Scared of rides

[rbalcom]

Hi. Everyone. First timer here to the boards, though I've been reading them faithfully for over a year now. I have been to Disney twice now and still have not worked up the nerve to do all of the rides. I really want to do Splash Mountain and BTMRR this trip coming up in March. I think these are the more manageable of all the thrill rides. Am I right in my assessment? It really is the dropping feeling that I hate so much. I did the flume at Busch Gardens over ten years ago and boy that left me very weak knee-ed. My DH thinks I can handle SM but even he hasn't done BTMRR. Do any of you have suggestions for how to overcome my fears? Also, would my 5 year old son be able to handle them?

 

[Mortlives]

Hi and Welcome!
If you don't like drops, you'll probably prefer Space Mountain to Splash Mountain. BTMRR is also non-dropping, and a lot of fun.

It's not that the Splash drop is particularly bad, it's that the other 2, don't really drop, they just whip around. Mind you, I would still suggest Splash for the superior story and the song . I'm just not sure if you'll enjoy it if you're just worried about that final drop. I don't know how tall the Busch Gardens flume ride is, so I can't give you a basis for comparison, but I don't think anything in the Magic Kingdom is going to be nearly as scary as something in a regular amusement park.

I've seen young children clamour to go back on these rides, so as long as your DS is tall enough, he should be fine.

Kungaloosh!
Mort.

 

[rbalcom]

Thanks for your reply. I have NEVER done a roller coaster of any sort but I love rides like Dinosaur and Star Tours. Absolutely no problems there. I thought I would start with BTMRR and see how it goes. I am also getting a lot of conflicting advice about Space Mountain but if it doesn't have any drops and BTMRR goes well, it may be next. I really loved the stories of Brer Rabbit as a kid so it may mean two trips on SM: one to survive the drop and another to actually enjoy the story.

 

[Mortlives]

You may also love Mission:Space if drops are your only source of discomfort. I'm not a real fan of roller coasters (it's the heights that bother me), but there's nothing on Disney property I can't stand to ride.

One thing about Splash is that there are a few more Pirate sized drops on the way to warm you up, so it's not just one big drop. You do the little one's and think, "That was fun, I can handle something bigger".

Have a great time.

Kungaloosh!
Mort.

 

[MultiMut]

Well it's tough to say, since we all have different tolerances for rides. My wife seems to be similar to you... she does not do coasters at all, and dislikes drops.

My honest opinion is that BTRR is not scarey... no big drops of any kind, and is lots of fun. Try it once and see if you like it. Note, my wife has not tried BTRR. But in the line, I came across many who are not big on coasters but tried BTRR and liked it.

Splash mountain has a wonderful story, and the drop is really not as bad as it looks -- it's not a fast drop. My kids finally convinced my wife to try Splash Mountain just once to see the story inside. Well my wife tried it, and she agreed the drop wasn't quite as bad as it looked, and was glad she tried it. However she wasn't about to try it again and again!

Space Mountain doesn't have any big drops, and if you take away the fact it's dark with lots of lights, it's really not too exciting of a coaster (I know, heresy to say that on a Disney board). But if you don't like coasters, just pass on Space Mountain (unlike Splash Mountain which has a nice story to it, it's SpaceMountain is just a coaster, and why put yourself in a long line if you don't like coasters).

If your child is excited to try a ride, and meets the height requirement, then he should be fine. However, I don't think a 5-year old is likely to meet the height requirement for Splash Mountain (or Space Mountain). BTRR might work though.

 

[Cruisin]

Welcome to the Canadian DISBoards rbalcom

I am not much for large drop rides either (though I love Tower of Terror, for some reason).

BTMRR is a great ride, no large drops, just lots of fast turns. Splash Mountain has the drop but I think everything else outweighs the importance of that drop. The drop only lasts a couple of seconds and it is over before you even know it.

Just get really brave and try them, you might find you actually like them.

 

[avdeane]

rb,

We just got back from WDW a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't been on any amusements rides for over 17 years and was rather worried about going on everything! I've never been one for coasters either but I was determined to go on everything!! Of course that didn't happen, but I did go on more things than I thought I would!
BTMRR was great and I loved it!! Splash Mountain was also great even though I had a bit of trepidation at the biggest drop but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! Space Mountain was a blast although I found that to be the one that "shook" me up the most and it wasn't bad at all.
We went on Tower of Terror as the first ride of our trip and I enjoyed it too! My two youngest kids, 11 and 9 hated it though and because of that I didn't try Rock n Roller Coaster or Mission Space.
My philosphy is that it is a short ride and will be over quickly. If I don't like it I never have to do it again. BUT if I do like it, I just gave myself a great time and wonderful memory!!

Have a great time in WDW!!
Vicky

 

[bunnyfoo]

Hi welcome to DIS!

I'm not a fan of big drops either ... I haven't worked up the nerve to try Splash Mountain yet, so I can't comment on that. One of these trips I keep telling myself...

BTMRR is a good ride... you'll hardly notice the drops at all. Ask the CM if you can sit up front. The train goes really slowly up the hills and when you sit up front you won't feel the drops as much.

I've also gone on Space Mountain and thought it was fun! The drops here are bigger but aside from the first drop (which you definitely know is coming)... I don't notice the rest because everything is in the dark.

You can scream on the rides... I know that sometimes helps me

 

[rbalcom]

Thanks to all for the feedback and encouragement. From all your advice I can see that BTMRR is definitely on the list (not too many drops and I really don't mind side to side motion), and then we'll try for Splash and Space mountain. DS meets the height requirement for the first time too so it'll be great to share it together. I just can't leave the World one more time without having done at least a couple of the big ones.