7 Dwarves Mine Train totally underwhelming

[jodifla]

Well, my family absolutely loves it. I understand that I can't really say those of you that call it "underwhelming" or a "complete disappointment" are wrong as those are you opinions, but I truly don't understand where you are coming from. The queue is adorable, with the touch screen gems games, the spinning barrels of gems that if you can get them all spinning at the same time would project a special scene on the ceiling, the musical water piano...these are all great. I also think you really get the feeling of being in the mine where the dwarfs are searching for gems. As far as not being enough story; what? It is the Seven Dwarf Mine Train. You go into and out of the mine where the dwarves are working, counting their gems, and singing Heigh-ho. They are leaving their work, and at the very end you see them dancing in their home. What more of the "story" of the 7 dwarfs do you want? How did Grumpy get his name? Where did Doc go to medical school and why is he working in a mine? What did you honestly expect? We were able to ride it 4 times on our trip; two with FP and two without. We rode twice during the day and twice at night. We rode in the front car once and the middle once, and the back twice. I agree that nighttime in the back is the best. I think the attention to detail, in and out of the mine, through the forest, over the bridge, over the water, etc, is well-done. For all of you saying "it was a HUGE disappointment," what were you expecting?

With FPs, we didn't stand in the que. But compare it to the Peter Pan ride, for example, or Winnie the Pooh, as far as being immersed in the story. Is there even a witch in there?

 

[BeachClub2014]

Well, my family absolutely loves it.

.....and that is really cool. That's what makes Disney so fun, there is something for everybody. My family still loves Carousel of Progress and sing our heads off every time we walk out of the attraction.

"There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day!"

I personally didn't care for the que area 7DMT, I found the video games annoying and constantly "splitting" families while parents moved forward leaving Jimmy and Jane behind to catch back up. I also think the ride is way too short. I know other rides across WDW are also short, and I have the same criticism of those in that regard. RNRC is maddeningly short. I was also expecting more of a "swaying" sensation from the mine cars. Maybe it was just mine (pun intended) but I didn't feel any swaying movement.

So, do i think the ride sucks? No. Do I think it's bad? No. Do I think it could have been done better, been longer and more of a thrill? Yes.

 

[Jennasis]

I think the Imagineers goofed on the swaying thing. I think they believed the sway would cause the ride to feel more thrilling. I remember watching a video of the imagineers testing the cars out by strapping one to the bed of a pickup truck and driving it around the parking lot and having a grand old time with the swaying action. But what wound up happening when put into the actual ride was the same effect high speed and curves have on a bullet train...it made the ride much smoother, not more exciting. I think the ride would be much more "intense" if the cars didn't sway.

The reason I thought it was meh is that the wait for it as it stands now (or the effort needed to secure FP+ for it) are not worth it for what the ride is... a better themed Barnstormer. The "technology" in the ride is nothing special. The AA's are good, but not WOW. The ride doesn't have to go fast to be amazing.

I will also freely admit that we were pretty wet from a September downpour before our first ride, so we froze in the FP queue...then when we got on, the ride stopped at the end in front of the cottage for a good 5 minutes during another downpour during which time we were soaked again. So it wasn't a happy memory in general lol.

 

[wollydoodle]

I really liked it overall, but mostly I loved how everyone was singing along with "Hi Ho" as we traveled up the lift hill. THAT was magical!

 

[ShinyRedGloss]

We rode this ride for the first time back in May and we were also underwhelmed. I am glad we did not waste a FP+ on this ride nor did we stand in line for more than 20 minutes (thanks to running to 7DMT right after rope drop.) The in line games slowed the queue. It seems like a good place for kids to get accidentally left behind. I was most disappointed by the length of the ride; it was too short. I would have liked to had more time to explore the mine. My second time on the ride I tried to see if I could notice anything unique but nothing really jumped out at me. All the jewels made the ride pretty, but that was about it. B ride with a D- wait time. I will say that I'm not a big Snow White fan so that could be it. I also think any time a movie or ride is hyped, I normally walk away feeling disappointed. Kinda like watching Frozen.

 

[BobC]

I think it was fun...perfect intensity for a starter coaster if you ask me.

Saw a kid scared to death (probably aged 5-7) in front of me cowering in fear before he went on it. Afterwards he yelled to his parents I DID IT I RODE A ROLLERCOASTER11111!!!!!!111 ecstatically. This is what Disney was aiming for.

Theming was pretty cool. Not a fan of the new animatronics faces if you ask me with the digital screen faces. I like the true human analogs used in CoP or PoC.

 

[DisneyGateway]

I took my best friend to WDW in April/May this year and we had a blast. Yeah we are in our twenties but it was extremely enjoyable. Especially at night sitting in the very back row! It is a smaller kid friendly coaster so we were not expecting too much from it but we had enough fun on it to ride it 6 times in a row. We did not want to watch the electrical parade again so we took the chance at a shorter line while everyone was distracted.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I've ridden it twice with FPs, and I enjoyed it more the second time, because it seemed longer somehow. I think the mine scene is beautiful!

 

[minniemous]

I love it. I like big coasters too but this is such a nice smooth ride and I agree night time is a really magical experience.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Double post, sorry.

 

[Davey Jones II]

I think the Imagineers goofed on the swaying thing. I think they believed the sway would cause the ride to feel more thrilling. I remember watching a video of the imagineers testing the cars out by strapping one to the bed of a pickup truck and driving it around the parking lot and having a grand old time with the swaying action. But what wound up happening when put into the actual ride was the same effect high speed and curves have on a bullet train...it made the ride much smoother, not more exciting. I think the ride would be much more "intense" if the cars didn't sway.

The reason I thought it was meh is that the wait for it as it stands now (or the effort needed to secure FP+ for it) are not worth it for what the ride is... a better themed Barnstormer. The "technology" in the ride is nothing special. The AA's are good, but not WOW. The ride doesn't have to go fast to be amazing.

I will also freely admit that we were pretty wet from a September downpour before our first ride, so we froze in the FP queue...then when we got on, the ride stopped at the end in front of the cottage for a good 5 minutes during another downpour during which time we were soaked again. So it wasn't a happy memory in general lol.

I read (on these boards) that the swaying is more pronounced at the back of the ride. I don't know that from experience because we didn't ride in the back.

I disagree about the AAs. What they accomplished with the animatronics was to create the illusion that the characters stepped out of the movie, and now they are right in front of us. They are state of the art. However, my current favorite is Lumiere from Enchanted Tales. That thing is just a jaw dropping sight.

 

[mitchwebb]

Got my DD's into fantasyland and they really enjoyed it We rode during the day and at night during a the rain and loved iit

 

[North of Mouse]

We did FPs for this ride, and I'm very glad. It was totally underwhelming, just a slight variation on Thunder Mountain. Can't believe this is something they spent all that time on. Or that people wait 80 minutes to go on!

Also went on the new(ish) Figment ride. What another underwhelming ride! What has happened to the Imagineers?

On the plus side, there were few lines for rides. And they sure are in a building frenzy now. And the new Test Track is a big improvement.

We haven't been to WDW in a couple of years. We went to Universal last year, and WDW definitely feels like it got left behind in the technology race. I sure hope they turn things around with the new Star Wars and Toy Story lands.

We'll go again this year sometime to use our annual passes, but after that will take a break for a year or two. It's not that we aren't having fun -- we are -- but I thought the new rides would be a lot more spectacular, especially after being blown away at Universal.

We think the 7DMT is very nice. We weren't expecting a huge 'thrill' ride as that is not what it was supposed to be from the get go. After all, it's in Fantasyland and was billed as a 'Family' ride.

 

[Jennasis]

I read (on these boards) that the swaying is more pronounced at the back of the ride. I don't know that from experience because we didn't ride in the back.

I disagree about the AAs. What they accomplished with the animatronics was to create the illusion that the characters stepped out of the movie, and now they are right in front of us. They are state of the art. However, my current favorite is Lumiere from Enchanted Tales. That thing is just a jaw dropping sight.

I agree about Lumiere. He's the only reason worth watching that show for us. I adore him.

The dwarves IMO are on par with the Buzz Lightyear animatronic from the ride queue. State of the art 12 years ago perhaps. eck, even the cars in Radiator Springs Racers are more advanced. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the ride Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland actually has state of the art animatronics and special effects. We have NOTHING even close to that here which is a dang shame. Maybe the Frozen ride will step it up.

As far as 7D, on our future trips we will attempt to hit it at park closing but won't feel bad if we never get on it again. Good news for the rest of the folks who love it! Fewer people in line right?

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I don't mind it being a kids' coaster, I mind it being horrendously short.

I don't think the long lines stem from it being a great ride. I think it stems from Disney fans desire to see some new attractions. Disney has been moving slower than a snails pace in that department lately! If they would pick up the pace and have a new attraction every year you would see lines drop.

It wasn't over hyped, more like they hadn't added anything new in so long people were parched for something new. I think the ride is only 1 min 7 seconds. Love the ride but would never waste park time to wait for it. Universal's new additions however greatly exceeded expectations and Disney is losing market share to them.

I'm glad Disney has announced new lands but that should have been done right after Universal announced Harry Potter. I hope I get to go to the new additions in my lifetime. How long did it take for the parking garage in DTD to finish? 3 years?

 

[princess_ariel_85]

I like the ride but it's not a ride I get overly excited over. I don't particularly like the movie either in all fairness.

I'd ride Big Thunder over 7 Dwarves any day, for me it's too short. I'm not underwhelmed but not overwhelmed either. I'd say I was in the middle.

I think Disney have done a good job with it in general, it's a nice coaster for people who don't like coasters or for small children who are slowly getting into 'thrill' rides. I used to be terrified of rollercoasters and I think that had I road this as a youngster I might have come round to rollercoasters a lot quicker.

 

[DisneyOma]

With FPs, we didn't stand in the que. But compare it to the Peter Pan ride, for example, or Winnie the Pooh, as far as being immersed in the story. Is there even a witch in there?

Now I see where your disappointment is coming from, that you mistakenly assumed it would be a "Snow White" attraction. It's not, hence it is not called "Snow White's Mine Train". And now you have to ride it again, because you missed stuff

 

[chicita713]

We didn't care for it either. We like more excitement. But I could understand younger kids enjoying it as its a ride they don't have a strict requirement for.

 

[Owlyoo]

.....and that is really cool. That's what makes Disney so fun, there is something for everybody. My family still loves Carousel of Progress and sing our heads off every time we walk out of the attraction.

"There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day!"

I personally didn't care for the que area 7DMT, I found the video games annoying and constantly "splitting" families while parents moved forward leaving Jimmy and Jane behind to catch back up. I also think the ride is way too short. I know other rides across WDW are also short, and I have the same criticism of those in that regard. RNRC is maddeningly short. I was also expecting more of a "swaying" sensation from the mine cars. Maybe it was just mine (pun intended) but I didn't feel any swaying movement.

So, do i think the ride sucks? No. Do I think it's bad? No. Do I think it could have been done better, been longer and more of a thrill? Yes.

I like the queu until you get to the games. Then, like you said, it becomes annoying.

 

[maryj11]

7dmt is a kiddie coaster geared toward young kids. Hence it being in new Fantasyland. Idk why people go into it thinking its a big thrill ride.

If you go into it realizing it's made for young kids, you don't set your expectations too high and have fun. Riding it at night and in the back row is fun. I personally think they did a great job with the amount of space they had. I love huge coasters and loops, but I can appreciate what Disney did with 7dmt

Yes it is for the younger kids. I guess everyone is wanting another thrill ride in MK!