Too young for Mission: Space?

[tjkraz]

Does anyone think M:S is too intense for those of a certain age? My question has less to do with the unfortunate death this summer than it does with the mere mechanics of the ride.

My son will be about 2 weeks shy of his 5th birthday during our next visit. He's already 44" tall, and will probably be couple inches taller than the restriction in shoes by the time we visit. I'm anticipating that he will push to go on M:S at some point. He's a big space geek, and has ridden Star Tours at least 10 times over our last 2 trips (and no, I'm not exaggerating.) He has also been on Splash Mountain, BTMR, Test Track and Soarin' at least 2x each. The only thing that bothered him from any of those rides was the fast speed at the end of Test Track--he's not crazy about getting that wind in the face.

No ToT or Dinosaur as yet.

The first time I rode M:S, I was a little weak in the knees when I got off. My stomach was a little queazy too, but I chalk that up to it being too close to lunch time. The second time, I was more nervous in advance, but didn't feel one moment of nausea or discomfort. DW won't go anywhere near it. She can't handle simulators or spinning rides.

Part of me says "there's no harm in waiting until he's older." The other part says "there's no harm in letting him do it now."

Mechanically, it seems to be a combination of the teacups (spinning) and Star Tours (simulator.)

Opinions?

[dvcconvert]

Well--I'm 43 and M:S, ToT and Dinosaur are all to intense for me! :faint: :bugeyed: :help: :Paranoid: :holymoly: :dunce: :skull: :earboy:


Although...it sounds as if your son proably would very much enjoy M:S--oweing to his size and interests, I bet he'd be fine with it! :)

[PoohsPal]

I would worry about the tension you feel on your face. I'm sure he will physically be fine, but if he does not like teh wind in his face, will the tension from the centrifugal force bother him?

[Leftcoaster]

It's a cliche' but, you know your son the best. My 6 year old niece is a daredevil and did Mission: Space with no problems. She wanted to go on it and loved it. The ONLY things she didn't do at WDW were Rock N Rollercoaster (still a bit too short) and Haunted Mansion. Too afraid to do Haunted Mansion but not too afraid to do Tower Of Terror. Go figure.

[jiggerj]

My ds is 6 and last yr we took him for a few days over to (gasp) Islands of Adventure. The rides over there did him in. He is hesitant about MANY rides now. Splash, Dinosaur,TOT he refuses to go on .But LOVES Test Track (figures!). I have not been on MS yet (yes chip126 I will try it in Nov!) but I will not have my ds on. As Leftcoaster said you know your son best. :)

[cobbler]

JMO but I think he might be a bit still to young. The other rides aren't near as intense as MS. I don't get motion sickness and it was to much for me. I have a little one who will be 5 at the end of January and could probably pass the height restriction with no problem but there is no way on this earth I will let him on that ride. At least until he is older.

Stepson went on at 7 and that was a stretch for me. Maybe just being overprotective on my part.

But you know your son best :)

[KNWVIKING]

From a purely physical POV, your DS is in better shape to ride M:S then you are.

While I haven't read the final autopsy results of the child that died, from what I have read it appears an anurism burst. At this point it is pure speculation as to wether the extended G's of M:S are what caused it to burst. In other words, did it burst immediately at 2 G's or did it burst after 90 seconds. I don't know if we'll ever know for sure.

If he meets the height requirement and he wants to give it a "whirl" , I say go for it.

[TW1]

We struggled with this in August.

Like LeftCoaster's neice, our DS is a daredevil and just loves coasters. When he was 6 he did M:S and loved it.

When we returned this past August, (he was two months short of turning 8), DW and I were gun-shy and suggested we not do the ride this time. He complained a bit, but understood our hesitancy.

I know, it was a freak accident, one never knows one's time, and I've always subscribed to the motto "you just have to live your life." But that also means going with your gut at times and mine said, wait another year. M:S will be there a long time.

[lllovell]

These types of things come up for us from time to time as well. I think its more about the child than the height restriction for us.

So far, we have skipped ToT, Rock N Rollercoaster, Splash Mountain, BTMRR, Space Mountain, Whirley thing in the carnival at AK, Dinosaurs....you kinda get the picture. I was TERRIFIED riding a wooden roller coaster when I was 5 and for years would not go near a roller coaster (I think I was 15 or so before I rode them again). I don't want this to happen to our kids, so I have been introducing them slowly to things (they rode the HM - but basically said "ummm we don't have to do that again" once we got off...so we will skip it until they want to ride it again...same with Stitch - sometimes the like it sometimes its too dark and scary in there). M:S will be there in a few years. If the oldest says he is ready on our next trip, we will discuss it, but I am not going to suggest it for a while and for now, mine are still ok with following suggestions.

Good luck Tjkraz - it is a very hard thing to figure out.

Laura

[Rash]

My 5.5 YO DD is a big time adventurer - coasters, etc - nothing fazes her. I still would be hesitant to allow her to ride MS. Not from a safety standpoint, just from a "daddy-I-want-to-get off" standpoint. IMO, MS is just different than other thrill rides. It's not a speed or height rush, it's a "my head and stomach feel upside down" rush. I just don't think that's the kind of thrill she's looking for. Every child is different. so perhaps your son won't be fazed. But considering how many adults it bothers, I'm inclined to think most 5 yo will find it uncomfortable rather than thrilling.

[bavaria]

Well--I'm 43 and M:S, ToT and Dinosaur are all to intense for me! :faint: :bugeyed: :help: :Paranoid: :holymoly: :dunce: :skull: :earboy:



I'm not quite that ancient, and can't do M:S and ToT either. But I CAN enjoy Dinosaur in my youth.... :Pokepoke:

I loved going with a friend of mine who is a grandmother - she rode M:S while I sat on a bench 'you go ride, dear, and I'll be sitting here waiting for you'... :rolleyes:

When I was five, I closed my eyes on every single ride except for Peter Pan, so can't comment. And we were all in awe of my father, who rode the Matterhorn!!!

[dianeschlicht]

Definitely depends on the kid. I think one of the crucial things about MS is being able to understand and follow the directions about not closin your eyes and turning your head.

[bavaria]

I think one of the crucial things about MS is being able to understand and follow the directions about not closin your eyes and turning your head.

Well, that rules me out! :beaniepro

[Beca]

Definitely depends on the kid. I think one of the crucial things about MS is being able to understand and follow the directions about not closin your eyes and turning your head.

That is EXACTLY what I was going to say!!! I think a lot depends on how much you trust your child to follow directions when they are nervous (and how much explicit directions might freak them out). I know I would not trust my dd to ride without moving her head off the headrest and keeping her eyes forward.

That ride just makes me nervous for small children...my dd will definitely be much older before I allow her to ride.

Beca

[PoohsPal]

Definitely depends on the kid. I think one of the crucial things about MS is being able to understand and follow the directions about not closin your eyes and turning your head.
Very true!

[Colorado Belle]

I love roller coasters but can no longer handle spinning.
I tried to keep my eyes open on that ride and basically succeeded, BUT my eyes wanted to close. I wonder if a 5 year old could keep his eyes open IF he felt them closing???

But at the same time, kids usually deal with spinning much better than adults...And you said he enjoys the teacups, right?...
There isn't anything SCARY about MS; I think its just the spinning that makes some/most of us feel 'uncomfortable.

If you let him do it, make sure it isn't on an empty stomach, but also not just after a meal. Check him out on the teacups the day before and really give them a spin...and check to see if he is still smiling!

Good luck! This parenting stuff ain't ever easy!!!

[PoohsPal]

I did much better on MS than tea cups, but eyes must be open and forward.

[gopherit]

Well, weighing in with my 2 cents and 3 kids here...

One thing I would worry about - while the child may pass the height requirement to ride - will they pass the height reuquirement to enjoy? I recall the screens being such that you needed to be able to look straight into them, and then you have buttons to push (depending upon what role you take, which is determined by which of 4 seats you are in). Will your child, at age 5, have the torso height to see properly and arm length to reach the buttons? I recall once riding a roller coaster with my friend who was just tall enough to ride... she got of the ride crying and we assumed it was because she had been scared.

Nope.

Turns out her head was about 1 inch too short for the full benefit of the head pad, and to make matters worse, she had those plastic "ball" type pony tail holders in the back of her head. Left two big marble-sized dents in her head, where she had been bopped repeatedly by the coaster's force into the hard shell of the seat under the cushy head pad.

While the rides may state a minimum height for rideability from a safety perspective... they create rides like M:S for the average (adult) Joe. Your child may meet the minimum for safety, but will your child be the right size to enjoy? And as someone else noted - from personal experience - if your child decides to bail that can be difficult, if not darn near impossible. (Mine needed to go to the bathroom right before we stepped into the "spacecraft" - CM said "Just hold it, kid!")

As for the accident that made the news - I agree with poster who said an older person is probably more at risk than your kid. And the ride has been tamed down considerably from where it was at its inception. I will say, however, that if I had reason to believe my child was already compromised (for example, had ever had a seizure, had heart surgeries or angioplasties to correct congenital issues, etc.) no way would I let them ride this or any similar g-inducing ride. And these rides will clearly say the same. (I cannot TELL you how many times ol Gary Sinese gives you a chance to back out and take the Chicken RUn exit outta there before getting in the M:S capsule, LOL!) Likewise, if my child were prone ot migraines or general headaches, or motion sickness... I wouldn't waste a nano-second in line and would instead find some other venue to enjoy instead. Why kill a vacation day feeling like yuck?

But for a healthy child with no issues with simulator rides or motion sickness, an ability to listen to instruction and of a size / mental maturity to handle AND enjoy it, and an eagerness to give it a try - hey, go for it. And only you (and your child) know if your child meets that criteria.

[AFMom]

Our kids were thrilled with the ride at the ages of 6.5 and 8. But keep in mind - they won't ride roller coasters, TOT, hate the dark parts of any rides, etc! It isn't scary - but it is intense and a bit disorienting. It will depend more on your 5 yo's maturity than anything else! If health issues in the past aren't a problem, it really depends on the ability of the child to follow the instructions, as mentioned earlier, and if you think they will actually enjoy all of the stuff going on around them! I don't think there is anyway to get off the ride once you're in the ride vehicle - but of course, there are many chances to chicken out before it. Have you ridden it yourself? Maybe a trial run will give you an idea of whether it's a good idea for them. My kids did great - like dit more than I did!
The migraine/headache thing mentioned in an earlier post - it can induce migraines in people who get them! I can attest to it! DH and sons rode it 3 other times that day, but I only rode it once because I had had to take my emergency migraine meds after riding it the first time! I'll still ride it again, though!

[DSNY FN]

My 4 year old nephew rode it 4 times back to back last Nov and loved it his mom and dad were getting to quezy to continue riding it with him or he would have stayed and rode it all night long.