Mission Space Previewers???

[PamNC]

For those of you lucky enough to get a sneak peek ride on Mission Space, please tell us all about it. I'm so excited about this attraction.

Describe, describe, describe!

Also, when is the real live opening date?

Thanks!

PamNC

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I believe the "real" opening date is August 15.
We rode it 4 times the last week of June.
Your mission is to land on Mars.
They explain the tasks of the four crew members in the pre-show.
They also give you very important instructions.....listen to them!
Before boarding your spacecraft you are given one last chance to exit.
Once inside you pull down the restraints and then they lock you in. The control console is then brought forward so the crew can reach the controls.
The countdown begins while you are viewing the launch pad on your video screen.
The liftoff is extraordinarly authentic...just like the astronauts feel.
You then sling shot around the moon to pick up speed for Mars.
After a brief "sleep" time you are awakened by a meteor storm that really rocks your ship. You then arrive at your landing area of Mars and must land successfully.
A really wonderful ride and a great experience. Unlike anything I have ever been on.
After the ride there is an area inside where you can participate in team games, individual games, and you can even send free video e-mails.

 

[PamNC]

Wow! Thanks wdwgoofeeee! What a wonderful description.

Okay - you scared me a little. You said "listen to them" - hmmmm.

Is this a simulator type attraction? I'm not a big chicken. I can handle Rock n Roller coaster, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, anything at WDW except Tower of Terror.

Give it a scare factor - 1-5 (5 being the scariest).

I can't wait to try and August 15 is my husband's birthday - he'll love that.

PamNC

 

[drogerstn]

It is a simulator type ride in that you are in a mockup of a spaceship cockpit and have a television screen depicting a view of the "outside". The ride is much smoother than Star Tours and Body Wars and the capsule you are in moves in a circle. I'd rate it a 3 or less (maybe 2.5) on scariness, with IASM a 1 and ToT a 5.

During the ride (I think after being sling shot around the moon), listen for the mention of weightlessness, then check it out by lifting your arms, legs, and body. I didn't notice this during my 1st ride, but paid attention during the next ride. Since you are in restraints, the weightlessness can go unnoticed.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I agree with drogerstn that it probably rates around 2.5 - 3. However, the anticipation for anyone who has not been on it is probably closer to a 4 - 4.5.
After the first ride the following trips will be more relaxed and you can enjoy more of what is going on.
It is really quite an experience!
Great job everyone at Disney!

ps.....the instructions given are important. Pay attention!

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

Just thought to add that I also found Mission: Space far smoother than Star Tours and Body Wars.
However, it is very different and hard to describe without riding it yourself.
I really believe that Disney has a big hit with Mission: Space and that hopefully this can divert some of the crowds away from Test Track (which ususallly runs out of Fast Passes so early most days!).

 

[CJK]

Thanks for the info!!!

Quick question if you don't mind. Dh has SEVERE motion sickness. To give you an idea, he feels sick in all motorized vehicles, especially when he's not driving (ie bus, plane, car, boat). He can go on RNC and TofT, but he needs an hour or so afterwards to settle his stomach. He cannot do Body Wars or Star Tours. He never actually vomits, he just struggles for the next hour or two from rollercoasters (and cars, buses, etc...) but in the case of the motion simulators I mentioned, it takes more than a couple hours before he's back to normal. After hearing this, do you think he could handle Mission Space? I already told him about keeping his head back and keeping his eyes on the screen. Thanks for your advice!!

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

My guess is that your DH should be OK after Mission: Space. He might need some time like he does after RnR and TOT to get back to normal.
I strongly suggest that he does NOT eat anything for at least a couple of hours before heading over to Mission: Space.
This ride (to me) is nothing like Star Tours or Body Wars. Although it is a simulation, I find it more like RnR and TOT in that is is "thrilling" without throwing you around.
You are absolutely locked into place (much like RnR restraints) so you really cannot move around much at all.
If the directions are followed I think he should have a good ride.
Enjoy!!!!!

 

[CJK]

Thanks so much for the response! I can hardly wait to tell dh!!

 

[dbond]

CJK, I am prone to motion sickness very similar to your DH. I was very skeptical about how I would handle this ride. I read the reviews and paid close attention to all of the advice, keep your head back, don't look around, DON'T close your eyes (I usually close my eyes in Star Tours or Body Wars), focus on the screen. It's not the virtual reality video that bothers you here like in Star Tours & Body Wars, it's the spinning and if you focus on the video screen you have a focal point which keeps your equilibrium from noticing the spinning. There are no surprises in the dark like on TOT, the spinning is smooth and if you don't think about it, you won't notice it much. I did feel a little woozy after the ride, but after sitting down for about 5 minutes I was fine. I cannot ride TOT, it does me in for the rest of the day. This ride was manageable for me. But, my family did it again later in the day and I decided not to push my luck since we had recently had dinner.

 

[Ahrizel]

We did a preview on Mission Space in late June. I get motion sickness, the coasters don't bother, but the simulators can, especiallly Body Wars. This is a tremendous ride, but they generate the forces by spinning which is a bad trigger for motion sickness. I didn't take any medication in advance, and I nearly threw up on the ride! Didn't feel right until the next day. If you're Dh has severe motion sickness I would reconsider doing this ride. If you really want to, take medication in advance and follow the ride warnings not to look to the side at all-it may help.

 

[RyMickey]

If you'd like, take a look at my description here:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=395376

RyMickey

 

[mkymouse4ever]

How do you think the loading of this ride will be? The capacity? Is this going to be a very slow moving line? like test track and back up or break down frequently? Or predict smooth sailing?

Just curious, MKY

 

[wdwguide]

Originally posted by mkymouse4ever
How do you think the loading of this ride will be? The capacity? Is this going to be a very slow moving line? like test track and back up or break down frequently? Or predict smooth sailing?

Just curious, MKY

Loading of the ride is quite efficient considering it's a cycle ride (four cycle rides, technically), which doesn't allow continuous operation but has to be stopped completely for loading and unloading. They play the preshow and get everyone lined up in front of their capsule while the previous group is on the simulator.
The capacity is going to be reasonable - no Pirates, but also no Test Track - it should be something like 1500 riders per hour. Long lines are pretty much a given.
Breakdowns are also likely to occur from time to time, either because of someone throwing up or the technology goofing up, but since they have four separate centrifuges, the ride will be able to continue operating at a lower capacity until the problem is fixed. It's also not at all weather-sensitive.

 

[adisneynut]

We will be there later on this month and I was wondering if they are still doing it.

 

[browneyes]

How long does the ride last?

 

[wdwguide]

Originally posted by browneyes
How long does the ride last?

Just under four minutes.

 

[Tigger1]

We were lucky enough to do Mission Space the last day of are stay on June 12. I get motion sickness and for the first time I took the over the counter medicine this trip. It worked. The first day I did not use it and I was sick. After that no motion sickness.

As far as Space Mission. It felt wierd. Not sure how to discribe it. My 3 children ages 18, 16, 12 and myself all notices that after the ride are hands felt strange and looked white with pink dots. It took a while for them to go back to normal.

My daughter (16) never has mentioned sickness on rides. After she got odd she threw up into her palms. She walked to a cast member and asked were a restroom was . The castmember seemed unconcerned and said to look around test track. What a unpleasent walk to find a rest room.

WE were all happy to get to experience the ride before official opening but the 16 and 18 year old said they will not go on again. To wierd feeling and restrooms need to be closer.
Maybe they should hand everyone a puke bag when they go on. Be sure to bring one and a wet wipe.

Tigger

 

[Tesabat]

We just got back from Disney and previewed this ride. My DH gets motion sickness, and after reading the warning signs, decided to sit this out. He was smart to do so...knowing him he would have been ill for the rest of the day.

First, I give thumbs up for the uniqueness of this ride, and overall, both my son and I liked it. I really felt like I was tipping back in my seat and "lifting off" and the weightless feeling you get once you break through the atmosphere is very realistic. A fun element is having to remember to do things as a team member. I felt a little queasy a couple times because I kept trying to check on my son sitting next to me...and you really feel the spinning motion if you try to move your head and look anywhere but at the screen. I also closed my eyes once to see if that would have made a difference to my DH if he rode, and I really felt the movement with my eyes closed so I agree with the poster that said keep your eyes open, your head back in the seat and don't look around!

My 12 yo son goes on most rides without motion sickness...except for things like the teacups. We saw the warning signs about spinning, but he wanted to go on this SO bad, we both ignored them. The ride ended, he said - WOW - that was AWESOME - gave two thumbs up, and immediately vomited. After cleaning up and purchasing a new shirt, he continued to feel under the weather for about an hour or two afterwards, but then shook it off.

I've been on Body Wars, Star Tours, Spiderman, Back to the Future...all the simulator rides...NONE of them ever make me feel the least bit queasy. You can turn me upside down in coasters, and drop me on the ToT...nothing bothers me. But, I did feel this one in the pit of my stomach a couple times...I believe because of the spinning motion and my desire to check on my son, so I moved my head and leaned forward slightly, which they say not to do. (I'm dating myself - but I think it's like the "Round Up". If you lean back you don't feel the spinning motion at all...but if you lean forward and fight it, you get nauseous.) For me, the feeling didn't last beyond a few seconds, but I think people prone to motion sickness would definitely be affected.

Note that you really can't touch or see the person next to you...an important consideration for parents taking kids on the ride that they might be a little worried about. You can see their hands come out and touch the buttons during the "mission", but that's it.

 

[FredS]

We were at Epcot two days when it was open last month. We passed on riding it.

One, I already felt like I want the kinks worked out of anything before I ride it! And, two, even among those who rode it and were excited, there were none who were 100% positive like when you get opinions about test track or RnR coaster, etc. The most positive descriptions all went something like "It was cool. Now, you should keep your head back and it's kind of weird and if you don't get motion sick, then, well, you'd probably like it." I got the feeling the excitement was more from being one of the riders before official opening and not so much a real enjoyment of the motion of the ride itself. And there were a few who just did NOT like the spinning part of the ride at all.

I love RnR coaster, ToT and Test Track, but spinning is not on my top favorites of riding motions. I hate those stupid teacups! If there continues to be a significant amount of negative feedback due to motion sickness perhaps there will be some adjustment? Interesting to see what comes of the ongoing testing.