Stitch ride?

[irish dancer]

Our ds6 has stated that he wants to go on the Stitch ride on our upcoming trip. We have never been on this attraction all I know is you sit in individual seats and I think there is a harness type thing that comes over your shoulders. He is ASD and has issues with loud and dark so we have always avoided it. Can anyone give a short synopsis of this ride and any opinions on if this might be possible.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

The basic plot is that Stitch is in confinement ready for teleport, when he manages to break free. The lights go out and he starts 'running' around the theatre, jumping on people, belching at them and playing with their hair.

The harnesses on the ride push down very hard, but if you hunch your shoulders up as high as you can when it's lowering, it won't be so tight. I have heard of people being on there when kids have got so scared that they've flipped out and tried to get out of their harness.

It is dark, and there's a lot of screaming (some real some pre-recorded). If your son isn't good with dark or loud noises, this might not be the best attraction for him. There are times when it's almost pitch black, Stitch sometimes talks right into your ear, and the harness may make him feel that he's trapped in this situation.

That said, if he's really got his heart set on seeing it, you might be able to ask a CM if you and he could stand near the door to watch it. You wouldn't get the full effect, but you would be able to get out quickly if needed. Alternatively someone from your group could sneak away for half an hour to test it first.

In my opinion, you wouldn't be missing too much by avoiding it, but I know a number of people who love it. One warning though, Stitch doesn't become 'nice Stitch' at the end, he just gets captured again and you leave. I know some kids would find it a lot less scary if it had a 'happier' ending.

Good luck, and I hope you have a great time!

 

[Schmeck]

He doesn't get captured at the end, he escapes to E-arth...

If your child doesn't like dark and loud, avoid Stitch, as it is very dark and very loud.

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Oops! Sorry, my memory must be failing me!

 

[Michigan]

There is also fog. My kids hate that attraction.

 

[SueM in MN]

As the others mentioned, it is very loud and dark. Portions of it are in complete darkness. Many people panic at the harness before the attraction even starts.
I agree with someone who posted to send some members of your party in to check out the attraction. There are some videos of it on youtube. Here's a link to a good one (if it doesn't work, just go to youtube.com and search for 'Stitch's Great Adventure'). That video is maybe a little brighter than it actually is in the attraction; some of the parts at the end look brighter because the person focused on the screens.
Deb Wills' site (allearsnet.com) has a picture of the seat and harness.

The harness actually comes down over your shoulders just before the attraction starts. Someone posted once that the CM can bypass the harness lowering if asked. That was a while ago, so you might want to ask about that before getting into line. I always put my fist on top of my shoulder and sit up very straight while the harness is adjusting; that way, it doesn't rest on your shoulders. Most of the special effects and many of the noises come out of the harness, so having it not right on your shoulder decreases the intensity a bit.

 

[RxforDisney]

Definitely dark. That is part of the effect. The harnesses bounce up and down as if Stitch is jumping on your seat, and it sounds like Stitch is right there because you have individual speakers right in your ear. The darkness allows this effect to be realistic since you can't see Stitch.

My son had the most problem with Stitch "spitting" on us. He doesn't like to get sprayed with water. I had the most problem with smell. At one point Stitch belches a hotdog, and it smells like onion, etc. OOOOO!

If it were up to me, I would never ride it again. But, that said, it is the ride my kids talk about most when we talk about Disney World. Go figure!

 

[spotdog]

I just got back from WDW and agree with all of the above posters. As an adult, I wasn't frightened but just didn't especially like it.

The attraction is both dark and loud. There are speakers in the harness. Stitch is obnoxious and annoying and NOT AT ALL lovable.

I would skip it if you can.

 

[irish dancer]

Thanks everyone for your input. My gut feeling was that it wasn't something he'll like and I still think that but he is so insistent that he wants to go on. I'll show him the pics of the seats and the youtube movie and go from there. Maybe I can just distract him when we're in that area and he won't miss it, unlikely but it's worth a shot.

 

[mfenstermaker]

My special needs son who still has an infant-like startle reflex said "mom, I never want to go on that again." I agree!

By the way, my 14 year old DD is an Irish dancer!