I touched something on Space Mountain

[Schmeck]

If you sign up for the YES program at MK, you ride Space Mountain in the dark, and then with the lights on (or the other way around, I didn't get picked to chaperone that day) so you can see how 'close' the structure is for yourself.

WDW is full of stupid people, so if the stuff was really that close, we'd have heard of all kinds of lawsuits by now, wouldn't we?

 

[declansdad]

You are suppose to feel that everything is close by, that's part of the fun of the ride. Afterall, it isn't a fast rollercoaster and there are no big drops so you need to create the thrill some how.

I highly doubt that a roller coaster would be created where you could touch the structure itself while moving through theride.

 

[nytimez]

I thought this thread was going to be about something else.

Nevermind.

 

[Lynn57]

WDW is full of stupid people, so if the stuff was really that close, we'd have heard of all kinds of lawsuits by now, wouldn't we?

So true!

 

[Jennasis]

And you made this friend your avatar. How sweet.

 

[-Jody-]

You can in fact touch the bars depending on how tall you are / your arm span.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXyTPdOjWlo You'll notice how close some of the bars are, especially around 2:10.

I've never been on it with the lights on but after watching that video. I still feel like there's a couple of things I can reach out and touch, being as tall as I am.

That video made my fears even worse...lol.

 

[amandaj1014]

I thought this thread was going to be about something else.

Nevermind.

Hehe!

 

[WTP]

Yeah... of course you touched something! They built the ride so you never know if you'll hit the track above you with your hand or head. Surprise, you lost a hand! Surprise, you're decapitated!

This sounds like a great idea to get one of those 1-day passes or a handful of fastpasses. Dear guest services: I lost my head on Space Mtn...what can you give me?

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

Honestly, when you see the ride with the lights on it's rather shocking how close the tracks are to each other (side to side and above/below).

I agree!

Being a bit of a showoff (and maybe a fool) I rode Space Mountain last week with my arms in the air. I was amazed that about 1/3 of the way through the descent, one of my fingertips brushed against something. Oooops! I pulled my arms in pretty quick. I'm not talking about the tunnels at the beginning and end of the ride where anyone could touch the ceiling, but somewhere in the dark at high speeds.

I'm sure I rode it on my last trip about 4 years ago with my arms up, and never touched anything. This was the first time since the rebuild that I tried raising my arms.

I'm a little taller than the average male (5'11) and possibly my arms are also a little bit long in proportion to the rest of my body ... but surely there must be even taller people who have tried this before? I think that if you are over 6' there is a good chance that you could bruise a finger or smack your hand or something if you try to be a show off (in the dark, LOL)

I mentioned it to a CM when I got off the ride, who told me that she didn't think it was possible to touch anything during the ride. Not sure if it is related, but about 1/2 hour later we were on TTA and Space Mountain was shut down with the lights on. If you were one of the people that we saw stuck on the coaster ... sorry!

I should mention that on my first trip to MK ever in the early 1990s, a local I was chatting with in the SM queue told me a story that I now know to be an urban legend. He said that on the opening day of SM, a roller coaster enthusiast stood up during the ride and had his head taken off which supposedly caused the ride to be shut down until it could be modified.

We were on the People Mover last week and rode through SM while it was down and all the lights were on. Maybe that was then ! And yikes, you really can see how close everything is with the lights on. I'm too busy hanging on for dear life and trying to keep my head attached to my body to have my arms up on that ride (could there be a jerkier ride??)!!!

 

[michsig]

yikes!

 

[gigi1313]

(could there be a jerkier ride??)!!!

yes, primeaval whirl (or hurl!)

 

[declansdad]

I agree!



We were on the People Mover last week and rode through SM while it was down and all the lights were on. Maybe that was then ! And yikes, you really can see how close everything is with the lights on. I'm too busy hanging on for dear life and trying to keep my head attached to my body to have my arms up on that ride (could there be a jerkier ride??)!!!

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Primeval Whirl[/FONT], my vote for the worst ride ever.

 

[ilovejsparrow]

I thought this thread was going to be about something else.

Nevermind.

Glad I wasn't the only one

 

[Robo]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Triceratop Spin[/FONT], my vote for the worst ride ever.

Do you mean Primeval Whirl?

Triceratop Spin is just a version of Dumbo or Aladdin's Carpets.

 

[thereallolo]

A friend INSISTS her son touched the ceiling in the launch tunnel and he was shocked/zapped by electricity.

When I was a young punk teenager I thought it would be funny to reach out and touch the sidewalls on the side of a coaster at a park in suburban Chicago. I really had to kinda stand up and reach out. It zapped me. After that experience, I will never attempt to touch anything on a coaster again. Eek.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

yes, primeaval whirl (or hurl!)

Ok, I'll agree - BOTH Space and Primeval Whirl are AWFUL as far as jerkiness. I forgot about PW because it's closed right now for reno (THANKFULLY), so we couldn't (i.e. didn't have to) ride it!

 

[RobDIS]

This sounds like a great idea to get one of those 1-day passes or a handful of fastpasses. Dear guest services: I lost my head on Space Mtn...what can you give me?

I bet they'd be nice enough to slap a mickey head band-aid on your stump.

 

[BrerRabbit1114]

I'm basically 6'0 feet tall, and the only time I put my hands up is when i'm in the blue/red space tunnels. I wouldn't dare put my hands up in the dark proportion, i'm afraid i'll lose a finger!

 

[rock_doctor]

I'm sure the people on the ride with you would really appreciate that... NOT!

Not to mention you will play havoc with the light sensors. I would imagine it was a wire hanging down or somebody lost an article of clothing and it was stuck in the steel work. They check the ride in the mornings so it there was something serious it would have been caught. I do appreciate you telling them, that was your good deed for the day. I have seen the lights on many times, i don't remember thinking everything was in "striking" distance.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2092985298159596145
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nm8teZcbJM

 

[Asellus]

I'm 5'4'' and I always feel the same way. I always sink down into my seat.

I'm also around 5'4" (well 5'3 1/2") and I've always felt uncomfortable on Space Mountain.....I haven't ridden it since I was 15.