We did the Africa Trek in AK and Keys to the Kingdom in MK.
What did you think of these? I've done Keys a couple of times (a decade apart) - I finally did the Africa Trek in 2022 and really enjoyed it. I liked the lunch food - I haven't yet made time to visit Tiffin's.
- Haunted Mansion - The stretching room isn't an elevator like it is at DLR. Lights go on after the corpse (which I couldn't make out). Pictures on the wall after the stretching room at DLR are seen after you are in your doom buggy at WDW (warning, that is where they take your photo pass picture). They had a library and a cool staircase room that we don't have at DLR.
When we do those DLR vs WDW ride comparisons, I always see this one as a bit of a push. For a while, I gave the edge to WDW, but there are things about the DLR version that I find charming. (And I do enjoy getting NBC.)
- Peter Pan's Flight - Saw Ariel in a clam shell. Not sure if there were other Disney characters that we missed.
Not sure if you saw it (I'm assuming you were using LL, since that line can be atrocious), but the queue there is done up as something special. (I think I've only seen it a couple of times during early-morning visits.)
- It's a Small World - Hands down, felt the DLR version was better. WDW had chipped paint, dinged corners, dolls that weren't working, and the sound was muffled. Much more popular attraction at DLR than WDW.
It took me a while to ride this at DLR because it's always been kind of that way. Somehow, it always felt kind of open and empty to me. I got stuck in there enough times due to downtime that I was a little loathe to get on it again. Plus, the walkway between SW and PP there is the worst pinch point almost anywhere - and you can barely see the front of SW. (I think the Christmas overlay is what finally got me onto it at DLR.)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - Did LLSP and was pretty disappointed. It is more of a LLMP ride than LLSP. It is cute, but it is not the level of Guardians or Rise.
It's... fine. I like it, especially at night, but it's really short for what it is. I still feel like they pulled together whatever they could to build that area as a quick response to UO getting Harry Potter. It's one of those that's harmed by how popular MK is and how few major attractions they have. Since TRON has single-rider, that would probably still be my end-of-day ride.
- Space Mountain - Ride system is actually that of The Matterhorn - I don't ride Matterhorn anymore because it beats me up. Put that in the dark and it is a recipe for disaster. No wonder it doesn't have the same love at WDW as it does at DLR. It darker and difficult to see compared to DLR. No music. Seats were easier to get in and out of than Matterhorn seats.
I rode this a lot as a teenager, and I have some back-of-the-mind nostalgia for it, but it's a totally mid coaster that you could find at any Six Flags park - it's only impressive because it's in the dark. When they first announced TRON, I was almost hoping they were going to close SM and potentially rebuild it to be something closer to DLR's. It's
far past its shelf life, and you have to walk a mile to get in and out of the ride. (They ripped out the moving walkway at the end a few years ago.)
- Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin - This is going to be re-imagined so they haven't updated it. Everything from the cars to the guns to the targets were worn out and aged. Really sad.
It wasn't much better when it was newer. It always felt harder to hit the targets, and having the guns attached to the vehicle didn't help. Another where I almost didn't ride it at DLR, but it's way, way better here.
- Space Ship Earth - Audio was difficult to hear in some sections. I know it is endearing to people who grew up with WDW. It felt aged and worn to me.
The one thing about the pandemic that will haunt me until the end of time - there's a version of EPCOT that I think of as EPCOT 2019 that will never exist. Among the things that they announced that year that got cancelled were a Mary Poppins flat ride at Great Britain, the Play pavilion (an interactive space loosely based on the Wreck It Ralph sequel), and a complete overhaul of Spaceship Earth. That thing has needed a refresh for a very, very, very long time. (This is by far the longest it's ever gone without a refresh.) I hope this is still on the table for whatever they've got planned in the wake of
Epic Universe.
There was an amazing presentation that year that Imagineering put together at the Odyssey that was almost an attraction in and of itself. It was such a shame that most of it never happened. (And, weirdly, Harmonious is already gone.)
- Mission: SPACE - Did Orange. Didn't like it. Don't need to do it again.
This version is slightly milder than the original version, if you can believe it. I still think the almost-going-over-the-cliff section is too much for the average rider (myself included).
- Journey into Imagination - It has been 15 years since I was at WDW. This used to be a better, more endearing attraction, didn't it?
The original 1980s version was a masterpiece. I've described it to people like this: the original ride was an attempt to inspire your imagination, the current one is here to tell you what imagination is.
(The highlight of the current one is when they stick a Christmas sweater on Figment during the holidays.)
At
D23's EPCOT 30 event, Tony Baxter screened a ride video that his son filmed in the late 80s - watching it with a group of fans was a weirdly emotional experience. (I remember looking over and seeing a girl openly sobbing.)
Figment is hugely popular at Disney - it's crazy that they haven't done anything in 20+ years. (An Epcot CM friend told me maybe ten years ago that ColorVision had paid money for an overhaul when they took the sponsorship in 2012, but the money ended up getting redirected somewhere else.)
- Living with the Land - Pavilion is showing its age. Interesting attraction. Audio in parts was difficult to hear.
I still love this, but it's far far better with its Christmas lights overlay. (Reminiscent of the Osborne lights from DHS.) Definitely a holiday season favorite.
- Gran Fiesta Tour featuring the Three Caballeros - Silly ride. Was there a storyline?
Donald has run off on his own and the other two are trying to track him down for their performance at the end.
Fun trivia - the last scene was originally a cartoon, but some fans pointed out that they had those animatronics in storage from the Mickey Mouse Revue (an opening-day attraction at MK), so they refurbed them and installed them there.
I think a lot of folks were expecting them to turn this into a Coco ride at some point, since it's got a lot of the same imagery. (I can also understand why they haven't.)
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway - Interesting to see the differences. There were times when we were prepared for a right turn and the train turned left. Feels like it fits better in Toontown than the Chinese Theater
I have some nostalgia for that version of the finale scene, but they definitely upped the ride at DLR. That extra scene where Goofy comes back (especially with those random asides - "...and that's why I wear pants and Pluto doesn't!") is a great add-on.
- Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular - Same show as 15 years ago. Outdoor theater.
It's a bit shorter now - among other changes, they cut the early section (after the boulder roll) where they pull audience members up to participate, including one stunt person plant.
A lot of folks thought the show was going to get fully ripped out, and I still think it will once the Dinosaur replacement opens at AK. (Though they'll still need some kind of people-eater at that park.)
- Slinky Dog Dash - Cute attraction. There was so much hype about this ride that I was a bit disappointed.
Kind of like 7DMT - it's nice for what it is, and I think it's better at night, but Toy Story Land there felt like another "let's jam a new section here out of whatever we can find" - knowing that a huge section of the park was going to be closed for three years. If there were more attractions at DHS and it was easier to get an LL for, I might like it more. But it doesn't really feel worth the length of wait. (I usually end a DHS day with that to get the shortest line.)
- Toy Story Midway Mania - Line was absurdly long. Didn't ride it
This one is actually better at DHS, if mainly because the equipment is newer. The queue is a bit more fun - Potato Head is in the queue. They added a second track more recently that has some lovely indoor theming (like you're in Andy's room). But it's all mostly a "nice to have" by comparison.
- Avatar: Flight of Passage - Like a 3D Soarin. Very cool attraction. Something about the 3D effect was off so I got a headache both times we rode it. As soon as it was over, the headache went away. It seats over 100 people per 4 min show and the line never got below 75 min!
I had the fortune of riding this during passholder previews, and there was nothing like it when it was new. I rode in December - it desperately needs a refurb. I think the RGB lenses are misaligned on most of the projectors - it's "out of focus" but in a weird way. (It's
really noticeable in the cave scene.)
For anyone new to this - the real key is to ask if they'll put you close to the center - seat 8 or 9. (The room split is there.) They will try to figure that out if you ask - center the room is way better than the outer edges.
(Honestly, I almost wish Universal could reverse-engineer a version of this for How to Train Your Dragon. It's basically designed for that, and would be
perfect for Hollywood.)
- Kilamanjaro Safaris - Long lines during the day. Walk on after 5 pm. We went on it four times because there was amazing animal activity after 5 pm. Baby giraffe was out and active yet the safari guides never mentioned it. It was very scripted and they rarely slowed down.
I miss the era that AK was a night park. The early-evening Safaris could be hit-and-miss, but sometimes delightfully chaotic. (I had one where the giraffes were acting like they were trying to sneak out the front gate of that section of the park, and we couldn't move until they were ready to move.)
- Expedition Everest - We did this early in the morning when everyone was running towards Pandora. We did it both standby and LLMP. At one point, before you back up, the side of the mountain is filled with hair ties. When and how did that start?
That's an old-school roller coaster "tradition" of sorts. (I think there might be some up on Goofy's Sky School, but I haven't ridden that in a while.) Any coaster where people have to wait for any amount of time - like if you're about to unload - and there's a flat spot, people fire their hair ties. (I think the amount is usually an accumulation over time - I'm not sure if they ever clean those up.)
Yes, we did go on EE but not Kali. I don't like walking around in wet shoes and didn't feel like lugging flip flops with me.
Another that you didn't miss anything. It's definitely a half-baked GRR - though it's not noticeably worse. It's a more generic version of that kind of ride. (Though I'd gently nudge that it's still
that kind of ride - a bunch of non-Disney parks have those.)
