News Coco Boat Ride Coming to Disney California Adventure

[Professortango1]

If Star Tours can be an E-Ticket - so can SR. Not much more is needed to be said.

Scale and scope, my friend. Being in a giant moving simulator is very different than being in a 6 person cabin and much more limited movement and less grand storytelling.

I love Mr. Toad, but its not the same as Indiana Jones despite the similarities they share. Scale and scope are important. The ride is a step up from the arcade game they had in the Starcade, but also clearly not up to the level of Star Tours.

Now if they had gone with a Back to the Future style design with a large scale environment to navigate our ships through as a collective team of a dozen ships at once, that would be an E for sure. But we get the home edition.

 

[flynnibus]

Scale and scope, my friend. Being in a giant moving simulator is very different than being in a 6 person cabin and much more limited movement and less grand storytelling.

They BUILT A FULL SIZE MILLENNIUM FALCON.. and you are lead to believe you go in it, and sit in the very cockpit where YOU SIT AT THE CONTROLS during a highly realistic experience rendered based on what you are doing. After, hanging out in a life sized environment that you actually get TO BE IN, not look at across some metal fence.. Where else do you do anything like that in a Disney attraction? Closest is only Mission Space...

This, compared to sitting in a bouncing waiting room, watching someone else at the controls of a made up spaceship, to which you have zero history with, and watching a pre-recorded sequence.. where the biggest thing is cameos of characters you know.

I don't think scope and scale are marks against SR to downgrade it.

 

[Purduevian]

Scale and scope, my friend. Being in a giant moving simulator is very different than being in a 6 person cabin and much more limited movement and less grand storytelling.

I love Mr. Toad, but its not the same as Indiana Jones despite the similarities they share. Scale and scope are important. The ride is a step up from the arcade game they had in the Starcade, but also clearly not up to the level of Star Tours.

Now if they had gone with a Back to the Future style design with a large scale environment to navigate our ships through as a collective team of a dozen ships at once, that would be an E for sure. But we get the home edition.

Clearly HM isn't an E ticket because you only sit in tiny 2-3 person buggies... not like the massive 20 person Davey Crotchet canoes

 

[Professortango1]

Clearly HM isn't an E ticket because you only sit in tiny 2-3 person buggies... not like the massive 20 person Davey Crotchet canoes

2-3 person buggies in an endless line of buggies in scenes intended to be viewed by dozens of guests at once, similar to Pirates.

The E-ticket darkride is an evolution on the idea of a walkthrough attraction. It is something walk-through scaled, but with a ride system to control the flow and view of guests.

And I would never ride in a crocheted canoe. I don't think yarn would be waterproof.

 

[Professortango1]

They BUILT A FULL SIZE MILLENNIUM FALCON.. and you are lead to believe you go in it, and sit in the very cockpit where YOU SIT AT THE CONTROLS during a highly realistic experience rendered based on what you are doing. After, hanging out in a life sized environment that you actually get TO BE IN, not look at across some metal fence.. Where else do you do anything like that in a Disney attraction? Closest is only Mission Space...

This, compared to sitting in a bouncing waiting room, watching someone else at the controls of a made up spaceship, to which you have zero history with, and watching a pre-recorded sequence.. where the biggest thing is cameos of characters you know.

I don't think scope and scale are marks against SR to downgrade it.

But...they didn't. Its outside the attraction, but it never feels like we are flying that thing. The majority of the ship sits to the pilot's left, yet when we fly it, the envelope seems very tightly and symmetrically centered around our little cabinet. It never feels like we are entering that ship permanently docked outside It also never feels like we are flying anything bigger than our escape pod on Rise. Rise gives us a better MFSR moment that 90% of Smuggler's Run. And it is more convincing because the size of the pod is relative to our space.

Star Tours pulls off the illusion of showing us the craft and then seeing the craft dock and then boarding the craft while seeing it. I'm not sure what bouncing waiting room you are speaking of, but I do agree that the original Star Tours was much better than our current iteration.

 

[Purduevian]

2-3 person buggies in an endless line of buggies in scenes intended to be viewed by dozens of guests at once, similar to Pirates.

The E-ticket darkride is an evolution on the idea of a walkthrough attraction. It is something walk-through scaled, but with a ride system to control the flow and view of guests.

And I would never ride in a crocheted canoe. I don't think yarn would be waterproof.

I just don't see how Star Tours could be an E ticket if Smugglers run isn't. The ride vehicle is bigger at ST sure... I would say up until the preshow, both queues are just as immersive.

Then Smugglers run jumps ahead with an A1000 in the preshow, followed by time in the one of the most famous locations in Star Wars, followed by a walk to what appears to be the one and only cabin where you and only 5 others will control the story.. All the while a beautiful dance of 4 giant carousels are constantly entertaining intimate groups of guests while rendering a real time simulator in conjunction with a motion platform in a fully immersive 360 degree cockpit. All while maintaining story integrity by automatic additional delays. Concluding in a walk out of the starship where the exit path subtly changes based on your ride experience.

Star Tours is fantastic, but the scope and scale of MFSR is far and away more impressive from an engineering and immersion stance.

From a pure fun perspective I think that is very subjective.

 

[Professortango1]

I just don't see how Star Tours could be an E ticket if Smugglers run isn't. The ride vehicle is bigger at ST sure... I would say up until the preshow, both queues are just as immersive.

Then Smugglers run jumps ahead with an A1000 in the preshow, followed by time in the one of the most famous locations in Star Wars, followed by a walk to what appears to be the one and only cabin where you and only 5 others will control the story.. All the while a beautiful dance of 4 giant carousels are constantly entertaining intimate groups of guests while rendering a real time simulator in conjunction with a motion platform in a fully immersive 360 degree cockpit. All while maintaining story integrity by automatic additional delays. Concluding in a walk out of the starship where the exit path subtly changes based on your ride experience.

Star Tours is fantastic, but the scope and scale of MFSR is far and away more impressive from an engineering and immersion stance.

From a pure fun perspective I think that is very subjective.

ST has animated figures in the queue. SR doesn't compare at all.

SM has a better pre-show, but its placement is clumsy as we then wait in a queue to board then wait around the small lobby area until our color is called. I'm also not a fan of the new Star Tours preshow as the CGI droids don't work. They also give away the idea that our pilot will not be that droid, because they never bothered to make a physical version of that character.

As for waiting around in "the most famous locations of Star Wars," its a meh for me. It doesn't look or feel like it does it the films. It definitely doesn't feel like we are inside that small craft in front of the building. And it is most certainly doesn't feel like we are the only crew because they've boarded 3 other sets of pilots/engineers/gunners while we have looked around the open room and there's new sets coming in now. Maybe if there were things in this big open room that made it feel tighter. And distracted us with things to experience. But its tubes, inanimate buttons, and an empty holochess table with McDonald's play place furniture to sit on.

As someone who has flown the pilot positions, I can confirm the screen is not 360 degrees. You can see the edges and its clear there is no body of the shop to our left.

ST 1.0 was a certified E Ticket with a great queue, fun storyline, and great characters new and old. ST TAC is like an AI prompted version of the former. It starts of similarly, but as you move through the experience, you can feel the plasticky cartoony and cheap quality of the characters and storytelling.

MFSR is a D that tries some new things and doesn't fail, but certainly doesn't succeed either. There's a reason Josh focused on that attraction. It is not as good as Star Tours, even in ST's present form. ST still has the better queue experience, better ride experience, and more convincing storytelling. MFSR is cute, but very clunky. Or, McClunky as Lucas would say.

 

[J4546]

calling star tours and e ticket is already stretching it imo, but saying Smugglers Run isnt while ST is, is bonkers

 

[flynnibus]

But...they didn't. Its outside the attraction, but it never feels like we are flying that thing.

By this logic - I guess you discount the Haunted Mansion and virtually every other attraction that relies on show buildings?

Look, I get you are not impressed with SR, but your points are about failures in show in your opinion, not 'scope or scale'. They are you not liking the choices or execution.. and they very much are subjective personal takes. Discounting the difference between sitting in a 40 person lobby... vs SITTING AT THE CONSOLE YOURSELF is downright criminal. And the fact you hightlight the loading ramps of ST as some highlight/better than the interiors of SR is a jump the shark moment.

I'm expecting you to call out 'the ramp' next...

Enough of the tangent for me.. I don't buy your take at all.

 

[Professortango1]

By this logic - I guess you discount the Haunted Mansion and virtually every other attraction that relies on show buildings?

Look, I get you are not impressed with SR, but your points are about failures in show in your opinion, not 'scope or scale'. They are you not liking the choices or execution.. and they very much are subjective personal takes. Discounting the difference between sitting in a 40 person lobby... vs SITTING AT THE CONSOLE YOURSELF is downright criminal. And the fact you hightlight the loading ramps of ST as some highlight/better than the interiors of SR is a jump the shark moment.

I'm expecting you to call out 'the ramp' next...

Enough of the tangent for me.. I don't buy your take at all.

You building a Haunted House with all of these Strawmen?

We enter that Haunted Mansion. We see it. We walk up to it. We enter the front door of it and are inside that structure. The structure then changes around our perspective, as we find ourselves in a room without window or doors. From that point onward, we know that our perception is not to be trusted or the house itself isn't bound by mortal logic.

Its very different than seeing a spaceship blocked off from all activity. Seeing it sit dormant for a good portion of the wait time, then enter a waiting room supposedly in it that feels way too big. If you've ever ridden on an airplace, you know what the inside of an aircraft feels like, even if they have fewer seats.

As for the loading ramps, they sell the illusion. The only way MFSR communicates us boarding the MF is drawing off our current airport extending walkways. Which wouldn't necessarily communicate to younger guests, but older guests paying attention may pick up on it. Only then to have that idea ruined by the scale of the waiting room.

And we're sitting an arcade console, just like we did in the Starcade. You can tell that the screen is only a few feet in front of you.

The illusion doesn't work and the storytelling is McClunky. But if you like it more than Star Tours, then fine. Have at it. For me, it needs the three improvements listed previously. Better gameplay and in-cabin effects. Better queue. Randomized missions.

 

[Professortango1]

calling star tours and e ticket is already stretching it imo, but saying Smugglers Run isnt while ST is, is bonkers

Star Tours is a more impressive attraction than Smuggler's Run. I'd say that ST was an E Ticket when it debuted. Now, with the new version as well as simplistic nature of the new for its time ride system, I could see folks calling this a D.

 

[coffeefan]

Star Tours is a D-ticket to me. It was an E-ticket in its era and for many, many years.

Rise is an S-ticket. Smugglers Run I think straddles the line between E and D, mainly because of it's flaws and dated graphics. The Mando missions and visual upgrades may probably make it a solid E though.

 

[wityblack]

They BUILT A FULL SIZE MILLENNIUM FALCON.. and you are lead to believe you go in it, and sit in the very cockpit where YOU SIT AT THE CONTROLS during a highly realistic experience rendered based on what you are doing. After, hanging out in a life sized environment that you actually get TO BE IN, not look at across some metal fence.. Where else do you do anything like that in a Disney attraction? Closest is only Mission Space...

This, compared to sitting in a bouncing waiting room, watching someone else at the controls of a made up spaceship, to which you have zero history with, and watching a pre-recorded sequence.. where the biggest thing is cameos of characters you know.

I don't think scope and scale are marks against SR to downgrade it.

I always feel like Smuggler's Run doesn't get enough credit. It's truly an incredible attraction.

 

[DLR92]

I always feel like Smuggler's Run doesn't get enough credit. It's truly an incredible attraction.

Yes for the queue line. But I honestly wasn’t impressed with Smuggler Run.

 

[wityblack]

Yes for the queue line. But I honestly wasn’t impressed with Smuggler Run.

Im hoping that the weaker points are fixed with the update next month. Maybe someday it'll have a ton of locations like Star Tours.

 

[Professortango1]

I always feel like Smuggler's Run doesn't get enough credit. It's truly an incredible attraction.

Technically, yes. The fact that everything is being generated instantly in real time is a technical marvel.

I just wish the experience was more fun all around, but especially for those not graced with pilot.

 

[MistaDee]

If they really use POTC for inspiration it would do wonders for this attraction. Float through an atmospheric candle lit graveyard with some eerie rendition of “Remember Me” playing, turn into a mausoleum and drop into the Land of the Dead. If the starting point for the Imagineers is “we have 7 scenes this room is where put this song and here is where we put that song” then I fear the worst. Yes, the music needs to be showcased but the focus needs to be on the world building.

I don’t think starting with the music means this will be for the worse, it’s arguably the most important element in the film

 

[britain]

Technically, yes. The fact that everything is being generated instantly in real time is a technical marvel.

I just wish the experience was more fun all around, but especially for those not graced with pilot.

You just need to get into the spirit of the thing! When I get Engineer, do I try to rack up points? No! I try to get as many things as I can wrong so I can have as many alarms go off as possible, enabling me to do my best Threepio impression! “Aaah! Captain Solo! The systems are malfunctioning! Ohh, I can’t look!”

Seriously, this ride makes me FEEL like I’m in the actual movie more than Rise does (though Rise does its darnedest - it’s still really had to bring to life things like ship hangars that are supposed be the size of 50 Costcos, not just one).

 

[Professortango1]

You just need to get into the spirit of the thing! When I get Engineer, do I try to rack up points? No! I try to get as many things as I can wrong so I can have as many alarms go off as possible, enabling me to do my best Threepio impression! “Aaah! Captain Solo! The systems are malfunctioning! Ohh, I can’t look!”

Seriously, this ride makes me FEEL like I’m in the actual movie more than Rise does (though Rise does its darnedest - it’s still really had to bring to life things like ship hangars that are supposed be the size of 50 Costcos, not just one).

I'll also admit that I am biased having worked in immersive theatre and live game design.

The queue, preshow, onboarding room, and gameplay are all not working towards similar goals nor tones.

I have had a good time messing around with a cabin of friends, but I wouldn't say the ride is designed to encourage that communication and team play, especially among strangers. It's the same as when I'm in a boat with friends on POTC and we all sing along. We are leaning into it to add a layer not intended nor designed into the ride.

 

[britain]

I'll also admit that I am biased having worked in immersive theatre and live game design.

The queue, preshow, onboarding room, and gameplay are all not working towards similar goals nor tones.

I have had a good time messing around with a cabin of friends, but I wouldn't say the ride is designed to encourage that communication and team play, especially among strangers. It's the same as when I'm in a boat with friends on POTC and we all sing along. We are leaning into it to add a layer not intended nor designed into the ride.

Yes, but it depends on the strangers you get, of course. I like to think of it like your typical theme park rapids raft ride: You’re put in a small space with a few strangers. Everyone is politely acknowledging each other but trying to focus on the ride and the one or two riders that are actual friends or family. But once a chute of falling water threatens the group - uh oh! Who’s it gonna be!? MAN! MIDWEST ACCOUNTANT GUY GOT IT BAD!!! Everyone starts laughing with each other more. What!? HE GOT IT AGAIN!? What hilariously bad luck! Hope his phone is ok!

Falcon can’t quite be the bonding experience that raft rides can be (you’re not facing each other and crashes or alerts aren’t as embarrassing as getting drenched. But I have a great time when some child sits in the pilot’s seat, and I from my engineer’s seat loudly bemoan the fact (“We got a KID flying this thing!?”) or boost their confidence (“You got this, bro!”)

In a world eroding natural opportunities for societal interaction and neighborliness, I’m grateful for these rides that require us to look a little silly, so we can connect with others, however briefly.