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Big Thunder Mountain Railroad vs Pirates of the Caribbean
- Thread starter DisneyAndUniversalFan
- Start date
Queen of the WDW Scene
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
They are completely different attractions. You're comparing apples to a toaster oven.
SyracuseDisneyFan
Well-Known Member
Thunder Mountain
Surfin' Tuna
Well-Known Member
Original pirated before all the changes easily takes the prize. Theming is great on Big Thunder, but it is not the complete story that Pirates is. It doesn't help that the current track on Big Thunder beats you up really bad.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I agree, if one is going to ask to compare, be specific. Ask to compare theme or degree of thrill or just which one do you specifically like better. A general comparison is nearly impossible if you like both and the two are so different that there is no plausible comparison. The only thing alike about those two is that they both are located in Magic Kingdom.
DW Aficionado
Well-Known Member
First we have to go into the wayback machine to the first time we rode these rides. Thunder Mountain, felt like a nice medium intensity coaster ride, fun. PoTC was amazing from the start. The queue was themed, the music, then the slow ride to the splash down and seeing the pirate ship for the FIRST time on the left. It's an image you'll never forget
iamgroot61
Active Member
- In the Parks
- No
The rides aren't comparable. But I will say this: the DL version of BTMR is better.
Surfin' Tuna
Well-Known Member
The DL version of Pirates is also better, but this is a WDW forum. I figured we were staying there.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
In their original versions, POTC.
Nowadays, BTMRR.
Intervening changes muddled the POTC storyline and removed almost all sense of danger or derring-do, while BTMRR's changes (some pluses, some not) are at least a wash.
Nowadays, BTMRR.
Intervening changes muddled the POTC storyline and removed almost all sense of danger or derring-do, while BTMRR's changes (some pluses, some not) are at least a wash.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I often wonder about the Original Part, I mean. PoTC's large change came in the "We want the Red Head" part which depicts human trafficking along with the less serious, fat shaming. Selling women for gold? Yes, I know it was funny back when society wasn't as rightfully focused on the difference between right and wrong. I was upset as well until I realized that my daughters are women and the idea of them being sold off to anyone kind of gags me now. So I am happy with the depiction of that Red Head as being equally as "bad a$$" as the rest of the Pirates. That part became less a joke and more of a glorification of what may or may not have been an actual process. I know others do not agree, but that is how I am feeling at this point. I liked the addition of Capt. Jack (one of the most realistic physical depiction of the movie character Disney has ever done) and I don't think it took anything away from the storyline at all. In fact, I think it gave it an even clearer storyline. Change isn't always a bad thing.
LittleMerman
Well-Known Member
Pirates will always be a fave! The storytelling and the figures are impressive.
Big Thunder is great but it's not as unique of an attraction.
Big Thunder is great but it's not as unique of an attraction.
Surfin' Tuna
Well-Known Member
you're not wrong, and it has lost a lot of what made it special. It is still better than Big Thunder for it's story telling and immersion. When you come out of the tunnel and see the pirate ship firing upon the city it's amazing. After that, it does seem to deteriorate quickly for those of us who remember what it was.
Eric Graham
Well-Known Member
Speaking of which, my flux capacitor is on the fritz again. Really need to take it to the dealership, but I'm afraid it'll be way too expensive!
Fox&Hound
Well-Known Member
Yes change it if you must, but at least change it to something that makes sense. A pirate auction? What?????
Thunder.
POTC's decline started with Depp and ended with chicken auctions.
POTC's decline started with Depp and ended with chicken auctions.
adimond
Active Member
Though it's hard to imagine MK without them, what these two rides have in common is that they both came about as substitutes for the unbuilt Western River Expedition. So instead of a huge long Marc Davis original E-ticket ride, Florida got two clones of DL attractions.
Still, these remain two of the park's better rides (which unfortunately tells you as much about the subsequent development of the park as it does about MK's Pirates or BTMRR).
As they say about pizza, even bad Pirates is pretty good. And I generally prefer slow AA-filled rides to roller coasters. But of the two, Big Thunder gets my vote: it was always a more credible rival to the Cali version than Pirates was to its, and over time it has been by far the less compromised...up until now. I shudder to think how Cars will compare to that beautiful water view as a backdrop. Hurtling out along the river has always been a highlight of the MK's coaster.
Still, these remain two of the park's better rides (which unfortunately tells you as much about the subsequent development of the park as it does about MK's Pirates or BTMRR).
As they say about pizza, even bad Pirates is pretty good. And I generally prefer slow AA-filled rides to roller coasters. But of the two, Big Thunder gets my vote: it was always a more credible rival to the Cali version than Pirates was to its, and over time it has been by far the less compromised...up until now. I shudder to think how Cars will compare to that beautiful water view as a backdrop. Hurtling out along the river has always been a highlight of the MK's coaster.
