Radiorox
Live from the city of Magic.
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2011
- Messages
- 650
Well... wow!
At age 32, Space Mountain still scares the *bleep* outta me. I had NEVER been on it, always staring up at it's spires with trepidation. Even riding the People Mover's portion of SM got me a little jittery. It's that one MK ride that your folks got on when they were teenagers and became so scared of that they passed that fear onto you, type of thing. Just the name made me shiver and want to run from it as fast as I could.
It all stems from being 7ish and having my darling parents shove me onto BTMRR which scarred me for life in regards to roller coasters and fast rides in general.
I am a wuss and proud of the fact that not even peer-pressure from my closest of friends could get me on any attraction I was determined NOT to ride.
So, my dad decides he wanted to head to the World during Labor Day Weekend for some RnR. My grandparents and step-mom in toe, we headed for the cabins at Ft. Wilderness Campground. If you have never stayed there, please save up and do so. They are sooo cute and with this lovely woodsy smell inside of them. It being five of us (and since I am 32 going on 5
), we gave the front room to my grandparents (murphy bed) and my dad and step-mom and I got the back room which has a double bed and...bunk beds!
I, of course, took the top one which prompted my father to say: "I always wanted one!! I'm taking the bottom bed!! They are cool aren't they? Want me to build you one?" Love ya dad, but, no... I am fine with my bed. Hehe... Do I want one? YES! They are cool!!! Umm... anyway...
We arrived on Friday and I had decided since the booking of the trip that I would leave the "adults" to do their relaxing thing (ewww) and I would explore Epcot and MK on my own. I had a plan and it was not going to include SM, nope! Not at all!
Now, going solo is AWESOME. Do what you want, when you want. No group to try to wrangle, no children in need of potty breaks every 15 minutes. No people wanting to SHOP rather than RIDE!
At 8:20 I headed to EPCOT for RD and did the mad march down to Soarin' and was able to ride it twice in less than 30 mins, both times in the front row. In fact, for nearly every attraction, I was sitting in the front row. Another perk to going solo!
After that, I speed-walked over to TT and rode that twice in a row with the lovely single rider line. Seeing it was a little early to get on Maelstrom, I opted to take the Monorail over to MK. My idea was to hit the parks until around 3 and then head back to the Campground's marina and rent a SeaRaycer until it was nearly time for dinner.
On the way over to the TTC, I see it... the spires... the big, funky white and circular building looming over on the right hand side... NOPE, not gonna ride that... I will THINK about riding it but.. umm... I was REALLY thinking about riding it. What was the big deal anyway? I could do BTMRR without a problem...I had even prepared by taking some Dramamine that took away those queasy feelings during one specific portion of BTMRR. (That hard, fast helix always gives me a mini headache.)
Somehow, someway, I find myself heading over the Tomorrowland bridge, and right to SM's Fastpass machines. The line at that point was a 30 min wait and I knew I would chicken out severely just waiting there... so... Fastpass... in 45 mins I would be flying through space and having some sort of coronary in the process... I mean, it's big, it's bad... it's Space Mountain... oh God!
45 minutes seems to be an eternity for me, at this point. I decided to kill some time and (try to psyche myself out) by hopping on the People Mover getting really nervous as we the tram entered Space Mountain and I realized that INDEED, it was DARK in there.
Aimlessly and in some sort of trance, I walked around Tomorrowland like a WDW novice until I stopped and got my wits about me. I needed to get out of that area and away from the mountain looming over me so, I headed to one mountain I had slayed long ago - Thunder!!
Now..30 mins to kill... how ever would I live through the anticipation? - Going to the Tiki Room, of course!!!
The Tiki Room was a fav of mine since I was 2 and went home driving the parents nuts doing "Tiki Tiki Tiki woom!" I was dying to see it in it's original form and was very pleased to sit in an air conditioned environment. I put my SM worries aside, enjoyed the music and then left the building to find that I STILL had 15 mins left before I could voyage into space... So... I headed over to PotC, hopped on the boat to be told that we needed to get OUT of the boat. All guests, me included, stare up at the CM with blank expressions to find out that the boat in front of us had some sort of mechanical issue and needed to be taken out of service which mean that OUR boat also needed to be taken out of service.
Our whole boat crew hops out, waits for a new one and the ride begins only to stop at the area where the two pirates are running in circles with the chest full of treasure. We stay there for a good five minutes before the ride (which is now so backed up all the boats are bumping into each other) gets moving again.
Stepping out of the ride, I stare down at my FP hanging around my neck and sigh, the time had come for me to face my fear... I headed towards SM, txting my BFF who knows my anxiety when it comes to rides. She sends me a message "You'll do fine" and it's all I can do to not call back and scream certain words at her. I was nervous but, WHAT?! excited at the same time? How the heck did that happen? Why did that happen? Oh, my!!
So, I head up to the FP entrance, amazed at how long the queue area is and happy that I didn't have to hang around playing arcade games as a way to placate my fears. I had read all about SM. Seen the POV videos with the lights on and off. I KNEW what would happen, sorta... I'd even researched the ride vehicles because... well, it was in the DARK and into OUTER SPACE!! Oh boy...
So, as I am headed up to the loading area, I see the rockets coming in empty and all I can think is "I don't want to be in the front." See, I know many people say it's better to be up front but, I just felt safer in the middle, between two other riders so that I could see where the main vehicle was going... or not... it's dark, ya know!
So, I get to the CM, who asks that horrifying question "How many riders?"
Me: "One?" He smiles at me, "Just one? Okay, row 1!"
*Gulp* The amount of expletives running through my brain at the moment (in both English and Spanish) is astounding and I am glad that no one could hear my inner monologue as I step my way to the numbers painted on the floor. I stand behind a small Asian girl, looking to be either 4 or 5 and totally excited to be shooting out into space. She high fives a relative and cheerily hops on in... I figure "If she can do this, so I can I!"
So, my vehicle rolls up, all empty and almost ominous. It was now or never and I wasn't going to chicken out. I was there, I Fast Passed it and gave myself plenty of time NOT to ride... I was determined, excited and... FREAKING OUT...or excitedly freaking out.
I slide myself in, stowed my bag between my legs and pulled down on the lap restraint as hard as I could, probably cutting a little circulation to my legs. Already, I am not liking the vehicle. It's not very high on the sides, there is nothing to hold onto and... I AM UP FRONT?! HOW THE H.E.Double Hockey Sticks did this happen?!
I take a few deep breaths as our vehicle moves into the safety bar check and then, the launching area... The rocket moves into the dark and up a hill with blue lights shooting past me, building energy... I decide to look down at the track, amazed at how slow we are moving... and then, we jerk to the right and are moving up the lift hill, barely noticing a certain flash of light. By then, I am about to die, hating my best friend and myself for deciding that I NEEDED to go on SM. I mean, seriously, BTMRR was ENOUGH for me... I love that one, I could ride it over and over... I didn't need to add another mountain to my list... and... how long did Dramamine last again?
Sure that we would go straight down (though, I'd seen enough ride footage to know this wasn't the case) I wrap my arms around the safety bar and almost huddle down on the ride while sliding myself lower into the seat in case the head choppers really did chop my head while whooshing through the track at a blazing 28 mph!
And... it's off and I was....ENJOYING IT?! EH?! QUE?! I was still grabbing onto my lap bar like it was my lifeline but, through most of the ride I was "woo hooing" and... ENJOYING myself? As we tossed and turned and dropped and spiraled, I enjoyed almost every minute of it, minus the part where the rocket goes up at a hard angle and drops down hard. It made me feel like I would come out of my seat and that kept me a little nervous.. okay, scared... until the rocket took a few more dizzying turns and we wound up back on Earth... or something like it.
Arriving at the unloading station, I grabbed my bag, hopped out, looked back at the rocket and took a breath. I had SURVIVED my first trip to outer space and lived to tell about it. I was so excited and even shaking a little, too wired to even remember about the ride picture (ah! So THAT was the sudden flash of light?!) as I headed up the conveyor. Three minutes later I am calling my friend, who greeted me with a "So, you're alive? How was it?" that made me chuckle. "I can't believe I just did that!" She laughs back and asks, "Going on it again?" To which I quickly reply, "Not today... Once was enough, going to Thunder, for now..."
Did I head back? Nope! Even though I did spend Sunday morning at MK All of that time was spent between HM, BTMRR and PotC.
Later that evening, while crossing Bay Lake in the boats, hoping to catch the MK fireworks and the water pagent, I stared up at SM and it's cool looking spires with a secret smile. I conquered the mountain and would be back in less than two weeks, best friend in toe, to do it all over again...I think.. we'll see.
The End... For now...
At age 32, Space Mountain still scares the *bleep* outta me. I had NEVER been on it, always staring up at it's spires with trepidation. Even riding the People Mover's portion of SM got me a little jittery. It's that one MK ride that your folks got on when they were teenagers and became so scared of that they passed that fear onto you, type of thing. Just the name made me shiver and want to run from it as fast as I could.
It all stems from being 7ish and having my darling parents shove me onto BTMRR which scarred me for life in regards to roller coasters and fast rides in general.
I am a wuss and proud of the fact that not even peer-pressure from my closest of friends could get me on any attraction I was determined NOT to ride.
So, my dad decides he wanted to head to the World during Labor Day Weekend for some RnR. My grandparents and step-mom in toe, we headed for the cabins at Ft. Wilderness Campground. If you have never stayed there, please save up and do so. They are sooo cute and with this lovely woodsy smell inside of them. It being five of us (and since I am 32 going on 5
), we gave the front room to my grandparents (murphy bed) and my dad and step-mom and I got the back room which has a double bed and...bunk beds! I, of course, took the top one which prompted my father to say: "I always wanted one!! I'm taking the bottom bed!! They are cool aren't they? Want me to build you one?" Love ya dad, but, no... I am fine with my bed. Hehe... Do I want one? YES! They are cool!!! Umm... anyway...
We arrived on Friday and I had decided since the booking of the trip that I would leave the "adults" to do their relaxing thing (ewww) and I would explore Epcot and MK on my own. I had a plan and it was not going to include SM, nope! Not at all!
Now, going solo is AWESOME. Do what you want, when you want. No group to try to wrangle, no children in need of potty breaks every 15 minutes. No people wanting to SHOP rather than RIDE!
At 8:20 I headed to EPCOT for RD and did the mad march down to Soarin' and was able to ride it twice in less than 30 mins, both times in the front row. In fact, for nearly every attraction, I was sitting in the front row. Another perk to going solo!
After that, I speed-walked over to TT and rode that twice in a row with the lovely single rider line. Seeing it was a little early to get on Maelstrom, I opted to take the Monorail over to MK. My idea was to hit the parks until around 3 and then head back to the Campground's marina and rent a SeaRaycer until it was nearly time for dinner.
On the way over to the TTC, I see it... the spires... the big, funky white and circular building looming over on the right hand side... NOPE, not gonna ride that... I will THINK about riding it but.. umm... I was REALLY thinking about riding it. What was the big deal anyway? I could do BTMRR without a problem...I had even prepared by taking some Dramamine that took away those queasy feelings during one specific portion of BTMRR. (That hard, fast helix always gives me a mini headache.)
Somehow, someway, I find myself heading over the Tomorrowland bridge, and right to SM's Fastpass machines. The line at that point was a 30 min wait and I knew I would chicken out severely just waiting there... so... Fastpass... in 45 mins I would be flying through space and having some sort of coronary in the process... I mean, it's big, it's bad... it's Space Mountain... oh God!
45 minutes seems to be an eternity for me, at this point. I decided to kill some time and (try to psyche myself out) by hopping on the People Mover getting really nervous as we the tram entered Space Mountain and I realized that INDEED, it was DARK in there.
Aimlessly and in some sort of trance, I walked around Tomorrowland like a WDW novice until I stopped and got my wits about me. I needed to get out of that area and away from the mountain looming over me so, I headed to one mountain I had slayed long ago - Thunder!!
Now..30 mins to kill... how ever would I live through the anticipation? - Going to the Tiki Room, of course!!!
The Tiki Room was a fav of mine since I was 2 and went home driving the parents nuts doing "Tiki Tiki Tiki woom!" I was dying to see it in it's original form and was very pleased to sit in an air conditioned environment. I put my SM worries aside, enjoyed the music and then left the building to find that I STILL had 15 mins left before I could voyage into space... So... I headed over to PotC, hopped on the boat to be told that we needed to get OUT of the boat. All guests, me included, stare up at the CM with blank expressions to find out that the boat in front of us had some sort of mechanical issue and needed to be taken out of service which mean that OUR boat also needed to be taken out of service.
Our whole boat crew hops out, waits for a new one and the ride begins only to stop at the area where the two pirates are running in circles with the chest full of treasure. We stay there for a good five minutes before the ride (which is now so backed up all the boats are bumping into each other) gets moving again.
Stepping out of the ride, I stare down at my FP hanging around my neck and sigh, the time had come for me to face my fear... I headed towards SM, txting my BFF who knows my anxiety when it comes to rides. She sends me a message "You'll do fine" and it's all I can do to not call back and scream certain words at her. I was nervous but, WHAT?! excited at the same time? How the heck did that happen? Why did that happen? Oh, my!!
So, I head up to the FP entrance, amazed at how long the queue area is and happy that I didn't have to hang around playing arcade games as a way to placate my fears. I had read all about SM. Seen the POV videos with the lights on and off. I KNEW what would happen, sorta... I'd even researched the ride vehicles because... well, it was in the DARK and into OUTER SPACE!! Oh boy...
So, as I am headed up to the loading area, I see the rockets coming in empty and all I can think is "I don't want to be in the front." See, I know many people say it's better to be up front but, I just felt safer in the middle, between two other riders so that I could see where the main vehicle was going... or not... it's dark, ya know!
So, I get to the CM, who asks that horrifying question "How many riders?"
Me: "One?" He smiles at me, "Just one? Okay, row 1!"
*Gulp* The amount of expletives running through my brain at the moment (in both English and Spanish) is astounding and I am glad that no one could hear my inner monologue as I step my way to the numbers painted on the floor. I stand behind a small Asian girl, looking to be either 4 or 5 and totally excited to be shooting out into space. She high fives a relative and cheerily hops on in... I figure "If she can do this, so I can I!"
So, my vehicle rolls up, all empty and almost ominous. It was now or never and I wasn't going to chicken out. I was there, I Fast Passed it and gave myself plenty of time NOT to ride... I was determined, excited and... FREAKING OUT...or excitedly freaking out.
I slide myself in, stowed my bag between my legs and pulled down on the lap restraint as hard as I could, probably cutting a little circulation to my legs. Already, I am not liking the vehicle. It's not very high on the sides, there is nothing to hold onto and... I AM UP FRONT?! HOW THE H.E.Double Hockey Sticks did this happen?!
I take a few deep breaths as our vehicle moves into the safety bar check and then, the launching area... The rocket moves into the dark and up a hill with blue lights shooting past me, building energy... I decide to look down at the track, amazed at how slow we are moving... and then, we jerk to the right and are moving up the lift hill, barely noticing a certain flash of light. By then, I am about to die, hating my best friend and myself for deciding that I NEEDED to go on SM. I mean, seriously, BTMRR was ENOUGH for me... I love that one, I could ride it over and over... I didn't need to add another mountain to my list... and... how long did Dramamine last again?
Sure that we would go straight down (though, I'd seen enough ride footage to know this wasn't the case) I wrap my arms around the safety bar and almost huddle down on the ride while sliding myself lower into the seat in case the head choppers really did chop my head while whooshing through the track at a blazing 28 mph!
And... it's off and I was....ENJOYING IT?! EH?! QUE?! I was still grabbing onto my lap bar like it was my lifeline but, through most of the ride I was "woo hooing" and... ENJOYING myself? As we tossed and turned and dropped and spiraled, I enjoyed almost every minute of it, minus the part where the rocket goes up at a hard angle and drops down hard. It made me feel like I would come out of my seat and that kept me a little nervous.. okay, scared... until the rocket took a few more dizzying turns and we wound up back on Earth... or something like it.
Arriving at the unloading station, I grabbed my bag, hopped out, looked back at the rocket and took a breath. I had SURVIVED my first trip to outer space and lived to tell about it. I was so excited and even shaking a little, too wired to even remember about the ride picture (ah! So THAT was the sudden flash of light?!) as I headed up the conveyor. Three minutes later I am calling my friend, who greeted me with a "So, you're alive? How was it?" that made me chuckle. "I can't believe I just did that!" She laughs back and asks, "Going on it again?" To which I quickly reply, "Not today... Once was enough, going to Thunder, for now..."
Did I head back? Nope! Even though I did spend Sunday morning at MK All of that time was spent between HM, BTMRR and PotC.
Later that evening, while crossing Bay Lake in the boats, hoping to catch the MK fireworks and the water pagent, I stared up at SM and it's cool looking spires with a secret smile. I conquered the mountain and would be back in less than two weeks, best friend in toe, to do it all over again...I think.. we'll see.
The End... For now...
