Space Mountain -- does ride differ depending on which line you're in?

[laurajetter]

I thought I read a post a while back that said Space Mountain has two lines, one that goes to the left and one to the right. The person claimed that depending which line you choose, you would have a slightly different ride; one is a little bit tamer while the other might have slightly longer drops, etc. Or maybe it was that one line gave you a curvier ride? Anyway, it has been years since I've ridden it so I can't remember it having two lines, but does anyone know if there is any truth to this?

The only reason I ask is because my DH and I could have sworn that the second time we rode SM (there were 1 or 2 years in between our first and second ride) the drops seemed a little longer or something because the first time we were pleasantly surprised that we didn't really get that stomach-dropping feeling yet the second time we were both shaken a little more once we got off because we did notice a stomach-drop. (We don't really like that feeling so much!) Then when I read the post about the lines not having identical rides, it made me wonder. It seems to me they WOULD give you an identical ride no matter which line you're in...can anyone enlighten me on this subject?

-Laura

 

[Pkdcoastrs]

Hello!

The line is one up until you get to the actual loading areas. Upcon there you acn go to the left or right of the mission control. Both tracks are pretty much identical except one of the sides has an additional 5 feet of track to counteract them being identical. Also they are mirrors of eachother so the turns are opposite of what the other side does.

Personally I do have to say the left side seems to give a faster sensation, but in reality they both go the same speed. In additional the drops on the left side provide more "air time" you could say. It may just be the maintnence of the track or something just makes one side ride different then the other.

In the end, they are pretty much the same. Enjoy your ride!

 

[miste76]

Sitting farther back in the train of cars also makes you feel like there's more airtime... The front car always gives me the feeling of smaller drops and a slower ride.

 

[RLewis]

There are slight design differences, but unless you ride each line back-to-back, you'll probably not really notice them (unless you've ridden it multiple times).

 

[Skylarr29]

I def think there is a diff though I could be wrong. Me and dh rode them back to back a few times to check. I believe it's the left side that has more drops ...... but i could be wrong lol! I have never seen the tracks.

 

[cooldisneymom]

I agree with you Skylarr29 I think the left side has more drops !!! We recently rode it in July about 6 times!

 

[disneylovr1]

We rode both sides a few times in a row during an e-night, and they do seem to be different. I could never quite decide which side I loked better, though.

 

[JamesD]

It would be very difficult to do a direct comparison between the two tracks, as far as how they feel, which is a subjective opinion in the first place. The ride you experience is based on multiple factors, only one of which is the shape of the track, which by the way, are essentially identical, except for the before mentioned 'bump.' Your ride is also based on which seat you are sitting in, how many people are in the train, their weight and distribution, how cold or hot the track is, the air temperature, how lubricated the track is, in addition to the rider's physical and mental condition. You'd have to do a blind (not just dark!) test of both tracks, using the same train, with the same people sitting in the same seats, and you'd have to do it under the same track and atmospheric conditions, which is just about impossible! Or, you could just take our word for it, the tracks are the same!

 

[Leota]

The left side feels like a different experience to me everytime. It also seems a little darker, like it's shadowed more somehow. Logically I know this can't be, as both track are in the same space - but it always seems darker on that side for some reason....
But the left is by far my favorite side.

 

[dgaston]

A CM once explained to us that your seat in the "rocket" makes a lot of difference too. Seats 2 and 5 are the most stable, 1 and 6 the bumpiest and 3 and 4 intermediate. I have experimented with this and know I like 2 a lot.

HTH