I'm a major Disney Parks fan and I have been to almost all of the parks worldwide (except for Paris). As such, it is natural to make comparisons like Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom, Orlando) vs
Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars (Hong Kong) which are both three act roller coasters, or the many variations on Tower of Terror.
At some point while visiting Disney parks worldwide, you naturally start to narrow down your comparisons to the top attraction on the planet. For me this comes down to:
Radiator Springs Racers (California Adventure, California, USA)
vs.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (Tokyo DisneySea, Japan)
Both use the ride system pioneered by Test Track in Epcot. Both include interior/dark ride and exterior elements. Both, most certainly have high speed thrills! This is my attempt to compare and contrast to decide on he best Disney attraction on the planet.
Theme
Both are the major attraction in a complete land. For Journey, it is
Mount Prometheus, a massive volcano structure with secondary attractions, shops and restaurants. For Racers, the same applies, though it has recently had to revamp one of the secondary attractions. Both come alive at night and have a full feel. The edge, in my mind, goes to Journey for its appeal to both children and adults (along with the steampunk community).
Winner: Journey
Queue
Both Journey and Racers have a well themed queue. Journey is fully inside and includes many references to the works of Jules Verne. The queue involves a separation with an elevator ride that appears to take you down hundreds of stores under the ground (the reality is less impressive!). Once deep underground the steampunk vibe takes over and there is an amazing amount of thought taken on how this underground community supplies air and electricity. Racers has a beautiful queue, especially the building made with recycled glass bottles, but lacks the overall drama.
Winner: Journey
Vehicle
Once you are seated and ready to go, you are on a vehicle on a slot-like track similar to test track. Racers uses a vehicle, much like Test Track with a 3 + 3 seating and panoramic views. Journey instead uses a craft that looks much like a drilling machine and is a 4 by 2 seating structure with lap belts. The structure above your head on Journey obscures the view, but does give you a feeling of safety (since you feel like you are in a cave deep underground). Still the vehicle from Racers feels much more natural and engaging.
Winner: Racers
Dark Ride
Journey dives deep into the center of the earth, showing iconic scenes like the underwater lake from the book and the dangers of the deep. It is very obvious, though, that you are on a stable track and lacks the drama of the original test track with the crash test, or Dinosaur/Indy's dynamic vehicle. Comparatively Racers feels like you are really in the movie and even entering a nighttime version of the town. The characters are memorable and there is so much to look at you have huge re-rideability factor.
Winner: Racers
Exterior Ride
Both Racers and Journey hold the majority of the exterior ride to the end of the attractions (Racers has a short exterior pre-ride). Both uses the exterior as a means to up the speed. For journey this is a thrilling acceleration and feeling of being spit out of the volcano (as in the book). For racers, this is an opportunity to race your fellow car and experience the beautiful sights of Radiator Springs. While Journey had an instant of a seeing view of the park, Racers has adrenaline of racing your fellow car on Racers in such a beautiful setting.
Winner: Tie
If you are keeping track, that is 2 vs 2 and a tie. So this comes down to the overall best experience. While I am personally more interested in the theming of Journey, I have to give this to Racers for being the best overall attraction on the planet.
I have had the pleasure of experiencing both multiple times over the last 2 years (including Journey last week), but I'm really looking forward to returning to the Disneyland resort next week to ride my favorite attraction, Radiator Springs Racers.
Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars (Hong Kong) which are both three act roller coasters, or the many variations on Tower of Terror.
At some point while visiting Disney parks worldwide, you naturally start to narrow down your comparisons to the top attraction on the planet. For me this comes down to:
Radiator Springs Racers (California Adventure, California, USA)
vs.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (Tokyo DisneySea, Japan)
Both use the ride system pioneered by Test Track in Epcot. Both include interior/dark ride and exterior elements. Both, most certainly have high speed thrills! This is my attempt to compare and contrast to decide on he best Disney attraction on the planet.
Theme
Both are the major attraction in a complete land. For Journey, it is
Mount Prometheus, a massive volcano structure with secondary attractions, shops and restaurants. For Racers, the same applies, though it has recently had to revamp one of the secondary attractions. Both come alive at night and have a full feel. The edge, in my mind, goes to Journey for its appeal to both children and adults (along with the steampunk community).
Winner: Journey
Queue
Both Journey and Racers have a well themed queue. Journey is fully inside and includes many references to the works of Jules Verne. The queue involves a separation with an elevator ride that appears to take you down hundreds of stores under the ground (the reality is less impressive!). Once deep underground the steampunk vibe takes over and there is an amazing amount of thought taken on how this underground community supplies air and electricity. Racers has a beautiful queue, especially the building made with recycled glass bottles, but lacks the overall drama.
Winner: Journey
Vehicle
Once you are seated and ready to go, you are on a vehicle on a slot-like track similar to test track. Racers uses a vehicle, much like Test Track with a 3 + 3 seating and panoramic views. Journey instead uses a craft that looks much like a drilling machine and is a 4 by 2 seating structure with lap belts. The structure above your head on Journey obscures the view, but does give you a feeling of safety (since you feel like you are in a cave deep underground). Still the vehicle from Racers feels much more natural and engaging.
Winner: Racers
Dark Ride
Journey dives deep into the center of the earth, showing iconic scenes like the underwater lake from the book and the dangers of the deep. It is very obvious, though, that you are on a stable track and lacks the drama of the original test track with the crash test, or Dinosaur/Indy's dynamic vehicle. Comparatively Racers feels like you are really in the movie and even entering a nighttime version of the town. The characters are memorable and there is so much to look at you have huge re-rideability factor.
Winner: Racers
Exterior Ride
Both Racers and Journey hold the majority of the exterior ride to the end of the attractions (Racers has a short exterior pre-ride). Both uses the exterior as a means to up the speed. For journey this is a thrilling acceleration and feeling of being spit out of the volcano (as in the book). For racers, this is an opportunity to race your fellow car and experience the beautiful sights of Radiator Springs. While Journey had an instant of a seeing view of the park, Racers has adrenaline of racing your fellow car on Racers in such a beautiful setting.
Winner: Tie
If you are keeping track, that is 2 vs 2 and a tie. So this comes down to the overall best experience. While I am personally more interested in the theming of Journey, I have to give this to Racers for being the best overall attraction on the planet.
I have had the pleasure of experiencing both multiple times over the last 2 years (including Journey last week), but I'm really looking forward to returning to the Disneyland resort next week to ride my favorite attraction, Radiator Springs Racers.
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