Disney Attractions and Motion Sickness

Sensitive Tummy?
Think twice before going on these attractions

First, I’d like to raise a glass of syrup of ipecac and dedicate this article to my 6’2” husband who has sacrificed many a breakfast in pursuit of the rides most likely to result in a “protein spill.”  What a guy.

 

Let’s begin with the Magic Kingdom’s “Mad Tea Party.” See those smiling happy faces spinning around? See the Dad turning a pale shade of green standing on the outside with the camera? That would be him; he never so much as attempted this one. If you already know that you have a problem with rides that spin, do not go near it. The ride is twirling, the cup is swirling and before you know it, you’ll be hurling. 

 

Disney's Hollywood Studios should be safe, right? Wrong. When my man reluctantly agreed to try Rock ‘N' Roller Coaster, I thought he would be fine. After all, you don’t go in circles, it’s a roller coaster. He does fine on Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. Unfortunately, Rock 'n' Roller's upside down loops did him in. No “protein spills” but he was a lovely shade of avocado for the rest of the day.

 

A few of you might remember his infamous encounter with the Tower of Terror.  I’d like to go on record that it was an isolated incident caused by riding it 5 times in succession after having overindulged at the Fantasmic Dessert buffet. He’s gone on it since with no problem. Yes, I confess, I laughed. I warned him about the combo of too many desserts and the Tower, but “it was no big deal.” Guess again. Don’t worry; I took my poor sick hubby back to the resort so he could recover.

 

At Animal Kingdom, there are not one but two attractions that are crossed off of his list. He never went near Primeval Whirl since it resembles the Tea Cups on a track. But wait, there’s that great new ride, Expedition Everest. A Roller coaster without any upside down loops? No problem, this should be fun. We got to the park early, grabbed a FastPass+ and got in the queue since the standby wait wasn’t too bad. I heard so much about the line theming, and this way we’d get to ride it twice.

 

OH BOY!! We're at the loading area and the Cast Member asks how many are in our party. Next thing you know, we get the coveted front seat. Wow!! Are we lucky or what? How cool, we’re on our way when it shifts into reverse. Uh-oh, I felt a minor tummy flutter and I knew what that meant, the big guy was gonna blow. (Please Mickey, don't let him get sick on me.)

He made it to the restroom (which, as always, is nowhere near the ride) where his Sausage McMuffin bit the dust. I then took my man to the First Aid station where he rested while I called our kids to tell them about Dad’s latest escapade. He’s become the family legend. (And as for those FastPasses, I gave them to the first couple I saw who met my criteria, they were wearing NY Yankees caps.)

 

Since then, my son has visited Disney World and been on Everest. Fortunately, he didn’t inherit his Dad’s sensitive tummy but he did report that he saw a couple of people who had to lie down (some were on the ground) after riding it.

 

I don’t want to make light of the next ride, Mission Space at Epcot. It’s not funny when a ride results in fatalities, regardless of the pre-existing conditions. This one made my husband, me and our daughter sick when we rode it during the Annual Passholder preview. Now they provide barf bags, but back then, the exit was punctuated by one “protein spill” after the other. Even if you're like me and never had a problem with motion sickness, don’t be surprised if it gets to you. I didn’t get as sick as he did, but it took hours before we started to feel like ourselves again. You may want to think about the "non-centrifuge" version if you're uncertain of how you'll react.

That does it, the rides most likely to result in tummy trouble. If you’re super sensitive, you may want to skip all of the coasters but I have to say my hubby is fine on the rest of them. And if you ever see him crouched over a bush, just keep walking or better yet, listen for a lady laughing hysterically. That will be me.