Motion sickness or back problems

[raddisneyfan]

I'm sure this has been covered. So, first I want to apologize to all the regular posters who have heard/seen these questions:

I'm going to Universal Studios/IOA for one day next February (1st week). We plan to go on a Tuesday to minimize possible crowds. The whole reason we are going is to see both HPH in IOA and HPDA in the Studios. The problem is I'm prone to motion sickness and my friend has back problems. Aside from Harry Potter we are interested in some other rides, but I really need to hear from folks on whether we'll be able to take any of them. I know there are warnings for all the rides we're interested in, but I need to hear from real riders with real stories/experiences.

1. Forbidden Journey--I've heard that you can skip the ride and just request a castle tour. Has anyone done this and is it worth waiting in line for? Do you go through the entire regular ride line in order to do the castle tour?

2. Given our possible motion sickness/back problems, would Escape from Gringott's be possible at all? Neither one of us have severe problems, but to give you a point of reference for those who know it, we cannot handle "Star Tours" at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Is Gringott's ride that jerky/bumpy?

3. I've heard that Despicable Me Minion Mayhem has stationary seats for those who have problems. Has anyone done this? How is it?

Other rides I'd like to do, but am worried--although with one day, we may not have time to do anything but the Harry Potter portions of the two parks.

--Simpsons ride
--Transformers
--Spider Man

Please give me your honest opinions on these.

It's a challenge getting older, but we still like to have as much fun as possible!

 

[captaynn]

I couldn't handle The Simpsons but handled the others you mentioned just fine. I also didn't like Star Tours either (screen not matching with movements of the simulator).

 

[scoobydooby]

I have bad motion sickness for simulator rides. I am fine on Spider Man if I close my eyes a couple of times briefly and the same with Forbidden Journey, but had to have a sit down after that one! I think the castle tour is basically they queue as I remember it.

I haven't done the others on your list.

As a reference point I can manage Star Tours but also have to close my eyes a couple of times.

 

[johde]

It's a challenge getting older, but we still like to have as much fun as possible!

Ain't that the truth. For the motion sickness, since you know you have the problem I would recommend taking something. I take Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate) when I know I'm going on several thrill rides. Some people don't like the drowsiness and go with the less drowsy Dramamine (Meclizine). The less drowsy stuff doesn't seem to work for me. If you're looking for something "natural" some people swear by ginger pills, ginger candy, or acupressure wrist bands. It takes some experimenting. I'm thinking about adding some ginger candy for immediate relief in addition to the Dramamine.

 

[lazer]

I've never had a problem on rides, until The Simpsons. It really bothered me and I felt sick afterwards. But, I was okay with everything else. So, I'm not much help except to say Simpsons was rough to me.

The minions stationary seating was okay for me and my son. You still got the gist of it without all of the movement!

 

[EvilQueenLiz]

1. Forbidden Journey
2. Escape from Gringott's be possible at all? Neither one of us have severe problems, but to give you a point of reference for those who know it, we cannot handle "Star Tours" at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Is Gringott's ride that jerky/bumpy?

3. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem has stationary seats for those who have problems. Has anyone done this? How is it?

--Simpsons ride
--Transformers
--Spider Man.

I'm the same, bad back, motion sickness. So:
1. FJ- didn't bother my back, only one or two parts (during the broom fly in the Quidditch pitch and another part towards the end. I closed my eyes & was good.
2. Gringott's- back ok. One or two short parts (one "falling" part after the troll I think it was) where I closed my eyes.
3. Despicable Me- Back ok. Motion Sickness- UGH!! Within seconds. Closing my eyes only helped slightly. Never tried the stationary seats. Afraid to go near the ride again!
I didn't even try the other three but based on some of the other posters (and watching some videos on YouTube) I MAY give them a shot next time.

 

[Minerva Mouse]

For motion sickness I recommend avoiding the Simpsons, its just too much. I do ok with Spiderman and Transformers EXCEPT for the parts where they are falling, I typically close my eyes during those scenes. The same is true form me with Forbidden Journey, I like the ride aspect of it, but I have to close my eyes inside the dome's.

I think you'll be ok with Gringotts motion wise, however I would request row one or two (unless your friends is 6' tall) on Gringotts. The seats are "stacked" and I can't touch the floor in the back row, which makes for a very uncomfortable ride position. I would worry, that this might irritate someone with back issues.

 

[Bluer101]

I will post about back problems. I can handle pretty much every ride but everyday is a different day with lower back issues. Somedays I can do ok then others I can barely walk.

 

[schumigirl]

I can do pretty much everything except Simpsons, which made me so sick it was unbelievable!

I can do Spider-Man, Transformers and any coaster and I'm fine. Same with Despicable me, no Nasty effects at all.

I never close my eyes on any ride as it makes it worse for me, what I do is the ballerina trick of focusing on a certain spot when you spin, like on Spiderman.....seems to work for me. But everyone's different and react differently to things.

FJ I can do once,maybe twice that's with taking Bonine........only ride I need to take anything to stop motion sickness. And for me it's the only thing that works, I tried everything else with no effect.

Gringotts was fine also.....not one bad feeling on it all and we did it several times in a row on several occasions.

 

[nkereina]

Not to hijack, but can anyone describe the Simpsons ride for me? I watched the YouTube video briefly and it appears to be a simulator where your ride vehicle is stationary but jerks you around in conjunction with the screen movements? Is there any spinning or is it more comparable to Star Tours?

 

[bumbershoot]

Not to hijack, but can anyone describe the Simpsons ride for me? I watched the YouTube video briefly and it appears to be a simulator where your ride vehicle is stationary but jerks you around in conjunction with the screen movements? Is there any spinning or is it more comparable to Star Tours?

It's like soarin where you are in a huge room with a gigantic screen, but you're in a box with two rows of people and there are many like boxes in the huge room. There is motion but most of the motion is in your head while watching the screen. For me, closing my eyes at the difficult parts (for a good part of the ride you are "on" a roller coaster) takes care of all problems. Or closing one eye. It used to bother me more until I was sitting in the front row once, looked to the side, and saw the other "ride vehicles". Just like with soarin, knowing I'm in a room like that helps me.

 

[sharona]

+1 on the Dramamine. I get motion sickness from rides with screens, rides that spin, imax theaters, riding backwards, video games with first person point of view, riding in the back seat of cars, planes and boats! My DD does too. We take the regular (not the non drowsy) 1 hour before riding/traveling. Take it with food and drink lots of water to avoid dehydration. The side effects are minimal if you stay hydrated. There is a brief window, about 20 minutes after taking it, where you will feel tired. If you power through that (get up and move around), you are fine the rest of the day.

The only ride where the Dramamine didn't work for me was Transformers but that is possibly because both times we rode it late in the day and the medication was probably starting to wear off. No motion issues from Spiderman, Mummy, FJ or Minions. My Mom, who never gets motion sickness so didn't take anything, had issues with the Simpsons ride. She was done for the day afterwards! Avoid that one if you're not going to take anything. If you change your mind during your visit, you can get generic dramamine from the first aid station.

I have a cranky back that can be an issue sometimes. I did not have any problems with any of the rides (note - I didn't go on any of the outdoor coasters). Seems like every ride has a pregnant women/back neck injury warning these days. For my back, standing in line for long periods of time is more of an issue than riding!

Good luck!

 

[RMulieri]

I have bad vertigo.I can do all those rides without getting sick EXCEPT The Simpsons..I need to take a meclizine for that one. Otherwise it makes me really ill

 

[AnneJEPC]

Sorry I can't comment on how the rides will be-actually I've been researching the same thing.. we are planning our first trip to Universal that same day-also hoping for low crowds- and we are staying at BWV!

But i wanted to add that we all plan to start taking Bonine (or the less-drowsy Dramamine) beginning a day or so before we leave home- and continue to take it throughout the trip. We did this cruising 2 years ago and had no problems. I take the meds at night before bed just in case they do cause me to be tired.

Good luck and hopefully we will be the only families in the park that day! haaa

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I'm sure this has been covered. So, first I want to apologize to all the regular posters who have heard/seen these questions:

I'm going to Universal Studios/IOA for one day next February (1st week). We plan to go on a Tuesday to minimize possible crowds. The whole reason we are going is to see both HPH in IOA and HPDA in the Studios. The problem is I'm prone to motion sickness and my friend has back problems. Aside from Harry Potter we are interested in some other rides, but I really need to hear from folks on whether we'll be able to take any of them. I know there are warnings for all the rides we're interested in, but I need to hear from real riders with real stories/experiences.

1. Forbidden Journey--I've heard that you can skip the ride and just request a castle tour. Has anyone done this and is it worth waiting in line for? Do you go through the entire regular ride line in order to do the castle tour?

2. Given our possible motion sickness/back problems, would Escape from Gringott's be possible at all? Neither one of us have severe problems, but to give you a point of reference for those who know it, we cannot handle "Star Tours" at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Is Gringott's ride that jerky/bumpy?

3. I've heard that Despicable Me Minion Mayhem has stationary seats for those who have problems. Has anyone done this? How is it?

Other rides I'd like to do, but am worried--although with one day, we may not have time to do anything but the Harry Potter portions of the two parks.

--Simpsons ride
--Transformers
--Spider Man

Please give me your honest opinions on these.

It's a challenge getting older, but we still like to have as much fun as possible!

About three years ago I went with a friend who was very motion sensitive.

She could not handle any of those three you listed or Forbidden Journey. To be honest I am not sure it made sense for her to go.

 

[jjas]

I used to never be able to ride anything because of motion sickness. I started using Bonine and the sea bands you wear on you wrists - they are like acupuncture things. I also pop a piece of ginger gum just before any motion simulators or roasters with inversions. I know it sounds like a lot just to ride some rides, but I can honestly ride anything I want now with no troubles at all.

The one exception to that is forbidden journey. That one still makes me a little queasy when I get off - but not nearly as bad as when I rode it with nothing. Honestly, the ride is so awesome it's almost worth it to feel a little bad afterwards to at least see it once.

I also try not to do motion simulators and coasters with inversions back to back. If I spread them out that helps too.

Hope you find something that helps you and have a great trip!

 

[Krand12]

But i wanted to add that we all plan to start taking Bonine (or the less-drowsy Dramamine) beginning a day or so before we leave home- and continue to take it throughout the trip. We did this cruising 2 years ago and had no problems. I take the meds at night before bed just in case they do cause me to be tired.

Oooh, raspberry flavored! Thanks for the tip!

When we last went to US/IOA, I felt super sick on the Spiderman ride. I tried to look up to focus on one spot, but I could still see the screen, so I looked down and then closed my eyes and held on for the rest of the ride. My husband LOVED that ride so it was really strange when the Cat in the Hat ride made him feel queasy.