Please Help - Motion Sickness/Vertigo

[janelleuop]

I haven't been to Disney in about 10 years. Then, the only rides I couldn't tolerate were the Star Wars "ride" and the Aerosmith Coaster in Hollywood Studios. My husband and I are also thinking about 2 days at Universal. He is ready to trash our vaca plans due to my motions sickness/vertigo and says most all new rides cater more to the virtual motion, etc. Is this true? I love rides. But we don't want to walk and sight see..........help!!!!!! Advice needed!

 

[disney debi]

I suffer from motion sickness and use Dramamine less drowsy formula. I don't have any issues other than Everest when taking this. I have heard of others using the wrist bands and various ginger formulas. Good Luck!

 

[Alice777]

I got patch (got prescription from my doctor) and it worked wonders.

If I remember correctly I was feeling little sick on one of the Harry Potter ride in Universal (can't remember which one) but otherwise, I did everything else in DW and Universal and I was fine.

 

[HopperFan]

I have bad vertigo, my son has it a bit milder. Neither of us like Forbidden Journey. I refuse to do again, he will do with friends if he feels obligated but closes his eyes. I stopped doing Cat in the Hat but he told me it had been improved. I did it this summer and was fine. Simpsons is like Star Wars but much worse. I don't normally do it. I did this summer with the family but my eyes were closed the whole time.

 

[philharmagic fan]

DH has motion sickness and avoids about half the rides at WDW. Newer ones to consider skipping are 7 Dwarves Mine Train (the cars swing slightly from side to side) and all the new trackless rides (Remy, Runaway Railway, Rise of the Resistance) because of unpredictable, jerky motions. He's OK on Soarin' because if the synchronization between images and motion begin to bother him, he can just shut his eyes, and then it feels like riding on a ski lift (it's less bothersome if you sit in the center section, where image distortion is less than on the sides). If you're OK on conventional roller coasters like Big Thunder, Slinky Dog shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Westerner]

If you have problems with Star Tours (the old Star Wars ride?) I'd stay away from Millenium Falcon, it's bumpier and more immersive. And whatever you do, beware of Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey at Universal. It's famous for causing nauseating vertigo to a lot of folks. DW decided to risk it with a dramamine and she regretted it - she was done for the day after that ride.

 

[Mango7100]

My husband gets motion sick and cannot do Flight of Passage. Remy made him feel icky after as well, but not nearly as bad as Flight of Passage. And obviously Mission Space is a no go too. He is fine on Runaway Railway, Soarin, and any coaster

 

[Jennasis]

Your doctor can prescribe the transdermal scopolamine patch. There are some side effects, but it has worked really well for me for many years. I'm considering switching to less drowsy dramamine only because after so many years of the patch I'm kinda tired of my eyes getting blurred vision on every trip.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

I haven't been to Disney in about 10 years. Then, the only rides I couldn't tolerate were the Star Wars "ride" and the Aerosmith Coaster in Hollywood Studios. My husband and I are also thinking about 2 days at Universal. He is ready to trash our vaca plans due to my motions sickness/vertigo and says most all new rides cater more to the virtual motion, etc. Is this true? I love rides. But we don't want to walk and sight see..........help!!!!!! Advice needed!

Motion sickness sucks. I would suggest getting accupressure bands and, if possible, accupressure patches to put behind your ears (my acupuncturist does this for me before all cruises). They sell the bands at places like CVS and Walgreens. The bands kind of work for us, but the patches really work for me.

At Disney I feel lousy on Soarin' - at the Egypt part (so I close my eyes) and I felt really bad on the Millenium Falcon. We all totally skip Mission Space. Space Mountain is hard for me too, but I think that's a combination of both motion sickness and being whipped around.

I wouldn't trash your theme park plans due to motion sickness because there are ways around it, but I can't comment on vertigo -- which sounds like an absolute beast.

 

[Mel887]

I also agree with the others saying get the patch you wear behind your ear! It has been a game changer for me. It does cause me to have a gross dry mouth, but to me that’s worth it instead of having the motion sickness. I find a lot of the rides at universal make me sick and I couldn’t do most of them without the patch. I am completely fine while wearing it though.

Disney rides however tend to not make me as sick for some reason. The only ones I’ve had a problem with regularly are MFSR & Expedition Everest. Sometimes Space Mountain.

 

[Anna131517]

I get vertigo. There are plenty of rides to enjoy at WDW that won’t cause vertigo and many of them have shorter lines! Unfortunately Disney does seem to be installing mostly thrill rides right now but you don’t have to ride those to have a good time. Also pack Dramamine just in case.

 

[elgerber]

I have vertigo and motion sickness. The patch is my savior. I even need it on the plane.
I wouldn't do Mission Space if my life dependent on it, never even tried.
I am mostly OK on FoP, it can get a bit iffy, but it's never been something I woudn't do.
Remy was not great either. Star Tours I can do, once, but if it were any longer, um nope.
MFSR isn't too bad for me, I actually do better when I am not the pilot.
It's been a long time since we went to Universal. I was actually fine on Forbidden Journey with the patch, but they had other rides with screens I stayed away from.

 

[emonade8]

Normally I only have issues with Star Tours and sometimes Mission:SPACE at WDW. Rode MMRR and Rat for the first time in January. No problem with MMRR but Rat made me so nauseous I just had to ride with my eyes closed. Way worse than Star Tours. I personally didn't have a problem with MFSR or RotR. And if you are any position but pilot on MFSR you aren't looking at the screen that much anyway.

At Universal there are several rides I steer clear of... Forbidden Journey, Simpsons, and Jimmy Fallon being the worst. I do ok on Spiderman. Also didn't feel great after riding Hagrid's, which was disappointing. I was super excited about that one. It actually put my daughter's bf out of commission for half the day when we rode it first thing in the morning.

 

[cmsb]

I think it depends on what type of vertigo you have. If you have BPPV, then you have to be careful even with the patch or Dramamine. They will mask your symptoms, but once the medication wears off, you will still have to deal with the vertigo until your crystals are repositioned, which is not worth it. As a BPPV sufferer, I know that my crystals can be easily dislodged, so I cannot ride anything with bumps or big drops. My last major bout was brought on by riding Tower of Terror.

I also have major motion sickness, which I think is a consequence of recurring vertigo. I have never been to Universal, so I can't speak to rides there. At Disney, there isn't much that I can do at HS other than the shows. Even the motion of going from one scene to the next on Toy Story Mania makes me sick. At AK, I can't do FOP, Safari because of the bumpiness of the vehicles, or EE. At Epcot, I don't do TT or Frozen (going backwards makes me sick), and at MK I can't do any of the mountains. I still have a wonderful time at Disney, though, and don't let my vertigo stop me from going. I've just found that the weeks and months of being sick afterwards is not worth riding the rides while I'm there.

 

[Aug2020distrip]

I think it depends on what type of vertigo you have. If you have BPPV, then you have to be careful even with the patch or Dramamine. They will mask your symptoms, but once the medication wears off, you will still have to deal with the vertigo until your crystals are repositioned, which is not worth it. As a BPPV sufferer, I know that my crystals can be easily dislodged, so I cannot ride anything with bumps or big drops. My last major bout was brought on by riding Tower of Terror.

I also have major motion sickness, which I think is a consequence of recurring vertigo. I have never been to Universal, so I can't speak to rides there. At Disney, there isn't much that I can do at HS other than the shows. Even the motion of going from one scene to the next on Toy Story Mania makes me sick. At AK, I can't do FOP, Safari because of the bumpiness of the vehicles, or EE. At Epcot, I don't do TT or Frozen (going backwards makes me sick), and at MK I can't do any of the mountains. I still have a wonderful time at Disney, though, and don't let my vertigo stop me from going. I've just found that the weeks and months of being sick afterwards is not worth riding the rides while I'm there.

I have bppv and have about 1 or two bouts per year and I am absolutely terrified of getting it from a ride at Disney or universal. Like I am actually quite worried about it and really hoping nothing I ride triggers it and makes me miserable for the rest of the trip. A bad bout for me can have me bedridden for days because any movement makes me dizzy/nauseous. Last time I went to the parks was in 2011 and I didn’t have it then. Man sometimes growing older sucks lol

 

[NYEmomma]

I get motion sickness, no vertigo. I have to close my eyes the entire time I'm on Star Tours. FoP was a little better for me - I was probably 50/50 on eyes open and shut. Any rides that ACTUALLY travel like 7DMR or Space Mountain, I'm fine on... it's just those simulated rides. I'm hoping Remy and MMRR isn't too bad, especially MMRR as I've been looking forward to it. Worst case scenario, I just close my eyes and keep my head down.

We're going to Universal too and honestly, I'm not planning on riding much there. It seems like all the rides are either Star Tours type rides, but worse, so I'm not going to risk it, or thrill coasters, which I'm terrified of.

 

[elgerber]

I get motion sickness, no vertigo. I have to close my eyes the entire time I'm on Star Tours. FoP was a little better for me - I was probably 50/50 on eyes open and shut. Any rides that ACTUALLY travel like 7DMR or Space Mountain, I'm fine on... it's just those simulated rides. I'm hoping Remy and MMRR isn't too bad, especially MMRR as I've been looking forward to it. Worst case scenario, I just close my eyes and keep my head down.

We're going to Universal too and honestly, I'm not planning on riding much there. It seems like all the rides are either Star Tours type rides, but worse, so I'm not going to risk it, or thrill coasters, which I'm terrified of.

MMRR didn’t bother me at all but Remy, not great. DD is never interested in Remy again and she rides Star Tours just fine.

 

[unrequited23]

I take Bonine at bedtime the day before any rides. I've never been to Disney without it. Ever since my oldest was born, I get quesy even taking an elevator up a floor.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

I took Bonine the morning of each day of our vacation, but I still got nauseous on some rides. I never thought of taking it before bedtime the night before. It is a 24 hour tablet, i may try that on my next trip. I get so sick on Expedition Everest and Rock and Roller coaster, but I love both rides, but the older I get, the sicker they make me.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I have vowed never to do EE again. The going backward part is horrible for me. FoP is my favorite ride! No problems with it at all, even though I can't do Star Tours. But my DH, who does not have vertigo or gets motion sick, vows to never ride FoP again.

ETA: My point is you just don't know how you will react until you try it. What I do when I'm trying a new ride that I'm afraid may make me sick is to save it for later in the day. That way my whole day isn't ruined, and I know I can go to bed and sleep it off. I am another who takes meclizine at night, starting every night about a week before a trip until about a week after.