Is Space Mountain Scary?

[SDSorority]

Okay, splitting hairs here a little bit aren't we? They won't let my dog ride either, and he's a member of our family.

 

[Babbletrish]

I would rather see what's next so I can brace myself.

I'm not sure how that helps? All of these rides are, after all, very fast, so anything scary up ahead is overwith as soon as your brain recognizes things like "Oh crap, a big drop!"

Okay, splitting hairs here a little bit aren't we? They won't let my dog ride either, and he's a member of our family.

Fffft-HAHAHAHAHA!!!

But therin lies the rub, right? Walt built Disneyland with the stated intention of creating an amusement park the whole family could enjoy together. Of course the problem with that is every member of a typical family likes different things, so while the vast majority of attractions are meant for everyone, there are also plenty of things that are just for kids, just for teens, etc.

 

[Albytaps]

My DS and I are both in our early 30s. We're not big thrill seekers. We tried Big Thunder Mountain on our last trip. It was a little scary for both of us. Is space mountain worse than that? We might try BTMR again this trip since it is fixing to go under a refurb but how bad is space mountain? I've watched some videos on youtube. But I did that for BTMR and it really didn't show me just how fast it went.

When we got off BTMR my sister and I both said "Never Again." We might just have to pass on some of these rides because I don't like drops.. How bad are the drops? TOT sounds really neat.. but I don't like drops. I think I might pass out! LOL. TIA!

If you thought BTMR is scary I feel bad for you. I'm not saying that to insult you, I'm saying it because I feel pity for you for all the awesome rides you will miss out on. Yes, in your case Space Mountain is scary and you should never ride on it. BTMR is actually the tamest rollercoaster in WDW (besides the barnstormer) and it's actually one of the most fun because it's not scary at all to most people.

 

[gumbo1009]

I think the DW version of Space Mountain is very jerky (Disneyland's is smooth - I could stay on it all day) so for that I don't care for it too much...no fun to walk out in pain. Jerkiness aside, I think Space is more intense since its in the dark.

HINT: Request the front seats (still not what I would call smooth, but certainly less violent than the back seats -- I learned quickly last trip -- went on SM about 10 times with my 6 yr old who kept chanting AGAIN AGAIN each time we exited.)

 

[MrsDuck]

If you don't like BTMRR you probably won't like Space Mt. It's dark, scarier, and is rougher than Big Thunder.

Personally, I think Big Thunder is fairly mild. I wouldn't say the same about Space.

 

[aprilp]

I'm a ride chicken who always tries everything at least once. In Space Mountain's case, I have tried it multiple times over the years. Each time I HATED it! Its just terribly jerky. Big Thunder I can ride, I don't HATE it, but it too is really bumpy and I dont feel secure on roller coasters with just a lap bar. Space Mountain to me is WAY bumpier than Big Thunder. I would not recommend it if you are a ride chicken like me. Also, I rode Expedition Everest once and HATED it. I hated the lap bar which did not make me feel safe, and I figured out while riding it that I hated outside rollercoasters that go slow to climb up hills because I dont like seeing how high up I am. It freaks me out! Plus it was bumpy to me, though not nearly as bumpy as Space Mountain. I also tried Tower of Terror once and HATED it also, though I still go thru the line with my friend up until the very end because I LOVE the theming. I just take the chicken elevator down (the REAL elevator. lol!) That all being said, (and how weird is this) I LIKE Rockin Rollercoaster. The beginning is a little rough on the stomach but as soon as you get going, I actually like it. I think its because its smooth and I feel very secure with the shoulder harness. This happened to me one other time when I rode years ago on a (at the time) new ride at Busch Gardens. Montu, maybe? It was a rollercoaster that had like 6 people across and it went upside down alot and it actually was outside as well, but I still was ok with it because it didn't do any of those hill climbing things, it went fast the whole time and you could never focus on anything. I also like The Mummy rollercoaster at Universal. I think maybe my issue is bumpiness and lap bars and those hills you go clink, clink, clink up at a slow rate. So, hopefully that helped you somewhat. My thought is, try everything once. Because, like me with Rockin Rollercoaster, you may find that the one you think you'll hate the most, you'll actually like.

 

[Holderman]

I do not like slow hills i may not even try that Everest unless the little nephews start calling me names and then i guess I will.

 

[skullsplitter]

I'm not a coaster person. I don't even like watching the larger coasters and things like ToT.
But I talked myself into doing Space Mtn and Big Thunder earlier this year and neither bothered me at all.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Okay, splitting hairs here a little bit aren't we? They won't let my dog ride either, and he's a member of our family.

Oh brother.

Call it splitting hairs, whatever, but it's basic business 101. In fact, the customer service and management training material that Disney themselves teach discusses, in depth, what it means to be "family friendly." I think it's "Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service" by the folks at TDI or maybe "The Wonderful World of Customer Service" has a whole huge section of the book that is devoted to addressing the whole "family friendly" aspect of their services.

The fact is definition of "family friendly" (by most people in a business world, but more importantly without a doubt Disney since Walt talked about it when creating the park and it's the mantra of the park now) is that the overall theme, service, experience offered, as well as the level of safety, is suitable and accomidates the needs for all members of your family without exception. And by family, one means people, not your dog, your goldfish, your favorite stuffed animal, your beloved houseplant, or whatever random factor it is you wish to include in there as "family." The goal of the park through their model of meeting the needs of guests (safety, courtesy, showmanship, and efficiency) is that the park as a whole is "family friendly," as in it is something that, overall, has offerings that will appeal to all segments of people. However, the Disney principle is that to do so, parts of the parks and their services will be catered or customized to the needs of only some of the family. I forgot the name of it that the Imagineers use, but the principle is that the patchwork of services geared to the various segments of people come together to form the unified and more comprehensive whole. Simply, they have offerings that appeal to all segments of guests, but not all offerings will appeal to or be available to all segments guests.

The examples people like to point out all the time as an example of this are, in fact, the thrill rides which are aimed at more adult thrill seekers. The flagship example is, of course "Alien Encounter," which was a very not family friendly ride but was developed and installed to appeal to the people who wanted something more. And "Space Mountain" is one of the rides that falls into that catagory. In fact, if you read the history of "Space Mountain" (and the ride concept it was loosely based on at DL), the whole point of putting it in was to appeal to those that Walt felt didn't have any real ride representation in the park: thrill seekers and teenagers. Walt himself said to Imagineers after "Matterhorn" was opened and turned out to be so popular that he wanted to do another ride that was a "thrilling coaster" because the guests showed him that something that wasn't a ride appropriate to everybody still had a place in his parks. I think it was one of my classes I took that even shared that the unexpected (for Walt) success of "Matterhorn" is what led him to the revision in the park's philosophy that was essentially along the lines of that adding attractions not suitable to the whole family doesn't mean that the park as a whole isn't for families, it just means the needs of the whole are met by addressing the wants of each personality.

So, even according to Disney himself, WDW and all the other parks were designed as a whole to be "family friendly," but only by including attractions and services that are not suitable for the whole family. Not everybody can enjoy or do everything, and some rides like "Space Mountain" or ToT or EE are not family friendly (and in fact very specifically exclude people from even riding). The fact you see people saying they can't/won't/hate doing X ride goes to show that all rides are not "family friendly," especially rides like "Space Mountain" as, by the words of Walt himself, they weren't designed to be.

And it has nothing to do with your beloved hamster Muffin, a long-standing and beloved member of your family, not being able to ride.

 

[DOOM1001]

Parks have to have a level of thrill rides to be succesful,a park like Disney is never going to have coasters like what you find at Cedar Point or Six Flags but what they do have are thrill rides that many people can ride,obviously not everyone can or will ride them but for example a ride like TOT is a ride with a great theme and big enough appeal to draw anyone from 8 to 80 years old.

I just visited Legoland,a park that's supposed to be for the 2-12 age range,all I can tell you is that this park will appeal to a lot more than just kids.To start off it's a beautiful park with many attractions that everyone will enjoy like the Island in the Sky,the ski show,they have 3 different 3-D movies,the old gardens area have been kept and are as beautiful as ever.All these areas are popular with a lot of seniors which I saw tons of at the park,there are several attractions which are going to be mostly for kids but they also have 4 mildly thrilling coasters that most people will enjoy,I really enjoyed 3 of them as the Flight school inverted coaster was actually a bit rough as I kept smacking my head on the restraints.They also have some other unique flat rides like the wave racers which was a lot of fun.In conclusion even this park built for kids has to have a certain level of thrill rides,their coasters are probably just a notch below what you find as Disney as far as thrills.

 

[hookedonears]

Oh brother.

Call it splitting hairs, whatever, but it's basic business 101. In fact, the customer service and management training material that Disney themselves teach discusses, in depth, what it means to be "family friendly." I think it's "Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service" by the folks at TDI or maybe "The Wonderful World of Customer Service" has a whole huge section of the book that is devoted to addressing the whole "family friendly" aspect of their services.

The fact is definition of "family friendly" (by most people in a business world, but more importantly without a doubt Disney since Walt talked about it when creating the park and it's the mantra of the park now) is that the overall theme, service, experience offered, as well as the level of safety, is suitable and accomidates the needs for all members of your family without exception. And by family, one means people, not your dog, your goldfish, your favorite stuffed animal, your beloved houseplant, or whatever random factor it is you wish to include in there as "family." The goal of the park through their model of meeting the needs of guests (safety, courtesy, showmanship, and efficiency) is that the park as a whole is "family friendly," as in it is something that, overall, has offerings that will appeal to all segments of people. However, the Disney principle is that to do so, parts of the parks and their services will be catered or customized to the needs of only some of the family. I forgot the name of it that the Imagineers use, but the principle is that the patchwork of services geared to the various segments of people come together to form the unified and more comprehensive whole. Simply, they have offerings that appeal to all segments of guests, but not all offerings will appeal to or be available to all segments guests.

The examples people like to point out all the time as an example of this are, in fact, the thrill rides which are aimed at more adult thrill seekers. The flagship example is, of course "Alien Encounter," which was a very not family friendly ride but was developed and installed to appeal to the people who wanted something more. And "Space Mountain" is one of the rides that falls into that catagory. In fact, if you read the history of "Space Mountain" (and the ride concept it was loosely based on at DL), the whole point of putting it in was to appeal to those that Walt felt didn't have any real ride representation in the park: thrill seekers and teenagers. Walt himself said to Imagineers after "Matterhorn" was opened and turned out to be so popular that he wanted to do another ride that was a "thrilling coaster" because the guests showed him that something that wasn't a ride appropriate to everybody still had a place in his parks. I think it was one of my classes I took that even shared that the unexpected (for Walt) success of "Matterhorn" is what led him to the revision in the park's philosophy that was essentially along the lines of that adding attractions not suitable to the whole family doesn't mean that the park as a whole isn't for families, it just means the needs of the whole are met by addressing the wants of each personality.

So, even according to Disney himself, WDW and all the other parks were designed as a whole to be "family friendly," but only by including attractions and services that are not suitable for the whole family. Not everybody can enjoy or do everything, and some rides like "Space Mountain" or ToT or EE are not family friendly (and in fact very specifically exclude people from even riding). The fact you see people saying they can't/won't/hate doing X ride goes to show that all rides are not "family friendly," especially rides like "Space Mountain" as, by the words of Walt himself, they weren't designed to be.

And it has nothing to do with your beloved hamster Muffin, a long-standing and beloved member of your family, not being able to ride.

My dad who was 70 the last time he went, loved Rock'n Rollercoaster, his favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom by FAR is Splash Mountain. I loved It's A Small World when I was 11 and our whole family still loves it today. I never said that everyone will like every ride. There are many attractions that I’m not particularly fond of. Though if you meet the height requirement, (FOR THE MOST PART) the rides are constructed for the entire family to enjoy. Disney doesn't have roller coasters that have the 200 foot drops like the Titan at Six Flags, or the Texas Giant wooden roller coaster that completely beats you up. Disney does an excellent job building attractions that the entire family (can) enjoy. You can always find exceptions, like my 100 year old great grandmother who's in the nursing home on oxygen, but the use of the word (entire family) has to be taken with some reasonability.

 

[SaraJayne]

I've ridden SM three times in all my trips to DW. Every single time, I've gotten off completely shaking.

That ride terrifies me. It's jerky and you will feel it later in the day in your lower back. You're thrown all over, as well as jerked up and down.

This last time (a couple days ago), I really believed I was going to be thrown out of the car, that's how jerky it was. I was sitting in the front seat of the second car, which has no protection around your legs.

I'm certain my face looked like this ~ .

It's LOUD and disorienting.

So why have I ridden it three times you ask? The first time I didn't know any better , the second time, three years had gone by and I thought I was ready for it again (nope!) and just this last time, DS had never ridden it and I apparently lost my mind and told him I would do it once.

That said, I love BTMRR and Rock n Rollercoaster and can handle EE a couple times. But SM is OUT of the line up for me, for now and forevermore.

If BTMRR scares you, STAY AWAY from SM.

 

[spacemountainmom]

I would also say that if you didn't enjoy BTMRR, stay away from SM. That's pretty hard for me to say since it's my absolute favorite ride.

This 43 year old mom instantly turns back into the 15 year old girl who first rode and loved SM, but I understand that it is not for everyone.

SM and BTMRR are both jerky and will rattle your cage a bit. I find RNRC and EE both to be very smooth.

I must admit that it took me two trips to get up the nerve to try EE, but once I did, I was hooked.

 

[hookedonears]

I've ridden SM three times in all my trips to DW. Every single time, I've gotten off completely shaking.

That ride terrifies me. It's jerky and you will feel it later in the day in your lower back. You're thrown all over, as well as jerked up and down.

This last time (a couple days ago), I really believed I was going to be thrown out of the car, that's how jerky it was. I was sitting in the front seat of the second car, which has no protection around your legs.

I'm certain my face looked like this ~ .

It's LOUD and disorienting.

So why have I ridden it three times you ask? The first time I didn't know any better , the second time, three years had gone by and I thought I was ready for it again (nope!) and just this last time, DS had never ridden it and I apparently lost my mind and told him I would do it once.

That said, I love BTMRR and Rock n Rollercoaster and can handle EE a couple times. But SM is OUT of the line up for me, for now and forevermore.

If BTMRR scares you, STAY AWAY from SM.

I guess you're not getting into the Salty Spittoon?

 

[LisaTC]

My DD7 and DH rode it last week. First time for both, I knew better. While they both love Splash Mountain and we have Cedar Point here in Ohio, rollercoaster City...they both hated SM. The belt hurt my DD's belly probably because it is so jerky. My husband isn't afraid of anything, yet he didn't like the jostling of SM. DD cried when she got off she hated it so badly. I think it is a combination of darkness, severe jerkiness and crazy movement that makes people not like it. Now mind you she rode BTMRR 4 times and Splash 3 times, 1 time in the front seat. She's not a big kid either. I don't know...Space just hits people wrong. You never know until you try it, I guess.

 

[mskibbe72]

I rode SM for the first time this year and I won't lie...I hated it...at first. DH and I were in the first car (him in the very front, me behind him) and I just remember screaming, 'When is it over?!?!'. It felt very long to me, lol. And of course he was laughing at me when I was screaming this. When I got off the ride, I swore I would never do it again..but 9 months later and I feel up to it again. It was just scary to me b/c I didn't know what to expect.

If BTMRR is scary for you, then this definitely will scare you..if only because it's in the dark and it makes the whole ride that much more scary. That is the scariest part of the whole ride...there are no real huge drops, but b/c it's dark and you can't see..it feels like you're getting whipped around for 2.5 mins.

But in comparison to EE, TOT scared1, or Rock 'n Rollercoaster..it's not that bad.

 

[wish*i*was*in*the*vi]

First time I rode SM in 2006 (and I wasn't a kid, I was 28), I was literally praying just to make it off that thing alive. And I like rollercoasters, rides don't scare me. I swore I would never go back on it. I refused to ride it on our 2008 trip to WDW, but I did ride it this past January and loved it. I think just the first time on it is terrifying, if you normally like pretty intense rides. But it is basically pitch black.

 

[Sonya Lee]

My kids started riding it as soon as they hit the height requirement which I think was 4. They love it. It's all in what you can handle. One size does not fit all.

 

[Twinkbelle]

I'm trying to make a similar decision on whether or not I should ride. I wouldnt call myself a thrill seeker, and never done either BTTM or SM. On my last trip I was dragged against my will onto EE and I enjoyed it and happily rode again a couple of times. That was on our last day so there wasn't time to go back to the other coasters.

So I'm guessing now is the time to be adventurious. I've also been on ToT and thought what was all the fuss about? Maybe I was just lucky with the drop sequence.

 

[Caribbeanprincess]

I'm in the same position, I've ridden all the mountains except Space Mountain. Mostly because the lines are always long. I'm terrified because I've never been on it, but I think if I survived EE then I can do this, hehe. Also, with experience in Universal with things like The Mummy and Harry Potter I'm pretty sure I'm ready, it's just the not being able to tell where you're going that terrifies me.