How extreme is Space Mountain?!

[AllieMallie]

The only way that I could convince dbf to go to WDW with me is to promise him that I would ride space mountain with him. Now, i am quite possibly the biggest roller coaster scaredy-cat that's ever lived. He tried to appease me by saying that since this ride is in the dark, it really isn't that bad. Should i believe him? I'm counting on you guys to set me straight. I'm actually really dreading this ride . I'm still secretly hoping that he'll forget about this but i doubt it. Help me please, I need sme insight.

Ah the things I will do for a Disney vacation.

 

[jpgpmpcp]

DD - age 11 - rode Space Mountain for the first time in March. She loved it and rode two times in one day and one more time on our 2nd day at MK. Yes, it goes fast and is in the dark. Go for it...if all else fails, clothes your eyes and scream until it is over!!!

 

[DOOM1001]

It's a typical rollercoaster from the 1970's you might see at a county fair,what sets it apart is that it's in the dark which makes it feel much more extreme than what it is.I love the ride,one of my favorite rides in all of WDW,plus now there's a soundtrack to listen to as you ride.

 

[julirina]

As coasters go, it's not bad at all...quite tame. The darkness actually adds to the thrill factor because you don't know what's around the next bend. Check out some youtube videos if you really want to prepare yourself. And good for you for honoring your end of the bargain! You'll be fine.

 

[cyndiloveswalt]

It actually only goes 25 MPH, if that helps

 

[Geoff_M]

Keep in mind it was built in the 1970's. It's not "intense" at all compared to more modern coasters. There are no big drops (only one moderate one in the middle of the ride. The rest are just sharp turns and dips and climbs like you'd find in a good state fair midway coaster. If it were all in the light instead of the dark, it would be a pretty weak coaster.

 

[AllieMallie]

Are there pretty steep drops? Funny enough, i'm ok with log/water rides with drops because there's only typically one major one per ride. Roller coasters on the other hand? Scaryyyyy.

Now having said that, i'm also teying to muster the courage to ride ToT during this trip too. Which one of those two rides would you say is more extreme?

 

[tchrrx]

Honestly, it's my least favorite of all of the 'thrill' rides. It is way too jerky and rough for me.

 

[BearcatsFan]

I am NOT a fan of roller coasters ... but I LOVE Space Mountain! Yes, it was scary the first time, as in white-as-a-sheet scary because I guess I was the only idiot who didn't know it was in the dark. As you can see, I survived. I think the darkness does make it more intense than it actually is, but I find it great fun. I recommend not riding in the back - it does tend to get just a tiny bit of "air".

Good luck, and go you for agreeing to do it!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Are there pretty steep drops? Funny enough, i'm ok with log/water rides with drops because there's only typically one major one per ride. Roller coasters on the other hand? Scaryyyyy.

Now having said that, i'm also teying to muster the courage to ride ToT during this trip too. Which one of those two rides would you say is more extreme?

ToT was way scarier to me.

 

[missiloveslouie]

Think "wild mouse", but in the dark. Moderate drops only

 

[delaneyc52]

Just keep telling yourself -- this ride is 2 1/2 minutes. I can do anything for 2 1/2 minutes...... It's fast, fun, dark and exciting. And .. only 2 1/2 minutes!!

 

[BearcatsFan]

Just keep telling yourself -- this ride is 2 1/2 minutes. I can do anything for 2 1/2 minutes...... It's fast, fun, dark and exciting. And .. only 2 1/2 minutes!!

LOL Love this!

 

[AllieMallie]

Just keep telling yourself -- this ride is 2 1/2 minutes. I can do anything for 2 1/2 minutes...... It's fast, fun, dark and exciting. And .. only 2 1/2 minutes!!

Hehe. Good point! 2.5 minutes of terror for five days at disney? I'll take it!

And thanks guys! You're making me feel so much better about this. I actually found a youtube vid just now of cms riding space mountain with the lights on and it doesn't look that bad. Phew!

And the ToT thing is purely my decision. I can chicken out of it if I want.

 

[North of Mouse]

I can't ride coasters anymore because of neck problems, but when I rode Space Mountain, the worse part for me was not "seeing" the next turn, so you had no way to brace yourself. So, even tho' the ride itself is not that intense, it was far worse on me than a more intense one outside. I do not enjoy TOT because I don't even like free falls and this is lots more than that as it "pulls" you down to make it MORE intense, but it does not jerk you around so it's not hard on the neck/back

 

[fairytalelover]

Well my 6 year old loves it and he has been riding it since he was 4 years old.

 

[ChristineOH]

Honestly, it's my least favorite of all of the 'thrill' rides. It is way too jerky and rough for me.

I agree. It's not very fast, and there aren't huge hills, but I found it rough. It made me nauseous. I think that was because I couldn't see, because I do like roller coasters in general. (Can't do spinning rides at all though.)

My advice... do it and ask to sit in the front where the ride will be somewhat smoother. My 9yo loved it and rode it multiple times.

 

[carolhether]

My youngest dd was 9 the first time we went to WDW. We got all the way to the end of the line at SM and she changed her mind........the rest of the family did the ride and she saw how much we loved it so she went back for another try. Guess what, she went right back on it she loved it so much!

I am 51 and could ride it all day long. Have fun whatever you decide!

 

[dkhurley]

Just like PP said, the speed stays in the 20-30 mph range the whole time. If I remember correctly, 28 is the highest it gets. It just seems very fast because of the dark.

There's no big drops. All the drops are small, just lots of bends. The only bad thing is not knowing what to expect. I ride large coasters with flips and everything with no problem, but Space Mountain still gives me a thrill because I don't know what to expect.

It's very fun and not to be feared. Check out some Youtube videos, especially with the lights on.

 

[Miss Marie]

It's like BTM in the dark and with a Space theme. Ride BTM first, maybe shut your eyes, and if you can handle that you can handle SM. The ride seems scary and fast and all that, but it only goes about 25mph and is in the dark, which enhances the feeling of speed and such. I rode it for the first time last trip without having watched any videos (I was nervous, I almost turned around when we were a few steps away from the loading dock) and I ended up having fun.

The ride isn't all that bad. But you can just barely see the outline of some of the track and I thought that my head might hit the track. And then the car suddenly swerves away. It was really fun! I had NO idea what was coming around each corner.

Space Mountain isn't as bad a RnRC or some other big bad coaster. Go ahead and try it!