Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway confirmed

[Kman101]

I’d compare NRJ to Gringotts precisely. Both use set dressing to frame screens, as the ride system moves you from screen to screen. But that’s just me.

I think you're underselling River Journey (it's too short but the screens are integrated very well) in this regard. But that's just me.

 

[Hawg G]

I think the screens are horrible, it's like two small windows to outside the forest. They are so small, and show so much movement that lacks everywhere else I mean one shows a continuous flow of Navi, yet they then disappear.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

No, it didn't spring into full being from just an idea. The Entertainment Pavilion was well along when it was shunted.

Like I said, the concept was well developed for EPCOT, but it's not like blueprints were drawn up for that park that then got transplanted to MGM instead.

Similar to the way the Space Mountain concept was developed thoroughly for Disneyland, but when it came time to actually build one and it's not like they busted out the completed design work and just built it at MK instead. They took those matured ideas and designed from them to create something new for the park.

 

[Chomama]

Our family had a similar comment. Our daughter said “all the experiences felt the same” when we went to WDW for her graduation and did a day at universal.

Quiet reader here. I just wanted to say that we had a similar experience. We have our kids - 12,10,7 - a trip to universal for Christmas this year. To say they are potter fans is an understatement. They prefer potter to anything Disney and were over the moon excited.
We stayed at HRH and used express pass. They were blown away by the theming of WWOHP and kind of like the two big rides. We rode every ride in the park and had 3 nights there. On the morning of the second day they were asking to go home. We did not visit Disney on this trip and planned it as a completely separate trip.
They do not want to go back. They explain the rides to people as - 3D glasses, loud noises, shaking, water, fire and then we beat the bad guys. Over and over.
I am not anti-universal and we were really hoping to love it. The screens aren’t the issue but the rides were basically the same thing with different characters to us.

 

[Kman101]

I would say Gringotts is more like Ratatouille.

I don’t think you go from screen to screen on NRJ. They are there to add depth to the environment. While both rides use screens framed by scenery, Gringotts makes them the focal point by stopping you in front of them and having the story unfold before moving you to the next screen.

On NRJ you float by all the scenery including the screens. The rider can focus on the screens if they want, but there is so much else to look at besides that on NRJ. The whole Gringotts experience/story would just be a coaster through caves with awkward stops if you took the screens away.

You would know the tech better than me, but to me the depth and color look much better on NRJ than Gringotts as well. Maybe it’s the 3-D.

We talked the day you first rode the Pandora attractions, so I think I know how you feel about the land overall. I just think NRJ gets too much hate. So sometime I feel the need to defend this beautiful ride with an amazing AA.

I agree about NRJ. It's way too short. And I know it's not "exciting" enough for some folks who prefer silly danger and a drop. But I like it for what it is. I feel immersed and the screens ENHANCE the ride. They aren't the WHOLE ride. I do agree it's too easily dismissed. Martin is very much entitled to his feelings but I think he sells NRJ a little short.

 

[PorterRedkey]

I agree about NRJ. It's way too short. And I know it's not "exciting" enough for some folks who prefer silly danger and a drop. But I like it for what it is. I feel immersed and the screens ENHANCE the ride. They aren't the WHOLE ride. I do agree it's too easily dismissed. Martin is very much entitled to his feelings but I think he sells NRJ a little short.

I value @marni1971 opinions more than most. He’s a smart guy with lots of information most of us don’t have.

I don’t think NRJ is perfect by far. I would have liked a longer ride with more AAs, but that is not what we got so I can only judge by what the ride is, not what I wanted it to be. It was never going to be the Navi version of Pirates.

That said, I find NRJ beautiful to look at. For. C-ticket, I think it is incredible. Oh and that AA is pretty sharp too.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I value @marni1971 opinions more than most. He’s a smart guy with lots of information most of us don’t have.

I don’t think NRJ is perfect by far. I would have liked a longer ride with more AAs, but that is not what we got so I can only judge by what the ride is, not what I wanted it to be. It was never going to be the Navi version of Pirates.

That said, I find NRJ beautiful to look at. For. C-ticket, I think it is incredible. Oh and that AA is pretty sharp too.

Yes. It’s a wonderful C. If it settled down to a 20-30 min wait, I’d have no issue waiting.

 

[Kman101]

I value @marni1971 opinions more than most. He’s a smart guy with lots of information most of us don’t have.

I don’t think NRJ is perfect by far. I would have liked a longer ride with more AAs, but that is not what we got so I can only judge by what the ride is, not what I wanted it to be. It was never going to be the Navi version of Pirates.

That said, I find NRJ beautiful to look at. For. C-ticket, I think it is incredible. Oh and that AA is pretty sharp too.

Never said it was perfect. I agree with the flaws it has. I just felt he undersells it a bit

 

[ToTBellHop]

Never said it was perfect. I agree with the flaws it has. I just felt he undersells it a bit

I think Martin sometimes suffers from his vast knowledge. When you know what a project could have been, what was cut, and what it still cost, your worldview shifts. I suffer from this affliction in TSL. And maybe he just doesn’t like the ride.

 

[sedati]

I think Martin sometimes suffers from his vast knowledge. When you know what a project could have been, what was cut, and what it still cost, your worldview shifts. I suffer from this affliction in TSL. And maybe he just doesn’t like the ride.

What's odd is that thanks to him, I find that I myself turn that critical eye to past projects equally with those of today. My favorite part of his videos is the "what might have been" as we watch the blue sky proposals become concrete attractions. Budgeting, scaling, and construction set-backs are nothing new. I enjoy the process, but feel many would do better if they didn't watch the sausage get made as it clearly leads to disappointment.

 

[JJJ]

What's odd is that thanks to him, I find that I myself turn that critical eye to past projects equally with those of today. My favorite part of his videos is the "what might have been" as we watch the blue sky proposals become concrete attractions. Budgeting, scaling, and construction set-backs are nothing new. I enjoy the process, but feel many would do better if they didn't watch the sausage get made as it clearly leads to disappointment.

His Dinosaur video is a great example of this! The concept started out so cool, and is still cool, but I found it really shocking when he went through the plot of the ride. I had no idea all of that was supposed to be happening! It really gets lost in the darkness.

 

[marni1971]

Sometimes it’s still very odd reading about me

 

[Hawg G]

Quiet reader here. I just wanted to say that we had a similar experience. We have our kids - 12,10,7 - a trip to universal for Christmas this year. To say they are potter fans is an understatement. They prefer potter to anything Disney and were over the moon excited.
We stayed at HRH and used express pass. They were blown away by the theming of WWOHP and kind of like the two big rides. We rode every ride in the park and had 3 nights there. On the morning of the second day they were asking to go home. We did not visit Disney on this trip and planned it as a completely separate trip.
They do not want to go back. They explain the rides to people as - 3D glasses, loud noises, shaking, water, fire and then we beat the bad guys. Over and over.
I am not anti-universal and we were really hoping to love it. The screens aren’t the issue but the rides were basically the same thing with different characters to us.

That ride description is pretty good for FoP, except there are no bad guys. Not necessarily a good thing.

 

[PorterRedkey]

Never said it was perfect. I agree with the flaws it has. I just felt he undersells it a bit

I was agreeing with you.

 

[Kman101]

I think Martin sometimes suffers from his vast knowledge. When you know what a project could have been, what was cut, and what it still cost, your worldview shifts. I suffer from this affliction in TSL. And maybe he just doesn’t like the ride.

All very good points

It's fine if he doesn't like it Again, just think he's underselling it. It's not really about even liking it, lol.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I think NRJ is a beautiful ride, but I don't get a storyline from it at all and before you really get into the ride, it is over. I'd prefer a little more of length on the ride as well as a storyline to draw you in. The AA is pretty awesome and it is lovely though. Marie

 

[Dunston]

I'm very surprised that so many here are dismissive of Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey. I still think that it is the most impressive ride in Orlando. Not my favorite attraction experience (that honor will always go to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror), but I'm always exhilarated and amazed when that robot arm swings me through Hogwarts. I do not remember being uinimpressed by the animatronics on that ride, because you swing past them so quickly. I do think that the lighting in some of the dark parts does let you see "behind the curtain" a bit, but I may be remembering it wrong--I haven't been on it, or to Universal, since 2013.

 

[Hawg G]

I'm very surprised that so many here are dismissive of Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey. I still think that it is the most impressive ride in Orlando. Not my favorite attraction experience (that honor will always go to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror), but I'm always exhilarated and amazed when that robot arm swings me through Hogwarts. I do not remember being uinimpressed by the animatronics on that ride, because you swing past them so quickly. I do think that the lighting in some of the dark parts does let you see "behind the curtain" a bit, but I may be remembering it wrong--I haven't been on it, or to Universal, since 2013.

Just Diznoids.

 

[celluloid]

I liked Forbidden Journey back in the day because at one point in the ride my feet would come in significant contact with fake foliage and my legs aren’t unusually long by any means. You never really feel the danger you’re supposed to feel on a theme park ride because you know it’s just a ride, but they managed to take that sense of safety away. It was highly immersive. Today the ride just isn’t the same.

I hope MMRR provides a similar sense of immersion.

I can still get the tip of my shoe on some of the netting into the final screen carosuel depending on where I sit. No other ride I know Puts you Into the ride envalope the unique way the kuka arms do on FJ.

 

[matt9112]

I think NRJ is a beautiful ride, but I don't get a storyline from it at all and before you really get into the ride, it is over. I'd prefer a little more of length on the ride as well as a storyline to draw you in. The AA is pretty awesome and it is lovely though. Marie

valid point but its a bad ride IMO its excuted very poorly. it has no story (that an average guest will get) and is amazingly short. it could have been far larger if they wanted...honestly considering its not an overlay or shoehorn ride its probably one of the biggest failures lately.