Stressing Over Space Mountain

[SoKatriotic]

Hola friends!

I need someone (or a few someones) to ease my fear of Space Mountain. I am a seasoned Disney World veteran and a college program alumni but this is one attraction I have never been brave enough to try. I love Big Thunder Mountain as well as the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (minus the big drop). My goal is to finally try Space Mountain on my trip next month but I'm stressing myself out over it. I reallyyy don't like big drops which makes Big Thunder the perfect roller coaster for me. Am I working myself up over nothing?

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom!

 

[mesaboy2]

The problem with Space isn’t the drops (which aren’t big in my opinion), it’s that you can’t see them coming.

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe try riding BTMRR with your eyes closed and see what you think.

 

[skyblue17]

There aren't really any big drops on Space Mountain. More than anything, it's kind of jarring. It's probably the least comfortable coaster at Disney but it's not reallly "wild," I think it's more the darkness and not knowing what might happen next that keeps it so thrilling. Plus, it's just kinda cool to be flying through space!

Remember that it's not that long of a ride. If you like those other two, you'll get through Space Mountain, and then you'll be able to say you did it! And if you like it, you can add it to your list of favorites.

 

[disneycountrygirl]

I hate big drops. Splash is doable for me, but that is the limit. I avoid Expedition Everest and California Screamin and Tower of Terror because of the drops. Space Mountain I don't find the be that bad, definitely not as bad as the three I avoid.... If that helps give any frame of reference at all! I associate Space Mountain with speed and darkness and kind of jerkiness more than I do drops.

 

[OhThePain]

Space Mountains top speed is 28mph and the longest “drop” is 26 feet. BTMRR has a top speed of 36mph. EE has an 80 foot drop and a top speed of 50mph. Splash has a 50 foot drop that gets up to about 40 mph.

I’d say you are getting worked up over nothing. (I got these numbers off the Wikipedia pages)

 

[SinCityMMAFan]

Space Mtn isn't really bad. Since it's happening in the dark and there's a lot of sharp turns it makes it seem like you are going fast than you really are. Like others have stated Space Mtn does not have any big drops. The drops are really small and there's 4 of them in total if I can remember correctly.

 

[Cinderella94]

I don't think Space has big drops. As others have said, it's the fact that all the little drops are so sudden because you can't see them.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

I don't think Space has big drops. As others have said, it's the fact that all the little drops are so sudden because you can't see them.

With your Ariel picture avatar, and your post, all I could hear is, "but this is all so sudden!" Just before king Triton busts her for going to the surface again

 

[leahlefler]

There aren't really big drops on Space. It's jarring (i.e. you get jerked around a lot on that ride) but it reminds me a lot of the Matterhorn (at Disneyland) in the dark. I love that ride. I won't ride Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain gives me anxiety, but I love Space.

 

[ShadeDK]

I avoided Space Mountain for years - when I was a kid, my dad talked it up as a dark, scary rollercoaster that was all over the place and you didn't know what was coming. I had a lot of reservations based on what I thought the ride was like. I finally built up the determination to do it and ... wished I'd been riding it a long time ago and how I'd missed out on all those earlier trips. I loved it. It wasn't really like what was in my head at all. Yes it's dark and there are turns and twists - a couple of dips and one longer decline (not even really a drop) - but most of all it's fun.

I've recommended it elsewhere - but if you like riding BTMRR at night it's not all that different. I find the drops on 7DMT hit the stomach worse than SM. Part of the psychology of SM is that it's dark and enclosed in a building. You can't look at it and know what you're getting into. It's easy to imagine it's worse than it is - get past that and it's a blast. One other helpful point - there's one lift hill - but there's no big drop at the top - you just dip and immediately go into the twists. The long decline is a little over halfway through. It's a very manageable coaster - and a lot closer to BTMRR than you might realize (with all the turns and rattling you around). Since you love that ride, you owe it to yourself to give SM a try.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

My sister HATES drops. I begged her for years (from when she was tall enough until she was 22 and she finally gave in.) She does Space Mountain every trip now.

She says there is one small drop that she doesn’t really enjoy, more just because it is dark and she can never remember when it is coming and it catches her off guard. It is not big.

I would honestly try it.

 

[piscesmama]

Space Mountains top speed is 28mph and the longest “drop” is 26 feet. BTMRR has a top speed of 36mph. EE has an 80 foot drop and a top speed of 50mph. Splash has a 50 foot drop that gets up to about 40 mph.

I’d say you are getting worked up over nothing. (I got these numbers off the Wikipedia pages)

so that puts it into perspective and totally freaks me out at the same time. Space Mtn was an automatic no for our family's upcoming trip. I have the same anxiety, so we will gladly just skip it since its our first time at Disney!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Riding Space Mountain is no different than riding any other coaster at night. My 6 year old loves it! and so do I

 

[Random Ninja]

I had major anxiety with roller coasters for most of my life, including having panic attacks on kiddie coasters. I finally rode BTMR as a teen but it took me until my mid-20s to finally try Space Mountain and I enjoy it now. Still can't handle RRC, won't even enter the building. My first time on Space Mountain was around 2:30am with a bunch of friends. As soon as we got down the first little dip, one of the guys in the back started singing 'It's a Small World' at the top of his lungs. We all started singing along and sang the whole ride. Turns out, it's really hard to be scared while singing It's a Small World.

We just rode it again yesterday with some of the lights on and it was the first time in 5 years that I actually started panicking on the ride. I can't handle being on roller coasters that "look" like roller coasters. Made it through and plan on riding again because I know it's okay to ride even if my natural reaction is to panic otherwise. It's a fun ride.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

This ride is like being inside a blender. The version in California is smoother. Maybe try that one first, if you can get there.

 

[OhThePain]

Just to add, Primeval Whirl has a top speed of 29mph and a drop of 30 feet. Kali River Rapids has a drop of 30 feet.

so that puts it into perspective and totally freaks me out at the same time. Space Mtn was an automatic no for our family's upcoming trip. I have the same anxiety, so we will gladly just skip it since its our first time at Disney!

Or you could look at it like the top speed is slower than most city speed limits and the drop is less than 1/3 of the way between home and first base or less than a 1st down in football. It is the tamest of the Mountains, but it is also the jerkiest. If you want a slight spoiler, there are videos on youtube of the ride with the lights on to give you an idea.

 

[Klayfish]

Maybe try riding BTMRR with your eyes closed and see what you think.

Precisely. Space Mountain is in a much more confined space than BTMRR, but it's a very similar coaster in terms of the speed and the size of the drops. It's also a bit jerky in it's motions like BTMRR is. So this is basically like riding BTMRR indoors with the lights off.

Oh, the only other real difference is that the Space Mountain car is much more cramped. You sit lower on the floor, so your knees are up higher and there's less leg room. I'm only 5'9" (on a good day) and very physically fit, and I feel cramped in it.

 

[laughinplace199]

We are a family of Space Mountain riders, but it took DS11 years to get the courage to try it. Even after he conquered RNRC he was still scared to try Space. Once he finally tried it he loved it, but his first comment when getting off the ride was, "That's it? That wasn't even scary." I think he had built it up so much in his head, making it much scarier than it really is. Next trip, he's going to conquer EE!

 

[MikeNamez]

I hate roller coasters but i could ride space mountain over and over again. I wouldn't even consider it a roller coaster, its extremely slow and relaxing.