How's FOP for seniors?

[mousestruck]

I'm getting ready for FP day! My father and his companion (both 74) will be joining my family for one of our AK days. I'm wondering if FOP would be too rigorous for them. Neither has mobility problems or serious health issues, but it may take a little effort to climb aboard and I'm not sure how "rough" it is.

My Dad doesn't like most roller coasters (though he'll do Thunder Mountainside and likes Test Track) and he doesn't like heights very much (though he really likes Soarin'), so I'm a little torn.

Anyone ride FOP with seniors -- and did they enjoy it? I know it really depends on the individual, but wondering if others can share their experiences. I could try for Navi River instead with them, and then do FOP on our 2nd AK day -- but I hate to deprive them of an awesome ride without careful consideration.

Thoughts appreciated!

 

[ErinsMommy]

i think like you said it will depend on the individual. i heard its like Soarin on steroids, so if they like Big Thunder Mountain they should be ok. Some have compared the jerkiness to Star Tours. If they do good on that one too, it shouldn't be a problem! Have fun!

 

[erionm]

Some have compared the jerkiness to Star Tours.

FoP may have more movement than Soarin', but nothing close to the jerkiness of Star Tours.

 

[Gorechick]

Try checking out YouTube videos of the ride. Might give you some idea of what it is like.

 

[ErinsMommy]

There's no comparison between the movement of Star Tours and FoP. FoP's movement is more like like Soarin'.

Maybe I was mistaken as I thought I read a few reviews that compared the jerkiness of it to Star Tours - and "Soarin on steroids".

 

[erionm]

Maybe I was mistaken as I thought I read a few reviews that compared the jerkiness of it to Star Tours - and "Soarin on steroids".

The movement may be somewhere between those two, but does not have the jerkiness of Star Tours.

 

[loves to dive]

It's not as easy at Soarin but not half as bad as Star Tours. I'm 60 and very active my problems were: the glasses are very big so they wouldn't stay on my head, I had to hold them with one hand the whole time, you do feel sort of like you are flying so having one hand off the handlebars was a little disconcerting even though I knew we were firmly on the ground. Getting on and off the vehicle is no problem. I don't see well close up and wear reading glasses but not glasses all the time. The distance to the screen was just the right distance that with or without my glasses it was little fuzzy. I have bad reflux and you have to lean into the ride, having it pressed against my sternum the entire time caused issues. The second time we rode it, I leaned back a bit while they were setting the vehicle so when it was done I wasn't pressing against it so that wasn't so bad. I'm not sure if it was the problem with the glasses or the problem with my eyes but I got off a little woozy, not sick but definitely felt it.

 

[Indio]

My parents are 74 and they both rode it twice and have FP for it 2 more times in October when they go. They loved it! We even left the hotel one night at 11:30 and went to EMH at Animal Kingdom just to ride FOP because it only had a 60 minute wait. If they are healthy and active, they should be fine.

 

[SeeDisney]

I read a couple of times that people in the 80s did fine with this ride. Just be sure they are healthy, active, no concerning medical issues.

 

[NH-to-FL]

I'm 67 with a bad back, a bit of a fear of heights, don't like roller coasters, and had no trouble with FoP. I agree with the previous comments. More motion than Soarin', less jerky than Star Tours. It is visually very intensive. The premise is that you are taking a first ride on a banshee and you are to be following the ride leader. I found it very helpful to focus my attention on the ride leader. It sort of warns you what is coming. For me this reduced the visual overload I started to experience.

If your Dad can survive BTMRR and Soarin' then I predict he will enjoy FoP. Perhaps remind them that if they start feeling overloaded to just close their eyes.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

I'm getting ready for FP day! My father and his companion (both 74) will be joining my family for one of our AK days. I'm wondering if FOP would be too rigorous for them. Neither has mobility problems or serious health issues, but it may take a little effort to climb aboard and I'm not sure how "rough" it is.

My Dad doesn't like most roller coasters (though he'll do Thunder Mountainside and likes Test Track) and he doesn't like heights very much (though he really likes Soarin'), so I'm a little torn.

Anyone ride FOP with seniors -- and did they enjoy it? I know it really depends on the individual, but wondering if others can share their experiences. I could try for Navi River instead with them, and then do FOP on our 2nd AK day -- but I hate to deprive them of an awesome ride without careful consideration.

Thoughts appreciated!

We just returned a couple of weeks ago. My dad (74) rode FoP with no problems. A couple of years ago he had a heart attack, but with stints now in place, his cardiologist has given him the green light to continue life as usual. He has no mobility problems. His favourite rides are Tower of Terror and Soarin'. He likes Test Track too. He can't do Big Thunder, Star Tours or tea cups as they cause him motion sickness. He had no problems at all on FoP. I was a bit worried and gave him a non-drowsy gravol/drammamine to take about an hour before we rode. I am so glad he did it because he loved it! Next year we will definitely ride again. It is an amazing ride - the description of 'Soarin' on steriods' is how we felt about it too. It is an awesome ride. Good luck with your trip