Mission Space

[Mallen19]

Have just returned from two weeks at WDW and rode MS for the first (and second) ever time. Although I'm aware of the tragic events from last summer I was surprised to encounter no queues (compared to ~60 mins at Soarin - TT was closed). Infact the second time I rode it a CM came in after the preshow video & moved us to another one, saying a guest had been ill on the previous ride. This resulted in over half of the guests leaving the ride before we went on.

I'm sure disney are aware of this and was speculating as to whether they may change / close this ride as its clearly not attracting the crowds it should.

Jon

 

[Legacy]

Have just returned from two weeks at WDW and rode MS for the first (and second) ever time. Although I'm aware of the tragic events from last summer I was surprised to encounter no queues (compared to ~60 mins at Soarin - TT was closed). Infact the second time I rode it a CM came in after the preshow video & moved us to another one, saying a guest had been ill on the previous ride. This resulted in over half of the guests leaving the ride before we went on.

I'm sure disney are aware of this and was speculating as to whether they may change / close this ride as its clearly not attracting the crowds it should.

Jon

It's a 100+ million dollar investment. It will sit there for a while because unfortunately it isn't the movie that makes people sick, it's the ride system. No matter what they do, people will get sick on it. It will never draw the same crowds as Test Track or Splash as a result.

Disney's risk... Disney's lost...

 

[Chape19714]

It's a 100+ million dollar investment. It will sit there for a while because unfortunately it isn't the movie that makes people sick, it's the ride system. No matter what they do, people will get sick on it. It will never draw the same crowds as Test Track or Splash as a result.

Disney's risk... Disney's lost...

It's definately not a complete loss. Attendence went way up after opening, and Mission: Space has made Epcot more attractive to Teens (i know that one first-hand). It's a great attraction and many people love it. It will never draw those crowds...but the reason is not as much sick people as it is people who only do it once in thier life/visit. As opposed to Test Track where people ride multiple times. Also test track has a broader age group that it plays to. Anyone from 5-85 can enjoy TT (I love it just as much as my Grandma:lol: ). The same cannot be said for MS.

 

[Laura]

It's sad because I've ridden M:S countless times and everytime I ride it the people in the capsule with me think it's the best ride ever!

 

[CTXRover]

MS is popular, just not as much as they probably hoped and the link between it making people sick is over exaggerated imo. It did help boost Epcot's lagging attendance considerably when it opened. It also pumped in a huge dose of needed thrills (perhaps too much?) into a park that was losing attendance because of the unfortunate connection the general public was making between education at Epcot and boredom. Not to mention its also my favorite thrill ride, but also every time I've been on it there is a lot of talk of how great it was from other riders when it ends. Its a success, at least a moderate one.

One thing about comparing MS and Soarin's wait times is the capacity for each ride to move people through. With TT closed and Soarin' only having a 60 minute wait, I imagine it was a slow day at Epcot. When you consider that MS has 8 separate pre-show rooms holding 320 people and the possibility of 160 people riding at any given time the 4 minute ride (I realize not all 4 centrifuges are going at the same time, but for the sake of argument...) it can really shorten the main queue as compared to Soarin' which seems to load and turn over very slowly. Even when MS has 2+ hour waits during the busy periods the line is constantly moving. Stand in the Soarin' line when its 2+ hours and it will seem like you never move. Not to mention Soarin' should also have longer lines because its newer and it doesn't have the limitations on who can ride as much as MS has (which is a good thing imo)

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Don't let the lines fool you over at Mission:Space. The attraction really cycles through a lot of guests so the lines don't get that long.

Think about it...

You have 40 people in pre show 1, 40 people in preshow 2, and then 40 people in the ride capsule. Think if they have that running for all 4 colors. That is a lot of people and it keeps the lines down. Test Track takes in a smaller amount of people because of its loading system, and Soarin makes you stand around a lot because of the theater system. So sure M:S probably has some bad publicity and people might stay away from it a little bit, but there are probably more people riding it than you think there are.

 

[onholiday]

I don't think they'd close it anytime soon, as people said it was a huge investment and that would just be really really stupid. And in all honesty, I like M:S so much more than TT, I think Test Track is boring compared to M:S, they're both good rides, and on most days I like M:S more than Soarin'! I'm just an adrenaline junkie, so I guess that's why I like it so much.

 

[Timmay]

Of course, it is the middle of winter...the last two times we have been there in January we could walk right on...my wife was down there for two days in May on business...did a sneak away to Epcot and didn't even bother with it since the line was about 40 minutes.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I think there is a misnomer that Mission:Space has to be all about the ride - I for one can not ride it as it makes me violently ill - one ride and I was down for 6 hours afterwards and that is looking at the screen, not to the side as others might suggest. The fact of the matter is, teens and kids seem to tolerate it for the most part with no problem while those of us who are not teens run for the nearest bathroom afterwards-- BUT there is also the wonderful preshow and attraction overall - you then just don't go on the centrufuge part of the ride. For awhile, Epcot was a bit more open to pushing the "you can do the attraction but don't have to ride the ride" thing, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Still, for what it is it is a wonderful attraction overall. As to Soarin' that will continue to be the bigger draw as the age range it attracts and comfortably entertains is much much larger - and don't expect the crowds to go down anytime soon - it is still the longest wait at CA park as well, and that has been open for years. By the way, don't let the 60 minute off-peak wait time scare you away at Soarin'...it can get upto 230 minutes on peak days and is still jam-packed all the time.

 

[ZambeziZelda]

Am I the only person who feels Mission: Space wasn't wild enough? I really have no idea how people could get sick on that ride when nothing really happens...Not that I don't enjoy the ride, it's one of my favorites in Epcot, lol

 

[LPK]

So how is it sickly exactly? I mean, is all of the ride sickly? or just the take-off?

 

[Hakunamatata]

So how is it sickly exactly? I mean, is all of the ride sickly? or just the take-off?

It will not make you ill if you keep your eyes open. Some people have the wrong idea that if they close their eyes, they will not feel like they are in motion. The problem with that is, when you close your eyes, you eyes then have nothing to focus on and thats when the feeling of spinning really hits and up comes your churro.

We took the Future World tour a couple of weeks ago and got to go up in the HP VIP area and we talked at great length about the ride and why people have gotten ill. The CM states that there has been no adjustment to the intensity of the attraction.

 

[steven&evi]

We'll be riding MS for the first time in May, and to be honest, I'm really considering to take some anti motion sickness pills before riding it. Does anyone else tried this approach? (I am really sensitive to motion sickness in general)

 

[Hakunamatata]

We'll be riding MS for the first time in May, and to be honest, I'm really considering to take some anti motion sickness pills before riding it. Does anyone else tried this approach? (I am really sensitive to motion sickness in general)

I would recomend doing it first thing when you get there and not right after you have eaten. If you do it on an empty tummy, you should be ok.

 

[mikeymouse]

Yea, epcot never had any "thrill" rides and seems like it was passed up a lot. I don't like roller coasters, but I absolutely loved Mission:Space. Who ever gets a chance to take a life-like space mission. Not many.

 

[LPK]

It will not make you ill if you keep your eyes open. Some people have the wrong idea that if they close their eyes, they will not feel like they are in motion. The problem with that is, when you close your eyes, you eyes then have nothing to focus on and thats when the feeling of spinning really hits and up comes your churro.

We took the Future World tour a couple of weeks ago and got to go up in the HP VIP area and we talked at great length about the ride and why people have gotten ill. The CM states that there has been no adjustment to the intensity of the attraction.

o0o coolio

Why does looking to the side make you feel ill? :veryconfu

 

[Mallen19]

As the person that started this thread the comments that have followed have been very interesting - i appreciate that january is a quiet time of the year and perhaps my lack of knowledge of ride capacity and flows has given the wrong impression.

Also, i love rides like this and other white knuckle rides (a la kraken etc), my point was supposed to come across as how long would disney keep the ride going before they changed / closed it. I guess a long time is the answer due to the investment, but I'm sure someone somewhere in disney is thinking whoops !

I like the post about making more of the other parts of the ride (my wife & daughter loved the after show area - whilst waiting for me) and finally if it has attracted more guests to Epcot that this is a good thing.

:sohappy:

 

[Hakunamatata]

o0o coolio

Why does looking to the side make you feel ill? :veryconfu

Could be due to the remainder of the cabin being darker than the screen and your eyes having difficulty focusing on a particular object. The CM from our tour was very adimant that the focusing was the main issue. Also, if you have never counted, you will walk past 17 warning signs for this attreaction while in the que. More than any other attraction in the parks.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I think the argument about getting sick on the ride vs "how could you possibly get sick" has pretty much worn its course -- the fact is, no matter whether you stare at the screen, keep your eyes open, or don't look to the side, there are many people that get sick. The ride is a centrefuge traveling at great speeds. It effects your inner ear. Anyone suseptible to any inner ear problems, or difficulty with spinning in rides; gets dizzy easily, has any type of seizure disorder or heart problem, etc etc etc is suseptible to getting ill on the ride. Anyone with Menier's disease should avoid the ride. Anyone with high blood pressure is going to have a problem. Any ride that spins you at high speeds will effect that. Under-18's tend to have less of a problem on rides like this as the physiological changes that occur in your body have not yet "kicked in" so to speak. It is easier to fool a brain's pathways. I could go into the physiological effects on the brain, your senses, and your inner ear being a neuropsychologist but I will spare you. In general, if you have any predisposition to dizziness, nausea, or motion sickness, don't ride. That is why there are 17 warning signs on the way onto the ride portion. You can enjoy the amazing attraction and then bow out before the ride. As to the folks insisting that "you can't possibly get sick on this ride if you follow the directions" you are just plain wrong.

 

[Hakunamatata]

As to the folks insisting that "you can't possibly get sick on this ride if you follow the directions" you are just plain wrong.

I must have missed that post....