Death on Mission: Space at Epcot

[LARABABE]

A four-year old died after riding Mission Space. I know the autopsy report is pending, however I would like to hear about this ride from people who have been on it. It is the ride that my 11 yr. old son is the most excited to ride. Should I be worried? Is it really that bad?

 

[disneyholic family]

i don't ride it because i have motion sickness, but my son has been on it many times and says it's great....

 

[Ishy]

I would be interested in where you heard this! There must have been complications? This is terrible.

 

[Geoff_M]

I don't think the ride it that bad.... and I don't "spin" well at all. I've ridden it about 5 times with no "ill" effects. It's a very cool ride. Listen to the directions, don't look sideways, and odds are overwhelming that he's be just fine!

 

[sandyneck]

I also heard this on the news and it is all over the internet news sights. The boy had no apparent health problems. I rode this ride and thought it was horrible. It is a very uncomfortable feeling. My husband was sick for 3 days, not motion sick, but serious headache and dizziness. After I rode it, I told my husband they would have a problem sooner or later, I am just so sorry this has happened. I hope they close the ride or if possible, lessen the intensity of it. I am sure there will be plenty of people who will have a different view, but there have been more hospital visits due to this ride than any other in Florida amusement park history. Only six, but that is still too many for a ride at Disney. Pray for the family of this boy for strength and peace.

 

[Daxx]

Daxx's Wife here. Let me start off by saying that you know your child best and know what your child is capable of handling. For example, we know that DS8 couldn't handle R&RC, so we don't put him on the ride. We child swap for that. He just got into SM & BTMRR and loves those. One day, he'll be ready for R&RC ... but not just yet.

We have been on the ride many times (sometimes 2 or 3 times in a row!). We simply love it. We find it very exciting and the closest we'll ever be to being in a rocket, going into space. The G forces are like nothing I've ever felt before (and they really make my tired back feel good!) and it's the wildest feeling. The scenery they show you is incredible and it's easy to "get into" the spirit of the ride.

I can't talk about nausea or feeling faint b/c I take dramamine every day that I'm at Disney. I'd get sick on IASW w/o the dramamine! DS8 rides this w/me and doesn't get nauseous and neither does Daxx.

While we don't know why that child died, this is the first death to be blamed on this ride. This makes me wonder if there was an underlying, unknown medical condition that was aggravated by this ride? We won't know until an autopsy.

If our DS was 4 yo (the age of the child who died on M:S), I wouldn't let him ride on M:S. But, that is just me. No judgement on the parents who did let their 4 yo ride M:S. I know my DS wouldn't have been able to handle it at age 4. Not that there was anything health-related at age 4 that wouldn't have permitted him to ride -- I just know he would not have enjoyed it. I am not making any judgements on any parents who allow their child, regardless of age, to ride M:S.

Read the posts on what people have to say about the ride ... or ride the ride yourself before letting your child do it. That way, you'll have a better basis on whether you feel your child can handle it or not. DS rode it for the first time in Oct. when he was 8. We knew he could handle it at that age.

 

[zcubed]

My local news claims a number of people have gone to the hospital after this ride, but it appears most are older

"During an eight-month period that ended last year, six people over age 55 were taken to the hospital for chest pain and nausea after riding Mission: Space, a $100 million attraction that is one of Disney World's most popular."

My kids have not asked and I think we will skip it. My prayers go out to the family who has lost their little boy.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I don't think it's bad - our family has been on it many times with no issues.

We don't know why this child died yet, he likely could have had an underlying health issue that could have been triggered by many things. I am waiting to learn of the autopsy findings before making any more judgements on this particular ride or who should ride it or not in the future.

We have had no problems with it.

 

[crazee4mickey]

There was a thread started earlier this a.m. on page 2 with over 250 posts on this sad incident....it was closed.
As I said in other thread, very sad, tragic loss--prayers to the family.

 

[OhMari]

Don't make this into a debate, if you scroll 4 or 5 pages down you can find a morning thread that got locked.

 

[crazee4mickey]

Don't make this into a debate, if you scroll 4 or 5 pages down you can find a morning thread that got locked.

I agree totally, even the tragic loss of a child caused nastiness to "rear its ugly head" in earlier thread.......

 

[ktbutterfly2011]

Just got back from Disney on last Fri. Disney has been having a lot of deaths lately (don't you think?) i think. After having heard 12 bad reports from people i know and 2 good reports my family decided not to go on (Mission Space) it. I feel sorry for the family that probably doesnt think of Disney as The happiest place on earth!! Well, for those of you who were asking here is a link to the news story that came out on June 14,2005 @ 427 PM EDT.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationw...s-ap-politics-headlines&track=mostemailedlink

may god cast his magic spell over disney and the family.

PS i wonder if Disney will have to close the ride because of lawsuit or not enough attandance.

 

[Daxx]

Don't make this into a debate

Honestly, I don't think anyone's making it a debate. I think the OP is looking for information on what to expect and how other people's children handled this ride ... not to debate if the ride is safe or not.

 

[Jakesmom1]

I was just watching our local news and the said the preliminary autopsie resulsts are in, the medical examiner said there was no pre existing medical condition detected, nor was any trauma detected.

What a sad story for this family, my heart goes out to them.

 

[fam4jc]

My dh and dd (7) rode this ride and loved it. I hated it and my dd 6 won't go near it. I can't see out of one eye so I think that had something to do with me not being able to enjoy the ride because it is very visual and keeping your eyes focused on the screen helps to aliviate some of hte potnetial side effects of 2 g's. I felt sick for about an hour after I rode. When I took my dds by myself in April we skipped it all together. But, I don't think it is a dangerous ride, just very intense. 2 g's is a lot of force. Gives you a better appreciation for astronauts!

 

[MiaSRN62]

I was just watching our local news and the said the preliminary autopsie resulsts are in, the medical examiner said there was no pre existing medical condition detected, nor was any trauma detected.

The child who died lived 20 min north of me.
Our local Phila news is reporting only that the autopsy showed no physical trauma caused by the ride and that more tests will be conducted to test for underlying causes.

 

[goofy4tink]

I think most people get sick on this ride due to inner ear issues. Yes, my dh gets a headache if he rides it more than once. But dd, 11, and I ride it several times in a row and have had no issues with it. There are many warnings about not riding with particular health issues..neck/back problems, heart issues, pregnancy, motion sickness. And no, I am not saying that anyone ignored those warnings and made a bad judgement call! There are plenty of undiagnosed health issues out there that might be exacerbated by riding this attraction. An awful way to find out about an issue though.

I don't think that 6 people taken to a hospital over a period of 8 months is a huge deal. We know only that the 'survey' ended last year. It could have been at the soft opening, before they readjusted things. Add a person or two after that, with normal issues and you're up to the 6. We were there in Aug '03 when it 'officially' opened and there didn't seem to be people in obvious distress after riding.

It is the type of ride that you just can't judge how you will be affected, until you ride it. Unless you already know that you can't handle g-force and spinning rides put together. My heart goes out to that poor family. How incredibly awful to have such a thing happen, at anytime, let alone on vacation. But lets not get in an uproar about whether or not this attraction should be shut down until we find out exactly what this poor child died from.

 

[peter11435]

I was just watching our local news and the said the preliminary autopsie resulsts are in, the medical examiner said there was no pre existing medical condition detected, nor was any trauma detected.

What a sad story for this family, my heart goes out to them.

That is not true. The ME said there was no obviouse cause of death and no sign of trauma. It is not yet known if the boy had a pre-existing condition.

 

[goingbackagain]

I really feel for this family. When asked how I feel aboutthe ride - I loved it. It's one of my favorites. I've always wanted to imagine what it would be like to be in a rocket or go into outer space and it's amazing to me. I rode it 3 times in a row and didn't feel any sickness or headache at all. The same goes for 2 of my three daughters. My oldest dd is 17 and hates closed in spaces, so she opts not to ride.

 

[Zip-A-Dee-Lady]

No, i dont think its the end of MS however if a 4 yo was 44" tall (or w/e the height requirement is) i find that hard to believe....