Four Favorite Non-Roller Coaster Rides for Kids at Disney World

Planning a vacation to Florida? Maybe Disney World? Want to know how kids will react to the Haunted Mansion? This is a guide to the top four rides if you are traveling with kids, or don't like roller coasters.

Pirates of the Caribbean: now featuring Captain Jack Sparrow

This ride (in Magic Kingdom) is a Disney classic that is the base of the movie "Curse of the Black Pearl", and more recently, "Dead Man's Chest". It has been changed in some parts, for it now features Jack Sparrow, the main character of the two movies. The ride is about eight minutes, so it goes by pretty fast. Pay close attention while in line because there are jail scenes containing pirates. Once you make your way through the line, you are loaded onto your boat. There are around 160 audio-animatronics, and an amazing illusion of a picture of Davy Jones (from Dead Man's Chest.) in a flowing mist-fall. If you are traveling with small children, use these tips:

*Near the beginning of the ride, your boat goes through a cave-like area. On one side is an Audio-Animatronics skeleton. On the other side is a beach scene that has some small (fake) animals. If your children are easily scared of things like skeletons, try to help them find the animals on the other side to get their attention.

*There is a small drop on this ride, but although it's small, prepare your kids.

Many people enjoy this classic ride. It would be better if you rode this ride before you saw the movies to give you a better understanding of the movies. This is not a Fastpass attraction, so go early or during the fireworks show when not many people are there.

The Haunted Mansion

"I am your host, or should I say ghost host...." These are the words heard upon entering The Haunted Mansion. The Haunted Mansion is another Disney classic that is in every Disney park. Although the rides tone may seem dark and scary, it's really not that bad. There are visual puns and jokes all through the ride such as the gravestones out in front. They say things such as:

Here lies good Claude, buried beneath this sod.

Dear departed brother Dave, he chased a bear into a cave.

Upon entrance, you go into a "Stretching" room, where the room seems to expand. Pictures of people change from normal people into people who are now in funny (some slightly macabre.) situations. After leaving the room, you board your "Doom Buggy" These are some tips to follow if you have kids.

*Throughout the ride, there are many slightly scary things. (Such as giant spiders and skeletons.) If your children are scared, try convincing them that it's not real, kind of like Halloween. Some may find these things funny and some may find them frightening.

*Be aware that your doom buggy will turn different ways so you can see interesting things. At some parts, it will go backwards to a slight downhill incline.

*More than frightening, most things in the haunted mansion are funny.

Overall, this ride is designed to be a family ride. It is mostly humorous, with name puns (such as Pearl E. Gates.) and visual puns. It has great special effects and the line moves fast. This is a Fastpass attraction, but if you want the full experience, go at night.

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin

Zap! Beep! That's probably what you'll be hearing most of on this ride. It's based on the Disney movie "Toy Story 2". What is it? A shooting range for people who don't like shooting ranges. You are first loaded into the "briefing area" a.k.a. the line. Your mission: stop the evil Zurg from stealing other toy's batteries. You are then loaded onto your spacecraft, a vehicle much like the doom buggies from Haunted Mansion. (Except these are more colorful, have a score counter, and are equipped with two lasers.) Once on the ride, you have to shoot the targets (which look like orange Z's.) and score points. Here are some tips for scoring big.

*Hit the top of the volcano. You score 100,000 points and it will erupt.

*Hit faraway small targets. These can be worth a lot of points.

This is a ride for the whole family that everyone will enjoy. Try to ride a few times to improve your score, because you get a ranking at the end of the ride. (Such as Space Cadet, Rookie Ranger, etc.) There aren't many tips for this ride, except there is sometimes a bright flash when a target is hit, and there are no hidden Mickeys. Try to go early or get a Fastpass, because the line is usually long.

Mickey's PilharMagic

A whimsical 3-D movie using scenes from different Disney movies, this is a must-see! Mickey's magic hat falls into the hands of Donald, who tries to..... well let's just say it's funny and you'll have to watch it. It's a great movie for the whole family packed with Disney characters. Here are some tips when you are traveling with small kids.

*Some of the 3-D effects may be too intense for small children.

*Three words: You get wet. In the Fantasia scene, the wave comes over the brooms and you get splashed. Not really, the seats in front of you just squirt water (misting) that hits you.

*In the Agrabah scene, you can smell the apples and the spices in the market below "your magic carpet."

*At one point, your seats vibrate.

This attraction lets you use your senses while watching the movie. This attraction also lets out right next to Small World, so it's usually jam-packed once PilharMagic lets out. This ride provides 3-D glasses, but they are needed to enjoy it. This is a Fastpass attraction, so there is no peak time of the day to go. The attraction is only twelve minutes.

These are some of the most popular rides for kids that do not like roller coasters in Disney World. There are many other rides, of course, but these four consistently rank as children's all time favorites.