One of the three mountains in the Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain is a great fun roller-coaster in the Tomorrowland area of the park. As one of the major attractions in the park, you will definitely want to either do this ride early, or get a FastPass, otherwise expect to wait.
Walking through the pre-ride area you gaze out of “windows” that have quite amazing interstellar views. You then arrive in the space-port like loading area, where you load onto one of two tracks. The riders are in six person carriages, but all individually seated one after the other and in a classic rocket shape. Once boarded and with the lap bar firmly in place, you are carried forward to the launching area. You travel through a power-up tunnel getting you ready for blast off. At the end of this tunnel, there is another sharp turn and then up, up, up you go. The climb up gets you the height needed for this roller-coaster. While going up the climb, I really like to have a good look around. Although it is dark, it is possible to faintly see other trains whizzing about and perhaps the Tomorrowland Transit Authority train passing through.
Once you go over the top, though, hold on and enjoy the ride! The ride is in darkness throughout and although you can get faint glimmers of the track ahead and what’s coming up, you really never know where you are next going. There are no inversions, loops or corkscrews on this ride, so it is not a particularly wild roller coaster. The main factor adding to the thrill of this thrill ride is the darkness – just like being in space!
The ride was overhauled in 2009 and one of the many additions was speakers throughout the ride which add to the experience as you whiz around. Not really something that you are overly aware of, but something that really adds to the ride. You can, of course, hear other carriages whizzing about and occasionally catch faint glimpses from the fluorescent strip on the side of a carriage. As you ride around you will also invariably hear screams from other riders … don’t worry, it’s not that bad!
As with all of Disney’s roller coasters, the theming is superb and really adds to the experience. Both in the pre-show area and also when you disembark your space craft and walk back to earth (via a shop and arcade for people waiting for other riders). This ride always seems to be over far too quick and is not the wildest of coasters, by any means, but it is a great fun ride and a definite Disney classic.
Ride Facts:
Minimum Height – 44 inches (112 cm)
FastPass – Yes
Single Rider – No (although it has had it in the past)
Location – Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland
Walking through the pre-ride area you gaze out of “windows” that have quite amazing interstellar views. You then arrive in the space-port like loading area, where you load onto one of two tracks. The riders are in six person carriages, but all individually seated one after the other and in a classic rocket shape. Once boarded and with the lap bar firmly in place, you are carried forward to the launching area. You travel through a power-up tunnel getting you ready for blast off. At the end of this tunnel, there is another sharp turn and then up, up, up you go. The climb up gets you the height needed for this roller-coaster. While going up the climb, I really like to have a good look around. Although it is dark, it is possible to faintly see other trains whizzing about and perhaps the Tomorrowland Transit Authority train passing through.
Once you go over the top, though, hold on and enjoy the ride! The ride is in darkness throughout and although you can get faint glimmers of the track ahead and what’s coming up, you really never know where you are next going. There are no inversions, loops or corkscrews on this ride, so it is not a particularly wild roller coaster. The main factor adding to the thrill of this thrill ride is the darkness – just like being in space!
The ride was overhauled in 2009 and one of the many additions was speakers throughout the ride which add to the experience as you whiz around. Not really something that you are overly aware of, but something that really adds to the ride. You can, of course, hear other carriages whizzing about and occasionally catch faint glimpses from the fluorescent strip on the side of a carriage. As you ride around you will also invariably hear screams from other riders … don’t worry, it’s not that bad!
As with all of Disney’s roller coasters, the theming is superb and really adds to the experience. Both in the pre-show area and also when you disembark your space craft and walk back to earth (via a shop and arcade for people waiting for other riders). This ride always seems to be over far too quick and is not the wildest of coasters, by any means, but it is a great fun ride and a definite Disney classic.
Ride Facts:
Minimum Height – 44 inches (112 cm)
FastPass – Yes
Single Rider – No (although it has had it in the past)
Location – Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland