Space Mountain: DisneyWorld vs. Disneyland

[donnajz]

We've never been to Disneyland but DD saw Space Mountain in Disneyland has different cars, two to a seat. I was just curious if the ride itself is different. If so, which do you enjoy more?

 

[lovealatte]

It's the same ride, in essence, but I prefer DL's as do a lot of other people. The soundtrack is piped through to your car much better than MK's, the ride is better.. more quick turns, seems to be faster, etc. I'm sure others can provide a better description but DL's version is the best!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Disneyland... it's smoother. We sat in the back car at WDW and I got whipped pretty good.

I'm no whimpy coaster rider either! My favorite coaster is Goliath at Magic Mountain!

 

[linzbear]

DL is way better

 

[Jedi]

DL the speakers in the cars, and the track is so much better!

 

[hookedonears]

Space Mountain was closed for 9 months, or so at both parks (DL & WDW) a couple of years ago. For the life of me, I can't understand why Disney couldn't have made the ride at WDW as good, or better than the one at DL. Okay, so they added a little intertainment in the que. Most people are more interested in the ride experience. Disney rarely falls short of expectations in any thing that it does, but this was a glaring example of a time that it did.

 

[wdwislife]

I agree, the version in DL is better. The music is awesome, and it is much louder than the recently added music in WDW since there are speakers on each car, which makes for a much more intense ride! Also, the track itself has been changed more recently, which makes it a lot smoother.

 

[Reddog1134]

Space Mountain was closed for 9 months, or so at both parks (DL & WDW) a couple of years ago.

Actually, I think the DL Space Mountain was closed for much longer.

On the WDW version you can see the track in the darkness. On the DL version all I could see were the star fields. So I was never sure which direction I was gonna go in.

Edit: yep, I just checked. DL was closed for more than 2 years.

 

[chartle]

Actually, I think the DL Space Mountain was closed for much longer.

On the WDW version you can see the track in the darkness. On the DL version all I could see were the star fields. So I was never sure which direction I was gonna go in.

Edit: yep, I just checked. DL was closed for more than 2 years.

Space mountain in DL closed for over 2 years. It sounds like there was some major structural issues since the closure was unexpected.

 

[gilesmt]

I don't ever remember DL space mountain being closed for 2 years and I have been more than once a year a lot and have never been when it was closed that I can remember.

DL is way better, first you get to experience it with a partner, the seats are double. Second the music is in the seats. Third it is almost in total darkness and you can not see the track. Fourth the track is smoother. Fifth I think it is longer (but I am not sure).

A few years ago about 2008, they put a rock star version in the music (I know I am going to be yelled at for not knowing who, I have an idea but will skip saying it incase I am wrong), the ride was not in total darkness, for everyone in our family we got off and said how lame, when you can see the track you do not feel like it is as fast, you know when the turns are coming.
So it was lame, we felt the same way when we went to WDW, it was lame, you could see the track.

Now that I have lost all sight, I will let you know how WDW feels this time, maybe it will be in par with DL's.

 

[ffugitive]

Other than the name, the outer shell and the fact that both are dark coasters, the rides are completely different. DL is 100x better in my opinion - the music is a full symphony scored to the twists and turns in the track, and the coaster itself is far superior to the one in WDW.

 

[optibeam]

It's been a while since I was at DL, but from what I remember, the one in DL was better. I haven't been on the WDW one since the refirb so my judgment will be flawed.. On a side note, the one in Paris is very different and by far the roughest ride.

 

[Love Tink]

The DL Space Mountain was down for about two and a half years because it needed a lot more work than the WDW version. There had been a couple of accidents at DL and several people were injured on the ride. They basically tore the original version down and rebuilt it from scratch.

That probably explains why the CA version gets better reviews than the FL one - it was completely rebuilt in the 2000s, with newer technology. The FL was just refurbed.

 

[Luv4Disney]

We love SM but we did DL's version for the first time last May and it was AWESOME! Definitely better than WDW IMO. However, we do still love WDW SM, especially since we don't/won't go to DL as much.

 

[chartle]

I don't ever remember DL space mountain being closed for 2 years and I have been more than once a year a lot and have never been when it was closed that I can remember.

It was closed April 10, 2003 - July 15, 2005 with soft opening starting July 1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Mountain_(Disneyland)#History

 

[rstamm]

DL-Awesome

DW-Painful

 

[Michelle1125]

I'm glad this question was asked. We are going to DL in May and I was wondering the same thing. My daughter was not tall enough to ride the WDW Space Mountain, but will be old enough to ride in DL. After riding it I thought it was probably a good thing she wasn't tall enough. Either I'm getting old (at 30) or I just forgot how rough it was. I was wondering why the height requirements were different. I guess because the one in DL has two riders per row?

 

[rblucy]

DH and I both though Space Mountain in DL was better than WDW. And that's saying a lot from me since Space Mountain is my favorite ride

 

[bumbershoot]

Space Mountain was closed for 9 months, or so at both parks (DL & WDW) a couple of years ago. For the life of me, I can't understand why Disney couldn't have made the ride at WDW as good, or better than the one at DL.

The WDW closure was far too short to re-do the whole thing. April to November, only 7 months.

I don't ever remember DL space mountain being closed for 2 years and I have been more than once a year a lot and have never been when it was closed that I can remember.

Yep, it was closed...we had our first as-adults trip in September '05 and I was entirely unaware that it had been closed and that it was a big deal that it was open (and we rode it), despite the OVERsized park map with the BIG picture of Space Mountain on it celebrating its re-opening. We were clueless!

Other than the name, the outer shell and the fact that both are dark coasters, the rides are completely different.

Agreed. Entirely different. I seriously disliked WDW's version, felt like I'd been beaten up when I got off the ride.

DL's version scares me, I have images of things falling down in front of me and our car smashing into those things, but at least I don't feel like someone has punched my abdomen repeatedly....cannot figure out WHY they made those t-bar restraints for WDW, they are horrid.

I'm glad this question was asked. We are going to DL in May and I was wondering the same thing. My daughter was not tall enough to ride the WDW Space Mountain, but will be old enough to ride in DL. After riding it I thought it was probably a good thing she wasn't tall enough. Either I'm getting old (at 30) or I just forgot how rough it was. I was wondering why the height requirements were different. I guess because the one in DL has two riders per row?

The seating arrangement is quite different! I was having an extremely difficult time letting my 6 year old on, because my imagination was having a field day with how inadequate that t-bar seemed... I did let him on, I sat behind him with my hand reaching forward to touch his shoulder for half the ride (sweet boy, he kept patting my hand). He LOVED it. I was a mess.

He won't even go inside the building for Disneyland's Space! Don't know why. Maybe on our next visit to DL, though, he'll go and fall madly in love with their version and I don't have to ride WDW's ever EVER again....

 

[nytimez]

I haven't ridden the one in DL, but I have been on the one in Tokyo, which supposedly is very close to the one in DL (post-renovation). The one in Tokyo is WAY better than the one in WDW, the ride is smoother, the audio is better, the lighting effects are crisper and it "feels" faster (I don't know if it really is). If the DL one is like that, then I'm sure it's also way better than the one at WDW.

Those of us who go to WDW totally got gyped on this one.