Convince me to ride the coasters

[kitkat4622]

So I am taking my grandson for our first trip to Disney, we have not gone on coasters at places like Six Flags and I know this is out of our comfort zone, please convince me that it is so worth it and which one's would you start with and why?

 

[Reddog1134]

1. Barnstormer - its a short, mild coaster with a low height restriction
2. Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster - brand new, slightly more intense then Barnstormer.
3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - intermediate coaster. Watch you back on the lift hill.
4. Expedition Everest- some parts go backwards and some are in the dark.
5. Rock and Roller Coaster - fast, goes upside down but generally a smooth ride.
6. Space Mountain - fast, jerky and in the dark so it's hard to brace yourself because you don't know what's coming.

 

[disnut8]

So I am taking my grandson for our first trip to Disney, we have not gone on coasters at places like Six Flags and I know this is out of our comfort zone, please convince me that it is so worth it and which one's would you start with and why?

My question would be why you haven't done the coasters at other theme parks? The reason for the question is my dislike of coasters other than at Disney World and that's the long dreaded climb up that most coasters do. The only one at Disney World that does that is Expedition Everest and it took me a while to get used to it. But every time I went on it, I said "you've survived this before, you'll do it again".

 

[kitkat4622]

I would have to say the steep climb and corkscrews....but I am going to do this, I want him to have the best vacation ever

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I would have to say the steep climb and corkscrews....but I am going to do this, I want him to have the best vacation ever

Disney doesn't have any coasters that I would even compare to a six flags park... They are all geared towards being family fun. The only one with corkscrews is the Aerosmith one in DHS. And the only other "scary" one might be expedition Everest as it has a steep drop and goes backwards at one point.

 

[dtats]

Why ride the coasters at WDW?

Because you be will doing this with your grandson, and you never know when this opportunity will present itself to you again. Life is short. Play now.

It's no fun regretting the rides you passed up on the ride home.

It will be MUCH more fun discussing with your grandson which coasters you liked (and yes, there's bound to be at least one or two), and which ones you'll never ride again!

To this day, my family looks back with amusement on past trips when one of us rode a ride we might have passed on... as the results are usually what the memories are made of.

Have fun!

 

[NavyDad]

So I am taking my grandson for our first trip to Disney, we have not gone on coasters at places like Six Flags and I know this is out of our comfort zone, please convince me that it is so worth it and which one's would you start with and why?

We did a trip a couple of years ago with our 3 kids, SIL & BIL and their two boys along with MIL and FIL.

All five grand-children will have memories the rest of their lives of riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Expedition Everest, Space Mountain and even Rock N Roller Coaster with their both of their Grandparents.

Enough said….

 

[csm101]

I would agree with the comment of why you don't like coasters in the first place? Every ride isn't for everyone my son cant get enough coasters but hates BR and many water rides with very timid drops. Don't push your GS if he is scared. You can try to build up some confidence with over rides before trying a coaster.

 

[disnut8]

I would have to say the steep climb and corkscrews....but I am going to do this, I want him to have the best vacation ever

My concerns exactly! You can do it. And here's how. Tell your grandson what you don't like. You will have a steep initial climb on Expedition Everest. You can see it before you board. I can honestly tell you that had me in a headspin but I did it. So, tell your grandson you will be holding onto the rails as tight as you can. Then do that and look straight ahead. Unless you are in the front row, you will see something in front of you so look at that. You can even take a sticky note to post to look at. Once at the top, enjoy the ride because it's great.

Corkscrews are on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad but tell your grandson you want him to point out the figures around you as you go through them. Also, on that attraction, have a bet on how many times you will bump into each other. A penny a bump.

Roller coasters are a mind game and when your mind is distracted, you can do it.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

None of the coasters at Disney last very long. I have found that most people can stand most things for a few minutes. You may find that you like the Disney rides. The theming is excellent. Don't worry, ride and have fun!

 

[TinkSassy]

RedDog has a great list there - I would say the last 3 to do in that order as they raise in intensity. That being said Space to me is not the most intense but my body can't take it anymore it is toooo rough by back hurts getting off so be careful. I really wish they would update it to the same track they use at DLR because I love riding it there as it is so smooth.

These are easy coasters - I don't do drops so I stay away from Splash and ToT but ride everything else. I don't do the Six Flags type coasters either - the teenagers can have them!

 

[nerderella]

OP- the best suggestion I have is to watch videos of the rides on youtube. It may ruin the "magic" for you to see lights on versions of Rock n Roller Coaster or Space Mountain, but you'll have an idea of what the coasters really are and it will give you a decent idea of whether you think you can handle it. I'll echo the sentiment of another poster-- these coasters are nothing like what you'd see at Six Flags.

DH does not do coasters AT ALL, and I can't get enough of them. The coasters at Disney are just his speed, and even though they're not the big, scary coasters that I absolutely love, they are fun as heck to ride. There are no super huge drops other than at EE, and only one coaster has a flip (Rock n Roller Coaster). They are more curves and bunny hops than anything else. If you can handle the drop at Splash Mountain or the drop with Tower of Terror, I think you'll be fine on the coasters.

 

[cinderkelly]

I always used to be "coster phobic" until DH and I took our daughter to Disneyland for her 5th birthday. She was bound and determined to go on space mountain ( met the height requirement) and DH said he would go on with her, no problem but there was no way I was not going to do it if she was going on . Surprisingly enough I loved it, and so did she! DH didn't care for it because he likes to see where he is going.

We are now going to WDW in about 8 weeks and I'm totally up for the challenge of going on EE with my older kids. I'd say start off on a "milder" coster and work your way up. Like anything, the more you do something the less scary it gets. Have fun and enjoy your trip with your grandson!

 

[niffer5150]

disney is a great place for tamer thrill rides. as long as you follow the rules, no harm will come to you. if something looks too scary, close your eyes. i'm super afraid of heights. this is how i get by at magic mountain with my kid who'd be super bummed if i didn't go too. i've ridden tatsu like 10 times that way.

 

[RubySue]

I am NOT a coaster person. That being said, I love Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and so do my grandsons. I wouldn't call the twists and turns on BTMR corkscrews. There are moderate twisting turns, but you don't go upside down.

I haven't done 7DMT yet, but plan to next trip.

I also might get the courage to try EE.

I would guess that, at a minimum, you could do Barnstormer, Mine Train, and Big Thunder. Have fun!

 

[texasroni75]

I feared rollercoasters most of my life. Then oldest DD turned 13, and we made a pact that summer that any ride she wanted to go on, I would go with her. (DH gets sick on coasters, so he couldn't go with her). Turns out, I LOVE rollercoasters! I was kicking myself that I missed out on them on all of our previous trips.

I'd start with the coasters that don't go upside down, and figure out what you like and what you don't.

 

[katt789]

It kinda depends on what is the factor that you're uncomfortable with most, drops, darkness, jerkiness, or going upside down, but I would personally rate them like this

1. Barnstormer: SUPER short, a little fast, can be fun for everyone (not boring for adults) and agreat way to introduce coasters.

2. Mine Train: longer ride, not too thrilling, very fun, focusses more on the story & detailing in there.

3. Big Thunder: moves much faster, no really big drops, but some go up and go down quickly bits where you'll drop but nothing dramatic. Can be jerky. Very fun!

4. Splash Mtn: More of a log ride, not really a coaster, you get wet, you see the funny antics of the brer clan, and have a good time. Oh, and the big drop, you can see it from outside the ride before you go on, it's a lot of fun, and not as bad as it looks! My Mom claims this drop is worse than EE...but I think she was just trying to convince her friend to go on it

5.Space: indoor coaster, in the dark, jerky, no HUGE drops, but goes fast (side b i believe is the more intense side) and again has those "go up then right back down" bits where the drops aren't huge but sudden, I personally don't really like this one because it's jerky, and it hurts my neck. If you have a tender neck, sit in the middle seat if you can!

6.-7. Here is where it gets complicated for me. I personally, LOVE Everest, but have yet to go on RnR because I'm scared, bahaha. Everest is one of my favourites, it goes FAST, you feel the g force, the drop is big, it goes backwards, in the dark for a portion, and there's a yeti.

RnR goes in the dark, with loud music, 0-60 in 5 seconds or whatever, and has an inversion (upside down) something about going upside down freaks me out, but I have heard from plenty of people that RnR is way easier to go on that EE, and even than Space.

I'd also throw Tower of Terror before EE in there, the ambiance and themeing and preshow can be freaky for little ones but the ride is much tamer in ghostly stuff (much like haunted mansion). If you don't like the dropping sensation, maybe steer clear of this one, but it can be super fun, and is another one of my faves!

Have a great trip!

 

[kitkat4622]

thank you all for the feed back....much appreciated.

 

[PSUGuy]

Look, they're just rides! Since we started going to WDW in 1999 hardly anyone has died on a Disney ride, 4 or so I think, and one was a guy who was off his meds, stepped out of the log in Spalsh Mtn and got crushed, so enjoy!

Bill From PA