WDWGuy Blog

Is Mission:Space cursed?

Posted on July 12th, 2006 by wdwguy.
Categories: Epcot, General posts.

OK, maybe that’s a bit over the top, but you have to start asking yourself if something weird isn’t going on when you keep seeing stories like these:

Orlando Sentinel - A 35-year-old woman fell and lost consciousness after getting off Mission: Space at Epcot on Monday night, authorities said.

The woman, who was described only as a “local,” was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center about 8:30 p.m. by the hospital’s helicopter in “serious, improving condition” authorities said.

By 11:30 p.m., Disney World officials said the woman was being “treated and released.”

The woman had been getting off Epcot’s 3-year-old spaceflight-simulator ride and talking to bystanders when she “fell from a standing position,” hit her head and was briefly unconscious, said Deputy Chief Bo Jones of the Reedy Creek Fire Department. It’s unclear why she fell, Jones said.

Two people, a 49-year-old woman and a 4-year-old boy, have died in the last year or so on the ride. Every day there are complaints of dizziness and “protein spills.” It has gotten so bad that Disney has created a “non-thrill” line for the ride, in which you still sit in the capsule and see the movie, but don’t go through the centrafuge and feel the “in space” effects.

My feelings about this attraction are mixed. I rode it on the my last trip and loved it. But then, again, I’m a thrill guy. I’ll ride just about anything. But I can see where it would leave some people discombobulated and might even be dangerous. However, Disney does such a good job of warning people — at least seven times from entrance to the start of the ride — of the element of danger involved that I have a hard time feeling sorry for anyone who has a rough time. Now obviously any death is a tragedy, and if the ride had really caused a death, then I would say shut it down. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Bottom line: people need to understand that Mission:Space is a thrill ride and there is an element of danger involved. I would hate to see the life of this attraction cut short beause some bull-headed people can’t heed warnings.

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