Fear of a Ride?

[Clever Name]

I have a real fear of being bored to death. I avoid the Tiki Room and CBJ.

 

[Sped2424]

So I'm terrified... petrified... of ToT. Like, I'm so frightened of dropping rides it's not even funny. Not funny at all. However, I genuinely want to ride and experience ToT because I love Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone and the queue and ride itself looks awesome. It's just the dropping feeling that chills me to the bone. So 1) any advice on how to get over this and just ride it? and 2) anyone else have any or know anyone that has a fear of a ride like this?

I have been for most of my life a wuss when it comes to any ride that involved high speeds,drops, or sharp turns so I completely understand where you are coming from. It wasn't until I started to go more as an adult that I realized I was still scared of roller coaster and just generally would not ride them but now that I have my ap I made a choice to conquer my fears and decided to try bit by bit (Started with big thunder mountain, ended with Everest). The thing that helped me the most on these rides is just getting over my fear and deciding to stick the actual ride out and go on, and I know this is going to sound awful but I found the more I went on the more I got used to the ride and the less I hated it, as a matter of fact I kinda enjoy roller coasters now, which is something I never thought I would say. Also I am going to actually ride TOT for the first time in my life tomorrow and I am also nervous lol Ill tell you how it goes.

 

[Sped2424]

I have a real fear of being bored to death. I avoid the Tiki Room and CBJ.

OMG lol I really wanna know what happened to you in these attractions? some serious resentment you got lol

 

[DizFiz]

I remember riding TOT when I was little but now I won't even go on that ride now.... RnRC was another fear I till I got courage to ride it this past trip but now I regret all the times I missed out on it.

 

[A1st]

Mission Space. Enough said.

 

[DianeW]

The only ride I literally cannot stand is "Mickey's Ferris Wheel of Death" in Disneyland. Who in the HECK thought that nightmare was a good idea???? Worst. Ride. Ever. I should have escaped when I saw the vomit bags.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I don't do the Country Bears Jamboree. I find it very creepy.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Mind over emotion. Agree with the prior posts about telling yourself you won't die and you will come off laughing. Tell yourself a little white lie that this is Disney and it isn't so much a free-fall as it is a controlled descent, that you will be sitting in an elevator car with fellow riders, and try to get a seat not at the edges. People scream all the time on roller coasters, so that is not really a good barometer of fear, maybe moreso of enjoyment/thrills.

 

[Jim Chandler]

Mind over emotion. Agree with the prior posts about telling yourself you won't die and you will come off laughing. Tell yourself a little white lie that this is Disney and it isn't so much a free-fall as it is a controlled descent, that you will be sitting in an elevator car with fellow riders, and try to get a seat not at the edges. People scream all the time on roller coasters, so that is not really a good barometer of fear, maybe moreso of enjoyment/thrills.

No white lie or any reassurance can get me over backwards in the dark

 

[tinkerblonde11]

No white lie or any reassurance can get me over backwards in the dark

With the backwards thing I always tell myself, "If you can do the little backwards part of Maelstrom, then you can do the backwards part of Everest!"

 

[Wilt Dasney]

You know what.. I felt the exact same way as you when I was about 12 years old. Sometimes I didn't even make it onto Splash Mountain for fear of the 'dropping feeling'. It scared the bejeezus out of me. Then one day, when I was at an amusement park known for rollercoasters near home with my friend (who happened to LOVE coasters), and she said to me: "You're not going to die. In fact, you'll probably come off laughing. The worst that can happen is you won't enjoy it, and you'll know that you've been there done that, and won't do it again." That really stuck with me and I finally put on my big girl pants and did a coaster. And she was right!!!! I LOVED it.

I have to say it's really nice reading stories like this. I'm a person who's generally always eager to try new things, so when I hear people say they're afraid to ride something, it's easy for me to dismiss that as being "a little nervous" just by relating it to my own experience. It's easy to forget that some people experience genuine fear — a feeling they didn't ask for and can't control — about some rides. For you to work through that and overcome it is very brave and inspiring!

I do have some fearful Disney memories locked deep in my brain: When I was 4, I was absolutely petrified of the Snow White dark ride. (This was in the '80s before they renovated it. At the time, the ride was nothing but spooky witch encounters start to finish.) No one has ever been as scared of anything as I was of that witch. I would bury my head in my mom's lap through that whole ride and wait for the longest 2 minutes in human history to end. Knowing that my LITTLE sister loved it and laughed through the whole thing made it even worse!

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Tell yourself a little white lie that this is Disney and it isn't so much a free-fall as it is a controlled descent

No lie there! Any Disney ride that's designed to feel "chaotic" achieves that feeling as an illusion resulting from meticulous control. As someone who used to work at ToT in particular, I can tell you the degree of mechanical and computerized sophistication governing every aspect of that experience is mind-blowing.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I don't do the Country Bears Jamboree. I find it very creepy.

Even the most intrepid among us must have limits.

 

[heatherkatheleen]

I have to say it's really nice reading stories like this. I'm a person who's generally always eager to try new things, so when I hear people say they're afraid to ride something, it's easy for me to dismiss that as being "a little nervous" just by relating it to my own experience. It's easy to forget that some people experience genuine fear — a feeling they didn't ask for and can't control — about some rides. For you to work through that and overcome it is very brave and inspiring!

I do have some fearful Disney memories locked deep in my brain: When I was 4, I was absolutely petrified of the Snow White dark ride. (This was in the '80s before they renovated it. At the time, the ride was nothing but spooky witch encounters start to finish.) No one has ever been as scared of anything as I was of that witch. I would bury my head in my mom's lap through that whole ride and wait for the longest 2 minutes in human history to end. Knowing that my LITTLE sister loved it and laughed through the whole thing made it even worse!

Thanks I completely owe my ability to fully enjoy rides now to my friend who said that to me. She made me see roller coasters and ''thrill rides'' in a whole new light and without her giving me the push I needed (in a considerate way) I probably still wouldn't be able to get on RnRc or ToT today. And OMG I was petrified of the graveyard in HM when I was little Those ghosts popping out from behind the coffins petrified me to the point when my head was buried in my moms lap (much like yours on Snow Whites Scary Adventures!) It's so odd to compare our fears as children and as adults. Now I fear predators and serial killers.

 

[Sped2424]

I did Tot and RnRc today and I gotta say if you hate drops well, I'm not sure tower is for you due to the floating and the sensation you get from each drop, granted the drops all together only last about 30 seconds tops. After riding twice I decided I loved the attraction a lot im just not sure if I would recommend it to someone really scared of drops but if you do decide to go on It really is a great attraction beautiful theming some great action, I think its one of the best E tickets Disney has to offer!

 

[CrazyDisneyLady]

Not exactly a "fear", but the mermaid addition on PotC is crazy creepy! The part of the ride after the dip, when you reach the ship firing the cannons always creeped me out as it were with the water. It is just so dark and I imagine all the creepiness awaiting...out there...wanting to pull you out of the boat....

My 17 year old Dd is terrified of PoTC but our last trip in Feb I convinced her to go on (by buying her the medallion for Christmas) I also told her that the added mermaids but failed to tell her in what form. Needless to say she went on the ride and when we got off we asked her if she wanted to ride again and she declined. She was rather angry with me about the mermaids. We have PoTC marathons at our house all the time she has probably watched the movies hundreds of times but the ride she is scared of..I don't get it.

 

[mrdisman]

What a wimp. I dare ya. I double dog dare ya!

I've been on it twice

 

[Killnme]

I am not scared of it, but I can't even look at the Tea Cups. It kills my stomach! My 9 yr old won't do Space Mountain she says she can handle dark and she can handle fast, but not dark and fast at the same time.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I'm not terrified of the Tea Cups, but I don't do them because I don't enjoy the spinning feeling and I have problems with motion sickness.

 

[IceGator]

I have a fear of ToT but it hasn't stopped me from attempting it. The first time I tried it when I was around 12. When the ride was over, the color had drained from my face and it took a couple of times for me to stand up and walk out. I rode it again recently figuring it had been over 15 years and perhaps I had remembered it being worse than it was. Well, this time I was able to stand up but I nearly ripped my sister's arm out of the socket and my breathing was near hyperventilation. I love roller coasters (RNR & Everest included!) but there is something about the straight "free fall" that just makes me freak out. Maybe I'll try it again in another 15 years....