Can a ride weenie do the Matterhorn?

[ExcitedMama]

This will be our first trip where we can all ride together on most everything. I'm a ride weenie and happily took DD on other things while DS went on rides she was too small for. I made the mistake of feeling like I should take him on one of the rides for the first time and stupidly chose SM after a CM said I'd love it. I can't say enough how much I hated every second of it! It was too fast, too curvy and too dark so I was terrified. A long, long time ago I know I did SM and BTMR once so I'm feeling confident that I can do them again if only the one time so I can be with DD on her first time. The only one I've never done that I'm considering is the Matterhorn. Is it an uninterrupted fast trip all the way down? Or is it fast then slow through the mountain? How much slower is that slower side? Is it a lot faster/scarier than RSR? I think RSR, Soaring and SM are the only rides I've been on with height requirements since DS was born.

Why does the other thread about introducing kids to coasters have a lot of people saying Indy is worse for kids than the Matterhorn? I liked that ride, it was at least a decade ago, but I thought it was fun. Is it just because it's dark? That scene with the boulder? I know there's some sort of drop that I wasn't a big fan of but I was ok with it.

 

[SMD]

If your feet don't touch the floor of the vehicle, you can't brace and you get tossed around a lot on Indy.

There is no slow side on Matterhorn. There are a few places where the tracks are next to each other and one has the inside track. You sit very low in the vehicle and it's bumpy and if you're not familar with the track you won't know when to brace. People who ride it often will tell you it's not so bad. People who have ridden it once or twice will tell you you're going to get tossed around. The top speed is less than SM, and it's not completely in the dark, but the track is actually a little bit taller and shorter, so it really is just "go" from top to bottom.

 

[tlcdoula]

I love your title!! I was once the biggest ride chicken.... but I love the Matterhorn maybe because it was a ride I remembered riding it when we went as a kid. When we took the kids to disneyland and disneyworld when they were small, I made hubby go on most of the rides haha.. Then when I went with my daughter on a girls trip I had to suck it up and go on all of them. Now I love it. The only things I can't do are ones that cause motion sickness. I stay away from virtual reality rides and anything that spins like tea cups or astro orbiters etc.

I find if I scream and laugh through the ride I am good.. Watch a you tube video and see the ride. I did that with the Everest in Disneyworld before we went on just so I had an idea of how it was.

Space mountain is much more scary than Matterhorn. I do love BTMR that might be one of my top rides especially during the fireworks.

Good luck!!!

 

[daannzzz]

It doesn't really slow down much. There are a couple of very small hills that id dips down but it mostly seems to be fairly steady. There are some very dark parts but they do not last long. Going up the lift hills is very dark. I find it to be a very fun though bumpy ride.

 

[chickapin parterre]

I am a weenie also......and hated space mountain and never went again.......but I do matterhorn only once per trip......and only once because I am reminded again of how rough a ride it stimulates real olympic bob sledding. There is nothing scary or unkown about the ride, your brain thought is actually following behind you and never catches up till the end, when hitting the water..."What.....you are getting wet?" Outside of that, your brain is never part of the ride..The fantasy structure takes away all of the roller coaster state fair attributes. I have never considered it a roller coaster, just a fun ride with some small, very small g-forces, and if you ride RSR, then you will do great.....I can never ride RSR again because of the g-forces on the curve.... Other than the boring climb up to the top of the mountain, there is no prolonged darkness or scary drops...splash actually has the largest drop and two unknown drops, and if you can do splash then you can do the matterhorn. Goofy.....I am to big for the vehicles and the whole ride reminds of kiddie roller coasters that still give me that thrill of danger.....but you know.......that dip on peter pan when passing the full moon, also gives me a tingle.....that is the excitement of Peter Pan and the matterhorn.

 

[PHXscuba]

Matterhorn is rough but not super scary unless you think the Yeti would scare your child. The "slow" side is not really noticeable -- they both run about the same.

Indy is more of a "bouncing jeep ride" -- no real drops, but the scenario can be a little scary. I'd definitely watch that on YouTube if you have any worries.

PHXscuba

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I'm just adding to what everyone said. The side facing Fantasyland (right side as you face the entrance) is a little bit smoother than the left side. The left side has a little dip (maybe 4 ft?) where the right side is just smooth - still bumpy - but no sharp dips. There is a side-by-side video in my signature that you might want to see. I think the video makes it look faster than it actually is. The attraction runs 27 mph. Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are 35 mph, and California Screamin' is 55 mph.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Space Mountain is next level roller coaster compared to Matterhorn. Give Matterhorn a go, you may not like it (won't know until you try it) but you won't be traumatized like with SM.

IMHO Indy has a lot of other things that might scare a kid. Snakes, poison darts, spiders, fire, boulder. It's a lot to take on besides the crazy jeep motions (which don't at all remind me of a roller coaster).

 

[wdwfan22]

You really have to ride to know for yourself. I personally think Matterhorn is scarier than Space. But I don't like heights, so I love rides in the dark where I don't know how high I am.

 

[Niltiac]

I used to be a ride weenie too (well technically I still am but I'm better at hiding it now). I consider matterhorn to be the least scary of the coasters. It doesn't feel as fast as thunder mountain, RSR, or space and there are no significant drops. It doesn't really ever go slow either though, it just goes along at a nice pace (just fast enough to make your hair fly back). I actually find it kind of relaxing, especially if I'm in front and it's dusk, and I can enjoy the view. Generally what people complain about is that it's rough and bumpy. Make sure your DD is prepared for the yeti if she tends to be scared of monsters or sudden noises.

 

[ExcitedMama]

Thanks so much everyone! I am hopeful that I can try it! Would the front facing seat be the scariest spot? What about middle versus back? I really hate the idea of sitting single file! Plus I think they sit 3? Just wondering how we should break up to sit since one of us adults will probably stay with each child.

 

[GrandBob]

Make sure your DD is prepared for the yeti if she tends to be scared of monsters or sudden noises.

The yeti's name is Harold (no, really!) When my DGD was young, I made a point of telling her that -- giving him a name is a little less scary. And I also made a point of yelling "Hi Harold!" every time we passed him. Pretty soon, she started doing that too. So we'd both yell "Hi Harold" and laugh. Made it fun instead of scary. I recommend you try that out too.

Bob

 

[cruisehopeful]

It doesn't feel fast, but it does feel bumpy. There is one part in the beginning where it is totally dark and I couldn't see the track and felt sick. I've trained myself to focus on the person in front of me or the handle during that part. I had severe vertigo for 4 years and had to give up most rides. I'm better now and can handle almost all of the rides again, but for some reason, not seeing the track instantly makes me feel sick. Luckily, the feel goes away as soon as I can see it.

The Yeti was updated and the new one is very scary. I'm over 50 and have been riding the Matterhorn since I was a kid and they had no Yeti. I've seen several versions of the Yeti. Why this new one scares me, idk, but it is scary to me. I don't get scared on Indiana Jones or anything else at the parks - just the new Yeti.

 

[Pamela M]

I don't think anyone mentioned it but there is a way to ride the matterhorn for the most fun/comfort. And that is - DON'T sit back against the back of the bobsled. You want to brace yourself with your feet and your arms and sit up straight.