What each intensity level means

We sort every attraction in the catalogue into four intensity levels, from 0 to 3, and it is not an opinion: it comes from looking at each attraction one by one — speed, drops, darkness, scares — and putting it where it belongs. Here is what sits behind each number, with real examples from our catalogue.

Level 0 — gentle, without exception. That is 28 of the 50 attractions we plan around: walk-throughs, rides and themed shows such as Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing, Alice's Curious Labyrinth, Aladdin's Enchanted Passage or Sleeping Beauty Castle itself. Suitable for any age, and no surprises.

Level 1 — mild. Nineteen attractions, most of them designed for the whole family together: It's a Small World, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Casey Jr., Pinocchio's Daring Journey and Peter Pan's Flight. There is movement, but nothing to frighten someone who is not looking for a thrill.

Level 2 — lively. Six attractions with more pace: Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, Star Tours, Cars Quatre Roues Rallye and Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop. Here it is worth asking before boarding anyone who gets motion sick easily or does not like drops.

Level 3 — serious. The other six: Indiana Jones™ and the Temple of Peril, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, Crush's Coaster, RC Racer, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force. These are the rollercoasters and the real drops, and they are also, almost all of them, the ones with the longest queues.

What is this for in practice? For a large group — the form takes up to twelve people — or one spanning several generations, intensity is the fastest way to decide who goes with whom without anyone having to say out loud that they do not fancy the rollercoaster. A grandparent who prefers levels 0 and 1 and two teenagers who want all four level 3s can be in the same park on the same morning without being together the whole time: they split for the intense ones, meet again for the gentle ones, and nobody spends the morning queueing for something they did not want to ride.

One honest caveat: today we do not ask you directly "what pace does your group go at?" — that question does not exist in the form. What we do look at are the ages and whether you have pushchairs, which is the most reliable signal we have of the real pace without inventing it. If your group moves more slowly or more quickly than the ages suggest, tell us in the comments: we take it into account when reviewing the Route, even though the algorithm does not work it out on its own yet.