With the Mine Train coming...Could Big Thunder Mountain's days be numbered?

[luckyman_apd]

Given the footprint of the ride and the fact that it will probably be kid friendly (under 40") I believe BTMRR is safe . . . . .

Yes. BTMRR is a "thrill" ride, yet still kid friendly.....not toddler friendly. Those of us with the toddlers.....where is their favorite place???? Fantasyland of course! So this will not be a thrill ride. It will have some great theming I suspect, Barnstormer type "thrills" (Will NEVER forget the squeal of excitement from my 3 year old as we reached the top of the hill in the back car this past NOV ) in the way that little kids will enjoy a thrill. I should be a very cool ride but I would expect ride height to be 36".....similar to the Barnstormer.

 

[skier_pete]

NO, I have no worry that they will shut down BTMRR. They won't be remotely the same ride.

 

[AshleeH]

Disney doesn't have that many coasters to begin with - closing a headliner ride that is enormously popular would not be met with the kindest of criticisms.

 

[GJF323]

I could ride BTMRR all day long, but will ride Mine Train a few times at most & only because of novelty. Not the same ride or audience.

 

[granmanh603]

For me I hope the mine train is not a big disappointment like the whole Fantsyland thing so far.

 

[akadada]

BTM is not likely going anywhere. It is a good ride, it helps with crowds, and at this point, it seems iconic. If they wanted to add more excitement to BTM they could throw ninja stars at riders. That would likely shake it up and make it more memorable.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

BTM is not likely going anywhere. It is a good ride, it helps with crowds, and at this point, it seems iconic. If they wanted to add more excitement to BTM they could throw ninja stars at riders. That would likely shake it up and make it more memorable.

big Thunder is actually a terrible ride....but not worth getting rid of...

3 lift hills? thats almost coaster designing sacrilege...especially for a height of about 60 feet.

but anyway...disney does not take down rides on a whim...often they don't take down rides long after they should.
all disney rides - particularly at WDW - are built for capacity -to "eat up" 3000 riders per hour. Thats the point. to keep large crowds occupied.

No way they ever take big thunder down anytime soon...and they aren't even willing to take rides offline for much need refresher timeframes - because of the loss of capacity.

take space mountain last year: they did a cool upgrade at disneyland (the second space mountain - not the "iconic original") in 1999. It's a great twist on an old ride concept.
Couldn't bother to put either the dollars (a pittance by WDW standards) or the time in for the refit last year. all they did was shut it down for the bare minimum so that the thing would stay on the tracks. just because it eats guests (figuratively...not literally...the yeti does that...wait a minute).

So it is with big thunder. this thread is an interesting question...but in reality its not even in the realm of possibility from up here in the cheap seats.

 

[akadada]

big Thunder is actually a terrible ride....but not worth getting rid of...

3 lift hills? thats almost coaster designing sacrilege...especially for a height of about 60 feet.

but anyway...disney does not take down rides on a whim...often they don't take down rides long after they should.
all disney rides - particularly at WDW - are built for capacity -to "eat up" 3000 riders per hour. Thats the point. to keep large crowds occupied.

No way they ever take big thunder down anytime soon...and they aren't even willing to take rides offline for much need refresher timeframes - because of the loss of capacity.

take space mountain last year: they did a cool upgrade at disneyland (the second space mountain - not the "iconic original") in 1999. It's a great twist on an old ride concept.
Couldn't bother to put either the dollars (a pittance by WDW standards) or the time in for the refit last year. all they did was shut it down for the bare minimum so that the thing would stay on the tracks. just because it eats guests (figuratively...not literally...the yeti does that...wait a minute).

So it is with big thunder. this thread is an interesting question...but in reality its not even in the realm of possibility from up here in the cheap seats.

You seem to know more about coaster design than I do. I think it's good because when I was a teenage kid I met this cute girl in line and we sat next to each other and I sat the on the side where I knew the the physics of the turns forced her to crash into me. I also lost my camera on that ride. . . hmmm, cute girl wins, subsequently the ride is good.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

You seem to know more about coaster design than I do. I think it's good because when I was a teenage kid I met this cute girl in line and we sat next to each other and I sat the on the side where I knew the the physics of the turns forced her to crash into me. I also lost my camera on that ride. . . hmmm, cute girl wins, subsequently the ride is good.

well then...the metrics change and you have to apply a different formula.

all rides effectiveness vary based on the company present

 

[yitbos96bb]

I recently watched the simulated ride along on the Mine Train and it looks similar to BTM. I'm sure the finished product will produce an entirely different ride experience but I can't help but come back to the fact that essentially there will be two mine/train coasters in MK. Does anyone else think Mine Train will ultimately lead to the demise of BTM?

Dumbo and Aladdin are essentially the same ride as well in the same park. I do think it makes it easier to do an extended refurb of BTM, but I doubt they close one of the more popular attractions in the park. Plus they are developing that TV series around it as well, so if they did, it would be years from now.