Something I noticed about Dumbo-type rides ...

[Experiment_626]

On our recent trip to WDW, my wife rode several of the Dumbo-style rides with our little one, who is just over a year old and was enjoying his first visit to the parks. On each of these rides -- Dumbo, Flying Carpets of Aladdin, and TriceraTop Spin -- I noticed that each ride begins and ends with the ride vehicles in the exact same spot relative to a stationary observer. In other words, if you think of these rides from overhead as being like a clock and your party boards a vehicle in, say, the 10 o'clock position, the ride will end and their vehicle will come to a stop at that same 10 o'clock position.

From this observation I deduce that these rides are "timed" in terms of revolutions as opposed to an exact number of seconds.

Just thought it was interesting ...

Scott

 

[TangaroaTiki]

Never noticed that. I do think the ride could be a tad longer though!

 

[ccudmore]

I think you just got lucky with those placements. From my experience you could just as well end up on the total opposite side from where you started. I sometimes have to look around after the ride to get my bearings and realize which side of the ride I'm on.

 

[sissy_ib]

I think you just got lucky with those placements. From my experience you could just as well end up on the total opposite side from where you started. I sometimes have to look around after the ride to get my bearings and realize which side of the ride I'm on.

Really? I was going to agree with the OP. They even have numbers on the ground right in front of where the door of ride vehicle stops. The numbers might not be on all three but I know I saw them on at least on of the rides.

 

[Experiment_626]

I think you just got lucky with those placements.

That's what I thought after just riding Dumbo. But the odds are way against luck on all three rides -- especially since, after having noticed it on the first ride, I also paid attention to others riding before my family boarded the rides. Everyone was having quite the run of luck, if that's what it was.

Possibly it used to be "timed" one way and is now done differently.

Scott

 

[LilGMom]

I know that with Primeval Whirl where you start is where you end up. It would make sense for all of the rides like this to start/stop in the same place. Each ride probably does X number of rotations per ride so it makes sense for it to work out that way.

 

[madalex]

I think you just got lucky with those placements. From my experience you could just as well end up on the total opposite side from where you started. I sometimes have to look around after the ride to get my bearings and realize which side of the ride I'm on.

This is not the case. The OP is correct. The rides all bring you right back to the spot where you started.

 

[2Tiggies]

I have noticed something else about Dumbo type rides. I have a tendency to turn a deeper shade of green which could be why the last thing I would notice is where I end up, relative to where I started. Why don't you email a question to touringplans. This the sort of information they would observe

 

[bkowals25]

I know for Aladdins Magic Carpet ride the number on the ground is always the same as the number on the arm holding the magic carpet. I would assume the others work the same way and you always returnm to the same spot you started.

 

[seashoreCM]

I think that most of the ride operation is timed but lining up the cars with the markings on the platform (if done) is accomplished using sensors after the cars have descended.

A few years ago I timed these rides and the ride length is about 90 seconds with unload/load time averaging 120 seconds.