Calmer Rides at DL (and ones without large drops?)

[MrsPB]

Hi everyone!

My very best friend is coming to Disneyland with us for our trip in September for a couple days!! She says she's "not a ride person" but I'd like her to at least go on a few rides while we're there..any suggestions for calmer rides? I think she'd like to stay away from rides that spin a lot or have any drops of any sort.

Also, I thought she might have lots of fun with TSMM but I've heard you do a lot of spinning and whipping around from game to game, is this true or do you think she could do this one?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Disneyland is full of calm rides. If she doesn't like big thrills, I would avoid Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain and California Screamin. The only rides that spin are Tea Cups and Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin, and I avoid those myself.

Haunted Mansion and Pirates are must to rides, IMO.

You can check out Youtube as some people record their ride experience and she can see for herself which ones she would like to try.

 

[heatherleigh]

My mom isn't into wild rides either, but she was able to ride quite a bit on our trip. The worst one she went on was Indiana Jones, and she claimed it hurt her back. Youtube is a good idea. My son watches rides on there. They are a pretty good indicator as to what the ride will be like.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Jungle Cruise!!!
Mark Twain
Storybookland
Tiki Room (not a ride, but...)
The Railroad
Nemo

Just a few suggestions.

 

[JaneJetson]

Avoid:
Space Mountain (rollercoaster)
Big Thunder Mountain (rollercoaster)
Splash Mountain (water ride with a big drop)
Matterhorn (rollercoaster)
California Screamin' (rollercoaster)
Mulholland Madness (wild mouse coaster)
Tower of Terror (huge drops)
Maliboomer (shoots you in the air/huge drops)
Roger Rabbit (spins)
Tea Cups (spin)
Grizzly River (water ride with drops)

Possibly avoid:
Sun Wheel (very high up)
Indiana Jones (jerks/bounces you around a lot)
Star Tours (jerks/bounces you around)
Pirates (it has two drops but they aren't that big)

It may seem like a long list...but there are tons of other rides to go on.

 

[MrsPB]

Thank you all so much for taking time to reply, you're the best!

 

[Sherry E]

I went with a few friends last September and last December, and none of us are thrill ride people at all, but we all have our individual preferences and quirks. There is my one friend who won't even go on Pirates. She used to ride both Pirates and Star Tours years ago, but no more. She won't ride Soarin' Over California either. No Splash Mountain (too big of a drop). She WILL ride the Teacups and she WILL ride Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. She was bored with both the Nemo Sub and Jungle Cruise and mildly amused at the Holiday Small World ride. She most enjoyed the Haunted Mansion - NBC holiday overlay. Then, another friend will no longer ride Star Tours (even though she used to), but she liked Soarin' quite a bit and she LOVES Pirates, and she is okay with Roger Rabbit. Then, my third friend is a bit more daring and will ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder, and she LOVES Soarin', Indiana Jones and Pirates, but will NOT ride the Teacups or anything that spins, nor will she ride Star Tours. And I basically stay off most of the 'Mountain' rides, but I LOVE Star Tours (I am the only one left who does!), I LOVE Pirates, I love Roger Rabbit and I am sort of okay with Soarin' and the Teacups. If I force myself, I can make it on to Indy, but I am very nervous about it! So basically, my point is, everyone seems to have their likes and dislikes, but there are always plenty of options for anyone of any age, size, preference, thrill ride expertise. You will have a great time!

Oh and by the way, you can sort of control your spinning on Roger Rabbit. It will spin anyway, but at a slower speed than if you spin the car yourself. And Buzz Lightyear spins if you make it spin, but not otherwise, and it is a slow ride!

And none of us will even go near Twilight Zone Tower of Terror! NO WAY!

 

[MrsPB]

Thanks Sherry! I really appreciate your insight

So am I correct in assuming everyone thinks she'll enjoy Toy Story Midway Mania?

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry! I really appreciate your insight

So am I correct in assuming everyone thinks she'll enjoy Toy Story Midway Mania?

TSMM sounds like a ride that is a safe bet for all people. It has 3-D glasses, so if she wears regular glasses, she will have to slip them on over the regular ones, I guess, in order to be able to see the targets.

 

[MrsPB]

TSMM sounds like a ride that is a safe bet for all people. It has 3-D glasses, so if she wears regular glasses, she will have to slip them on over the regular ones, I guess, in order to be able to see the targets.

Thanks again!

I'm actually the only one in the bunch that wears glasses but Disney has always been good about making them big enough so that they fit over my own. I used the sets at Muppet 3D and Philharmagic at WDW and they work great!

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks again!

I'm actually the only one in the bunch that wears glasses but Disney has always been good about making them big enough so that they fit over my own. I used the sets at Muppet 3D and Philharmagic at WDW and they work great!

Have a great time! You didn't say, but maybe you are going to DLR at the end of September, when the Halloween stuff comes up?? Last year, it went up a little earlier than this year. Anyway, if you get there for that, it is an extra bonus to see all the decorations, but you will have fun no matter what.

 

[mariezp]

I did not realize there were so many grownups who did not like the big rides! I thought I was just a big whimp because I enjoy riding all the kiddie rides with my DD. I am not particularly afraid of the rides. (except TOT and SM) I just prefer calmer rides and don't have a big desire to ride roller coasters anymore. I usually ride most everything at least once, except the 2 mentioned above, but honestly would be perfectly happy skipping some of them.

I agree to avoid the obvious coasters and spinners. I would also consider avoiding Indy, Matterhorn and Star Tours too just because they are so darn jerky.

Do the shows, watch the entertainment, do some shopping and take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the park in a different mode.

 

[PRINCESSplazola]

my mom is NOT a person who likes big or crazy rides at all, and i still got her to go on splash mountain a few times! she haaaaates dips with a passion you never know, maybe you can get her to enjoy some of the bigger rides! the dip on splash mountain looks big, but imo its kinda small!

 

[Sherry E]

I did not realize there were so many grownups who did not like the big rides! I thought I was just a big whimp because I enjoy riding all the kiddie rides with my DD. I am not particularly afraid of the rides. (except TOT and SM) I just prefer calmer rides and don't have a big desire to ride roller coasters anymore. I usually ride most everything at least once, except the 2 mentioned above, but honestly would be perfectly happy skipping some of them.

I agree to avoid the obvious coasters and spinners. I would also consider avoiding Indy, Matterhorn and Star Tours too just because they are so darn jerky.

Do the shows, watch the entertainment, do some shopping and take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the park in a different mode.

Like you, Mariezp, I will usually try most rides once - or at least I did in my younger days. So I rode Space Mountain and Matterhorn and Big Thunder, etc....enough to know I didn't want to ride them again. On Indy, I was so frazzled from being jerked and bumped around so much that it would take an alcoholic beverage for me to get back on that, but I may do it again. Soarin' is fine once I am on it for a few mnutes. But when it first lifts off, it is very unnerving to me! I was scared of the Pirates drops for years as a kid and teenager, and finally overcame the fear and now it is probably in my top three favorite rides. I love Star Tours but no one will ever ride it with me, and that is a pretty jarring ride too, so I don't know why I love it! I cannot go on the Teacups if a madman is spinning. It has to go at a reasonable pace for me to be okay with it. I have always been a little wimpy, but I am more willing to try things than some other people I know. I loved Twilight Zone, the TV series, but I do NOT need to go on that ride!

 

[mariezp]

my mom is NOT a person who likes big or crazy rides at all, and i still got her to go on splash mountain a few times! she haaaaates dips with a passion you never know, maybe you can get her to enjoy some of the bigger rides! the dip on splash mountain looks big, but imo its kinda small!

It's not the DIP on Splash that's my problem it's the DROP! I love every other part but I still dread that drop. I am getting better and Splash is definetly one of my favorite rides. I just tend to hold my breath til we hit the bottom.


Yep, Sherry E, we sound lots alike. No TOT for me!

 

[Sherry E]

It's not the DIP on Splash that's my problem it's the DROP! I love every other part but I still dread that drop. I am getting better and Splash is definetly one of my favorite rides. I just tend to hold my breath til we hit the bottom.


Yep, Sherry E, we sound lots alike. No TOT for me!

Heck no. No TOT for me. And that drop on Splash IS very unsettling for those of us who are uncomfortable with such things! Even the friends of mine who will go on Pirates still cling to my arm and clench their eyes shut before that first drop. And I can never understand how they could be so scared because I got over my fear of that ride, and yet I should understand it because I used to be terrified of it as a kid and teenager, even into my young adult years. To some people, that drop in POTC is big. So clearly the one on Splash is considered enormous! Isn't the Splash drop something like 52 feet? That is too much for me!

 

[PRINCESSplazola]

It's not the DIP on Splash that's my problem it's the DROP! I love every other part but I still dread that drop. I am getting better and Splash is definetly one of my favorite rides. I just tend to hold my breath til we hit the bottom.


Yep, Sherry E, we sound lots alike. No TOT for me!

hahaha sorry, i meant drops, not dips my mom does the same thing as you...she holds her breath til its over thats so funny. im glad you enjoy splash now, its one of my favorites too!