Avoiding vertigo at Universal

Huskers79

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 15, 2019
Good afternoon,

My family will be visiting Universal Orlando for the first time in a couple of days. The kiddos will receive their Hogwarts acceptance letter Friday, and we will be leaving the following morning. They'll be ecstatic, and I don't want to be a buzzkill by retiring to the hotel because a ride made me dizzy.

The simulator rides (Star Tours, FOP) at Disney are a non-starter for me. Coasters wilder than 7DMT and BTMR are also a no go.

I've gathered that Simpsons and Forbidden Journey should be avoided. Spider-man and Transformers may be too much (might try at day's end). Hulk and RRR are definitely out.

What I'm confused about are the milder simulators. Minions I can sit up front and close eyes (if necessary). Is the movement slight enough during Kong, Fallon, and Furious that closing my eyes should get me by (again if necessary)?

How is MiB? I can handle Buzz at Disney just fine.

How does Mummy compare to SDD? SDD was tolerable, but definitely only once. RnR, not even once.

Anything else I should flat avoid?

Thank you.
 
After experimenting over 2 trips, Sea-Bands work for me. I also get motion sickness.

But in terms of rides to avoid if nothing helps:
-All simulators: Minions (though they do have a row that doesn't move if you REALLY want to go on this), Fallon, Simpsons.
-Forbidden Journey for 100% sure; it gave me motion sickness even WITH all the stuff I tried (sea-bands, bonine, and ginger tablets).
-Avoid MIB. It's worse than Buzz and TSM because it can spin you around several times without any control on your end. Also avoid Storm Force Acceletron- it's a more intense Mad Tea Party.
-If you have issues with Dinosaur, avoid Transformers and Spider-Man.
-Kong and F&F should be ok, but they kinda stink imo.
-If you have issues with SDD, avoid all coasters except maybe Woody Woodpecker and Hippogriff. Avoid Mummy, Gringotts, RRR, Hulk, Hagrid's.

With your restrictions, most major rides are going to be a challenge. I'd avoid them if you even think you will have issues.
 
After experimenting over 2 trips, Sea-Bands work for me. I also get motion sickness.

But in terms of rides to avoid if nothing helps:
-All simulators: Minions (though they do have a row that doesn't move if you REALLY want to go on this), Fallon, Simpsons.
-Forbidden Journey for 100% sure; it gave me motion sickness even WITH all the stuff I tried (sea-bands, bonine, and ginger tablets).
-Avoid MIB. It's worse than Buzz and TSM because it can spin you around several times without any control on your end. Also avoid Storm Force Acceletron- it's a more intense Mad Tea Party.
-If you have issues with Dinosaur, avoid Transformers and Spider-Man.
-Kong and F&F should be ok, but they kinda stink imo.
-If you have issues with SDD, avoid all coasters except maybe Woody Woodpecker and Hippogriff. Avoid Mummy, Gringotts, RRR, Hulk, Hagrid's.

With your restrictions, most major rides are going to be a challenge. I'd avoid them if you even think you will have issues.
I tend to agree with this list. MIB is a bit hit or miss. I can usually close my eyes through the spins and be okay.

I use the Scop patch and love it. Without it, I'd have to skip most of the simulators and rides that spin. With the patch on, I've been able to ride anything I wanted.

It's something worth looking into, IMO. Occasionally, I've had some minor side effects (dry mouth, temporary blurred vision), but it's so much better than feeling sick for half the day after a single ride.
 
I use the Scop patch and love it. Without it, I'd have to skip most of the simulators and rides that spin. With the patch on, I've been able to ride anything I wanted.

I'm glad you posted this. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow specifically to ask for the patch for my upcoming trip. I can hold my own at WDW with Dramamine/Bonine on board but even the non-drowsy formula makes me really tired. Motion simulators are rough on me and I hate missing out on the fun with my family. Depending on how well the patch works I'm hoping to ride Hulk!
 


I agree with the previous posters list. To compare I have no problems on anything in WDW but mission space and I don’t need motion sickness medication. In universal I had to take it every 4 hours. With that I was able to ride everything except the simpsons. I closed my eyes and still came very close to getting sick. Minions I also found pretty bad. If you can’t do star tours both transformers and spider man will be a no go. Gringotts would also be a no. The mummy probably compares to Everest. A tad more intense than slinky dog but no where near as jerky as RnR.
 
I'm glad you posted this. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow specifically to ask for the patch for my upcoming trip. I can hold my own at WDW with Dramamine/Bonine on board but even the non-drowsy formula makes me really tired. Motion simulators are rough on me and I hate missing out on the fun with my family. Depending on how well the patch works I'm hoping to ride Hulk!
I'm the same way! I carry prescription Meclazine in my laptop backpack all the time in case I get vertigo. Even 1/4 of a pill will knock me out for hours.

For me, 'non-drowsy' isn't non-drowsy, either. Once taken, as long as I keep moving I am okay - a bit zombie-like, but I can function. If I sit down, I'm done.

Some tips for the patch: Be careful to not touch the sticky side with your fingers and wash your hands very well after applying it. You don't want to accidentally get it in your eyes - it might blur your vision.

Drink lots of water.

I put my first patch on the night before our first park day (rather than that morning). I don't know if that's necessary at all, but I feel like it's better to give my body time to starts processing the medicine while I am sleeping.

You may also want to do a test run before your vacation to see if there are any side effects.
 
For me, Star Tours at WDW is the worst offender in both parks. I am sick within seconds on that ride. FoP makes me slightly nauseous by the end. At Universal, the only ride I avoid is Simpsons. With Meclizine I can ride everything else but I sometimes will shut my eyes for bits in certain rides. During the screen parts in Forbidden Journey I have to shut my eyes. Kong and FF have no negative effect other than thinking FF is the worst ride ever. I quite like Kong.
 


Thank you for all the replies.

Is Gringotts really that bad? From the review I assumed it was pretty mild.
 
I don't wear the 3d glasses on Gringotts and I find that helps a lot. You do have to take them from the ride attendant but I just don't put them on.
 
For reference, I can't do Star Tours, Mission Space, or Teacups at Disney. It's the spinning and certain motion that gets me, although I can handle the ups and downs of coasters. I avoid Simpsons at Universal.

Is the movement slight enough during Kong, Fallon, and Furious that closing my eyes should get me by (again if necessary)?
IMO, none of these rides should be bothersome. I don't recall any movement or motion that would be sickness inducing, but it would be easy enough to close your eyes on them. None of these move very much in the actual seat/ride vehicle.

How is MiB? I can handle Buzz at Disney just fine.
There are about 2-3 points on MIB where the ride vehicle spins quickly. I think it goes around twice, but if it did one more rotation around, I wouldn't be able to tolerate it. So this ride is at about my max capacity in terms of tolerance. I would avoid if you're worried about it.

How does Mummy compare to SDD? SDD was tolerable, but definitely only once. RnR, not even once.
More intense than SDD IMO, but the ride stops and starts a lot. Its not a constant movement, and the movement parts are relatively short. It does not go upside down, but its a faster speed and more of a drop than anything on SDD.

Is Gringotts really that bad? From the review I assumed it was pretty mild.
Like Mummy, it stops and starts a lot. There's a minor drop in the beginning and the ride vehicle moves quickly from one screen to the next. Its less intense than Mummy, and maybe on par with SDD in terms of intensity?

For all of these, you should be able to find POV ride through videos on YouTube. It will spoil the ride for you, but it will at least give you a sense of what the ride is like so you can decide for yourself. All of these rides are enclosed so there's no other way to see them before riding so you can judge.
 
Gringotts is mild. I took my 89 year old mother on it and she loved it.
I thought I remembered it spinning around some. I could be wrong though, some of those rides blended together at the end of a very busy 2 week trip!
 
I'm glad you posted this. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow specifically to ask for the patch for my upcoming trip. I can hold my own at WDW with Dramamine/Bonine on board but even the non-drowsy formula makes me really tired. Motion simulators are rough on me and I hate missing out on the fun with my family. Depending on how well the patch works I'm hoping to ride Hulk!
I'm going to get the patches before our April trip too - I don't want to miss out on our first (only?) trip to Universal!!
 
Gringotts is mild. I took my 89 year old mother on it and she loved it.
It is, but the OP seems really sensitive considering SDD is too much for them. Thinking the drop at the beginning and the screens might pose a problem.
 
It is, but the OP seems really sensitive considering SDD is too much for them. Thinking the drop at the beginning and the screens might pose a problem.

I don't think they will. They don't even register on my motion sickness/vertigo meter. Mostly because your vehicle isn't really moving during the screens and the drop at the beginning is very minimal.
 
Feel like Gringotts is a ride I must try...maybe just later in the day 😝.

Drops like in Pirates or speed like Test Track tend to not bother me. I expect if SDD had no curves I’d be fine.

That being said I can’t even handle a swing set anymore 🤷‍♂️.

I do plan to be on Bonine. It doesn’t really eliminate vertigo for me, but blunts it as long as I don’t overdo it.
 
I think part of the issue is that everyone's motion sickness triggers are different.

Also, where you sit on a ride might also impact your risk.

Closing my eyes worked on some rides while it made things worse on other rides. I never really figured out why.

I tried one of the electronic ReliefBands, but not at a park. I travel for work and occasionally have to take a cab - unfortunately, Uber or Lyft aren't an option - and cab rides tend to make me sick. I tried the ReliefBand on one trip and it made no difference, so I haven't tried it at a park.

I also bought some Motionease drops. I tried them on a long drive a few weekends ago as a test run. I tried reading in the passenger seat and I didn't feel bad like I normally would if I tried that. Might give them a shot during our Christmas trip to Disney/Uni and carry a Scop patch as a backup.
 
Feel like Gringotts is a ride I must try...maybe just later in the day 😝.

Drops like in Pirates or speed like Test Track tend to not bother me. I expect if SDD had no curves I’d be fine.

That being said I can’t even handle a swing set anymore 🤷‍♂️.

I do plan to be on Bonine. It doesn’t really eliminate vertigo for me, but blunts it as long as I don’t overdo it.
There's like one curve on Gringotts and then the rest is pretty tame.
 

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