Mission:Space : Flop?

[EpcotServo]

From a ride and show standpoint, it's a sucess. However the word-of-mouth about MS killed it. (No pun intended)

I love it, but from an Imagineering standpoint, I think I like the SLE down at the Keneddy Space Center better. It's alot of fun and intense, but pretty much everyone can enjoy it without losing their lunch.

And it's more educational!

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

I wouldn't say its a flop, but probably was not held to expectations.....sadly for me I can't do either version the orange made me sick and the green made me shake rattle and roll....and yet I can still ride rollercoasters and free fall rides,but can't do M:S :shrug:


















....it must be the Horizons in me that makes me uneasy when riding M:S :lookaroun

 

[ChrisFL]

However, unless one goes into astronaut or perhaps military flight training, one will seldom have access to the experience of space flight in one's lifetime. M:S, unlike Soarin' and TT, fulfills the mission of EPCOT Center by demonstrating the latest and greatest aerospace technology with a look towards its application for the future of the human race. Sorry, but driving a car and hangliding ain't fulfilling the educational and futuristic goals set forth originally in the way that M:S does.

Erm, you can get the same effect as M:S with 2 things...

...except that when you push the buttons or grab the joystick, it doesn't actually change the experience at all.

It's the world's most expensive spin and puke IMO. Yes, the buttons and the general feel of the cockpit is cool, but they could have made it a LOT more interesting and a LOT more interactive.

See how it would affect the rider? Many do not even realize they are spinning. Most are barely affected by it at all. Having personally been yelled at by guests because I "lied" to them when I said the ride spun for the entire experience, that's a good indication the ride is pretty "in tune" with the image.

It affects the rider if they don't look straight ahead the whole time. Unlike Star Tours and Soarin', where the on-screen action and the simulated motion match up pretty well (you see the action go left, your vehicle motions left, etc.)

M:S is COMPLETELY different. You see your vehicle going forward, but your movement is spinning rapidly. Yes, some people are just fine with that and don't turn their head slightly. Other people can't deal with it, staring straight ahead or not...it's an equilibrium problem caused by other issues.

There are also people who just don't know, can't translate, etc. who DO turn their heads (especially when looking for buttons, etc.) and as soon as the brain tries to figure out whether it's moving forward or spinning rapidly, people get SICK!

It IS a big problem with the ride and I've seen it reported MANY times from guests on other message boards. Between that, the barf bags included, the fact that there's a ton of warnings, they have to blow air in your face, etc. lead me to believe they weren't quite prepared for the amount of problems the average guest would suffer.

 

[krankenstein]

Flop? No.

The huge hit Eisner wanted? Not that either.

Is it true that Eisner hoped this was going to be one of his legacies? I also think I heard someone say Disney had planned on having the ride being cloned to Disneyland. Is that true or am I confusing M:S with something else?

This is a bit off topic but i really want to go on mission space the orange version when we go to wdw in october as im a huge space (for lack of a better word) geek, ive never been on it before or the green version but im worried that im just gonna feel really ill or throw up afterwards:hurl: and it would spoil my as i get sometimes get motion sickness however i can go on the tea cups spinning as fast as we can which was very fast IMO the last time i went on them at alton towers and im fine on rollercoasters and the waltzers the only time i felt a lil bit sick was after me and my dad had rode space mountain at DLP for the 4th time in a row, so could i ask for some advise before you say it i know that most of you are probably not doctors and all that i just would like a little bit of advise instead of me panicing in the queue which i managed to achieve very well the first time i rode ToT with the aid of my dad winding me up even more soz for the long post im good at rambling on about anythin :shrug:

I have a real bad case of motion sickness. I can't even ride in the backseat of a car without getting ill. The Tea Cups, Dumbo, Primeval Whirl, even Star Tours will put me on a bench for the rest of the day. However, M:S Orange has never bothered me once. I think you will be alright if you can handle The Tea Cups. Just my opinion.

 

[tomm4004]

In mid-May Soarin' and TT were 50 minutes and M:S Orange was five, or basically the time it takes you to walk the line. The preshow (aka what's with the bags under Gary Sinise's eyes?) is pedantic, the film basically copies Star Tours, and the exit into the hallway dampens the theming. The motion is fine, especially descending to Mars (that's the best part) and the tasks given to the crew liven it up. And I love flipping the buttons! I wouldn't call it a hit or a miss, just OK.

 

[mitchjs]

its the best "ride" in EPCOT

also, turn your head !!!!

WAY KICK BUTT feelin!

mitch

 

[Disney_Belle]

i seem to think it is the bad press it has gotten and the fears people have of not feeling well after riding. I have to admit I was one who got scared by all of the warning signs and opted out on it back in 2004, and have yet to ride it. Not because I fear a "protein spill":hurl:, but I have horrible chlaustrophobia and am afraid I might pass out if I go on it. From what I hear it isn't a good ride for those who are chlaustrophobic. So unfortunately I haven't experienced it.

 

[ChrisFL]

i seem to think it is the bad press it has gotten and the fears people have of not feeling well after riding. I have to admit I was one who got scared by all of the warning signs and opted out on it back in 2004, and have yet to ride it. Not because I fear a "protein spill":hurl:, but I have horrible chlaustrophobia and am afraid I might pass out if I go on it. From what I hear it isn't a good ride for those who are chlaustrophobic. So unfortunately I haven't experienced it.

Yes, if you're claustrophobic, you'd probably have a very difficult time...it is VERY cramed in there.

 

[Elonwy]

Geez! Who's brilliant idea was it to let a 49 year old on that? that's almost as dumb as letting on the 4 year old :brick:

so just out of curiosity...what would be your recommended age range for the ride?

21-24 years?

 

[mitchjs]

age... its height!!!

as soon as your tall enough, GET ON BOARD!!!!!!!
dont let it be a regret, life is too short!!!!!

hey, my mom and dad who are late 50s/60s went on, and MOM and dad liked it!
my 14yr old daughter loved, it we went right back on!!!!

since our initial rides, we've done it tons of times!
the fear factor is ONLY generated by all tha "warnings" its NOT scary
a big drop on a big roller coaster is much scarier, or when i did the ride on top of the stratophere in vegas(talk about anxiety!)

one time we went in to MS, and came out and it was POURING, wrath of god, kind of rain... so... back in we go...since it was 0 wait time... we did it alot
the cast members were laughing at us

mitch

mitch

 

[Yankeeplex]

I LOVE the ride, but clearly the bad press has put the ride on notice...I walk on in the single line just about any time. I waited 20 minutes with another rider...a far cry from the 90 minutes+ when it first opened.

 

[mitchjs]

just dont go on it, after hitting up beaches and cream and the kitchen sink!!!

 

[Spyne]

I wouldn't necessarily call Mission: Space a flop. It's mostly because it's an intense ride experience and plus the fact there's been deaths because of it that could turn people off from it. When I go in September...I don't know whether I will ride the green or orange version.

But to not stray off, I don't think Mission: Space should be considered a flop. It's really just the risks for some people that could turn them off from it.

 

[ChrisFL]

Well, we could use other means to compare....recent E-Ticket rides...

Tower of Terror- built in 3 other Disney Parks
Soarin'- built in 2 parks (maybe 3-4 soon?)
Test Track- Not the same ride,but technology for it used in Tokyo and soon in DCA
Splash Mountain- Built in 4 parks
Rock'n'Roller Coaster- Built in 2 parks
Indiana Jones- built in 2 parks and Dinosaur using same ride technology

Mission:Space had a relatively minor rumor about being built in tomrrowland in DL but nothing ever came of it.

I think it's clear they are not happy with it and let's face it, no other disney ride EVER had to open a version that took out 90% of the forces before.

 

[peter_pan_man]

: Two clog-wearing youths were recently gunned down in a tram-by shooting outside the food court in the World Showcase's English ghetto.

Ok, soda just came out of my nose on this one! :ROFLOL:

its the best "ride" in EPCOT

also, turn your head !!!!

WAY KICK BUTT feelin!

mitch

HAHA, evil!!

Flop? No! I have never been able to walk on M:S, last wait time was 45min with 60min showing on the board. Even when there was a single flyer line (which I miss) there would be a bit of a wait. Could it draw more of a crowd? Absolutely. Unfortunately it has gotten bad press, but people fail to realize that people have occasionally died on other rides. Obviously they have medical conditions and shouldn't be on such rides.

Should it be replaced? Are you kidding?? It's a great ride, the first time I rode it I was absolutely amazed with the sensations. When needed the imagineers could breath new life into the attraction by making it more interactive as someone suggested earlier and then have a marketing campaign. A couple of thoughts would be to make the "missions" unique to the riders. Have different choices for the "crew" and based on their responses different aspects of the mission will take place. With four people having two options at four different points during the mission you would be able to ride multiple times without repeating the ride experience. Yes this would require probable upgrades, reprogramming, and money but would keep people coming back to see what will happen on their next "flight". IMO M:S is fine for now.

If anything needs to be refurbed or torn down for something new it would be Fast Track (yes that was a joke). This ride is an absolute bore to me. The last time I was at Epcot I had no interest in riding. I would rather be stuck in the middle of IASW for an hour with full audio playing than ride TT. I can get out and muck about in my car any day, but ride a space flight simulator...yeah, not that often.

They really need to be concerned with updating UoE, breathing new life into WoL, and doing something with the Odyssey building. Having vacant buildings in the parks just looks bad IMO. Granted they are sometimes used for different functions but for the majority of the year they are just there aging.

 

[Disneyfanman]

My experience is that since they split the missions into green and orange that the line times have crept up again. Nothing huge (it took us about 30 minutes in line the last time, including the pre-show), but certainly a difference from the span of a couple of years where it was a complete walk on. The last two times it felt like it was attracting a healthy crowd. Despite loving the attraction, I have always felt that it was a mistake. It really separates families like nothing else at WDW. But if anyone is going to live through a 200 million theme park attraction mistake, it's Disney. And I will continue to ride on every visit.

 

[ChrisFL]

If anything needs to be refurbed or torn down for something new it would be Fast Track (yes that was a joke). This ride is an absolute bore to me. The last time I was at Epcot I had no interest in riding. I would rather be stuck in the middle of IASW for an hour with full audio playing than ride TT. I can get out and muck about in my car any day, but ride a space flight simulator...yeah, not that often.

I think you mean Test Track...but it nearly always has the second longest wait time in Epcot behind Soarin', so from a numbers perspective, it's still M:S that should be replaced, not Test Track

 

[MousDad]

Geez! Who's brilliant idea was it to let a 49 year old on that? that's almost as dumb as letting on the 4 year old :brick:

Seriously, dude. Like, who let her out of the nursing home?? Whoa.

 

[hokielutz]

I really cannot say that M:S is a flop.

I agree the wait times are not as astronomical as the ride sensations, but most of that comes from the bad press and the uninformed word of mouth.

Reason I say uninformed, is there are folks who talk poorly about the ride who have never been on it, and are not closely associated with anyone who did ride it. Yet they try and speak from a position of being an expert. And when someone starts talking about sickness and death being caused by a ride... fear can really creep into the consciousness.

I am in no way saying that people have not gotten sick on the ride. I totally believe it because some cannot handle the sensations caused by the forces on M:S.

Anyways.... the ride does have a queue most of the time, whether it be 5 minutes, or 40..... Its popularity far exceeds that of another attraction that is really flopping...... Imagination. If there is anything that needs some TLC from the Mouse... it is that ride. Other than that... the pavillion formerly known as seasonal Wonders of Life, formerly the great Wonders of Life, needs a new purpose.

 

[yankspy]

Geez! Who's brilliant idea was it to let a 49 year old on that? that's almost as dumb as letting on the 4 year old :brick:

My 75 year old Aunt went on it, as well as TOT