WDW's Coaster Phobia

[surferdave]

There are easy themes- how about the bedroom door scene from Monster's Inc, where Mike and Sully are riding through the factory, being chased by Randall throughout, flying through the air among the doors?

That would be great. I'd love to see something called a "theme" besides fake rock, or an indoor roller coaster in the dark with sparkly lights.

 

[BrianL]

I don't "do" coasters. I have been on Splash 4 times, never on RnRC or EE. BTMRR is MY idea of a thrill ride! I still think Disney should do a bigger, better, closer to state-of-the-art roller coaster. There are easy themes- how about the bedroom door scene from Monster's Inc, where Mike and Sully are riding through the factory, being chased by Randall throughout, flying through the air among the doors? That'd be cool- and Disney has the Imagineering to do it! Does it have to be the biggest, baddest ride around (just watched the clips from Cedar Point)? No- because everyone should play to their best demographic. However, I think Disney could figure it out and do something amazing in the larger-coaster area.

OH! But wait!! Disney HAS spent money to be a leader in the theme park world; we have Magic Bands!!!

The Door Coaster was actually rumored for California Adventure and I think WDI has some designs for one. I've read about it here before I think. As far as I know though there are no plans to actually build it, but WDI may have designs for one just like you describe.

 

[mummabear]

The Door Coaster was actually rumored for California Adventure and I think WDI has some designs for one. I've read about it here before I think. As far as I know though there are no plans to actually build it, but WDI may have designs for one just like you describe.

I remember reading about this too. Apparently the plan is to build Montropolis in the area surrounding it, they already have one MI ride in dca

 

[JoshuaShaw]

When I speak of adding a roller coaster to the parks I never expect (or even want) something the size or scope of a coaster one would find at Cedar Point or Magic Mountain, but I don't think it's asking Disney to go out of their comfort zone to build something on par with Revenge of the Mummy. It's a heavily-themed attraction that tells a story and still provides thrills without alienating a large portion of guests with a minimal height requirement (48"). And, it's a phenomenal ride. I wouldn't expect anything like that in Fantasyland, but there are more than enough other places to plant such an attraction.

I'm not sure why people are arguing against putting a roller coaster in Fantasyland, as I don't think anyone who is pro-thrill ride is even suggesting that. It's a straw-man argument that doesn't really address the topic at hand.

 

[Liljo22]

When I speak of adding a roller coaster to the parks I never expect (or even want) something the size or scope of a coaster one would find at Cedar Point or Magic Mountain, but I don't think it's asking Disney to go out of their comfort zone to build something on par with Revenge of the Mummy. It's a heavily-themed attraction that tells a story and still provides thrills without alienating a large portion of guests with a minimal height requirement (48"). And, it's a phenomenal ride. I wouldn't expect anything like that in Fantasyland, but there are more than enough other places to plant such an attraction.

I'm not sure why people are arguing against putting a roller coaster in Fantasyland, as I don't think anyone who is pro-thrill ride is even suggesting that. It's a straw-man argument that doesn't really address the topic at hand.

Your right. Disney shoots for the 40"-44" range for its bigger coasters. More intense coasters are not their thing. It alienates too much of their base. My 7 yr old is at 46" and can ride just about every thing. If Disney was building coasters with a 52"-54" requirement like a lot of the Universal/Busch Gardens coasters, I think it would turn off their target demo.

 

[surferdave]

RnRC and Primeval Whirl both have a minimum requirement of 48".

 

[jade1]

That would be great. I'd love to see something called a "theme" besides fake rock, or an indoor roller coaster in the dark with sparkly lights.

And it is nice to know weather will not effect or delay anything. So having an indoor Monsters Inc coaster would be great IMO.

But we visit a lot at spring break and XMAS, and it seldom rains much-in those cases it's nice to pop in and out of the glorious sunshine or beautiful evenings and see the park etc.

 

[Edgehopper]

The problem is less that there's no modern mega/giga/stratocoaster and more that WDW hasn't shown any real ambition since Everest. Instead we get reskinning of thrill rides (Test Track, Star Tours, Goofy's Skycoaster), dark rides that are the same as the others with different animatronics (The Little Mermaid, The Seas with Nemo), and the slight innovation of TSMM--and now a light children's coaster with a 1-2 animatronic scenes in SDMT. We're not asking for a Millenium Force at Disney World here, but maybe we could see a project of comparable scope to Revenge of the Mummy, the first Harry Potter ride, the new Escape from Gringotts coaster, Transformers: The Ride, or even an innovative dark ride like Spiderman at IoA? And all those Universal improvements are alongside minor rethemings comparable to Disney's like the Springfield area.

So far, in the last decade, it seems like Universal wants to improve the customer experience, while Disney only wants to innovate in finding new ways to vacuum money out of tourist wallets (e.g., MagicBands and hard ticket events).

 

[Liljo22]

RnRC and Primeval Whirl both have a minimum requirement of 48".

I understand that and that's why I said they shoot for that range. Would you consider either of those to be intense? EE is more intense than either of those and its 44".

Universal and Busch Garden's intense coasters are all with a 54" requirement. That is not what Disney is looking for.

 

[jade1]

The problem is less that there's no modern mega/giga/stratocoaster and more that WDW hasn't shown any real ambition since Everest. Instead we get reskinning of thrill rides (Test Track, Star Tours, Goofy's Skycoaster), dark rides that are the same as the others with different animatronics (The Little Mermaid, The Seas with Nemo), and the slight innovation of TSMM--and now a light children's coaster with a 1-2 animatronic scenes in SDMT. We're not asking for a Millenium Force at Disney World here, but maybe we could see a project of comparable scope to Revenge of the Mummy, the first Harry Potter ride, the new Escape from Gringotts coaster, Transformers: The Ride, or even an innovative dark ride like Spiderman at IoA? And all those Universal improvements are alongside minor rethemings comparable to Disney's like the Springfield area.

So far, in the last decade, it seems like Universal wants to improve the customer experience, while Disney only wants to innovate in finding new ways to vacuum money out of tourist wallets (e.g., MagicBands and hard ticket events).

Can't argue with the ride argument-and hope WDW gets it in gear soon.

But WDW customer experience for us is at an all time high.

We leave our bags at the airport curb in MPLS-they show up in our room that day.

We get off the plane in MCO and walk over to a bus scan a band and get a ride to Bay Lake Towers..

Check in and 5 minute walk to MK for FP+ Splash/SM/7DMT.

1BR at BLT with a kitchen, W&D, whirlpool on points is tough to beat.

1/2 way through the week we check out and hop the monorail to EPCOT for lunch and TT FP+. Walk over and swim at SAB. Check into a 2BR at BCV. Our bags show up in the room.

5 min walk to EPCOT and a boat (or walk) to DHS is wonderful. Everyone is now 21 so EPCOT is our favorite for evenings of visiting countries, drinks/dining/Illuminations-not for any rides.

Check out and Delta takes our bags to MPLS and we get our boarding passes. Spend the last day with SAB and FP+ for TSM and TOT.

Jump on the bus back to MCO, no bags just head to security.

I wouldn't trade any of this for 3 giant roller coasters.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Interesting question. I am sort of middle of the road here. I think WDW does need more EE/Mummy/Spiderman-type thrill rides.

I also agree that big coasters are not WDW's thing. Disney has to offer at least a few attractions that go beyond IaSW, but what makes WDW stand out from other amusement parks is that MOST of the day- MOST of our extended family could ride all the attractions.

Who rides thrill rides? To a large extent, it's teens/20-somethings. That's actually kind of a small demographic, and not WDW's target. WDW aims to have attractions the WHOLE family can enjoy together. I'll bet most families include at least one person who doesn't do thrill rides.

At fairs/other amusement parks there are often only two sections: intense coasters and kiddie rides. If you are over toddler size, but don't like coasters, you're in for a dull day. A dull, very expensive day with crappy over-priced junk food.

At WDW, parents/grandparents get to ride BESIDE the toddlers, and it's actually FUN! LM may not be everyone's ideal attraction, but it has WAY more detail to see than 'circle of toy cars.'

 

[mummabear]

Your right. Disney shoots for the 40"-44" range for its bigger coasters. More intense coasters are not their thing. It alienates too much of their base. My 7 yr old is at 46" and can ride just about every thing. If Disney was building coasters with a 52"-54" requirement like a lot of the Universal/Busch Gardens coasters, I think it would turn off their target demo.

DD4 can ride all but a couple. I remember her excitement at being tall enough for the mountains. I think it is a shame that she won't have a 54" ride to dream about riding, feel the excitement of getting tall enough etc...

I don't see how one (or more) true coasters at dhs would turn off their target demo. I don't want to see Country bear jamboree but that doesn't stop me from going to MK.

Lastly the fact the mountains have high wait times and run out of fastpasses shows there is demand for more than dumbo.

 

[mummabear]

Interesting question. I am sort of middle of the road here. I think WDW does need more EE/Mummy/Spiderman-type thrill rides.

I also agree that big coasters are not WDW's thing. Disney has to offer at least a few attractions that go beyond IaSW, but what makes WDW stand out from other amusement parks is that MOST of the day- MOST of our extended family could ride all the attractions.

Who rides thrill rides? To a large extent, it's teens/20-somethings. That's actually kind of a small demographic, and not WDW's target. WDW aims to have attractions the WHOLE family can enjoy together. I'll bet most families include at least one person who doesn't do thrill rides.

At fairs/other amusement parks there are often only two sections: intense coasters and kiddie rides. If you are over toddler size, but don't like coasters, you're in for a dull day. A dull, very expensive day with crappy over-priced junk food.

At WDW, parents/grandparents get to ride BESIDE the toddlers, and it's actually FUN! LM may not be everyone's ideal attraction, but it has WAY more detail to see than 'circle of toy cars.'

So because it would be boring for you to not ride it, it shouldn't be built so other people can enjoy it....

 

[KeroKero]

I love the parks the way they are. But adding to the parks with one or more thrill coasters would be GREAT! Something with a little more thrill than the already existing EE or RnRC would be great and would even enhance the already existing parks. In no way do I think that WDW should be come a thrill park like Busch Gardens or Six Flags, but options for thrill rides would be great for people like myself who have no kids and travel in adult groups.

And .. it would be great to see a coaster themed after Monster's Inc, Star Wars or Marvel.

 

[JimmyV]

WDW aims to have attractions the WHOLE family can enjoy together. I'll bet most families include at least one person who doesn't do thrill rides.

...If you are over toddler size, but don't like coasters, you're in for a dull day. A dull, very expensive day with crappy over-priced junk food....

At WDW, parents/grandparents get to ride BESIDE the toddlers, and it's actually FUN!

I think that these points are a bit over-played, and also miss the focus of the OP. Adding one more ride in a non-MK park that falls somewhere on the "thrill-scale" between EE and Cedar Point would not upset the balance of Disney's general mission statement. For all the discussion about everyone in the family being able to ride all the rides together, and wanting to do so, plese keep in mind that Disney did introduce the rider swap program for a reason, and does have rides with 48" height requirements. Not every ride can be for every person. A balance needs to be struck. And right now, the balance is weighted heavily on the side of "grandma can ride with a 3 year-old". Disney added Voyage of the Little Mermaid and the 7DMT, both of which are suited for the whole family. It is time for a shift to offset that balance. But not by changing the dynamic of WDW in general or any one park in particular. EE did not change the focus of AK. It enhanced it.

The idea that coaster non-riders would be in for a dull day pre-supposes that the hundreds of existing rides at WDW would be taken away from such guests. But that is not the case. You don't want a steel coaster (which is what California Screamin' is...it only looks like a wooden coaster), then how about something like the Mummy at US, or Journey to Atlantis at Sea World. Indoor thrill rides that blow away anything that WDW has. More in line with what Dinosaur is, only these other rides don't suck like Dinosaur. And they are brilliantly themed. So if you don't want an outdoor coaster with cork screws and loops, how about complexly themed indoor thrill rides with a 42" height limitation (which is what Atlantis has)? The idea that a ride must be suitable for "all ages" places too much of the litmus test on kids ages 3-7. If they are the benchmark for future rides (such as Little Mermaid and Mine Train), then Disney stands to alienate a whole lot of guests. For all the talk about how Disney doesn't want or need thrill rides and that the demographic won't support any more, where is the explanation from that camp as to why RnR, ToT, EE and SM have some of the longest rides at any of the parks? Somebody is riding those. And if you polled the people in line at EE or RnR and asked them if they would want to see Disney build a ride that is 20% "more" than EE or RnR, do you really think that the majority would say "no"?

 

[Kimosabe]

DD4 can ride all but a couple. I remember her excitement at being tall enough for the mountains. I think it is a shame that she won't have a 54" ride to dream about riding, feel the excitement of getting tall enough etc...

I don't see how one (or more) true coasters at dhs would turn off their target demo. I don't want to see Country bear jamboree but that doesn't stop me from going to MK.

Lastly the fact the mountains have high wait times and run out of fastpasses shows there is demand for more than dumbo.

I generally agree with everything you're saying here, at least in principal (I actually like CBJ - ha!). My daughters are 9 and 12 now and started riding the mountains, EE, RnR and ToT about two years ago, and that is now where they want to go first when we arrive at WDW. We still enjoy the dark rides and other family attractions, but they love a little thrill, so I think for folks to say that true thrill rides are limited to teenagers and 20-somethings is a little off the mark. I enjoy Pirates more than any other ride at WDW, but that is more out of nostalgia (first ride I can remember riding at age 6) than anything else. Once I get past POTC and Haunted Mansion, I am hitting the mountains hard...and that's only if I can get my young children to wait that long!

Of course, as I said above, I also like CBJ, but my kids are bored silly with it and always have been, so it's a rare occurrence that I can talk them into going into that theater. It definitely takes all kinds of rides because there are all kinds of people/families. One of these days, my kids will be nostalgic for Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan, and they'll make their own children ride those, but they (like I) will still want something that goes a little faster and puts a little thrill into the day. I feel like the theming in DHS and DAK is wide open to adding a couple of true coasters (Incredibles, Monsters Inc., Star Wars, dinosaurs, etc.), and it would not isolate any families. Frankly, either of those parks can use all the help it can get.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

For all the talk about how Disney doesn't want or need thrill rides and that the demographic won't support any more, where is the explanation from that camp as to why RnR, ToT, EE and SM have some of the longest rides at any of the parks? Somebody is riding those.

Thank you. I'm getting a little tired of the "only teens ride thrill rides" argument. It's blatantly untrue and has been yet to be backed up by a shred of evidence. If you were to compare all attractions' popularity by wait times, the majority of those over 60 minutes are thrill rides, not "everyone can ride" dark rides.

Unless you have raw, provable data (not anecdotal evidence) to verify the claim that only a small segment of the population rides thrill rides, stop making it. At best it's ignorant, at worst it's intellectually dishonest.

 

[JimmyV]

Lastly the fact the mountains have high wait times and run out of fastpasses shows there is demand for more than dumbo.

Isn't it incredible how this one simple fact can be so easily overlooked? Isn't "supply and demand" the key phrase that so many people use to try to resolve every issue surrounding WDW?

Frankly, either of those parks [DHS and DAK] can use all the help it can get.

This point gets overlooked as well. Especially DHS. DAK is getting Avatarland, so I guess we have to wait and see what will happen there. But DHS is in a death spiral. If it weren't for the "thrill rides", would anyone go there? Try to imagine what a day (or an hour) at DHS would be like without RnR, ToT and Star Tours. Fun for the whole family?

 

[Davey Jones II]

A 5th hate would also expand park capacity for crowds.

So would popular new rides in the existing parks, particularly new E Tickets. I would rather see that than yet another half-day park which has to be added to for 10-15 years before it comes into its own.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I generally agree with everything you're saying here, at least in principal (I actually like CBJ - ha!). My daughters are 9 and 12 now and started riding the mountains, EE, RnR and ToT about two years ago, and that is now where they want to go first when we arrive at WDW. We still enjoy the dark rides and other family attractions, but they love a little thrill, so I think for folks to say that true thrill rides are limited to teenagers and 20-somethings is a little off the mark. I enjoy Pirates more than any other ride at WDW, but that is more out of nostalgia (first ride I can remember riding at age 6) than anything else. Once I get past POTC and Haunted Mansion, I am hitting the mountains hard...and that's only if I can get my young children to wait that long!

Of course, as I said above, I also like CBJ, but my kids are bored silly with it and always have been, so it's a rare occurrence that I can talk them into going into that theater. It definitely takes all kinds of rides because there are all kinds of people/families. One of these days, my kids will be nostalgic for Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan, and they'll make their own children ride those, but they (like I) will still want something that goes a little faster and puts a little thrill into the day. I feel like the theming in DHS and DAK is wide open to adding a couple of true coasters (Incredibles, Monsters Inc., Star Wars, dinosaurs, etc.), and it would not isolate any families. Frankly, either of those parks can use all the help it can get.

See bolded above. It depends on how you define "true thrill ride". All the Disney thrill rides are definitely in the category of "mild thrills". They are suitable for most children who reach the height limit, and most adults.

But "true" thrill rides are at a level of intensity that is just beyond the endurance of sizable segments of the population. Most of the rides at Six Flags parks are way beyond the thrill level of TOT, RnR, Space and Screamin'. Have you ever been on X2 at Magic Mountain in California? OMG...