Thrill Rides - Not My Cup of Tea...

[montblanc]

I know there are a lot of people who enjoy these kinds of rides but I feel like Disney is overdoing it by copying other parks. Although I get dizzy/nauseous rather easily I am very sporting and will try almost anything. A significant part of a ride for me is the atmosphere that is created, motion effects are nice but if they are the main attraction, count me out. A few experiences:

Mission Mars

Watched a tiny video screen while we spun around. Started perspiring and feeling a little sick. Couldn't wait for ride to be over, took 10 minutes to recover.

Space Mountain

Not too bad but we moved so fast I could hardly enjoy the scenary.

Tower of Terror

First part was fun but the freefall plunge, ayee! My heart was racing, not a pleasant experience.

The rides I enjoy are ones like Soarin, Maelstrom, Spaceship Earth, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the C., etc. Maybe not heart stopping material but plenty fun and more what I think of as "Disney". If I wanted pure thrill I'd probably go to parks with super roller coasters. I heard Spaceship Earth was almost rebuilt for a thrill ride, glad it wasn't. Lastly...we went to the Carousel of Progress for the first time. Thought it would be boring, especially for my 11 year old, turned out to be one of her favorites...

 

[Maps05]

Couldn't agree more. Whole point of Walt's dream, a place where parents and children could have fun together!! Especially on the Themed Rides, like Splash Mountain for example, lets have an alternate course where the not so strong stomached can enjoy all the sights and have a great ride!! Maybe this would help with lines and children getting pushed onto rides they don't really want or feel ready for, but the parents do!!

 

[jann1033]

that is agood idea about the alternate ending)) but personally i like the thrill rides and figure every family doesn't have little kids that can't ride them. once my kids hit the height level they always rode all the rides. personally i dislike Small world but if my kids didn't hate it too i'd ride it.

 

[jarestel]

Right you are, montblanc. I don't mind having these rides available for those who like the thrill rides, I just wish Disney would create more sensational, albeit tamer, rides and attractions like Soarin' that everyone can enjoy together. I imagine the budget for Expedition Everest at AKL is huge compared to what gets spent on more traditional type atractions.

 

[foxtrotter]

I love thrill rides, but I agree that Disney should not focus so much on them. While Mission: Space is a fun ride, overall it really is inferior to what it replaced: Horizons. Disney does those great, dark, family track rides so well, I wish they would focus more on those and only put in a thrill ride once in awhile and never to replace something as great as Horizons ever again. They can add thrill rides, like they're doing with Expedition Everest, without replacing a family ride.

 

[puffkin]

I disagree.

I think Disney does a great job of balancing the needs of an older/thrill seeking audience with their core demographic of families.

If you look at the list of attractions added in the last couple years, very few are Thrill rides, but more rides multiple ages/genereations can enjoy:

Mickey's Philharmagic
Cinderbrellation
Stitch's Great Escape (tamed down a more "adult" attraction)
Turtle Talk with Crush
Soarin'
Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show
Triceratops Spins

All these attractions have a very broad, family appeal. Really, the only recent attraction that is more of a Thrill oriented ride is Mission
Space. Expedition Everest will also fit this bill, but AK needs a true Thrill Ride since they don't really have any.

So no, I do not think that Disney is going overboard with the Thrill attractions. I think they are doing a good job at coming up with unique and innovative ways to entertain the whole family in their themeparks. Visiting Walt Disney World with a child for the first time in June (7 year old niece) and our whole party of ages 7-51 were able to experience nearly every attraction together and have a great time, from the so-called "kiddie" attractions to the "thrill" rides. And trust me, my niece is not a thrill-ride junkie. With the exception of the Tower of Terror, she loved everything. Name another amusement park that allows the entire family that kind of entertainment for an entire week. I think Disney is doing it just right!

 

[elastigirlfan]

Right you are, montblanc. I don't mind having these rides available for those who like the thrill rides, I just wish Disney would create more sensational, albeit tamer, rides and attractions like Soarin' that everyone can enjoy together. I imagine the budget for Expedition Everest at AKL is huge compared to what gets spent on more traditional type atractions.

I agree... I think you make a good point...I'm not a big thrill ride person either, I like some but not most. I would hate to see classic family rides get replaced with thrill rides. I don't mind if they add them, but please don't take away the classics.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I think Disney does a great job of balancing the needs of an older/thrill seeking audience with their core demographic of families.

If you look at the list of attractions added in the last couple years, very few are Thrill rides, but more rides multiple ages/genereations can enjoy:

Mickey's Philharmagic
Cinderbrellation
Stitch's Great Escape (tamed down a more "adult" attraction)
Turtle Talk with Crush
Soarin'
Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show
Triceratops Spins

Great post Puffkin, I totally agree.

I think Disney does do a great job of balancing things for everyone. I think they've managed to compete somewhat with the "thrill parks" while still maintaining their family atmosphere very well.

 

[poohqueen]

I feel that Disney does a fine job of incorperating the thrill rides with the tammer rides. I myself am a thrill seeker, and LOVE thrill rides, however if I was with someone who didn't like them, I wouldn't make them gone on. Same as if I had children (which I don't) I would not make them go on something they didn't want to go on. When I was younger and we would go as a family, my sister and I were the thrill seekers, and we would go on rides, and the rest would wait for us. You need to have something for everyone, in order to keep people wanting to go back. I know that if all there was to go on was Pirates of the Carribean, or rides similar, I would not enjoy it as much. Don't get me wrong I love Disney and think the whole experience is awesome, but I do love the rides.

 

[ScoJo15]

I am a huge thrill ride fan and agree with the comments that Disney does a great job of mixing the tame, themed & thrill rides. I believe that each park should have a majority of rides on the tame/themed side, but definitely need 2-3 major thrill rides. You can't just have one thrill ride per park or the line would get way too long (cough, Test Track at Epcot when it opened, cough)

I don't think Disney is copying anyone. If they were, then it would have a huge hyper coaster or a wooden out and back coaster. I think they have to appeal to all ages and have a certain amount of "cool" rides for teens to go on (expedition everest, BTMR, M:S).

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think each park has something for each member of the family, from the thrill seeker to the crowd watcher.

 

[disneyaggie]

Count me in as a non-thrill ride seeker. Give me Winnie the Pooh and Snow White rides anyday!

 

[montblanc]

Some thrill rides are fine, I was just concerned that the focus is too much on roller coasters. Roller coasters are as old as the hills, not very innovative and there are hundreds of them all over the country. I just have the gut feeling that Disney is afraid of not being on the cutting edge of thrill rides and is relying too much on them. Turning SE into a roller coaster sounded crazy..just another space mountain in a different format.

I also think there are many other ways to introduce a "wow" factor into rides without relying on extreme motions primarily. I've seen some neat effects in other countries like a room that changes completely from one environment to another.

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

I think Disney still does a very good job with a good mix of attractions.
I have very little fear of any thrill rides, but some can be too much for me. Although I adore ToT, and can do it multiple times, I thought that
the Rock and Roller coaster was WAY over the top too much for me !
Different strokes for different folks !

 

[MonkeyPants]

Space Mountain

Not too bad but we moved so fast I could hardly enjoy the scenary.

Space Moutain doesnt really have any scenary

and while I will say I love the 'traditional' rides I also love the thrill rides and when you go to the parks what has the biggest lines? Space Moutain, R&R Exress, ToT, Splash Mountain... ie the thrill rides, so I would say that folks at Disney are listening to their audience and giving them what they want. But it isnt as if they have abandoned the idea of family attractions. You look at the stuff that has been added in the last few years. Buzz Lightyear is family oriented, Winnie the Pooh most definitely family oriented. Stunt show is a family attraction. Cinderellabration is family oriented. So its not as if all you are seeing is twisted steel going up for 'thrill' rides, the only place you see that is that IMO horrible looking rollercoaster in Dinoland of AK, no theming at all. Presentation has always been key IMO with Disney. Yeah ToT is an awesome ride, but plenty of other parks have similar (tho indeed no the same) type of ride, but they are boring, its the presentation of that oftem takes a good/great ride and makes is a DINSEY CLASSIC. Splash Mountain is one of my favorite rides ever. Are there more intense flume rides out there? Heck yes, but nothing that is as charming or enjoyable in my book. I don't forsee Disney ever forgetting the family rides, but at the same time they still want to give the thrill seekers a reason to come as well.

 

[montblanc]

Sounds good, if they keep innovating in other ways as well. The Stitch ride was nothing special for me, just something else replacing the alien. Walt was decades ahead of his time and I don't see Disney continuing that tradition, they seem to have fallen behind the curve. Nonetheless I love the place.

My favorite park is Epcot, especially the world showcase. Having real natives of each country staffing each pavillion adds to the realism.

 

[Maps05]

I don't want them to replace the themed thrill rides, just put a softer version to run beside it. I really would like to see the cool ride the rest of my family tell me about.

 

[minnie61650]

I disagree.

I think Disney does a great job of balancing the needs of an older/thrill seeking audience with their core demographic of families.

If you look at the list of attractions added in the last couple years, very few are Thrill rides, but more rides multiple ages/genereations can enjoy:

Mickey's Philharmagic
Cinderbrellation
Stitch's Great Escape (tamed down a more "adult" attraction)
Turtle Talk with Crush
Soarin'
Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show
Triceratops Spins

All these attractions have a very broad, family appeal. Really, the only recent attraction that is more of a Thrill oriented ride is Mission
Space. Expedition Everest will also fit this bill, but AK needs a true Thrill Ride since they don't really have any.

So no, I do not think that Disney is going overboard with the Thrill attractions. I think they are doing a good job at coming up with unique and innovative ways to entertain the whole family in their themeparks. Visiting Walt Disney World with a child for the first time in June (7 year old niece) and our whole party of ages 7-51 were able to experience nearly every attraction together and have a great time, from the so-called "kiddie" attractions to the "thrill" rides. And trust me, my niece is not a thrill-ride junkie. With the exception of the Tower of Terror, she loved everything. Name another amusement park that allows the entire family that kind of entertainment for an entire week. I think Disney is doing it just right!

Ummmmm......
Forgot to add that World of Motion (a great family ride) was repaced by Test Track a mild Thrill ride.
Also although Mickey's Philharmagic,Cinderbrellation,
Turtle Talk with Crush,Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show are nice family attractions they are "shows" not rides.
As for Stitch-- All I can say is BIG MISTAKE
Linda