Motion sickness as compared to Disney rides

[BriannaRuth]

My daughter wants to go to Universal Hollywood (don't see a board for that here, but hopefully this is close enough). Never been before but am concerned that I won't be able to ride anything there due to motion sickness. Looking for recommendations on what to try/avoid. I use a motion sickness band and it helps with a lot, but not everything.

I can't do anything that spins much more than once, or that spins quickly. No teacups, etc. But I can do the little spins on Buzz, for instance, and I can do Grizzly because it doesn't spin over and over and it's not enclosed. I do Roger Rabbit only with someone I trust.

I can do Star Tours because if I start feeling queasy, closing my eyes makes it much better. Haven't tried Smuggler's Run because I'm afraid it would trigger motion sickness, but don't know for sure. It seems like because it's smaller, it probably moves around more, so might be more difficult.

I can do Indy. I can do BTMRR, but only once. Tried to do it twice in a row one time and that wasn't good. I can't do Incredicoaster due to the loop. I can't do any rollercoaster that goes backwards. Can't do Goofy's.

Can't do the submarines due to claustrophobia.

Used to be able to do Tower of Terror, but after they changed the ride sequence when they made it GOTG, I couldn't do it anymore.

Thought I was going to DIE on Space Mountain.

I can rarely ride anything at all at the state fair. Once tried that pirate ship ride that just goes from side to side because it didn't look too bad and ended up in the First Aid tent for the rest of the day.

Any suggestions for Universal would be appreciated!

 

[zavandor]

Motion sickness is very subjective, it's hard to judge for others. I am prone to motion sickness, but maybe less severe than you. It's been a while since I went to USH, but from what I remember/read, here's what I would be weary about:
- Transformers: very risky, it's like Star Tour but on a vehicle that moves on a track. It's much more bumpy than star tours, but there are also physical sets so you won't stare to a 3D screen all the time, which may alleviate things a bit. I find it better than ST, I have done Transformers 6 times in a row, I cannot do ST more than once.
- Harry Potter Forbidden Journey: off limits
- Jurassic park: should be safe, it has just one big drop and you can see it from outside. If you can do Splash Mountains, you can do this
- The Mummy: risky. It's a bit more intense than BTMRR
-Mario Kart Ride: I haven't ridden it, but I've read it's not very fast. It's like a dark ride with augmented reality
The Simpsons: off limits

BTW, I find Smugglers' run better than ST, I think it moves less. Just don't participate in the interactive elements and just watch the screen. If you take your gaze away to press buttons you may get motion sickness. Just avoid being a pilot, other roles can be overruled by the computer so not playing won't affect the mission.

 

[lorimt]

Definitely avoid The Simpsons and Harry Potter Forbidden Journey. I don’t remember most of the other ones.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Have you considered the trans-derm scop anti-nausea patch? Makes a much bigger difference than Dramamine & is super easy to use. Stick behind an ear and it lasts 3 days, you can swim and drink with it on. For my friend, it's a huge benefit - the difference between not being able to do Transformers vs being able to ride FJ back-to-back. Much better than having to sit out or take long breaks while fighting nausea half the day.

 

[HopperFan]

Definitely avoid The Simpsons and Harry Potter Forbidden Journey. I don’t remember most of the other ones.

These are the two I won't ride.

 

[NYHeel]

Have you considered the trans-derm scop anti-nausea patch? Makes a much bigger difference than Dramamine & is super easy to use. Stick behind an ear and it lasts 3 days, you can swim and drink with it on. For my friend, it's a huge benefit - the difference between not being able to do Transformers vs being able to ride FJ back-to-back. Much better than having to sit out or take long breaks while fighting nausea half the day.

I’ll second this. I use the patch and it helps a lot. I’m a roller coaster guy and this lets me get on them. I still need to take it relatively slow in terms of doing too many nausea inducing rides in a short period but I can get through the day. Already have my patch lined up for my next visit and looking forward to riding Velocicoaster multiple times. With that said, forbidden journey still gets me pretty nauseous.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Have you considered the trans-derm scop anti-nausea patch? Makes a much bigger difference than Dramamine & is super easy to use. Stick behind an ear and it lasts 3 days, you can swim and drink with it on. For my friend, it's a huge benefit - the difference between not being able to do Transformers vs being able to ride FJ back-to-back. Much better than having to sit out or take long breaks while fighting nausea half the day.

I don't recall if I've tried the patch or not. I use an electronic wristband that sends little electric pulses up your arm (Relief Band), which I have found really helps, and is the only reason I'm able to do things like Indy and GRR. I might get some patches as backup. Last time we were there, my wristband broke and I had to spend the last 3 days not doing anything too challenging.

 

[rwdavis2]

Spider Man spins.

 

[WITN-E]

The Incredible Hulk Coaster is a NO GO.

I am pretty prone to motion sickness but am usually ok on everything at Disney (with the exception of Star Tours and Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Rewind - that destroyed me) but started a day at Universal on the Incredible Hulk Coaster and it took me down for the rest of the day.

Agree with others to avoid the Harry Potter ride also. That one has a reputation for making people sick. But that said most of the rides at Universal that you should probably avoid still have interesting lines/queues so you can still enjoy that with your daughter and then bail on the ride itself and she can enjoy!

Good luck and report back if you do go!

 

[ghtx]

Motion sickness is different for everyone, so hard to tell what can be bad for you or not.

But for me, Harry Potter and the Forbidden journey is just THE WORST.

I take a couple dramamine pills before the day starts and make sure that I have a full stomach and that seems to help.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

I ruined a whole day our first time at Universal. I was soooooooooo upset that I did that We were only in the parks for one day. And I had zero trouble in Magic Kingdom the day before. We did almost all the rides in MK that day.

DD was excited to get up and get to the park as early as possible. So we skipped breakfast and headed straight to the park.

Everything was walk on that day! It would have been the perfect day! Dd and I did Harry Potter forbidden journey back to back - then went onto dueling dragons (when Univeral still had it) and I was wrecked. I was moaning with Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom. I had to lay my head down for over an hour @ 3 Broomsticks....tossed my cookies a few times. Was finally able to get myself up so that we could take the train to Diagon Alley. DD had to ride Gringotts by herself. But I was unable to ride anything for the rest of the day.

Fast forward 5 years - dh and I are celebrating our 50th birthdays in Florida. I made sure to eat a muffin and had a tea before hitting the parks. I also took Gravol ( Dramamine for you USA peeps) and if I started to feel slightly unbalanced - I would close my eyes for a few seconds to a minute.

It worked!!!! We did so many rides - and I didn't even get on hint of nauseous or motion sickness. We are returning in Oct - this time with our 2 ds's....and I'm so stinking excited...and coming up with all the things we want to tick off our lists when we are at the parks!

I think it comes down to knowing what you can and cannot handle - and what you can do to prevent that from happening. I had zero idea that the screened rides would cause me to have motion sickness. But I know now what I can do to prevent it.