That sounds horrifying and amazing. The other guests as the 3D sound!
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Alien Encounter is my favorite ride that I have ever experienced at WDW. Full stop. I had never seen anything like it before, and I doubt that I ever will again.
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Petition for Disney to bring back a similar attraction!
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OMG, this was legit the scariest thing I’ve ever done - especially in a Disney park. But there’s a cute story: I was on a very early date (not the first, but early) with this guy I’d just met, who also worked in the International Program. He asked me to go to the park on our day off, and we went to Alien Encounter. It was fairly new, so I knew nothing about this… and I was scared ****less, honestly. If I hadn’t been restrained in the seat, I would have jumped into his lap!!
I spent a whole year working in WDW, and I NEVER WENT BACK IN THERE.
But it must have been a good date, as we’ve been married nearly 30 years now.
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I love this story! And I hate so much that I missed this Alien Experience!
@Flavita : I’ll sign your petition! 
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I just looked it up, and we rode it (on our honeymoon!) 2 months after it officially opened…which means we experienced the full, non-tamed-down version.
Interestingly, Stitch’s Great Escape used all the same effects, but it is all in presentation. For Stitch, it was just silliness.
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Fantastic story!
I both wish I had experienced it and know that with my phobia of not being able to “get out” I am probably better off not having experienced it
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Interestingly, it was actually retooled after previews to be more intense! 
The attraction opened briefly for previews on December 16, 1994, on the site of the park’s former Mission to Mars attraction. It was widely criticized by park guests for its violence, storyline and comedic tone of the pre-show in comparison to the darker tone of the main attraction.[7] On January 12, 1995, the attraction was closed for retooling by Eisner, who felt that it was not intense enough.[8] Disney retooled the original version of the second pre-show and main show and spent an extra $10 million for improvements.
I actually can’t find anything about it being toned down until the Stitch retheme in 2003, so not sure if there was an interim change before I experienced it in February 1997.
Thanks for this info! I was pretty sure we didn’t see the original in 2006. Which we saw last in 2001. Good to know.
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I experienced this attraction on my '95, '98 and '02 trips. I don’t recall a difference between the years.
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I remember hearing about a change which might be the one right after it opened. We were at Disney in December 1994 tho I don’t recall what week. We had a 14 yo, 10 yo, 3 yo and 2 yo with us. Two of whom would have done this if we visited the right week. I’m figuring there was a height restriction. 
We also visited in 98, 01, 04 and the 06 chili burp before breakfast already described. The 2 and 3 yos in 94 were the ones talking SiL into “riding” in 06.
Huh, in 06 we also had a 2 yo with us. 
I never remember attraction details well at all. They always seem better than I recall.
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LOL thinking about the possibility of how a 2 y/o and 3 y/o would handle this attraction. I feel mean laughing about it even though it didn’t happen.
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Well. The 3 yo would have been interested in the effects while the 2 yo would have been traumatized even 10 and almost 15 years later. 
And was particularly so at it’s tough to be a bug at 9 years old, with ear plugs, a big brimmed hat to screen the visuals and a support human’s arm to nearly squeeze in two
Laughing may not be indicated but tough to avoid especially by the cousin just a year older
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I loved that
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Thinking of the above and thinking of my strongest memories over the years and I suddenly realized it’s a good thing first impressions aren’t a thing with me. 
I have two memories of my first visit to WDW/MK - synonymous in January 1974.
One is how suffocatingly hot 
it was. My fingers were swelling. And we’d just spent the last 18 months in Norfolk VA. Not Alaska.
Two is how annoyingly confusing things were with the heat, one kid jumping up and down in excitement to go on her favorite ride (Haunted Mansion) while another whined to go on her favorite ride (iasw). As if we couldn’t do both? Maybe not, it was probably every bit of 20 minutes before I realized I was holding the map upside-down.
As a first impression WDW or MK, whichever, was not compelling me to return any time soon.
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The one with Drew Carey? That also made a huge impression on me.
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Yes! I can still hear the haircut.
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I remember the bees 
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Me too! So much so that I recently bought a Mega Tech T-shirt that one of the WDW podcasters has on their website.
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Was Drew Carey, Monster Sound Show, or was that before him?
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