How To Coach Someone Onto Thrill Rides

[LeahZ]

There is no fail-proof formula, but over the years I have found a few coaching techniques that I use with thrill-phobic personalities. With them I have coaxed quite a few of the most stubborn people in my life onto attractions they never imagined they would test.

Read more here:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/how-to-coach-someone-onto-thrill-rides-at-disney.htm

 

[CinderElsa]

You could also just respect the person's wishes & not try to browbeat them into riding something they don't want to ride.

Once we are strapped into the attraction, though, the conversation is of nothing else. I usually give a verbal commentary during the ride. "After we reach the peak of this incline, you will want to hold your breath." "We have a sharp turn up ahead." "The roughest part is over, you got that out of the way." "Oh! Look over there at the cute animatronic!"

Oh, man, there has got to be NOTHING more annoying than getting stuck in the seats adjacent to this performance.

 

[minnie mum]

You could also just respect the person's wishes & not try to browbeat them into riding something they don't want to ride.

I agree. I respect another person's right to NOT want to ride, whatever their reason or whether I agree with it. I will always offer them the option to wait at the exit while the rest of the party rides. And I would never try to bribe or coerce a child onto a ride, even if I thought they might enjoy it. If you are wrong, and they end up hating the experience, you have possibly damaged your relationship with that person. All for a silly ride?

 

[disneyvols]

sometimes age catches up with us too. i know i wouldnt dare do a drop ride now without some motion pills

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Oh, man, there has got to be NOTHING more annoying than getting stuck in the seats adjacent to this performance.

No kidding.

I agree. I respect another person's right to NOT want to ride, whatever their reason or whether I agree with it. I will always offer them the option to wait at the exit while the rest of the party rides. And I would never try to bribe or coerce a child onto a ride, even if I thought they might enjoy it. If you are wrong, and they end up hating the experience, you have possibly damaged your relationship with that person. All for a silly ride?

Thank you.

Why can't the OP just ride the ride? Why does she have to drag others on?

Something to remember, not everyone enjoys the same thing. I might enjoy a spinning ride, someone else, a ride with drops. And someone else might only want to ride the Winnie the Pooh ride. There is nothing wrong with any of those choices.

 

[wendyt_ca]

Being someone who spent years being a ride chicken and eventually going on some of the big rides on my 3rd and 4th trip to Disney I have actually pushed people who go with me to go on the rides because now I love them and regret missing out on them on those vacations. I may get there all of the time but some people don't and I don't want them missing out. I don't really drag them kicking and screaming but I do "coach" them in my own ways and tell them that they are doing it (in a fun way) and explain to them why. I explain the wait is the worst part and that the ride is never as bad as you imagine. Because these are all feelings I had too, which I tell them. I tell them if they don't like it they never need to go on it again but this way they will at least know.

My friend and I have gone together twice and she had previously been to Disney but never on the thrill rides. I told her before we left she wasn't missing out on things the next trip and to go on them at least once. We joked about it leading up to the vacation and on the vacation. She went on all of the rides and was nervous in line. But she ended up liking just about all of them (with the exception of Space Mountain and Rock N Roller coaster). And she tells me all the time how glad she is she tried them. The next vacation she went on all of them except those two and ToT several times. And she couldn't wait to go on the Hulk at Universal.

I took my 11 year old brother to Disney with me last year in May as well and I told him he just needed to try the rides once and if he didn't like them we wouldn't go again. He was fine on most of them. At Seaworld he did start to cry as we loaded onto Manta and Krackin but he rode them. I had bribed him with a toy sword to go on the Sea World rides and after Manta he was proud and asked for a shirt that had all of the facts about Manta so he can tell people back home he rode that.

So these are reasons I always give people a push. So they don't miss out on something they may and most of the time will love. If they don't like it at least they can say they did it. If you start small you can at least gauge what they can handle as well.

 

[JanaDee]

You could also just respect the person's wishes & not try to browbeat them into riding something they don't want to ride.

I agree. I respect another person's right to NOT want to ride, whatever their reason or whether I agree with it. I will always offer them the option to wait at the exit while the rest of the party rides. And I would never try to bribe or coerce a child onto a ride, even if I thought they might enjoy it. If you are wrong, and they end up hating the experience, you have possibly damaged your relationship with that person. All for a silly ride?

I agree on all counts.

 

[seshat0120]

You could also just respect the person's wishes & not try to browbeat them into riding something they don't want to ride.

Thank you!

A friend did that to me and I got on the ride just to shut her up. I HATED it. I then spent the rest of the night sick and with a headache because of going on a thrill ride I didn't want to.

Just because you may love a thrill ride does not mean everyone else will. How about a little respect for what that other person's opinion on it is?

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

You could also just respect the person's wishes & not try to browbeat them into riding something they don't want to. .

If I hadn't been peer pressured and coerced to ride a roller coaster, I assure you I would have continued life thinking roller coasters were torture devices. It obviously doesn't work for everyone but I'm glad my friends did it to me. I have loved them ever since and hate that I missed out on so many rides as a kid. My mom tried over three disney trips to get me to ride something. Obviously her (not so) peer pressure and guilt didn't work but I assure you I could have been bribed at 8 & 12 if she had thought of it. Alas it wasn't until I was about 15 that my friends succeeded.

I would just advise using ones judgement and knowing your audience. Someone afraid of elevators or tall buildings probably isn't going to like the Everest but if it's someone who has never even tried, why not see if you can convince them to go on the Barnstormer?

 

[johde]

If my mind, there is a difference between coaching or encouraging someone to ride a thrill ride and forcing them to ride. My mom was never much of a thrill ride person and most everyone in the family knew it. There was a couple of things she would do.

When Splash Mountain opened in the MK we encouraged her to ride it because she had ridden smaller log flume rides before and we knew if she could get past the couple of drops she would love the animatronics inside. We were right. She watched the boats go down counted how long it took the boats to reach the bottom then closed her eyes, and counted when the time came during the ride. It didn't become a ride she wanted to do over and over again but it was a ride she rode at least once a trip.

On the other hand, we all knew she was deathly afraid of roller coaster and for the most part didn't even bother asking her about riding them. Of course who could say no to their 4 year old grandson when they say "Grandma, will you sit next to me on Barnstormer?" She said it was the worst 15 seconds of her life. She's scared to death but doesn't want to scare her grandson. He's giggling his head off and when it finishes says "Let's do that again". She said how bout you ride with grandpa this time. The things you do for your grandkids.

 

[courtneybeth]

Thank you!

A friend did that to me and I got on the ride just to shut her up. I HATED it. I then spent the rest of the night sick and with a headache because of going on a thrill ride I didn't want to.

Just because you may love a thrill ride does not mean everyone else will. How about a little respect for what that other person's opinion on it is?

This actually happened to me with California Screaming at California Adventure. FOR YEARS I was teased and taunted by my mother and husband for being a "wuss" - so on my birthday I decided to finally shut them up and go on it. And I was so sick afterwards! Ended up having a "Grey Out" and had to go to the Disney Hospital.

The worst part? I missed my birthday dinner and spent the next two days in recovery due to equilibrium issues.

NEVER force anyone on to a ride and respect their wishes. Usually they have a reason to say "no" - respect it!

 

[BrianL]

I think the trick is to be positive and encouraging with people who are scared but considering it, like they would like to try it, but can't get past their fear. You can help them to overcome their hesitation and they will more often than not have a great time.

You never want to force anyone though and for people who just flat say "No" and are not even considering it, then just leave them be. That's when encouragement becomes pressure and it is certainly unwanted by the person who does not want to ride.

 

[Luvchefmic]

My mother was a big lover of the ocean, couldn't understand why anyone didn't feel the same. I cringed reading all those helpful hints. As the oldest in the family I replay all the younger kids in my memory going through the " torture" of ocean waves in her arms. Yeah loads of fun.

Go in the ocean, respect the ones that feel safer on the beach. Go on the rides, respect the ones who are afraid, don't care for it, whatever.

 

[MarciaBrady]

As the one and only person in my family that loves thrill rides, can I just say that some of those things don't work. At least not for my family.

Stuff I noticed:
~If the person gets motion sickness, just forget it. My dad rode Alpengeist (an inverted roller coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg), and while he says that it didn't scare him, he was sick after riding it in the front row. Oops. I think coasters without inversions might be better for someone that gets motion sick.
~If they're scared of heights-or, as in my sister's case, scared of falling from heights-try something like Rock'n'Roller Coaster where you can't tell what height you're at. Not something like Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which my sister informed me after riding in the back, felt like falling into a black hole in the first drop. (It does not feel like you're falling into a black hole, by the way. It feels like you're flying.)
~Some people hate that stomach-droppy sensation....so don't bother trying to take them on a drop tower or Griffon or Intimidator 305 or anything similar. I think it's cool, but my family hates it.

While I've convinced my sister to actually enjoy some smaller/medium sized coasters, she won't go near Griffon, Manta, Intimidator 305, drop towers, or anything else like that. I think there's a limit to how much you can "make" someone like thrill rides. I would rather ride alone than not ride at all, so if you love thrill rides and you're with a 'ride chicken' in your group, just ride alone.

Also, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't give running commentary during the ride! I've heard it before and it makes me want to barf, especially when they're not even calling the element the right name. Or are misrepresenting the ride. Once I heard a dad telling his kid that Apollo's Chariot was just like the log flume Le Scoot. UM IT IS NOT. NOT EVEN CLOSE. I don't know if that kid liked the ride afterwards or not, but that was just an out and out lie. I would have been seriously mad if I were that kid whether I'd enjoyed the ride or not.

ETA: Also, I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure holding your breath during drops isn't such a hot idea. You do that and the postive g's at the bottom of the drop might catch you off guard and it'd be hard to breathe...I said "might", I'm not positive. I think screaming is a better idea.

 

[MarciaBrady]

...

Once we are strapped into the attraction, though, the conversation is of nothing else. I usually give a verbal commentary during the ride. "After we reach the peak of this incline, you will want to hold your breath." "We have a sharp turn up ahead." "The roughest part is over, you got that out of the way." "Oh! Look over there at the cute animatronic!"

Oh, man, there has got to be NOTHING more annoying than getting stuck in the seats adjacent to this performance.

I completely agree!! I've heard it before... You can even hear it in adjacent rows sometimes.
It might scare the person being convinced to ride the ride more than the ride itself.

 

[Silock]

An easier way is to do a progression of thrills, ie. Barnstormer -> Big Thunder -> Space Mountain -> Everest -> RNRC

 

[Networth]

An easier way is to do a progression of thrills, ie. Barnstormer -> Big Thunder -> Space Mountain -> Everest -> RNRC

I would agree but stick 7DMT prior to big thunder but after Barnstormer. Also take into consideration Space Mountain is dark and not smooth.

Also I would have to disagree with one point holding your breath is the WORST possible thing you can do during a thrill ride OP. This is from my own experience and my job as someone that prescribes medication for people that have fear of flying, coasters, motion sickness. Holding your breath makes the sensation of falling worse in your GI.

In Laymen's terms this his is part of the reason why people scream and laugh or make that "woo hoo" sounds. Its a pathological response to the movement of air in the upper GI if you don't release it the sensation of "dropping" or nausea just builds up.

 

[Silock]

I would agree but stick 7DMT prior to big thunder but after Barnstormer. Also take into consideration Space Mountain is dark and not smooth.

I didn't know where to put it, as I've yet to do it.

Space Mountain is considerably tamer than it was a few years ago. Far less jerky, and slower in a lot of places because of the new trim brakes.

 

[horselover]

You could also just respect the person's wishes & not try to browbeat them into riding something they don't want to ride.

Exactly. This blog post annoys the crap out of me. If someone doesn't want to ride something respect their decision. Don't try to coax or shame them into doing it. What's fun to you might not be fun to me. So ride the ride yourself or move on to something everyone wants to experience together.

 

[eliza61]

Exactly. This blog post annoys the crap out of me. If someone doesn't want to ride something respect their decision. Don't try to coax or shame them into doing it. What's fun to you might not be fun to me. So ride the ride yourself or move on to something everyone wants to experience together.

Hey HL,

Totally with you on this. Lol my family found this out the hard way on year when the beat on me to go on rock n rollercoaster. I immediately got sick, barfed all over the exit and went back to the resort. Of course I laid on the guilt big time and everyone ended up leaving. . Lol not my finest hour.