I was originally going to try and retheme and enclose the layout, but the more I look at it, the more it appears GSS is unsalvageable in its current layout, and can very well be smashed down and utterly rebuilt in a new form, should the opportunity to do as such arise. From the remains of what was once a tacky Mullholand-themed Wild Mouse comes an immersive and Disney-worthy experience. (Because when you go to a DISNEY park you want a DISNEY-worthy experience.) No longer unfitting to Paradise Park’s unique colors and shaping, it now meshes better than ever, cohesion being something we need in light of Pixar Pier.
Along Paradise Park/Pier, one can see an elaborate set of golden tiki columns connected by a thatched roof, leading to a building that is larger than those surrounding it, indicating the coaster inside. Look at the top of the large tower, and you will notice familiar characters. It’s the Experiments! Beneath is the attraction’s title; Stitch’s California Surf Tour. As you continue inside the building, you will hear “He Mele No Lilo” begin to play, as you pass by surfboards mounted into the sand. One has an image of Goofy as a tribute to the former occupant of the space, another features Dinosaur Joe, former sunglasses mascot. Take another turn to see an Audio-Animatronic Reuben, who gives the storyline (Stitch and co have come to a surf tournament here in California), followed by a safety spiel. On a video screen, you can see clips of the participants of the tournament, (look closely to see a licence plate labeled with “Mullholland” on it as a tribute to the original) as well as more safety information and a showcase of the ride’s unique vehicles and structure.
Stand tall in the loading area, as the coaster is of the standing variety, rather than sitting conventionally (Disney’s first ever stand-up coaster), in order to better simulate the art of surfing. Pleakley gives us instructions on how to stand in our vehicles, and reminds us that we mustn’t move from our secure “seats”, even though we are standing up, until the ride has come to a complete stop. The standing trains seat two per row, and each car is named. (Bonnie + Clyde, Felix, Ace, Carmen, Chopsuey, Yin + Yang, Reuben, Sparky, Angel, and Stitch himself) We then start our journey, approaching the distant ocean…
On the beachside, we see the ice cream tourist once again, along with some sand sculptures of the Experiments. Slushy and Dupe offer concessions, while it seems the announcer is weirded out by the participants. Kixx briefly pops out, and he serves as our flag-bearer for this stunt race, holding checkered flags, as we enter the lift hill, where we can also see Lilo and Nani waving to us to cheer on us. The room of the lift hill goes dark, as it is suddenly illuminated with a swirling blue light, as “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” starts. (Think Space Mountain, but with water) At the top of the lift, our photo is taken, as we enter a banked drop into the rest of the layout shortly after. We then go through another turn, into a brief lift upward, and then another turn. Look around and you will see surfers on the waves, doing tricks. Pass under a rip curl through a quick dive, ride up a wave, and get ready for a lot of tilting of your vehicle to simulate surfing, so that you feel like you’ll be inverted, but you won’t, and rotations of your vehicle to simulate a top spin.
The ride also features a spectacular drop to the outside of the building for a big, wet splashdown! After this, the ride begins to slow down, as we see Slick hawking his cheesy souvenir items and Frenchfry offer fusion cuisine to Nani and us. Nosy is also there to tell us how we did, as we are about to unload. The unload area plays “Aloha e Komo Mai”.
So, do you think the demolition of GSS to make room for something new works?
Along Paradise Park/Pier, one can see an elaborate set of golden tiki columns connected by a thatched roof, leading to a building that is larger than those surrounding it, indicating the coaster inside. Look at the top of the large tower, and you will notice familiar characters. It’s the Experiments! Beneath is the attraction’s title; Stitch’s California Surf Tour. As you continue inside the building, you will hear “He Mele No Lilo” begin to play, as you pass by surfboards mounted into the sand. One has an image of Goofy as a tribute to the former occupant of the space, another features Dinosaur Joe, former sunglasses mascot. Take another turn to see an Audio-Animatronic Reuben, who gives the storyline (Stitch and co have come to a surf tournament here in California), followed by a safety spiel. On a video screen, you can see clips of the participants of the tournament, (look closely to see a licence plate labeled with “Mullholland” on it as a tribute to the original) as well as more safety information and a showcase of the ride’s unique vehicles and structure.
Stand tall in the loading area, as the coaster is of the standing variety, rather than sitting conventionally (Disney’s first ever stand-up coaster), in order to better simulate the art of surfing. Pleakley gives us instructions on how to stand in our vehicles, and reminds us that we mustn’t move from our secure “seats”, even though we are standing up, until the ride has come to a complete stop. The standing trains seat two per row, and each car is named. (Bonnie + Clyde, Felix, Ace, Carmen, Chopsuey, Yin + Yang, Reuben, Sparky, Angel, and Stitch himself) We then start our journey, approaching the distant ocean…
On the beachside, we see the ice cream tourist once again, along with some sand sculptures of the Experiments. Slushy and Dupe offer concessions, while it seems the announcer is weirded out by the participants. Kixx briefly pops out, and he serves as our flag-bearer for this stunt race, holding checkered flags, as we enter the lift hill, where we can also see Lilo and Nani waving to us to cheer on us. The room of the lift hill goes dark, as it is suddenly illuminated with a swirling blue light, as “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” starts. (Think Space Mountain, but with water) At the top of the lift, our photo is taken, as we enter a banked drop into the rest of the layout shortly after. We then go through another turn, into a brief lift upward, and then another turn. Look around and you will see surfers on the waves, doing tricks. Pass under a rip curl through a quick dive, ride up a wave, and get ready for a lot of tilting of your vehicle to simulate surfing, so that you feel like you’ll be inverted, but you won’t, and rotations of your vehicle to simulate a top spin.
The ride also features a spectacular drop to the outside of the building for a big, wet splashdown! After this, the ride begins to slow down, as we see Slick hawking his cheesy souvenir items and Frenchfry offer fusion cuisine to Nani and us. Nosy is also there to tell us how we did, as we are about to unload. The unload area plays “Aloha e Komo Mai”.
So, do you think the demolition of GSS to make room for something new works?
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