Irrational fears at Disneyland

[bcla]

As someone with a bad case of motion sickness, especially when it comes to spinny things, I secretly worry that my vehicle on Buzz or Roger Rabbit will get stuck on spin! I never worry about Mad Tea Party, though, I just never go on it!

Then Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters isn't for you.

 

[Lebestiole]

OP... panic disorder, yikes. Me and my 3 DD's all are diagnosed with anxiety, but DD18 has panic attacks. We have all benefited from cognitive behavioral therapy to help us get over irrational fears. DD18 used to not be able to sit at her desk in her very small class at a private school, and needed me with her all day. Last weekend she graduated high school from a class of 390, and has been happily independent, active and outgoing at school, driving herself and friends, and is going camping next week with her friends-- all things I would have thought impossible 6 years ago. If you have not already looked for help, there's a really good percentage of success with CBT. It's a shame to let anxiety mar your wonderful DL trips! Hope it gets better for you!

On another note, I hope the @#^!@ posters who are making this thread a political one about gun control take it to private messaging. Enough, already. Don't hijack the thread, please.

Thanks! I have Generalized Anxiety, but I'm also on therapy and it has helped me tons! I haven't discussed my irrational fears when I'm in Disney with my therapist, but since I have an upcoming trip I might as well do it now!

And yes!!! Don't hijack the thread, please! Most of the comments were about gun control and that left me a bit disappointed.

This is a totally irrational fear because I never let my son climb the railing and I always keep an eye on him, but when I look down into the water at Paradise Pier or Rivers of America I get a panicking feeling my son will fall in... Probably why I'm so diligent with swim lessons

YES! I totally get you. Disney water just freaks me out! When I read that people actually try to swim in Rivers of America I can't help but shiver.

I'm this way on BTMRR! Not my head, but my hands. They'll be up in the air until I get to a cave, then I chicken out and meekly pull them down!

I do the same thing!!! Hahaha. xD

 

[bcla]

And yes!!! Don't hijack the thread, please! Most of the comments were about gun control and that left me a bit disappointed

Honestly, there is a general fear from certain people that they should have a gun available at all times, and that no private business should be allowed to deny one. If that's not an irrational fear, what is?

Everything else sort of sprung from that.

 

[lizzytizzy]

Oh another irrational fear I have is that any ride water (world of color mist, pirates mist, drips in BTM etc) that gets in my mouth is going to make me deathly ill. I have no clue why I'm scared of it but I always make sure my mouth is closed tight if I see it coming haha.

I hear you! With all the news these days about amoebas and bacterias going through one's nose while swimming, my DD and I covered our noses when we're going down the drop in POTC. It's particularly wet in the first row!

 

[PunkPrincess]

Two things: Earthquakes and guns.

For some reason it will occasionally pop into my head "what if there was an earthquake right now". Bit of an irrational thought as the odds are so astronomical of it occurring. Still not the place you want to be while riding through Star Tours.

As for the guns, given that I am from north of the border, I am not used to the idea of anyone being armed whether visibly or hidden. Before my last trip I remember reading about people who were attempting to "open carry" in as many places as possible and it made me investigate the laws about being armed in disneyland.

I hate guns! It's a combination of things I hate: Unstable people, Loud Sudden Noises, and death!

 

[PunkPrincess]

Personal property rights cannot override constitutionally protected rights. That will be my last post on this particular subject as it could very easily go political.

Actually technically they can, as free speech is a right but theme parks ban offesive shirts (Personal experience can testify) I also don't let people take guns in my house.

 

[PunkPrincess]

I had many many of these as a kid! Buff the Buffalo from Bear Jamboree terrified me. A disembodied hairy head that resembled a monster. (I'd only seen buffalo in a zoo and all they did was kinda lay around and look at the little train ride and make silly chewing motions NOT TAKE OFF THEIR HEAD AND TALK!!)

The ghosts in the hallway at the tower of terror I just could not figure out how they did that and then made the hallway disappear. It was too advanced for my little 6 year old pixie dust and tiara covered brain to wrap around and I was just like .........AHHH!!

Jafar scared me too cuz for some reason I thought he was going to put me in chains like Jasmine (bear with me) and I'm claustrophobic. It goes without saying Injun Joe's cave scared me too then. I used to have a morbid fear of being restrained and not being able to scratch my nose and head. I still lose my mind if I think to hard about rollercoaster restraints, but I can put it out of my head. If it breaks down though and the back of my thigh itches......

In Epcot I used to be afraid the Maelstrom was going to just not stop at the second troll swtichback part and just go out the hole and smash on the rocks below. Probably because the barrier holding it in was underwater and you don't think of boats as having much underneath that would lock onto anything.

And of course because I hate guns the jungle cruise gun scared me

I totally get what you mean about the wires underwater! I'm scared of any water I cant see underneith, especially if electrical items are involved. Lakes in general scare me because who knows if there are abandoned mining tunnels or holes in the bottom or sewage fans or something! I am SOOO against underwater fans!! JUST SAY NO!!!

 

[cp11]

Disney doesn't allow any weapons carried by guests in any of their theme parks. It's a private business and as such can allow or disallow weapons. For the most part they don't even want uniformed police inside the parks, although I suspect there are plain clothes police patrolling. However, recently I saw a few uniformed Anaheim Police officers stationed near the bag check..

The above quote, "Disney doesn't allow any weapons carried by guests", until Disney has full metal detectors and wands you are not going to stop people. I shudder to think of all the people carrying guns and knives in to Disney. This is my biggest fear.

We had a sign at our courthouse where I work that said, "No weapons allowed on the second and third floor." We always thought it was funny because you are asking felons to come there and they are going to read a sign? After being involved in a shooting there (which is now why I have PTSD and a fear of guns and knives), we finally now have metal detectors and wands (no, we did not have metal detectors before the incident, basically one of the last ones in Washington State). They document daily the number of knives, guns, weapons attempted to brought in our courthouse. It's amazing people still do bring weapons (and drugs, duh), even when they know they will be searched. I will never trust that someone has obeyed a sign and simply will NOT slip through the cracks.

 

[bcla]

The above quote, "Disney doesn't allow any weapons carried by guests", until Disney has full metal detectors and wands you are not going to stop people. I shudder to think of all the people carrying guns and knives in to Disney. This is my biggest fear.

We had a sign at our courthouse where I work that said, "No weapons allowed on the second and third floor." We always thought it was funny because you are asking felons to come there and they are going to read a sign? After being involved in a shooting there (which is now why I have PTSD and a fear of guns and knives), we finally now have metal detectors and wands (no, we did not have metal detectors before the incident, basically one of the last ones in Washington State). They document daily the number of knives, guns, weapons attempted to brought in our courthouse. It's amazing people still do bring weapons (and drugs, duh), even when they know they will be searched. I will never trust that someone has obeyed a sign and simply will NOT slip through the cracks.

I don't even know about how thorough the bag checks are. Even if everyone goes through the metal detectors, I didn't sense that the bag check was all that thorough. I mean - I've gone on buses and trains outside the US where we went through full metal detectors and X-rayed baggage.

As for courthouses I've only been there for a few limited reasons, including fighting a traffic ticket, filing a legal document, and jury duty. Years ago I remember I'd just walk into the courtroom. There was law enforcement all around, but that might not stop someone intent on a murder-suicide. More recently there has been metal detectors in every building including the jury assembly area.

 

[musicmom3331]

When I was very young, loud/sudden noises really frightened me to the point of screaming. Independence Day when I was 4 was awful! That same year I rode Jungle Cruise and wasn't prepped for the shooting of the hippo. I screamed....and screamed...and......
The shooting doesn't happen at the Magic Kingdom in Fl. (Don't want to give it away)

We just returned from DLR last week. On most days, everyone was going through the metal detectors. But like another poster stated, there are no clear directions on where to go or if to go through them. Also, we saw 1-2 dogs patrolling the lines before bagcheck.

 

[StyledSugar]

Two things: Earthquakes and guns.

For some reason it will occasionally pop into my head "what if there was an earthquake right now". Bit of an irrational thought as the odds are so astronomical of it occurring. Still not the place you want to be while riding through Star Tours.

.

Glad I'm not the only one to think about that! I think about it every time I ride Pirates lol One night we must have gone on it 5-6 times in a row. It was close to park closing and it was totally dead, so we could literally just keep riding it over and over (so much fun!). About the 4th or 5th time, the thought popped into my head -- what if an earthquake hit while we were on this ride?.... I seriously think about it every time I go on it now! It's my absolute favorite ride and that would never stop me from riding it but yeah, it does cross my mind. I guess if the "big one" hits, I'll die in my happy place. lol

 

[bcla]

Glad I'm not the only one to think about that! I think about it every time I ride Pirates lol One night we must have gone on it 5-6 times in a row. It was close to park closing and it was totally dead, so we could literally just keep riding it over and over (so much fun!). About the 4th or 5th time, the thought popped into my head -- what if an earthquake hit while we were on this ride?.... I seriously think about it every time I go on it now! It's my absolute favorite ride and that would never stop me from riding it but yeah, it does cross my mind. I guess if the "big one" hits, I'll die in my happy place. lol

It's not likely to collapse completely. Perhaps parts could be damaged, but what do you imagine would happen to riders?

Disneyland has been through several earthquakes. They have a standard shutdown procedure, and so far nobody has been injured.

Someone mentioned Star Tours. It's basically a flight simulator box. An earthquake won't cause it to injure anyone, and in any case everyone would be belted.

 

[NannyBeBe]

I rode Space last time I was in DLR, at the insistence of my daughter. Never again. I screamed the whole way. There is not enough restraint on that ride. I was sure I was going to fly out.
As to security, I am wondering if they have started requiring anyone wearing cargo pants to empty their pockets. I have never seen it done and it would be a great way to sneak in a weapon.

 

[kamik86]

I have a completely irrational fear about standing at the edge of some railings. What is really irrational are when it bothers me and when it doesn't.

At a cruise ship I'm fine. The railing at the edge of the local mall scares me. The mall railing is alot shorter though and im always scared someone that isn't paying attention is going to bump into me and cause me to fall.

However I can ride the non swinging fun wheel just fine, so its not exactly that I'm just afraid of heights... so yeah even I dont really understand that fear.

 

[kamik86]

I rode Space last time I was in DLR, at the insistence of my daughter. Never again. I screamed the whole way. There is not enough restraint on that ride. I was sure I was going to fly out.
As to security, I am wondering if they have started requiring anyone wearing cargo pants to empty their pockets. I have never seen it done and it would be a great way to sneak in a weapon.

It would be kind of pointless. Some weapons are so small that you could conceal them with a slightly long tshirt. It would actually be incredibly hard to really keep all weapons from a place. Even metal detectors would only work for metal weapons. Which will get you guns but not all weapons. Actually all weapons would be impossible as most every day objects could be used as a weapon if someone was so inclined.

 

[Mamato4boys]

I am terrified that the swinging carts of Mickey's Wheel of Terror are going to shoot off the track and land in the lagoon, where we will slowly drown because we are locked in. It doesn't stop me from riding it one time each trip, though. If my entire family is going down, I'm going with them.

I am claustrophobic and the two things at DLR that really set me off are the caves on the island and the Nemo subs. I will not go in the caves and I request the handicapped viewing for Nemo while the rest of my family goes on the subs.

I also cover my face on water rides in areas there are splashes so that brain eating amoeba can't gain access.

 

[monorailrabbit]

Mine is crazy irrational - every time DH and I separate (for bathroom, snack run, whatever) and he takes longer than he should I start to quietly panic and all sorts of insanely ridiculous scenarios run through my head... what if he got lost (he's an adult, I think he can find his way back from the bathroom) What if he gets hit by a car in the parking lot? What if a catastrophe happens and in all these masses we never find each other... This happens to me every. single. time. Haha!

 

[DizMe]

I don't worry about this anymore because my girls are teens now, but I used to worry that my kids would slip out of Jumpin' Jellyfish. It never seemed very secure to me!

 

[Jaina]

The Haunted Mansion freaks me out. I don't like ghosts or spooky things, and I hate things jumping/popping/startling me. That being said, I still go on it, especially if it's hot outside. Also, the swinging cars on Mickey's Wheel of Death, because I have a fear of motion sickness (again).

 

[bcla]

The Haunted Mansion freaks me out. I don't like ghosts or spooky things, and I hate things jumping/popping/startling me. That being said, I still go on it, especially if it's hot outside. Also, the swinging cars on Mickey's Wheel of Death, because I have a fear of motion sickness (again).

The only time I'd ever been startled on HM was when a CM was standing around a blind corner and deliberately popped out at the ride vehicles. Didn't see it coming.