DEBATE: Shouldnt this ride be at wdw/dl????

[raidermatt]

No TT isnt by any means a thrill ride!!!

Bob, if you can't look beyond your own tastes and understand that TT is in fact a thrill ride, I'm not sure what else I can say...

 

[ohanafamily]

As I read the original article, I was thinking about the Lilo&Stitch scene where he escapes from confinement.

A POX ON YOU MR. CRICKET FOR BEATING ME TO THE PUNCH

Seriously, a drag race does not seem to fit WDW theming. I could see it now...

You walk into a room where you see Stitches trial. The lights go out, you see huge blasters pointed at Stitch (remember the scene where he drools and the guns track the drool?) The drool drops, The guns track down to you. More drool...A little blast of mist, and BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!..... The door opens to "The Red One". You get in the car and jet off at 120 MPH. In front of you is an entire armada, so what do you do? You go straight up! On the way down, in the free fall you head for Hawaii. As you are slowing down and rounding the 270 degree turn you see valcanos and polynesian artifacts (maybe even an animatronic hula dancer or 2)

It could be done in a Disney manner, IMHO

 

[Bob O]

Raidermatt-A ride that goes slower than most cars on the freeway isnt a thrill ride!!! Now if it went faster or had some thrill elements, then it could be a thrill ride. I like the ride and enjoy it, but a thrill ride it isnt!!! Or is a ride to work always a thrill ride???(of course sometimes it can be)

 

[raidermatt]

So pure speed is the only barometer for a thrill ride? C'mon Bob, a thrill ride expert like yourself should know that's not the case. Its not how fast you are going, its how fast you FEEL like you are going, plus all of the other factors in the ride.

If its speed alone, what is Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?

Despite how it impacts YOU, or even ME, most people consider TT a thrill ride. But regardless, it draws big lines and has plenty of merchandise, so according to your logic that's what will work for Disney. But Epcot's attendance continues to plummet. It had the biggest percentage drop of the four WDW parks for the 2nd year in a row, despite having the most significant recent attraction added.

It could be done in a Disney manner, IMHO

Ohana, I agree that your version is certain more "Disney-like" than the drag racing version. And if they were going to do it, they should do it with that kind of idea (or something else completely different, but the point is, with a STORY, SHOW, and THEMEING).

However, its just not the BEST use of Disney's investment at this time. They need to find ways to provide STORY, SHOW, etc in ways that appeal to everyone in the family. Think something that has all the show elements you described, and instead uses any combination of simulators, 3-D images, animatronics, WHATEVER, and still makes you say WOW!

THAT'S what Disney used to do best, but are now abandoning.

Space Mountain, The Matterhorn, Big Thunder, Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain, all great! But now, that's the only kind of attraction Disney wants to give us, except for 3d movies and pure kiddie rides. And the STORY and SHOW is becoming a smaller and smaller part of these rides because it costs money, and because many of the people who are looking for these types of rides don't care as much about the story and show.

The problem is that slowly but surely, the core Disney audience is getting less and less from Disney to be excited about.

 

[WDWHound]

A ride that acellerates to 120 mph in 4 seconds, shoots literally striaght up 400 + feet, then nose dives 400 feet straight down (in a spiral no less), again at speeds of 120, is an extreme thrill ride no matter how you look at it and I don't think it has a place in a Disney Park. Mild Thrill rides like Space Mountain, ToT or BTM are more the direction Disney should go if it wants thrill rides. Anything more intense than that excludes too many people and would work against Walt's goal of Disney Parks being places where a family can do things together.

 

[ohanafamily]

I don't think Disney would or should spend the money on this ride, I just illustrated that it could be done in a disneylike manner. I would love the ride as I previously described (if you note Stitch is in my signature) The ride would fit more at US IOA. They are into coasters there in a big way. I also think it would take up too much space to be in MK, and then which area would you put it in?

No, for the Stitch ride, I think they will redo alien encounters. Probably not very well either. Given the space and general shape they could do a thrill ride similar to Spiderman at US IOA, but the fact that Ei$ner has the purse strings pulled it will probably be a remake of the current show.

Mind you this is a WAG, but wasn't there a rumor about them remaking AE to add Stitch?

I would like the ride. I am not sure about a remake of AE, but I would go to see Stitch.

 

[Planogirl]

Approximately 120 mph in four seconds

*gulp*

Let's see though... They could take a coaster like this and pretend it's a limo chasing another limo with a rock band in it and... Oh, never mind.

Actually, I suspect that Test Track is one of the few attractions at Epcot that does attract the whole family. Virtually everything else is outdated or just plain lame and that place with the countries doesn't seem to appeal to most younger family members. I can easily see families hurrying over to Epcot, picking up their FastPasses and heading over to another park for a while. Kind of like how we handled Soarin' in DCA most of the time.

 

[M.K. Poppins]

Wow, what a debate! I've been thinking for awhile now (really since IOA) that the only thing missing is a thrill park for Disney. Although I completely agree that it isn't quite what Disney has done in the past, wasn't Walt first and foremost an innovator, and wouldn't a new "thrill park" be an innovative move within Disney? In my opinion, if they were to go ahead with a project like that (and there is a concept floating around out there concerning a villians theme) - I say they will have cornered the theme park market, drawing families of both small children and teenagers, etc. I have to imagine that there's a demographic of families with older kids who aren't as excited about going to the world b/c there aren't as many of these crazy rides. Bottom line - I'd like to think that if they ever did do it, it would be amazing!!

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says..................................This would be a great ride for Disney! I can just see the Disney themeing. On the way up you see Walt Disney, Mickey, and a couple animated films, maybe Snow White for the past and Lion King for the present. On the way down you see faces of Eisner and end with Treasure Planet!
Or would the ride be too realistic? lol

 

[Jeff in BigD]

Uh, isn't that ride already in Orlando & named the Hulk?

Seriously though 120mph doesn't say "family ride" to me.

And in regards to what is or isn't a considered a thrill ride - I think a good rule of thumb is the heart condition warning. It may not be personally thrilling to you, but there are also a small portion of people that won't even ride Space Mountain. I tend to look at it from the stand point of "will 2/3 of the guests want/be able to ride this ride?"

My guess is that a ride of that magnitude will have height restrictions, so that takes out a portion of your audience. A lot of elderly people probably won't ride & maybe half of the other adults won't ride either. Sounds like a lot less than 2/3 to me.

 

[airlarry!]

Hmm. $25 million for a 14 second ride.

I've heard people complain about waiting 90 minutes for a 90 second ride on The Dumbo. (As my kids call it.)

What if you had to wait 90 minutes for a 14 second ride?

M. Bob, I love thrill rides as much as the next guy, I'll ride anything. But that's why I go to the thrill parks every couple of years. My brother already argues that its getting tougher every year as a family because some of the better Disney rides separate the thrill-seekers (in Disney definition, not yours of course) from the family rides.

Nothing is worse than two families touring 'together' yet everybody is constantly splitting up because little Janie is skeered of riding the Rock'n'roller Coaster. In the MK, it is okay, because the ratio of Mommy-Daddy only rides is small compared to the abundance of rides.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love the concept of this attraction BUT FOURTEEN SECONDS OF THRILLS IS NOT WHAT DCA OR AK NEEDS

 

[Bob O]

raidermatt, by your critieria TT is most defintely not a thrill ride. It is a nice ride hat shows the manufacturing process with a little jaunt around the outside of the building. But has no other facets of a thrill ride, as examples in RNRV you have a very fast launch/inversions to give a thrilling expereince, on TOT you have a good sized drop in the dark for the thrills and in Indy at DL you have a ride that make's sudden movements to avoid items etc to make for a thrilling experience,even SM has a good sized drop for a thrilling ending, none of which you find on TT!! And using this ride technology could easily be done by disney using a great story with a thrilling ending. And its something disney should do to energize one of their parks and they would find the ride would easily pay for itself and would be a great tool to using in advertising like they have done with TOT in the past.
Airlarry, Why would the ride only be 14 seconds????? The drop portion of the ride could be a great ending to a longer ride that would have some great story elements if done correctly.
Jeff-Ive riden Hulk dozens of times(thank god for fotl, nothing beats riding a ride 10 times in a row without leaving the line)and while it is one on my favorite steel coasters and has a great launch,compared to this it would be lame in comparsion,escpecially for those riding in the front!!! I rode Xcelerator while at Knotts and that ride had a great launch(escpecially when compared to Screamin(yawn) and riding in the front with that drop was great. But this new ride will blow that one away!!!
Just picture a nice classic disney dark ride with alot of character, a excellant story that has you going into darkness and then come out of it going down this massive hill at great speeds lie this ride would, and even tone it down a bit, 100 mph and only 300ft, that would be great, would match up with the modern disney classics and its line would be the longest in the park, even without crumb crunchers and wennies not riding it!!!

 

[raidermatt]

Bob, all that matters is the general public's perception. You and I are an insignificant part of that. The general public believe's it to be thrill ride. No amount of analysis on the speed, g's, effects, whatever, can change that fact.

REGARDLESS, it still fits your criteria of a ride that draws line and sells merchandise. However, it has not helped attendance.

...wasn't Walt first and foremost an innovator, wouldn't a new "thrill park" be an innovative move within Disney?

Walt certainly was an innovator, as he was a showman. But would a "thrill park" be an innovative move? No. It would be an attempt to target a different marget segment. One of Walt's greatest innovations was being able to "thrill" and "wow" entire families at the same time.

Again, while certainly Disney COULD add its "Magic" to a 120 mph coaster, they would be better served developing ways to thrill the DISNEY audience, not the Six Flags audience. Certainly that's not an easy task, but its a huge part of what the Disney parks are built on.

 

[scooby-the-doo]

This ride could indeed be placed at Disney - they already have a LIM launched coaster at MGM - but it would need theming -- serious theming.

An idea: place it in Tomorrowland in DW. The actual 400ft ediface could be themed to look like the gantry structure at Cape Canaveral. You now have the makings of a thrill ride that can be based on a shuttle launch, fits in with the theme of the land and would bring in that all important market: the teens.

 

[Virgo10]

Ick! I nearly got sick reading the description! Well, I'm not much of a roller coaster person. I've only been to Cedar Point once. What I do wish is Disney would check out their water park ... Soak City. They have the best river there. It's called the crazy river and the white water rapids part can't be beat. It would fit in nicely at Blizzard Beach!

Roberta

 

[mitros]

I don't think so Tim!

 

[lrodk]

Now wouldnt this ride be a great addition to any of disney's theme parks, a real thrill ride, world class ride???

Bob, while I commend you for your bravery, there's no way the average human being is going to willingly consent to being hurled across the sky, through neck-break turns at speeds of 120mph. Other than a few brave souls like yourself, and some thrill-seeking teenagers, you'd be hard pressed to get the masses at WDW to engage in such a ride. This ride is flat out scary, not to mention inherently dangerous.

 

[Bob O]

Raidermatt-The general public i have spoken too havent considered TT to be a thrill ride in the last, but more akin to the other educational aspects at Epcot.
As for attendance im sure a case could be made that for not this attraction that Epcoyt would have had a bigger attendance drop than they had, so it could have helped stem a futhur attendance drop. And of course it didnt help that the ride was very late opening and didnt fulfill the thrill promises it made prior to opening.
The ride described would "thrill" entire families, unless some one believes that every family HAS to include crumb crunchers. Not every family has ankle biters in them and perfers something more exciting than repeated rides on dumbo!! A thrill park innovative, no but a ride like this themed to the disney standards of old would be innovative and in keeping with the disney standards and could easily be on par with great attractions like TOT/Indy Jones!! Would be very magical to say the least!!
Irodk, you are sadly mistaken in your belief of who would ride a ride like the one being built at Cedar Point. The ride will be ridden this year alone by many thousands of people of all different age groups from teenagers to people in their 70's and will im sure garner lines hours long because people love rides like these. As for dangerous lets see how many injuries occur on this ride, and i would bet that you will have less complaints of injuries than rides like SM/Roger Rabbit or even tamer rides at wdw/dl where people have been hurt or even died on. Ceadr Point built a coaster that tops 300 ft several years ago and the ride has experienced no malfunctions and hasnt resulted in a deluge of lawsuits. People are more apt to be hurt on a ride like PW where you are tossed about than a ride that has big drops as part of its appeal.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

14 seconds is pretty short. But the thought of additional thrill rides is important, Disney is loosing too much eenager business to competing parks, this needs to be corrected. A coaster park with a villian theme would be great.

 

[Bob O]

The thing about a ride like the one at Cedar Point is that they mae decide to make it a 14 second ride, but it doesnt have to be that short. You can have a very well themed attraction, say like a Splash Mountain and then use the big drop for a great way to finish the ride or just contuine it after the drop, either way it could be a woven into a great story with a very much needed thrill aspect.
Myself i have riden Xcelerator at Knotts and it is a great ride,escpecially from the front with the super quick launch and great drop, so the ride at Cedar Pint being faster and taller should be a excellant attraction.And a ride like this will only have a 48'' height limit which means like RNRC most visitors could choose to experience it.
And speaking of RNRC disney really needs to get rid of the overhead restraints on that ride like other parks have done which will make the ride alot better than it is!!!