Maelstrom's crappy new exit

[captainkidd]

Would a solution be as simple as walling off the back row or 2 of the theater to create a continually open passage?

Seems easy enough. They could always just borrow some of the walls from the Magic Kingdom. Lord knows, there's plenty there to go around.

 

[CDavid]

Would a solution be as simple as walling off the back row or 2 of the theater to create a continually open passage?

As an interim step, if they cannot wall it off or until they can, at least rope off the rear few rows to serve as the exit and direct those skipping the movie out that way. Leave the forward rows for those watching the film and keep the front of the theater roped off so nobody can walk in front.

I really, really hope this bad-show policy is only temporary, but if those doors have to remain open for some reason (I can't imagine why), at least set up the exit to be considerate to those enjoying the movie.

I have to wonder whose bad idea this was.

 

[Mansion Butler]

On the other hand, this is really bad show for people who like the film. I can understand people may have different tastes than me, and many people like it. For those people this is completely bad form. Hopefully it's just a temporary solution until they can build a separate exit hallway.

I'm willing to bet the number of people annoyed by having to wait vastly outnumbers the number of people annoyed by others walking through the film. Judging just by how many people are ever in that film.

An alternate exit is the best solution, but as long as they don't have an alternate exit, this is the right current solution.

If this is still happening next time I go, I'll try go through the back row if no one's sitting back there, to avoid getting in anyone's way.

Makes sense. I'm aware of the problem after this thread, so I probably will, too. I don't blame others for nothing thinking about it, especially brand new guests.

 

[Mansion Butler]

I guess I'm just surprised that people who are so adamant against waiting the 5 minutes between the boat ride and the opening of the doors are even there in the first place. The boat ride is extremely short and one of the more underwhelming rides at WDW IMO.

Yeah, Maelstrom is kind of boring. My DGF loves it, so we do it a lot. If I'm by myself, though, I usually skip it precisely for why you state: the ride isn't worth being trapped in that little room.

I'm more likely to ride it now, assuming the line is short.

 

[WorldKey]

An alternate exit is the best solution, but as long as they don't have an alternate exit, this is the right current solution.

The 'right current solution' is to leave the doors closed until they can come up with a solution that will not have people walking in front of those trying to watch the movie. This is a ridiculous stop-gap. You need to think of what your favorite show/movie is at WDW and then imagine noisy people walking in front of you while you are trying to enjoy it.

 

[T-1MILLION]

The honest solution needs to be to give the people what they want. Anyone remember the Walt and the flowerbed story in ealy DL?

Disney needs to ask themselves why people are skipping this movie. Between a bad design and a theater that could house a much better film that people actually want to see would be a solution, rather than just saying "Watch the 80s advertisement or don't"

 

[chargerag]

what is the flower bed story.

 

[T-1MILLION]

what is the flower bed story.

Years ago when Walt and his guys were walking around Disneyland there was a a flower bed that was damaged to guests trying to get to an attraction (I want to say it was a fantasyland dark ride) and the guy's took note and told Walt it would get some fence work to make sure it did not happen again. Walt looked at the area for a moment at the attraction across the way and said no, better make a pathway that goes between the flower bed area. There is a reason the people want to get over there, let's not stop them.

 

[ChrisFL]

I happen to enjoy Maelstrom as a ride.

It's not the longest ride or most thrilling, but it does have some unique features...I mean, before Everest and Revenge of the Mummy it actually went backwards for a long distance, then you have the cool effect of freaking people out when going backwards, you can tell them to turn around and look behind them as it looks like you're about to go down the waterfall.

It also featured a lightning effect early on at the splashdown as well.

 

[aladdin2007]

Yeah, Maelstrom is kind of boring. My DGF loves it, so we do it a lot. If I'm by myself, though, I usually skip it precisely for why you state: the ride isn't worth being trapped in that little room.

I'm more likely to ride it now, assuming the line is short.

and there is the problem, no one has any patience! Even for a 5min wait or a queue line.

 

[T-1MILLION]

and there is the problem, no one has any patience! Even for a 5min wait or a queue line.

People paid money and are willing to wait for an attraction that they feel is worthwhile VERY few people feel the film from 1988 explaining why Norway is a good country to visit is worth waiting five more min after they already rode the ride.

Both poor design and poor show lead to this kind of thing.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Quick point/semi-rebuttal:

The fact that people are walking through the theater NOW isn't really evidence they don't want to watch the movie.

It could be based more on confusion with the new setup (heck, *I* got confused by it last month and wasn't sure if they were trying to keep people moving in order to clear out the pavilion before IllumiNations).

Or you could have people who would be inclined to watch it, if not for the fact that other people would be tromping through the theater during the whole show. (I sat down for a minute or two during the film, but I just couldn't relax or get into it with the doors open.)

Now, if people were rushing to the far doors in droves under the old setup, then that would seem to be more analogous to that very nice flowerbed anecdote.

 

[T-1MILLION]

Quick point/semi-rebuttal:

The fact that people are walking through the theater NOW isn't really evidence they don't want to watch the movie.

It could be based more on confusion with the new setup (heck, *I* got confused by it last month and wasn't sure if they were trying to keep people moving in order to clear out the pavilion before IllumiNations).

Or you could have people who would be inclined to watch it, if not for the fact that other people would be tromping through the theater during the whole show. (I sat down for a minute or two during the film, but I just couldn't relax or get into it with the doors open.)

Now, if people were rushing to the far doors in droves under the old setup, then that would seem to be more analogous to that very nice flowerbed anecdote.

I understand those points and they are valid. But the problem still remains on what a poor choice it was to set up the operation this way. People leave a ride and are ready to exit. You can't close an attraction like that and expect people to find the film a thing to look forward too.

And as I said, it does not help that the film is dated so with so many people being there before it is a big chunk of the people that do their best to walk on out.

They have known for years not everyone wants to watch the dated film that is why for a very long time now it has been optional until the far doors shut and they instruct the CMs to spiel that up until recently.

Anyone imagine getting off of Test Track waiting in the post show area for a mandatory film how cars of GM are very high performance from two decades ago?

Maelstrom is a great ride and its one of my favorites as well as possibly my favorite attraction at EPCOT, but I am not going to lie and say the way it exits was well thought out in the aspect of pacing.

 

[ChrisFL]

Anyone imagine getting off of Test Track waiting in the post show area for a mandatory film how cars of GM are very high performance from two decades ago?

It reminds me of the original Universe of Energy ride...everything was great until after you went through the Dinosaur area...then it was like a 15 minute snoozefest about Exxon before waking you up again with the cool laser and mirror effects.

But that 15 minutes was torture when you're a kid

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I understand those points and they are valid. But the problem still remains on what a poor choice it was to set up the operation this way. People leave a ride and are ready to exit. You can't close an attraction like that and expect people to find the film a thing to look forward too.

Oh, I totally agree. I said earlier here that the whole setup of making people wait to get OFF a ride was totally backwards, and felt like a violation of unwritten theme park law.

It would just bug me if this setup were a precursor to taking out the film entirely, with Disney's logic being "Hey, nobody sits down anyway, this film just isn't popular"...when this setup itself would be the DIRECT CAUSE of that behavior.

From what I've read about the way Disney (allegedly) skews guest survey results to prop up decisions they've already made, it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to discourage people from watching a film they wanted to yank, just to create a pretense for pulling the trigger.

Like I said, I'd like to see a measure to accommodate both crowds here. I enjoy the films at Epcot, but I don't begrudge anyone the right to keep moving when they thought all they were signing on for was a ride.

 

[CThaddeus]

Anyone imagine getting off of Test Track waiting in the post show area for a mandatory film how cars of GM are very high performance from two decades ago?

No, instead you go on a lame car ride (which you could pretty much simulate on any given day in your own car) showing how cars were tested almost two decades ago. Surely there must have been some advances since then...

 

[T-1MILLION]

It reminds me of the original Universe of Energy ride...everything was great until after you went through the Dinosaur area...then it was like a 15 minute snoozefest about Exxon before waking you up again with the cool laser and mirror effects.

But that 15 minutes was torture when you're a kid

Yeah, in a sense but at least that was still part of the attraction itself. With this guests are lead to believe they are done and then realize they have to watch a five minute movie, or wait another five min plus before seeing said five min movie. I know it sounds petty but that is a poor design and pacing structure It makes it all the worse when said film is an advertisement and dated.

Agreed there in most senses CT but for the people who do like Test Track as a ride are free to exit after it is over by walking out of the post show. They are not closed off and forced to do anything.

I understand you like Norway's film and that is fine, but from an operational standpoint it is poor.

 

[CThaddeus]

Yeah, in a sense but at least that was still part of the attraction itself. With this guests are lead to believe they are done and then realize they have to watch a five minute movie, or wait another five min plus before seeing said five min movie. I know it sounds petty but that is a poor design and pacing structure It makes it all the worse when said film is an advertisement and dated.

Agreed there in most senses CT but for the people who do like Test Track as a ride are free to exit after it is over by walking out of the post show. They are not closed off and forced to do anything.

I understand you like Norway's film and that is fine, but from an operational standpoint it is poor.

As I mentioned earlier, though, if you read the website or the guide book, it does clearly state that there is a movie after the boat ride. The movie IS part of the attraction. It's not just some post-show walk-through like Test Track.
I'm not sure where this supposed "attraction layout etiquette" comes from. Why is it wrong to have a film after a boat ride? How is it wrong to have guests wait a few minutes for it after the boat ride, especially when it's all a part of the same attraction. I guess I'm just the strange one.

 

[T-1MILLION]

As I mentioned earlier, though, if you read the website or the guide book, it does clearly state that there is a movie after the boat ride. The movie IS part of the attraction. It's not just some post-show walk-through like Test Track.
I'm not sure where this supposed "attraction layout etiquette" comes from. Why is it wrong to have a film after a boat ride? How is it wrong to have guests wait a few minutes for it after the boat ride, especially when it's all a part of the same attraction. I guess I'm just the strange one.

It is not so much that guests do not know, it is that it is a poorly run operation. You are not strange but you are in the minority. My family even in the ealy 90s did their best to skip the film becuase after the first three times it was nothing worth seeing. It is a five min commercial for Norway with dated attributes. Regardles of mandatory or not it IS a post show. The only one that works this way as far as I can tell with the parks. It is fine to leave it be but why not have signage that let's people know that in there is a theater to see a five min film on Norway, those who have no interest can just leave.

 

[Mansion Butler]

The 'right current solution' is to leave the doors closed until they can come up with a solution that will not have people walking in front of those trying to watch the movie. This is a ridiculous stop-gap. You need to think of what your favorite show/movie is at WDW and then imagine noisy people walking in front of you while you are trying to enjoy it.

No, the right solution is to do what makes the most people happy. I guarantee you more people are unhappy about being trapped in a boring room than having people walk through the movie.

The honest solution needs to be to give the people what they want. Anyone remember the Walt and the flowerbed story in ealy DL?

Yes, this.

and there is the problem, no one has any patience! Even for a 5min wait or a queue line.

Not for being bored, no.

Now, if people were rushing to the far doors in droves under the old setup, then that would seem to be more analogous to that very nice flowerbed anecdote.

Anecdotally, this is exactly what happened every time I've been there, and was most glaring the few times I did watch the movie. And I'm sure that's exactly why they've altered it.

Guests don't expect to be trapped for no reason once they get off an attraction.