Originally Posted By momof4boys We are going to WDW for the first time in November. We have been to DL many times. My youngest son has a heart condition and his cardiologist has said to use our best judgement when it comes to what rides he can ride ( yeah, that is SOOOO helpful). Some rides I know for sure are out like Rock'n Roller Coaster and Expedition Everest. At DL, he is fine at Big Thunder, SPlash and Indy- but that is as intense as it gets. But we are unsure about Test Track, the no spin version of Mission:Space, Kali River Rapids ( is this about like Grizzly?), Dinosaur ( maybe too scary?). Of course, we will ride them first before we let him ride them, but I was wanting some opinions ahead of time so we might prepare him ahead of time for not being able to ride something.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Hmmmm, always a difficult take as HM could be too much for some cardio patients. Dinosaur is on par with Indy in the roughness stakes. Kali is not as intense as Grizzly. Non Spinning Mission Space may be ok, maybe if you speak with a cast member, one of you tries it (kind of like baby switch and then make a judgement call). Test Track can be a little rough in places (but not as much as Indy), and there is a fast excelleration, but if he rides Indy, I imagine he may be ok. My mom has cardiomyopathy, and will not even ride Big Thunder, our family plays it safe on thrill rides where heart problems are concerned, so if in doubt, see if you can try an attraction first.
Originally Posted By momof4boys Thanks for your continued help. Nathan has dilated cardiomyopathy, but he doesn't have any arrhythmias which supposedly makes him safer for rides. I was wondering if we could do something like baby swap to check out the rides- I will certainly check on it. Of course, we will err on the side of caution. We have been very frustrated getting advice on what he can/can't ride. His local pediatric cardiologist says he is fine on anything. We also take him 9 hours to one of the best pediatric cardiologists in the world for pediatric cardiomyopathy. He is the one who gave us our latest advice. Another time that dr. was detained out of town and we saw his associate and he told us nothing that raises his blood pressure too much or jars him enough to hit him in the chest. We found out that he was fine on Big Thunder and Splash when we were just seeing the local dr. and had been told he could ride anything. Also, Matterhorn makes him " feel funny" so he doesn't ride it. I thought maybe it was the circling, but he is fine on tea cups.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb Matterhorn is a "wild mouse" so if that makes him feel funny with its fast non-banking turns he should avoid other "wild mouse" coasters such as Mullhulland Madness at DCA and Primeaval Whirl at Animal Kingdom. Have fun!
Originally Posted By momof4boys Mullhulland Madness scares the crud out of me so much that I highly discourage ANY of my kids riding it. It scares me just to watch them on it-lol! Good to know about Primeaval Whirl.
Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie Test Track is not very intense. The fast section out on the test track is pretty short. I don't think it is any more intense than Big Thunder. Kali is shorted the GRR and not as intense. How old is your son? Dinosaur is not rougher than Indy, but I know it scared my son more then Indy did. Primevil Whirl is very rough and puke inducing. We ride it every trip more out of daring than enjoyment.
Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie Brendan just turned 10 when we went this year and Dinosaur didn't scare him like it used to. There's a lot of pop out and go boo situations with the carnataurus as he chases you with a big one at the end.
Originally Posted By jodiefra I would guess that the non-spinning Mission Space would be fine; my seven year old didn't have any trouble, and it's one of those deals that doesn't really go anywhere so you can close your eyes if needed (unlike the spinny version where closing your eyes means 'grab the motion sickness bag!'). Another suggestion for you would be to buy the book "Walt Disney World For Kids By Kids." It describes all the rides from kids' points of view plus has some fun things like a countdown calendar and planning pages. I bought mine at Borders (paperback and pretty inexpensive) but I'm sure you could get it online too. It's very straight forward about what's fast, dark, scary, bumpy, wet, etc. and may help you out. The thing we ran into when preparing our boys was the fact that a lot of WDW rides are indoors, so you can't see exactly what you're getting into and that freaked my youngest out. He believed the book much more than he believed me! I think Dinosaur feels the same as DLR's Indy ride but it's VERY dark and has a lot more surprise moments. My kids actually hate it (and they love Indy). As an aside, be sure to do the things you don't find in DLR like Mickey's Philharmagic, the Lights-Motor-Action show (especially for the boys! Testosterone city!), Spaceship Earth, etc. Also prepare to be amazed at the size of the place and remember that it takes a lot longer to park hop than it does at DLR. Have a GREAT time!
Originally Posted By -em One of the "perks" youll get as MAW is front of the line access for most rides (course there isnt much wait that time of year anyway) My thoughts would be to all go through the queue togeather and have part of the family ride to check intensity and if its deemed "safe" for him you shouldnt have much if any wait to board all togeather. I would just talk to the CMs at the ride and they should be happy to accomodate you! -em
Originally Posted By momof4boys Thank you em- I was hoping they would do something like that but I didn't want to assume ( or ask for something unreasonable).
