Mission:Space IS successfull!

[grandmath]

Last day, at the financial meeting with investors, Al Weiss took the stage and spoke about the new attractions on property..

he said that Mission:Space was a HUGE hit and that it had the biggest incremental attendance among all the thrill rides on property and breaking attendance records.

What I don't understand is how it can be, since it is almost always walk-on, and still have less queueline than Test Track next door. Ok it has a big capacity, but still less than Star Tours for example. So??

And BTW, does anyone working at Epcot know if the attraction is increasing the overall attendance of the park?

 

[General Grizz]

Mission Space is a huge hit. . . I've never been without massive lines.

Still, it does flaw in several aspects (having the whole group of families waiting outside in the heat beacuse there is no great family experience for them).

Al Weiss was correct popularity-wise, I believe.

 

[SpongeScott]

I've never seen massive lines and have not waited more than 5 minutes to ride. Granted, I've only been there one week whereas Grizz goes much more often than me. And it always seemed as though more people were waiting outside than were riding. Still, I would think it's a success based on those who successfully ride and ride it again.

 

[General Grizz]

Yeah...isn't that waiting outside deal so depressing. Ugh. So much room around M:S, too. Horizons was a Disney attraction that could have been improved with an MS postshow; but alas, my expensive fantasies cannot come true at this point:

Overview of space unused, Mission Space, and Horizons transparent.

---

Let me think.

I rode once last summer during Soft Openings. That was a long line.

We got Fastpass in October. I believe it was a 45 minute wait at about 3 PM.

We got right on at 7 PM in November.

Actually, I've gone at the wrong times. Ask a more frequent goer, like ISTCCrew or Orlpassholder. :lol:

For me, however, it's not some great thing to look forward to. Kinda like a Disney time-filler, like JIYI, you know? I'm not saying it's a horrible ride, it has a lot of great effects, but a lot of it is out of tradition and holds no real emotion to me. Kinda cold...and quick...and cramped feel.

 

[Steamboat_Kevin]

Originally posted by General Grizz
Mission Space is a huge hit. . . I've never been without massive lines.

Really? When I was there you could just walk on!

 

[General Grizz]

Originally posted by Steamboat_Kevin
Really? When I was there you could just walk on!

. . . wow. I guess it has worn down (out of busy season)?

 

[surfsupdon]

You could go Christmas--New Years week and wait 2.5--3 hours, with Fastpasses gone by 10ish, if that's what you really want and are looking for.

 

[andre85]

Woo! Good to hear. MS also has a fairly high rider occupancy which could account for the shorter lines.

 

[General Grizz]

Originally posted by andre85
Woo! Good to hear. MS also has a fairly high rider occupancy which could account for the shorter lines.

Are Test Track, Spaceship Earth (which has constant loading AND a long ride - by ten more minutes, despite long lines much of the day), or Spash Mountain any better? I don't think it has to do with occupacy.

 

[grandmath]

I read here that on 12/31, MS had a 285 min waiting time... :hammer:

 

[General Grizz]

Yeah, but that week EPCOT had the highest crowd EVER. That may have been partly due to M:S. All the parks were crowded.

 

[Shaman]

Originally posted by grandmath
I read here that on 12/31, MS had a 285 min waiting time... :hammer:

Yea...but during the holidays...especially NYE, you always have BIG crowds...M:S is a hit, but I think its less of a hit than what they were anticipating...no matter what they say...just my opinion...

 

[nicholas]

When I went last week, it was a walk-on. Thank goodness for slow seasons.

 

[DDuckFan130]

Wow my family and I were lucky...we were at EPCOT on Dec. 21 and we got fastpasses cuz I think there was a long line...when we went back we waited 5 minutes at the most...however, my brother went on NYE with my dad's family and they couldn't go on because it was packed with people waiting outside on the grass I believe, and they didn't have time to wait so they didn't even bother

 

[imagineersrock]

Originally posted by General Grizz
For me, however, it's not some great thing to look forward to. Kinda like a Disney time-filler, like JIYI, you know?

exactly.

i think thats a great way to sum it up; M:S is no doubt a great ride, however, it's no where near what disney builds it up to be..

-and that could possibly be hurting them IMO.. now, you have the people who get off the ride questioning "that was it!?" because even though it was neat and unique... it's not the "oh good god hang on for dear life gut-wrenching best thrill ride you've ever ridden in your life" experience that disney advertising makes it look like it will be.

IMO if disney perhaps underrated it a little more.. guests would more likely be pleasently suprised by the ride

one last thing to keep in mind: just because lots of people rode it.. doesnt neccesarily = lots of people liked it or even intend on riding it again.....

numbers dont neccesarily = all-around success

..i could [and hopefully am] wrong though. it's a very neat, very unique experience, and i personally love M:S and make it a habit to ride it every time i visit epcot.

 

[nicholas]

Originally posted by imagineersrock
you have the people who get off the ride questioning "that was it!?" because even though it was neat and unique... it's not the "oh good god hang on for dear life gut-wrenching best thrill ride you've ever ridden in your life" experience that disney advertising makes it look like it will be.

That would be me. Even though the ride is great and I really enjoyed it, I couldn't help but feel jipped because I never had one of those "Are we still in the building?" moments like the commercials and hype make you think you're going to have.

Was I blown away by the ride? No. Will I go on the ride again? Certainly.

 

[General Grizz]

Two of my teenage students went on an EPCOT field trip.

"How did you like Mission Space?!" (I asked, enthusiastically).
"It was okay. Hey, did you feel weightlessness" (one asked to the other).
"(smiling) No."

 

[Scooter]

When I was at WDW the week of Halloween, Mission Space was a walk on. I was surprised. I thought there would be TONS of people in line for this attraction.

I remember when Body Wars was new and there was a two hour wait for it.

This doesn't look good.:lol:

 

[bartman454]

I've been on MS about 5 or 6 times and have to say while i do think it is cool, it is a lot like the old gravitron ride you find at carnivals and its well themed its not a grand slam. If they really want to bring the guests in they should periodically go to different planets and that way make it a repeatable attraction like Buzz Lightyear is. Although i do admit i would be upset the day i have to make a mission to Uranus.

 

[t3techcom18]

I personally think MS is a sucess, and the thing is with the short lines, is that since it has 4 centrifuges, you can fit 160 people on all 4 centrifuges at the same time. I too make it a habit of going there every time I go to Epcot, just depends on how the day goes. The only time I faced a big wait was 25 minutes on Single Rider, 55 minutes on Standby, and this was around late September....

Not to get off topic or anything, but since Gen. Grizz said something about kids going on field trips, we were supposed to go MK in March for a scientfic view of roller coasters(Space Mountain, BTMRR), and my science teacher and everyone else went for IOA(Islands of Adventure) instead, so were going there.....