Intense Rides At Disney?

[Mikejakester]

I was Wondering why Disney Holds back on intense Rollercoaster Rides.

I mean, not that there is something wrong with their ride. there Cool.
but Rollercoaster Wise. They don't really have an "Intense Ride"

I mean they broke the Ice with the aero smith Rollercoaster....

I was wondering why they don't make a big signature rollercoaster...

 

[MicBat]

Walt Disney wanted his theme parks to be different from all of the other theme parks. He wanted the emphasis to be on theming rather than thrill. He also wanted his parks to be a place that the whole family could enjoy. This may not seem obvious with some of the crap they've been putting in lately, but the basis for the theme parks are still on Walt's dream.

 

[stingrock23]

Yeah, I agree also. The entire family can go on pretty much everything. The theming is so incredible that intense rides aren't needed as much to draw crowds.

But Disney does make signature thrill rides, just not roller coasters as much. but you have tower of terror, indiana jones, test track. space mountain and rock n rollercoaster are big coasters, and california screamin in california. Plus you've got Everest, which looks like it will be a signature roller coaster. Much like Matterhorn was back in the 60's.

 

[Merlin]

The parks that have the "intense" rides are really going after a niche market. When you visit parks such as Six Flags, Busch Gardens or Cedar Point, you'll tend to notice more of a teen and early 20's crowd. If one of these parks were to invest the money to build something as elaborate as, say, Splash Mountain, it would not be money well spent. An attraction such as that wouldn't draw it's intended audience because there'd be nothing else at the park to interest the majority of that audience. I'm a huge roller coaster buff and whenever I visit one of these parks, it seems I'm always the oldest person standing in line for any given ride (I'm 37).

Not so at the Disney parks. The target market is a much wider age range. Disney attractions are meant to be a complete immersive experience, rather than a simple thrill or gimmick. If Disney were to suddenly build a giant coaster like Millenium Force, it would have essentially the same effect as Six Flags building Splash Mountain. They would not attract enough of the target market that such an attraction would be intended to bring into the park. It would be a bad investment (not to mention would likely turn off a portion of the already devoted patrons).

The one park which seems to have successfully defied this law of marketing is Islands of Adventure. This park has some of the most intense roller coasters alongside some great family-friendly attractions. And they seem to draw an audience similar to Disney. But they're successful at this because the park has struck an ideal balance among these different types of attractions. And it opened that way from the very beginning.

 

[Katherine]

Disney wanted his parks to be a place where families could come and have fun together. This means he didn't want anyone to felt left. I think it's also set them apart from the rest. Sure the rest of the theme parks get you screaming but disney takes it one step farther.

 

[Sir Hiss527]

Yes, you are right, Disney is more about theming then rides. Everything has got to tie in with everything.

-Sir Hiss527-

"Stop Hissing in my Ear":king:

 

[RU42]

I grew up visiting 6 Flags Magic Mtn, Knott's Berry Farm, and Disneyland. Strictly looking at it from an RC standpoint - clearly MMtn is the winner - yet Disney wins the heart.

Magic Mtn can defintely put your heart in your throat with sheer terror. Disney captures your everything through the theming. IJA is not 'exciting' in of itself - heck I can do a whole lot more off-roading. But by the time you get through the theming in the line, you ARE Indiana Jones. Then the ride elements just so absolutely overwhelm you - you are living the movie.

That is what sets Disney apart. And that is what frustrates me about Disney is when they cut corners on new rides to provide no excitement. (I feel this is the biggest weakness at Cal Adventure - ride after ride is just queue and ride - queue and ride - no theme to much of anything.

Compare Grizzly rapids versus Kali river rapids. Basically the same thing but Kali just so much better because of the story.

Rock N Rollar Coaster versus Cal Screaming - same thing.

When Disney loses the theming - they just become another park.

RU

 

[spoodles]

This has to rank near the top of the list of most commonly rehashed topics on this forum. Do a little searching and you'll find more opinions and discussion than you'll ever need on the subject.

The just of it (as I recall anyway) from many "Disney-philes", is that thrills are not what Disney is about. But even some Disney purists don't mind venturing into the thrill arena a bit, so long as the theming is strong, and Disney-like. But Disney should never try to be Six Flags, there are plenty of those, and while they're lots of fun, they not very "magical."

 

[ToTBellHop]

You all realize Mission: SPACE will be the most intense ride in Orlando, right? It will out-do any roller coaster on the market because they cannot SUSTAIN g-forces like SPACE will...

 

[Dayma]

I live in Cleveland not far from Cedar Point ( the meca of Roller Coasters ). I think Disney does so much better with the visual aspect of their rides that coaster parks could not even think of implementing. I dont think Disney wants to directly compete with these places either. Why should Disney lower it standards to that of Cedar Point where you wait in line for 3 hours or more for some rides?

 

[sgeist]

I would say that there are a significant number of reasons that Disney doesn't build the more intense coasters:

- They take up too much space.
- They change the aesthetics of your entire park since they tend to dominate the skyline.
- They are not "family" rides.
- They are difficult to theme.

Although along the lines of "thrill rides" I'd say that Disney has come up with some of the most creative and groundbreaking rides out there. (See Tower of Terror and Mission Space.) I would argue that these rides give you more bang for the buck than the adrenaline rush of a mega coaster.

Geist

 

[Mikejakester]

You all realize Mission: SPACE will be the most intense ride in Orlando, right? It will out-do any roller coaster on the market because they cannot SUSTAIN g-forces like SPACE will...

Sustain G Forces??

What type of Ride is MIssion SPACE??
Is it a rollerocaster?
or what??

 

[RU42]

I would suggest visiting:

http://www.wdwmagic.com/space_pavilion.htm

RU

 

[surfsupdon]

I love Walt Disney World. But, the themeing and agriculture at Busch Gardens VA in most parts of that theme park outdo some WDW parks. For example, all WDW parks are flat terrain. The beauty of Busch Gardens is that it uses the natural terrain and utilizes it wonderfully. The themeing of all buildings is very real too, (Epcots is better in that regard.) Also, BG wins "Most Beautiful Theme Park Award" for like the 12th conseciutaive year or something like that...right!! I think all Dinsey Parks are beautiful, and I prefer those parks over all others, but Busch VA is a great park with great themeing that does not fit to be categorized with any Six Flags, which should all be in a crappy place of their own. Ugh!!

We go to BG VA like 3 times each summer and Dinsey once ayear about. Both are great, tho Dinsey obviosuly has a major edge of BG.

 

[Dayma]

For example, all WDW parks are flat terrain. The beauty of Busch Gardens is that it uses the natural terrain and utilizes it wonderfully

Orlando isnt exactly known for its rolling hill and mountains .... I think it would cost a LOT of money to change the landscape across all the parks.

 

[TURKEY]

Originally posted by surfsupdon
I love Walt Disney World. But, the themeing and agriculture at Busch Gardens VA in most parts of that theme park outdo some WDW parks. For example, all WDW parks are flat terrain. The beauty of Busch Gardens is that it uses the natural terrain and utilizes it wonderfully. The themeing of all buildings is very real too, (Epcots is better in that regard.) Also, BG wins "Most Beautiful Theme Park Award" for like the 12th conseciutaive year or something like that...right!! I think all Dinsey Parks are beautiful, and I prefer those parks over all others, but Busch VA is a great park with great themeing that does not fit to be categorized with any Six Flags, which should all be in a crappy place of their own. Ugh!!

We go to BG VA like 3 times each summer and Dinsey once ayear about. Both are great, tho Dinsey obviosuly has a major edge of BG.

I don't see very many hills around Orlando.

I do agree that BG Williamsburg is a very nice park with extremely beautiful scenery and landscaping.