Talk to me about Space Mountain

[VeronicaZS]

The first and only roller coasters that I have ever ridden are BTMRR & Mine Train. I DO NOT like drops. Shaking, spinning, heights, small drops, etc. are all fine so after watching the POV videos on YouTube I decide to try BTMRR & Mine Train and I had a blast, we rode multiple times. I rode Splash Mountain twice for my kids (and was anxious about the big drop the whole time) but didn't even consider Space Mountain. I couldn't get a sense of how intense this ride is based on the POV videos because it is so dark. Can someone describe it? Also, does each person ride alone? How does this work for kids? They made me do rider switch for Barnstomer because they said my DS could not ride alone until he was 7 even though he is over 44"!

 

[IrishNYC]

It's very shaky to me, almost to the point of being unpleasant, yet it's not undoable for me. I think the darkness contributes to its less likable-ness. For comparison, I hate Dinosaur and won't ride it again. I don't like being shaken out of my undies.

As for your son, yes, under 7 must ride with someone over 14, regardless of their height.

 

[GeorgiaDawg7]

The rocket train has 6 seats per train. You are alone in a seat and then people are either behind or in front of you unless your in the first or last seat on the rocket. I think you can handle SM if you enjoyed BTMRR. If you don't like being in tight spaces don't ride it. its fun, but the track can definitely be surprising in the dark.

 

[matthewhavens]

I don't think there is anything terrifying about the actual drops, speed, etc. The real factor is the dark. You keep trying to open your eyes wider and wider to let some kind of light in. You then get a glimpse of a piece of track coming right at your head and then the vehicle suddenly dips or turns. I find myself continually ducking and dodging even though I can't see anything. The most frightening part of the ride, in my opinion, is the lack of visibility. If the darkness doesn't scare you then it really is no worse than BTMR.

 

[Grand Admiral]

SM is what's known as a "wild mouse" style of coaster. It has a lot of twists and turns, but not large drops. My dad refuses to ever ride it again because can be rough on your neck and back with the twisting and turning.

 

[IrishNYC]

SM is what's known as a "wild mouse" style of coaster. It has a lot of twists and turns, but not large drops. My dad refuses to ever ride it again because can be rough on your neck and back with the twisting and turning.

SM isn't a wild mouse coaster. Primeval Whirl in AK is.

 

[VeronicaZS]

It's very shaky to me, almost to the point of being unpleasant, yet it's not undoable for me. I think the darkness contributes to its less likable-ness. For comparison, I hate Dinosaur and won't ride it again. I don't like being shaken out of my undies.

As for your son, yes, under 7 must ride with someone over 14, regardless of their height.

But I can't sit next to him so will they let him ride in the seat in front or in back or me? He won't be the issue the next time we go, my twins will not be 7 so how will that work (2 adults with 3 kids, 2 are younger than 7 but over 44")

 

[soniam]

I know where you are coming from. I still haven't ridden Splash due to the drop and water, maybe July. Once BMTRR and 7DMT didn't bother me, I vowed to ride Space Mountain. I did it in March. It was kind of a let down. Except for being horribly jerky, maybe not as bad as Primeval Whirl or Dinosaur, but definitely not smooth, it wasn't bad at all. I could actually see what was coming up too. I would definitely do it again, but I think once per trip might be enough. My next goal is either RNRC or Expedition Everest. I think TOT will be out for a while, maybe forever, because I don't like big drops.

 

[Disneyliscious]

I find myself continually ducking and dodging even though I can't see anything.

LOL I thought I was the only poor soul who did this!!

To the OP, Space Mountain has one "gravity defying" drop but its over so fast you are back on track again before you realize what happened. I -hate- coasters. I rode Everest once and NEVER again. I won't ride RnR either. I'm not a thrill person BUT I love Space Mountain. The fact that it is dark is what helps me because I can't see how high up I am and I can't anticipate any dips/drops/etc because I can't see them. Its totally worth doing once! Yes, its jerky but a very fun ride. Its one of those that when you get off of it you feel brave for doing it lol

 

[soniam]

SM isn't a wild mouse coaster. Primeval Whirl in AK is.

Space Mountain actually is considered a mouse trap style coaster; it's just not as much so as PW.

But I can't sit next to him so will they let him ride in the seat in front or in back or me? He won't be the issue the next time we go, my twins will not be 7 so how will that work (2 adults with 3 kids, 2 are younger than 7 but over 44")

You are considered riding with them if you are in the car with them, even though you have your own seat. DH and DS rode together when he was 6 without any issues. It's possible that all 5 of you would be in the same car.

 

[Ambear]

You might get a better sense of the ride with a lights on pov video:

It's muuuuch more intense in the dark though. Based on what you've described I think you'll like it.

 

[BrianL]

But I can't sit next to him so will they let him ride in the seat in front or in back or me? He won't be the issue the next time we go, my twins will not be 7 so how will that work (2 adults with 3 kids, 2 are younger than 7 but over 44")

To further expand on what soniam said, someone under 7 must ride in the same "vehicle" as an adult. That means a unit that is a single car in a train. So, for Space Mountain, there are two cars per train, each with 3 seats, 1 per row. You could sit with your kids in one car, but you would not be allowed to have the under 7 child ride in the front car, and you in the second car, even if you were in the seat directly behind the coupling and they were right in front of you.

On Barnstormer, each car in the train only has one row of seating (unusual), which is why it sometimes leads to issues for people with multiple kids under 7.

I don't have kids, but this particular safety rule fascinates me for some reason.

Also, if you can handle BTTMR, you can handle Space. It's a bit rougher, but not really any more intense.

 

[DVCcurious]

When you're going up the lift hill you should look at the people on the other lift hill and yell "woo hoo, space mountain!" Then everyone starts cheering.

 

[disneydeal]

Fast and I'd call it a smooth coaster compared to some I've been on. And air in your face lots of it. Fun

 

[loves to dive]

I ride BTMRR, SDMT, ToT, TT, EE but can not ride SM. Nothing to do with the dark or the drops, the darn thing jerks so much I come off with a headache my neck feels like it's been broken. I'm a tad height challenged so my head tends to bounce around, I also can't ride RNRC for the same reason. I can ride Dinosaur and it doesn't bother me (I don't ride it any more just because, well I'm not sure why) but I think that might be because you are tossed more side to side with your whole body as opposed to just your head and neck.

 

[LSUfan4444]

I DO NOT like drops. Shaking, spinning, heights, small drops, etc. !

Skip it

 

[mindeola]

My sister loves roller coasters of all kinds and hates SM. She assumes it is because it is dark.

My son is not a fan of roller coasters and he loves SM> He says he likes it because he CAN'T see!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

Space Mountain seriously cracked me up, lol...so Space Mountain wasn't even on our radar for our last trip bc I am not big on roller coasters especially ones that are in the dark, lol...Then while we were waiting in line for Splash Mountain the CM there was talking with my son (he was 8 at the time) asking him about the coasters he's been on, and he mentioned how Space Mountain was seriously the best! I cringed when he mentioned this bc my son is also on the spectrum and I knew he would get fixated on this, lol. The rest of the afternoon thats all I heard about, so my husband and I played rock, paper, scissors to see who would be "lucky" enough to take him on it, lol. I lost 3 times! Anyways you have to walk like a 10 minute walk from the start of the line to where the actual ride is! Its a very daunting walk, lol...every time I past a CM I asked them how bad this ride truly was. The CMs were all laughing at me, lol...we got there and instead of like normal coasters where you sit side by side, this coaster is single file. That made me very very nervous, specially with a young boy on the spectrum, bc I always like to have my arm around him. He sat in the front and I sat behind him...he thought I was being over dramatic bc it was just a roller coaster and it doesn't even go upside down, lol. Anyways the seats are actually very very comfy and my first experience riding Space Mountain was a good one. I am still alive to tell you about it today, LOL. My son loved this ride so much it quickly moved to the top of his list very easily surpassing Test Track, lol. He loved it so much he wanted to ride it 2 more times! On the 2nd and 3rd time I got the back seat...The back seat is very very bouncy, nothing like riding in the middle or the front. I thought I was going to fly right out of my seat! Also I thought it was funny bc on both the 2nd and 3rd time we rode Space Mountain we came a crossed mothers with young kids asking everyone how bad the ride is and if they were going to die, LOL. I think the CMs of Space Mountain must get that a lot! They should sell a tshirt or something that says "I survived Space Mountain" LOL

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Here's the thing about SM. I used to love it as a kid. I rode it again this week (I'm in my mid 40's). As others have said, you sit tabaogin style with your legs on either side of the seat in front on you in single file row. It's dark. It's about 30 MPH (not that fast) and the drops are not huge.

here's the rub: It's VERY bumpy. It's not the smooth sleek coaster that mine train is. You will get jostled... a lot. If that bothers your neck and back, it WILL bother you. I can ride it. My DW who is more susceptible to motion sickness gets really, really sick (headaches, etc) from the bouncing around.

It has loud noises and flashy lights right in your eyes. Again - doesn't bother me, but if you are prone to getting migraines or headaches from loud noises and bright lights - be warned.

Scary? Intense? Not really that bad. However it's an older coaster that jostles and pounds on your senses. So you need to decide if that's likely to react poorly with your system.

 

[BrianL]

On the 2nd and 3rd time I got the back seat...The back seat is very very bouncy, nothing like riding in the middle or the front. I thought I was going to fly right out of my seat!

You can always request being in the front seat. You might have to wait a tad longer, but the CMs will accommodate, no problem.