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Hot takes! Get ‘em while they’re hot! Mmm!
- Thread starter britain
- Start date
Yes, I’m as shocked as anybody. But Pirates does not deliver on what it is promising, whereas Tiana’s is and the Haunted Mansion shop is as well. Now it’s true that pirates is promising a whole lot more than the gift shop. And as an epic adventure traveling back in time and spanning many locations, it is probably promising a little more than Tiana‘s (which is promising more of a down-home musical romp with some wet thrills).
But, yeah. Those new additions are more satisfying and closer to their targets than Pirates is.
Agent H
Well-Known Member
Hard disagree on pirates and the haunted mansion store. But I do agree with you on Tiana’s Tomorrowland overall and especially galaxys edge.
Hottest and most controversial hot take:
Disneyland is better than DCA.
I'm sure I've really rocked your world with that one. It's gotten a lot better than it was back in 2001. And even though I could gripe about the Pixar Pier additions stripping away some of the charm they were able to give the place in 2012, that isn't my main problem.
It just isn't transportive enough. There are a few places like sitting at Flo's where you can look at the Cars rockwork where you can feel like you're somewhere else far away. Grizzly Peak area is pleasant, but the giant Grand Californian (as nice as it is) still puts the kibosh on feeling like you're in the real wilderness. And there's only, like 3 of those spots in DCA. Disneyland has hundreds of places like that.
Putting in the giant mountain range helps with sightlines - thank heavens I don't see the powerlines anymore - but I'm starting to feel that the problem has more to do with that promenade corridor. It's got pleasant things happening all around it now, but what is IT supposed to be? It still has that Six Flagsy "welcome to our amusement park" vibe, and what's the weenie to pull you along? Those tall pier attractions, which simply don't have any emotional power.
Maybe if that long stretch were interrupted? Like if a big... something... intermediate weenie... like a Zorro's castle or a mountain were covering the promenade right after the Carsland entrance. So it would block the views of the pier, bringing your focus into what's closer in front of you, and then after you walk under it, the pier is unveiled...?
I don't think there's any real solving this. Pandora will need to be more than just another Carsland. It will need to be more like Galaxy's Edge in terms of a few distinct 'places' with in it. I don't think the backlot will be enough space to do it right, but I also think if they put Pandora in the DL Forward lot south of Pixar Hotel that might ...make the rest of DCA feel worse? I don't know. There's lots of good improvements here and there, there's plenty of 'clever gags' and things that Imagineering does well, but the whole has yet to become greater than the sum of its parts. We might just skip it next time and focus on DL and something else.
(And the pier is misery in the afternoon. No shade, nothing really happening in the water to look at, and ARG! can we cut the character audio from 75% of the Incredicoaster PLEASE! Let the music and the coaster do the talking, I don't need each character to repeat "Jack jack!" in my ears. It would be so much more satisfying if our imaginations filled in the blanks as we enjoy Giaccino's score.)
Disneyland is better than DCA.
I'm sure I've really rocked your world with that one. It's gotten a lot better than it was back in 2001. And even though I could gripe about the Pixar Pier additions stripping away some of the charm they were able to give the place in 2012, that isn't my main problem.
It just isn't transportive enough. There are a few places like sitting at Flo's where you can look at the Cars rockwork where you can feel like you're somewhere else far away. Grizzly Peak area is pleasant, but the giant Grand Californian (as nice as it is) still puts the kibosh on feeling like you're in the real wilderness. And there's only, like 3 of those spots in DCA. Disneyland has hundreds of places like that.
Putting in the giant mountain range helps with sightlines - thank heavens I don't see the powerlines anymore - but I'm starting to feel that the problem has more to do with that promenade corridor. It's got pleasant things happening all around it now, but what is IT supposed to be? It still has that Six Flagsy "welcome to our amusement park" vibe, and what's the weenie to pull you along? Those tall pier attractions, which simply don't have any emotional power.
Maybe if that long stretch were interrupted? Like if a big... something... intermediate weenie... like a Zorro's castle or a mountain were covering the promenade right after the Carsland entrance. So it would block the views of the pier, bringing your focus into what's closer in front of you, and then after you walk under it, the pier is unveiled...?
I don't think there's any real solving this. Pandora will need to be more than just another Carsland. It will need to be more like Galaxy's Edge in terms of a few distinct 'places' with in it. I don't think the backlot will be enough space to do it right, but I also think if they put Pandora in the DL Forward lot south of Pixar Hotel that might ...make the rest of DCA feel worse? I don't know. There's lots of good improvements here and there, there's plenty of 'clever gags' and things that Imagineering does well, but the whole has yet to become greater than the sum of its parts. We might just skip it next time and focus on DL and something else.
(And the pier is misery in the afternoon. No shade, nothing really happening in the water to look at, and ARG! can we cut the character audio from 75% of the Incredicoaster PLEASE! Let the music and the coaster do the talking, I don't need each character to repeat "Jack jack!" in my ears. It would be so much more satisfying if our imaginations filled in the blanks as we enjoy Giaccino's score.)
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Agent H
Well-Known Member
I have mixed opinions on Pixar pier. On one hand it’s hard to argue it isn’t more charming and themed than what was there before but on the other hand it represents them doing away with ever fully committing to the 1930s pier.
mickEblu
Well-Known Member
Ok welcome back. Did you finally eat something? Haha
Mr. Sullivan
Well-Known Member
My hottest take from when I finally got to visit DL last year is Pinocchio's Daring Journey is a far, far superior dark ride than Snow White and Roger Rabbit and is slightly better than Alice and the lack of attention it receives is really sad to see. I'd put it ahead of Snow White, Roger Rabbit, and Alice, and just behind Peter Pan and Mr. Toad.
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PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
Alice is the best, by a mile, I’ll let anyone argue the order after that, but Alice is the best, it’s two stories, is partially outside, has a variety of gags (both classic and modern) and manages to take you to every location you would ever want to visit in Wonderland.
Pinocchio’s is very good, but you can’t beat Alice for the two levels, and of course Pan taps into primal joys no other ride does.
Streetway Again
Well-Known Member
My personal order of the FL + RRCTS dark rides:
1. Alice
2. Mr. Toad (only thing keeping it from #1 for me is its short length)
3. RRCTS (though I haven't been at DL since it went trench coat. Best queue of them all)
4. Peter Pan (awesome ride system variation, but also too short of a ride w/ a longer line than Mr. Toad, so that pushed it down for me).
5. Pinocchio
TBD. Snow White (I have not been Enchanted yet, but the Scary Adventures had a carnie personality I appreciated)
1. Alice
2. Mr. Toad (only thing keeping it from #1 for me is its short length)
3. RRCTS (though I haven't been at DL since it went trench coat. Best queue of them all)
4. Peter Pan (awesome ride system variation, but also too short of a ride w/ a longer line than Mr. Toad, so that pushed it down for me).
5. Pinocchio
TBD. Snow White (I have not been Enchanted yet, but the Scary Adventures had a carnie personality I appreciated)
chadwpalm
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Perhaps you didn't realize you stumbled into the Disneyland side of the forums because there hasn't been a CoP here for 51 years.
Or am I missing something....
It’s a hot take, I’ll allow it!
Mr. Sullivan
Well-Known Member
It's a good time!
Snow White and Roger are boring, and Roger is especially let down by the poor execution of its central gimmick. Neither ride is worth more than a 5-10 minute wait.
Pinocchio meanwhile actually has some fun, unsettling, strange energy to it, as does Alice. It doesn't feel like a ride that really belongs in a Disney park, but in a fun way. It's surreal and odd and left a solid impression on me. That's why I put those two on the same tier, and SW and Roger behind them.
it’s a small world takes place entirely in Hell.
Hot Take that will hopefully move people:
They're back up now, but both the Monorail and the Railroad were not operating during my trip. I can't say that this "ruined" it for me, but those closures PLUS the demise of the Red Car Trolly, and the gone-but-never-forgotten PeopleMover made it all the more obvious that you really need 'Recharging Rides'.
A Recharging Ride meets these requirements:
The Railroad and the Monorail are very similar but the wait times tend to be longer, which cuts down on their effectiveness as a Recharging Ride. In their absence, we fortunately were able to ride the Storybook Canal Boats and the Mark Twain Riverboat - both at night! I'll throw Jungle Cruise in there too even if that's more of a 'pay attention to the skipper's jokes' experience. (Sorry Canal boat captains, if you were saying something, I didn't hear you.). The riverboat was unique in that on previous trips we were always there when Fantasmic would be going on in the evenings. But since it's the off-season we were able to enjoy the riverboat in soothing darkness.
(Hot take morsel within a hot take: Of all the castle parks, the one that could possibly still work without their river is the MK. Guests frequently have to take pleasantly recharging modes of transportation across a whole lake and through forests to even get to the park. But, that's outside the park - I'd be very wary of this calculation. Within the park, within their day, people need pleasant recharging rides and MK doesn't have as many. Again, at least the PeopleMover is in Florida.)
Balm-like experiences like this are needed in greater numbers at all the parks. And indoor shows, while appreciated, are simply not the same thing. DCA has nothing like this. It make no sense on a spreadsheet, but you need these things to make a satisfying day at a park. It makes it a joy rather than a chore.
They're back up now, but both the Monorail and the Railroad were not operating during my trip. I can't say that this "ruined" it for me, but those closures PLUS the demise of the Red Car Trolly, and the gone-but-never-forgotten PeopleMover made it all the more obvious that you really need 'Recharging Rides'.
A Recharging Ride meets these requirements:
- An attraction that is restful, it lets you sit down and be off your feet.
- It provides some breeze to your face, and meandering motion throughout actual space (spinners don’t count)
- It shows off themed environments to stimulate interest but does not require your undivided attention (no plotlines please)
- Ideally it doesn't have long lines - I mean, sure, ideally NO attraction has long lines. But you seek out a Recharging Ride to find respite from the line waiting. It's a way to feel like "Yes, I'm marking down another ride as 'done' but I'm doing so in the most restful way possible.
The Railroad and the Monorail are very similar but the wait times tend to be longer, which cuts down on their effectiveness as a Recharging Ride. In their absence, we fortunately were able to ride the Storybook Canal Boats and the Mark Twain Riverboat - both at night! I'll throw Jungle Cruise in there too even if that's more of a 'pay attention to the skipper's jokes' experience. (Sorry Canal boat captains, if you were saying something, I didn't hear you.). The riverboat was unique in that on previous trips we were always there when Fantasmic would be going on in the evenings. But since it's the off-season we were able to enjoy the riverboat in soothing darkness.
(Hot take morsel within a hot take: Of all the castle parks, the one that could possibly still work without their river is the MK. Guests frequently have to take pleasantly recharging modes of transportation across a whole lake and through forests to even get to the park. But, that's outside the park - I'd be very wary of this calculation. Within the park, within their day, people need pleasant recharging rides and MK doesn't have as many. Again, at least the PeopleMover is in Florida.)
Balm-like experiences like this are needed in greater numbers at all the parks. And indoor shows, while appreciated, are simply not the same thing. DCA has nothing like this. It make no sense on a spreadsheet, but you need these things to make a satisfying day at a park. It makes it a joy rather than a chore.
False!