What have your ridden during a "soft opening"?

[DebbieB]

Just adding to the 7DMT speculation.. I'm wondering when they may start doing "soft openings" of the ride, given the end of May dates we've been hearing. I'm wondering what anyone has ridden during a soft opening, and how in advance of the official opening it was.

My friend rode the Little Mermaid ride during the first week of November 2012, during soft opening for DVC members. The ride ultimately opened Dec. 6.

Anyone have soft opening experiences?

If it was for DVC members, it was more likely a preview than a soft opening. A soft opening is more random.

 

[JillyBean1899]

Anyone have soft opening experiences?

Does it count if it wasn't at WDW?

I was part of the opening crew for IoA, so not only was I riding those things until I was sick of them (yes, it can happen), but we had a week where the park was "open" for employees and a limited number of family. I took my mom because I'd been driving her nuts with info about the park, and we had a blast. When we got to Doom, I turned to go towards it, and mom said she didn't want to, it "looked boring". I said it's only 5 minutes, it won't kill her to ride it. Well, something in the queue or the ride or whatever set her off, and when the employee went to let us out she demanded "AGAIN!!" (nobody was in line), and we rode it a second time. For the next 2 hours she walked around telling anyone that would listen (and even those that wouldn't) "I wanna be a DoomBot!!"

I created a monster. Until she rode it during a hurricane with rain pouring down on her. She said it was like being shot in the face with needles at 60 MPH.

 

[cigar95]

I've done more than I realized. At DLand, I did Splash in 1990 or so, and was in ToonTown on it's first day open. A rainy Sunday evening around Christmas, if I'm remembering correctly.

Then at WDW I did one of the soft openings for Alien Encounter - there were three, I think - in December of '94. Waited six hours for that one. Also got to do Mission Space in July of '03, as well as Test Track in January of '99. (Mission Space was actually offering FP during its soft opening - not at all what I would have expected.)

Finally, rode ExE two or three times in February of '06, shortly before official opening. The first time, the Yeti was not operational - a portent of things to come - and the CM who had hosted us while we waited in line told me I might want to get back in line. Glad I took her advice.

And I suppose technically I participated in a quasi-soft-opening for FP+ itself.

 

[Meriweather]

all of New Fantasyland in Oct. 2012
EE
all of AK

 

[Maggie7313]

I rode the new Test Track during a soft opening and rode the Little Mermaid and ate at Be Our Guest during previews.

 

[csmom]

We rode the "new" Test Track when it was open to cast members only. A cast member came out and approached my daughter and I and asked us if we wanted to ride. Fun surprise!

 

[MonorailCentral]

Does it count if it wasn't at WDW?

I was part of the opening crew for IoA, so not only was I riding those things until I was sick of them (yes, it can happen), but we had a week where the park was "open" for employees and a limited number of family. I took my mom because I'd been driving her nuts with info about the park, and we had a blast. When we got to Doom, I turned to go towards it, and mom said she didn't want to, it "looked boring". I said it's only 5 minutes, it won't kill her to ride it. Well, something in the queue or the ride or whatever set her off, and when the employee went to let us out she demanded "AGAIN!!" (nobody was in line), and we rode it a second time. For the next 2 hours she walked around telling anyone that would listen (and even those that wouldn't) "I wanna be a DoomBot!!"

I created a monster. Until she rode it during a hurricane with rain pouring down on her. She said it was like being shot in the face with needles at 60 MPH.

I bought an AP during the soft opening days of IOA. Rode everything to death with no lines. It was pretty sweet. Got my money's worth that year.

 

[Chuckers]

How could I forget!?!? I did TSM at DCA during soft openings.

 

[jimmysmom74]

My friend and I were at IoA for some preview week. Just dumb luck, we were staying at WDW and decided to go to Universal for the day. They were selling a preview ticket for an extra $10 or $15 bucks, so we did it. We practically had the place to ourselves. Rode Hulk like 10 times, spiderman and dueling dragons over and over. There were no lines. On Hulk we would get to the end and just twirl our fingers in the air signaling another round, and they would just restart the ride. It was a pretty awesome experience. We had to sign releases for our photos, since they were doing promo shots.

I always tell people I was a test dummy for those rides.

 

[ellie05]

We rode SM soft opening and New fantasyland. Both time it was just open at random times during the day.

 

[JillyBean1899]

I bought an AP during the soft opening days of IOA. Rode everything to death with no lines. It was pretty sweet. Got my money's worth that year.

My friend and I were at IoA for some preview week. Just dumb luck, we were staying at WDW and decided to go to Universal for the day. They were selling a preview ticket for an extra $10 or $15 bucks, so we did it. We practically had the place to ourselves. Rode Hulk like 10 times, spiderman and dueling dragons over and over. There were no lines. On Hulk we would get to the end and just twirl our fingers in the air signaling another round, and they would just restart the ride. It was a pretty awesome experience. We had to sign releases for our photos, since they were doing promo shots.

I always tell people I was a test dummy for those rides.

If you guys came through the Discovery Center, you probably saw me. We were still "decorating the set" (translation: writing random numbers on endless pieces of paper to act as "tracking" for various things with baby dinos) and the raptor eggs still looked somewhat believable.

We were used for most of the promotional stuff, too, since we were already there. This is a show that was on USA Networkto promote the park opening ... I'm at 2:49 ... enjoy the view of the back and side of my head lmao. Oh, and this wasn't my favorite Hammond. I liked both of the Malcolms, they were tons of fun to play off of, but this Hammond just wasn't quite right.

 

[tattooed princess]

We got to check out New Fantasyland and ride Little Mermaid one of the first days it was open in Oct. 2012. Nice birthday trip for the SO!

 

[RAPstar]

RnRC is the only thing I've ever gotten to ride while it was in soft opening

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We were at Disney from October 13-20, 2012 so we were some of the first guests to experience the New Fantasyland soft opening, which started October 12. I remember how excited I was to read about the soft openings on here the night before we left on our trip. I may or may not have stated to cry a little. LOL.

Anyway, during that soft opening we rode the Little Mermaid ride, met Ariel, met Gaston, and did ETWB. I remember that Ariel was so, so excited. I don't know if she was a new CM or what, but she talked A LOT and fast. The kids were stunned to be meeting a real mermaid, but afterwards, when I asked my daughter what she thought she said, "Wow, Ariel talks really fast." LOL.

 

[Karlzmom]

ESTWB & little mermaid. Got to tour New fantasyland also during the unofficial soft opens that were intermixed with CM previews.

Love the soft opening of food and wine festival!

 

[morethananyonex]

We rode Soarin' during a soft opening. According to google it opened in early May 2005, and we rode it sometime in March.

It was just luck. Wasn't any sort of special preview event. There was a line of people by the side of the Imagination pavilion near the washrooms at the back. CMs told us it was for the new ride Soarin. They took groups of us into the Land building through a back way (I think we may have gone through the greenhouse if I remember correctly) and we got to ride Soarin. I remember being super freaked out because of the warnings before the ride, we had absolutely zero idea what to expect. Now those warnings make me laugh, because Soarin' is much more tame than they would have you believe.

 

[Silock]

Rode the new Test Track before it officially opened. Might have been the first night ever with the public, because we saw Bob Iger there, cutting in front of us lol

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

We rode the original Test Track when I was a kid Christmas week of '98 which officially opened in March '99. A CM in Animal Kingdom gave us the heads up actually.

 

[Wiloughby1]

Not a ride, but we did ETWB the first week of October 2012. There was a CM letting people in through an unmarked door. I walked up and asked what was going on (I knew, but I was being polite) He asked if I had kids (4 under 6! 4 parents and 3 grandparents, too!) We were what he was looking for and we were in. It was great since the group was small. All the kids were included, and DH.

 

[kmb584]

We did a soft opening of AK before it opened to the public and Under the Sea during one of the NFL dress rehearsals.