Travel Junkie
Well-Known Member
I'll take a shot that you haven't been on every ride on the planet to make such a statement.
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A Spirited 15 Rounds ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
I'll take a shot that you haven't been on every ride on the planet to make such a statement.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
I've made this same analogy in the past and I think it holds true when comparing the value resorts to a Hampton Inn on I-Drive. For some people the extra time and hassle of driving in and parking is no big deal and others prefer not to deal with it so they pay a premium just like a beach town.
Where the analogy kinda breaks down is when you compare something like the Swan/Dolphin to the Beach Club. In that case they are next to each other but the Disney resort carries a big premium. Also, comparing the values or moderates to the chain hotels near Disney Springs. You don't get EMHs or the Disney transportation but the premium paid is pretty steep for those extras.
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
How many marathons are there in January / February ?? Now you have Halloween / Christmas parties starting toward the end of August till the end of December. I remember everything was a walk on in 2005. Any chance FP will ever go away??
GoofGoof
Premium Member
The marathon events usually stretches over the first 2 weeks of January and draw a huge crowd. The parks still don't get too jammed up but the hotels definitely do especially over the main weekend and the discounts that were available in the past are mostly dried up. Then you have Martin Luther King day weekend and then Presidents Day weekend in Feb. There is really not a long downtime like the past in Jan/Feb.
I'm not sure if the Halloween and Christmas parties move the needle on overall attendance. Generally on party days MK is actually empty because it closes early (6pm this year
) and no nighttime show unless you buy an extra ticket to the party. It does push crowds to the other 3 parks while people avoid MK. More than anything those events help to reduce operating costs since not everything is open during the special ticket events and also they make a nice profit selling the tickets. EPCOT food and wine definitely draws a crowd to that park, especially locals, and they have some football and other sports related stuff in the fall and winter now to fill in any other gaps. There really isn't an extended off peak time anymore.
Ag11gani
Well-Known Member
The Marathon only lasts 5 days including the expo.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
It goes from a Wednesday to a Sunday which stretches over parts of 2 weeks and a lot of people extend time before and/or after the event too. If you wanted to go for a week either the first or 2nd week of January the event falls during that time and prevents you from getting the room discounts that were previously always available. MLK weekend is usually the 3rd weekend in Jan. There's really only a small window between MLK and Presidents Day weekend.
Ag11gani
Well-Known Member
Wednesday to Sunday is not 2 weeks.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
It covers parts of 2 weeks if you want to go from a Saturday to Saturday.
tirian
Well-Known Member
FoP is great, but for me, it will never compare to Pooh's Hunny Hunt at TDL. I'm a sucker for seamless combinations of AAs, screens, and fully developed sets.No need to. They wouldn't live up to the greatness of Flight of Passage
BernardandBianca
Well-Known Member
Just a quick reminder to Spirit @WDW1974, Pandora is AMAZING!! You need to go!!
I love the hyperbole emanating on this thread regarding Pandora and particularly FoP. Not only do I not consider it amazing, or the best ride on the planet, but I don't even consider it among the best rides/attractions in AK, let alone WDW or Universal.
I've been on FoP twice now, going the second time since I didn't think much of it the first time and thought maybe I missed something. To my perspective, FoP is nothing more than watching a 3-D movie while sitting on an uncomfortable seat, without being able to eat popcorn. "Riding a banshee" it is not; while some of the effects they attempt are interesting, they still don't do anything in particular unless you like having your legs massaged, and the rest of the ride in you looking at a movie going whizzing by with mist being sprayed into your face. Give me back my popcorn.
In my view, KS is a much better attraction in AK; having done the real thing in Africa, I am truly impressed with the authenticity exhibited during the drive, and seeing a "different" ride each time makes it special to me.
Of course, my favorite rides/attractions overall would come down to a competition between Pooh in TDl, and FJ in IOA, and the seamless melding of actual movement and screens in FJ tip that ride to the top for me. YMMV.
bclane
Well-Known Member
Your experience is quite interesting to me. If all you got out of it was "watching a 3-D movie while sitting on an uncomfortable seat" as you say, I can definitely understand why you didn't like the ride. I wonder if your experience is similar to that of others who don't like it. Did you get the sensation of flight at all while on FoP or was it just movement to you? For me, it feels like I am literally flying on the back of a banshee. For example, the simulated dives in the ride feel like when I was in an airplane doing stalls and rapidly dropping great distances. Also, do you feel any sensation of flight on Soarin? Basically what I'm wondering about is if the effect just didn't work for you vs. you don't like the way the effect feels. Thanks in advance!
Daveeeeed
Well-Known Member
It's definitely the best simulator, but there's still a huge difference between a screen and a surreal mountain range in Radiator Springs Racers, or going over a wooden bridge above lava on Indiana Jones. Sets over screens every time, but like Shanghai's POTC and Flight of Passage, they do have a purpose.No need to. They wouldn't live up to the greatness of Flight of Passage
Daveeeeed
Well-Known Member
From the rides I've ridden, the top of the top are definitely Radiator Springs Racers, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Forbidden Journey. Spiderman, The Tower of Terror, WDW's Splash Mountain, DLP's Pirates, WDW's Haunted Mansion, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Flight of Passage are definitely the best after the big 3 for me. Flight of Passage is no way the best ride in the world, but it is certainly the most realistic simulator. And as far as they go, I think it is the best. Simulators have purposes, but they probably will never be #1 attractions at parks. They can be epic (like Star Tours), but they are still a long way off if ever being #1. I haven't ridden them but I'm sure Mystic Manor, Pooh's Hunny Hunt, Monster's Inc., POTC: BFTST, and Journey To The Center Of The Earth are all also superior.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
On the topic of affordability, I thought this image from @tikiman's website was revealing:
Adjusted for inflation, that $29/night rate (tax included) for the Contemporary and Polynesian comes out to $174/night today.
Even the $44/night rate for the most expensive room converts to $263/night in 2017.
And some suggest us old folks are just imagining that WDW was a lot less expensive back in the day...
Adjusted for inflation, that $29/night rate (tax included) for the Contemporary and Polynesian comes out to $174/night today.
Even the $44/night rate for the most expensive room converts to $263/night in 2017.
And some suggest us old folks are just imagining that WDW was a lot less expensive back in the day...
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Those rate were still 2 to 3 times greater than the average hotel room at the time. It was significantly cheaper back then compared to today, but was still relatively expensive compared to other vacation options.On the topic of affordability, I thought this image from @tikiman's website was revealing:
View attachment 226364
Adjusted for inflation, that $29/night rate (tax included) for the Contemporary and Polynesian comes out to $174/night today.
Even the $44/night rate for the most expensive room converts to $263/night in 2017.
And some suggest us old folks are just imagining that WDW was a lot less expensive back in the day...
BernardandBianca
Well-Known Member
It's not that I didn't like the ride - I just didn't think much of it. Kinda like Dumbo; it's a pleasant way to waste three minutes of your life, but to call it exceptional is a misnomer.
I wonder if your experience is similar to that of others who don't like it. Did you get the sensation of flight at all while on FoP or was it just movement to you? For me, it feels like I am literally flying on the back of a banshee. For example, the simulated dives in the ride feel like when I was in an airplane doing stalls and rapidly dropping great distances. Also, do you feel any sensation of flight on Soarin? Basically what I'm wondering about is if the effect just didn't work for you vs. you don't like the way the effect feels. Thanks in advance!
I have been on real test flights were the planes were literally trying to set off the warning alarms. Those were frightening. I never did get a sensation of flight on FoP; it always felt like I was watching a movie about a flight. So if I had to pick one of the two options you gave, it would pretty much be that the effect just didn't work for me. Unlike the effects on Star Tours, where the combination of movie motion and actual physical movement really gives me a sensation of flight. I do like that simulator. (Although to be candid, the Star Trek Experience that used to be in Las Vegas was the best simulator ride I actually "rode". Excepting of course FJ,. which to me is not a true simulator ride.)
NearTheEars
Well-Known Member
Agreed. To get the whole picture I'd be interested in seeing what a Howard Johnson on 192 would have cost back then.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I have to assume neither of you have been on Mystic Manor?
Don't get me wrong, Hunny Hunt is amazing. But to me it has all the bones of a C-ticket Fantasyland classic slathered with a high tech E-ticket budget. Mystic Manor started with the bones of an E-ticket.
It's another reason I'm very excited for Beauty and the Beast. The purported 8 minute run time helps stoke that excitement.