Ride Speeds - Can They Change?

[scrappinginontario]

A friend asked me a question yesterday and at first I thought 'no' but then it's got me to wondering. Is it possible for the speed of a ride to change to a slightly faster speed when crowds are higher, thus allowing more people to visit the attraction?

In particular she was asking about 'The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.' She said this time it seemed like it was over almost before it began.

I'm wondering if any DISboard fans 'in the know' know if Disney has the ability to change the speed of a ride? I can't say this question has ever crossed my mind but once she asked it it got me to thinking.

What are your thoughts?

 

[BradChristian]

I doubt Pooh would change... and I felt it was a decent length with several acts for a dark ride.

I think the perception of length gets exaggerated by how long you wait for the ride. I rode both Pooh and SDMT with Fastpass only - However - I could see my satisfaction dip if I had waited over an hour for SDMT and 45 mins for pooh.

I could imagine IASM and POTC to both have some variation because of how the boats get backed up offloading people?

 

[goodgodmrsmolly]

I have noticed on some coasters that some days, it does feel like the ride is going slower. I can never tell if that is real though. SM is dark so there is nothing to compare to. BTMR, maybe people screaming makes it seem more intense?? I really don't know. I hope someone who really knows will answer.

 

[Robo]

I have noticed on some coasters that some days, it does feel like the ride is going slower. I can never tell if that is real though. SM is dark so there is nothing to compare to. BTMR, maybe people screaming makes it seem more intense?? I really don't know. I hope someone who really knows will answer.

Roller coasters are just that... "coasters."
The vehicles are hoisted to the top of a lift hill... and released.
(There can be more than one lift hill per coaster track.)

The only way to slow them down, mid-ride, is to switch on the (on the tracks) safety brakes (there are several places with safety brakes) and stop them at that emergency stop point.

 

[Reddog1134]

They "slowed down" Space Mountain during the last refurb. It was as Robo said, they applied breaks in certain areas.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...ce-mountain-during-upcoming-refurbishment.htm

I don't see why they couldn't slow down or speed up other rides as needed. Especially Omni-movers, as long as the guests can safely board.

 

[Robo]

I don't see why they couldn't slow down or speed up other rides as needed. Especially Omni-movers, as long as the guests can safely board.

Yes, they can.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I know (learned in behind the scenes tour) that spaceship earth actually has the technical capability to go roller coaster speeds. Of course they would never actually utilize that capability, but it does make you wonder how many others could go faster/slower. I highly doubt Disney messes with it based on crowds though.

 

[Robo]

I know (learned in behind the scenes tour) that spaceship earth actually has the technical capability to go roller coaster speeds.

It sounds like the CM was either pulling your leg or was misinformed.

They actually CONSIDERED building a coaster into SE, but they decided against it.
(That may be the source of the confusion.)

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

It sounds like the CM was either pulling your leg or was misinformed.

They actually CONSIDERED building a coaster into SE, but they decided against it.
(That may be the source of the confusion.)

I'm guessing misinformed then, the guy was dead serious. He said it has the mechanical capability to do so but obviously none of the safety requirements and whathaveyou to use it. This was on the UnDiscovered Future World tour.

He wasn't implying it was a coaster, just that it had the ability to go very fast.

 

[tink9702]

for outside coasters like Thunder Mountain the weather can speed/slow up the ride (not by a lot). They run slower in colder weather.

 

[Robo]

I'm guessing misinformed then, the guy was dead serious. He said it has the mechanical capability to do so but obviously none of the safety requirements and whathaveyou to use it. This was on the UnDiscovered Future World tour.

He wasn't implying it was a coaster, just that it had the ability to go very fast.

Can you imagine what would be the consequences if there WAS such a setting and someone (or the commuter)
inadvertently switched to it with guests on-board and in the loading and unloading areas?

With OmniMover propulsion (what SE uses) ALL of the vehicles are linked together in one long chain.
If you change the speed, ALL vehicles in ALL parts of the ride must change at the same time.
That's why, if they need to stop a vehicle at loading or unloading, the entire motion of the ride
-all the way though- must stop, too.
This happens most frequently at Haunted Mansion.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Can you imagine what would be the consequences if there WAS such a setting and someone (or the commuter)
inadvertently switched to it with guests on-board and in the loading and unloading areas?

With OmniMover propulsion (what SE uses) ALL of the vehicles are linked together in one long chain.
If you change the speed, ALL vehicles in ALL parts of the ride must change at the same time.
That's why, if they need to stop a vehicle at loading or unloading, the entire motion of the ride
-all the way though- must stop, too.
This happens most frequently at Haunted Mansion.

Yeah. He was probably misinformed. That's what he said though! Though I think he meant it could be made to do that (like, has the mechanical ability to), not that it was a function that is currently included in the ride operation/settings/controls or whatever. As you noted, that would be insanely dangerous. & terrifying.

 

[bryon]

Last year I was lucky enough to go to Disney 4 times during different months and crowd levels throughout the year. It was the first time I thought to myself that certain attractions Disney may speed up or slow down based on crowd levels. I thought this on such attractions like Pirates, haunted mansion, and even Splash Mountain. It seemed that at the busier times of the year, these attractions seemed to go faster so that you didn't have the same amount of time to view the details.

Of course, i did not time it to support the theory. But it did seem that way to me for the first time.

 

[The Dirty Steve]

Although the outside (or inside) elements may have a slight effect on a ride's speed, you should not be able to tell it with out some sort of measuring equipment. However, as a roller coaster is a lesson in physics, weight loaded into a car will play more into how fast a ride moves. Same applies to where you sit in that car as well, but that is merely perception.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thanks for your responses everyone! Just for fun I might begin keeping track of a few rides (that are not roller coasters) and see if they vary much/at all over the next couple of years. That being said, I'll need to have my finger on the pause button for stops that are common to allow guests who require extra time to board/disembark the ride.

Will be something to try when my DD asks to ride Pooh for the 3rd time in one day.

 

[tchrrx]

It seems like it would really mess up the sound and spell to change the timing of the ride.

 

[Robo]

It seems like it would really mess up the sound and spell to change the timing of the ride.

It would depend on which ride.

On Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth, the on-board-the-vehicle spiel is triggered by the location of the vehicle (with pauses in-between narration segments.)
The off-board audio and music is running in continuous loops.

On other rides, like Small World, Pirates, Little Mermaid-Under the Sea, Epcot's Mexico boat ride (Gran Fiesta Tour,) Nemo Clamshells, and others, there is no on-board spiel and the total audio plays in continuous loops.
So, guests just glide past to hear whatever is playing as they pass.

 

[scrapquitler]

Thanks for your responses everyone! Just for fun I might begin keeping track of a few rides (that are not roller coasters) and see if they vary much/at all over the next couple of years. That being said, I'll need to have my finger on the pause button for stops that are common to allow guests who require extra time to board/disembark the ride.

Will be something to try when my DD asks to ride Pooh for the 3rd time in one day.

You mention the stops for allowing extra time for disabled guests to enter/leave the ride, and I think that might be part of the perception of the ride speed varying.

 

[SeilerBird]

Just about every ride at WDW has multiple versions of it on YouTube. Pick a ride and compare the lengths of the videos.

 

[disnut8]

You mention the stops for allowing extra time for disabled guests to enter/leave the ride, and I think that might be part of the perception of the ride speed varying.

Agree. My father passed a few years ago but we toured Disney World with him when he was in a wheelchair but could, very slowly, transfer from a wheelchair to the transportation vehicle. So, for those people in the vehicles in front of him, the ride took longer because it was slowed down for him to board (Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land come to mind) and for those behind him it took longer to unload because he was getting out of the vehicle. To this day, if we get "stopped" or "slowed" on those attractions, I don't mind at all.