Rides that spin (avoiding motion sickness)

[EagleFlyer]

We'll be going for our first trip to Disneyland in September (13th-17th). I get motion sickness on rides that spin, so I'm sure the tea cups will be off limits. But what other rides should I avoid? Drops, sharp turns, etc don't bother me, just rides with lots of spinning.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

DH gets motion sickness very easily. I know you said you get sick only on spinning rides, but I included all of the rides my husband avoids. At Disneyland he avoids:


Teacups
Dumbo
Space Mt
Matterhorn
Thunder Mt
Mr Toad
Roger Rabbit
Star Tours
Astro Orbitor
Carousel

DCA:

Soarin'
Mulholland Madness
Toy Story Mania
Golden Zephyr
Orange Stinger
Mickey's Fun Wheel
GRR
Screamin'
Flik's Flyers
TOT
Maliboomer
Ladybug Boogie
Carousel

 

[Sherry E]

The Teacups are probably the ride with the most concentrated spinning, and those can even be unnerving to people who don't get motion sick! Things like Dumbo don't spin, per se, but they fly around in the air in a circle. Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin does spin a bit on its own, but you can actually control the spinning so it is not as sharp. It kind of is more jerky than anything - like it will kind of spin you in a 3/4 circle to one side, then spin you in a 3/4 circle to the other side, but you don't go round and round like the Teacups do. I actually love Roger Rabbit but the Teacups bother me! You still may want to avoid RR though. Buzz Lightyear only spins if you make it spin; otherwise, nothing to worry about there. I would also avoid the Orange Stinger in DCA (if it is even open), because it looks like motion sickness waiting to happen.

Hmmm...what am I leaving out? The good thing is that most of the spinning or whirling things you can see, as they are outside (except for Roger Rabbit), and decide if they are something you are comfortable with or not.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Ya for real, avoid RR! UGGGHHHH. I get a TINY bit of circular motion sickness (It takes quite a bit) and RR and teacups are the WORST. I couldn't get RR to stop! I TRIED. bleh. It's too much for my eyes, jerky..etc.

Oddly, I would've thought that ladybug would 'get me' but it didn't. But I wouldn't recommend it for those who do have motion sickness.

Buzz was doable because you can completely take care of that, like Sherry said.

 

[GrandBob]

I have a bad case of motion sickness (extremely bad allergies affecting sinuses, which affect inner ear). But I have no problem with Space Mt, BTMRR, Matterhorn, or Toad. I definitely have to avoid teacups. Star Tours makes me ill. Haven't tried the rest.

Chuckling at the Carousel. I'm generally just fine with merry-go-rounds. But it does remind me of taking my granddaughter, who was 4 at the time, to a local amusement park. She had to go on the merry-go-round about 8 times in a row. I was definitely feeling it after that!

-Bob

 

[Sherry E]

I know what you mean, GrandBob. I have a lot of bad sinus problems too, which sometimes affect the inner ear. In fact, that may be one reason why I have lower tolerance for the Teacups now. I used to be able to ride them and even spin them a little tiny bit, but then I didn't go on them for years and when I rode them last December, it seemed to me like they had gotten much faster. Even when we left the wheel alone and just let the Teacup do its natural spinning, that seemed to be faster than I remembered it ever being in the past!! So I wasn't sure if I was imagining that they were faster or if it was some sort of inner ear thing - that thought crossed my mind.

 

[GrandBob]

I hear you, Sherry. When I was 9 years old, my older brother and I went on the teacups. I couldn't believe how fast he was able to make them spin. Made me sick; I haven't been able to think about going on them since.

Although I'm a software geek, I work for an oceanographic research institute. I occasionally have to go to sea to test the instruments and experiments that I help design. The scientists tease me about my sensitivities (seasickness). Lucky for me, we now have a cabled undersea observatory -- internet at 3000 feet under the ocean! I can sit at my desk and control deep water experiments. My kind of oceanography!

-Bob

 

[pixiewings71]

I have no advice for the OP but wanted to say

OMG Grandbob, that sounds sooooooooooooooooo awesome!!!! What a neat job!

 

[SilentFeline]

I have a few suggestions of rides you should avoid. Obviously, the teacups should be avoided. I have never been on RR so I couldn't tell you about that one, although I would assume that it should also be avoided. My bf gets motion sickness and I don't; however, he felt sick on only 2 rides at DLR: the Orange Stinger and Star Tours. I didn't get motion sickness from the Orange Stinger, but I did feel very dizzy afterwards and have a slight headache. We have been on a similar swing ride at our local amusement park, but the Orange Stinger seemed to go faster and higher. If I had gone down the stairs right away after getting off the swings, I am quite certain that I would have fallen. Once was enough for us on that ride. Also, on Space Mountain, there is a part at the very beginning when you feel like you are spinning because of the visual effects. You are moving very slowly, but my bf found that it helped him to close his eyes during that part because then you can tell that you are going straight and not actually spinning. Other than that, the roller coaster itself is fine. My bf liked it that he couldn't see where we were going, but if you think it would bother you then you should maybe skip Space Mountain.

 

[Mugglemama]

my ds11 and i both get motion sickness pretty easily (although clearly not nearly as easily as some of the people who have posted here who have trouble with SO many of the rides at DLR - what a shame that so many rides make them sick! that's really a bummer.)

the rides at DLR that my son and i cannot do (although we stand by and watch as DH and my other 3 kids go!) are:

Teacups (obviously)
The rockets in Tomorrowland
The ladybugs over in Bug's Land
Toy Story Mania

the last time we went was the first time we'd been there since Toy Story had opened. we were both REALLY bummed to find that this new ride we loved made us both very motion sick. so, we don't do that one anymore.

we both tolerate the buzz ride just fine, and roger rabbit, too, along with orange stinger.

my son can't do ToT
and i can't do Star Tours without at least a little motion sickness (i usually avoid it).

maybe you could bring a bottle of the homeopathic motion sickness remedy tablets (ipecac, i think) with you so that if anybody does get motion sick, at least you can get rid of the symptoms?

 

[Sherry E]

Oh....and OP, it should be noted that, although Mickey's Fun Wheel (formerly the Sun Wheel) is exactly not a spinning ride like the Teacups, it is commonly known on the board as "Mickey's Fun Wheel of Death," and for some folks is the one and only ride they will not tolerate!!

It's funny - I can handle Star Tours, Soarin', Roger Rabbit, Dumbo and Toy Story with no problem at all, but those Teacups....not for me anymore! And my friend is nervous about going on Peter Pan!! And my other friend refuses to ride POTC anymore because she hates the drops!!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

my ds11 and i both get motion sickness pretty easily (although clearly not nearly as easily as some of the people who have posted here who have trouble with SO many of the rides at DLR - what a shame that so many rides make them sick! that's really a bummer.)

It is a bummer that DH can't ride all of the rides. He once got sick after going on a water slide at Wet N Wild. Poor guy.

 

[Mugglemama]

It is a bummer that DH can't ride all of the rides. He once got sick after going on a water slide at Wet N Wild. Poor guy.

by chance, have you ever tried the homeopathic remedy i mentioned before? we used to use them to help with car sickness when we lived on a winding mountain road (ugh). now that we live on a normal street again (lol) we don't need them anymore.

but they were REALLY effective. it's just ipecac, i think. tiny little tablets that you dissolve under your tongue. they taste like sugar. i'm not sure they're for use BEFORE motion sickness (with homeopathy, you take something that would normally cause those symptoms if you didn't already have them....so taking them ahead of time would probably just cause nausea...i mean, that's what ipecac is generally used for - to make people throw up after ingesting something dangerous). but it's probably worth reading up on to find out if they might help your DH at all!

motion sickness is NO fun. i had it almost every day of my life as a kid. i rode the school bus and UGH, the thought STILL makes me feel sick, lol!

 

[kylieh]

I get motion sickness too. I indulged my DD6 and went on the tea cups - we had one that was "broken" and could only do no fancy or extra spinning. That was almost too much for me. But with all other rides else it was fine. We didn't do Ladybugs.

 

[Grim_Grinning_Girl]

I don't handle spinning rides very well and have decided to avoid them from now on. Like you mentioned, I'm only sensitive to the spinning motion, and I'm fine with roller coaster drops and sharp turns.

I'm only listing the rides I have issues with and would not ride:

The Carousel
Astro Orbitor
Dumbo
*Teacups I haven't been on in years - even if I didn't spin it I have a feeling I wouldn't like it.

I recently went on Roger Rabbit and was fine. The vehicle does not spin unless you spin it, plus it's on a track that's not continuously spinning like the tea cups, an it's not fast.

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is also on a track, and the vehicle only spins if you spin it. Since you're shooting at stuff you probably will be steering your vehicle - but not spinning it.

Toy Story Mania does have some spins that are out of your control. The spins do not last long, but they are a bit heavy and jerky. They only happen during screen/station transitions, the rest of the time you're traveling straight and you should be distracted since you're busy shooting at targets. The spins do not bother me. Again there's only a handful of spins on this ride, maybe about 3?

Space Mountain is more of a downward spiral, but it doesn't feel like you're spinning, it changes directions often enough to knock you out of a dizzy daze - same with Big Thunder Mountain.

I do ride Star Tours, but it's a borderline dizzy ride - there's some unpleasant parts for me but mild enough to handle.

There's a few other spinning rides at California Adventure but they're out in the open so you can see and tell if it will be an issue or not.

 

[chickyann]

I suffer with motion sickness & was very nervous about the Tea Cups, but they are such an iconic ride I was sad at the thought of missing out on them. So in the end DD9 & I sent DH & DD7 on their own Tea Cup & we cautiously boarded our own. We rode quite happily without spinning our own cup (DH & DD7 spun their cups like mad people) & it was fun & we felt great

Star Tours was HORRIBLE I wont ride that again, I wasn't expecting that reaction at all.

The Astro Blasters were not so good for me, but Dumbo was fine. I think the AB are faster than Dumbo which made me feel just a little bit 'off' by the end of the ride.....

I avoided Space Mountain, Roger Rabbit & Mr Toad because of reviews I had read, so I can't comment on them.

And we never made it on BTMRR or the Matterhorn because our girls were nervous and we had already pushed our luck dragging them on Splash & Indy. Splash was fun & Indy really rough but good fun.

Motion sickness is a very individual thing, but I hope it helps!!

 

[DisneyIsMagical]

I, too get motion sick...I can't be in the car for more than about two hours, otherwise

I surprisingly have no problems with any of the rides except the Teacups and the "Fun Wheel of Death"

I have purposely avoided CA Screamin, not sure about the upside down thing. I definately don't do spinning....

All of the following are an absolute blast! RR, ToT, Star Tours, Space Mtn (I close my eyes in the very beginning when the red "checkered" lights give the effect that you may be spinning, after that I'm fine), BTMRR, Splash, GRR, Buzz. I have never done the Astro Orbitor. Honey I Shrunk the Audience gives me a bit of a headache...possibly the 3-D effects.

 

[Kayla's Mom]

by chance, have you ever tried the homeopathic remedy i mentioned before? we used to use them to help with car sickness when we lived on a winding mountain road (ugh). now that we live on a normal street again (lol) we don't need them anymore.

but they were REALLY effective. it's just ipecac, i think. tiny little tablets that you dissolve under your tongue. they taste like sugar. i'm not sure they're for use BEFORE motion sickness (with homeopathy, you take something that would normally cause those symptoms if you didn't already have them....so taking them ahead of time would probably just cause nausea...i mean, that's what ipecac is generally used for - to make people throw up after ingesting something dangerous). but it's probably worth reading up on to find out if they might help your DH at all!

motion sickness is NO fun. i had it almost every day of my life as a kid. i rode the school bus and UGH, the thought STILL makes me feel sick, lol!

My husband has never tried that, no. I doubt that he would because I don't think he would ever try riding any of those rides again anyway in fear of them making him sick. It's not worth it to him because when he gets motion sickness he feels terrible for several hours, if not the rest of the day. When he got sick at the waterpark we actually had to leave and go back to our room for the rest of the afternoon. The worst was when we were on a company trip to Whistler and we had to take a bus in the winding mountains, in the dark. Man -- that wasn't pretty! He looked like death for the rest of the night. There were 2 or 3 people (including him) that kept running to the bathroom in the back of the bus.

Ok, I think I am starting to feel sick now......

 

[Mugglemama]

My husband has never tried that, no. I doubt that he would because I don't think he would ever try riding any of those rides again anyway in fear of them making him sick. It's not worth it to him because when he gets motion sickness he feels terrible for several hours, if not the rest of the day. When he got sick at the waterpark we actually had to leave and go back to our room for the rest of the afternoon.

that was always our problem, too...me, and my daughter, and my son...when we would get motion sick, the nausea and headaches last for hours. but the homeopathic remedy takes away those symptoms almost immediately. under 10 minutes, i'd say. at least, it did for us.

might be worth a run to your local health food store just to pick up a bottle (around $10, i think), just to keep on hand so that the next time he gets motion sick in the car or whatever, he can try them to see if they help. even if he never rides another theme park ride again, the tablets might help him in his everyday life.

best wishes!

 

[pixiewings71]

by chance, have you ever tried the homeopathic remedy i mentioned before? we used to use them to help with car sickness when we lived on a winding mountain road (ugh). now that we live on a normal street again (lol) we don't need them anymore.

but they were REALLY effective. it's just ipecac, i think. tiny little tablets that you dissolve under your tongue. they taste like sugar. i'm not sure they're for use BEFORE motion sickness (with homeopathy, you take something that would normally cause those symptoms if you didn't already have them....so taking them ahead of time would probably just cause nausea...i mean, that's what ipecac is generally used for - to make people throw up after ingesting something dangerous). but it's probably worth reading up on to find out if they might help your DH at all!

motion sickness is NO fun. i had it almost every day of my life as a kid. i rode the school bus and UGH, the thought STILL makes me feel sick, lol!

that was always our problem, too...me, and my daughter, and my son...when we would get motion sick, the nausea and headaches last for hours. but the homeopathic remedy takes away those symptoms almost immediately. under 10 minutes, i'd say. at least, it did for us.

might be worth a run to your local health food store just to pick up a bottle (around $10, i think), just to keep on hand so that the next time he gets motion sick in the car or whatever, he can try them to see if they help. even if he never rides another theme park ride again, the tablets might help him in his everyday life.

best wishes!

Just a quick fyi, it's NOT Ipecac, Ipecac is what you give someone when you WANT them to vomit, not as a motion sickness medicine. I know there is something you can use, in fact there are quite a few somethings you can use, Hyland Motion Sickness medication comes to mind...but please, don't take Ipecac......