we love this one, open at Florida’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland, California. It features an old-style Mickey, Minnie and Pluto trying to go on a picnic, but things go a bit awry. It’s unpredictable, with a few sudden movements, but not that fast. And there is no height requirement.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin/ Laser Blast
This is quite a short ride which can be found in Florida’s Tomorrowland as well as Disneyland Paris and (under slightly different names) California, Tokyo and Shanghai. Your spinning car has a laser gun that you “fire” at different targets, like a shooting range at a fairground ride. You compete against each other to score points, which are totalled at the end. There are no height restrictions on this ride and, apart from the spinning, it’s quite slow-moving (although it is in the dark).
Toy Story Mania
This ride, which can be found in Tokyo, California and Hollywood Studios in Florida, is really similar to the Buzz Lightyear one, although it lasts a little longer. Again, there are no height restrictions and it’s neither fast, nor scary. There are a few sudden spins though – something to be aware of if your child suffers from motion sickness.
Slinky Dog Dash
This is a family-friendly rollercoaster which can be found at Hollywood Studios in Florida. Although it’s at height, it’s not scarily fast (around 40mph) and has twists and turns, rather than sudden drops. There is often a huge queue for this ride – as long as Slinky himself when he’s stretched to the max – but we would say it is definitely worth it for families, although there is a height requirement of 38 inches (97cm). If you’re a thrill-seeker, however, you probably want to head over to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and leave this one to the little ones.
Alien Swirling Saucers
You can find this in Florida’s Hollywood Studios and there has been talk of it coming to Paris too (not as yet, however). It’s a spinning ride, a little like a Toy Story-themed version of the Mad Hatter’s Teacups but the saucers zip back and forth, rather than simply spinning around. There is a height requirement of 32 inches (81cm).
Soarin’
There are different versions of this ride at different parks – Soarin’ Over California in – naturally – California and Soarin’ Around The World at Epcot in Florida. It’s also in Shanghai and Tokyo under slightly different names. Not Disneyland Paris as yet (come on, Disney – please hurry up!) I love this ride but my husband, who is nervous of heights, is less of a fan. You remove your shoes and strap yourself into a bank of chairs which then lifts off – only about 30ft off the ground. However, because you are tilting over a screen showing spectacular landscapes from around the world, you feel as if you are flying much higher. It’s a beautiful, breathtaking ride but there is a height requirement of 40 inches (just over a metre), so it’s not one for small children. If you have motion sickness, Disney advises sitting in the centre of the seats.
Kilimanjaro Safaris
You can only find this ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but it’s definitely worth queuing for (it’s probably the closest I will ever come to going on safari). You sit in a large safari jeep and ride a rough track through a safari park, where you can see a host of real African animals including rhinos, ostriches, lions, giraffes, hippos and elephants. It’s amazing to see these animals in the flesh and even more surreal at Disney, where so many others you see are animatronic. There is no height requirement on this ride and kids love spotting the different animals (there’s a picture guide on your vehicle) but bear in mind the track can be a little bumpy.
Living With The Land
Across the hall from Soarin’ in The Land pavilion at Epcot in Florida is this educational boat trip that takes you through a succession of greenhouses, showing food being grown in different conditions – like the Eden Project but as a ride. It may sound a little dull but we are fans, chiefly because there’s rarely much of a queue, you get to sit down for 15 minutes and there’s no height requirement – although more active kids may get a bit twitchy.
Astro Orbiter
You can find this up-in-the-air carousel ride at pretty much all the Disney parks apart from Tokyo. You sit in a little rocket which lifts you gently up and down, high above the park so if you like heights, you get a really lovely view. There is no height requirement.
Journey Into Imagination
Epcot, in Florida, has seen a lot of fantastic, family-friendly rides close down the years but, improbably, this one remains. You sit in a car and a cartoon dragon named Figment and – for some reason – Monty Python’s Eric Idle lead you around a visual depiction of the human imagination. It was always a bit weird, even before they got Idle involved, but it has now crossed the threshold into truly bonkers. But while the ride is a bit meh, there’s a fun activity hall at the end that kids really enjoy. And there’s no height requirement.
The Haunted Mansion/ Phantom Manor
This is another classic Disney ride that became a film and while the film might not be suitable for younger children, the ride is lots of fun. It can be found in California, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and the Magic Kingdom, Florida. Groups of up to three sit in a little car – or doom buggy – to be given a tour of a haunted house complete with quaking doors, floating candlesticks and scenes from a ghostly ballroom. It’s all reasonably jolly – there’s a catchy song halfway through – and there’s no height requirement but it’s probably not one for toddlers who scare easily.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Another classic Disney ride so popular they made not one film but five. You’ll find it at almost every Disney site, barring Hong Kong. You get taken in a boat through scenes of animatronic pirates attacking a Spanish village, which sounds quite harrowing, but their incompetence raises a smile. Kids love it and there’s no height requirement, but there is a steep drop in the dark, so very small ones might be less keen.
Star Tours – the Adventures Continue
You’ll find this at the Disneylands in Paris, California and Tokyo and Disney World, Florida. It’s a simulator ride in which you and your fellow passengers are space tourists who get caught up in – you’ve guessed it – another Star Wars battle to help a rebel spy reach safety. You’ve got to be 40 inches (102cm) to ride and it’s lots of fun but it does rock you around – something to bear in mind if you or your kids have motion sickness.
That’s our pick of rides that will appeal to kids… but have we missed any? Let us know below. And don’t forget to check out our pieces on the best rides for little kids at Disney or five of the best places to eat with the kids.
