Everest and Space Mountain: I’m terrified!

[OhhBother]

Neither is a "big" coaster. However, as I've gotten older (46) I don't enjoy riding SM anymore because it's so rough. And I've tried to ride Everest twice. For whatever reason, there's one spot on it that causes me to become very sick to my stomach. So that one's a no-go for me. It's not a fear thing - I love coasters and have ridden some of the biggest ones. SM and Everest just have quirks that make them not work for me. I love RNR however!

 

[married2mm]

I am a big wimp...
First visit rode splash mountain-never been on again.
Thought it was a boat ride -like small world; we have a photo and me & ds (bigger wimp) look scared for our lives!!

It took probably 10 visits or more to try dinosaur-that's how big a scardy cat I am.

I have since rode big thunder, barnstormer & 7dwarves is my limit.
I can feel the drop in pirates & fea!!

I have finally rode tower of terror and I found it genuinely terrifying! I fully comprehend it was quick,fantastically engineered and safe-
But it was still petrifying.
I will not attempt anything that goes upside down-
I cannot travel backwards; therefore I'm even scared for slinky dog!
And those up & down movements look frightful too-but I'm willing to try.

 

[Doug M]

I used to be terrified of coasters. I started with BTMRR and loved it. For me it was big drops that the real fear for me was. For Disney that is only really EE and ToT. Each trip I targeted one of the coasters to try. Space was first because it is dark and nothing for me to see to ramp up anxiety. Loved it. Next trip I was going for EE. Loved it. Next trip was ToT. I figured I had been a wimp and what do you know, loved it too. Last was RnRc as you know, it goes upside down. Well naturally i loved that too. Last summer we hit DLR, and no ride was off limits. Loved California Screamin! which is of course rethemed.

My recommendation if you go often enough is to try 1 or 2 and go from least intense to most. That means 7DMT and SDD as options as you did not mention those. If those are great, maybe try another like SM. You may find you love it like I did.

 

[Random Ninja]

I used to be completely terrified of coasters and even little ones would give me panic attacks. We live in FL and I didn't ride SM until I was 26. A group of friends convinced me to ride it around 2am at EMH and I still can't believe I actually went on it. I started to panic after the first teeny-tiny drop until one of the guys started belting out 'It's a Small World' and everyone else joined in. We sang that song the entire ride and it really took my mind off my fear. (Nothing is scarier then IASW after all ) I went on EE a couple of weeks later and ride both regularly now.

Mind, I'm still scared of roller coasters, and refused to ride Slinky the first time I saw it but I'm determined to go next time because I know it'll be okay.

 

[kitkat4622]

so I will start by saying we have been to Disney 4 times and I am NOT a fan of roller coasters so here goes.

I road RnRC on our first trip, have ridden it every trip since.
It took 3 trips to get on splash mountain now one of my all time favorites. the drop intimidated me
EE also took me 3 trips to ride, also now a favorite. also again the drop (which really isn't a drop because it banks )and does not go straight down

I have not done SM but it is on my list for our trip next year.
The one I will never do is not a coaster, Tower of Terror, not happening.

worst case you will hate it and never ride again

 

[NC Disney Dad]

I’ve never been a huge roller coaster person but had zero issues riding Space Mountain or Everest when I last went about ten years ago. This next trip is for my kids, but I’m definitely going to try to get on both of them while I’m there.

 

[kimmyg26]

SM is really tame, it’s just in the dark. It’s not any faster than btmrr. Everest is faster but super smooth so it’s not so bad either, the backwards part isn’t that long and isn’t as fast as some of the other parts.

I’ve ridden so many rides at this point that I’m no longer afraid, but when I used to get scared I would just think about all of the engineering hours that went into making sure the ride was safe, and the millions of people who have ridden before me without incident.

Spork24.... what an awesome way to conquer a fear. It’s so logical yet something we often forget.

 

[kimmyg26]

I’m not a fan of SM because it’s too rough for me. I do love EE. I yell when we go backwards but that part is pretty quick. It’s a great ride.

It’s easy to get scared. I’m very guilty of it. I also know that I’m on vacation and I need to go for it. Besides those scared face photo pass pics are the best

 

[Jacqui Padden]

I am a big wimp...
First visit rode splash mountain-never been on again.
Thought it was a boat ride -like small world; we have a photo and me & ds (bigger wimp) look scared for our lives!!

It took probably 10 visits or more to try dinosaur-that's how big a scardy cat I am.

I have since rode big thunder, barnstormer & 7dwarves is my limit.
I can feel the drop in pirates & fea!!

I have finally rode tower of terror and I found it genuinely terrifying! I fully comprehend it was quick,fantastically engineered and safe-
But it was still petrifying.
I will not attempt anything that goes upside down-
I cannot travel backwards; therefore I'm even scared for slinky dog!
And those up & down movements look frightful too-but I'm willing to try.

We’ll be fine on Slinky dog .. I’ve watched it and it just stop and back up slowly for a couple of seconds. Doesn’t actually go backwards as such. Not like Everest. Tower of Terror - you must be braver than me! That’s never going to be on my to-do list! Well Done You! Thanks for replying

 

[Jacqui Padden]

I used to be terrified of coasters. I started with BTMRR and loved it. For me it was big drops that the real fear for me was. For Disney that is only really EE and ToT. Each trip I targeted one of the coasters to try. Space was first because it is dark and nothing for me to see to ramp up anxiety. Loved it. Next trip I was going for EE. Loved it. Next trip was ToT. I figured I had been a wimp and what do you know, loved it too. Last was RnRc as you know, it goes upside down. Well naturally i loved that too. Last summer we hit DLR, and no ride was off limits. Loved California Screamin! which is of course rethemed.

My recommendation if you go often enough is to try 1 or 2 and go from least intense to most. That means 7DMT and SDD as options as you did not mention those. If those are great, maybe try another like SM. You may find you love it like I did.

What is SDD. I live in England so just get to Orlando once a year sadly. Love it though! I’ve done Jurassic Park ride, and BTMRR .. didn’t like the drop on Jurassic at all but can do it just about because I know when to brace myself. BTMRR I find easy and love it. I could do 7DMT ok too.

 

[Jacqui Padden]

so I will start by saying we have been to Disney 4 times and I am NOT a fan of roller coasters so here goes.

I road RnRC on our first trip, have ridden it every trip since.
It took 3 trips to get on splash mountain now one of my all time favorites. the drop intimidated me
EE also took me 3 trips to ride, also now a favorite. also again the drop (which really isn't a drop because it banks )and does not go straight down

I have not done SM but it is on my list for our trip next year.
The one I will never do is not a coaster, Tower of Terror, not happening.

worst case you will hate it and never ride again

If you can go on R&RC I think you can easily do SM. Everyone says it’s tame compared to R&RC. It’s only the backwards part of EE that terrifies me .. oh and that climb up!

 

[AngieInOH]

Big roller coaster chicken here and I can do everything except RnR (once and done for that one) and ToT. You can do it!

 

[intertile]

I had no one to take me on roller coasters growing up. Both parents had the issues with them, and so I genuinely grew up with a fear of them. At the age of 16 a girl got me on my first coaster. It had a 78 degree drop, went around 65mph, and had 7 inversions. I can still remember the feeling of that first hill. I was so scared I couldn't scream...mouth opened, but nothing came out,lol. As soon as that drop was over, I had a blast. Riding coasters ever since. I still get nervous when I go on them, but once the ride starts adrenaline kicks in and its a blast.
Some people fear coasters because of motion sickness, others because you are out of control. I was,and still am sometimes, the later. I always push myself to ride them though. The first one of the day is always the toughest. With Space Mountain, ask to sit in the first of the 2 rockets. The rear rocket gets wiped around more. Its basically BTMRR in the dark. For Everest, when you get to the part where it will drop backwards do the following...push your body into your seat snuggly, and push on your feet. This is a mind trick, will make you feel more secure and in control. Then as soon as it starts to drop backwards yell. When it stops and prepares to go forward do the same thing again. Don't be embarrased to yell, I guarantee you won't be the only one. It will release your anxiety and won't be as bad. DON'T tense up your stomach muscles...it will make it worse. Lastly, ask to sit in the middle or front...always a little less intense there.

Have Fun, and share your on ride picture with us when you get back, lol

 

[SarahWeasley]

You should definitely check out the video of Space Mountain with the lights on if you haven't yet. I watched it several times before my first time riding SM, and it made me feel MUCH less scared to know what I'd be dealing with.

 

[Doug M]

You’re absolutely right - it’s my son I want to do it for. And that’s why I’m even considering them. It’s not a fear of the ride being dangerous - I just don’t like the feeling of being out of control, losing my stomach, being in the dark etc. All the things I know will happen. I hope in October I’m coming back saying I conquered them! I love the Harry Potter 3D Escape From Gringotts but havdnt mustered up the courage to do the other one yet. I like speed rides like Test Track because I can see and there’s no big dips.

There are no big dips in Space Mountain or Rock and Roll rollercoaster. There is a moderate to small drop in Expedition Everest.

 

[LizzyS]

Honestly, Space Mountain at Disneyland (the best one, imo) and Space Mountain at MK are cool for me and I'm not a big coaster person. I'm woozy for a few seconds after stepping off, but it's not that violent. Expedition Everest- well, I was not prepared for the backwards in the dark part and it was a little more than I was comfortable with, tbh. I'm not sure I'll do EE again. I knew it went backwards, but just didn't appreciate how jarring that would be in the dark or how long the dark part would last.

That's just my two cents.

 

[sullyfam]

Love both Space Mountain and Expedition Everest! If you take me to an amusement park like Six Flags and want me to go on one of those roller coasters where you're basically suspended in the air and whipping around in circles on a bunch of steel frames, no thank you. But at Disney, I'm up for all of the thrill rides. They seem softer and less intimidating. I think you should just go for it. The worst that's going to happen is that you don't like it but at least you can say you tried!

 

[epcotty]

Space is more rough than it used to be with the refurbishment in later years. It's still not that bad, however I don't particularly like going on it anymore. Everest really isn't bad in my opinion, just might make your head feel a little like passing out (but not much) in certain parts of the ride but that's about it

 

[Karen46]

I was the one who always sat out with the younger kids and didn't ride SM or EE. I also didn't mind because they scared me. Well I have gone on both and I can tell you it goes fast its 2-3 minutes and I focus on that. I love BTMRR and I love EE. SM is fine also but it does Jerk you around a lot. Try both as I told my kids when they were scared when they were little, smile and scream it will be over. lol They both really are a lot of fun.

 

[whitney37354]

DH hates roller coasters. On our first trip we did Space Mountain and vowed never again. Last trip we did BTMR & EE. It was okay, but once was enough for DH. I don't think we'll ever get up the courage for RnR, but DD was able to ride that one with the cousins on this trip. Even Test Track made DH sick, but he gets car sick while driving....