Little Mermaid Track Layout (not a question)

[emaginear]

NO. MK isn't just for kids. Not even FL is "only" for kids, that's why they once built 20.000LutS, although it is clearly the land with the strongest children-friendly theming. MK is, like DL, for all ages ! You forget that that was exactly what Walt wanted to create in the first place, a park that offers entertainment and fun for all members of a family, not only the children (and today of course also to couples without children etc.)

True, however, you are not going to see a fast thrill ride in fantasyland. My response was to someone ranting about FL needing an exciting thrill ride, not just another boring Nemo ride with Mermaid theming.

 

[twinsowner]

I know it wont be some kind of thrill ride, but unfortunately my 4 year old twin girls apparently don"t care for the nemo ride. Its just a little boring I think. They do however love Snow White and so do the rest of us!

 

[bferrara16]

Exciting? I wouldn't say so. Quaint and pleasant is more like it.
As for being like Nemo...well...you do sit in a clamshell, but the sets will be better. And 100% less live fish.

So the fish are going to be dead???
*Rushes off to spread dead-fish on the upcoming Little Mermaid ride rumors across the internet*

 

[optjay]

True, however, you are not going to see a fast thrill ride in fantasyland. My response was to someone ranting about FL needing an exciting thrill ride, not just another boring Nemo ride with Mermaid theming.

Wasn't one of the original concepts for 20k replacement Bald, or Fire Mountain? An " E ticket" thrill ride/attraction?

 

[TP2000]

Tomorrow at this time we should have HD pictures of Little Mermaid track schematics and models from the Blue Sky Cellar 3.0 opening at DCA.

You could easily count the number of clamshell vehicles on the track in the schematic or model and compare it to Haunted Mansion. That would get you a rough idea of how long this attraction is, although the sight of the ride model itself will also reveal that.

Count the number of vehicles, and you've instantly got a good frame of reference for ride length. Disneyland's Haunted Mansion has 131 Doom Buggies, for example. But about 20 of those buggies are the part of the track no one sees between Unload and Load, so that gets you about 111 Doom Buggies length where people are actually on the ride, including Load/Unload.

Any guesses how many Clamshell vehicles that Little Mermaid will have? I will guess 105 total, including the Load/Unload area.

 

[TP2000]

True, however, you are not going to see a fast thrill ride in fantasyland.

That doesn't explain Matterhorn Bobsleds.

 

[headhoncho34]

That doesn't explain Matterhorn Bobsleds.

Thats not even a fast thrill ride by today's standards.

 

[TP2000]

Thats not even a fast thrill ride by today's standards.

By today's standards, nothing on WDW property is a fast thrill ride. Rock N' Roller Coaster is about as thrilling as it gets, but in 2010 that is still very tame. California Screamin' is in the same category, and is pretty wimpy compared to coaster parks.

 

[TP2000]

Anyone else want to take a bet on how many clamshells will be revealed tomorrow (Friday) on the track schematic and models of Little Mermaid's Omnimover ride system?

I'll take 105 clamshells.

 

[Lee]

Lee,
Your opinions of this Fantasyland expansion not-withstanding, do you agree that Fantasyland was in need of an expansion?
Yes. That area of the park has been by far the most conjested for years, and as such has been at the top of the list for expansion. My beef is with how much money they are spending on non-ride aspects of the project.

To your argument above, just because one major expansion is targetted at kids doesn't mean the focus of the entire park has shifted. While I agree that targetting a specific group (in this case kids) is a poor plan for a park (case in point, IOA didn't have a wide range and as such was a failure).
But, MK is skewing that way over the last few years. The conversion of Tomorrowland into Toonmorrowland, New Management and a spinner in AL, kid activities in Frontierland, Philharmagic, a Pooh playground and of course the removal of 20k and it's eventual replacement with FLE.
Nothing added that could be considered mostly "for non-kids" since Splash 18 years ago.

To me, while I'm not the target for the Fantasyland Expansion, it accomplishes several things that were needed: increased capacity, additional dining locations, more access to the princesses and a fresh dark ride. The problem is this should have happened a while ago, and it's not the only problem with the parks.
Yes, it does all of that. But at, in my opinion, too high a cost.

Somewhere in this sub-forum I ranked the need for an E-Ticket and the need for capacity in each park. I think where much of the dissatisfaction comes with the Fantasyland expansion is that while it serves a need, it doesn't serve a need that directly appeals to us fan boys.
True to some extent. Nothing in FLE for the fanboys. But, as I have said, that is not my primary issue with it.
My complaint is, if Burbank said "Here's $300mil, fix some issues at WDW", the FLE is not what I feel is the best use of the funds.
Mermaid? Fine.
BatB restaurant? Fine.
Move Dumbo? Ok.
Spend $??millions on M&Gs? No. Not ok. That need could have been met on a much smaller scale, and allowed the remaining funds to be spent elsewhere (such as the items on your list).

Response in bold.

 

[Lee]

Anyone else want to take a bet on how many clamshells will be revealed tomorrow (Friday) on the track schematic and models of Little Mermaid's Omnimover ride system?

I'll take 105 clamshells.

I would certainly say no more than that, and probably less. It is quite a short ride.
I'd love to know the length in ft. of the other FL dark rides. I don't have that info in front of me.

 

[Tigerace81]

By today's standards, nothing on WDW property is a fast thrill ride. Rock N' Roller Coaster is about as thrilling as it gets, but in 2010 that is still very tame. California Screamin' is in the same category, and is pretty wimpy compared to coaster parks.

RNC Tame? Haha. Its the only place in north america to get a ride on a Launched Vekoma. Its not tame when your being thrown around in your OTSR's either.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

True, however, you are not going to see a fast thrill ride in fantasyland. My response was to someone ranting about FL needing an exciting thrill ride, not just another boring Nemo ride with Mermaid theming.

That's ok by me and right too, although imagineers once planned a mildly thrilling ride in FL with Bald or Villain Mountain.
The thrill ride MK needs should be built in AL. TL has one, FrL has 2, LS doesn't need one, just like FL but in AL a thrill ride like Fire Mountain would be the best addition in decades.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Wasn't one of the original concepts for 20k replacement Bald, or Fire Mountain? An " E ticket" thrill ride/attraction?

Yes and no. Bald Mountain (or Villains Mountain) was planned for FL as a log flume ride with villain theming and a new subland-area of FL.
But Fire Mountain, my absolute favorite planned but not yet built ride (but I never stop hoping) was planned in Adventureland! They even did some tests with big balloons to estimate its impact in the skyline of MK as one rule of imagineering says, you must not see optical intrusions that spoil the theming from one land in the other one. Cinderellas Castle as the major weenie of the park is an exception for some lands (but not visible eg. from AL) but Fire Mountain would have been HUGE so they had to check out its height.
I will never stop hoping that one day my favorite expansion project will be built in my favorite land.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

By today's standards, nothing on WDW property is a fast thrill ride. Rock N' Roller Coaster is about as thrilling as it gets, but in 2010 that is still very tame. California Screamin' is in the same category, and is pretty wimpy compared to coaster parks.

That`s true, Disney coasters do not fascinate by thrilling but by theming. I will always prefer EE, BTMR etc. to any superduperrollercoaster that brings you to the speed of sound while lying on your back with your face to the back side while turning you around as fast as a F5 tornado but which is only a naked steel construction in a barren landscape or surrounded by some trees and fountains.

 

[mp2bill]

Either way, it should be a pretty cool ride.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Your opinions of this Fantasyland expansion not-withstanding, do you agree that Fantasyland was in need of an expansion?

Yes. That area of the park has been by far the most conjested for years, and as such has been at the top of the list for expansion. My beef is with how much money they are spending on non-ride aspects of the project.

I can definitely agree with that. Even if they wanted to stick with the princess theme, they could have just as easily made some mediocre (Think Pinnochio's Daring Journey) level dark rides for the Princesses, and it would have probably been money better spent.

To your argument above, just because one major expansion is targetted at kids doesn't mean the focus of the entire park has shifted. While I agree that targetting a specific group (in this case kids) is a poor plan for a park (case in point, IOA didn't have a wide range and as such was a failure).

But, MK is skewing that way over the last few years. The conversion of Tomorrowland into Toonmorrowland, New Management and a spinner in AL, kid activities in Frontierland, Philharmagic, a Pooh playground and of course the removal of 20k and it's eventual replacement with FLE.
Nothing added that could be considered mostly "for non-kids" since Splash 18 years ago.

I think the bigger problem is that the Magic Kingdom hasn't really evolved at all in 18 years. PhilharMagic has been far and away the best addition (really replacement) to that park since Splash Mountain. I would argue that PhilharMagic and Buzz Lightyear have been family attractions as opposed to targetting just children, but I understand your point. The park is also in need of an E-Ticket thrill ride, but I do feel that an expansion to Fantasyland's capacity was the primary need of the park.

Having said that, in theory this could have all been accomplished for 300 million as you've said.

 

[lebeau]

Originally Posted by RSoxNo1

Lee,
Your opinions of this Fantasyland expansion not-withstanding, do you agree that Fantasyland was in need of an expansion?
Yes. That area of the park has been by far the most conjested for years, and as such has been at the top of the list for expansion. My beef is with how much money they are spending on non-ride aspects of the project.

To your argument above, just because one major expansion is targetted at kids doesn't mean the focus of the entire park has shifted. While I agree that targetting a specific group (in this case kids) is a poor plan for a park (case in point, IOA didn't have a wide range and as such was a failure).
But, MK is skewing that way over the last few years. The conversion of Tomorrowland into Toonmorrowland, New Management and a spinner in AL, kid activities in Frontierland, Philharmagic, a Pooh playground and of course the removal of 20k and it's eventual replacement with FLE.
Nothing added that could be considered mostly "for non-kids" since Splash 18 years ago.

To me, while I'm not the target for the Fantasyland Expansion, it accomplishes several things that were needed: increased capacity, additional dining locations, more access to the princesses and a fresh dark ride. The problem is this should have happened a while ago, and it's not the only problem with the parks.
Yes, it does all of that. But at, in my opinion, too high a cost.

Somewhere in this sub-forum I ranked the need for an E-Ticket and the need for capacity in each park. I think where much of the dissatisfaction comes with the Fantasyland expansion is that while it serves a need, it doesn't serve a need that directly appeals to us fan boys.
True to some extent. Nothing in FLE for the fanboys. But, as I have said, that is not my primary issue with it.
My complaint is, if Burbank said "Here's $300mil, fix some issues at WDW", the FLE is not what I feel is the best use of the funds.
Mermaid? Fine.
BatB restaurant? Fine.
Move Dumbo? Ok.
Spend $??millions on M&Gs? No. Not ok. That need could have been met on a much smaller scale, and allowed the remaining funds to be spent elsewhere (such as the items on your list).

This is probably the best, most concise discussion of the pors and cons of the FLE I've seen. I think you two covered it all.

 

[peterpanic74]

Here it is! Official DCA layout from Blue Sky Cellar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68928263@N00/4691145282

Courtesy of Inside the Magic

 

[peterpanic74]

Overhead of Mermaid model - "Under the Sea" scene
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68928263@N00/4690523229

Courtesy of Inside the Magic