Older people (70+) and rides

[Minniedap]

My granddaughter (24 years old) and I are planning our first trip to Universal Orlando. We have one night booked at Royal Pacific. I do all rides at Disney World and have no issues with motion. I told her some of the rides at Universal look a little intense and she might have to do alone. Which rides do you feel are more intense than any at Disney World.

 

[BrianL]

My granddaughter (24 years old) and I are planning our first trip to Universal Orlando. We have one night booked at Royal Pacific. I do all rides at Disney World and have no issues with motion. I told her some of the rides at Universal look a little intense and she might have to do alone. Which rides do you feel are more intense than any at Disney World.

Universal overall does have some more intense rides than at WDW. Let's say that Rock'n Rollercoaster is probably the peak of speed and roughness at WDW as a baseline. I would say that The Incredible Hulk is slightly more intense that that. Velocicoaster may be (I have not ridden it), but it would likely be a lot smoother. Hagrid's is fast but pretty smooth, more like a TRON, but like four times as long. I would say that Rip Ride Rock-It is super intense, but I think it's closed forever now. The Mummy is pretty easy, maybe about like Everest (has some hard stops). That's all the roller-coasters I think.

Of the other two Harry Potter rides, Forbidden Journey can be kinda rough - it's the only ride that can make me a bit motion sick. Gringotts is not bad at all (actually my favorite of the big three!). Other simulator style rides are Spider-Man and Transformers, which are super similar and move a lot like Dinosaur at AK, but with 3D screens too. The Simpsons Ride is more like Star Tours with a Soarin' type screen (it's a tad rough though). I don't think anything else would be of concern at all.

 

[Minniedap]

Thank you, Rip Ride Rock it I believe doesn't close until September of 2025, that one is definitely on my do not ride list. I think Hulk might also be a no. Velocicoaster I will try if it is smooth.

 

[DisneyMom93]

I can’t do rough rides anymore. No more Rockin Roller Coaster or Space Mountain for me.

I can’t do Hulk or Rip Ride Rocket but I LOVE Hagrids and Velocicoaster. Velocicoaster is so smooth. It’s my favorite roller coaster ever. Just make sure the lap restraint feels snug enough that you don’t feel like you’re going to go flying out. Mine was a bit too far away for my comfort the first time I rode it.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Velocicoaster you get a lot of airtime but the track is very smooth.
Hulk is jostly but not as bad as Rip Ride Rocket. And Hulk is much more fun that Rip Ride Rocket. It's got a pretty quick single rider line, your granddaughter might be able to hop on it quickly and give you her feedback. But really... it's a roller coaster. You can do roller coasters anywhere. The other rides are much more immersive/themed/having-a-storyline, which is what you go to Universal (or Disney) for.
Mummy does have some quite hard stops. The track/motion parts are pretty smooth though, after the recent refurbishment. It's a really fun, story-driven roller coaster - another one your granddaughter might be able to try first via quick single rider line and give you feedback or be able to warn you for the 2 hard stops.

 

[musika]

The other comparison I would make is that Universal has a lot of simulator type rides, like Star Tours but more intense. If you have motion sickness issues you may have problems with those. I would say almost all of the coasters at Universal are much more intense than Disney in terms of speed/height etc but as PP noted, some are smoother than others.

I'd say the ones you might struggle with are Hulk, Rip Ride Rockit, Forbidden Journey (that's the only one that did me in on nausea).

 

[Minniedap]

Thanks for all responses, I will try Velocicoaster knowing that it is smooth. As was said, I can send her on some alone and she can give me a report. We will have that unlimited express pass since we are staying at Royal Pacific. After Universal we will head to Disney to meet up with the rest of the family. There I know I'm still good.

 

[disneyseniors]

My granddaughter (24 years old) and I are planning our first trip to Universal Orlando. We have one night booked at Royal Pacific. I do all rides at Disney World and have no issues with motion. I told her some of the rides at Universal look a little intense and she might have to do alone. Which rides do you feel are more intense than any at Disney World.

Minniedap, I was just at Universal last November with my son. I am in my 70''s too.
I rode everything, except Velocicoaster and the HP ride in IOA called Forbidden journey. I dont' like scary coasters so that was easy to pass. I rode FJ once and was a little nauseated and dizzy afterwards so no more for me. You ride in a car on an "arm" that can move in all directions, even backwards. I felt like I was going to tip over backwards on it. No to RRR too.

I can ride the Mummy Coaster and all the other rides though.
I enjoyed more than just rides though. The Bourne Stuntacular is fantastic. I saw it 2 times while we were there last time. The Horror Makeup show is wonderful and funny. The Animal Actors is cute too. There are other things to do besides ride attractions.

I hope all these answers give you some help. We all have our fears and limits on what we will ride. Universal is a wonderful place and I am sure you will enjoy it. It's fun to go with the "kids" and enjoy the parks with them. Have fun!

 

[Minniedap]

Thank you disneyseniors for your input.

 

[BrianL]

I can’t do rough rides anymore. No more Rockin Roller Coaster or Space Mountain for me.

I can’t do Hulk or Rip Ride Rocket but I LOVE Hagrids and Velocicoaster. Velocicoaster is so smooth. It’s my favorite roller coaster ever. Just make sure the lap restraint feels snug enough that you don’t feel like you’re going to go flying out. Mine was a bit too far away for my comfort the first time I rode it.

That's how I felt the first time I rode TRON. That one has weird restraints, and I guess I arched my back or something, because I could swear I had a good 2 inches of give between me and the pad. I didn't expect a Disney ride to be too intense but, man, did I hold on tight to those handlebars!

 

[titojackson84]

Not a senior, but Rip ride rocker can be rough, especially the further back you sit. Hulk is the same. I rode it in the back and was exposed to too much gamma radiation. I am a big coaster fan. The bigger and faster, the better. The coasters at disney to me are pretty tame, but the velocicoaster is legit. Mummy is good, but agree with the above poster that the sudden hard stops can suck. First time I went on it, I went into the lap bar and it felt like I got punched in the stomach, the several times after, i put my arm between the lap bar and my stomach as a brace and I was fine.

In general, the rides at universal are going to be more intense than disney, and the coasters will be more on par with ones you’d find at places like six flags. If you don’t mind spoilers, I would say watch youtube videos, and you may need to send tour granddaughter first as a guinea pig, especially if she has a good idea of what you can handle

 

[Skywalker3]

Universal is SO much fun! I think Hulk is similar to RnRC in that it's kinda rough, shakes head around. There are 7 inversions I think. For years, I kept putting off riding Hulk. THen I rode Velocicoaster....after that Hulk was nothing! VC is smooth, but it's way intense. Several rolls, the huge drop after the top hat, etc. but it's so fun! best coaster I've been on, LOVE it!
I can't do Forbidden Journey anymore. Now, I just walk through the queue and tell the ride attendant I'm not riding. The queue is beyond extraordinary.
Gringotts and Mummy both have some coaster elements, but it's more hard stops on Mummy, kinda jarring, and then for Gringotts, several get up and gos, then stopping, not hard. Mummy and MiB are my favorite rides though at Universal. Mummy so well themed and fun.
Simpsons....next to FJ, it's the most nauseating, BUT it's hilarious!! the script is just too funny not to give it a try. I rode it last trip, and actually kept eyes open for a lot of it. Despicable Me and Jimmy Fallon both made me nauseous.
I love SpiderMan, but sometimes it gets to me, and the last (and maybe final) time I rode Transformers, I didn't I'd make it off w/o puking. So however you manage motion sickness, if you're prone, be prepared to.
Hope y'all have a fabulous trip. We love Universal, I even let my Disney AP lapse for this year, but renewed Universal.

 

[lampshadehead]

RRR for sure is more intense than a Disney ride. After I hit 40, I couldn't do Forbidden Journey, it makes me nauseous and feeling "off" for the rest of the day. I would even say that the Mummy is instense, but its worth it and its not the type of intense that ruins the rest of the day.
As far as Velocicoaster goes, yes its smooth and fun. But for me, it was a one-and-done. I felt like I was coming up out of my seat. And the lap restraint felt uncomfortable in an area where I had a previous surgery. Not everyone will have that experience, but feel its worth mentioning.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I skip Hulk and Rip Ride Rocket, but do everything else. (I'm 54.) If you decide to skip skip Forbidden Journey, ask the attendant if you can still walk through the castle part of the line with your granddaughter. It's really immersive and well-done

 

[Minniedap]

I just watched Forbidden Journey on youtube, is it more of a simulator or a roller coaster. It seemed slow moving.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

It's slow moving, it's a robotic arm on a track that moves past real sets/animatronics, and screens. It tilts all around including briefly entirely on your back. It's relatively smooth. The transitions between screen & set are what tend to cause motion sickness. The only reason I'd suggest skipping it would be motion sickness, it's not rough on your body per se (other than tilting you all around).

 

[Minniedap]

Thank you, I have no issues with motion sickness. I will definitely try it.

 

[Kit Jackson]

If you decide to skip skip Forbidden Journey, ask the attendant if you can still walk through the castle part of the line with your granddaughter. It's really immersive and well-done

Excellent suggestion. I have gone through the full queue even on trips when I had ExpressPass, because getting to see that much of Hogwarts is amazing. They spared no expense with that queue. Explain to the attendant that you do not want to ride, but you do want to walk through the castle. This is an incredibly common request and they should not have a problem with it.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I can’t do rough rides anymore. No more Rockin Roller Coaster or Space Mountain for me.

I can’t do Hulk or Rip Ride Rocket but I LOVE Hagrids and Velocicoaster. Velocicoaster is so smooth. It’s my favorite roller coaster ever. Just make sure the lap restraint feels snug enough that you don’t feel like you’re going to go flying out. Mine was a bit too far away for my comfort the first time I rode it.

Don’t worry, you’ll never have to worry about Rip Ride Rockit because it’s gonna go RIP soon.