How bad is Space Mountain?

[Grant Dogg]

Hi all,

First off, I am horrible on rides.....any spinning or drops = bad news. Even something like a tilt-a-whirl will leave me heading to the bathroom.

That being said, I did ride Dinosaur on my last trip and I read that SM is not that bad. Can anybody make a comparison of the hurl factor of SM to other Disney rides so maybe I can experiance the ride like the rest of society.

TIA

 

[Tinkerbell10403]

SM is very tame...the top speed is 30 miles and hour, and there may be one slight dip...but nothing to hurl over. The fact that it is in the dark makes it seem scarier than it really is. If you could do Dinosaur, I am sure you will be fine with Space Mountain.

 

[TinkerTracy]

Hi all,

First off, I am horrible on rides.....any spinning or drops = bad news. Even something like a tilt-a-whirl will leave me heading to the bathroom.

That being said, I did ride Dinosaur on my last trip and I read that SM is not that bad. Can anybody make a comparison of the hurl factor of SM to other Disney rides so maybe I can experiance the ride like the rest of society.

TIA

Ok the bad news is Space mountain does have some spins (corkscrews) and drops.
Honestly I would give it a shot. It's only about 2 minutes...so even if you absolutely hate it...it's over really soon.
Hurl factor-it's really not that bad...I have a weak stomach...I get nausea from riding in a car for more than an hour. I didn't get even a slight bad feeling on this ride.
I really think you'll be fine

 

[CleveRocks]

SM is very tame...the top speed is 30 miles and hour, and there may be one slight dip...but nothing to hurl over. The fact that it is in the dark makes it seem scarier than it really is. If you could do Dinosaur, I am sure you will be fine with Space Mountain.

I disagree that if you can do Dinosaur you can do SM. Dinosaur is a track ride that has some occasional quick moves and dips, but in between them is lots of slow moseying. SM isn't a big deal as far as I'm concerned, but it IS in a different league from Dinosaur. It's in constant fast motion, and has lots of twists and turns. There are no rest breaks in between the action, if you know what I mean, and that makes it different from Dinosaur. It's kind of like saying that if you can run to play baseball then you can run in a 1-mile race.

Anyway, what I was going to say to the OP was ...

There are two very different types of "hurl factors" in rides. One has to do with drops and speed, and the other has to do with spinning. As you can see by my self-made tag, I love Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. To me, the faster, the droppier, the twistier, the loopier the better for me. I've been on a lot of extreme coasters and I've never met one I didn't love. But you put me on a Tilt-A-Whirl or those teacups and I want to cry like a 4-year-old and at the same time pray I don't show everyone what I had for lunch. That constant spinning disagrees with me. I LOVE spinning in short bursts, such as a loop in a roller coaster, but constant and prolonged spinning is a high hurl-factor for me.

Mission:Space was the ultimate in rides that disagree with me. I rode it with my FIL. He chickened out of Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but on M:S he barely felt anything and tried to assure me that we never spinned at all and that it was all just a big psych-out with special effects. But one day earlier he almost fainted when he took my 5 year old son on Goofy's Barnstormer. He hated turns and drops, but spinning was no problem. I love turns and drops, but spinning makes me feel like I'll decorate my shoes.

I love roller coasters, but I don't love Space Mountain because it's on the tame side. This is one of those "is the glass half-empty or is the glass half-full" situations. To me, Space Mountain is "not that great." To you, it might be "not that bad."

And don't get me wrong, I love the theming and experience of Space Mountain, but I don't rate it highly strictly as a thrill ride.

 

[CleveRocks]

Ok the bad news is Space mountain does have some spins (corkscrews) and drops.

Really, I'm NOT trying to be a nitpicky ninny on this thread, but I do want the OP to get as clear an idea as possible.

When I hear the term "corkscrew" it makes me think of a roller coaster that spins upside down as it goes forward, like a corkscrew laying on its side. Space Mountain DOES NOT go upside down at all. Just in case the OP interprets "corkscrew" the same as I do, I didn't want him to run away screaming at the thought of going upside down. Space Mountain has a fair number of hairpin turns, but no corkscrews, at least they way I think of that term.

I totally agree with TinkerTracy that the OP should give it a try.

 

[Natalya]

I think the worst part about Space Mountain is that it is completely dark. Except for the neon you can't see anything which means that any sudden movement is very unexpected.

I loved it as a kid.

 

[lovehoney]

Space mountain is a roller coaster. It is pretty much like any steel roller coaster but it is inside and in the dark. There are lots of turns and a few steep drops. It is really fast and I think jerky. After my last ride I said I would never ride it again. Not for any hurl factor, it was just hard on my back and neck.

Having said that, I think you should experience it at least once for the theming. Even though it is an older ride, it is still pretty cool. As a previous post said it is only a 2 minute ride.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

No hurl factor, IMO, but the last couple of times I rode it, I had a pounding headache afterward. By my third ride, though, it wasn't as bad. I chalk it up to "age" and that I'm just not used to it!

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

So SM is totally in the dark? I rode BTMRR last year at night and in the day. I loved it in the day. At night I started feeling a little woozy because I couldn;t see when the drops were coming. SO I guess I'll sit out SM.

 

[Anjiebaby]

Probably because it is in the dark, Space Mountain made me so queesy that I spent the next hour reclining in a booth listening to that Space Guy Ray sing at the launching pad while my family ate dinner. Oh yeah I was also thanking my stars that we decided to have dinner after Space Mountain.

 

[tink55]

I have no problem with Dinosaur or Star Tours, which are jerky rides, but I can't handle Space Mountain. I went ONE time because I'm the mother of three boys, and it was a bonding thing. But honestly, I was praying the whole time it would be over soon... and I'm told I was screaming pretty loudly. It's dark, it's jerky, it drops, it swoops - you get the picture.

 

[ZoZo]

I think SM scares people more because it's totally dark (part of the fun, IMO!). You can't see what's coming up, so it's hard to "prepare yourself" for turns and drops. But there are no "corkscrews," so the ride does not go upside down like Rock and Roller Coaster (one of my favorite rides!).

Can you do Thunder Mountain Railroad? I think, speed-wise, it's about the same.

(I think I read in the Unofficial Guide that there's a way to see SM when it's all lit up, before the lights are turned off. Might be a good way to check it out beforehand. Does someone know if that's true?)

PS - Last time I was on SM the guy behind me was videotaping his ride! Just from a safety standpoint, I think that's awful - what if the camera came out of his hand and hit someone behind him at 30 mph? Crazy people.

 

[bluejasmine]

I loved SM as a teenager rode it over and over. I did it last trip with the kids..Dont think I want to do it again..lol In the scale of hurl rollercoasters I dont think its much but what bothered me was how jerky it was, I was so scared I guess I held myself still and then all that jerkin around I was sore by the time I got off.. I do agree you should try it atleast once. Its max speed is 25 acorrding to the WDW special I saw on Travel Channel and there is only one big drop but not as big as Splash, its alot of turns.

 

[Melwood23]

I rode SM at Disneyland back in 99. I swore I wouldn't go on it, but several friends convinced me it was a easy ride....




I was queasy for 3 days!!

But yet I can ride Dinosaur with no problem! So each person reacts diff.

I also love Test Track and Big Thunder. Apparently my problem with SM is that it is Dark, and when the car goes one way, my eyes go a diff direction, and I am done for.... because of that past experience, I won't do EE either.

 

[kittythepoohbear]

I am a big ride chicken who finally got the courage to go on SM last year, so I understand wanting to know the details before hand. I found SM to pretty much be BTMRR in the dark - a few smaller drops (nothing near Splash Mountain) with a lot of quick Test Track type turns. There was a drop near the end of the ride that caught me by surprise, but it still wasn't too bad. As other posters have mentioned, it really depends on what gets you sick - drops or turns. I hate drops and love to spin, so these rides are fine by me. But if the turning, spinning sensation makes you ill, you might want to reconsider.

 

[Dan Murphy]

.....(I think I read in the Unofficial Guide that there's a way to see SM when it's all lit up, before the lights are turned off. Might be a good way to check it out beforehand. Does someone know if that's true?).....

If you ride the TTA when SM happens to be down for repairs or what have you, you will seethe inside with the lights on as the TTA goes through SM.

Also............

http://www.mouseplanet.com/mark/mg050706gm.htm

Two complete and separate tracks, only one here is highlighted. Both are identical except for one being a few feet longer so as to pass over/under (no sure which) the other

http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/images/trkwdwspace.jpg

Also, there is some ambient light in there, you can sort of make the track out a bit, and it does seem to vary at times, a bit brighter/darker. If you keep your eyes closed as you pass through the initial light tunnel, your eyes will better be accustomed to the dark and you will better be able to see, if you are interested in that, LOL.

 

[sammons70]

I wouldn't recommend Space Mountain to you. For me, the concern is a hurl concern as it is a sore neck. On our recent trip, we rode Splash Mountain, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Rock N' Roller Coaster, Test Track, and Dinosaur. I was a little dizzy after Rock N' Roller Coaster, but I managed to ride it 3 times ( I love Aerosmith music). The only ride that gave me any physical discomfort was Space Mountain. My neck was sore after this ride jerked me around. The World has the older, original version of Space Mountain. DisneyLand closed and remodeled their Space Mountain which is now a much smoother ride. Hopefully, DisneyWorld will soon do the same thing.

 

[sammons70]

I wouldn't recommend Space Mountain to you. For me, the concern isn't so much a hurl concern as it is a sore neck. On our recent trip, we rode Splash Mountain, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Rock N' Roller Coaster, Test Track, and Dinosaur. I was a little dizzy after Rock N' Roller Coaster, but I managed to ride it 3 times ( I love Aerosmith music). The only ride that gave me any physical discomfort was Space Mountain. My neck was sore after this ride jerked me around. The World has the older, original version of Space Mountain. DisneyLand closed and remodeled their Space Mountain which is now a much smoother ride. Hopefully, DisneyWorld will soon do the same thing.

 

[Gizmo1951]

When I rode Space Mountain I was sick for the rest of the day.
I have no problem with Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror
But Space Mountain never again!