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Hello, Disney Fans! I’m back with another blog post, one that I hope will help many! I’m excited to share my Top Tips to Avoid Motion Sickness at Disney! Nothing ruins a vacation faster than that queasy, dizzy, unsettling feeling of motion sickness. I’ve experienced it many times myself, and it’s my mission to help you avoid it on your next trip to Disney World. Read on for my top secrets to avoid motion sickness at Disney World.
Know Your Triggers
If This will be Your First Visit to a Theme Park
This can be a tricky way to avoid motion sickness at Disney if this is your very first visit. Once you’ve tried a few attractions, you’ll have a much better idea of what kinds of rides trigger your motion sickness. In the meantime, however, think back to moments when you’ve felt the most nauseous or your motion sickness has been triggered. Was it on a car ride when the driver was hitting fast speeds? Likely fast speed is a trigger for you. Was it in a cramped elevator? You probably don’t care for tight spaces. Did you feel nauseous the last time you lost electricity? Darkness could be problematic for you!
If You’ve Been to a Theme Park Before
Think back to the rides that triggered motion sickness in the past. Was height during the attraction the issue? Spinning? 3D rides? Tight spaces? Fast Speed? Darkness or the inability to see the track? Knowing the aspects that tend to make you feel nauseous will help you better understand which rides are safe and which rides you need to avoid! Trust me, once you can narrow this down, your life becomes much easier!
Find Rides with Constant Air Flow
Many of the newer, virtual attractions include constant air flow aimed at your face. Air blowing in face can help immensely with motion simulator-related illness. This is a great solution that’s very similar to car sickness, where many find if they can look straight ahead out of the main window onto the street, they’re fine vs. being in the backseat unable to look straight ahead. While this isn’t a solution for everyone, I’ve found it makes a big difference in many people looking to avoid motion sickness at Disney.
Virtual rides that have constant streams of air and could be safe for you include:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Find the Attractions with Heights or Drops
If height or drops are an issue for you, I would be sure to look up attraction heights/drops in advance. You can visit the Disney World Website and pull up the Attractions page. Each attraction’s page will have disclaimers that can help you understand if there are tall heights or steep drops. Additionally, you can watch YouTube videos of the attractions you’re questioning to get a better understanding of how steep the drops are or how high the ride will get. Lastly, I would ask the cast members at the entrance to the attraction to speak on the heights or drops, as they can help guide you as well!
Rides with Height:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Avatar Flight of Passage
- Kali River Rapids
- TriceraTop Spin
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom Park
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – Coming Soon
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- The Barnstormer
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Space Mountain
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
- Astro Orbiter
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
Transportation
Rides with Drops:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
Magic Kingdom Park
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – Coming Soon
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Haunted Mansion
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- The Barnstormer
- Space Mountain
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
Tips for Spinner Attractions
Spinner attractions are very unique in that for either the entire duration or part of the ride, the ride vehicle engages in a spinning motion. Some spinners are definitely easier than others, so I recommend asking a Cast Member or trying the ride at least once to see if you can handle it! Should you find the ride is getting to be too much, shutting your eyes could be helpful! Also, try spotting. Spotting is a tool dancers use to avoid getting dizzy as they spin. They put their focus on one object or person and as they spin, they keep their head focused on the object. When in doubt, be sure to take motion sickness medicine beforehand, and remember that all rides are temporary. The spinning will end!
Attractions that could cause potential issues include:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Toy Story Mania!
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Magic Kingdom Park
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Mad Tea Party
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Astro Orbiter
Try the 3D Rides
3D attractions are those that include complimentary glasses that you will wear for the duration of the attraction. The glasses allow any items on screens to “pop out” at you, giving you the sensation that you are sitting in the midst of the atmosphere, instead of staring at a screen.
The beautiful thing about 3D attractions is you can take off your glasses or shut your eyes to remove the sensation of items invading your space. This is the by far the easiest way to avoid motion sickness at Disney! There are two different classifications of 3D attractions: those where you remain fully seated in a theater to watch a show, and those that you wear as part of a traditional attraction where your ride vehicle physically moves or shakes. The show-style 3D attractions will be the gentlest, as you won’t be physically moving.
Show-Style 3D Rides:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom Park
Physical 3D Rides:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
For Tight Spaces
Small, tight spaces can be a big issue if you tend to feel claustrophobic and want to avoid motion sickness at Disney! My best advice is to truly analyze your environment when you first board the attraction. If it seems small or triggering, simply inform the Cast Member that you don’t want to ride, and they can escort you to the exit.
Many attractions include seating restraints of all sorts, so it would be impossible for me to list them all. If restraints are of concern, ask the Cast Member at the entrance of the attraction what the restraint is like so you can make an informed decision.
If small, tight spaces are triggering, consider skipping the following attractions:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Magic Kingdom Park
Transportation
Tips for Fast Attractions
Speed is a personal trigger for me! When attractions move very quickly, I feel a bit out of control and queasy! My best tips here are to watch the attractions on YouTube to get a sense of the speed, and to ask a Cast Member at the entrance of the attraction about the speed. Oftentimes they can state how quickly the attraction moves, and if it hits the top speed during a drop, while moving backwards, etc.
Attractions to consider avoiding:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom Park
- Space Mountain
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
- Astro Orbiter
- The Barnstormer
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – Coming Soon
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Don’t Forget Dark Rides
When I say Dark Rides, I’m not talking about attractions that are somewhat dark, but you can still see sets (like Spaceship Earth or Peter Pan’s Flight). These very rarely trigger motion sickness! Instead, I’m talking rides with complete pitch-black darkness, where you cannot see anything! Oftentimes, when you cannot see the track, yet you feel the attraction physically moving, it can cause motion sickness. My best advice is to shut your eyes and practice deep breathing until the darkness is over. Again, remember the darkness and the ride itself are temporary!
Rides with complete darkness:
EPCOT
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom Park
Conclusion
I hope this blog post helps you avoid motion sickness at Disney so you can truly enjoy vacation with your loved ones!
In Summary, here are the Top Tips to Remember:
- Watch YouTube videos of the ride to get a sense of it and find any triggers.
- Check the attraction’s page on the Disney World website for information about the attraction.
- Ask Cast Members at the entrance to attractions for information and their best tips.
- Be sure to pack Bonine or Dramamine.
- Try closing your eyes during the attraction.
- Remember all rides are temporary. If you don’t like something, it will be over in a few minutes!
- Practice deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Save this post. You can quickly and easily check for pointers throughout your trip!
- In the unfortunate event that you experience motion sickness, check out these activities that aren’t attractions to give yourself a break from the rides!
Thanks for reading! What are your worst motion sickness triggers? Let me know in the comments below!
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Former Disney Cast Member and Disney Vacation Planner
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Oh my gosh! This is a perfect resource! We are going this summer and I so needed this! I don’t want to shortchange my kids. Thank you for sharing and look forward to reading more!
Thanks so much for your feedback! You’re going to have so much fun with your family this summer, especially now that you know how to prevent sickness! 🙂
Omg motion sickness is my worse nightmare and always get it on road trips and long drives. I will leave these tips to help me when going to Disney.
I get it on road trips too! Especially on long, winding roads. I can’t imagine having to deal with motion sickness on vacation!
This is such a great and in depth post! I had not thought about motion sickness being a problem when visiting Disney, but it makes a lot of sense. I’m saving this for our future Disney adventures. Thank you!
Many people don’t realize it’s possible to deal with motion sickness on the attractions at Disney! I remember my first experience with motion sickness at Disney, and it was NOT fun! I hope you’re able to visit soon 🙂
I am planning to visit Disneyland soon but I never took into consideration the motion sickness issues. It is a very valuable and helpful article!
Thanks so much for your feedback, I hope this helps prepare you for your trip! You’re going to have so much fun!
This is a great resource. Will definitely bookmark this for future reference.
Thanks for your compliment! I hope this comes in handy in the future for you!
What a great post for parents taking kids for the first time!
Yes, this would be a lifeline for me with kids, considering kids tend to have a much easier time with motion than adults!
I’d love to take my 3 year old to Disney one day! Thanks for your top tips 😌
I hope you’re able to visit soon! It’s pretty magical to take in the parks from your child’s perspective! 🙂
Great post! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your feedback!
Great post! For Cosmic Rewind I always tell friends who are nervous to focus on the track and don’t let the ride direct your focus. It helps them to see where they are going.
Hi there, this is such a great tip! My husband mentioned this helped him on Cosmic Rewind as well. Thanks for sharing!
This is such a great post on avoiding motion sickness at Disney World! I’ve struggled with rides as I’ve gotten older. Great tips!
Hi there! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! My mom also found herself getting more motion sickness as she’s gotten older, and these tips have helped her a lot. Hope this helps you as well!
I’ve recently become a bit Disney obsessed again, and one thing I’ve been looking at a lot is trips to Disney! This is so helpful as I knew very little about it before! Thank you for breaking it all down!
I seem to have a constant Disney obsession, so I get it! Lol. I hope you get to visit soon, and that these tips help once you’re here!
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