Overcoming Nerves

[EPCOT Explorer]

As for drop rides...I love Splash Mt. and ToT and will ride them on every trip, but I don't think I'll ever lose that "oh crap" feeling right before the drops. My brain always convinces me my stomach is about to end up in my throat. Of course, it's never that bad. I really think the psychological "eff with your mind" effect is probably strongest on those two, so I'd work my way up the ladder with them at the top.

I hate that...I love that. Nothing like it.

 

[EpcotServo]

A quote from 'Band of Brothers':

"We’re all scared. ..The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function..."

^Great Quote! :lol: :sohappy:

 

[kapeman]

Personally, I haven't been on a ride yet that I would not go on again. In fact, I waited in line for 2 1/2 hours at Six Flags here in NJ to get on Kingda Ka. FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX FEET HIGH!!! I was the next car to go and the cable broke that shoots the coaster up to the necessary 128mph to reach the top! Even if the cable breaks on launch, it just makes you go part way up and then you glide back. It was down for the day and by that point, I left the park. Haven't been back since.

Anyway, good luck with your fears and I hope you can take them head on. Live a little!

I just got back from Cedar Point, where the Top Thrill Dragster coaster is, and let me tell you, once you ride that and the Millennium Force, nothing at Disney should bother you!

Oddly enough, I never was really big on extreme thrill rides until this trip. Now I think I can handle just about anything...except for the teacups. I will never ride those again!!! UGH!!

 

[mmzplanet]

Look at it this way. If you have been in a car, you have already survived one of the riskiest thrill rides on the planet. (Statistically speaking) There are major accidents during every rush hour in every city. Yet getting in a car phases no one.

Thrill rides are very good at showing a mean bark... in the end they are as threatening as toothless puppy bite.

 

[mmzplanet]

I just got back from Cedar Point, where the Top Thrill Dragster coaster is, and let me tell you, once you ride that and the Millennium Force, nothing at Disney should bother you!

Oddly enough, I never was really big on extreme thrill rides until this trip. Now I think I can handle just about anything...except for the teacups. I will never ride those again!!! UGH!!

I can ride anything... yes I shy away from Teacups too. I don mind it, but my son loves to spin the cup as fast as possible.

 

[musketeer]

Remember, unless you jump out yourself, there is physically no way you will "fall" out of the vehicle. That sensation is just airtime, every law of physics will keep you in your seat.
:wave:

That's not really true. When going over hills, you get pushed up in your seat, and if the bar wasn't there, you would definitely be ejected form the vehicle. The bar is keeping your body from going where the laws of physics wants it to go. Also, on turns, you feel the sides pushing, that's also the vehicle keeping you from going where the laws of physics want you to go.

 

[Phonedave]

That's not really true. When going over hills, you get pushed up in your seat, and if the bar wasn't there, you would definitely be ejected form the vehicle. The bar is keeping your body from going where the laws of physics wants it to go. Also, on turns, you feel the sides pushing, that's also the vehicle keeping you from going where the laws of physics want you to go.

He was talking about on drops.

In a free fall situation you will fall with the ride vehicle. ToT is of course an exception, is it is accellerated downwards faster than 9.8 m/s^2, but in a normal drop situation you are not going to leave the ride vehicle unless you either push yourself away or the air resistance on your body is much greater than that on the ride vehicle (hence my little joke about deploying my drogue chute).

Yes, when going over hills, if you were decoupled from the ride vehicle, you would indeed continue to travel in a upwards directon, while the train falls before you due to the wheels on the track holding it to the track. In fact, you are not being pushed up by the seat, but rather the seat is being pulled down from under you. In the refrence frame of the track, there would be no forces acting upon you (aside from gravity) as you continued in a straight line (well parabolic arc due to gravity) and the train followed the track down away from you.

 

[musketeer]

He was talking about on drops.

but in a normal drop situation you are not going to leave the ride vehicle unless you either push yourself away or the air resistance on your body is much greater than that on the ride vehicle (hence my little joke about deploying my drogue chute).

I know there isn't a ride at disney like this, but there are some roller coasters where the drop is past vertical. And even if it was vertical, or maybe even a little less than vertical, you could potentially fall out if not holding on or strapped in.

And even it it isn't near vertical, if you are seated in the back, where you go over the crest of the hill faster than in the front, you could still possibly be thrown from the vehicle.

 

[Phonedave]

I know there isn't a ride at disney like this, but there are some roller coasters where the drop is past vertical. And even if it was vertical, or maybe even a little less than vertical, you could potentially fall out if not holding on or strapped in.

You could seperate from the ride vehicle due to your existing "foward" momentum, but even if the drop is vertical, or "greater"than vertical, the train is not going fall any faster than a free body.

And even it it isn't near vertical, if you are seated in the back, where you go over the crest of the hill faster than in the front, you could still possibly be thrown from the vehicle.

Again, he was not talking about cresting hills, he was talking about drops, such as Splash Mountain. A rider on Splash Mountain will not seperate from the ride vehicle.

-dave

 

[MUTZIE77]

I was too lazy to read through 4 pages of replies, so if someone suggested this already, completely disregard this post. My suggestion would be just to get in line and force yourself to do it. I used to hate anything close to a thrill ride, but on my first trip to WDW my uncle talked me into getting in line for Splash Mountain. It is now my favorite ride in WDW. I used to never go on ToT or RnRC either, but now I spend a lot of time on that end of DHS. I was a chicken for years with rollercosters, I didnt even go on wooden ones with no loops and not so steep decents. Now I have a season pass to Six Flags. It all started with me s__________g it up and riding, the more you ride the less anxiety you will have. That is just my suggestion, maybe its only me.

 

[ChrisFL]

First no one really "cheaks" your seatbelt. one time the Cm said have a nice trip and I didn't have my Belt on yet.
Second I got creeped out by the fact that i'm droping 13 stories extremely fast and all the i have to protect me is a seatbelt like in the middle seat of a car!

Actually they do...it's electronic, they can see every seat and which ones have their seatbelts...then they ask everyone to tug on their strap to make sure it's secure.

You can't really see the panel on ToT, but you can easily see it on Star Tours before the CM leaves the cabin

 

[EpcotServo]

He was talking about on drops.

In a free fall situation you will fall with the ride vehicle. ToT is of course an exception, is it is accellerated downwards faster than 9.8 m/s^2, but in a normal drop situation you are not going to leave the ride vehicle unless you either push yourself away or the air resistance on your body is much greater than that on the ride vehicle (hence my little joke about deploying my drogue chute).

Yes, when going over hills, if you were decoupled from the ride vehicle, you would indeed continue to travel in a upwards directon, while the train falls before you due to the wheels on the track holding it to the track. In fact, you are not being pushed up by the seat, but rather the seat is being pulled down from under you. In the refrence frame of the track, there would be no forces acting upon you (aside from gravity) as you continued in a straight line (well parabolic arc due to gravity) and the train followed the track down away from you.

^What he said. Yes, you would go farther without a Lap Bar, but there's not enough of a Coaster that could make you keep flying forward, so much so you pass out of the vehicle and keep flying away...
:lol:

 

[Lee]

^What he said. Yes, you would go farther without a Lap Bar, but there's not enough of a Coaster that could make you keep flying forward, so much so you pass out of the vehicle and keep flying away...
:lol:

Well....not at WDW, anyhow.
I've been on many coasters that had very extreme ejector air. Superman at SF New England for example. Without the lapbar and seatbelt, one of those airtime hills would throw you many yards from the track.

 

[justdru]

Please don't take this as being rude because it's truly not intended that way. You just gotta suck it up! You only live once, it won't kill you, and once you do get used to the thrill rides you'll regret all the time you spent not enjoying them! My girlfriend was terrified of coasters but last time we went to a park I pretty much forced her to ride with me. She loved it and begs me to take her back so she can 'be a big girl and ride the big rides.'

Then again, some people never do like them, but you won't know until you try! Life's too short to be scared! :sohappy:

 

[Craig & Lisa]

I go on all of them, the only one I have a problem with is TOT, the up and down is the problem, I mean I go on it when my sons talk me into it but still have a problem. The other one I use to have a problem with is space mtn, I'm kinda tall, almost 6'6", the car isn't the easiest thing to get into, but the idea that my head may get knocked off had me d__________g down during the ride, but now it's how many charlie horses I get by the time we're finished. :lol:

 

[Raven66]

I'm not a coaster person. I have tried RnRC which I will not do again. I enjoy Space mountain but I have to sit in the middle. If you sit in the middle you can't feel anything. Unfortunately, my family is only 3 of us and I prefer my daughter be in the middle. I sit behind her then and I can feel the car moving, I hate that. Last time we rode, I had a panic attack because I had this fear of my kid falling out. Yes yes, I know she won't, but panic attacks are irrational. And Mission:Space I don't ride either. The older I get the more I hate closed in spaces. Love ToT, it's one of our favs along with EE.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is try it once. If you don't like it then don't go on it again. My daughter is not a fan of Dinosaur. Each trip we tell her just to try it this time because she might like it now. She is 12 (she started at 5 and yes she was tall enough) now and she can ride it now without screaming so loud.:lol: Just try it those rides, you might like them!!

 

[Susan Savia]

The only 'scarey' part of Splash is the final drop, but its over in a second or two and then your laughing and wet. I tried Test Track the first time last January and loved it. Couldn't ride it enough. I do not do roller coasters as I feel I have no control over it.

 

[DisneysRedHead]

I am actually completely terrified of heights and until I was about 13, refused to ride ALL roller coasters. My parents and brother loved them and it annoyed my mother that I would not ride certain rides at theme parks. So she finally paid me $50 to ride Alpengeist at Busch Gardens in VA. Of course I get on, love it and I haven't been able to stop riding thrill rides since. Sometimes you just have to try it out to really know where you stand.

The fun part will be convincing my soon to be husband to ride the coasters with me at WDW because he too is not a fan of heights and has never been on a roller coaster before. Wish me luck on that!

 

[amaley01]

It's your holiday - do or don't do the rides you want.

I can relate or associate with all of the opinons given.

However, I have taken this approach with my DD (10), we looked on youtube and try it once so she could decide for herself.
Test track is now among our favorites :sohappy: and we both pass on Tot

You would be surprised the actual ride time is less then what you think

 

[Nemo14]

I'm not a thrill ride fan at all, but there is nothing at WDW that I won't ride (except the teacups....:ROFLOL.