Any Vertigo Sufferers Out There?

[ofcabbagesandkings]

Hi!
I'm new here, hello everyone! I'm planning a trip this fall with DH, DS and my mom. Mom suffers from mild vertigo and can't go on Six-Flags style coasters, especially loopy ones. Our FP+ window opens soon and I would like to include her on rides she could do but maybe put her on tamer rides with DS if it's something she wouldn't be comfortable riding. I haven't been to WDW since I was a kid so I'm just guessing by the descriptions. If you have vertigo or get nauseous on typical thrill rides, I would love your opinion!

I'm guessing these might be OK:
7DMT, Splash Mountain, Dinosaur, Soarin', Test Track

And I'm guessing these won't:
Space Mountain, BTMRR, Teacups, Expedition Everest, Mission Space

But I don't really know.

What do you think? Thanks in advance!

 

[Jenn_niven]

My husband gets motion sick too. I'm interested in the responses. He will do rides for my daughter, including teacups, because my daughter loves them.

 

[mblondie0509]

I have recently been diagnosed with vertigo but do not yet know the cause or triggers of my symptoms. I have another 2 months before my appointment at our local vertigo clinic but we are going on our trip very shortly. I am luckily not a fan of roller coasters as it is, but the only that I plan on avoiding are Rock n Roller Coaster, Expedition Everest and Tower of Terror. I would be happy to report back after my trip (8/24-8/31) any rides that gave me trouble.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

All depends on her triggers. You mention loops, but that only eliminates RaRC in all of WDW. Is it more heights that throws her, drops or fast speeds? I suffer from Vertigo and my trigger is stationary heights (balconies, cliffs etc.) It the darndest thing, I can go on the most insane looping scream machines at Six Flags, but put me near a Ferris Wheel and I become a terrified toddler.

 

[Dismomof2boys]

I get motion sickness ALL THE TIME so I take a Dramamine (or at least a 1/2 of one) before heading to the parks. I have never gone on 7DMT, but for the rest (Splash Mountain, Dinosaur, Soarin', and Test Track) they have never made me sick (even when I didn't take a pill). Neither has Space Mountain. But the rest of them are horrible. Expedition Everest made me so sick, I was done for the day (and I took a Dramamine that morning). It was the backwards motion of the ride that did it to me. Same for the Tea Cups - who would want to just sit there and spin? I get sick just thinking about it.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

All depends on her triggers. You mention loops, but that only eliminates RaRC in all of WDW. Is it more heights that throws her, drops or fast speeds? I suffer from Vertigo and my trigger is stationary heights (balconies, cliffs etc.) It the darndest thing, I can go on the most insane looping scream machines at Six Flags, but put me near a Ferris Wheel and I become a terrified toddler.

I'll have to ask to be sure but I think it's her inner ears (she also has tinnitus). She's fine standing on a balcony or going up the Eiffel Tower, but a lot of quick ups and downs or spinning are no good.

 

[VeeVeeSchweetz]

I have Meniere's Disease, a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of vertigo. I have trouble with a few of the rides, movies and sometimes moving walkways. These are the attractions that I have a difficult time with......

Magic Kingdom
Astro Orbiter
Big Thunder Mountain (not multiple times)
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (not multiple times, keep ride vehicle steady)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (not multiple times)
Mad Tea Party
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (not multiple times)
Space Mountain
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (not multiple times)

Epcot
Mission: SPACE
Soarin'

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Star Tours
Tower of Terror

Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Primeval Whirl
TriceraTop Spin

The movies are hit or miss. I just close my eyes if I encounter something that I can't handle.

Your mom might miss out on some rides, but there is still plenty to see and do. I hope your family has a great time.

 

[ZoZo]

I have had mild benign positional vertigo for several years. I can do most of the rides you mention - the only one I'm afraid to try is RnR because of the inversions.

As others have mentioned, it depends on what her "triggers" are. For me, it's tilting my head to the side, and sometimes bending down and getting back up too quickly.

Since you already know she can't do coasters, definitely avoid those. And you could have her try the milder rides, if she's interested, to see if they cause a problem. The trouble is, she might not know until she goes on a ride if she's having a problem, then she might be dizzy the rest of the day! That's why I don't go on RnR - I'm afraid the inversions would make me too dizzy afterward. It's kinda sad - I love RnR!!

 

[Tink NY]

My mom has vertigo (has had it for years) and has very few problems in Disney. Heights and spinning are the worst for her. Though, one of her favorite rides is Rock n Roller coaster.

She doesn't do spinning rides or simulators. She does ride Soarin with no issues. She rides pretty much everything else except Expedition Everest. I specifically told her to avoid it. I love the ride and have no issues, but even I find the backwards part to be very disorienting.

 

[jcnewton]

Mother-in-law has vertigo. She came down in December during part of our trip and went to Epcot. Only thing she did was Soarin', Living With The Land, and The Seas. She even said Soarin' was almost too much for her. Not sure just how severe hers is, but mostly she walked around that day.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I have Meniere's Disease, a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of vertigo. I have trouble with a few of the rides, movies and sometimes moving walkways. These are the attractions that I have a difficult time with...... Magic Kingdom Astro Orbiter Big Thunder Mountain (not multiple times) Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (not multiple times, keep ride vehicle steady) Dumbo the Flying Elephant (not multiple times) Mad Tea Party The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (not multiple times) Space Mountain Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (not multiple times) Epcot Mission: SPACE Soarin' Disney's Hollywood Studios Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Star Tours Tower of Terror Animal Kingdom Dinosaur Expedition Everest Primeval Whirl TriceraTop Spin The movies are hit or miss. I just close my eyes if I encounter something that I can't handle. Your mom might miss out on some rides, but there is still plenty to see and do. I hope your family has a great time.

Thanks for your input! With Buzz, is that something the rider can mostly control?

 

[VeeVeeSchweetz]

Thanks for your input! With Buzz, is that something the rider can mostly control?

You're very welcome. Yes, your mom can control the ride vehicle for the most part. A bit of advice, she might want to ride alone. Others in your travel party might get irate if they can't spin to hit all the targets.

 

[Mickeymagic123]

What about TSMM? Anyone with vertigo have experience with that? If I recall, it swirls around pretty quickly. Can the operator control this? I'm nervous, heading to WDW in 3 weeks and was recently diagnosed with benign positional vertigo. It came on very suddenly, no triggers and was debilitating for the first 5 days. I am functional now (started 3 weeks ago) but still wobbly at times, nauseous most days. Hoping it goes away. Only 41 yo

 

[nkereina]

Hi!
I'm new here, hello everyone! I'm planning a trip this fall with DH, DS and my mom. Mom suffers from mild vertigo and can't go on Six-Flags style coasters, especially loopy ones. Our FP+ window opens soon and I would like to include her on rides she could do but maybe put her on tamer rides with DS if it's something she wouldn't be comfortable riding. I haven't been to WDW since I was a kid so I'm just guessing by the descriptions. If you have vertigo or get nauseous on typical thrill rides, I would love your opinion!

I'm guessing these might be OK:
7DMT, Splash Mountain, Dinosaur, Soarin', Test Track

And I'm guessing these won't:
Space Mountain, BTMRR, Teacups, Expedition Everest, Mission Space

But I don't really know.

What do you think? Thanks in advance!

I had a gnarly bout with vertigo earlier this year due to an inner ear condition (dislodged crystals). I also tend to get motion sickness. Two very different things. Most vertigo sufferers have the same inner ear condition that I do and moving your head/body even slightly the wrong way can trigger the condition and it can be difficult to rectify. I could see coasters causing this problem to me, but it wouldn't trigger motion sickness for me.

I've not had any vertigo issues as a result of WDW rides. The only rides I felt slightly queasy on were Mission Space (A LOT queasy), Star Tours, Teacups, and Dinosaur. Dinosaur is very jerky, similar to Star Tours, so it didn't agree with me. The backwards part on EE gave me a little twinge of nausea but it dissipated quickly and I was fine, and rode again. Space is also very jerky and gave me a headache, but no motion sickness. No issues on TSMM or BTMRR.

 

[VeeVeeSchweetz]

What about TSMM? Anyone with vertigo have experience with that? If I recall, it swirls around pretty quickly. Can the operator control this? I'm nervous, heading to WDW in 3 weeks and was recently diagnosed with benign positional vertigo. It came on very suddenly, no triggers and was debilitating for the first 5 days. I am functional now (started 3 weeks ago) but still wobbly at times, nauseous most days. Hoping it goes away. Only 41 yo

No, you can't control the ride vehicle on Toy Story Midway Mania. It does swing you around as you move through the different sections of the ride. I've never had a problem with it and I get "thrown off" quite easily. Personally, I don't ride or do anything that is questionable as I don't want it to ruin my whole trip.

I'm happy to hear you have things more under control now. I can really relate to you. Try to take it easy and enjoy your trip.

 

[quakechicago]

Triggers and severity are important. My DH has severe vertigo (needs his ear crystals realigned (real not quackery I swear!) but is too chicken to do it). So our last trip everything made him sick except pooh, the land, and maelstrom!

Small world got him barfy though. And ANY virtual rides turned him green. (I kept telling him he didn't have to go so it was his own choice! I finally had to put my foot down and say uncle when he threw up. Sigh.)

So there's a good chance there's nothing that will help if it's severe vertigo. Not even stubbornness, although if he filmed a ride on his iPhone he did better (pooh, land, maelstrom) so that's worth a shot. DH is also terrified of heights so that's a constant consideration for me who is the complete opposite -- I've been skydiving. Lots.

I love coasters too but I can get carsick if my vision is partially or completely blocked (taxis get me sick if there are posters up or an unclear partition. I can't read in a moving car. A privacy screen in a limo is bad for me too or if I can't see out a plane window for taxiing.). So if I'm spending the day riding in a boat, cab, plane, or on coasters I'll have my doc prescribe a small bit of zofran either by pill or patch. I like zofran because it never makes me sleepy.

An ounce of prevention is key! So if you get sick, see if your GP can align your ear crystals and prescribe zofran (take the smallest dose because a side effect in some people can be headaches). There's nothing worse than making yourself sick and remember there's nowhere to lie down!

Good luck!

 

[alan68]

I have Meniere's Disease, a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of vertigo. I have trouble with a few of the rides, movies and sometimes moving walkways. These are the attractions that I have a difficult time with......

Magic Kingdom
Astro Orbiter
Big Thunder Mountain (not multiple times)
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (not multiple times, keep ride vehicle steady)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (not multiple times)
Mad Tea Party
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (not multiple times)
Space Mountain
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (not multiple times)

Epcot
Mission: SPACE
Soarin'

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Star Tours
Tower of Terror

Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Primeval Whirl
TriceraTop Spin

The movies are hit or miss. I just close my eyes if I encounter something that I can't handle.

Your mom might miss out on some rides, but there is still plenty to see and do. I hope your family has a great time.

This info will be especially helpful to us. We're going in January. My wife also suffers from Meniere's. She will probably choose not to ride much of anything except maybe the railroad. But we will use your list as a guide in case she gets adventurous. Thanks!

 

[VeeVeeSchweetz]

This info will be especially helpful to us. We're going in January. My wife also suffers from Meniere's. She will probably choose not to ride much of anything except maybe the railroad. But we will use your list as a guide in case she gets adventurous. Thanks!

You're very welcome! There will be many things your wife will be able to enjoy. Make sure she takes her medication beforehand. I also recommend bringing a Frogg Togg towel and/or a few instant cold compresses. They can really help when an attack is beginning if placed on the back of the neck coupled with resting for a short bit.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

We just got back from our trip and I wanted to share a quick update on how mom fared on the rides.

She did 7DMT and BTMRR with no problem. The spinning on Buzz didn't bother her, but the tunnel at the end where you're going through a galaxy made her feel a bit disoriented. She specifically avoided spinners like Dumbo, Teacups, and Triceratops Spin, and didn't do Space Mountain or Everest either. We only ended up making it to MK and AK so I can't speak to rides at DHS or Epcot. She did great with everything else we rode and gave the trip on a whole a

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

I suffer from vertigo due to a neurological disorder. The only attractions that really get me are Rockin' Roller coaster and Space Mountain. I can do RnR once or twice in an entire visit, but I cannot do Space Mountain anymore.

I have never done the Teacups or Mission Space.