Will grandma (69) be ok on FJ?

[bcinohio]

We leave in 4 days for Orlando. We are doing 4 days at Disney and 1 day at each US/IOA park. This is our first trip to US/IOA. We are taking my mom who is 69 and not a roller coaster rider. She has done Space Mountain a few times, Big Thunder mountain Railroad, loves Soarin and does Star Tours. I didn't think she would want to ride FJ but now she says she can't go all that way and not try it. Do you think she will be ok? We are planning on it being the first ride of the day and I would hate to have her sick all day. I believe she is planning on taking dramamine just in case.

I know there is no exact answer just wanted opinions of those who have ridden it.

thanks

 

[kittyninja]

It has more movement than Soarin', but I have not done Star Tours so I wouldn't know about that one. It tilts you on your back, almost upside-down so take that into consideration. Really I think your best bet would be to ask an attendant. But I do know that the actor who played Filch in the movies, David Bradley (70), rode it last year and he loved it.

 

[RMulieri]

If she is healthy and likes rides she should be ok.It has more movement than Soarin and I haven't ridden Star tours since it was re-done.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

My 66 yo mom went with us a week ago, and she rode FJ. She hated it. It was the first ride we rode in 5 park days, and she was still complaining about it when we were driving back to KY.

She did enjoy MIB, Spidey, ET, but disliked the Simpsons (me too, Mom, me too).

 

[DCTooTall]

FJ has a LOT more movement than Star Tours. Your ride vehicle is a bench (with over-the-shoulder roller coaster style restraints) on the end of a robotic arm, similar to the ones used at Sum of All Thrills in EPCOT's Innoventions.

It'll throw you up to where you are pretty much on your back, and then point you downward where you are almost looking at the ground.... in addition to the side-to-side movements.

If you want to get a better idea of the ride movement in person, You might send one person in your party thru the single-rider line before the entire party hops in line for the ride. Single Rider usually has a very short wait, and then you can gain some first-hand experience on the ride in which to determine if you think she's up for the experience.


Also, Even if she doesn't ride the actual ride, She can either wait in line with you most of the way and then take the chicken exit, Or she can enjoy the Castle Tour line so that she can enjoy the castle itself without waiting in line while you ride, and then explore the rest of the Wizarding World while you guys ride.

 

[Brit_Jude]

My 70 Father-in-Law rode it and loved it, and he was waiting for a hip replacement at the time. The only part that was a little difficult was getting on and off the ride. He had the same attitude, I've come all this way so I'm going to ride. Now, I knew my Mother-in-Law would not like it and she didn't ride. She hated Soarin'.

Your Gramdma sounds like someone who might like it. After all, as I always tell everyone, the rides last only a few minutes, so if you don't like it, it will be over soon and you don't have to do it again.

Why don't you watch the Youtube video of the ride together, then she can get more of a feel for what the ride is like and make a more informed decision.

 

[amycakes]

Space Mountain is a pretty rough ride and can be challenging to get in and out of for the older crowd...... If she did not mind that, I think she should give FJ a try.

 

[chitown_disneylovers]

As long as she is not prone to motion sickness she should be OK. I guess that is why she will take the dramamine?

My DH (47) got so dizzy and motion sick on that ride we had to sit for ONE HOUR before we could get up and move again. Luckily it was at the end of the day and we just needed to get back to our resort. He took some tylenol and went right to bed.

All in all it is a comfortable ride, not jerky, no sudden drops or anything. I think it just has a tendency to make people really dizzy (we also saw a young boy about 9 or 10 lose his lunch after the ride outside the lockers poor thing!)

I love her spirit though and her attitude! Might there be a way to ride it at the end of the day just in case?

Have fun!

 

[sportz8806]

If she is comfortable to ride go ahead and let her. The one consideration is that the loading platform is a moving belt (similar to walking on a treadmill, or one of the moving sidewalks) and move a relatively quick pace, but if that is an issue for her it really is no issue, as there is a secondary platform. Just let an attendant the you need a stationary platform. It is simply a different platform that a ride vehicle will arrive at and you can take your time getting onto the ride without having to walk on the moving platform. The ride is exactly the same.

 

[Uno Mas]

I rode it last week on my first trip to IOA and was worried about motion sickness, so I took a dramamine. I thought it jerked you around a lot personally - and I had to close my eyes a few times to keep from feeling ill. The dramamine kept the motion sickness at bay but I did feel somewhat "off" for a while afterwards. Not sick, just unsteady. With that said - I would have hated myself if I'd chickened out and not tried it. I'm not anxious to ride it a second time, though. I just didn't think it was all that much fun.

 

[princess_ariel_85]

My dad was 71 when he rode FJ, he doesnt do theme parks back in the UK & only came because I was getting married in Disney. Oddly enough no one forced him on the ride he just sort of followed. He really enjoyed the ride and was pleased that he did it the once even if he'll never do it again.

 

[Fantasmic23]

We leave in 4 days for Orlando. We are doing 4 days at Disney and 1 day at each US/IOA park. This is our first trip to US/IOA. We are taking my mom who is 69 and not a roller coaster rider. She has done Space Mountain a few times, Big Thunder mountain Railroad, loves Soarin and does Star Tours. I didn't think she would want to ride FJ but now she says she can't go all that way and not try it. Do you think she will be ok? We are planning on it being the first ride of the day and I would hate to have her sick all day. I believe she is planning on taking dramamine just in case.

I know there is no exact answer just wanted opinions of those who have ridden it.

thanks

Obviously, everyone's "ride tolerance" is different, but my MIL (66) rode FJ for the first time last November ... And she hadn't been on any kind of ride since the late 1960's during her days at Coney Island. My MIL lives and breathes Harry Potter (the books) and there was no way we were going to let her miss this ride.

She loved it and calls me at least once a week asking, "So, when are we going back?"

 

[PrincessAli]

I'm a 69 year old 'Grandmom' and I've ridden it three times and am planning on doing it again in Sept!! My only problem with my first time was--I wore flip-flops and I was worried that my shoes were going to fly off from all the motion! The next few times I rode it I was sure to wear the proper footwear

 

[bcinohio]

Just back. Grandma decided not to ride. It was a good thing. After we rode it and saw how it tilted you on your back and then forward again she would have been really dizzy. It had more to do with that than her age for riding it.

The rest of us enjoyed the ride.

 

[Metro West]

Just back. Grandma decided not to ride. It was a good thing. After we rode it and saw how it tilted you on your back and then forward again she would have been really dizzy. It had more to do with that than her age for riding it.

The rest of us enjoyed the ride.

Glad you enjoyed it and she was probably better off not riding.