Goodbye Alien Encounter!

[kapeppy]

Safari Steve,

You mentioned that AE is supposed to close 10/12. Does that mean that it will be closed on the 12th or is that the last day it will be open. I love AE and will be in WDW 10/11 to 10/18 and want to make sure I don't miss it! Thanks!

Kris

 

[DVC California]

Why does the phrase "Alien Encounter - Under New Management" come to mind?

If Disney does totally redo it and create a new show centered around Stiitch and his 625 "cousins", than I'm sure that it will turn out well and will help funnel off some of the wait from Buzz and Space Mountain.

But if they simply update it with Stitch, it may turn out to be as popular as the new Tiki Room.

My two cents,

Steve

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

We also have skipped this attraction. Too scarey for the kiddies and their Mom and Dad . We have gone to Disney so many times I have lost count but never even came close to going.

 

[***tink386]

This is the one ride I was a little leary about. I hope we get to experience before any changes are made though, so when next time we come and ride, we can compare the changes!

 

[puffkin]

While I think the ride is pretty good, I am not sorry to see it go. Repeat visitors are what keep Disney (and other amusement/theme parks) in business. Unfortunately, this is one of the few attractions at WDW that doesn't do well after repeat viewings. Hopefully Stitch will add some much needed life to this attraction!

 

[snowgooseltd]

Okay...I'm going to jump in here again and play devil's advocate. Even after reading most posts against AE, we still enjoy it at least once per trip....if only for giggles, as my husband says. We have a 13 year old granddaughter who saw it with us, first, at the age of 5, and refuses to ever see it again because it scared the daylights out of her. It was our first "encounter" with AE. I think it scared most of our group.
On the second note, we are a family of five (two parents, three children). When they were younger we were only able to "do Disney" three times during their childhood. Now that they are all adults, with five children among them, we "do Disney" at least once, sometimes twice, per year. My children never got tired of the MK rides and have grown up with the addition of the other three parks. They look forward, eagerly, to our return trips as do their youngsters. Maybe I overprotected them so that they weren't anxious for thrill rides, but they still look forward to doing TOT and RNR as well as HM and POC, over and over again, during our trips. We'll be there in 68 days, all fourteen of us.

 

[Jay Since 72]

I love it, and will miss it. I like the idea of the Magic Kingdom having a 'scary' ride- although the possibilites of a Stich ride are amusing....

 

[cardaway]

Maybe the problem is how you can have something like AE and make it clear what the experience is like so people who will not like it, skip it without having to go through it first. Look at the Sounds Dangerous attraction in MGM and how many kids still end up in the thing that are totally afraid of the dark. It would seem there are some folks that no amount of warnings will help.

I enjoyed AE but I didn't enjoy the kids who were in there that should have never been. It wasn't their fault, they are not the ones I expect to notice the warnings and descriptions. I believe that WDW should be able to have attractions that are not for everybody, but it would seem that the crowds at WDW are not able to understand the tools to make this possible.

 

[jann1033]

it's probably like tornado watches around here, when you hear so many you start to ignore them..people probably think how bad can it be ..my early 20's daughter hates it though, way to intense for her, so it probably is difficult to know how anyone over 2-6 will react to those rides.

 

[llebrekniT]

My DS, who is now 11, rode (not sure if "rode" is the right word to use) this ride once when he was 7 and would never go back. He is pretty much a chicken when it comes to things popping up or sneaking up on you and he equally hates the part in the Great Movie Ride with the Alien. Every year I think, he'll be OK this time, but a chicken he remains. I am so very happy that they will be making this attraction more child-friendly as it is at MK, a child's paradise.

I also love the idea of taking a Disney character (movie) and making an attraction. Bringing the cartoons to life is what makes it magical for us and our kids.

I'm jumping for joy!

 

[donna in Oz]

Is October 12th the exact closing date?? I didn't see this listed on the official site.

Personally, it makes me sad. I always kinda liked this "quirky" Disney attraction. But I'm keeping an open mind.

 

[mudhen]

I liked this attraction, but not enough to lose
sleep over it going.
My complaint here is Disney once again
"replacing" a perfectly good attraction with
another instead of keeping Alien Encounter and
ADDING an attraction with Stitch as the focus.

I also wonder if Time Keeper or COP will open
full time to better handle the guest/attraction/
per hour ratio ??

 

[dgaston]

AE is an attraction my family enjoys. We will miss the closing dates since we arrive on the 21st. We spent a few visits trying to figure out if all the comments we heard were part of the show, or audience reaction especially "looks like my mother-in-law" (I lost on that one--thought it was in the audience). The first time, I missed the drool, was wearing a Tilly hat that blocked it!

I'm glad DH made sure we did it during e-night in August.

And I was someone in the queue trying to tell parents of small children that they really meant intense when they said intense. I too wish parents did more attraction research before dragging everyone on.

All said, I'm sorry it's going. I grew up in the days when a new Disney film release always seemed to parallel a new attraction at Disneyland.

 

[jtovey56]

I may be in the minority on this one, but I loved this attraction. I liked the concept of being scared without loseing my lunch. I even bought one of the alien action figures. Then again, I'm an Aliens movie fan. I even had my son all excited about it.Oh well, maybe Stich is more family friendly.

Jim

 

[ZachnElli]

We are thrilled they are adding a Stitch ride! We are big fans of Stitch, especially ds (8)! I'm sorry they are getting rid of another ride to do it though. We've never done AE as my kids are too young. For those who are wondering the timing of this ride, they are turning Stitch into a TV series. The new movie kicked off the new TV series (hey, I told you we were fans!)!

 

[diznee25]

I apologize if this has been posted:

Why couldn't Disney move AE to MGM instead of closing it completely? Seems to me that MGM may have been the perfect park to put the attraction in considering TOT has the same scary feeling too. (Although AE isn't based off a movie. Looks like I just answered my own question!)

My fiancee' and I are big fans and are very disapointed that AE will be closing.

Especially since we're going out in December, and AE closes next month!! Oh well.

Diznee25

 

[jann1033]

or better yet put the stitch one there since it is based on a movie character and that park has less for small kids

 

[Joeblack]

Personally, I hope they replace it alltogether. I never found the point to it. IMHO it was one of the worst attractions in all WDW property. If it goes, i won't be missing it.

 

[nluvwithdisney]

I 'm sad to see it go. I would just close my eyes and let my imagination run wild. Seeing others' reactions to the first time they encountered it, whether it be laughing hysterically or sheer terror was just priceless. If you want family friendly take a spin on the teacups and watch Mom & Dad puke their brains out. That makes some special memories.

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by diznee25
Why couldn't Disney move AE to MGM instead of closing it completely? Seems to me that MGM may have been the perfect park to put the attraction in considering TOT has the same scary feeling too. (Although AE isn't based off a movie. Looks like I just answered my own question!)

Actually, TOT isn't based on a movie either. Nor is RnRc, so that argument wouldn't matter. But obviously it would be extremely expensive to move the whole attraction - that's probably what would stop them.

Steve