Disappointed in seven dwarfs mine ride!

[Hannathy]

I think once again Disney took the cheap and easy way out. Stay in the same mold, don't try anything new. Do as little as possible.

I miss when Disney stretched themselves and did new and innovative things with engineering and themeing. Now all the management is afraid to think outside the box at all , they play it safe in everything.

 

[mesaboy2]

What's behind fantasyland? Are they really out of space?

The rest of NFL was already set when 7DMT became part of the plans. The rest of NFL physically defined the boundaries of 7DMT.

 

[mesaboy2]

I think once again Disney took the cheap and easy way out. Stay in the same mold, don't try anything new. Do as little as possible.

I miss when Disney stretched themselves and did new and innovative things with engineering and themeing. Now all the management is afraid to think outside the box at all , they play it safe in everything.

The dark scene is pretty amazing and employs some new-style effects. Of course the swinging cars is new and innovative, though I wasn't hugely impressed in the outcome.

Have you ridden it?

 

[wdwlovin'family]

What's behind fantasyland? Are they really out of space?

Yes, actually they are. Behind fantasyland is the monorail hub(for lack of a better word) facilities necessary to keep the place running and cast member parking. You would be surprised how close the backside if fantasyland is to the highway. (And when I say highway, I mean a 2 lane highway, I forget the number, not I-4)

 

[TJA]

I remember only two, and 20-30 feet each sounds about right to me. My DD10 had no issues with it on Friday.

Can your group handle Barnstormer? If so, they can almost certainly handle this.

To be honest, after all these trips, we haven't been on Barnstormer. We were in line once and both of my kids saw parts of the ride and said "no way." We have been on Big Thunder, though, and it's not our favorite but we can do it. People say Seven Dwarfs is between Barnstormer and Big Thunder, so it does sound like we'll be ok. Just hearing comments about "big drops" puts me on high alert (lol). Thanks for your advice.

 

[kaybird]

I am puzzled by the "nothing is ever good enough" mentality that seems to take over every project. Not every ride has to "blow it out of the park". We loved the new ride, and like most rides, enjoyed the 2nd ride even more than the first. Can't wait to try it again, and am sure it will become a classic in its own right. The cars were innovative, the interior scene was terrific, sure I will find something new every time, and the interactive part of the queue were imaginative and fun. I am happy. (other dwarfs not withstanding.)

 

[mesaboy2]

To be honest, after all these trips, we haven't been on Barnstormer. We were in line once and both of my kids saw parts of the ride and said "no way." We have been on Big Thunder, though, and it's not our favorite but we can do it. People say Seven Dwarfs is between Barnstormer and Big Thunder, so it does sound like we'll be ok. Just hearing comments about "big drops" puts me on high alert (lol). Thanks for your advice.

This is more tame and smoother. You'll be fine.

 

[georgina]

There has been a LOT of hype on this board for the ride. My reaction after riding it last week was - it was fun, but I sure was glad I had a FP for it. I would have been disappointed if I had to wait more than 15-20 minutes in line. I was paying attention to see if I could detect the rocking car motion, and didn't feel much of it. The last scene inside the cabin was very hard to see - I could kind of make out Snow White dancing inside, and saw the witch, but couldn't see much else inside the cottage.

And, there are plenty of us here who like both Universal and Disney. They are not totally separate niches, they overlap a lot!

 

[Radiorox]

Got in a 90 min wait on Friday around 1:50pm... was really a 1 hour wait. The ride is cute and SUPER SMOOTH in fact if people aren't screaming on it, you will barely hear the train. Longer than Barnstomer, less thrilling than Thunder. I am NOT a fan of drops (even the little drop in SM creeps me out). The drop on the mine train was fine and fun!

Fastpass it, if possible. Do not wait more than 20-30 mins for it. It's very well done but, not worth a long wait. Actually, I don't wait more than 20-30 mins for anything unless it is new or I am with someone who has never ridden it before.

 

[mesaboy2]

There has been a LOT of hype on this board for the ride. My reaction after riding it last week was - it was fun, but I sure was glad I had a FP for it. I would have been disappointed if I had to wait more than 15-20 minutes in line. I was paying attention to see if I could detect the rocking car motion, and didn't feel much of it. The last scene inside the cabin was very hard to see - I could kind of make out Snow White dancing inside, and saw the witch, but couldn't see much else inside the cottage.

And, there are plenty of us here who like both Universal and Disney. They are not totally separate niches, they overlap a lot!

I don't disagree. But how much should we let a fan-based message board full of über fans (but completely unfamiliar with the ride specifics) define our expectations? If Disney itself had done much "hype", I think I'd be disappointed in it too.

 

[Hannathy]

The dark scene is pretty amazing and employs some new-style effects. Of course the swinging cars is new and innovative, though I wasn't hugely impressed in the outcome.

Have you ridden it?

Rocking coaster cars isn't exactly new! There has to be a dozen coasters around the country that the cars swing.

No I haven't ridden it but I have watched the videos and have followed a lot of threads. And I didn't see anything that was "wow that's really amazing!"

It looks like a cute ride but for all the hype and for as long as it took I and I think a lot of people were expecting more.

 

[macphisto96]

I wonder if Universal will still be laughing if/when Disney pulls the Marvel plug out from under them...

That being said....you were apparently mislead or uninformed if you thought this was a thrill ride. This is nothing more than a family attraction dark ride themed to a mine train. It was never sold as anything else. It was never mentioned it would contain more scenes than what is inside the mine. Never mind the fact there is another scene after the mine. We shall ignore that fact.

In fact at no point do I ever remember the the expansion listing tons of thrill rides for fantasyland. If you want to go to an amusement park go to an amusement park. Disney is in the business of themeparks. I can live without all the rollercoasters and I actually like rollercoasters but I don't go to Disney for rollercoasters. I can stay a heck of a lot closer to home for rollercoasters just as good as anything Universal offers. If I went to Universal it would be for its themed attractions.

Disney can't pull the Marvel plug on Universal. The license is in perpetuity and renewed every decade or so automatically. It's actually pretty cheap and not based on attendance figures. Universal has already told Disney they will keep using the license until Disney buys them out like they did Paramount (twice - once for Marvel movies and the other for Indy). Universal expects between $1 and $1.5 Billion to release the rights with a two year window for release and payment upfront. They would then use that money to rebuild the Toon Lagoon and Marvel area of IOA. That's why Disney would not want to buy them out.

Universal holds master licensing in the Orlando area and beyond for most of Marvel's characters. If an image of these characters EVER enters a Disney park via an ad or a monorail (like the Avengers monorail from a few years ago), Disney will get their pants sued off and they would lose, badly. It's why you don't even see Marvel merchandize in their parks. They do that and they violate the terms of the deal. Notice that they didn't really advertise Captain America 2 much on their property as it approached release. Universal sent them a notice before Avengers concerning the monorail and essentially told them that any further steps would result in a suit.

So Disney has no power to "pull out the Marvel" plug. In fact, if Disney even tries to advertise in a big way for their own property again at WDW, Universal will sue them. They were warned and were given a compromise on the Avengers monorail. Universal will not compromise with them again and they were told this. Universal holds all the power in Central Florida in regards to Marvel.

As for the Mine Train, it is exactly what I expected it to be. It's Fantasyland, so it was never going to be a wild ride. It's fun, extremely well themed, and aimed at a family with younger kids. It fulfills its function well. Is it worth multiple long waits in line? No, but few rides are. Then again, I'm spoiled with annual passes and knowledge of when to go to catch short lines. I was willing to do one 90 minute wait on the new ride. In the future it will be Fastpass or slow days. Same goes for Space Mountain or Big Thunder.

 

[mesaboy2]

Rocking coaster cars isn't exactly new! There has to be a dozen coasters around the country that the cars swing.

No I haven't ridden it but I have watched the videos and have followed a lot of threads. And I didn't see anything that was "wow that's really amazing!"

It looks like a cute ride but for all the hype and for as long as it took I and I think a lot of people were expecting more.

Cite another ride with that specific kind of ride vehicle please. From an engineering and innovations perspective, just because something swings does not make it the same.

Of course a lot of people here were expecting more. They built it up in their own minds to be more than it was. That'll happen watching progress almost daily on a ride being built for 3+ years.

You have it right. It's a cute ride, and little more. Which is exactly what I expected.

 

[GreyStr0ke]

I rode it yesterday for the first time using Fast Pass+ and that is the only way I would ride this attraction at the current moment. I truly felt bad for the people who waited 2 hours in the standby line yesterday. As people who had just ridden were exiting the ride they were telling those in the queue that it wasn't worth the wait. It wasn't disappointing for me because I knew what it was going to be but to be honest the one feature that made this ride unique (rocking of the cars) was hardly noticeable.

 

[Senator Tressel]

That'll happen watching progress almost daily on a ride being built for 3+ years.

Right. That's what "hype" means. They spent 67 years building the ride, so people expect it to be something major worthy of the wait. Add that to the fact that we're getting NOTHING else for the foreseeable future and you're going to have disappointment.


I am personally not at all disappointed with the ride. I think it's awesome and exactly what it was supposed to be. If I want exciting and new, Universal is right down the road. It's not like I'm being held captive in Disney.

 

[si-am]

Eh, I know you can't and shouldn't compare Disney to Universal, but Universal is about to unleash Gringotts and Disney does... This?

It would probably be really cool if it hadn't been hyped so much, maybe? But Disney hasn't done much exciting or groundbreaking lately in the parks. They seem to be throwing all their money at DVC and "Disney Springs" instead.

 

[Hannathy]

As people who had just ridden were exiting the ride they were telling those in the queue that it wasn't worth the wait..

That is not a good sign for Disney. Especially in the first days of a ride opening.

 

[mesaboy2]

That is not a good sign for Disney. Especially in the first days of a ride opening.

I bet big money this happens in almost every queue for almost every attraction at just about every theme park in the world.

Hardly something for Disney to worry about.

 

[Pats Dragon]

Mesa Boy, to answer your question, I would have loved 7 dwarfs marching in a line singing hi ho at the beginning and several dwarfs in several scenes commenting on the run away mine train and maybe a witch laughing gleefully and or snow white pursing her lips and shaking a finger. You know--that sort of thing i love. But then I miss Mr Toad too.

 

[mesaboy2]

Mesa Boy, to answer your question, I would have loved 7 dwarfs marching in a line singing hi ho at the beginning and several dwarfs in several scenes commenting on the run away mine train and maybe a witch laughing gleefully and or snow white pursing her lips and shaking a finger. You know--that sort of thing i love. But then I miss Mr Toad too.

That's sounds good, I'd like to see that too. But that's a highly-subjective and artistic point-of-view. Only getting ourselves on a ride-design team would we have any chance of seeing something exactly the way we want.