Carousel Of Progress?

[Joe Bellitti]

Hi,

Is the Carousel of Progress gone?? It isn't listed in the latest Birnbaum Guide.

Thanks,
Joe

[All Aboard]

It's there. It's operating most days now that Timekeeper is gone.

[DVCconvert]

Go! Ride it repeatedly! -- stop by Guest relations in CIty Hall and tell them home much you like it!! -- Send email to Guest communications to say the same! -- those are THE best ways to assure it's future! :):)

[Keyser]

After hearing about this ride (especially on these boards) for a while, and finding it was open this past January, I was excited to finally get a chance to ride it. I must be missing something that everyone else likes about it, but I'd probably rate it as the worst attraction (seriously) of everything we saw.

Ignoring the maintenance issues (the seats were in the worst shape I've seen in any public theater/auditorium), I found it quite boring. The audio-animatronics seemed clunky and outdated. The show moved slowly. The "message" was OK, but I get more interesting (and similar-themed, though more specific) presentations from things like History Channel shows. It's true that this is a ride the whole family can do together, but my 4 year old was no more interested in it than my wife and I...

I know a lot of people really love this ride, and I know that different people have different preferences, but I really don't get why people find this particular attraction so great. Usually, I can at least see why people like a particular attraction, even if I don't, but I'm really missing something here.

[MickeyCrazed]

I know a lot of people really love this ride, and I know that different people have different preferences, but I really don't get why people find this particular attraction so great. Usually, I can at least see why people like a particular attraction, even if I don't, but I'm really missing something here.

I can't give you an exact reason that I like it, except to say that I always envision that Walt is the dad that is telling the story...

[jennifer293]

I like it because on a steaming hot day it is nice to go and sit down in a dark air conditioned room. There are several rides like this that we go on when DD was ready for a nap, and she fell asleep every single time. :thumbsup2

[WebmasterCricket]

It not just telling a part of history, it is history.

[Chuck S]

It not just telling a part of history, it is history.

True, it is one of the 4 attractions Disney created for various sponsors at the 1964 World's Fair.

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (currently on hiatus, but I think it will return to Disneyland) Sponsor -State of Illinois)

It's a Small World. (Pepsi in salute to UNICEF)

Carousel of Progress (General Elecric)

and

The Magic Skyway (Ford Motor Company)

They all, in some fashion, made their way into Disneyland. Carousel of Progress was moved to WDW. The remants of Magic Skyway are the Dinosaurs in "Primevil World" on the Disneyland Train. And of course Small World has a version at Disneyland and WDW.

[Drummer71]

I love the Carousel of Progress. I can never get tired of it.

[Drummer71]

After hearing about this ride (especially on these boards) for a while, and finding it was open this past January, I was excited to finally get a chance to ride it. I must be missing something that everyone else likes about it, but I'd probably rate it as the worst attraction (seriously) of everything we saw.

Ignoring the maintenance issues (the seats were in the worst shape I've seen in any public theater/auditorium), I found it quite boring. The audio-animatronics seemed clunky and outdated. The show moved slowly. The "message" was OK, but I get more interesting (and similar-themed, though more specific) presentations from things like History Channel shows. It's true that this is a ride the whole family can do together, but my 4 year old was no more interested in it than my wife and I...

I know a lot of people really love this ride, and I know that different people have different preferences, but I really don't get why people find this particular attraction so great. Usually, I can at least see why people like a particular attraction, even if I don't, but I'm really missing something here.



Although some of the stuff in the COP is outdated, you have to appriciate it for what it is. It was one of Walt's original attractions. It's been through alot after all, the World Fair in New York, then out to Disneyland, then to WDW. I mean after all, its from the 60's. Walt put alot of work into it, and it's very unique. I think that's why it's such a favorite to alot of people on the DIS.


I do agree with you on one thing though, it does need refurbishing. The last scene is waaaay outdated. It's supposed to look like the future to us, but it looks like the 80's. They used to keep updating the last scene, but they just forgot about it now I guess.


I can't miss it when I go to WDW though. I think it's one of the best attractions. I love it and could never get tired of it.

[sietzsounds]

Go! Ride it repeatedly! -- stop by Guest relations in CIty Hall and tell them home much you like it!! -- Send email to Guest communications to say the same! -- those are THE best ways to assure it's future! :):)
we did exactly that!!! back in 1994 when they made the new tomorrowland they had maps showing a flying saucer type ride in place of the carousel of progress.... we went to city hall & voiced our opinions.... we feel partly responsible for carousel to still be operating!!!!!!! :)

[mickeymedic]

COP is one of my husband's favorite rides. We always go off-season, so the first two times he and I went together, it was closed. He was thrilled that it was open this year when we went.
I love this ride because it is one of Walt's original ideas. Walt is alive and well inside the Carusel of Progress! I hope they never get rid of it. Future generations need to know where the magic started.

[exDS vet]

When Carousel of Progress was moved to WDW it became one of the only Walt Disney creations at the park. Although the theme song was changed, the show remained the same. When G.E. ended it's sponsorship of the attraction, it was re-themed and named "Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress." The original theme song was also added back to the show as well. Despite the enhancements and updates, the CoP is the only Walt Disney creation in all of WDW. The only other attraction that came close was The Enchanted Tiki Room, until it was changed and the "Under New Management" theme was added.

Since the CoP was only at Disneyland for 6 years and it's been at WDW for 30, I'd like to see them move it back to Disneyland and do something completely different with the theater building at the MK. We don't need innoventions in California. I think Walt's original attraction belongs in Walt's park.

[disney junky]

Yep. I saw it at the 64 World's Fair and also at WDW in 1971. Hate to see it go. SAVE COP. :thumbsup2

[dbm20th]

Since the CoP was only at Disneyland for 6 years and it's been at WDW for 30, I'd like to see them move it back to Disneyland and do something completely different with the theater building at the MK. We don't need innoventions in California. I think Walt's original attraction belongs in Walt's park.

I agree with this idea. CoP has little appeal for me, so putting it in DL will not bother me in the least, and will serve to create a buzz among the DL purists. It belongs along side the other Walt creations, if it isn't worth keeping in MK.

[bigdisneydaddy]

I like it for the same reason I like driving around in my 64 Chevy station wagon. The seats are lumpy, its not the shiniest thing around and it has seen better days.
It does however have a certain "character" that new things lack. At the time it was new it smelled nice and people thought that it was the neatest thing they had ever seen.

Scott

[starwishing]

KEEP CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS AT DISNEYWORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO MOVING IT!!!! :furious:

thankyou

[DancingBear]

I like it for the same reason I like driving around in my 64 Chevy station wagon. The seats are lumpy, its not the shiniest thing around and it has seen better days.
It does however have a certain "character" that new things lack. At the time it was new it smelled nice and people thought that it was the neatest thing they had ever seen.Other than the folks that in 1964 were still driving around their 1929 Model As and saying those '64 Chevy wagons lacked character. ;)

[dbm20th]

I like it for the same reason I like driving around in my 64 Chevy station wagon. The seats are lumpy, its not the shiniest thing around and it has seen better days.
It does however have a certain "character" that new things lack. At the time it was new it smelled nice and people thought that it was the neatest thing they had ever seen.


CoP certainly is a museum piece.

[Sarangel]

I've always thought that the CoP needed updating so that instead of going from the 1920s to the 40s to the 60s to 'now' (or 'the future'?) it went from the 20s to the 40s to the 80s to 'now' or the 'future'. I find the jump from the 60's to 'now' to be pretty jarring since so much happened between then & now.

[dbm20th]

I'll be honest, I have not been in the CoP for a few years now. It always seemed to be closed when I was there. Are the AA's still the old-school herky-jerky kind?

[bigdisneydaddy]

Other than the folks that in 1964 were still driving around their 1929 Model As and saying those '64 Chevy wagons lacked character. ;)


Now THATS funny !

[cookiebrito]

COP is my ultimate favorite ride..... don't ask me why but I love it. I never miss the chance to ride. I do agree that the ride is in terrible condition. I hope that they fix it rather than puting in a new ride in its place. I miss the old rides like Frog and Toad's Adventure and 2000 Leauges Under the Sea. :teacher:

[micknpluto]

This attraction has to stay!

My Mom loves this ride and it was the first attraction we did when we took my Grandmother to WDW who has since past away. She loved it too!

This is part of history and is a Walt Disney original. Lets not forget about Walt and the way he would want things to be!

[mitros]

CoP is alive and well. And if I may make a suggestion for those who do not like CoP, you can always go to Epcot and enjoy the wonderfull MS ride, if it's more to your individual liking. Some of us do not particularly care for the bone jaring nauseating stuff. And, by the way, we were there on Tuesday, {MS} and there was no line, no wait, no fast passes being used, and they were giving fast passes for immediate rides on MS when you got a fast pass for Test Track! So, for all the CoP haters, get your bad self over to Epcot! :teeth:
Also, we are going back for 4 more days on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see how the "new" and "improved" non-rotating version of the ride works out. which started today.
Of course, as per Disney, they did not make the changes because of the deaths or sicknesses on the ride. :sad2:

[DavyCrockett]

i visited COP a week ago. I like it. My 5 year old daughter also enjoyed the show.

it seems like rumors of the shows demise have been circulating for a few years now, so I don't get too excited when someone on message boards claims its going away.

[tinkbel]

I love the carousel of progress. I rode it for the first time last year with my Mom Dad and DD. My mom and Dad got off and said they had seen that before. After about 10 miniutes they said it was the 1964 World fair. What a great memory for them!!!

[Deedlbugg]

We were in WDW in early May and I couldn't wait to go to COP.
While in line, I was talking to a CM who said COP would never leave WDW or close because it was in Walt's or Roy's will to reamin intact and operating.
Don't know how legit or knowing this CM was, but it made me feel better just the same!

[micknpluto]

We were in WDW in early May and I couldn't wait to go to COP.
While in line, I was talking to a CM who said COP would never leave WDW or close because it was in Walt's or Roy's will to reamin intact and operating.
Don't know how legit or knowing this CM was, but it made me feel better just the same!

This is good to hear! thank you for posting :)

[momof2dizkids]

I love riding COP. It was one of my favorite rides as a kid, and when my family was at MK a few months ago, I took my DS (5) and DD (8) on it. They really enjoyed it!! I thought my DS would get bored out of his mind (or fall asleep), but, to my surprise he thought it was "COOL"!!

[MJMcBride]

CoP is alive and well. And if I may make a suggestion for those who do not like CoP, you can always go to Epcot and enjoy the wonderfull MS ride, if it's more to your individual liking. Some of us do not particularly care for the bone jaring nauseating stuff. And, by the way, we were there on Tuesday, {MS} and there was no line, no wait, no fast passes being used, and they were giving fast passes for immediate rides on MS when you got a fast pass for Test Track! So, for all the CoP haters, get your bad self over to Epcot! :teeth:
Also, we are going back for 4 more days on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see how the "new" and "improved" non-rotating version of the ride works out. which started today.
Of course, as per Disney, they did not make the changes because of the deaths or sicknesses on the ride. :sad2:

Actually, I don't care one way or another about CoP and I don't want bone-jarring rides (Test Track is cool, MS forget it). CoP is just out dated to me.

[kbmoo]

You have to do COP. It's tradition. Plus it's a great place to rest. You gotta love :love: that song too. It's a great big beautiful tomorrow! :cheer2: I always have to go on it. Almost as much as it's a small world. But the song is'nt quite as annoying. Boy now I have both songs stuck in my head.

[dbm20th]

And if I may make a suggestion for those who do not like CoP, you can always go to Epcot and enjoy the wonderfull MS ride, if it's more to your individual liking. Some of us do not particularly care for the .

So by this logic, if you don't like CoP, you must only like "bone jaring nauseating stuff"?

[MJMcBride]

nauseating I like. Bone-jarring I can do without.

[TinyLolitaBunny]

I :love: the carousel of progress. it is a must-see and very exciting to me! I agree that the audio-animatronics are outdated and there are maintenance issues (not the least being the animatronics themselves needing work!) But at the least Id like to see it updated. I wouldnt want to see it completely gone. I think its a really fun show. Perhaps if they could make a new version of it with new animatronics in it that would spark more interest.

[KimDis]

Ok, I'm one of those people who's admittedly "stuck" between a rock and a hard place when it comes to Disney. I want the parks to be current, new and exciting (I mean, let's be real enough to admit attendance keeps the park open)... but I don't really want them to change my old rides either. :guilty:

COP is a little sliver of the past for me. I think it's like that for everyone that loves it. It exemplifies the Disney vision that we fell in love with, and it's precious. I feel like, as wonderful as Disney is now... they've lost what made it amazing. If I thought it was as simple as updating/new attractions I'd be happy with what's being offered today. But this new Disney is not as cohesive or enthralling. It just doesn't feel like we're seeing the concept of the future or technology or anything in the way I thought the parks did in the past. I don't see as much vision, just commercialization of what exists today in film and commerce. The best part about Disney for me has always been that little bit of learning I get with fun. And the fact that I'll be thinking about the idea of the ride years after I've left.

Does COP need to be a little updated, yes. Especially that last scene. But I'd rather have it be the exactly the same than hear one day that they'd shut it down and turned into a hot mess like they've done with other rides. I was sad when Mission to Mars and 20,000 Leagues disappeared. But I was mad when I saw how they'd ruined Journey into Imagination (my poor Figment, a shadow of what he once was).

Hey, maybe we can keep some of the classics that appeal to the over 8 set and other Disney nostalgics and add a few new ones to keep 'em coming.

My $0.02... and now I'll never get either of those songs out of my head :rolleyes1

[ukeeyorelover]

I'm not sure what it is but there's this weird feeling I get when I ride on CoP for the first time in a holiday. It's like a really emotional moment when it suddenly dawns on you that your back at the happiest place on earth. It just makes me feel all teary. Illuminations gives the same feeling too!

I can understand why people might find CoP a little boring because there isnt actually much to it but when you take a moment to sit back and realise where you are, its the best feeling in the world!

[amy4bruce]

Last December (my first trip!) I rode CoP for the first time since 1965, the last time I went to the NY Worlds' Fair. Three quarters of it was what I remembered. I probably wouldn't have liked it if I had stepped on it for the first time, but as an experience in nostalgia, it was like no other. :teeth:

Interestingly enough, my DD6 princess: liked it very much, rode it more often than I did (she rode it with her mother while I was on Space Mountain), and wants to see it again on our next trip.

[Dreamflight]

I LOVE COP, always have :)

A combination of loving the setting (mini animatronic theatre shows are fun for me), loving the fact Walt came up with it, loving the quirks and dialogue of the family (Uncle Orville, "no privacy at all 'round here!" LOL),and loving the message (progress as seen through the daily lives of the american family).

That said, i think they need to do three major things:

1) Renovate the seating area and fix the rotation engine. Sometimes it breaks down and that's not good! And while I actually don't have an issue with the seating, that's one of the major complaints i hear about the CoP. And i can understnad that. For me, I'm just so excited to be at the CoP that, as long as I'm not sitting on metal tacks or barbed wire, i'm happy :)

2) Make necessary (and frequent) updates to the future scene. While I do enjoy seeing what people used to conceive as the future, that just doesn't fly with this SPECIFIC attraction. This attraction is SO unique cause it's about the concept of progress itself. Therefore, while the concept is NEVER outdated, it needs to stay current in its application. So we need some Imagineers to come up with a lot of new visionary ideas for that "future scene". I'm not saying that everything in the current future scene is actually part of life today, but it's just not that enough of a future vision from the vantage point of this generation. What do people of today expect and hope to see in the future? That's what we need there. Not just ovens that talk back ;)

3) Marketing/focusing on the CoP. I don't mean a huge advertising campaign with slogans while old hip music is played as some random super model poses by the CoP! (like in car commercials!) I mean Disney re-emphasizing this attraction, talking more about it. Show the new Disney fans the history and rationale of the CoP and how it relates to their life. Remind old fans of the CoP that its still there and (hopefully soon) updated. Give it some attention!

The fact that we are having the whole 50 year anniversary of DL and they didn't do that much to mention the CoP (one of Walt's original concepts and DL attractions) kinda bothered me. The CoP embodies the spirit they wanted: THERE is the celebration of history AND the future all in one! They missed out on a golden opportunity to really push the relevance of CoP.

The Carousel of Progress is always going to be relevant as long as people celebrate and desire life's benefits through progress. And, for the most part, it appears a large amount of people still do! And I just think that, out of EVERY Disney attraction, the CoP is the most adaptable to being updated, just by the nature of the theme! It's time to get that concept out there and remind Disney fans about it. CoP dates back from Walt Disney and extends as far as we can conceive of...and then always just a bit further :)

[Sonno]

COP, for some strange reason, is one of my favorite attractions in all of WDW.
I mean com'on, sing it with me...

There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of ev'ryday
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
And tomorrow's just a dream away

Man has a dream and that's the start
He follows his dream with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It's a dream come true for you and me

So there's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Shining at the end of ev'ryday
There's a great big beautiful tomorrow
Just a dream away

How could that not make anyone feel pretty darn good inside?

I love COP, I see it everytime I go to MK without fail, because I know someday, it won't be there anymore. And you want to hear something really cool? When I was a kid, I absolutely loved the show, don't know why, maybe it was the dog licking the water from the ice box, who knows? But now that I have a son, it is one of the coolest things in the world to take him to see it and see his reaction to it, watch the little gears spin around in his head. He was sitting there clappin to the music with me. He loves it as much as I do!

So I say go and see it and enjoy it while it lasts.

[DisneyClan]

Ever been walking somewhere..and for no reason at all..seemingly you catch a faint smell of something familiar. For some reason, the memories of this smell make you very happy. Its the memories...

I remember being young, sitting in the COP and thinking how cool it looked..how real the characters looked. How big the inside of the theatre was, and how neat it was to be there with my parents. Every time we went to WDW..we all went to COP. Well now the theatre doesnt seem quite so big, and yeh...the animatronics look a little outdated, but you know what, I wouldnt change it for the world.

Now Im grown up, and this July Ill be taking my little son. Hes probably to young to realize what he is seeing, but I think when he sees how big his daddy's smile is..in some way he will realize that he is somewhere special.

See..sometimes it isnt about the latest technology, or how modern something looks, its about the feeling you get just remembering. In fact...thats what makes Disney so special to all of us...it allows us to remember what it was like to be kids...to forget about the war..or the high gas prices...inside WDW..the only thing that matters..is that fantasy land is very real for all of us....

So...next time you sit in COP. Keep this in mind....because this was truly Walt Disney's gift to all of us.....the dream.

[Mickey1122]

It's not on the park maps. What was the timekeeper; I never went on it?

[Dreamflight]

http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/mk/time.htm

That's a good general description from the allears website.

As for my own take on it, Timekeeper was one of my favorite attractions in Disneyworld. Having caught it in Disneyland Paris (it was called "La Visionarium" there) as well also made this one of my sentimental Disney favorites.

It was a circle vision theatre with two robots (one of them with Robin Williams provided voice and humor). And the robots took you through time (via the visuals/audio on the video/circle vision screens). They took you to meet visionaries from the past at a great science festival around the turn of the century. You met Jules Verne and HG Wells and observed their first meeting and conversation. And then Jules Verne "hitched" a ride with you and went into our present (his future) and our future. We got to watch as Jules Verne experienced the conveniences of today and marvelled at it. Kinda cool from a nostalgia viewpoint, the idea that a past visionary could one day see the future of the world.

Some nice visuals on the attraciton, especially of the future. And very funny throughout thanks to the script and voice talents of Robin Williams. The theme of the ride was very much how the impossible dreams of one time can become reality in the future: so it was a good general message of making dreams and visions come true, through vision, hard work, and technology. In other words, it quite belonged in Disneyworld and Tomorrowland. And i found it to be a good concept companion to the Carousel of Progress.