Motion Sickness

[all4disney]

I get horrible motions sickness. I have tried different medication and patches and they either make me sick or too tired. I have always wanted to go to Disney World and am thrilled that I am planning my 1st trip. But I am nervous about how much I will really be able to do and enjoy. I know that things like the simulater rides and roller coasters will not be for me (oh and of course the Mad Tea Cup thing would really be bad )What other rides should I avoid? I want to enjoy as much as I can without being sick. Please help me figure out what will be enjoyable and things to walk on by. Thank you.

 

[Danauk]

I also suffer very badly from motion sickness but find that if I wear travel bands I don't get sick. They are wrist bands that you wear that have a small button that presses onto your vein to slow your pulse slightly. I don't know how they work but they do. I live in England and you can buy then in any chemist shop so I guess you would be able to buy then in the USA too. I wear them whenever I travel on aeroplanes and busses and am never sick with them on. I also wear them when I go on white knuckle rides (which I love doing) and am never ill.
I hope this has helped and you have a good trip.

 

[n2mm]

I too suffer as you do. I've tried medicine and the "seabands" (worn on the wrist). None of these things work. The prescription patch "transdermal" does work for me, but the effects of wearing it does not make it desireable (blurred vision, lethargy). Here are the rides I pass on: Star Tours, Body Wars, Carousel, Teacups. That is about it. I can ride TOT, Space Mountain, and pretty much everything else. I have riden RnR, and did not get sick, but had a kicking headache afterwards (I just don't do upside down very well). I recently rode Spiderman at Universal and kept my eyes closed when we fell off the building. Just FYI, my motion sickness is so bad that I can't turn around in a car from the front seat or will feel sick. And of course, I can't ride in the back seat of a car or van either. I, however, do not get any signs of motion sickness when flying...just a little nervous during takeoff.

OK after reading the other post, lets add Astro-orbiter and Primevil Whirl to the list.

 

[donna in Oz]

I suffer from a bad case of this, too. The wrist bands work well for me when flying; however, I've never tried them for park attractions.

But one of the things that keeps me coming back to Disney is that there is SO MUCH I can do and enjoy!! Even if you skip the simulators, TOT, RNRC and the teacups, you will have missed only a very small percentage of the attractions.

Be sure to try Thunder Mtn Railroad . . . even though this appears to be bad for motion problems, in reality, it is not. No big drops, just a few fast curves. And since you're outside, you can see them coming if you sit up front. (The CM's will allow you to wait for the front car if you tell them about your problem. I do it all the time).

Definitely skip Body Wars . . . this seems to be the #1 problem for most who are motion-sensitive.

 

[PatriciaH]

DH gets a dizzy/sick feeling after Rock N Roller Coaster, Space Mountain, Teacups, Star Jets, Body Wars and Star Tours. He is fine on Tower of Terror, Big Thunder, Splash Mountain-go figure!

 

[daannzzz]

I get motion sikness very easy. Like one of the above posters, I get sick if I turn around in a car and occaisionally even when driving!!! I got sick on a teeter totter with my great Nephew! The usual remedies don't seem to work or make me way to sleepy. I have not tried any perscriptions for it though.
I can do the coasters but feel terrible after. This last May trip I was really bad after RnR and probably won't do it again. Big Thunder Mountain is still somewhat okay. I don't do Star Tours or Body Wars or teacups. Tower of Terror is okay and I sometimes am fairly sick afterward. This started since they have redone the drop sequences making them more numerous. I have to close my eyes in parts of the Circle Vision films. Dinosaur at the Animal Kingdom can make me sick to a degree but I still do it! I didn't even try the spinning wild mouse coaster at AK!!!
This still will leave you with loads to do. Have fun.

 

[grinningghost]

I have MS, so I'm pretty much dizzy all the time anyway - but I do find that Meclazine helps with motion sickness for me. But no amount of Meclazine will get me on Mad Tea Party, Body Wars or Astro Orbiter. Everything else I do fine on. I'm usually a little off-balance after riding RNRC, but it passes in a few minutes. I hope you can find something that works for you, it would be a shame to miss some of the big attractions. They are simply amazing.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I also have a problem with motion sickness. I got a patch to wear on the Disney Cruise and it worked great. I had put on a new patch the day before we returned to WDW from the cruise. I finally rode Space Mt and couldn't take it. So I've done that one. On our first trip I really wanted to go on BTMRR. That did me in also. So I've done that one. Forget about Teacups, Carousel, Astro Orbiter, Star Tours, Body Wars, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Primeval Whirl, Triceratops Spin and, unfortunately, I fear, Mission: Space. I'm not crazy about ToT and will never do RnRC.

I have done Dinosaur and get a little disoriented on that one, but I can do it. I can only do ToT once a trip.

 

[Mouseteacher]

My problem is more with claustrophobia / pitch darkness. This leaves out Mission Space and Alien Encounter. I had a controllable panic attack many years ago on 20,000 Leagues when the "hatch" closed. I had to keep telling myself that I was not really in a submarine to make it through the ride. LOL

 

[MScott1851]

I'm trying to think of things for you to try.. I have motion sickness to the point that I have to drive everywhere.. I even get sick while riding in the front seat. We spent most of our trip at Universal last year looking for a bathroom for me to vomit in!

My strategy for this year is:

1) Scopalamine patches AND seabands. (If you have low blood pressure, I wouldn't do this, we're keeping our fingers crossed that I won't have orthostatic hypotension every time I stand up)

2) Eat at least 40 minutes before riding anything and give my stomach and my blood sugar time to stabilize. No doughnuts and coke for breakfast, to avoid that "crash" later

3) Avoid the triggers (things that swing back and forth, virtual reality simulators). Also, ride the things that I know will make me sick LAST.

4) Have Phenergan, Zofran, and Antivert (prescription only) on hand for quick fixes if I do get sick. I start off with just a quarter (6.25mg) of a 25mg Phenergan, and sometimes that is enough to take the edge off without sedating me...if not, then I take another quarter. I take the Zofran if that doesn't work (they give it to chemo patients for nausea, and it is SUPER) and last but not least, if I absolutely have to, take the Antivert and call it a day. Reglan also works for some people, but not me.. You might want to give it a try...just ask your doctor.

I will be there in September and will report back on how this works.. BTW, the only thing that really bothered me at WDW was Body Wars. Star Tours was bad, but manageable. I had no difficulties with any of the roller coasters or Buzz Lightyear. I know better than to even try the Teacups or Astro Orbiter. Universal.. now that's another story!

 

[lovin_disney]

I am so glad to read I am not the only one with such terrible motion sickness. I can't go on swings anymore with my kids and circular and spinning rides are not an option. TOT also makes me sick.

But there is so much else to do at Disney. I would say only 25% of the rides - at the most - you should avoid. Otherwise enjoy.

 

[cdrn1]

Antivert can be had over the counter now under the generic name of meclizine. It works great for me without the drowsiness that accompanies Dramamine. It is given for the severe nausea that accompanies vertigo so works great for motion sickness for most people. It is pretty cheap. My last trip to WDW I asked the pharmacist for generic and got 20 tabs for $2. The only rides I avoid after taking it are the simulators. Zofran is a wonder drug for nausea but is VERY expensive (I just checked Drugstore.com and it is nearly $18 per tablet for the lowest strength).

 

[MScott1851]

Wow.. I must be behind.. I am a nurse and I didn't know you could get Antivert without a prescription...I'm heading to Walgreen's tomorrow!

 

[kathleena]

I have inner ear damage from a virus infection so experience vertigo a lot. But I pretty much don't get the nausea with it, so I just have to put up with the lightheadedness and wobbliness. Most of my problem seems to stem from what my eyes see. So, my advice is to focus on a spot and stay there, or close your eyes and just enjoy the sensation. But everyone's triggers are different!!!!

There really aren't that many things that you need to avoid.

Regarding the circlevision movies - I try to stand right in the middle (I do ignore the move to the left instructions on these - it's better for my health to me in the middle) and when the moving senation starts, I start moving slowly in a circle at the same pace of the movie and I usually don't have any problem.

I cannot do Tea Cups, Body Wars and Astro Orbiter. And no Star Tours, Dinosaur and riding in the back seat of the car. Way too much. I do get nausea with them.

Space Mtn is about 30 seconds too long for me. But I will do it on a good day. Doesn't make me sick, just vertigo. The jerkiness bothers my neck more than anything, but since it's in the dark, it's actually easier to ride.

TOT is great. I have done TOT, RNRC, TOT, RNRC in a row, been unsteady after, but not sick. On a good day. But some days, only once each.

BTMR I can do only once, especially since I would rather do SM five or six times.

I love the Primeval Whirl. It's not too bad because there are breaks in the twirling. And again - if you close your eyes on those spots - it may help.

I love roller coasters. I went on the Ice Dragon at IOA and it was easier than RNRC, I thought. I'm going to try Hulk in Oct. May ruin me for the whole day, but I love coasters, so I have to try.

and none of the meds work for me, so I just go without. They are mostly for the nausea anyway.

I don't climb that treehouse thing at the MK. Heights make me have vertigo.

But that's it for my "caution" areas. Everything else is a go.

Oh, and I get a lot of vertigo when I try to get on a down elevator. I have to stare at the top step. Not too many of those at WDW!

 

[daannzzz]

If you are going to try meclazine go ahead and test it out before you go on your trip. It is the LESS drowsy formula, not a non drowsy formula. It still makes me really sleepy and a couple times when using it I was compelled (strongly) to head back to the room and sleep. I am wondering maybe if it is an odd reaction for me in particular and if I should try regular Dramamine and see if it doesn't affect me that way.
Try it for a few days before you go and see if you want to sleep at work!!!

 

[MScott1851]

No, I agree with you that the Meclizine/Antivert is a drug that will make you VERY drowsy.. that's why I use it as a last resort. The first time I took it, I slept from 4pm one day until almost 11am the next!

Thank god for WDW transportation...otherwise there would be a lot of impaired drivers! hahaha!