I am just about ready to give up on taking my son to Disneyland ever again. Each time I take him he refuses to ride anything. Sorry but it gets tiring to stand in line just to go out the exit. Last weekend I tried to get him to see Honey I Shrunk the Audience but got scared. He did not want to go on the railroad, not Big Thunder but the Disneyland Railroad. The rides I have gotten him on are Autopia, Casey Jr, Storybook land, The Jungle Cruise Ohh does Innoventions count :) He is scared of his own shadow. I have tried taking two of his buddies but wound up taking my son back home to his mom. His buddies and I went back and closed the park. I have tried to let him go on things on his own and tried to get him on things like Peter Pan or any of the Fantasyland rides. He will ride Dumbo and Casy Jr though.
When I took him with his two buddies I tried to put him on Pirates but he started crying and one of the castmembers said that I couldnt take him screaming like that. I just wish they would just let him go on it. I know for a fact that he would like that ride. I took him to Raging Waters over the summer and had to stay at all of the tiny waterslides for little tots for half of the morning. I finally had him up on one slide in the play area (where they dump huge buckets of water on you). He chickened out just when it was his turn, he started screaming and I was just starting to turn around when the lifeguard said "its not like he can come back up if you throw him down the slide." I smiled and grabbed my almost 6 year old son and tossed him down the slide. It was very scary especially when he started going backwards then stopped, then stood up but fell back down and he disappeared around the corner. The lady behind me starts screaming at me saying how could you do that to your own kid. I ignore her and haul tail down the slide to get to my bruised and battered kid. I finally make it down there only to not see my kid. I call out his name only to hear "HEY DAD THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!" as he is climbing back up to the waterslide. I get back up and smile at the lady who was screaming at me. Anyways is there anyone that is a CM on Pirates that would let me take a screaming kid on?? I promise to do it early on a weekend so as to not upset any of the other guests :) I know him and as soon as we would be on our way he would quiet up.
Thanks and sorry for the long post
Sean

One thing that helped me get on the DL rides when I was little was when my folks explained how fake everything was and explaining that if an emergency were to happen the CMs would be able to escort you out immediately. I remember that when I was 4 or 5 my grandmother explained to me what a survelliance camera was and how there were people backstage making sure nothing went wrong with the riders. That's how she got me on Peter Pan and Pirates. Also, in the case of Pirates, Disney channel has a video on the making of Pirates, if you could acquire a copy of this, I'm sure it would help. It includes an almost complete ridethrough of the whole ride. Another thing that might help would be to compare rides to the ones he's been on already. I'm no expert, but that's what I've learned from my own growing up experiences.

I'm not a parent, but I honestly don't understand forcing a kid to go on a ride when said kid is frightened. Even if the fear seems senseless to you, it's not for the kid.

That being said, some of the fear does seem really extreme. A friend told me the other day that she'd visited with another friend who has two boys, ages 6 and 1. The 6-year-old has for some reason developed a serious fear of most of the rides. The only things he'll go on are Autopia and Small World. Won't go near the Fantasyland rides, and Pirates and Mansion are definitely out. Won't go on the train. Loves the monorail. Liked Flick's but was frightened to ride Heimlich's because of the "tunnel" (the animal cookie box). (And please, don't take this opportunity to bash Heimlich's or Flick's, OK?) Hopefully, he'll grow out of it at some point.

Man, where are all the parents out there? Doesn't this guy sound a little scary to you? Throwing the kid down a water slide? Taking the kid home from a day at Disneyland with his friends, LEAVING HIM AT HOME, and then GOING BACK WITH THE OTHER KIDS??!! You've got to be kidding me. No wonder his kid is a nervous wreck--the kid's own dad is his own worst enemy.

Face it, dad--your kid is not into what you're into. Let him do the stuff he wants to do, and leave it at that. If you still think your kid is afraid of his own shaddow, then maybe some therapy is necessary. For you.

It's a tough situation when your child won't go on rides. Our 5 year old was very leary of Soarin' and kept saying "I don't want to go." She wasn't freaking out or anything but she kept saying that. We figured she'd like it, and she did. There are still some rides she won't go on (Haunted Mansion, Gadget's Go Coaster) but she rides enough rides that we'll just wait till she gets older.

You really have to know your own kid. There isn't some magical thing that will make a kid want to ride these rides. Sometimes its just a matter of getting them to try it once. This is why you will sometimes see parents "forcing" their kids onto rides. They know once the kid has ridden it, they will be fine.

My daughter has ridden Haunted Mansion and when she says she doesn't want to go on it, we accept it, since she's tried it and still doesn't like it.

You may just want to consider that Disneyland isn't for your kid until he gets older.

I have a four year old and I wouldn't DREAM of putting her on any ride she didn't want to go on. When we went to Disneyland last year, she refused to go on Pirates (so clearly HM was out of the question). She was crying in the line when she saw the dock area. She didn't want to go in the dark. I didn't make a big deal of it. We left the queue area and waited at the exit for the rest of the family to finish the ride. Boo (my little 4 year old) and I just walked around to the shops looking at the bobbles to pass the time.

We got the Disneyland Vacation planning video and it shows the highlights of some of the rides. I told her that things were fake inside. I also told her it's dark in there, but she told me that this year she's ready for the Pirate and the Ghost ride (this is still yet to be seen).

Definitely do NOT force your child to ride or do things he/she isn't ready to. Don't make your child afraid of the rides so they won't ever want to go on them again.

Your child will eventually grow out of the fear, so just be patient with them.

When I was younger, I was afraid of all of the rides too. My parents couldn't get me on any of the mountains if they paid me. But the thing that scared me about those rides was that I didn't know what to expect. Once I finally went on them, I really enjoyed them... and I think spaced mountain guy knows that if his son experienced the rides, then he'd enjoy them too... just like he enjoyed the waterslide. It's not a horrible thing to want to find ways to help your kid overcome his fears.

That being said, I agree with BJW. Let the kid know what the ride is about and that he's completely safe. Or maybe just ask him what it is that he's afraid of.... in a nice way of course, don't try to make him feel bad about it.

Okay- you may all think of us as the "bad" parents but here goes anyway...

My daughter - now 8 - was terrified at the age of 6 to go on pretty much everything. THe storybook boats where out because of the whale that would eat her, for example. No space mountain...no Alice as just a few examples. This was when we went with her and my parents. My husband was working. No amount of telling her it was pretend...that we would never put her on a ride where she would be hurt or anything seemed to help. I gave it up.

Then we went with my husband who told her (and I'm quoting) "suck it up cause you're going on" and off they went. This was on Space Mountain - she came out with a huge grin and wanted to go again and again. She is now the queen of roller-coasters and has even been on that X one at Magic Mountain!!! (and loved it and brags to all her friends about it :rolleyes: :eek: )

My son - who is now 4 - was afraid of many of the rides. I don't make him go on everything, everytime - but I do make him (yes I MAKE him - like the mean parent that I am) go on things once to try them out. He has the option of hiding his face in my armpit and peeking out if he wants to. He's been on pretty much everything that he's tall enough for (not Screamin' or Indy - but pretty much everything else.) We make deals - like he can pick whatever ride he wants to go on if he'll go on Pirates with me. That seems to work pretty well - and he told me last time we went on Mansion that "Mommy - I'm getting so very brave!" and was very proud of himself.

Everyone knows their own child the best. I don't think it's fair of anyone to make judgements about one's parenting skills as they relate to making/or not making their children ride on rides. Especially if they aren't parents themselves.

If anything - I think the experience has pushed them to do things that they might be a little bit afraid of to begin with - like getting up and making a speech in front of the class - with more confidence. It's okay to be afraid of things - and it's okay to try and be brave and do it anyway and feel like you've accomplished something wonderful in the process. That's the feeling I think my kids got from going on a ride that they were afraid of and did anyway - and found out it wasn't all that bad after all.

BTW - I'm not above lying to them about the rides. For example - Space Mountain is really called Buzz Lightyears Rocketship ride to get my Buzz Lightyear fan on it when he was otherwise afraid to go on it because the line was sort of dark. He was able to get passed that fear and go anyway and came off the ride with his little arm held up and a big "yeah! I did it Mommy!"

My dad took me on the runaway mine train at 6 flags over Georgia when I was 6. I don't remember being forced, but it was 4 years before I went on a coaster again.
A cast member should definitely not allow a screamer on POTC; remember, there are other people on the ride. And there are a couple of scenes in Honey that could well TERRIFY him, the only 3D movie mine has been willing to see twice is Muppets.
Man, I know it's frustrating; you want to do things together that you know you'll enjoy, but some of the actions you describe are questionable.
I'm sure that somewhere in the back of your mind, you're aware of how much money you've spent to get in, too.
I've been lucky, my boy is seven, and the problem we have when we go to Great America (PGA) with his friends is that they won't go on the rides he wants to ride; when he's tall enough, he wants to go on it. You have to play it right, though, to get him to that point.
Here are some things I did. PGA has an out and back coaster that goes through a loop. When Colin was 4, we got to the loading platform, it took off, and after seeing it he wouldn't go on it (part of this was the noise of the takeoff). So we left. Later we came to a spinner that rises to verticle so that you're going upside down. I took him on it before he saw it in action, he loved it, and I then pointed out that he now knows that it's fun to go upside down.
However, it was a couple of months before he went on the Grizzly, a wooden coaster. I'd ask when we passed it, but not press him. Before the season was out, he rode. I wanted us to do things together, AND I wanted him to want to go on rides that wouldn't bore me to death. But don't lose sight of the former when thing about the latter.
Try getting some of the Fantasyland ride films; get him in love with watching Peter Pan, and you may have a better chance of getting him on the ride. Does he like to play rough with you? Get him feeling safe being spun around by Daddy to help prep him for a ride. Go to the carnival passing through to help him work up to bigger rides (at smaller cost).
Remember there are 2 things that can scare kids on Disney attractions, mental and physical. Determine what is really scaring him. Speed? Dark? Noise? The ride through Snow White isn't scary, but some of the imagery can be. However, a recent camcorder can do a fair job of capturing the dark rides. Go without him and tape them; watch them together at home.
I wish you luck, but would advise thinking carefully before throwing him into something he's not ready for because it can backfire on you, and you'll find yourself waiting even longer before you can do there things together, and, after all, that's what you really want.

Originally posted by ralfrick
I wish you luck, but would advise thinking carefully before throwing him into something he's not ready for because it can backfire on you, and you'll find yourself waiting even longer before you can do there things together, and, after all, that's what you really want.


That's very, very true. My parents lied to me about what to expect from rides at Great America, which is why I was so unwilling to go on rides at Disneyland. Be careful about what you tell your son... don't lose his trust, otherwise you'll never get him on anything.

I don't advocate lying about the content of the ride - don't get me wrong. Surprises at times like those don't help. I tell (well, told) them all about the ride. We "altered" the name a bit to entice him on. At the same time, reassuring them that it was really pretend, like when you dress up for Halloween.

I should add that my daughter still hates going on Honey I shrunk the Audience. She will NOT go and I don't make her. There's a line somewhere - I can't define it with words though.

oh, I don't have a problem with the way you "lied" ;)

I'm saying, don't drag the kid on Space Mountain saying "don't worry, the ride's not that fast..."

My niece was six-years-old when I took her on Haunted Mansion for her first time. I knew the graveyard scene would scare her when the ghosts started popping up from behind the tombstones. As soon as we got to the caretaker, I told her that this part was just like Halloween.

Every time a ghost popped out, my niece would yell, "Trick-or-Treat!". I hope those in the doom buggies on either side of us were not too unhappy with the unauthorized addition to the usual soundtrack.

I would recommend Legoland for any three- to six-year-old who's afraid of rides. The whole park is filled with rides for the pint-sized set, with a couple of coasters for the more adventurous. Legoland will help to build up a child's confidence for rides. I've taken my five-year-old son there several times and I really think it's helped to make him the total daredevil he is today.

My son saw people doing a bungee jump and our local county fair and begged me to let him do it. His first DL trip will be in May.

Wanda Woman

Until you're a parent with a child at the park, it's impossible to say how you will handle that situation. I remember the things I used to think about parental behavior before I got married and had kids. 95% of that is out the window now!

My little girl was pretty scared of "Small World" until I started pointing out the 'funny' stuff and laughing at it.

Now it's her favorite ride, and she sings the song endlessly around the house.

I definitely recommend showing videos (purchased, on your TV or downloaded, on your computer monitor) if you think your child might be on the wary side.

I know I wouldn't want a screaming child on POTC for the whole ride. But I know if I was in queu and my little girl had gotten to the point of screaming, she (and I) would be better off not taking the ride. She wouldn't settle down until we got off the boat, no matter what. If you think your child would really settle down once you got going, that's another matter. But the CM is really just protecting the enjoyment of all the other riders on the boat and the boats around you... and the diners at Blue bayou!

The nice thing is that you won't need to worry about your son in the future. He is going to grow up hating you. You sound jst like my old man. Yes, I was a little wussy and he wanted to toughen me up. He did the things you did. have you considered getting a divorce so that your wife can find someone that is more compatible with your child?

TecTalker hit the nail on the head.

Most of the women who've responded seem to have a gentler hand in geting their kids on rides. Maybe Spaced needs to have his wife handle this end of things.

Sean, I'm kind of speechless. I was wondering why your son might have such an aversion to rides; that is, until I got to this portion of your post:
Originally posted by spaced mountain guy
I took him to Raging Waters over the summer ... He chickened out just when it was his turn, he started screaming and I was just starting to turn around when the lifeguard said "its not like he can come back up if you throw him down the slide." I smiled and grabbed my almost 6 year old son and tossed him down the slide. It was very scary especially when he started going backwards then stopped, then stood up but fell back down and he disappeared around the corner.Have you considered that your behavior may be the cause of his irrational fears?

Each child develops in his own speed. Give him a few years, and he will be fine. In the meantime, by trying to force him onto rides he is scared to go on, you may be not only traumatizing him, but also humiliating him with shame in public (do you scold him in public when he cries out of fright?).

I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here since I am a parent. My oldest is 4. I still have the problem of getting him on rides BUT I will never make him go on anything he doesn't want to. He is tall enough for almost everything. We first took him to DL when he was 2. He rode POTC and HM as his first 2 rides and was fine. We took him again later around Christmas that year. Same rides and he was fine. Along with the Fantasyland rides and such that he could go on. Never a problem. Well we got APS last year in Jan for the first time. He wouldn't do most rides. He still hasn't done POTC since he was 2 and I just finally got him to go on HM to see it in the holiday makeover and he loved it. He still doesn't do some Fantasyland rides but that is fine. He went on Peter Pan again for the first time in May and Alice In Wonderland as well this year. He hasn't done these in a really long time. He has always loved IASW though. I would try to tell him that the other rides are like how that is. He would think everything was dark inside. I would explain it isn't otherwise you couldn't see any of the stuff inside the rides. I remind him that nothing is real and just fake. I always ask if he wants to ride certain rides when we are there. If he says no then that is it. I might ask again later though just to make sure he didn't change his mind. For over a year he would basicly do only outside rides with IASW as the exception. Once he was tall enough for Thunder Mt. I tried to talk him into it since it is my favorite and I knew he would love it once he got on. Well he wouldn't. I said fine and asked each time we have gone to see if he wanted to ride it or not. Well in August, my son and I went with my parents. My son wanted to ride Mulholland so I made a deal with him. I told him if he rides it and likes it and says how he wants to go again that he should go try Thunder. Well he loved Mulholland and wanted to go again. So later that day we went on Thunder with my dad and of course he got off and loved it. Had to go again right after. Heck the last time we went we rode it 4 times in a row. LOL Anyway, he still won't ride the POTC and a few Fantasyland rides as well. We started him out with Gadget's Go Coaster before the "bigger" coasters there. I still won't take him on Space Mt. cause it is dark in there and I don't think he would like it just yet. He can't wait to go on the other coaster in DCA but he has some time to go until he is tall enough. He tired Matterhorn in May and said he didn't like it. I wasn't able to go with him on it. My husband and my dad did. I had hoped he would have gone with me once they got off but he didn't like it. Now he asks when it will be open again so we can ride together. I'm looking forward to that. Same thing happened with Star Tours as well. In March my husband took him on it and he didn't like it to much. His words were "that guy is a crazy driver" and said he wouldn't go again. LOL Well the next month he was on it with me. Now its one of his must do rides. If you push a child to do what they don't want you will make it worse for that child I think. Just ask each time you go if he wants to go on whatever. If he says no then let it go and maybe ask later in the day one more time if you think he may change his mind. Tell him what is in the rides and how it isn't real. Remind him while on the ride if he gets scared at some point. Find pictures and videos or whatever you can of the rides. I have tried to do this for our son. He saw pictures of the HM holiday and the commerical and asked me if that was inside and such. I told him what was in there. I still would like to find pictures or video of POTC for him to see. I tried to explain that if he could do Thunder he could do anything. I told him there is 2 drops in the beginning but they aren't like some of the coasters he has gone on. He told me if they aren't like that then I don't want to go. LOL Can't win there. LOL But when he is ready he will go on these things again. I know he will.
Sorry this got so long. I didn't mean for it to.

Disclaimer: This is probably one of my less sensitively worded posts.

Originally posted by spaced mountain guy
When I took him with his two buddies I tried to put him on Pirates but he started crying and one of the castmembers said that I couldnt take him screaming like that.

Thank goodness. I think something's seriously wrong with a water park employee who encourages a parent to "throw" a child down a water slide. That employee's lucky your son wasn't seriously injured- and so are you and your son.

I ignore her and haul tail down the slide to get to my bruised and battered kid.

This line says a lot. I would never intentionally do something that could "bruise and batter" my child.

Anyways is there anyone that is a CM on Pirates that would let me take a screaming kid on??

How do I put this without sounding judgemental? Ok, I can't.

It sounds to me like this is *your* issue, not your son's. It sounds to me like it's a problem for you that your son won't go on this ride.

I understand that it can be frustrating when a child won't go on a ride that you know he'll enjoy. My son does the same thing to me. But my son will only be young once. Eventually, he'll grow out of his fear and go on the ride.

Your son screams that he doesn't want to go on the ride. Obviously, at Raging Waters, this tactic "worked" for him- he got to go on the ride anyway.

If your son is playing a game, he will figure out that this game doesn't work at Disneyland. If he wants to go on rides there, he'll stop screaming. If he isn't playing a game, maybe he's just too scared to go on the ride right now. He's only 6 years old. He should have a good 80 years or so left to ride POTC. You're older than 6 years old, maybe you can adjust your expectations.

Adrienne K

Originally posted by justagrrl
Okay- you may all think of us as the "bad" parents but here goes anyway.


I don't think you are a bad parent at all--like Daddyb says until you are put in the situation at the Park with your own child it's hard to know how any of us will handle things. I have followed the "just try it" rule of thumb with my kids and sometimes I'm glad I've "encouraged" them to do it, and other times I've regretted it.

I'm glad I encouraged C to try the carousel, Mr.Toad, POTC and Goofy's Bounce House. These are ones she would protest against that I *knew* she would like. Big Thunder was a miscalculation--it is a gentle coaster and I thought it would be a good introduction to bigger rides. She is still miffed about it, and will probably not try it again until she is a teenager and peer pressure will take over ;)

I don't think she is scarred for life. She still trusts me. I doubt she will spend her fourties on a couch listing my injustices, but that will be on her own dime ;)

Originally posted by adriennek
Disclaimer: This is probably one of my less sensitively worded posts.



Thank goodness. I think something's seriously wrong with a water park employee who encourages a parent to "throw" a child down a water slide. That employee's lucky your son wasn't seriously injured- and so are you and your son.



This line says a lot. I would never intentionally do something that could "bruise and batter" my child.



How do I put this without sounding judgemental? Ok, I can't.

It sounds to me like this is *your* issue, not your son's. It sounds to me like it's a problem for you that your son won't go on this ride.

I understand that it can be frustrating when a child won't go on a ride that you know he'll enjoy. My son does the same thing to me. But my son will only be young once. Eventually, he'll grow out of his fear and go on the ride.

Your son screams that he doesn't want to go on the ride. Obviously, at Raging Waters, this tactic "worked" for him- he got to go on the ride anyway.

If your son is playing a game, he will figure out that this game doesn't work at Disneyland. If he wants to go on rides there, he'll stop screaming. If he isn't playing a game, maybe he's just too scared to go on the ride right now. He's only 6 years old. He should have a good 80 years or so left to ride POTC. You're older than 6 years old, maybe you can adjust your expectations.

Adrienne K

I never thought anyone was a bad parent! Thank you for saying what I was thinking!

First off I didnt exactly throw my son down the waterslide. I sat him down and pushed him. It wasnt one of the high ones this one was only two stories tall. It did two maybe three turns then ended in three inches of water. He was so happy about doing the waterslide and how much fun he had. I couldnt keep him away from there even when his teeth were chattering.
Secondly I know my son very well. I can spin him in circles using hands or feet or both of them. He loves to be tossed over my shoulder or just tossed into a pool. I would not lie to my son about ohh this ride isnt that scary because of _____. I have ridden most of the rides and seen most of the attractions at Disneyland and at DCA. I havent seen HISTA but I do remember seeing the movie and I dont recall anything being scary in there.
TecTalker2K said that im a bad parent and that I should get a divorce, hmm not married so that doesnt count :) Yes I'm putting my flame proof suit on :). But seriously I would never put him on anything that I dont think he could handle. We are AP holders and I am not really in that much of a hurry to have him go on CA Screaming or Maliboomer even I am a little leary of Maliboomer, but I would go on it. I would just like him to enjoy Pirates. I know he would do fine on it. I would not put him on anything that he couldnt handle. I took him to DCA a couple of weeks ago. We started out in FFF. He rode everything there. I took him over to the carousel and then on to the Golden Zepher. I asked him if he wanted to go on the Sun Wheel and he said no. No big thing for me. We had lunch right next to Mullholland Madness. I kept lookin at him watching the cars going down the drop and the rest of the coaster. I asked him if he wanted to go on it, he said that he could do that. We finish up with lunch and get in line, he tells me that he has to go to the bathroom after we were almost to the front of the line. I ask him if he could hold it. He says nope and off we go, I was thinking he's done he wont get in line again but I asl him lets get back in line. To my amazement he said OK. It worked out great because there was another kid in line that he was able to talk to and ask if he liked the ride which he did. Anyways he did go on the ride and before he was really scared of drops. I asked him what his favorite part of the ride was, He tells me it was the drop. I had a huge smile on my face and thanked the mother of the child that had helped talk to Joshua about the ride. Next was CA. Soaring, I told him that this was just a movie with just a little motion. He was able to talk to some other kids in line and a cast member that told him (in a very stern voice I might add) that he would be ok. He cried a bit and tried to carry on but I buckled him in and we were off. I held his hand and after a couple of seconds after the film started I looked over at him and there was a huge smile on his face. I kept asking how he was doing and he was just all grins and giggles. I decided to take him on GRR for the last ride of the day. We walked right up and were told to go to the raft. We get inside and he starts screaming and hits me. At that point I take him off and take him out of the ride and off to home we go. Funny thing is that after we are out of the gates on the tram ride to Mickey and Friends HE TELLS ME "Dad you should have just made me ride it, I would have been fine" So yeah I know my son.
Lastly to Lonni, I do not scold him for not riding BUT I do tell him that he is missing out on some fun. However when he hit me at GRR, he did get a smack on the rear for doing that, not hard just enough to let him know that he upset me. Yes I am for smacking my kid on the rear and not for any small reason. Sorry but I have personally seen too many out of control kids that werent smacked on the tail. First time I smacked him was when he ran out in the street. I smacked him on the rear and was promptly cussed out by his mother. I told her that I will do whatever it takes to keep him from running out in the middle of a street where cars come down and kill kids without them seeing the other. Something I saw first hand while I was a teenager and yes the little girl did die. I would be extremely unhappy if my time out didnt work and he ran out in the street again. Balls have gone out in the street and he still doesnt go in it :) SO maybe I am a bad parent but Im the one that sits with him doing while he does his homework and helps him with his games and plays with him all the time.
I am all for waiting until he is old enough. Trust me I do not want the Happiest Place on Earth to be his nightmare. I really want to be able to enjoy going to the parks with my son. Its the main reason why I purchased passes for him and me. But it looks like I will be going by myslef in the near future and wont torture him by taking him. He knows he can come anytime he wants to in in the next 11 months. I would like to finish this but he is asking me to go play games.
Sean

Wow, I think that part about throwing your kid on the slide is what got everyone pretty much upset.

What I was thinking is what got your son scared in the first place?

I mean, something, somewhere must {may} have gotten him spooked.

I mean, I remember my son and his first school program. No, wait, his second Anywho, it was to be done at the PTA meeting and again for an assembly. Great. Until someone asked him if he was nervous. 'No, he says. What's that?'

And, he was always happy about being Star Student. Then he said 'Mom, I don't want to be Star Student.' I asked him 'Why?' He said he was afraid of doing something stupid, like tripping or something like that and then the kids would make fun of him. I told him he should be proud of his being chosen.

Anywho, what I am getting at is it could be anything that has him spooked about the Pirates. I mean, anything that you don't know about. They don't tell us every little thing.

My older son was freaked about the Jungle Cruise. I think {now, 12 years later} that it was the noise of the boat.

I think that the idea of not making him go with you, telling him that you are going without him {some may think that is mean} might make him think about what he is missing. I mean, you sound like you aren't forcing him on rides he would regret {don't take him on Indianna Jones!!! } so I maybe when he is sitting there thinking of you at Disneyland he will remember that.

Oh, okay, {as I am envisioning him sitting there sad on a day you would be with him} maybe you should do it during the week or go at night or something like that. Does that make sense?

Since you haven't been to see HISTA, there are 2 scenes you should be aware of. One is when an innocent looking cartoon cat turns into a ferocious lion and strikes at the audience, another is a similar scene with a snake. Since the movie is in 3D, this appears to be happening inches from your face. True, nothing like that in the movie. It's was enough to keep my 7 year old from a repeat visit, and this is a kid that wants to go bungy jumping and Skydiving! I say this without judgment in the spirit of good fellowship and information.

ralfrick -- in the few times I've seen HISTA, I did notice that some children screamed and started to cry after those two scenes (especially the lion -- that one was scary even for me). If I were a child I may have been terrified.