In just a few days our children will be celebrating one of their favorite holidays of the year, Halloween. They will dress up in costumes find the largest goodie bag they have and knock on neighbor’s doors to fill it with as much candy as they can. It’s the one day of the year our children are willing to walk from the Atlantic shores to the Pacific Ocean. It is the day that not one child will complain they can’t walk anymore and it’s the day many parent’s will cry out “no mas!”
In the days leading up to Halloween you’ll find places to take your children on a haunted hay ride. Also, many amusement and theme parks do their best to scare their guests however, Disney is not one of those places. That’s not to say Disney doesn’t celebrate Halloween, they do, but it’s celebrated differently. At Disney you’re invited to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Disney doesn’t try to scare their guests, they try to put a smile on your face and provide entertainment designed for fun and good cheer. So for those with a weak stomach or weak heart, have no fear there is only laughter to be had there.
Even if you can’t be at Disney World for Halloween your children can still be turned into a princess or pirate all year round. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney will transform your child into a beautiful princess. If your child wants to turn into a pirate you can visit the Pirate League in the Magic Kingdom. If you are looking for attractions at Disney World that have a Halloween feel to them there are a few that come to mind. While the names and themes of these attractions may lead you to believe they could be terrifying for children, think again. Here are three attractions that are not so scary for children.
1. The Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom – This attraction has always been one of my favorites and it has been through a number of changes that have only enhanced the experience. The Imagineers have created an attraction that has so much going on that you can ride it multiple times and still not catch everything there is to see. The Disney Imagineers have succeeded in making all ghosts and goblins fun and child safe for the younger guests to enjoy.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom – This is a ride enjoyed by adults and children of all ages. The attraction preceded the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and after a refurbishment it now includes a very lifelike Jack Sparrow. It is in a dark and gloomy setting but nothing about it is depressing. This is a fun filled attraction that will have the whole family running to get on line to ride it again.
3. The Tower of Terror in Disney’s Hollywood Studios – I cannot tell you how many years it took to get me to go on this attraction. I have been known to get really bad motion sickness from some rides so I did not want to chance it by going on the Tower of Terror. It took my wife many years and trips to Disney World to convince me otherwise. My wife would say to me “how bad can it be when you see young children lining up to go on the Tower of Terror?” Then I thought to myself in the years waiting outside the attraction for my wife and kids I have never seen any of the younger children come off the attraction crying and screaming. It turns out the ride was great and no, I did not suffer any motion sickness what so ever.
Stuart Sternberg is the founder of WDW Fan Zone you can find him on Google +, Facebook, and follow him on Twitter @disneygeekdad.
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