Peter Pan's Flight - Why So Popular?

[Tink_83]

Didn't go to WDW as a kid, but have been around 40 times as an adult and PP is one of my favorites. I love the perspective of flying that is achieved with such basic old-school technology.

I will say what they did back then with the technology they had is very impressive. That is why the HM is one of my favorites. My optics professor (undergrad in physics) use to go on and on about the use of optics in the HM. Now I go through and can't help but be impressed with the low tech solutions that allowed them to create "realistic" ghosts, etc.

 

[disneyseniors]

First of all, forgive me if this is an ignorant question but why is Peter Pan's Flight so popular? I'll be making my first trip in about 7 years to Disney World with my girlfriend. I've been to Disney World and the magic kingdom 11 or 12 times as a kid and remember the ride very well and never remember it being a significant attraction. Am I mistaken or has the new queue drawn people in that much? Thanks!

My family and I wondered the same thing, after passing the extra long lines and wait times on several vacations.
We finally decided to hit it first thing in the am and see what the long wait times were all about. We all love Peter Pan and Hook, and always watch it, so..
Well, we left the ride with the same question as in your post, "why is it so popular". We just didn't get it, I guess. It's a nice ride, but we all looked at each other after the ride and wondered what we'd missed.
We love COP and all the other nostalgia attractions, though, just can't understand the popularity of this one. But it seems this is the minority opinion.

 

[DisneyFive]

It's also a VERY safe bet for a first time visitor to the park. It won't freak out the little kids, and is still enjoyable. It really is a pretty decent introductory ride for little ones, and to dark rides in general at WDW.

In our case, our kids weren't toddlers when we first went, and our very first ride was BTMRR... four times in about the first 25 minutes. Ah, the days of super low crowds at rope drop late September.

Dan

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

Yep, the nostalgia. Every time I ride PP it makes me think of my brother. During our first trip to WDW in 1975 I rode in a ship with him and he leaned over and touched the volcano.
It's neat that it's still there over 40 years later.

 

[AngelDisney]

Nostalgia for sure. I just have to ride it once every time I visit WDW. I really love the scene flying above London. I haven't seen the new queue line and would have to experience that at rope drop or during fireworks at least once this August.

 

[AngiTN]

The queue didn't help but really, it had long lines well before the queue was redone. So that's not it.
Honestly, I've never quite understood why this ride, of all of them, garners the longest lines. It's loading doesn't seem that different than any other slow moving loading ride, like Ariel or HM

 

[TexasPete]

Yep, the nostalgia. Every time I ride PP it makes me think of my brother. During our first trip to WDW in 1975 I rode in a ship with him and he leaned over and touched the volcano.
It's neat that it's still there over 40 years later.

Exactly. I went in 1977 and then not again until 2014. When our ship went up over London on my first ride in 2014, I was like, "HOLY COW I actually remember this." It's magical.

 

[TexasPete]

Honestly, I've never quite understood why this ride, of all of them, garners the longest lines. It's loading doesn't seem that different than any other slow moving loading ride, like Ariel or HM

Me either. Maybe they have fewer vehicles? Idk.

 

[janicept]

I agree with others. Not necessarily popular just long lines from how slow it runs.

 

[djc9699]

I love PP and ride every time we go to Disney. Yes its nostalgic, but I never went to Disney as a kid and we did not ride it our first time at Disney. My kids enjoy it as well. Not everything has to be exciting to be fun. I marvel at how it was designed that long ago and we notice something we didn't see before (or don't remember). We usually hit it at least twice in a trip. Of course, we enjoy every attraction and show at Disney, except Tiki birds (sorry fans). My 13 year old said "if you go in there again, you go alone."

 

[Farps]

I hated the ride as a child and since our time is so limited, I will not be making new nostalgia for my kids on Peter Pan! That "Come in, everybody, here we gooooooo!" still sticks in my head after 30 years of not riding it!

Maybe your kids would actually like it

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The lines have always been long. If you didn't enjoy it then, you probably will not enjoy it now - at least, not enough to give up a FP+ or stand in a long line for it. I wouldn't worry about why other love it or hate it - let your personal experience be your guide.

My wife and I love it while our boys (20 & 17) would never stand in line or give up a FP+ for it.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

It's in the middle of the pack for us. We don't waste fastpasses on it, but will ride if the line looks manageable (which is almost never).

 

[ArielSRL]

It is one of my 5 year old's favorite rides...along with Pooh, Speedway, Aladdin, and PeopleMover (yes, I raised him right).

 

[biondagirl]

Before my kids were born, and then when they were small, we never did Peter Pan. The line was always too long and we were never able to get a fast pass for it. A few years ago, I rode it with my son, I think he was nine, and it took me right back to my childhood. I remembered that I rode this ride with my aunt when I was small. And, I mean, small - less than four years old. It still amazes me that something I hadn't ridden in 40 years, could spark such a memory. I always fast pass it now!

 

[cigar95]

I always thought it was the flight over London that gave it the "wow".

But lately, I've wondered each time I ride it, what it would be like if they wanted to remake it as *the same ride it is now*, with all the same scenes, same characters, and the same track layout, but just using current technology. Would that spoil it?

 

[fla4fun]

I enjoy it because it's a classic and one of the few rides that is still around from day one. I always FP PP and HM any time I am going to MK and then switch up the third one. I think part of the reasons the lines are longer is that there appears to be at least twice as much space between the ride vehicles than HM or LM. I think that's to give you a greater illusion of flight that you wouldn't have if it were just a line of boats. I often feel like I'm the only boat in there. I do wish the ride was a few minutes longer though.

I think it's important to hold on to rides the whole family from tots to grandmas can ride together. Parks have been trying to out thrill each other the past few years, and while there isn't anything wrong with thrill rides, there are limits as to who can experience them. I think MK has done a pretty good job of keeping a balance and I hope they continue.

 

[ablair10]

Even though the line is so long, the feeling of flying over London in a pirate ship is just pure magic!

 

[melanielll]

I think it became more popular when Tinkerbell got her own show and her own bit of a cult following with people in the midranged ages. I think it brought an entire new wave of people into the lines. Jake and The Neverland Pirates also added to that. Plus - location, location, location. It is right smack there on the main road.

 

[NH-to-FL]

DW loves this ride with its "we're flying" feel. It is our MK rope drop ride. As others have noted, it is a classic. A good example of how "old fashioned" can be just as magical as the latest technology.