Disneyland Matterhorn and Space Mountain similar to BTMR?

[Cinerama261]

I'm not much of a roller coaster rider but BTMR was OK. Is the Matterhorn and /or Space Mountain similar with no big drops?

 

[starshine514]

As far as drops go, yes, they are similar. My DD5 loves BTMRR and the Matterhorn. She doesn't like Space because it's dark (not because it's such a wild coaster). My dad experiences nausea on Space because he can't see where he's going.

 

[Geemo]

BTMR and Space Mt are smoother on the track. In SM it's hard to brace yourself for some of the turns because of the darkness. The speed of both rides seems the same to me.

Matterhorn's ride is rough and jerky around some of the turns.

However, people are still smiling when they come off the rides.

 

[starshine514]

Matterhorn's ride is rough and jerky around some of the turns.

The Fantasyland side is smoother than the Tomorrowland side. I'm curious what affect the new bobsleds will have on the ride.

 

[Huff]

Space Mountain has no large drops. It's fairly flat all the way. The track moves up a conventional chain lift. At the top it turns to the left and continues up a 2nd smaller lift. On the ride up the 2nd lift you will hear a count down 10...9..8..etc. At 0 there is no sudden drop but your car turns to the left and begins picking up speed. Overall speed of SM is only 28mph I believe but lights and effects give the illusion of moving a bit faster. SM is a dark ride with sound in the car and effects above showing galaxies, stars etc. Very cool ride but not a high thrill type coaster at all. If you can handle BTMR then SM should be no trouble.

Matterhorn also is a rather tame coaster. There are no major drops at all, just small dips similar to BTMR. It is however very rough. Kids love it, adults get off aching!!

 

[SeattleRedBear]

At DLR, the only roller coaster that has a big drop is California screamin at DCA.

 

[pixiewings71]

If you stop by the gallery and wander through that you'll find a model of Space Mtn, it shows the various speeds you hit on each section of track as well as showing you what it actually looks like with the lights up. Of course it's a model so it's a little different but it's neat to look at. IIRC the top speed I saw was about 30 mph, but it's been a while since I looked at it so that might be different now.

 

[SilentFeline]

As long as you understand that the roller coasters are only similar as far as drops, you should be fine. The actual riding experiences are completely different. I'm a roller coaster fanatic but I don't like the Matterhorn because the last time I went on it I felt like I was going to fly out. I haven't heard anyone else with that complaint though, so maybe I'm just weird. I think lap bars are being installed as part of the refurbishment, so this shouldn't be a problem for you anyway. I may have liked the ride more if it had lap bars at the time. BTMR was fun, but it got a bit boring after I went on it several times (same with Screamin'). Space Mountain is special to me. It was the first roller coaster I ever went on and it's my favorite DLR ride to this day. However, as others have mentioned, it's very dark and you can't see where you're going, so don't go on it if you think that will bother you. If you think it will help, you can find POV videos on YouTube of the Matterhorn and Space Mountain.

 

[Eeee-va]

Just reaffirming what others have said (and I don't care for drops!). The track on Space Mountain is fairly tame, but since it is in the dark, it really does a number on some people. If you listen to the soundtrack, it will let you know what to expect. (There are a few small dips, but nothing bad (less stomach-jarring than Pirates of the Caribbean, IMO) and like I said, the soundtrack warns you.)

I think the new cars will probably make the Matterhorn smoother. (And yes, SilentFeline, if you were in one of the old cars alone, there was WAY too much room and it was kind of uncomfortable!) The only other possible problem I can think of for the Matterhorn is if you are deathly afraid of heights...but I'm afraid of heights and I'm OK on it. The drops are minimal.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

Not a huge roller coaster fan, but I like the Matterhorn and BTMR.

Finally got up the nerve on our last trip to ride Space Mountain in order to see if I thought my wife and 7 year old daughter could handle it (fyi, I'm 39).

From about 10 seconds in, until the end of the ride, all I could think was "somebody please kill me now". I absolutely hated it and felt like I was going to be sick the whole time, notwithstanding that it's about the same level of coaster as the other two. Something about the sharp turns and being in the dark really got to me.