Conquering ride fears, one at a time! Advice?

[L&Lfan]

Frankly, I didn't know there were ANY attractions at WDW with a "fear factor". Who knew?
Motion sickness, yes; I can't do the Mad Tea Party myself without having a headache for hours afterward but FEAR? I never imagined...

Good luck to all willing to try.....

 

[vllygrrl]

I'm going to disagree with all the Mission Space love here - it is really intense. It can mess you up with your equilibrium for hours...even my thrill ride loving husband had a bad reaction to it last time. Rock n Roller Coaster is what I would start with. My extremely motion sickness prone sister can handle it and so can my 70 year old mother. Tower of Terror next and then Expedition Everest. I love coasters but Everest makes me queasy for an hour or so after. Good job on facing your fears!

 

[mister morrow]

I live in NJ and rode the tallest rollercoaster in the world (Kingda Ka) recently (with the help of some friends), and honestly you should be okay!

we're all different and all have different perspectives of things, but i think ToT will be the easiest to conquer, next Everest.

btw, awesome that you're conquering your fears, go you!

 

[mikeyg1479]

If you are trying to conquer fear of a looping coaster- RnRR is a great start- the ride is as smooth as roller coasters go. You are not dealing with the anxiety of a slow climb up an initial hill seeing the scenery get smaller and smaller below you, and then dealing with a huge drop which imo is always the worst part of any coaster. Loops are actually nothing because you are generally being pushed into your sit for them going through the circle - bigger issues with rollers coasters are steep drops, or cresting over the top of hills at speed which creates zero G situations that create a "lifting out of the seat" sensation which is tough to deal with- Rock N Roller coaster does none of this- you are well strapped in with a shoulder harness and basically not going anywhere in the car.

Yes, it blasts you off into high speed at the start, which basically takes you right up into the first loop- but its so smooth and it saves you the anxiety of the above-mentioned climb and drop. It is just a fun, fast ride, mostly twists and turns, and not drops, and I find nothing about it unpleasant. I would actually ride this 100X more than the tower of terror anyday (since that kind of free fall drop is exactly the kind of "take your breath away" drop I was talking about that is tough to take.

 

[Princesca]

Really good advice, thanks everyone who has contributed so far! I think, based on what I know of myself, that RRC is the best place for me to start. And I have always wanted to go on an upside down coaster, and conquer that fear, so it's a bit of a double whammy. After that, I -might- consider Tower of Terror if I'm feeling enough swagger. LOL.

This thread has also pretty well convinced me I'd like to try Everest too. Maybe I'll hit all three and tackle Mission Space: Orange on a subsequent visit. I am a little claustrophobic, but Green doesn't bother me at all. I'm just not sure if the combination of mild claustrophobia and the spinning might be too much together.

 

[tlcdoula]

I was always the one sitting on the side holding bags until a few years ago. I get motion sickness from almost nothing, Even the waves in the ocean make me sick. I also am a chicken, but in the past few years I have been stepping out of my comfort zone and doing rides I would never do before. I took my daughter to Disneyland about 5 years ago when I took my daughter on a girls trip.

She wanted to do everything so off I went, I even got on Tower of Terror which I thought I would never do.. I went to Disneyland last December and it actually was actually a fun ride after the initial ride.

This trip I promised hubby I will do Everest and Rock N Roller.

My advice, just go for it... It is never as bad as you think it will be. I work myself up so bad in the line up lol, but just look at the kids walking off laughing saying again again. If they can do it so can we!!!!!

 

[W.E.D.]

I would say Tower of Terror or Everest.
I share your exact same anxiety, and I ride those two now. ToT is actually in my top three rides at WDW.
If you check out a video of Everest, it's not really that much wilder than BTMRR. The lift hill is a psych-out, and the drop you see from the outside has a really nice bank to it, which helps lower the Gs you feel.

One thing that might help you, which I have started using: I keep telling myself "I'm at WDW. These rides are (for the most part) designed for everyone to enjoy. Look at all the smiling, happy people coming off the ride." That's how I got myself on ToT the first time. And it got me on EE as well.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Since you love Mission Space Green, it is just a step up to Mission Space Orange. I think some people feel the rotation in a different way than others - I can't really tell much of a difference between the two.

I do want to share DD's RNR story with you though. Like you, she is terrified of inversions. The first time she rode this, we warned her that it goes upside down. When we got off, she was mad at us for lying to her. She was convinced that it really didn't go upside down. Anyway, I share this because when you can't see the inversion, it isn't nearly as scary. She still won't go on an outside roller coaster with an inversion, but she'll ride RNR all day.

Everest and ToT are probably our favorite rides. Everest isn't really scary, but my head does spin a little going backwards in the dark. If you try Everest, plant your head firmly against the head rest at the bottom of the first hill - I bump my head on the seat when it starts if I don't.

Our mantra is, "It is fun to be scared!"

 

[dw462]

You mention that you're afraid of heights. There is no aspect of height involved in MS or RnRC. It sounds to me like the easiest on your list for you to conquer would be MS. You've experienced the green side already and love it, so claustrophobia is not an issue for you. The only difference between the two is the G forces. Orange has similar G forces to those of a large roller coaster, but for longer periods of time (many seconds versus a few).

As for going upside down, my opinion is that it is an aspect of rides that is blown out of proportion. Very few (and none at Disney) keep a person upside down for a long period of time. To me, going upside down on a ride is just another direction to turn and centrifugal force will keep you against your seat when turning left, right, or up (to go upside down).

I'd be willing to bet that you'll at least like each of the rides you've listed once you've ridden them. I've seen so many cases where people finally ride something they were afraid to ride and love it. The fact that you already enjoy the rides that you do and have already come this far, I see no reason to think you won't like these more intense ones as well.

Happy riding!

 

[cdnjason]

Hey all...

So I am 41 and have never been on a roller coaster that went upside down. I've been on Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and BTMRR, and 7DMT, and didn't have any problems with those, though generally I can take them or leave them. I'm not crazy for roller coasters. LOVED Test Track, liked Dinosaur except it was just a tiny bit too jerky for my preference.

I am afraid of heights, like I would have to crawl across a natural bridge and can't stand on the top level of a set of bleachers without a railing, but I can ride a ferris wheel - I just choose not to look down. I have never really gotten motion sickness.

So I've decided I want to start conquering my bucket list ride fears one ride at a time. Of the following, which do you guys think would be the "easiest" to conquer?

- Everest
- Rockin Roller Coaster
- Mission Space: Orange
- Tower of Terror

I love the theming around Everest, and think I'd love the theming at ToT too. But I ADORE space, and secretly have always wanted to be an astronaut, so Mission Space is really something I'd love to do. I loooooove MS: Green. I plan on multiple trips to Disney in coming years, so I can tackle one per visit.

So which one would be the best way to gently dip my toe in the water? And do you have any tips for handling the ride you suggest?

THANKS!

You got this. Just...

 

[Zentra]

I am also scared of heights and I'm not a roller coaster fan at all. However Splash Mountain is my favorite ride. I also like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and even done Big Thunder Mountain but it was to loud for me. Also I'm a big "pooh" sized woman so Seven Dwarfs and Big Thunder were not comfortable for me, but I can fit. However Tower of Terror is comfortable and the themeing is fantastic. I always make myself so nervous over this but then once I get off it I realize it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. For one thing I think the drop is actually very smooth and not really jerky when it stops and goes back up and down. Yes there is some lift and down force but it is a pretty smooth ride. That's all I can suggest, as I don't think i'll ever get up the courage to do Rockin' Roller Coaster. As for Mt. Everest, the going backwards in the dark is not my ideal either, but I may at some point decide to try this one out.

Good luck in opening your horizons on rides and I applaud you for it!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I've only read page one, but one thing ALL the (page one) posts miss is talking about the big hill at the start of EE. If you don't like covered bridges, then that hill will probably be the biggest challenge for you.

Keep in mind RNRC is only 90 seconds total.

 

[Princesca]

I've only read page one, but one thing ALL the (page one) posts miss is talking about the big hill at the start of EE. If you don't like covered bridges, then that hill will probably be the biggest challenge for you.

Keep in mind RNRC is only 90 seconds total.

Is it one of those things where it looks like it's gonna take your head off?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Is it one of those things where it looks like it's gonna take your head off?

I wouldn't say that, no. But you can see all around, and it is the coaster's chain hill (the one with a clacking sound). If height is your concern, that hill is where you are most aware of the height.

You can see the hill before you go on the ride.

If nothing else, DO have fun enjoying the pre-ride. The queue is fun.

To me, the drop of EE isn't bad. the ride is very smooth. And as soon as you go down, you start up a small hill around a small curve.

the backwards part is the most intense, but it only lasts a short time, and is mostly in the dark.

As AK is now open late, you might actually find that trying after dark for your first ride is best.

One tiny fun tidbit...if you ride in the late afternoon, there is a hidden Mickey in the glacier snow. It is before the broken tracks. I've only seen it a few times, because it is only visible about 4pm.

Looking for hidden Mickey's is a fun way to distract yourself at WDW.

 

[Klayfish]

First, congrats for wanting to go for it. As you've seen, the recommendations are all over the board, probably due to individual preferences.

I think the answer is the one YOU want to try most. If we recommend one that's the easiest, but it makes you the most apprehensive, then it doesn't mean a hill of beans.

RnR is the only one that goes upside down. It does three flips...one is a backflip, the other two are corkscrews (cartwheels). It's dark inside, but you can see more than you can in Space Mountain. Personally, I love the back of the RnR train, as I think it's really awesome to watch the rest of the train corkscrew in front of us before we go. But that's personal taste. It's also a short ride.

Everest is cool. It doesn't flip, but the backwards part can be intense if you're uncomfortable with that stuff. It goes backward pretty fast and does a steeply banked turn at the same time. Frankly, I don't care much for that one section, though I love the rest of the ride. It has some bridges you go under, but nothing that makes you think it may take your head off.

To quote the famous Nike slogan...Just do it!!!

 

[Murron]

Rocking Roller coaster. It's over with in a couple of minutes. If it gets too intense, close your eyes and poof! It's over.

 

[Satchmo128]

I may be strange, but the dark actually freaks me out more on rides. So, Space Mountain and RnRC are both really freaky for me (though I will still usually do each once per trip). Everest is my all-time favorite Disney ride, though!! DH won't go on it, so I ride in the single rider line and I love chatting with the person next to me as the ride gets started. It is especially fun if it is their first time on it . I have never done orange on Mission Space, but did do green once. Meh. Probably won't ever do orange because I don't like feeling sick to my stomach, period.

Good luck!!

 

[diamondcharl]

I am turning 50 in Oct. I have always been a wuss when it comes to heights and big roller coasters. That is why I love Disney. I will put my 2 cents in. I absolutely hate Space Mtn. I know its crazy, but I always feel like my head is gonna get chopped off. I end up coming out of it 2 inches shorter cuz I tuck my head down in my shoulders lol. Last time I went I swore I wouldn't ride it again. That being said, I love RNR. I don't know if its because of the music or the queue before, but IMO it is the funnest ride there. Wont do TOT because of my fear of heights. I don't have a problem with EE. It does go up rather high in the beginning, but the drop is deceiving. And call me crazy but I love MS Orange. The beginning is a little intense but I talk myself through it and really enjoy the fact that it doesn't leave the ground lol. I do have a little balance problem for about 2 minutes after getting off though.
Whichever you choose to conquer, don't let anyone talk you into doing what you're not comfortable with.
There is no prize at the end of any of them!
Good luck and have fun!

 

[Delirium]

Stay away from the People Mover. It's not safe.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/the-people-mover-is-not-safe.3468534/

 

[soniam]

If you don't have motion simulator issues, I would do MS Orange first. It's not really a roller coaster though. I do it all the time, but I am a little afraid of Everest and RNRC. I did Space Mountain for the first time in March and thought it was pretty gutless, but very rough. I plan to do both Everest and RNRC this trip. We hit DHS first, so RNRC it is. I am still afraid of TOT and Splash Mountain, because I don't do well with forward facing drops, well my stomach and it's contents don't do well with them