Scared to Death of Mission:Space

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Let me clarify. I'm scared to death to go on the spinning version of Mission: Space. I've been on the wimp version and am fine with the small space.

The only reason I bring this up is because I know my job will be to go on all the thrill rides with the teenager on our trip next week. I've been on every other thrill ride at WDW and have been fine. I know she will want to do the wild version, but I've just heard so many bad things about it that I'm terrified.

I guess my fear is that I have some undiagnosed medical condition that the G-forces will aggrivate, or I will end up with motion sickness and my day will be ruined. (I should probably add that I'm only 28, but I'm a bit of a worry-wart.)

Could those of you who have braved the full version of Mission: Space give me a pep talk?

 

[Michele]

I too was scared to death to go on this ride. When I did it in Dec 2005 they didn't even have a green version yet. I thought the same thing that maybe I had some undiagnosed condition and shouldn't ride it. In fact, just as the cast member was going to close the door, I said to my husband "Are you sure I should do this?" (I hadn't let on to DH that I was getting more and more scared through the queue). Then I asked the CM how long it lasted. He said just about 4 min and I thought OK, I can do this. I just sat back and tried to relax and keep breathing. It was intense....but I was OK, no nausea, no headache. Now my DH and one DS got headaches from the G forces. And now that there is a green version we do opt to ride that one instead, but at least we can say we have experienced the intense version.

 

[robertgp124]

DW and I went when it opened and then again on a repeat trip. In line, I was absolutely terrified. I had read all kinds of stuff about the ride. (I won't repeat the stories here.) I am not a thrill ride person at all. DW is much braver than me. Getting in, I had white knuckles.

I enjoyed the ride. The other folks that were on with me didn't seem to have any issues either. If the small space didn't bother you on the tame version, and you've ridden far scarier rides? This shouldn't bother you much.

If you could pass me a healthy dollop of your courage from the other rides, my DW would be very grateful.

 

[mainegal]

Not that age has anything to do with it...

I went on the spinning side two years ago with my friend, both of are 52. We loved it. Went on it three times.

Three years ago I went on it with my mother. She was 76 years old at the time. She has Parkinson's. We transferred her from her wheel chair. She was fine.

Best hint - look forward. Do not look at the person next to you! I love the feeling in my stomach that makes me feel like I am really taking off!

WHEEEEEE!!!!!

 

[wdwluver]

The first time I rode Mission Space, I had the normal nervousness prior to the ride, but loved it. After the news reports, I was terrified. Especially since I rode it shortly after the incident with the kid, and I was in line telling the CM I was okay riding the intense version, and he kept asking me "are you sure?"

But I've rode it a few more times since then, both the intense and watered down version. They really seem a lot alike to me. That could be because I'm just a daring little chicken. Just follow the directions - look straight ahead, don't close your eyes. My daughter is a daredevil too, so I know what you mean and she's only 10.

 

[Tonya2426]

Best hint - look forward. Do not look at the person next to you! I love the feeling in my stomach that makes me feel like I am really taking off!

WHEEEEEE!!!!!

Good tip, Lyn!! I haven't had any problems riding MS - since the first time I rode it that is. The first time I rode it I did look around and towards the end I felt this wave of nausea come over me. A few deep breaths and I was fine but I don't look around anymore. I look straight ahead now and enjoy the ride pretending I am an astronaut saving the world.

As far as undetected medical issues. Ehhhhhhh. I figure if I am gonna go then I want to go on a ride at Disney World. It's a whole heck of alot better than going while sitting on the couch watching tv.

 

[disneycruise05]

All right...I'm going to answer this in two parts. First, I'm going to put my Cast Member badge on. In the interest of full disclosure (hopefully the gang would be proud), I work at Mission: SPACE. I started in January as part of the Disney College Program and was there until August. After my program ended, I transferred to a Seasonal Cast Member, still working at Mission: SPACE.

So...that being said...I'll tell you the exact same thing that I tell any guest that is at all apprehensive about riding the Orange Team - More Intense training: try the Green Team - Less Intense training first. Now...you've already done that. The two versions are exactly the same in terms of the show. The only difference are the G-forces you'll experience.

On the More Intense training you'll spin to experience up to 2.5 G-forces four separate times during the training mission, ranging in length of about 6-15 seconds. On roller coasters you can experience up to 4 G-forces or greater, but for only a split-second. While you pull less G-forces on M:S, it's for a longer period of time. So you really can't compare the two sensations.

The capsules also move side-to-side and front-to-back. This happens on both versions of the attraction.

As others have said, we tell you many, many times what to do to reduce the chances of getting sick...to the point where some people leave just because the warnings get to them. Leaning forward, closing your eyes, or looking left or right could disorient you. So...keep your head back against the headrest, focus straight ahead, and keep your eyes open at all times...even if you feel disoriented.

And if all else fails, we have motion sickness bags in the capsules.

All right...now I'll talk as a Guest. I LOVE the More Intense training. For me, I don't get bothered by the G-forces. However, I do have more trouble with the Less Intense training. On that one I can fell the capsules moving and that bothers me. With the More Intense, at least for me, the actual movement of the capsule seems much more calm.

I really hope you'll at least give the More Intense training a chance. It really is quite fun. Don't ride on an empty stomach. I would say having a little something in your stomach is good, and be well hydrated. And if you do decide to opt out, you can do so at any point. Even up to the point where you're strapped in. But once the training mission begins you won't be able to stop.

Hope this all makes sense. Have a great training mission, trainee!

 

[mainegal]

I really appreciated the cast member explanation.

I don't think I knew until after I got off that the "capsule" was spinning. The physics of the ride had to be explained to me.

What I felt was the tilt of my body as we went up for lift off. Truly, what I saw out the space capsule window (the screen) really made me think I wasa lifting off and into space.

There are a few moments when all goes black as we go into hyperspace. That disoriented me, but I'll bet the astronauts felt the same thing.

I was an astronaut.
The first time I rode it, I screamed "I'm Sally Ride!!!".

Love it!
Enjoy the flight!

 

[AnneR]

I have done both sides to this ride and prefer the less intense. It's interesting that the advice is to look ahead. I have issues with rides that have visual effects paired with motion. It triggers mild motion sickness for me - so rides like the old Back to the Future, Star Tours, etc and both sides of MS trigger the feelings. I find closing my eyes makes me feel better. It is like not having the visual stimula settles whatever is triggering the sensations.

 

[dis2cruise]

I was scared too take it from the chick who screamed the first time on
soarin . Go on green and if your stomach starts to do a flip
"CLOSE YOUR EYES" it works like a charm. Good luck

btw...you never EVER want to see me on Test Track the people in front on me still can't hear right

 

[dis2cruise]

double post

 

[alebisi]

The first time I rode Mission SPace was at my last trip to WDW (Dec 2005), I really didn't knew what was about until I was in queue, I don't know if there was or wasn't a green version, but we just entered to the more intense one... and boy.... at the beggining I was feeling sooo weird... then I calmed down, I didn't felt nausea when I got off I just felt a bit disoriented and 10 minutes later I was feeling better.
Thanks to the cast member for the explanation!

 

[boettj]

When it first opened, I went on it. Nervous I'd throw up, but that was it. Since then, I've taken my DS on the green side. I'd love to take my DS on the more intense side, but my DW would probably shoot me. He's only 10, and her issue is with the reports on kids.

Now I know my DD7 would go on the more intense side in a heartbeat. She is the daredevil of our kids. She went on Tower of Terror at age 4, and loved it. She can't wait to go on it again this November.


Good luck with your decision.

 

[rotlex]

We rode for the first time this past June. We had never ridden before, primarily because my DD was only 6 on our last trip, and we were too nervous from all the hype you hear and read about.

Well, let's just say, it is now one of our favorite rides at Epcot. Yeah, if you ask our DD, now 7, she'll take it over Test Track or Soarin' any day. She LOVES it....yes, the orange\more intense side. She also talked my wife, who won't even ride Everest, into going on it. She rode green first, then orange, and loved it as well! She really, really is a wimp when it comes to rides too, LOL.

Seriously, I think most people I talked too became more stressed just thinking about it than anything. It's a GREAT ride, that really simulates a space mission in a very cool way. I see it as kind of the ultimate video game. (Being a game junkie helps).

A really friendly cast member that I spoke to before riding the first time told me the orange side "intensity" is kind of like taking off on a jet plane. You know what, that was a very accurate explanation, IMO. The other bit of advice he gave, it's also explained to you in briefing somewhere, is too look forward, not down, left, right etc., and DON'T close your eyes. We took all that advice, and like I said above, it's now a family favorite!

 

[PinkBudgie]

Has anyone been on California Screamin in DCA at DLR? I'm wondering how it compares to that. You start off super fast and it leaves your stomache feeling strange but I can deal with that. Or is it more like the feeling you get from going upside down? Just trying to figure out what feeling is like. About the only feeling I don't like is just dropping straight down ToT style. But even that I do.

 

[Madi100]

I'm not going to be any help, but have to share. I can't do Star Tours. So, I was thinking I really wanted to try Mission Space. So, I decided to be brave. But then as you go to ride, you are warned 50 bazillion times that if you have problems with motion sickness not to ride. Well, that's me. So, I'm thinking if they warn you that many times, it must be bad. But, I kept on. So, we get seated in our little pod, and we pull the harness thing down over our heads, and we wait. And, we wait. And, we wait. Why? Because someone on the ride before us got sick, and the sensors won't let the ride move until it's cleaned up.

As we are waiting - just the two of us - I get alittle freaked out. I start feeling like I need to get off, but I can't move, because of the harness. The longer we sit there, the more freaked out I get. At that point I had decided I needed to get off the ride. However, there was no CM around. So, I'm getting a little freaked out because I want to get off and there is no one to let me off. FINALLY, a CM comes over and James told her I needed to get off. Off I go into the hallway, where I was fine until a CM asked me if I was OK. And, I just started BAWLING. It was one of my finer moments at WDW. Not been brave enough to ever try again.

 

[mainegal]

I'm not going to be any help, but have to share. I can't do Star Tours. So, I was thinking I really wanted to try Mission Space. So, I decided to be brave. But then as you go to ride, you are warned 50 bazillion times that if you have problems with motion sickness not to ride. Well, that's me. So, I'm thinking if they warn you that many times, it must be bad. But, I kept on. So, we get seated in our little pod, and we pull the harness thing down over our heads, and we wait. And, we wait. And, we wait. Why? Because someone on the ride before us got sick, and the sensors won't let the ride move until it's cleaned up.

As we are waiting - just the two of us - I get alittle freaked out. I start feeling like I need to get off, but I can't move, because of the harness. The longer we sit there, the more freaked out I get. At that point I had decided I needed to get off the ride. However, there was no CM around. So, I'm getting a little freaked out because I want to get off and there is no one to let me off. FINALLY, a CM comes over and James told her I needed to get off. Off I go into the hallway, where I was fine until a CM asked me if I was OK. And, I just started BAWLING. It was one of my finer moments at WDW. Not been brave enough to ever try again.

What a traumatic experience.
If you have a change of mind and find you can be brave, I'll be happy do go on with you and hold your hand and give you comfort, support and a badge for courage and bravery when you get off.

 

[disneycruise05]

A really friendly cast member that I spoke to before riding the first time told me the orange side "intensity" is kind of like taking off on a jet plane. You know what, that was a very accurate explanation, IMO. The other bit of advice he gave, it's also explained to you in briefing somewhere, is too look forward, not down, left, right etc., and DON'T close your eyes. We took all that advice, and like I said above, it's now a family favorite!

This is a perfect analogy!

Has anyone been on California Screamin in DCA at DLR? I'm wondering how it compares to that. You start off super fast and it leaves your stomache feeling strange but I can deal with that. Or is it more like the feeling you get from going upside down? Just trying to figure out what feeling is like. About the only feeling I don't like is just dropping straight down ToT style. But even that I do.

It is somewhat similar to the launch of California Screamin'. I don't know the exact G-forces that you experience, but the sensation is somewhat different. You don't pull the G-forces for as long as you do on Mission: SPACE.

I'm not going to be any help, but have to share. I can't do Star Tours. So, I was thinking I really wanted to try Mission Space. So, I decided to be brave. But then as you go to ride, you are warned 50 bazillion times that if you have problems with motion sickness not to ride. Well, that's me. So, I'm thinking if they warn you that many times, it must be bad. But, I kept on. So, we get seated in our little pod, and we pull the harness thing down over our heads, and we wait. And, we wait. And, we wait. Why? Because someone on the ride before us got sick, and the sensors won't let the ride move until it's cleaned up.

As we are waiting - just the two of us - I get alittle freaked out. I start feeling like I need to get off, but I can't move, because of the harness. The longer we sit there, the more freaked out I get. At that point I had decided I needed to get off the ride. However, there was no CM around. So, I'm getting a little freaked out because I want to get off and there is no one to let me off. FINALLY, a CM comes over and James told her I needed to get off. Off I go into the hallway, where I was fine until a CM asked me if I was OK. And, I just started BAWLING. It was one of my finer moments at WDW. Not been brave enough to ever try again.

First off, I want to apologize for what happened. There isn't really any explanation as to why we couldn't get you out any faster. As you said, if somebody does get sick (which some days never happens and some days happens a dozen times) we can't start the attraction until it has been cleaned up. Now...not wanting to get in depth about protein spills and the joys of them...most times when a Guest gets sick we know pretty quickly. Either they tell us or we can see...or smell...it.

But there are some times that the Guest will go behind the capsule, take care of business, and never tell us. And if we don't know about it we'll go ahead and load the next group of Guests. What's sad is that when that happens it's usually a Guest that finds the protein spill.

Once the spill is found, we have to call for custodial to come clean it up. Sometimes they can get there in 2 minutes, sometimes it takes 20. And once they get there they clean it up throughly.

But with all of that we should have been talking to y'all as y'all were strapped in seats. If that didn't happen then I sincerely do apologize. I know it can get quite cramped in the capsules and if you're left in there too long just sitting there it can get bad.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Okay I will too admit that the first time I rode I didn't know it was spinning either. I was all nervous because of stuff that I had heard and then when it ended I thought "that was it?" I felt perfectly fine. I would think if you could handle California Screamin' you would be perfectly fine on this ride. You don't get the up and down stomach sinking sensation that you get on CS. But I love CS more...there is some excitement in that feeling

 

[FireDancer]

I'm not the person to ask because thrill rides never bother me but my mom is the biggest wuss when it comes to anything remotely thrilling and she was able to do the Orange side. To put it in perspective, she will not go on Soarin' and can't look out of the monorail when we are on it.

As long as you don't look to the side you won't know you are spinning, your brain does a good job of using the visual cues on the screen to make you feel as though you are experiencing true lateral G-forces instead of centrifugal forces.