Help me with my fear of Splash Mountain

[larryz]

Look deeply into my eyes...

..............iiiiii.........................iiiiii...................

Listen carefully and repeat after me:

I am no longer afraid of Splash Mountain.
I am no longer afraid of Splash Mountain.
I am no longer afraid of ...

Hey! You're not looking into my eyes any more...I can't help you if you won't follow my instructions... sigh.

Let's start again. You know what to say this time.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

I think it all stems from my fear of heights. The last time I rode it was 1995!!! I was on my honeymoon and I cannot forget the awful feeling of my behind leaving my seat as we went over the edge.
(I closed my eyes and was sure I was a goner.)

I know I'm crazy and its perfectly safe. So, I added it to our FP+ reservations for my DD (8) and I for our upcoming trip. Then went to bed and of course, dreamt that my (very light, skinny) DD flew out.

Talk some sense in me. Is the ride different now??? How do the law of physics make this ride perfectly safe???

The water really does smell bad.

 

[CarrieR]

Screaming makes things less scary. Also, the laws of physics mean you're not leaving that boat unless you willfully climb out.

A word of caution, though. In addition to the big, visible drop, there are a few smaller drops inside the mountain. None are bad, but there is a roller-coaster style double-dip (I believe into the laughing place.) For me, that is way more tummy-flip-inducing and airtime-y than the large drop. (It's consequently my favorite part of the ride!!) If you can clear that part, you're home free.

 

[ErinInCT]

I read that if you sit in the front the drop is not as bad since the rear has to catch up and by the time the rear catches up you are already partially down the hill. I read the "least scary" is in front during the day, next least scary is front at night, then back in the day and scariest is the back at night. I hope this helps. I plan to sit in the front when I do it with dd11 (if I can convince her to do it, cuz she is scared too). If I remember I'll come back and post (I'll be going next week). Even if it is not true somehow I feel better thinking that the logic makes sense! Can anyone else confirm this (who has gone on multiple times in different seats at different times of day/night)?

 

[kollerbear]

So many people miss out on the absolutely gorgeous scenes in this ride just because of the final drop. While it can be daunting, remember that the final drop is only 45 degrees (or 47, depending on who you ask). Take out a protractor, and you will see what a fairly gentle slope that actually is, very similar to the playground slides of our youth. Nothing to worry about at all, and the ride is SO worth the 3 seconds at the end.

I was just going to say this!! The only angles that you actually perceive this ride from clearly are straight on when viewing it, and from the top, when you're on it. This is intentional, of course--Disney wants you to believe it's a super scary ride!! It looks like it's REALLY steep!!! But 45 degrees is not very steep at all! Put your arm at a 45 degree angle. That's not so bad, right? You're just sliding down a ramp like a kid slides down a slide. Brace your legs if you need to to feel more secure as you're going down, hold onto the lap bar really tightly, scream, close your eyes if you have to, and it's over SO quickly!!

 

[kollerbear]

Oh, and remember-- it's not THE drop until you can see the sky above you up ahead. It's easy to get scared at all of the little drops along the way, don't let yourself get too worked up the whole ride through!!

 

[k5thbeatle]

I too have a fear of this attraction although my fear is slightly different. My fear is everything on the attraction will be in perfect working order and I'll go into shock!!!

 

[FortWildernessCamper]

Just scream!!! I won't go near a roller coaster and I work at Hershey Park during its season! Splash Mountain and Everest are my favorite rides...they have that Disney Majic. Just scream. Believe me it helps.

 

[JFox]

I don't like this ride but not because it's scary, because I don't like smelling like dirty water all day.

 

[caroline1851]

Well....I HATE the big drop. I mean, HATE IT. SO MUCH. But......it's one of my son's favorite rides and the rest of it is so enjoyable that we rode it 4 times on our last trip. Focus on the fun part of it...the first 8 minutes or so and then just hold your stomach tight and suffer through the 3-5 second drop.

 

[BalooPA]

Oh, and remember that the angle is exactly the same as the drop in Pirates!

 

[AdrenalineLoather]

No, no one could pay me to do something with ANY drops. I won’t even try it. Not even if you gave my a lottery ticket with the winning numbers on them. NOPE NOP E NOPE!!! I know my limits! I don’t even enjoy the drop feeling from the Pirates Of The Carribean Ride or when a Car goes down roads.

Nope, not doing Space Mountain either. I don’t do any roller coasters period. Not even willing to try one.

I have an EXTREME fear of heights, speed and darkness and I am not willing to even try to overcome them because I feel that fears only need to be faced and conquered when they interfere with something mandatory such as working a job, going to the doctor and dentist etc.

There’s no reason why fears involving any sort of entertainment and amusement needs to be challenged or overcome.

I’ll just do what I already like and enjoy instead.

I’m not down for and have no interest in new experiences, people or foods etc.

I’m not willing to ever leave my comfort zone for anyone or anything.

I LOATHE all forms of adrenaline and excitement.

The ONLY rides I like and am willing to go on are the slow ones such as Never Land, Snow White, etc. The ones that just slowly move around and recap the movies.

Not wasting my money and time on stuff I hate and will just ruin the rest of my day and sour my mood.

And I would never make or even encourage a child to do anything they don’t want to do if it’s not a necessary thing.

I don’t even like the small drop in Pirates Of The Carribean and when a car goes down a road that dips.

No one could pay me to ride this. Not even for a winning lottery ticket. NOPE NOPE NOPE!!!

 

[AdrenalineLoather]

Here's the beauty of Splash Mountain. When you pee your pants out of fear you just say "darn water splashed over the side into my lap" and nobody will ever know.

Seriously, though. Splash Mountain is, by far, my favorite ride at WDW. And it's not because of the drop. The story-telling, music, and just plain ride enjoyment are through the roof. So here's my help to you: yes, the drop may be scary. Yes you may lose your stomach. But the 8 minutes of awesomeness is worth 5 seconds of discomfort/fear.

As for the physics ask someone else. But I know they added lap bars a few years ago, so that may help your fear.

No, no one could pay me to do something with ANY drops. I won’t even try it. Not even if you gave my a lottery ticket with the winning numbers on them. NOPE NOP E NOPE!!! I know my limits! I don’t even enjoy the drop feeling from the Pirates Of The Carribean Ride or when a Car goes down roads.

Nope, not doing Space Mountain either. I don’t do any roller coasters period. Not even willing to try one.

I have an EXTREME fear of heights, speed and darkness and I am not willing to even try to overcome them because I feel that fears only need to be faced and conquered when they interfere with something mandatory such as working a job, going to the doctor and dentist etc.

There’s no reason why fears involving any sort of entertainment and amusement needs to be challenged or overcome.

I’ll just do what I already like and enjoy instead.

I’m not down for and have no interest in new experiences, people or foods etc.

I’m not willing to ever leave my comfort zone for anyone or anything.

I LOATHE all forms of adrenaline and excitement.

The ONLY rides I like and am willing to go on are the slow ones such as Never Land, Snow White, etc. The ones that just slowly move around and recap the movies.

Not wasting my money and time on stuff I hate and will just ruin the rest of my day and sour my mood.

And I would never make or even encourage a child to do anything they don’t want to do if it’s not a necessary thing.

I don’t even like the small drop in Pirates Of The Carribean and when a car goes down a road that dips.

No one could pay me to ride this. Not even for a winning lottery ticket. NOPE NOPE NOPE!!!

 

[AdrenalineLoather]

I think it all stems from my fear of heights. The last time I rode it was 1995!!! I was on my honeymoon and I cannot forget the awful feeling of my behind leaving my seat as we went over the edge.
(I closed my eyes and was sure I was a goner.)

I know I'm crazy and its perfectly safe. So, I added it to our FP+ reservations for my DD (8) and I for our upcoming trip. Then went to bed and of course, dreamt that my (very light, skinny) DD flew out.

Talk some sense in me. Is the ride different now??? How do the law of physics make this ride perfectly safe???

Here's the beauty of Splash Mountain. When you pee your pants out of fear you just say "darn water splashed over the side into my lap" and nobody will ever know.

Seriously, though. Splash Mountain is, by far, my favorite ride at WDW. And it's not because of the drop. The story-telling, music, and just plain ride enjoyment are through the roof. So here's my help to you: yes, the drop may be scary. Yes you may lose your stomach. But the 8 minutes of awesomeness is worth 5 seconds of discomfort/fear.

As for the physics ask someone else. But I know they added lap bars a few years ago, so that may help your fear.

Disney is not in the business of killing their guests. Flying out of the seat is physically impossible. The only reason the lap bars are there now is to prevent idiots from standing up during the ride.

You know that it is safe but are still afraid, so we can't help you. Only you can help you. You have created this fear. You can destroy it. Just decide that you are no longer going to let irrational fear rule your actions.

DVCcurious says it very well: Splash Mountain is a fantastic attraction with great scenery, animatronics, terrific music, and is a total piece of cake except for that last drop. The drop is a little on the intense side, it lasts only a matter of seconds (three maybe?) and you can close your eyes if you want.

I should add: Years ago I was afraid to ride RNRC. My husband looked me straight in the eye and said, "Get on the damn ride - it's not going to kill you." He was 100% right.

The fact that it is scary is supposed to be part of the fun. Any you know it is safe....the flume can't fall any faster or slower than you...it is only your sense of equilibrium that makes you feel like you are floating.
But even bigger....there are lap bars now, right?? There weren't before. What could be safer??

The best thing you can do when you take that last plunge is just relax....easier said then done, but this was not one of my favorite rides, but I learned to relax and it makes it much much better.

I can understand the fear. I was like that for RNRC, Test Track, & even Soarin. You logically know nothing will happen but you just can't get past the fear part. I gotcha. This year was different for me though, I decided to go on all of those. I wasn't going to miss out on prime memory opportunities with my son, & I certainly wasn't going to inadvertently transfer an unreasonable fear to him. He shouldn't live with these fears, so that meant I needed to buck up. Think from your DD's perspective. What from your example is she learning? Kids pick up on everything you do, not what you say. Now for me, I found a 1/2 an Ativan & 2 Bonine about 20 mins before a ride I was REALLY worried about did the trick. Might help you too. In all seriousness though, the ride is computer controlled the entire way through the track. The log cannot go faster than the computer is programmed to allow it. The boat is attached to the track & will not come off. Unless your very thin daughter sits with a very large person so the bar doesn't reach her lap, then she's not coming out of the log (btw the CMs would check to make sure the bar goes down far enough). You don't need to worry about any of that.

This is good. I'm feeling better already. I'm so happy about the lap bar... whether I need it or not.

This is going to be the year. After 20 years of fearing it I'm just going to do it. And try to sound convincing when I tell my DD that's it'll be fine. I think I'll quote you Alesia, "Disney is not in the business of killing their guests." LOL

Inside Out has made us all smarter and braver.

With FP you hopefully won't have to wait in line. I had 1/2 a Xanax and I walked right on. Otherwise I couldn't have done it. It was a blast. I really enjoyed it.

Just hold on and close your eyes. That feeling is over so fast. Like others have said, the ride is worth those few seconds of feeling that way.

I'm following so you can come back and update with your ride photo!!

Don't miss it-it's such a good ride. And the drop is over in 3 seconds. Don't let that 3 seconds make you miss out on the rest of the ride!

I hate that fricken ride with a passion. We went on it last January and I swear I will never go on it again. Sorry I can't help, I know it's perfectly safe but I just hate it.

I think if you hold on to the bar with both hands and brace your feet hard against the ground it will help you feel less like you're flying out of your seat. Good luck!

This is one of my absolute favorite rides... The story telling, animatronics, long length and small drops. It is really much more fun than scary. When I was a kid, the big dropped looked huge to me lol. It really is not that bad and is a lot of fun. It has been 10 years since you rode it so you never know, it might turn into your favorite! And the lap bars will ease the fear a little, I think.

I'm 6'2", 250lbs and I rode with my 4 year old who was 40.5" and 38lbs and he didn't fly out, so you'll be just fine. FYI, he rode on it 3 times over 2 days, so there's even a decent sample size.
Also, my 7 year old, who is a bit afraid of heights, decided to concentrate on the story as he went along and got so into it that after the final drop, his first comment was "So, I'm going to need to ride this again because I think I missed a few things."

It is one of our favorite rides! When we went in January, we were able to ride it 3x in a row one day, normal line, no waiting! It's just a fun ride-the animatronics, the story....it is different than a lot of other rides. Give it a try, you might love it!

Oh, and remember that the angle is exactly the same as the drop in Pirates!

No, no one could pay me to do something with ANY drops. I won’t even try it. Not even if you gave my a lottery ticket with the winning numbers on them. NOPE NOP E NOPE!!! I know my limits! I don’t even enjoy the drop feeling from the Pirates Of The Carribean Ride or when a Car goes down roads.

Nope, not doing Space Mountain either. I don’t do any roller coasters period. Not even willing to try one.

I have an EXTREME fear of heights, speed and darkness and I am not willing to even try to overcome them because I feel that fears only need to be faced and conquered when they interfere with something mandatory such as working a job, going to the doctor and dentist etc.

There’s no reason why fears involving any sort of entertainment and amusement needs to be challenged or overcome.

I’ll just do what I already like and enjoy instead.

I’m not down for and have no interest in new experiences, people or foods etc.

I’m not willing to ever leave my comfort zone for anyone or anything.

I LOATHE all forms of adrenaline and excitement.

The ONLY rides I like and am willing to go on are the slow ones such as Never Land, Snow White, etc. The ones that just slowly move around and recap the movies.

Not wasting my money and time on stuff I hate and will just ruin the rest of my day and sour my mood.

And I would never make or even encourage a child to do anything they don’t want to do if it’s not a necessary thing.

I don’t even like the small drop in Pirates Of The Carribean and when a car goes down a road that dips.

No one could pay me to ride this. Not even for a winning lottery ticket. NOPE NOPE NOPE!!!

 

[AdrenalineLoather]

There's a lap bar at the wdw ride? There isn't one at DL last week and even though I know it's physics, I still like to think it was my death grip on my 5 yr old DS that held him into the seat in front of me. I wish they had lap bars at DL?

My only advice to OP is to hold on tight and enjoy. It's scary but the ride is worth that 3(?) second drop.

I hate it as well! (the drop)

Millions of people have been on Splash Mountain. Not one person has ever flown out. I'm sure you realize that Disney wouldn't operate the ride if that were in any way possible. The lap bar isn't there because it was possible for people to fly out without it. Occasionally, some teenager would think it was funny to climb out of the ride vehicle, which would stop the ride and require it to be reset.

The 'drop' isn't really a drop. It's just a ramp that you slide down, a taller, longer version of the little ramp in Pirates.

While I will agree that it won't kill you, I can't talk you into riding it. Somehow I wound up on that awful boat 2 times on my last trip. NEVER AGAIN!

I was so afraid of that drop that I didn't ride SM in ten trips to Disneyworld. This trip my kids were older and there were four of us, so we committed to riding everything at least once. I loved it! The anticipation was the worst part. Just go for it and have fun!

To me it's always one that you don't realize how much there really is to it until you go on it again. The drop really isn't bad at all

I adore Splash Mountain! My favorite ride in Disney World. The beauty of it for me is, it's the most relaxing ride in the park, aside from three seconds of sheer adrenaline (such a great rush!) then it's relaxing again .

Here's a trick our family used on our kids. Since the ride photo is a the top of the drop, we all focus on a funny pose for the camera . . . it gets your mind off the fall. Last time I pretended to be asleep, my wife acted bored out her mind and the boys acted overly excited. Before you realize it, the drop is over. It works!

I just started going down with both hands up in the air. It took me a few times to even try one hand. Now I'm both arms up.


Baby steps.

OP: Splash is one of my favorite rides in the World. I don't like the big drop as well but it is over very quickly. It is a joke in my family as when we all ride it I like to get the picture but my face is always full of fear so it never turns out good, lol.

I know that horrible feeling of feeling like you're going to fly out. That's why I place my legs as far forward as possible and plant my feet as firmly as possible on the floor stretched out. Then I start counting-"One one thousand two one thousand". By the end of "two one thousand" we've splashed at the bottom. See what a scardy cat I am! But I love the ride now.

Think of it as a large slide. You are just going on a large slide. I am more concerned that I am going to get too wet! So I brace my legs and duck.

Find a good therapist!

I am still somewhat apprehensive of large drops, but what I found is that if you sit in the back of the flume, scream loud and DON't close your eyes it is much better.

So many people miss out on the absolutely gorgeous scenes in this ride just because of the final drop. While it can be daunting, remember that the final drop is only 45 degrees (or 47, depending on who you ask). Take out a protractor, and you will see what a fairly gentle slope that actually is, very similar to the playground slides of our youth. Nothing to worry about at all, and the ride is SO worth the 3 seconds at the end.

Didn't I read that it was also added because some people would get so freaked out at the thought of that drop that they would climb out because they couldn't go through with it?

I rode splash mountain with my (tall) 3.5 year old DS on one side and my 6 year old on the other. We all had a great time and no one fell out

When I was young, my brother took me to Rye Playland. His advice to me before going on the big coaster was to hold my breath going down, because the pressure on your stomach keeps things from sloshing around and getting nauseous. That's always worked for me.

Though now that I think about it, I wonder if he just said it to keep me from screaming in his ear. I wouldn't put it past him. That's what big brother's are like.

BTW, I'm surprised to see that Playland is still in business, including that old wooden coaster.

I love, love, love Splash Mountain. I look at the castle just before the fall, it's beautiful at night. A few times we caught the fireworks during the ride. Just pure Disney fun....look for the castle...it's awesome!

No, no one could pay me to do something with ANY drops. I won’t even try it. Not even if you gave my a lottery ticket with the winning numbers on them. NOPE NOP E NOPE!!! I know my limits! I don’t even enjoy the drop feeling from the Pirates Of The Carribean Ride or when a Car goes down roads.

Nope, not doing Space Mountain either. I don’t do any roller coasters period. Not even willing to try one.

I have an EXTREME fear of heights, speed and darkness and I am not willing to even try to overcome them because I feel that fears only need to be faced and conquered when they interfere with something mandatory such as working a job, going to the doctor and dentist etc.

There’s no reason why fears involving any sort of entertainment and amusement needs to be challenged or overcome.

I’ll just do what I already like and enjoy instead.

I’m not down for and have no interest in new experiences, people or foods etc.

I’m not willing to ever leave my comfort zone for anyone or anything.

I LOATHE all forms of adrenaline and excitement.

The ONLY rides I like and am willing to go on are the slow ones such as Never Land, Snow White, etc. The ones that just slowly move around and recap the movies.

Not wasting my money and time on stuff I hate and will just ruin the rest of my day and sour my mood.

And I would never make or even encourage a child to do anything they don’t want to do if it’s not a necessary thing.

I don’t even like the small drop in Pirates Of The Carribean and when a car goes down a road that dips.

No one could pay me to ride this. Not even for a winning lottery ticket. NOPE NOPE NOPE!!!

 

[AdrenalineLoather]

Look deeply into my eyes...

..............iiiiii.........................iiiiii...................

Listen carefully and repeat after me:

I am no longer afraid of Splash Mountain.
I am no longer afraid of Splash Mountain.
I am no longer afraid of ...

Hey! You're not looking into my eyes any more...I can't help you if you won't follow my instructions... sigh.

Let's start again. You know what to say this time.

The water really does smell bad.

Screaming makes things less scary. Also, the laws of physics mean you're not leaving that boat unless you willfully climb out.

A word of caution, though. In addition to the big, visible drop, there are a few smaller drops inside the mountain. None are bad, but there is a roller-coaster style double-dip (I believe into the laughing place.) For me, that is way more tummy-flip-inducing and airtime-y than the large drop. (It's consequently my favorite part of the ride!!) If you can clear that part, you're home free.

I read that if you sit in the front the drop is not as bad since the rear has to catch up and by the time the rear catches up you are already partially down the hill. I read the "least scary" is in front during the day, next least scary is front at night, then back in the day and scariest is the back at night. I hope this helps. I plan to sit in the front when I do it with dd11 (if I can convince her to do it, cuz she is scared too). If I remember I'll come back and post (I'll be going next week). Even if it is not true somehow I feel better thinking that the logic makes sense! Can anyone else confirm this (who has gone on multiple times in different seats at different times of day/night)?

I was just going to say this!! The only angles that you actually perceive this ride from clearly are straight on when viewing it, and from the top, when you're on it. This is intentional, of course--Disney wants you to believe it's a super scary ride!! It looks like it's REALLY steep!!! But 45 degrees is not very steep at all! Put your arm at a 45 degree angle. That's not so bad, right? You're just sliding down a ramp like a kid slides down a slide. Brace your legs if you need to to feel more secure as you're going down, hold onto the lap bar really tightly, scream, close your eyes if you have to, and it's over SO quickly!!

Oh, and remember-- it's not THE drop until you can see the sky above you up ahead. It's easy to get scared at all of the little drops along the way, don't let yourself get too worked up the whole ride through!!

I too have a fear of this attraction although my fear is slightly different. My fear is everything on the attraction will be in perfect working order and I'll go into shock!!!

Just scream!!! I won't go near a roller coaster and I work at Hershey Park during its season! Splash Mountain and Everest are my favorite rides...they have that Disney Majic. Just scream. Believe me it helps.

I don't like this ride but not because it's scary, because I don't like smelling like dirty water all day.

Oh, and remember that the angle is exactly the same as the drop in Pirates!

No, no one could pay me to do something with ANY drops. I won’t even try it. Not even if you gave my a lottery ticket with the winning numbers on them. NOPE NOP E NOPE!!! I know my limits! I don’t even enjoy the drop feeling from the Pirates Of The Carribean Ride or when a Car goes down roads.

Nope, not doing Space Mountain either. I don’t do any roller coasters period. Not even willing to try one.

I have an EXTREME fear of heights, speed and darkness and I am not willing to even try to overcome them because I feel that fears only need to be faced and conquered when they interfere with something mandatory such as working a job, going to the doctor and dentist etc.

There’s no reason why fears involving any sort of entertainment and amusement needs to be challenged or overcome.

I’ll just do what I already like and enjoy instead.

I’m not down for and have no interest in new experiences, people or foods etc.

I’m not willing to ever leave my comfort zone for anyone or anything.

I LOATHE all forms of adrenaline and excitement.

The ONLY rides I like and am willing to go on are the slow ones such as Never Land, Snow White, etc. The ones that just slowly move around and recap the movies.

Not wasting my money and time on stuff I hate and will just ruin the rest of my day and sour my mood.

And I would never make or even encourage a child to do anything they don’t want to do if it’s not a necessary thing.

I don’t even like the small drop in Pirates Of The Carribean and when a car goes down a road that dips.

No one could pay me to ride this. Not even for a winning lottery ticket. NOPE NOPE NOPE!!!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Zombie thread. Closed