Team from Disney examines Enchanted Forest's newest ride

[Dis13]

From a Salem, Oregon newspaper: Team from Disney examines Enchanted Forest's newest ride

The Walt Disney Co. sent a team to the Enchanted Forest Wednesday to check out The Challenge of Mondor, a trackless indoor target shooting ride.

Disney "Imagineers" came to the Turner theme park to research the possibilities of using the same ride system in Disneyland, Enchanted Forest officials said.

Barcode technology guides The Challenge of Mondor's cars. That allows the cars to have a greater range of movement than vehicles hooked to a track.

The trackless ride system was built by ETF of the Netherlands. It is the only trackless ride system built by ETF in the United States, Enchanted Forest officials said.

The ride "sends riders on a quest to fight dragons and monsters and free the happy little drumlins," according to the theme park. Riders use infrared guns to vanquish their opponents, and the cars have on-board score-keeping units. Top scorers are given medals and have their names engraved on a plaque at Enchanted Forest.

The park is at 8462 Enchanted Way SE in Turner.

-- Michael Rose

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link to article
http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070820/BUSINESS/708200308/1040:

 

[agnes!]

I bet Universal has already taken a look at this system, sounds like it would be a good match for their new "Harry Potter area". Frankly, I'm surprised that Enchanted Forest installed it before either Uni or Disney (or even Six Flags).

agne!

 

[ChrisFL]

that's interesting, especially because Disney already has 2 trackless systems in place at Tokyo, one for the Winnie the Pooh Ride and another for the Aquatopia ride at DisneySea.

Both use a local positioning system...but maybe this barcode one is more cost effective?

 

[EUROPACL]

that's interesting, especially because Disney already has 2 trackless systems in place at Tokyo, one for the Winnie the Pooh Ride and another for the Aquatopia ride at DisneySea.

Both use a local positioning system...but maybe this barcode one is more cost effective?

There really is no "track" either for Indy at Disneyland, Dinosaur at AK or the Parade for that matter at MK....don't they use sensors in the ground?

 

[Another Voice]

'Universe of Energy' opened in 1982 with a "trackless" system - the theater cars are guided by wires in the ground. 'Tower of Terror' uses a similar system. Tokyo Disneyland's 'Pooh' and DisneySea's 'Aquatopia' use a system where each car is guided by a GPS device. Each unit takes different paths based on what a central computer decides to do.

Disney deemed the newer system too expensive for us Americans and we got cheep 'Pooh'. 'Indiana Jones' and 'Dinosaur' use underroad guideways as I understand the system - much like 'Test Track' does.

 

[serendipityaey]

Both use a local positioning system...but maybe this barcode one is more cost effective?

GPS? That's interesting...

'Universe of Energy' opened in 1982 with a "trackless" system - the theater cars are guided by wires in the ground. 'Tower of Terror' uses a similar system.

The ETF system, the one Enchanted Forest uses, also uses a wire embedded in the cement for the cars to follow, the barcodes tell the car when to do special things like turn; around a corner, or in a circle. Plus sensors on the front in case something gets in the way.

Disney deemed the newer system too expensive for us Americans and we got cheep 'Pooh'.

The GPS system was too expensive? I've heard different reasons about why we didn't get a trackless 'Pooh', but too expensive makes more sense... Except if our little family owned Enchanted Forest can afford a trackless ride...

'Indiana Jones' and 'Dinosaur' use underroad guideways as I understand the system - much like 'Test Track' does.

That's what I thought as well. The parade does use sensors of some kind in the ground.

 

[clownfish1452]

I live very close to Enchanted Forest in New York and I did not hear about this. It must be a different Enchanted Forest because the one I go to is mainly water slides.

Sarah

 

[serendipityaey]

I live very close to Enchanted Forest in New York and I did not hear about this. It must be a different Enchanted Forest because the one I go to is mainly water slides.

Sarah

Yes, we're in Oregon. Sometimes people from New York find our website online and send in an application. It's very funny, I don't think they really want to commute that far

 

[ChevyNat]

The park looks cute...is it worth visiting?