Is Pandora similar to Harry Potter at Universal?

[3kidz4dis]

I got sick on Harry Potter...I just don't do well with the simulator rides...is this ride similar as far as the motion sickness factor?

 

[Baby Groot]

The ride mechanisms aren’t even remotely similar so in that sense, no.

 

[3kidz4dis]

The ride mechanisms aren’t even remotely similar so in that sense, no.

So if someone becomes motion sick, what would it be from?

 

[DavidNYC]

The ride mechanisms aren’t even remotely similar so in that sense, no.

Well - I have to disagree with you in part. About half of the Harry Potter ride (assuming we're talking about Forbidden Journey) is a motion simulator that is very similar to Flight of Passage as far as the rider experience goes. Despite the actual mechanisms being different - I would say the motion sickness factor is the same if not more on Forbidden Journey than Flight of Passage. Most of the motion simulator parts of Forbidden Journey are like the fast fighting sequence of Flight of Passage as opposed to the smoother gliding parts.

The other half of Forbidden Journey is not a simulator but you're being moved and titled left, right, up and down on several axes on an arm and definitely could result in some motion sickness. The ride goes back and forth between simulator scenes and the physically moving through actual scenery.

It's still a great ride and if you're not violently ill I'd suggest trying it once. But if you have an issue with Flight of Passage and rides like Star Tours - I expect you'll walk off Forbidden Journey with a similar feeling. (I think Escape From Gringotts - the main Harry Potter ride in the Studios - is a lot less likely to induce motion sickness. It does have a few screens and simulator elements - but in my opinion - those are not of the same nature as typical simulator rides.

 

[DavidNYC]

Double Post

 

[Baby Groot]

They both have you sitting on something in front of a screen for all or part of the ride, sure. I suppose that’s what most think of as a simulator. But beyond that they are completely different rides and ride mechanisms. There is much more different about them than the same. I wouldn’t use one to compare to the other for some sickness factor, anymore than I would compare either to Mission Space.

 

[Baby Groot]

So if someone becomes motion sick, what would it be from?

How sensitive that person is to visual cues and motion cues not being closely synchronized. That’s the basic problem with all simulators and sickness. Some brains can handle delays between the two better than others.

 

[3kidz4dis]

Well - I have to disagree with you in part. About half of the Harry Potter ride (assuming we're talking about Forbidden Journey) is a motion simulator that is very similar to Flight of Passage as far as the rider experience goes. Despite the actual mechanisms being different - I would say the motion sickness factor is the same if not more on Forbidden Journey than Flight of Passage. Most of the motion simulator parts of Forbidden Journey are like the fast fighting sequence of Flight of Passage as opposed to the smoother gliding parts.

The other half of Forbidden Journey is not a simulator but you're being moved and titled left, right, up and down on several axes on an arm and definitely could result in some motion sickness. The ride goes back and forth between simulator scenes and the physically moving through actual scenery.

It's still a great ride and if you're not violently ill I'd suggest trying it once. But if you have an issue with Flight of Passage and rides like Star Tours - I expect you'll walk off Forbidden Journey with a similar feeling. (I think Escape From Gringotts - the main Harry Potter ride in the Studios - is a lot less likely to induce motion sickness. It does have a few screens and simulator elements - but in my opinion - those are not of the same nature as typical simulator rides.

ok..thank you! Forbidden Journey was my limit, it was the first time that I just could not do it again, so perhaps if Flight of Passage is a little better, I will be ok. I have never done Star Tours but did have a tough time on Mission Space.. Perhaps I will give it a try but take Dramamine. I appreciate your explanation.

 

[3kidz4dis]

How sensitive that person is to visual cues and motion cues not being closely synchronized. That’s the basic problem with all simulators and sickness. Some brains can handle delays between the two better than others.

I think that was the problem for me..my brain was having a tough time and I literally felt like I had trouble standing afterwards...almost a blood pressure issue. BUT I can do any roller coaster.

 

[DavidNYC]

ok..thank you! Forbidden Journey was my limit, it was the first time that I just could not do it again, so perhaps if Flight of Passage is a little better, I will be ok. I have never done Star Tours but did have a tough time on Mission Space.. Perhaps I will give it a try but take Dramamine. I appreciate your explanation.

Ah! I mixed up which ride you rode and which you asking about! I had them reversed. Had you ever done Soarin?? I would say Flight of Passage is smack in the middle of the two of them in terms of the motion sickness factor (and maybe even closer to Soarin than to Forbidden Journey). The mechanism and overall feeling is like Soarin' but the "trip" itself is a mix of soaring over beautiful landscapes like Soarin but with some scenes of faster more "adventurous" flying like the Forbidden Journey simulators. There's nothing in Flight of Passage like the scenes in between the simulators of Journey. And like Soarin - Passage is blowing "wind" in your face which cuts down the motion sickness factor considerably for many people.
If you survived Forbidden Journey - I think you'll most likely feel a lot less sick on Flight of Passage. Mission Space is a different animal due to the high speed spinning that you're undergoing in addition to the simulator elements. I'd put that in a different category. (And yes - as I get older I"m finding I cannot do spinning or simulators as easily as I used to. Rollercoasters are still fine - I handle actual movement far better than simulated movement. I can still do most everything, but the recovery time after them is gradually increasing!)

 

[brightlined]

ok..thank you! Forbidden Journey was my limit, it was the first time that I just could not do it again, so perhaps if Flight of Passage is a little better, I will be ok. I have never done Star Tours but did have a tough time on Mission Space.. Perhaps I will give it a try but take Dramamine. I appreciate your explanation.

If it helps - I struggle with Forbidden Journey (mainly because of trying to find the next screen to look at) and Mission Space (mainly the one cliff scene toward the end).

Star Tours affects me a lot less than either of those - though the bouncing around of the vehicle can occasionally hit me.

(It doesn't seem as bad to me with the current version of Star Tours. I used to struggle more with the original version, pre-2011. And that was still less painful than its defunct cousin Body Wars, ugh.)


I personally have fewer issues with Flight of Passage than any of those. The 3D can sometimes amplify those feelings, and there are some speedy segments, but it doesn't hit me anywhere nearly as hard. You're mostly stationary, even if you're moving around a little - it's not the same as having the whole vehicle bounce around.

One suggestion with Flight of Passage - when you get to the CM assigning seats, ask them if you can wait for seat 8 or 9. That would put you in the middle of the row, in the center of the screen. The further you are away from the center, the harder it is for your eyes to line up the two 3D images, so being centered might help with that. They can't always accommodate that - but usually they do. (Extra bonus: it's an even better experience in one of those seats.)

 

[3kidz4dis]

If it helps - I struggle with Forbidden Journey (mainly because of trying to find the next screen to look at) and Mission Space (mainly the one cliff scene toward the end).

Star Tours affects me a lot less than either of those - though the bouncing around of the vehicle can occasionally hit me.

(It doesn't seem as bad to me with the current version of Star Tours. I used to struggle more with the original version, pre-2011. And that was still less painful than its defunct cousin Body Wars, ugh.)


I personally have fewer issues with Flight of Passage than any of those. The 3D can sometimes amplify those feelings, and there are some speedy segments, but it doesn't hit me anywhere nearly as hard. You're mostly stationary, even if you're moving around a little - it's not the same as having the whole vehicle bounce around.

One suggestion with Flight of Passage - when you get to the CM assigning seats, ask them if you can wait for seat 8 or 9. That would put you in the middle of the row, in the center of the screen. The further you are away from the center, the harder it is for your eyes to line up the two 3D images, so being centered might help with that. They can't always accommodate that - but usually they do. (Extra bonus: it's an even better experience in one of those seats.)

Thank you and thanks for the tip on the seat!!

 

[3kidz4dis]

Ah! I mixed up which ride you rode and which you asking about! I had them reversed. Had you ever done Soarin?? I would say Flight of Passage is smack in the middle of the two of them in terms of the motion sickness factor (and maybe even closer to Soarin than to Forbidden Journey). The mechanism and overall feeling is like Soarin' but the "trip" itself is a mix of soaring over beautiful landscapes like Soarin but with some scenes of faster more "adventurous" flying like the Forbidden Journey simulators. There's nothing in Flight of Passage like the scenes in between the simulators of Journey. And like Soarin - Passage is blowing "wind" in your face which cuts down the motion sickness factor considerably for many people.
If you survived Forbidden Journey - I think you'll most likely feel a lot less sick on Flight of Passage. Mission Space is a different animal due to the high speed spinning that you're undergoing in addition to the simulator elements. I'd put that in a different category. (And yes - as I get older I"m finding I cannot do spinning or simulators as easily as I used to. Rollercoasters are still fine - I handle actual movement far better than simulated movement. I can still do most everything, but the recovery time after them is gradually increasing!)

SOARING I AM 100% great! So yay! I think according to your description, I should be ok! And I am 53 and agree with you, the recovery time is increasing! It doesn't ruin my day but I feel it! I survived Forbidden Journey but it took a toll...it was almost like my blood pressure dropped and I had to stand still for a while.

 

[Baby Groot]

I think that was the problem for me..my brain was having a tough time and I literally felt like I had trouble standing afterwards...almost a blood pressure issue. BUT I can do any roller coaster.

On any standard roller coaster the visual cues and motion cues are perfectly synced because they’re both real. Simulators have to synchronize those elements artificially and some do better than others.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

My husband can barely do Forbidden Journey but has no issues on Flight of Passage

 

[disneyAndi14]

Very different, however I have heard some complain of motion sickness on it.
I can do Forbidden Journey but I do feel queasy, nothing on FoP

 

[HopperFan]

I will not do Forbidden Journey anymore, but love Flight of Passage.

 

[holden]

I can't do Forbidden Journey again. No problem at all with FOP, Soarin, MFSR or ROTR.

 

[DavidNYC]

Ah! I mixed up which ride you rode and which you asking about! I had them reversed. Had you ever done Soarin?? I would say Flight of Passage is smack in the middle of the two of them in terms of the motion sickness factor. The mechanism and overall feeling is like Soarin' but the "trip" itself is a mix of soaring over beautiful landscapes like Soarin but with some scenes of faster more "adventurous" flying like the Forbidden Journey simulators. There's nothing in Flight of Passage like the scenes in between the simulators of Journey. And like Soarin - Passage is blowing "wind" in your face which cuts down the motion sickness factor considerably for many people.
If you survived Forbidden Journey - I think you'll most likely feel a lot less sick on Flight of Passage. Mission Space is a different animal due to the high speed spinning that you're undergoing in addition to the simulator elements. I'd put that in a different category.

SOARING I AM 100% great! So yay! I think according to your description, I should be ok! And I am 53 and agree with you, the recovery time is increasing! It doesn't ruin my day but I feel it! I survived Forbidden Journey but it took a toll...it was almost like my blood pressure dropped and I had to stand still for a while.

Just turned 52 this week!! Yup . . .

 

[DLgal]

The Pandora ride is the only ride I've ever been on that made me motion sick. I've literally ridden every ride at both WDW and Universal (except the newest coasters) and that stupid Avatar ride had me green. Same happened to my husband. I also didn't find it to even be good. I don't need to ride it again. On the other hand, Forbidden Journey is incredible and doesn't make me feel sick at all.

Forbidden Journey can make you sick because that robot arm literally lifts you up and tilts you almost all the way sideways and onto your back and stuff. That can mess with your inner ear equilibrium because the motion is actually kind of slow so it is enough to disrupt that internal mechanism. That combined with the screens can be hard for a lot of people.

I found that the picture at the Avatar ride was kind of out of focus and blurry at times and that's when I would start to feel sick/dizzy.