Flight of Passage a 1 and done for Me

[KyleAfterAWhile]

i am sharing my experience in the event it helps somebody else as this attractions is asked about a lot. yes ,i know we are all different. my experience is not a one size fits all. the idea is to help others who *could* be like me. this attraction did not affect me one little bit from a motion sick perspective, which i can be prone to, but it gave me the most horrible claustrophobia. it could not be over fast enough. i was very impressed with the film itself but i struggled to enjoy it because i felt trapped in that seat. so my point in sharing, if you have claustrophobia, you might consider letting somebody in your party who understands you and your fear try it first and tell you if you think you can handle it.

 

[Raul_Duke1981]

Thank you for the heads up! How was this in comparison to Soarin’? I’m going to Disney with my parents in a month and they LOVE Soarin’ but can NOT handle rides like Mission Space. Too claustrophobic and they get sick from the dizziness. How does Flight of Passage compare to either of those in your opinion?

 

[rteetz]

Thank you for the heads up! How was this in comparison to Soarin’? I’m going to Disney with my parents in a month and they LOVE Soarin’ but can NOT handle rides like Mission Space. Too claustrophobic and they get sick from the dizziness. How does Flight of Passage compare to either of those in your opinion?

FoP you are more strapped in than Soarin. Soarin you just sit in a chair. FoP you are on essentially a bike. There is a restraint on your back and on your legs to hold you in.

 

[BrianL]

Thank you for the heads up! How was this in comparison to Soarin’? I’m going to Disney with my parents in a month and they LOVE Soarin’ but can NOT handle rides like Mission Space. Too claustrophobic and they get sick from the dizziness. How does Flight of Passage compare to either of those in your opinion?

Not the OP, but the difference is in the seating. FOP has very unique seats where you are sitting on like a motorcycle-type thing - straddling a center part and leaning forward pressing against a chest-pad. The restraints come up from behind, touching your back and holding you between that and the chest pad. Restraints also lock in behind your ankles. It's definitely different and you are pretty restricted from moving while in it. Otherwise it is similar to Soarin' but with a bit more motion. It is very smooth though and there is no spinning like in Mission: SPACE.

 

[elizabethswan]

interesting to hear your perspective and definitely helpful to some out there i am sure. for my part i am very afraid of a lot of thrill rides. i don't do rollercoasters at all and have never done mission space. i love soarin and could literally ride it all day. i have actually ridden soarin several times in a row and find it very relaxing. now, regarding flight of passage, i have ridden it about 4 times i think. the first time i was sooooo apprehensive, my palms were sweating before it started. i could see how being confined/restrained with the seat could bother some people. it snugs you right in there and those pieces come up behind your calves and the back support holds you against the front console. i think this part is more state of mind than anything. if i really dwelled on it it might have freaked me out the first time, but i tried to just go with it and stay positive. now, as for the ride itself, it is much more intense than soarin in my opinion. i really like it but truthfully, it takes me to about the limit of what i can deal with on a ride. one key for me which was mentioned on these boards is to keep my focus on the banshee in front of me, in other words , the one that i am following. this kept me oriented. some people say if you get scared to just look away, but i tried this and found it disorientating once i returned my focus to the screen. i was better off just following that lead banshee. if things get too intense i can close my eyes. one thing to remember is that the ride only lasts a few minutes so even if you don't like it it will be over soon. the colors and landscapes are really beautiful. i did not get motion sickness, but the only place i have ever gotten motion sickness is occasionally on a boat. so in summary, soarin is much less intense than FOP in my opinion, but if you choose to ride FOP , try to stay positive and follow that lead banshee : )

 

[Lothlórien]

Fight of Passage is a one-and-done for me as well. I am not afraid of heights. I do get motion sickness on very long car rides where I am not driving or on a boat when waters are rocky. And...I have claustrophobia.

Flight of Passage is an awesome attraction. It is visually stunning. At no point did I get sick from motion. The movements are mild and for me, I really did not notice them as they were so in sync with the screen images. I did, however, deal with visually induced motion sickness. The movements are quick at times, almost disorienting. And several times I felt like I would hit my head on something, because the imagery is so immersive. Like I said, visually stunning. I was able to close my eyes and get my bearings and I was fine when I opened my eyes.

This is where I had the real problem: (For reference: I am an average-sized female. 5'6" and roughly 140 lbs)
I sat on the banshee (ride vehicle). I already did not like how close I was to sit to the panel in front of me. Then that "thing" came up on my back and I started to panic a little. My husband held my hand and kept saying, in your nose and out of our mouth. I was so close to asking the cast to let me out, but I tried to be tough so I could tell other guests and friends what to expect. Then the banshee started to "breathe". The cast was gone. I dang near had a true panic attack. My legs felt clamped in. I was in a torture device right in the middle of Disney World. I started to cry and my husband told me to close my eyes and focus on breathing and he would tell me when to open. He waited until the film was about 5 - 8 seconds in and I opened my eyes. Throughout the ride, I was on edge and my anxiety was high. I do not have general anxiety, so this type of panic was a little new for me. I knew it was claustrophobia. I felt the same thing on Mission: Space, but it did not cause this kind of panic. I felt the same way when I had a cast on my leg years ago. The doctor had to remove it because I felt trapped.

So I post to share, if claustrophbia is a real thing for you, this may not be an attraction for you to enjoy.

 

[Lothlórien]

Thank you for the heads up! How was this in comparison to Soarin’? I’m going to Disney with my parents in a month and they LOVE Soarin’ but can NOT handle rides like Mission Space. Too claustrophobic and they get sick from the dizziness. How does Flight of Passage compare to either of those in your opinion?

I can do Soarin' with no problem. I avoid it now because the new movie is not as good as the original, but it does not cause any issues for me.

 

[NikkiDP]

I totally understand this feeling! I personally love the ride and am not bothered by the seats BUT once everything is locked in and then the vibration starts while it "syncs" puts me over the edge. The first time it happened it went from an unpleasant feeling to a mild panic attack in seconds. Now, everytime I ride I push as far back from the stomach bar as the back lock will allow in an attempt to avoid feeling the vibrations. Sometimes it works and sometimes and overzealous CM pushes the back lock an extra click. Whenever this happens my DH has to talk to me and distract me until it ends.

Thank you for sharing your experience and glad to hear you were able to push through and complete the journey!

 

[Mango7100]

One and done for my husband as well—he got motion sick (he does with some simulators). I do not have claustrophobia but the restraints kind of freaked me out at first—they were so tight all around (I’m 5’3 and 110 lb).I felt trapped (which I know is needed for safety).

 

[Lumpy1106]

This might help - you know the restraints don't really restrain you, right? It's part of the sensory system and makes the banshee feel more real. The first time I rode I did not understand this and did not sit with my belly against the front pad before the pad came up against my back. The second time I did and it was a MUCH more immersive experience. The seats themselves don't really move (that much?). If you don't get off you are not going to fall off. In that sense they are like the shoulder "restraints" on Stitch/Alien Encounter.

 

[JZCubed]

i am sharing my experience in the event it helps somebody else as this attractions is asked about a lot. yes ,i know we are all different. my experience is not a one size fits all. the idea is to help others who *could* be like me. this attraction did not affect me one little bit from a motion sick perspective, which i can be prone to, but it gave me the most horrible claustrophobia. it could not be over fast enough. i was very impressed with the film itself but i struggled to enjoy it because i felt trapped in that seat. so my point in sharing, if you have claustrophobia, you might consider letting somebody in your party who understands you and your fear try it first and tell you if you think you can handle it.

I just post a Thread about motion sickness, thought I'd comment to this one....

I'm more curious if you have uncomfortable experiences on other rides?

I'd be curious to learn if other 'enclosed' attractions like Mission: Space or Star Tour are also problematic?

FWIW, I avoid these two rides because of motion problems, but have no troubles on Flights of Passage.

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

I just post a Thread about motion sickness, thought I'd comment to this one....

I'm more curious if you have uncomfortable experiences on other rides?

I'd be curious to learn if other 'enclosed' attractions like Mission: Space or Star Tour are also problematic?

FWIW, I avoid these two rides because of motion problems, but have no troubles on Flights of Passage.

only mission space is an issue for me. i have no issues with any other attractions. however mission space did not cause me to feel the way fop did. that was pretty bad.

 

[KyleAfterAWhile]

This might help - you know the restraints don't really restrain you, right? It's part of the sensory system and makes the banshee feel more real. The first time I rode I did not understand this and did not sit with my belly against the front pad before the pad came up against my back. The second time I did and it was a MUCH more immersive experience. The seats themselves don't really move (that much?). If you don't get off you are not going to fall off. In that sense they are like the shoulder "restraints" on Stitch/Alien Encounter.

yes i know. but claustrophobia is real. and for all people, i guess unless you know what triggered that (earlier on in life or experience) it is difficult to explain the sensation away. it is definitely a mental thing.

 

[sharona]

I fekt like I had quite a bit of wiggle room in the seat but I did make sure to rake a big deep breath as the back of the seat came up so it wasn’t very tight. As for the visual part, my only issue is that the screen was very close and since I wasn’t wearing my reading glasses, sine if the very closest objects were blurry.

 

[sharona]

Also I think an important note on this for those who are middle aged women - claustrophobia and panic attacks are menopause symptoms.

 

[Belle5]

FWIW, I had a horrible panic attack (first in my life) on Mission Space and discovered I was claustrophobic. Thought I was going to die! However, I had no such feeling on Flight of Passage! I will say on any seat with a restraint I try to leave myself plenty of wiggle room. It helps me with the claustrophobic issues.

 

[Lumpy1106]

yes i know. but claustrophobia is real. and for all people, i guess unless you know what triggered that (earlier on in life or experience) it is difficult to explain the sensation away. it is definitely a mental thing.

Yeah, I'm trying to understand it myself. My wife is claustrophobic - she can't use the MRI machines and she tried about every trick in the book. There is NO WAY I would take her on Mission Space and she won't go on Star Tours (motion sick too). She loves Soarin' though so I really want to take her on FoP. She took a pass on our last trip but I think she could handle it. I had not considered the claustrophobia though.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Interesting. I must have whatever the opposite of claustrophobia is for rides. I ride Soarin, but it makes me uncomfortable. I don't like the feeling of being 'dangled' in the air. I have to try and focus forward and not on the mechanics of the ride. But FOP, I liked that 'secure' feeling of the seat restraints. Any ride whether it's Slinky Dog or Everest, I try to make as tight squeezing as possible. I know logically I'm not falling out of any ride without that extra 'click' but having a big gap makes me nervous. And FOP isn't even moving anywhere!

Agree on the menopause (or perimenopause), that's when my anxiety and panic showed up. It's real.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

I consider myself to be pretty claustrophobic. Mission Space is the only ride at DW that had bothered me. I have no problems at all with FoP. I won't ride the Simpsons Ride at Universal because the pre-show room bothers me too much. Point being, everyone's claustrophobia is different.

 

[KristinU]

I'm claustrophobic as well. And yes, I'm a middle-aged woman, and yes, it has gotten worse in recent years...like to the point of if my fingers are swollen and I can't get my rings off I start to panic. Completely irrational, I'm not going to die. But anxiety is a strange thing and it is a very real feeling.

Anyway, what helps me a lot on FOP is to take a deep breath when the restraints come up so I have a little wiggle room. I also try to focus on the experience, which helps a lot too. And if there's a slight delay at any point when I'm locked in, I find something to count or start doing some times tables in my head.