Just Back - Kraken Observation

Cinderella822

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 4, 2000
Just spent a week on Orlando and did a day at Sea World last week. I love that park. We walked onto every ride with no wait at all. We rode the VR version of Kraken for the first time and did it a few times. While I find it a great new idea, I think I like the coaster better without the VR. My biggest complaint is that the goggles were very uncomfortable on me. My nose and upper lip hurt for days after. One time, they put it on too tight and it was killing me the whole ride. The next time, it was not tight enough and was flopping all over my face with every twist and turn!

But the odd thing was what happened with my husband. He said on one ride, he saw only the inside of a submarine the whole ride! Not all the underwater and sea life stuff. He was stuck staring at a wall inside the submarine with a fire extinguisher on it, etc. Has anyone ever experienced this?! Not sure how that could have happened, but maybe he didn't focus in the right direction when the ride started or something. Very odd. We can't figure that one out.
 
I have heard of this happening to others, either this exact same thing or other issues with the VR system.

If you let the ride attendants know when you get back they will let you ride again and I have seen them take the seat out of commission if they could not get the VR working properly.
 
Okay, we should have let them know but my husband didn't even mention it to us until we were walking away from the ride. We thought he was nuts!
 
I would have no issues if Sea World removed the VR from Kraken.I rode it shortly after opening and liked it,there were tons of ride ops and only running one train so the wait time to get on/off was fine,the headset was fine but needed to be adjusted by a ride op.Being a pretty frequent visitor to Sea World I thought I would be able to ride it frequently but getting a return ride time via app or ticket has proven to be a pain.The second time I made it into the ride was about 2 months after it opened,this time there were fewer ride ops and they were running two trains.I boarded the train and for whatever reason ended up sitting there for about 10-15 minutes as they prepped the VR headsets and got everyone loaded in,it was just too long and there was no signs of the train departing anytime soon.At that moment I started thinking about the train behind me and all the people just sitting there and if the train I'm in eventually leaves I might be sitting here for 30 minutes.I started getting some form of a mild anxiety attack based on how long we were sitting there and when I thought how much longer I might end up sitting there strapped in and that you can't ask to get out if you're in the second train waiting behind, that's when I freaked out and told them to let me out.The ride op probably thought I was scared or something but its just that I can start feeling uncomfortable if strapped for too long,usually its just if my legs are restrained,which Kraken's train doesn't do but on this particular day it bothered me. I remember the pre VR days where I could ride Kraken 4-5 times in the time it would have taken me to ride that day.The VR gimmick is fine but I would love for it to go away some day.
 
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I would have no issues if Sea World removed the VR from Kraken.I rode it shortly after opening and liked it,there were tons of ride ops and only running one train so the wait time to get on/off was fine,the headset was fine but needed to be adjusted by a ride op.Being a pretty frequent visitor to Sea World I thought I would be able to ride it frequently but getting a return ride time via app or ticket has proven to be a pain.The second time I made it into the ride was about 2 months after it opened,this time there were fewer ride ops and they were running two trains.I boarded the train and for whatever reason ended up sitting there for about 10-15 minutes as they prepped the VR headsets and got everyone loaded in,it was just too long and there was no signs of the train departing anytime soon.At that moment I started thinking about the train behind me and all the people just sitting there and if the train I'm in eventually leaves I might be sitting here for 30 minutes.I started getting some form of a mild anxiety attack based on how long we were sitting there and when I thought how much longer I might end up sitting there strapped in and that you can't ask to get out if you're in the second train waiting behind, that's when I freaked out and told them to let me out.The ride op probably thought I was scared or something but its just that I can start feeling uncomfortable if strapped for too long,usually its just if my legs are restrained,which Kraken's train doesn't do but on this particular day it bothered me. I remember the pre VR days where I could ride Kraken 4-5 times in the time it would have taken me to ride that day.The VR gimmick is fine but I would love for it to go away some day.

Ugh just reading your experience about the mild anxiety attack gave me the heebeegeebees. I don't know what it is but I've developed the same type of anxiety. I can drive my small car thousands of mile, but ask me to sit in the passenger seat, or god forbid the backseat and you'll need to shoot me with a tranquilize to settle me down.
 
Ugh just reading your experience about the mild anxiety attack gave me the heebeegeebees. I don't know what it is but I've developed the same type of anxiety. I can drive my small car thousands of mile, but ask me to sit in the passenger seat, or god forbid the backseat and you'll need to shoot me with a tranquilize to settle me down.

Yeah I have no clue on what is giving me this anxiety issue,what freaked me out is that it only used to happen on the Mummy and Gringotts at Universal that use the same type of trains where your legs can't really move at all and also at Manta at Sea World where your legs are also restrained,so I knew that was my issue but at Kraken your legs are dangling and free so I really just hope its a one time thing with how long they had us strapped in and also thinking about waiting that long after riding and not being able to ask to get out.I can ride all these rides with no real issue as long as its a quick process,a couple of weeks ago I rode Mummy and the ride stopped for 12 minutes just before unloading and yes I had a freak out moment there as well.I've been on these rides dozens if not hundreds of times and this started maybe 4-5 years ago,I'm not going to stop riding but I definitely don't do multiple rerides like I used to,I remember riding Mummy 3,4,5 times in a row without worry,now its one and done,its crazy that its all mental.
 
I have tried several VR coasters and, honestly, they don't do much for me. I did one where my view was like the OP's husband's complaint.. I was looking out the right side of the 'starship' I was piloting for the whole ride.. I walked off that one with a headache and slight nausea - my body felt the forward movement, but everything in my line of sight was moving from left to right.. it was EXTREMELY discerning. If there's a VR coaster, I will ride it without the goggles.
 


My hubby had problems with the VR 2 weeks ago and I basically told him he didn't understand how it works. Guess I owe him an apology! Also, I was not a fan of the VR. Didn't fit very well. Nor on my kids. We all had to hold them to keep them from falling off. Very uncomfortable. Also, I'm not convinced there isn't huge potential for a lice outbreak with it. *shudder*
 
I'm ancy to use the vr asi went on Simpsons at universal California and got such a horrible headache totally ruined my day and I didn't do any other vr rides. Is this similar to that? I'm going to universal and will be passing up alot of the rides there aswell
 
Kraken is definitely more of a smooth but intense experience than the Florida Simpsons ride. I don't know how it compares to California.
 

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