Nervous about Slinky Dog

[PrincessJasmine88]

We are going in a few weeks and my husband really wants to ride Slinky. I can pretty much handle Big Thunder, I only close my eyes a little bit on the fast parts. I never did any other coasters at DW. Will I be able to handle Slinky? Also is it more intense at night? I don’t want to woose out because I know it’s important to him,

 

[MrBellatrixLestrange]

I think you'll be fine. I've never ridden it at night but it's not a really intense coaster.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

We are going in a few weeks and my husband really wants to ride Slinky. I can pretty much handle Big Thunder, I only close my eyes a little bit on the fast parts. I never did any other coasters at DW. Will I be able to handle Slinky? Also is it more intense at night? I don’t want to woose out because I know it’s important to him,

I think Slinky Dog is less intense and smoother then Big Thunder.

 

[wisblue]

For what it’s worth, my wife generally does not like roller coasters. She will not do things like Space Mountain, Everest, and RNRC. She will sometimes do 7DMT and BTMRR, though on that one she doesn’t like that it’s so bumpy.

But, she loves Slinky. The fact that it’s short and smooth and doesn’t have overly dramatic drops and twists seems to make it different for her.

If you can handle BTMRR I would expect SDD to be OK for you.

I accept no responsibility if my prediction is wrong.

 

[PrincessJasmine88]

Thanks so much! Yes that is true, Big Thunder is looooong and very bone jarring
How long is the Slinky ride if you had to guess? half of BT?

 

[AnnaS]

If you do ride it, please let us know what you thought of it.

It is a very smooth ride. No crazy dips, surprises. DH does not do any of the coasters mentioned above, but will ride 7DMT and BTMRR. Give it a shot!!!

 

[JCornell]

Big Thunder is about 3 minutes (at 35 mph), Slinky Dog is about 2 1/4 (at 40 mph).
While it's technically faster I think that's due to longer straight-aways so it's a smoother ride like others have said.
To compare to the more intense:
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - 1:22 (57 mph), Expedition Everest - 2:50 (50 mph)

 

[lovethattink]

It’s so much smoother than BTMR! I’m a huge fan of Slinky Dog Dash!! It’s a great family coaster!

 

[JenLT]

Watch a POV video of it on YouTube. There’s a lot of them. It actually looks really gentle. And it’s not a long ride. I’ve watched it several times. My son really wants to ride it and I’m nervous because he’s never done any roller coasters before. He has autism and I’m not always sure how he’ll react to things. But honestly this looks pretty smooth and gentle.

 

[HopperFan]

BEST HINT: Let him get in first, you sit on the right. When it banks and you can see down, it is usually to the left.

I was making my DS (who is scared of heights bad and disabled) get in first, you know away from the door like a good Mom. Then once I got in first and realized what he had been seeing and knew I was a bad Mom. But he did great and a favorite for him - I think you'll like it, really fun.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Big Thunder is about 3 minutes (at 35 mph), Slinky Dog is about 2 1/4 (at 40 mph).
While it's technically faster I think that's due to longer straight-aways so it's a smoother ride like others have said.
To compare to the more intense:
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - 1:22 (57 mph), Expedition Everest - 2:50 (50 mph)

Yeah, I think speed is deceptive here. SDD definitely pulls less G’s then all the other roller coasters. G forces are what make a roller coaster intense, not speed. This is why we have no problem sitting in a car going 80 mph but a rollercoaster going 35 mph can be quite intense.

 

[PrincessJasmine88]

Thanks a lot everyone I feel a lot less nervous now, I will give a report when I get back in mid Dec

 

[DeeBee3]

I rode at night and my husband wouldn't! I want to do it again during the day because I felt like it was more intense than 7D or Everest! I think it was the darkness of night though. It was so strange because I do all the rest no issue.

 

[danceintherain]

My Mom can't handle a lot of older coasters without dealing with severe neck pain for days. She was fine on SDD. It's very smooth.

The night part, I don't know.

 

[samsteele]

I've been on Slinky both day and night. Don't think one is more intense than the other. I enjoy the night time ride more because of the lights that add a fun ambience to the experience. Slinky has more of an upward climb that can seem more intense. But is over quickly and very smooth descent and not scary. Give it a try. It's a very different coaster experience than Big Thunder and hard to compare the two. I love both but more of a fan of Big Thunder because it seems to be a longer experience, has more character and so worth the wait. If Seven Dwarfs and Big Thunder had a baby, its Slinky Dog. If that makes any sense.

 

[Pens Fan]

While I adore both rides, I do think Slinky is less intense than Big Thunder. It’s very smooth and doesn’t jerk you around as much. I definitely prefer it at night, though. It’s still the same ride, but the lights add so much charm to the experience.

 

[Shughart]

I agree with all said here. I don't think SDD is more intense at night unless lights psych you out. I love the dark night/bright lights aspect on coasters at night. And FWIW my anxiety kiddo's first roller coast was SDD and that's how we discovered their love of coasters. It happened early on our last trip and they tried a ton of them, from BTMR to SDMT, SM, etc.

 

[peabody58]

DW and I love BTMR. We did SDD and both said, one and done. Our inner ears did not like the hump section at all. We also can't handle EE either. Getting older really changes what rides are enjoyable for us. We will try TRON and GoG when they open.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

SDD is much smoother and not as "wild" as Big Thunder Mountain. The only thing that I could see that is potentially worse is SDD has a great sensation of heights due to not being integrated into a mountain. Otherwise, it's very tame.

 

[JCornell]

Yeah, I think speed is deceptive here. SDD definitely pulls less G’s then all the other roller coasters. G forces are what make a roller coaster intense, not speed. This is why we have no problem sitting in a car going 80 mph but a rollercoaster going 35 mph can be quite intense.

Totally. It's the difference between doing 60 down a freeway and 35 around a tight exit bend. You feel and potentially fear that tight bend way more than a straightaway. And Slinky is mostly straights and smooth curves, with the only "wild" aspect being some ups and downs which aren't very intense.