Space Mountain for the World’s Biggest Ride Chicken.

[Eastern]

I agree with many previous posters: Space Mountain is an uncomfortable ride. I also do not see why people enjoy it. It's in the dark and it's very jerky. I had to hold my head because it felt like my neck was going to break

 

[Networth]

If you can’t take the drop on FEA I would probably avoid all coasters.

 

[Emmaleighg728]

It's weird. I thought the jerking was worse with the overlay XD. Maybe the colors disoriented me more than the dark.

@Emmaleighg728 Is there anything particularly motivating you to ride? Wanting to go with others? Just challenging yourself? Asking because if these ride aren't for you, no shame in that. Plenty of fun attractions that don't involve those drops you don't like.

Sorry for late response, I’ve been five times now and I’ve always chickened out on this ride. It’s my mom’s favorite and I feel bad making her go alone, but I also want to ride this just to face my own fears. If there’s any sort of feeling like I am falling then I just can’t stand it! The last time my mom rode she said that it actually did tickle her stomach and that had never happened before and it made me feel even worse about it. I’m 20 years old and feel stupid when little kids go on and yet I cannot! I also don’t like the fact that I can’t hold onto her arm during this ride because it’s just a one-seater type ride, the seats are in one row. There’s a lot of things holding me back, but I wanted to get everyone’s opinion on it to see if I should go or not.

 

[Emmaleighg728]

Agree with many PPs.

If the drop on pirates affected you to the point of never riding again you will not be happy on Space Mountain. Not one bit.

My fears come from heights so I can ride anything in the dark. As long as I can’t see how high I am no issues.
RNRC is my favourite ride in WDW - we re-ride that bad boy as many times as we can. But California Screamin? Nope. Because I can see it. And it’s practically the same darn ride.

We’re all different. Do not ruin your day or trip by stressing about riding something you really don’t want to. Not worth the anxiety IMO.

Would you recommend I try RnRc? I don’t mind loops (shockingly), the only thing I am worried about there is the 0 to 60 at the beginning. After that I think I’ll be fine as there are no drops, but I’d like your opinion first. I’ve seen people say that RnRc is easier than Space.

 

[SwanVT2]

Sorry for late response, I’ve been five times now and I’ve always chickened out on this ride. It’s my mom’s favorite and I feel bad making her go alone, but I also want to ride this just to face my own fears. If there’s any sort of feeling like I am falling then I just can’t stand it! The last time my mom rode she said that it actually did tickle her stomach and that had never happened before and it made me feel even worse about it. I’m 20 years old and feel stupid when little kids go on and yet I cannot! I also don’t like the fact that I can’t hold onto her arm during this ride because it’s just a one-seater type ride, the seats are in one row. There’s a lot of things holding me back, but I wanted to get everyone’s opinion on it to see if I should go or not.

Oh so you can't ride side by side? DD age 7 wants to go but thunder seems.like my max for terror. Does space go upside down?

 

[Emmaleighg728]

Oh so you can't ride side by side? DD age 7 wants to go but thunder seems.like my max for terror. Does space go upside down?

Yeah the ride is not a side-by-side ride. Which I hate because then I can’t hold onto someone. I have watched Space with the lights on on YouTube and no, it does not go upside down. Many people refer to it as a “mouse coaster,” which just makes it all the worse that I am scared to go on it lol.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Would you recommend I try RnRc? I don’t mind loops (shockingly), the only thing I am worried about there is the 0 to 60 at the beginning. After that I think I’ll be fine as there are no drops, but I’d like your opinion first. I’ve seen people say that RnRc is easier than Space.

It’s hard to say....
IMO the two can’t be compared. It’s apples to brussels sprouts.

The upside to the takeoff is you know when it’s coming. Steven Tyler does a countdown from 5 and off you go. But that takeoff is intense and gives the same sensation as a large coaster drop (for me anyways). My DD makes sure she is exhaling through the takeoff which seems to make it a little easier to stomach.

It’s a much smoother track ride than Space as well.

RNRC is also only about 90 seconds long so even if it wasn’t a great decision to ride you know it’ll be over soon.

 

[CNorwood3]

After riding last time, i'd rather ride the old Gwazi 5 times in a row than Space Mountain. It's that bad.

 

[AngiTN]

The biggest hurdle you’ll have with RnR, you watch that initial launch while in line. It will either scare your pants off or not. If you can stand watching the launch you’ll be fine in the ride

 

[White Rose]

I have vertigo. I can not do Star Tours, mission space, RNR or everest. I have no problems with the drops on space mountain but I do feel a tiny bit bruised. it does bounce you side to side. The Wizzing noise towards the end of the ride is a bit unnerving but that is the worst of it for me. i do not recall ever feeling the stomach drop feeling. It is not pitch black Either unless you ride the pitch black Halloween version.

 

[MousetersInc]

I also want to ride this just to face my own fears. ... There’s a lot of things holding me back, but I wanted to get everyone’s opinion on it to see if I should go or not.

To play armchair psychologist, let's zero in on these two sentences. You have a strong enough desire to accomplish this goal that you posted, but a strong enough distrust of the coaster that you've always passed on it before. It sounds to me like you're looking for either "Aw, it's not that bad, you can handle it," or "No, it's totally as bad as you imagine, you should write it off." But maybe a more important question is "How important are your fears of this coaster, and how important is it to face them?" Unfortunately, nobody can really answer those for you because nobody really knows you but you. But I might suggest:

1. "This is not for me and I'm cool with it" ought to be a totally viable option. I don't watch horror movies; I have absolutely zero interest in implanting images in my imagination that might make me unable to walk into a dark room alone. I'm cool with that decision. Of course this option depends on how much it really does bug some part of you that you haven't ridden Space Mountain. If you can make peace with that part, that counts as a happy ending.
2. Sure, facing and overcoming something that has intimidated you is a worthwhile goal. But I'm still not sure I'd go for Space Mtn, or RnR either. They're among the most "intense" coasters in Disneyworld (especially not counting Tower of Terror, which sounds like the worst nightmare for someone who doesn't like drops!). I'd still suggest that you start with Slinky Dog, which is all out there in the open and has much more gradual curves (and seats two per row!). If you get done and had fun, great; on to Space Mtn (or maybe 7 Dwarfs next?). If you get off and say "never again," then you know what your body and mind want and that's a win.

 

[fla4fun]

The only Disney coaster I will ride is BTMRR and I do prefer the front. I have ridden Space maybe three times (once back when it first opened and the cars were configured differently, and twice with the newer cars) and I won’t ride it again. I tried Slinky and the first drop was so horrific I won’t ride it again. I won’t ride anything that goes upside down. I am Ok with this. There are plenty of non-thrill rides that I enjoy.

OP, don’t ride an attraction to please someone else. If you want to face your fear and try Space, try it for yourself. I can tell you that the ride will end quickly and you will either like it or not. There is no harm is disliking certain specific rides or types of rides. I am glad I tried Space and Slinky even though they scare the stuffing out of me and I won’t ride them again. I would say my experience confirmed my fear rather than conquering it, but I am still glad I tried.

 

[twinmom13]

Yeah the ride is not a side-by-side ride. Which I hate because then I can’t hold onto someone.

I agree that you should not ride Space unless you want to, but if you do decide to ride, you might like to know that it is totally possible to hold on to someone. The seats are very close, with your legs basically straddling the seat in front of you, so you can easily reach forward and put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you. Or, if the person behind you puts their hands on your shoulders, you can hold their hands. The person behind may have to lean a little, but it is totally doable.

 

[CalSea12]

SM- is a ton of fun... but it really does shake you up. Everytime I go on like others have said I have to check for bruises bc it hurts! My husband loves rollercoasters and doesntblike SM for this reason alone. Its sharp and fast and will toss you around. I feel like there are a few dips that made my stomach flutter. I also think it much more intense than most of the rides at WDW.

RNRC- is awesome...I dont think the 0 to 60 is too bad.... in fact it does kinda feel like that part of TT. The thing that bothers me here is the shoulder bars.... I cant handle those on any ride. I am glad I went on once though bc the ride itself is amazing! I really think like someone else said... is the ride worth conquering your fears?

I was also told the SM was much more tame at DL... for me that was so wrong. The height is 40 inches... so I had my 7 and 4 year old with me... the 4 year old next to me and the 7 year old behind us... the whole darn bumpy ride I was turned to the side gripping on to both of them... I swear they were gonna fly out... now for me that ride will be a never again...

 

[Pnflkc3]

I've been to Disney twice: 1987 and 2013. Was 7 years old on first trip and 33 for the second. Rode SM both times - was terrified both times. I actually remember praying to my recently departed grandmother at the time in 1987 during the ride to help me get through it. Rode again in 2012, thinking "I'm older now!" and WRONG - wanted it to end as soon as it started. Meanwhile, during the same trip, did TOT and RRCoaster at DHS and was fine and actually loved BTMRR. Something about that near complete darkness on SM that does me in. My wife and I are taking our 5 year old son for his first trip in March. I've already told her SM is all hers.

 

[magicalcouple]

Space is harder for me- and I also am a ride chicken. I absolutely hate Splash bc of my anxiety through the whole ride! But I do like BTMRR. Space is worse for me due to the dark causing more anxiety and the drops being more surprising. Take the graduation of coasters as you feel comfortable and you'll find your limit!

 

[shaqfor3]

Ride Chicken here.

I got on BTMR when I was a teen in 94 and i went pale and was screaming for my life the whole ride. I felt trapped on a place I didn't wanted to be for like 2-3 Minutes. I did manage to get on Splash Mountain after that because it was over so quickly. I had no issues with Pirates or Maelstrom. Did not ride Space Mountain

I didn't went to Disney World until 2016. I been working on getting up my fear of rides. I went: Barnstormer - Seven Dwarf - Test Track and finally BTMR and I was laughing this time. The rides that I found more scary in this trip was Dumbo (lol) and freaking Peter Pan

I went back in 2017 in a solo trip. I got on 7 Dwarves, Test Track and BTMR over 3 time each. I could say I was finally over those and I enjoy them. I tried Soarin and FoP on this trip. I hated Soarin more, not comfortable with feet dangling (i requested third row to be on the lower level).

In 2019 the ones I wanted to tried were on the same park (Slinky and Tower of Terror). I leave DHS for the last day of the trip so I can gain confidence riding. I finally manage to do Splash Mountain without closing my eyes so I was feeling as great as I could for Tower of Terror. I went to ToT and... it was the greatest thing ever. After that, I went to Slinky no problem. Soarin and FoP for me were worse this year because both time (as solo trip) I was on the first seat, so I feel like I have no heights not only in front of me but in the side as well. Peter Pan sucked again. I don't know why my anxiety goes to another level there. Even the heights in Slinky did nothing.

I am coming back this year. I still haven't done:
Space Mountain
Expedition Everest
Rock n Roller Coaster

Of the 3, I think Everest is the most doable for me. The lift worries me but I can close my eyes. Then the backwards part seems bad, but its over faster than ToT drops. The part I am more worried about is the drop after the Yeti animation and that the speed compare to BTMR is considerably higher.

Depends on how I do with Everest, I will consider RnRoller coaster. I never though I would ever even consider getting on this.

That leaves me Space Mountain. I want to go so bad. This is a classic. But is the one I am more scare of because of the ride vehicle. Plus I have seen people who get on big roller coasters and getting out crying of Space Mountain. So any tips on how to ride this are welcome. Which vehicle is better? first? third?

 

[TarotFox]

Have you ever been to Disneyland? If you think you may have a DL trip in your future, you could try their SM, which has a different ride vehicle and also the Matterhorn has a WDW SM style vehicle.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

For the people telling you to do Barnstormer...just a quick heads up. Barnstormer is very very short and quick. Maybe like 23 seconds. BUT, it can be quite intense especially for a person who doesn't like the drop on Pirates or Frozen. The coaster seems like its going at a very high speed and you do feel like your quite high up.

I've never been on Space mt or splash mt. Im a chicken. But I did ride Everest twice in December. Although I liked it, I must say it was scary both times and the drops were a little more steep than I prefer. I can handle Test track, big thunder, 7 dwarfs, kali river rapids, soarin, slinky, star tours, and primeval whirl no problem. But Everest is probably my limit and the most intense i'd be willing to do. I would go on again, but that's literally borderline. I wouldn't even consider Tower of Terror or Rock n Roller ever. Do you guys think I could handle space or splash if i've done Everest?

 

[damo]

Take your mom to Disneyland and ride Space Mountain there. It is wonderfully smooth and fun.

There is one part in Space Mountain at WDW where it feels like the tracks don't even connect, lol. It is that bad of a jarring feeling. I will never ride it again until it gets new tracks.