Stitch - Is this the worst?

[bettyann29]

sorry but I have to say that I like Stitch.. I didnt like AE at all..

 

[thelionqueen]

We hadn't read anything on this ride when we went in May, so we just went on it with completely open expectations.

What a let down!! We kept waiting for the ride to start....then kept waiting for the ride to start...then kept waiting for the ride to start...you get the point.

Then, while waiting for the ride to start, the chili dog episode...DISGUSTING..and the really HEAVY "harness" on your shoulders that does nothing except give you the AWFUL chili dog experience.

It was AWFUL, and I cannot imagine it will be there for long..even if it is new. A CM when I walked out asked me if I like it, a resounding NO came from my lips, she said that is the concensus of riders and even she didn't think it was going to last..let's hope not. Stitch is so awesome, I was hoping for something more grand...even just OK would have been fine too...just my thoughts..

 

[robinb]

I didn't like AE and I'm not all that impressed with Stitch. However, my 6 year old DD likes it (after being a bit afraid about the retraints) so I guess I'll be doing it more often.

 

[ShuisFan584]

I loved Alien Encounter and I was upset when they replaced it with Stitch. I heard so many bad reviews that I was afraid to even try it. I eventually decided to do it our last day, and it definitely wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be! I do agree that it wasn't as good as Alien Encounter, but it wasn't exactly horrible either! I thought it was cute, but it wasn't good enough to replace Alien Encounter.

 

[blueroses]

I never rode AE and hated Stitch when I rode it last November because there was just nothing to it. I wouldn't ride it again even if there were no line at all. I can't think of any other attraction at WDW that I could say that about.

 

[JRawkSteady]

See the thing about Stitch is that it's too scary for the littlest ones and too tame and boring for the older kids...and the younger kids who don't get scared can't go on b/c of the height restriction. Poorly poorly done.

 

[LadyDulcinea1]

I hated Alien Encounter (the shoulder harness hurt my shoulders a lot), but that being said, I wasn't crazy about Stitch's Great Escape, and I'm a huge Stitch fan. Went not expecting much, and that's pretty much what I got, though it was nice to see Skippy again, I love him! I agree with most of the other posters, the chili dog was definitely disgusting!

I think its still to scary for some young kids, since it gets very dark and there are lots of strange noises. I heard lots of crying and screaming when I went on it. Definitley one I will skip, if its even still there on my next trip

 

[Mommio]

We are really big Stitch fans but also felt disappointed after going on it. The hype was fun, like the crashed escape vehicle at DTD and Stitch on the monorail announcement. Sorry to say, it was much more imaginitive than the attraction itself.

Even though our first impression was so-so, my 10-year-old daughter wanted to try again later so we gave it a second chance. We thought the story idea was a great one and the pre-show presents it well. The animatronic Stitch effects look fabulous! Then it falls a little flat... a bit too long sitting in the dark with the same thing happening over and over. And it just ends. I think because it starts so strongly and then fizzles with the finish, it leaves you feeling let down.

We really didn't like the shoulder restraints. Each of us commented about how uncomfortable they were. Surely there must be a better way to give the audience the sensory experience Disney wanted without the rough treatment. We've never done AE, did it also have restraints?

I'd say go ahead and do it once. If you like Stitch, it's worth a try just for the pre-show. (Beware of the darkness and other issues for younger riders mentioned before.) If you don't like it, you can at least say "Been there, done that". It seems the kids are more tolerant of Disney "shortcomings" than adults. Unfortunately, of all of the WDW attractions, this is the only one that my family agrees we don't ever have to do again

 

[PattnFmly]

It is still 40" for height requirement. My 4.5 yo DS is 43" and he loved it!

 

[Robo]

I remember that Alien Encounter (AE) was one of the most reviled and controversial attractions at WDW, at least on this board and others like it.

I would always be amazed at the vast number of posters here who proclaimed they hated AE.

AE was very similar to the current "Stitch" attraction but it was designed to be several degrees more "scary" and the humor was more "by implication" (like a typical low-budget horror/comedy film.)

Seeing all of today's posts about how much folks LOVED the former AE is really amusing considering the lack of accolades on these boards when AE was still open.

Personally, though I did like AE, I never experienced so many terrified children on a Disney attraction as those who were allowed to sit through AE.
Virtually every time I rode AE there were MANY grade-schoolers in tears (some in hysterics). The "binaural" very realistic soundtrack was filled with actors shrieking and yelling, and, if you didn't understand that this was actually part of the ride, it was easy to get caught up in the "panic".
Not really a good "mix" for the Magic Kingdom's family rep.
Stitch is very clever. The off-beat humor is there, as well as some very well-done effects.
No, its not my favorite ride, but there are others with less zing that still work for me as part of the "whole mix" of enjoyment of WDW.

So, go ahead and bash "Stitch".
Join in the fine tradition of hating what's there... until it gets replaced... then wishing it were back. Too much fun!

(For more fun, check out the buzz on the soon-to-depart, "Tarzan Rocks").

 

[puffkin]

I believe the heigh requirement was 36" when it first opened but they changed it to 40" because of the "scare" factor for younger kids.

The shoulder restraints are the same as in Alien Encounter.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Sorry, but I loved Stitch. Cute ride.

 

[MosMom]

When it originally opened it was less than 40"...They upped it.

We like Stitch

 

[disneynewbee]

We will probably do this again on our next trip ONLY because my oldest loves Stitch. LOL But it really isn't my "thang" and I like AE better.



I think it's 40 inches isn't it? Your 2yr old is not the normal height... my average height just turned 5yr old only barely met the requirement when we were there in June (she's just over 42 inches)! Or did the height requirement change since you went? In any case, if your 2yr old is over 40 inches... it's not the norm so don't worry about a bunch of 2yr olds going in on this "ride/show". It's not likely to be happening... not many 2yr olds are that tall.

Very true I have to agree that she is taller than most of her peers. She is about the same height as her 5yo cousin but she can't be the only 2yo this tall. She just made it but the guy was nice enough to advise us against taking her on. I just want to make sure that people know that the shoulder restraints are a bit much so if your child makes the height requirement but is under 5yrs I might skip it for them.
Also there is alot of belief that people didn't like stitch because they liked the previous attractions better. I just want to say this was my first trip to disney so I had not rode any of the previous rides and still did not like it. I would never however suggest that someone not try it. Everyone needs to try it and see for themselves how they feel. The only ones I would suggest not ride are very young kids. I had read some negetive posts before I went but decided that that was just that persons opinion and I was going to see for myself. Everyone should try it once.

 

[disneynewbee]

I also never paid attention to what it said on the sign for height the guy just held the stick up to her and said she just makes it. It had to have gone up though because after reading this I took out my tape measure to measure her and she is now just 40 inches and she is 2yrs and 10months now. So either they upped it or she hasn't grown in 10months.

 

[live and let live]

I don't think Stitch's Great Escape was that bad really, i'd advise using fastpass for it really could be annoyed after it if you waited a long time and don't like it, incase anyone reading hasn't been on before. I really miss Alien Encounter was a lot better in my opinion, I was gutted when we got there last year and it had been changed but all in all I think try stitch at least once (unless you've young kids they might get scared), because looking at these replies it might not be there too long lol.

Oh and I was lucky enough not to smell the chilli dog scent , I'd just taken a breath before it was thrust on everyone and didn't know what happened had to ask my boyfriend what happened while looking round completely confused lol, this could be a reason I don't mind stitch too much I missed the smell factor \o/ lol

 

[oogie boogie]

All I can say is WOW!! I don't think I've ever seen so many bad reviews for a ride! A friend of mine told me about AE last year and I thought what a kool concept for a ride! Then the Disney magazine came out saying they were replacing it with the Stitch theme. I have yet to ride stitch but at least I have been forwarned! I'm still planning on doing the ride in Dec. But I'm not going 2 expect much! From what I hear, the original AE attratction was scary and awesome! It would prob be better suited at MGM than at MK.

 

[sPaRkLeSpAz]

Yeah, the Chillidog thing was disgusting, but besides that I liked Stitch. It was pretty cool. It was lest scary than Alien Encounter.

 

[packy]

Doing a rough tally about 32-5 against Stitch. That said my 11 year old still liked it. The chili dog was a big hit.

 

[SoCalKDG]

I liked it, daughter liked it(3 years old). Not worth a 30-50 minute line, but less than 10 minutes, once per trip, why not. Never did Alien Encounter. Would have, but my daughter wouldn't have, so I guess that says it all about the change. Disney has made some changes to the latter half of the show in attempts to improve.

As a parent, here is what to do to help with your kids restraints. As they start to come down, put your hands on your kids shoulders. The restaint then settles at that position, which will be about 1-2" above the shoulders. This works with your own shoulders as well.