Kid's First Coaster

I'm looking for some experienced people in taking kids on their first CP trips. For her seventh birthday, I'm taking my niece to CP for the first time. I've been taking her older sisters (16 and 12) for years now and she's so excited to have passed the 48 inch mark. In your opinion(s)/past experience, what would be the best ride to take her on first? Her older sisters did Iron Dragon first, but I think Iron Dragon feels different than most other coasters just becuase it's below the tracks. Would Gemini be too much for a first coaster? I think it's a good medium sized coaster that if she gets scared, we can downsize, if she loves it we can go for Magnum and Millie. She's excited to go, but I'm not sure she knows what she's in for. Of course, she's been offered on-ride photos from Magnum and Millie, if I can get her on them!

iron dragon.millie and maggie!!!are you crazy!!well my first big coaster was millennium force but i was 15 so still...ARE YOU CRAZY!!

I take my cousins every so often and the one starting to ride coasters. We put him on Blue streak, then mine ride first and iron dragon then. So, I suggest starting slow a little and moving your way up. I mean my first coaster was Villain at GL so she could be fine going big first. Safe bet put her on a smaller one first then work up. About Gemini to I think that would work though its a good medium one.

I started my height-fearing husband on the Blue Streak, then Iron Dragon...and next thing I knew, he was ready to go straight to Millennium. It's always best to "work up" to the biggies, I think!

Yeah, I wasn't going to put her on Millie right away, later in the day. I just didn't know if Gemini would be too much. I'm thinking Iron Dragon or Mine Ride. We'll see how she acts once we get in the park. She's kind of unpredictable about stuff like that. She's adventerous in some situations and pretty wimpy in others!

My parents started me out on The Beast at PKI but they had to bribe me to get me on it. We then went straight to Vortex with 6 inversions from there. From then on they have had to try their hardest just to keep me away from PKI and CP.

I say start with a good, excellent if possible (and at CP it is) that has a major scare factor (ie over 200 ft, wooden, or goes upside down.) Forget starting slow with a lesser ride, not only do you risk them not liking them and never getting on a better one, or putting limits because they are still scared. Ive never broken in a newbie at CP but I have done plenty at SFGAm where Im batting 1.000 with B:TR. Obviously since your kid is likely not to be tall enough for Raptor so my suggestion would be Magnum, fantastic ride, goes tall and almost always leaves its riders in stiches of laughter. For the too small for Raptor crowd my suggestion from first to worst would be:

1. Magnum XL 200
2. Gemini
3. MF
4. Blue Streak
5. Disaster Transport
6. Iron Dragon
7. Mine Train
8. Wildcat
9. Corkscrew
11. Mean Streak

I started taking my daughter when she was 3. Of corse she started on Jr. Gemini and Woodstock Express. We let her decide when she was ready for the others. She went on Iron Dragon first because heigth was only 46 inches. Later in the same season she hit 48 inches. Blue Streak was next then Magnum. She picked it. She loves Magnum. She is 10 now and has yet to ride Millenium, or Mean Streak or Raptor. I won't let her ride Mantis due to the jerky moves back and forth on the head.

^ Pretty close to what I'm leaning towards. If I start her on something smaller and she's for some reason scared, I'll spend my entire day at the Scrambler. I feel like at least with Gemini, if she gets scared, we can always tame it down and go for less height. Magnum takes a long time to get up the lift hill, which could be intimidating. I'm not sure how she'll handle the height. She does love rides and goes on the ship, the scrambler, tilt-a-whirl, etc. at the fair, so at least I don't have to worry about motion sickness.

I do have the added effect of peer pressure in that she wants to do everything her big sisters and aunt do, and we are all coaster fanatics, so as long as we play it cool, we should be good. I'm crossing my fingers.

sarah1 said:
I started taking my daughter when she was 3. Of corse she started on Jr. Gemini and Woodstock Express. We let her decide when she was ready for the others. She went on Iron Dragon first because heigth was only 46 inches. Later in the same season she hit 48 inches. Blue Streak was next then Magnum. She picked it. She loves Magnum. She is 10 now and has yet to ride Millenium, or Mean Streak or Raptor. I won't let her ride Mantis due to the jerky moves back and forth on the head.

She'll grow into Millie and Raptor. My middle niece is 12. She added at least one new coaster a year for the last three years. The first year it was Raptor, then Millienium last year. This year it was Dragster and she absolutely loved it. I'm so proud of her!

I think it depends on the child. My son will be five next month and he's currently 47". He can't get enough of Iron Dragon, but still enjoys Jr. Gemini. He rode Big Thunder Mountain and Expedition Everest last week at Disney and wanted to ride both again. Big Thunder is fun and tame. I actually thought Everest was pretty intense, but he was all for going again. He says he wants to ride Magnum and Gemini, among others, but I have to break it to him that he isn't quite tall enough.

So, I think you have to read the child and make a best guess. I think Iron Dragon is a good place to start, because many kids will feel secure in the cars and with the restraints. Use experience on previous rides and interest in things she's watched from the midway as your guide.

My brothers first roller coaster was Disaster Transport. Mine was Raging Wolf Bobs at Geauga Lake(Didn't ride another coaster for 7 years because I near fell out). When I finally got back to coasters My first Cedar Point coaster was Iron Dragon.

Gemimi.

You should start with Gemini.

We just took my niece and nephew for their first trip. He is 11 and she is 8. First coaster was Mine Ride, then Iron Dragon, Disaster Transport, Blue Streak. The next day they rode Wildcat and Gemini. The 11 year old rode Wicked Twister, the 8 year old wouldn't. The 8 year old would ride Corkscrew the 11 year old wouldn't (but I think it was because he was feeling sick). She wanted to ride Magnum but we didn't make it to the ride on time and the park closed.

He didn't seem to like anything with much airtime, he hated Gemini, she loved it.

She was scared of the loud coasters, WT, Raptor, Mantis.

Just see what kind of coasters they like and ride those.
*** Edited 6/19/2007 4:21:47 AM UTC by Magnum is Still Number 1***

My niece, who's 7, just hit 48" this summer and tried a few new coasters this year. As others have said, she's has ridden Iron Dragon in the past, but worked up to Blue Streak and Gemini on this visit. She absolutely loved Blue Streak, but, though she wouldn't admit it, I think the Gemini was a little to much for her. I think it was the head-chopper first hill and the helix that scared her. I agree with reading the child and letting her pick. And by all means, disregard Touchdown's advice above. I think if you put a kid on Maggie and scare the daylights out her (no matter the "quality" of the ride) you run the risk of her NEVER getting on another coaster + having her never trust you when it comes to coasters!

Yeah, there's no way to know what will happen until we get there. I always park in the Soak City lot, so that gives her the opportunity to get a good look at many of the coasters as we drive back there. If Gemini appears too big for her, we'll head to Mine Ride or Iron Dragon. The air-time on Gemini might freak her out even more than the height, so I should probaby go on ones with no airtime just so she knows that coasters are safe. (I know I didn't like the air time until I was at least 16!)

We're going on Thursday, so the only thing I hope for is fairly short lines so that she has less time to get nervous!

First and foremost, I always let kids pick the rides and set the pace! Period!

As others have mentioned, one (1) bad experience can result in never riding a coaster again. Everyone on this board has different opinions about rides and ride quality, and kids are no different. I also provide as much info as possible before riding anything. As much as we like surprises, at 7, some surprises (head choppers, airtime, etc) can do more harm than good imo.

I always start small and work up (as others have suggested). Even if she wants to start on Maggie, I would start at the small rides (BS, DT, ID), and make a game/ challenge of it. Even if she hates the smaller rides, if she originally wanted to go on Maggie, I'm sure she still will.

Walt,

I hope you enjoyed Disney. I took my son on Sea World's Shamu coaster last year (he was 3...almost 4) and he didn't like it. As a result, I couldn't get him on Snoopy or Jr. Gemini when went to the park last week.

I don't think it is a height issue because he rode sky ride and the observation tower (I can never remember the name of that thing...old age) and loved those two.

I agree that each kid is different. In my experience I don't force my kids on anything and when I see parents forcing their kids on coasters it really irks me. If they like it, great. But, if they don't that could remain with them for a long time and I just don't think that is right.

Let the kids decide what they want to ride and when they are ready to do so.

I grew up at Cedar Point-my parents started taking me when I still rode in the stroller! My first coaster was the Mine Ride. I want to say I was probably 6 or 7 when I was finally tall enough to ride it. And you couldn't get me off the darn thing! The next summer, we moved up to Blue Streak. That scared the life out of me because of the air time (no tight lap bars, then folks!), but again-couldn't get me off the thing. The next summer we moved up to Gemini. By then I was old enough that Daddy didn't have to ride with me and my little sister was getting tall enough that she could ride with me on some of them. My dad was a real trooper back then! Now he looks at the new rides and says "thank God they weren't that big when you were younger!"

My dad never once pressured me into riding anything-it was always up to me if I wanted to try the bigger rides. And I always did because he and his friends were riding them. I think if you leave it up to your niece, maybe giving her a choice between Blue Streak and Gemini to start, she'll be fine.

You'll have to let us know how it went!