Mine Ride Construction Update

[jdmdisney99]

I don't get what the big issue is here. It's called "fantasyland". I don't think Peter Pan, Cinderella, etc are real. Kids do. It's called fantasy. If Fantasy land is targeted towards adults, why aren't they're more adult like places there? Seriously. I am not trying to argue but pointing out that a place called fantasyland is targeted to adults is quite laughable. Enjoy the coaster for what it is and relax. If you want adult rides hit up Universal or Busch Gardens. Stop putting Disney down for doing what they are supposed to be doing .

There is so much I could try and jam together to respond to this post. Reading it was like a slap in the face. Let's try a little...

I don't think Peter Pan, Cinderella, etc are real. Kids do. It's called fantasy.

The point isn't that kids believe in this and adults don't. Key suspension of disbelief. Just because you're an adult and don't believe something is real doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. It is geared towards those that know the stories and enjoy them and are entertained by being put within these realms.

If Fantasy land is targeted towards adults, why aren't they're more adult like places there? Seriously. I am not trying to argue but pointing out that a place called fantasyland is targeted to adults is quite laughable.

Nobody said it was targeted towards adults, they just said it wasn't specifically targeted towards children. And it isn't. That idea of being geared at only kids is a mindset that is the complete opposite of what Disney theme parks are about. You even said you are like a kid in an adult body. The park isn't for kids, it's for everyone to enjoy themselves, almost like a child, back when things were happier on a day to day basis. So everyone can feel like a kid. I quote Joe Rhode when I say that a theme park is "a transformational experience". The point isn't to attract just kids. The point is to attract everyone and make them feel like a kid. They don't just want a bunch of kids to come in the gates, they want everybody and anybody to enter, but they want them to leave as giddy children. The parks aren't geared towards kids or adults. They are aimed at everyone, so they can enjoy and recollect happy (happier) times.

If you want adult rides hit up Universal or Busch Gardens.

So, by your own thinking, do you believe Dr. Seuss characters are real? How about Harry Potter? If you answered no to those questions than UNI and BG must be aimed at kids too right? Since kids do? Same thing there. They are based towards everyone, not one demographic or the other, with intentions of entertaining with experiences guests connect to.

Stop putting Disney down for doing what they are supposed to be doing .

They are supposed to be aimed at kids?! No wonder Pleasure Island closed! Does every single theme park corporation have a set of parameters they are "supposed" to follow?

I think a family friendly coaster with a low height restriction that the whole family can enjoy together fits the mold of Walt's vision.

It does. Because it's a perfect ride for everyone. Kids can ride it and get a thrill while seeing characters they love while adults (note how I didn't say "parents") can appreciate the elaborate theming and rekindle with their childhood memories (a happier time).

 

[GoofGoof]

It does. Because it's a perfect ride for everyone. Kids can ride it and get a thrill while seeing characters they love while adults (note how I didn't say "parents") can appreciate the elaborate theming and rekindle with their childhood memories (a happier time).

I was using the word "parents" not adults in the context of the Walt quote.

"We believed in our idea - a family park where parents and children could have fun - together."—Walt Disney

I'm not trying to say Fantasyland is only for children and their parents. I enjoyed many visits to MK as an adult without kids.

 

[Jabbas]

Okay my last and final post on this subject. There are more adult like rides at Universal and Busch Gardens. They cater to both audiences. Disney is more toward children. Why does everything have to be an argument around here? I enjoy all parks. I can't wait for the mine train to open. I can't wait for the new stuff in Universal to open. There is something for everyone at all parks but if you want a park with less children and a more grown up atmosphere, Univeral and Busch Gardens are more up that alley. Magic Kingdom is my favorite park, followed by Epcot. But I didn't want to be bothered by kids I wouldn't step foot in fantasy land. No need for that "slap" in this face. Just simply states that Magic Kingdom is geared toward CHILDREN but all ages can enjoy.

 

[jdmdisney99]

I was using the word "parents" not adults in the context of the Walt quote.

"We believed in our idea - a family park where parents and children could have fun - together."—Walt Disney

I'm not trying to say Fantasyland is only for children and their parents. I enjoyed many visits to MK as an adult without kids.

Oh I know. I was just using your post as a basis for that point. I agree.

 

[jdmdisney99]

Okay my last and final post on this subject. There are more adult like rides at Universal and Busch Gardens. They cater to both audiences. Disney is more toward children. Why does everything have to be an argument around here? I enjoy all parks. I can't wait for the mine train to open. I can't wait for the new stuff in Universal to open. There is something for everyone at all parks but if you want a park with less children and a more grown up atmosphere, Univeral and Busch Gardens are more up that alley. Magic Kingdom is my favorite park, followed by Epcot. But I didn't want to be bothered by kids I wouldn't step foot in fantasy land. No need for that "slap" in this face. Just simply states that Magic Kingdom is geared toward CHILDREN but all ages can enjoy.

Sorry about the slap in the face part, I wasn't very clear. I didn't mean a slap towards you. To each his own. I just think it's significant because it is important to not be geared solely towards children, and I don't think that's how they're doing it.

 

[Jabbas]

Sorry about the slap in the face part, I wasn't very clear. I didn't mean a slap towards you. To each his own. I just think it's significant because it is important to not be geared solely towards children, and I don't think that's how they're doing it.

Yeah my apologies if I got a little heated .

 

[Sped2424]

Let's hope
It's also not in the middle of Fantasyland.

The MK and Fantasyland in particular is geared towards children. That is a fact. It's not that they are marketing the park only to children, but families with kids is the largest demographic they are looking to target. Of course they welcome adults without kids or groups of teenagers or anyone willing to shell out $99 to get in. The Walt quotes about adults are some times taken out of context. Walt wanted a place where parents and children could enjoy rides together. He wasn't marketing to just adults. I think a family friendly coaster with a low height restriction that the whole family can enjoy together fits the mold of Walt's vision.

So explain the matterhorn? A ride that is no doubt designed for everyone to enjoy, how is that quote taken out of context? Seems like the perfect example. Would you say that snow white's scary adventures in it's initial version was specifically a childrens ride? The point of the quote is the minute you limit yourself just to children already you are making a mistake, lets take a look at things like the quality of the early dark rides compared to todays little mermaid. The excuse many have put out is that since it is a childrens ride it really doesn't matter, yet it seriously does. I never said market explicitly for adults, I did mean that every experience at wdw should be crafted around pleasing both audiences in one experience. Which was something Walt managed to do time and time again. I know perfectly well the context of the quote which I was using.
"Here is a land of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart, to those who believe that when you wish upon a star your dreams do come true."

 

[djkidkaz]

Was at MK last night and the trains were cycling continuously. It looked like the majority of the faux grass was done. The shingles on the entrance roofs was almost complete and I noticed landscaping looked as if it had progressed in some areas as I peeked through construction walls.

Oh yeah, no pics since it was too dark! Sorry I tried to get there before the sun went down but couldn't make it.

 

[Mawg]

I really don't understand why they did not build a huge thrill coaster instead right in the middle of Fantasyland with a height requirement of 48 inches. They really need more thrill rides and any opportunity they get they should make one. It's not like they did not have enough room and Fantasyland should be geared more towards adults. What on earth was Disney thinking! Instead they built anther dumb ride that the whole family can enjoy.

 

[flyerjab]

I could try to follow the current flow of this thread but I won't. I will simply state that my family - wife and kids (7,11 and 12) - just returned to sunny, warm Pennsylvania (how is that for suspension of disbelief) from a 3 night trip to The World and aside from a full, solid day at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, the majority of our time was spent at the Magic Kingdom, with a significant portion of time dedicated to New Fantasy Land. I am happy to report that both parents and kids had an awesome time there.

Now, as to the specifics of this thread, I tried to view the Mine Train from multiple angles yesterday. I saw it from the following strategic vantage points: the TTA, Astro Orbiter, Pooh's Hunny Hunt Standby Line, the bridge to Be Our Guest, and of course Dumbo. I also obviously circled the perimeter numerous times on our many jaunts back and forth through the park.

As I reported earlier on Wednesday, shingles are still not completed on the entrance queue roofs, and the fake grass is still absent, but only in patches now. Oh, something else I noticed externally; on scaffolding above the entrance queue are a large number of cardboard boxes of various sizes stacked upon one another - the remaining sections of fake grass perhaps?

Now, concerning a few internal observations. Not that I was actually inside (as far as you know) but at the mine exit facing Be Our Guest, I saw welding occurring right near the opening. Aside from that, I also heard hammering echoing out of the opening to the mine. There was definitely a buzz of activity going on within the mine. I saw a number of workers moving about where the welding was happening.

Moving to the outside area again, the cement equipment was clearly visible near the ride entrance area, as were a fair number of workers near the final show cottage.

The excitement level for this ride is definitely noticeable. I saw so many people looking through the peep holes and others taking pictures all around the site. If WDW was smart, they would be playing the music from the actual movie of the dwarves singing and whistling. I think the people would get a kick out if that.

Well, I am now back in PA so no more reports until I actually ride it this summer. Over and out...

 

[space42]

I really don't understand why they did not build a huge thrill coaster instead right in the middle of Fantasyland with a height requirement of 48 inches. They really need more thrill rides and any opportunity they get they should make one. It's not like they did not have enough room and Fantasyland should be geared more towards adults. What on earth was Disney thinking! Instead they built anther dumb ride that the whole family can enjoy.

I don't really see many people expecting a huge thrill ride. The thing is - there used to be an E-Ticket in this exact location - in Fantasyland, without a height restriction (20,000 Leagues Under The Sea). Just because they are building a Fantasyland ride, why should we lower our expectations? What good reason is there for this ride to not be on the same presentation level as other E-Tickets that are geared towards the entire family (Pirates, Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Small World). Would it have broken the bank to have the 'Mine Train' actually take place mostly in the mine, last longer than 90 seconds, and have more than 2 show scenes? Imagine if Splash Mountain was only the parts you could see and didn't contain all of those show scenes / animatronics.

 

[mitchk]

Soo...... What's going on with the mine train? Lol. Back on topic people

 

[GoofGoof]

So explain the matterhorn? A ride that is no doubt designed for everyone to enjoy, how is that quote taken out of context? Seems like the perfect example. Would you say that snow white's scary adventures in it's initial version was specifically a childrens ride? The point of the quote is the minute you limit yourself just to children already you are making a mistake, lets take a look at things like the quality of the early dark rides compared to todays little mermaid. The excuse many have put out is that since it is a childrens ride it really doesn't matter, yet it seriously does. I never said market explicitly for adults, I did mean that every experience at wdw should be crafted around pleasing both audiences in one experience. Which was something Walt managed to do time and time again. I know perfectly well the context of the quote which I was using.
"Here is a land of imagination, hopes and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart, to those who believe that when you wish upon a star your dreams do come true."

I don't disagree with any of this. Maybe we are just saying the same thing and this doesn't apply to you. There seems to be a strong feeling here from some posters that this Mine Train is inadequate because it is just a kiddie coaster. IMHO Snow White's Scary Adventure was (still is in CA) a traditional Disney dark ride built to be enjoyed by the whole family, not just a kiddie ride. So is Mine Train. I don't understand the feelings that this Mine Train ride is going to be just a kiddie coaster built only for kids to enjoy. How is it any more of a kiddie ride than any of the other Fantasyland rides? It's not.

My only point on the Walt quotes is that some people (not necessarily you) take them out of context and try to draw the conclusion that Walt Disney was building his park to be geared to adults. He wanted the parks to be inclusive of the whole family, not just for adults and not just for kids.

How Disney markets it's parks is different than who they were built for. MK and particularly Fantasyland are now heavily marketed towards kids and families with kids. Look at the recent ads and the TV promotions. A while back someone posted a bunch of Disney ads from the 80s, 90s and current and you could see the progression towards marketing to kids. It doesn't mean adults without kids can't enjoy the parks, but the company isn't as active in pursuing that market as in times past.

 

[GoofGoof]

Soo...... What's going on with the mine train? Lol. Back on topic people

They planted 3 more blades of grass. Da Mouse has an update. They got pictures of 2 of the 3 blades.

 

[Mawg]

I don't really see many people expecting a huge thrill ride. The thing is - there used to be an E-Ticket in this exact location - in Fantasyland, without a height restriction (20,000 Leagues Under The Sea). Just because they are building a Fantasyland ride, why should we lower our expectations? What good reason is there for this ride to not be on the same presentation level as other E-Tickets that are geared towards the entire family (Pirates, Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Small World). Would it have broken the bank to have the 'Mine Train' actually take place mostly in the mine, last longer than 90 seconds, and have more than 2 show scenes? Imagine if Splash Mountain was only the parts you could see and didn't contain all of those show scenes / animatronics.

20,000 leagues was removed so long ago we should be happy they finally put something here. I really enjoyed 20,000 but the idea of submarines in fantasyland really didn't seem to fit as well as what they are doing now. They took out an E ticket and replaced it with a Story Time with Belle, a Little Mermaid Ride, A mine Train coaster and one of the most popular restaurants in WDW and a Quick Service Tavern. The replacements can easily take 3 hours out of a families day rather than the hour for 20,000. This seems like a good use of space. I believe that Mine Train is much more than 2 show scenes. The forest is part of the story too. Big thunder only has two show scenes if you only count the indoor portions. I believe an E ticket should be measured by how much people would spend on the ticket to ride it and how long they are willing to wait in a queue. If the queue is too long for a C or D attraction up it to an E and see if the demand is still as high. So wait time becomes equivalent to Price of ticket. If the mine train a year after opening has the wait times of Thunder, Space, and Splash in my view it is an E ticket . If not it will be a D (All this E ticket debate is so much personal opinion you need to quantify it somehow). To the guest the Mine Train might be a 2 minute attraction but to Disney it's an hour and a half long attraction because that's how much time they suck out of your day and decrease the demand of other attractions. I'm still hoping for real animatronics and not just cardboard cutouts. I must say, I may join your thinking if they cheap out in this area. Until then I believe they made the right choices here. I mean we could be looking at a Pixie Meet and Greet instead, talk about an upgrade from the original plan!

 

[RSoxNo1]

Maybe demolish the odyssey and make IAS the entrance to the countries. Hey you said we're dreaming right?

Wait a minute... I love that idea... how about some backstage passes.

 

[RSoxNo1]

It's amazing how many people don't understand sarcasm.

 

[space42]

20,000 leagues was removed so long ago we should be happy they finally put something here. I really enjoyed 20,000 but the idea of submarines in fantasyland really didn't seem to fit as well as what they are doing now. They took out an E ticket and replaced it with a Story Time with Belle, a Little Mermaid Ride, A mine Train coaster and one of the most popular restaurants in WDW and a Quick Service Tavern. The replacements can easily take 3 hours out of a families day rather than the hour for 20,000. This seems like a good use of space. I believe that Mine Train is much more than 2 show scenes. The forest is part of the story too. Big thunder only has two show scenes if you only count the indoor portions. I believe an E ticket should be measured by how much people would spend on the ticket to ride it and how long they are willing to wait in a queue. If the queue is too long for a C or D attraction up it to an E and see if the demand is still as high. So wait time becomes equivalent to Price of ticket. If the mine train a year after opening has the wait times of Thunder, Space, and Splash in my view it is an E ticket . If not it will be a D (All this E ticket debate is so much personal opinion you need to quantify it somehow). To the guest the Mine Train might be a 2 minute attraction but to Disney it's an hour and a half long attraction because that's how much time they suck out of your day and decrease the demand of other attractions. I'm still hoping for real animatronics and not just cardboard cutouts. I must say, I may join your thinking if they cheap out in this area. Until then I believe they made the right choices here. I mean we could be looking at a Pixie Meet and Greet instead, talk about an upgrade from the original plan!

I've been waiting since 1994 for 20,000 Leagues replacement and so far it hasn't really been worth the wait...

Agreed about the one meet and greet - but they closed a dark ride and built a meet and greet anyway. We've seen most of the 7DMT ride with the virtual ride through and the imagineer video. There are 2 show scenes. There are no real animatronics - just animated figures like those in Pooh. The coaster will not be much longer than 90 seconds. I'm trying to keep my expectations in check.
About the E-Ticket Classification - this was not related to popularity. For example - all of the dark rides in Fantasyland were C-Tickets - including Peter Pan which historically has some of the longest lines in the park. While much more elaborate rides such as Pirates, Mansion, Small World 20K Leagues, Jungle Cruise, Hall Of Presidents, Splash, Thunder, Space are E-Tickets. (look at that - there used to be two E-Tickets in Fantasyland)

I have a feeling that this is going to be like Little Mermaid. From the outside, you'd think this may be an E-Ticket, but the ride is more of a C/D Ticket.

 

[NormC]

The mine coaster is already better than 20k and I haven't even ridden it yet. It is amazing how many posters here are making claims about thrill level, ride length, quality etc on a ride that isn't even open yet. The video is edited so it is shorter than the actual ride.

 

[marni1971]

The mine coaster is already better than 20k and I haven't even ridden it yet. It is amazing how many posters here are making claims about thrill level, ride length, quality etc on a ride that isn't even open yet. The video is edited so it is shorter than the actual ride.

A lot of people posting here don't need to watch a video.