Panic free disney

[flying_babyb]

Now that im in the right fourm. Any advice on rides for someone who suffers from panic attacks from hights,fire (fire is a huge one) and fast speeds? I want to have fun with my freinds but I wanna survive my vacation without panic attacks.

 

[funnygarcia]

All of the Fantasyland rides should be ok (except for tea cups if you have someone who is good at spinning and the Matterhorn).
Pirates, Haunted, Jungle Cruise, Pooh, Canoes, Monsters inc, any of the movie based ones (Muppets, Tough to be a Bug, Honey I shrunk the Audience, Golden Dreams), Buzz, any of the rides in Flik's Fun Fair area/aka "Bug Land ", Animation Building, Seasons of the Vine, the factory tours, carrousels, Autopia, Innoventions, Tarzan's Treehouse, Tiki, any of the Main Street vehicles

Ones you might want to avoid:
Indy (fast and has a scene with fire)
Soarin (heights)
Screamin
Space Mountain
Splash (only due to the drop)
Big Thunder
Maliboomer
Mulhulland Madness
Golden Zephyr
Grizzly River Run (uphill climb and drop)
OrangeStinger (??? possibly due to heights?)
Tower of Terror
Sun wheel


I wish you the best, Disneyland is very much for families so most rides are in a good comfort zone.. DCA on the other hand is not as family oriented for rides but has some great entertainment options.

There is lots to do in either park without stepping one foot on a ride.
ENJOY!!

 

[Dsnylndlvrs]

I'm not sure if this will be helpful or not, but I'll give it a shot...

For the rides you can watch from outside, give yourself time to check them out before getting in line. That way you can mentally prepare yourself to some extent on what to expect. For instance, if you're considering going on California Screamin', you'll know that it starts out VERY powerfully and fast and you don't want to be taken by surprise on that.

Even checking out the ride information on the website might be helpful too. Here's a specific ride you might choose to just take a break from - Indiana Jones. It features fire inside and the ride itself is quite jerky and could be stressful for you. There are shops just across from the ride that you could keep busy at, while your friends ride.

As far as height, maybe offer to take pictures of your friends on Maliboomer. I've never ridden that ride and never will. You just go up quickly and down a pole. I have ridden Tower of Terror once to see what else is going on besides the drop, and that was enough. Now, I use the time my family rides as a chance to rest my tired feet. I think those two rides are the biggest issues for heights.

There are a lot of rides that don't depend on height and speed. Perhaps you might come prepared with ideas of some of those that you can say you'd really like to ride (and kind of break up the day/make it easier for you.)

However you approach your trip, may you have a ton of fun with your friends!

 

[mad hatter fan]

Don't forget that people often go through the Tower of Terror queue to experience the wonderful themeing with no intention of riding the ride. The cast members will let you ride down an ordinary elevator to where you can wait while your friends ride the actual tower of terror ride. Anyone know if you can do this with Indiana Jones? That queue is real interesting also.

 

[Mom to a Princess]

I would also add be weary of the Fantamic Show which does involve fire. All of the other suggestions are quite on target.

 

[Dis Ohana]

I too suffer from panic attacks, mine are usually triggered by large crowds and rides that are too cramped or claustrophobic feeling. What I did to prepare myself for Disneyland was to read up as much as possible about every ride I thought I'd be going on. Unofficial Guide to Disneyland had very detailed information about each ride, and also a "fright index" which sorta gives you an idea of how rough the ride is.
Some of my favorite rides are:
Splash Mountain; IASW; Autopia; Haunted Mansion; Winnie the Pooh; PoC; Buzz Lightyear; Columbia Sailing Ship; Matterhorn; Storybook Land; Jungle Cruise; Tiki Room. There are shows you can see too, like Honey I Shrunk the Audience, or the one on Main Street. There is also Aladdin in DCA. All of these are all pretty tame rides that I had no problem with.
I would also do as Dsnylndlvrs suggested and try to observe a ride before getting on it. Keep in mind that the CM's are usually very accomodating and will usually have an escape route if you decide to bail at the last moment.
If you haven't already, you might want to share with your friends that you do suffer from panic attacks. For me, having the support of the people I am traveling with helps a great deal.
Even if the rides do prove too challenging for you, just being at Disneyland and in the company of your friends will be a wonderful experience.

 

[hlbtimes2]

All of the Fantasyland rides should be ok (except for tea cups if you have someone who is good at spinning and the Matterhorn).

There is also Mr. Toads wild ride thru hell. Not sure if that would count as "fire".

 

[staley7580]

I'm not sure if this will be helpful or not, but I'll give it a shot...

For the rides you can watch from outside, give yourself time to check them out before getting in line. That way you can mentally prepare yourself to some extent on what to expect. For instance, if you're considering going on California Screamin', you'll know that it starts out VERY powerfully and fast and you don't want to be taken by surprise on that.

Even checking out the ride information on the website might be helpful too. Here's a specific ride you might choose to just take a break from - Indiana Jones. It features fire inside and the ride itself is quite jerky and could be stressful for you. There are shops just across from the ride that you could keep busy at, while your friends ride.

As far as height, maybe offer to take pictures of your friends on Maliboomer. I've never ridden that ride and never will. You just go up quickly and down a pole. I have ridden Tower of Terror once to see what else is going on besides the drop, and that was enough. Now, I use the time my family rides as a chance to rest my tired feet. I think those two rides are the biggest issues for heights.

There are a lot of rides that don't depend on height and speed. Perhaps you might come prepared with ideas of some of those that you can say you'd really like to ride (and kind of break up the day/make it easier for you.)

However you approach your trip, may you have a ton of fun with your friends!

I have to agree with that about the Cal. Screamin, my hubby told me I would be fine, NOT. I was unprepaired for the initial take off, and I swear i ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK, Absolutly terifying. Not at all what I expected.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Now that im in the right fourm. Any advice on rides for someone who suffers from panic attacks from hights,fire (fire is a huge one) and fast speeds? I want to have fun with my freinds but I wanna survive my vacation without panic attacks.

If "fire is a huge one" that gives you panic attacks then I want you to be aware that Pirates of the Caribbean has several sections with fire - of course it's not real fire and is done with special lighting effects - so maybe it won't have the same affect on you.

The only "real" fire that I can think of is in the show Fantasmic, so if it's the real thing that can cause panick attacks, then avoid watching this show. All fire effects in the rides (Pirates, Indiana Jones, ect) is fake fire (obviously).

Heights - you'll be able to easily tell which rides go too high for you from the outside of the ride, with the exception of Soarin' over California, which also goes kinda high and gives the illusion that you're VERY HIGH. Also, Peter Pan gives the illusion that you're flying high over London and Neverland, but you're only about 10 feet above the floor (and you'll be able to see the floor).
_________________________________________________________________

RIDES TO AVOID AT DISNEYLAND:
Space Mountain (speed)
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (speed)
Splash Mountain (one high and fast drop at the end, couple of small drops)
Matterhorn (speed)

RIDES TO BE WARRY OF AT DISNEYLAND:
Pirates of the Caribbean (simulated fire, you can tell it's fake, 2 small drops)
Indiana Jones (quick accelerations and turns, simulated fire/lava)
Peter Pan (illusion of flying, but you can easily see the floor 10ft below you)
Gadget's Go Coaster (not very fast or high, but may not be for you)

SHOWS TO AVOID AT DISNEYLAND:
Fantasmic (real fire)
_________________________________________________________________

RIDES TO AVOID AT DISNEY'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE:
Soarin' Over California (high)
Tower of Terror (ride is high, but the preshow is cool, so do the preshow)
Mulholund Madness (a little high and a little fast)
California Screamin' (high and fast)
Maliboomer (very high)
Orange Stinger (high)
Jumpin' Jellyfish (a little high)
Sun Wheel (very high)
Golden Zephyr (a little high)

RIDES TO BE WARRY OF AT CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE:
Grizzly River Run (medium drop at the end)


I hope you have a great time with your friends!

 

[gnbuggy]

I really found that the book The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland was very helpful. There was good descriptions about most, if not all, of the rides.