what to do??

[Craze]

Hi I'm heading to disney Hong Kong in January with my 2 sons (8&10).
My issue is that I have a 10 year old who will want to go on every ride and an 8 year old who is scared of most rides. What am I going to do? We have 2 nights at Disney Hong Kong.
Have any of you got any ideas? I am the only adult so it makes life harder too!
Their father took both to the Gold Coast Aust last January and my youngest went on one ride for the whole entire time which the kid burst into tears on.. So I'm really worried he will not go on anything! I'm letting him watch lots of YouTube clips of the rides to show him they aren't all scary. Do any of you have any ideas??

 

[zanzibar138]

The 10 year old will be old enough to ride on their own. I know it's not much fun, but I would do that over leaving your 8 year old non-rider on their own while you and the 10 year old ride. There's no other way around it really if one wants to ride and one doesn't, with you being the only adult.

Having said that, HKDL is not exactly known for its thrill rides, so there should be plenty of things that your non-thrill seeker 8 year old can still do. I completely understand how much of a 'non-rider' someone can be, as I was the same as a kid, and my Mum is exactly the same too. She can't handle anything that even slightly drops, spins or accelerates quickly. She would do all of the following attractions, and I bet your 8 year old will too.

* Jungle Cruise
* Tarzan's Treehouse
* Dumbo
* Disneyland Railroad
* It's a Small World
* Winnie the Pooh
* Mickey's Philharmagic
* Animation Academy
* Autopia
* Buzz Lightyear Astros Blasters
* Stitch Encounter

My Mum would probably not go on these rides, but your 8 year old might depending on how brave they are and what it is they don't like about thrill rides.

* Tea Cups
* Mystic Manor (I suspect this would be in the first category, but not having ridden it myself, can't confirm)
* Slinky Dog Spin
* Toy Soldier Parachute Drop

I wouldn't count on your 8 year old doing these rides - you'll need to come up with a Plan B if your 10 year old wants to. If your 10 year old is a fairly independent kid, they might be quite happy to just do all 3 rides on their own. You and your 8 year old can still wait in line with them right up until the last minute, and just meet them at the exit.

* Grizzly Mountain Mine Cars
* Space Mountain
* RC Racer

Hope that helps anyway.

 

[Agent 86]

I would use the single rider and, if possible, rider switch options.

I think the following are attractions with the single rider option: Grizzly Mountain Mine Cars, Space Mountain and Toy Soldier Parachute Drop.

You just need to let the cast member know that although all three of you will be waiting together, only one of you (i.e. the 10 year old will be riding). This should reduce you wait times for any attractions with the single rider option as they'll slot your 10 year old into the first available seat.

I'm not sure if it is possible with one adult and two children, but you could also use the "rider switch" option. So, all three of you would wait in the standard line, then your 10 year old would ride while you wait with the eight year old and then once the 10 year old is finished, you could ride while the two children wait together. But, they may not allow two children to wait together. This option is more commonly used by two adults with an infant so that each adult can ride separately while the other minds the child.

Also, the rides at Disneyland are all very ... tame. Especially compared to the rides at some of the Gold Coast theme parks, particularly Dreamworld. It might be a good idea to do the following:

- ask your 10 year old to review the Hong Kong Disneyland website and select three rides which they definitely want to do. This should help to manage their expectations that they could ride EVERY ride.
- ask your eight your old to do the same, but also show the eight year old YouTube videos of the rides. I'm not a fan of watching recordings of rides because it spoils the "surprise", but it might be a good idea in this instance so that your eight your old understands what each ride entails.
- use the Fast Pass system as much as possible. Not only does this mean less time spent waiting in lines, but time spent in line can be stressful for a naturally anxious rider. If your eight year old is able to immediately board a ride without "over thinking" it during the wait in line, then they may be more open to the experience.

 

[Craze]

My goodness thank you lovely people!
I had never thought of any of these ideas. My 10 year old is rather independent so we now have solutions! Thanks so much!
Craze

 

[Beth K]

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