I really wasn't trying to put those rides down. I have never been on them and I am sure they are fun. Your original post was pretty much discounting Goofini (which may be small, but is still a fun ride) and Dumbo (a classic). I was just pointing out that on the famous ticket scale all 4 would probably go down as C tickets so they are comparable. I really hate the E ticket vs D ticket vs C ticket Descriptions anyway. Everyone has their own taste and I have certain rides that I would never miss that would definitely not go down as E ticket and others probably skip over. My real point was that the theming is really good in both places, but that most people only compare RSR to Mine Train and LM and there is a lot more to both places.
I was truly surprised how my appraisal of all 3 Carsland attractions was so much higher than what I was expecting based on the pictures, and how some folks didn't like Luigi's. So, yes, if you haven't been to Carsland, then there is really no way to explain how awesome everything is.
I think that the theming for BoG and probably what 7DMT will be wil be close to being as good as Carsland . . . haven't seen the final product. But that's just one third of FLE, and the rest of FLE doesn't match, you've got Mermaid which doesn't look as good due to lack of plants and an underwhelming castle that screams mini-golf, and over the top rockwork with seashells, (cinammon buns?) on it, and of course, none of this stuff matches Dumbo. FLE, as a whole, is just too mix-and-match for my tastes.
Belle's castle, though a miniature, looks great, *realistic*, and well thought out. Eric's castle looks horrible compared to the films, not as well thought out, . . . and they just moved the windows to the "front" because there's weren't any from that vantage point (or at least as big windows)! Now the side of Eric's point towards Pooh has no windows and looks more like some prisoners towers from Pirates than a real lived in castle.
I mean, really? Cut out the vinyl window frames and move them over? They couldn't tell how bad the castle looked from that angle? Still doesn't look very "fairytale" to me, with all the fake seagull poop, rusty stains, and a ludicrous amount of mud and sea muck on the castle walls, and the castle walls look like they are made out of cheap cement bricks! Oh, they've got Ariel "crucified" to the front of a shipwreck! Not at all well thought out . . .
Of course, I'll have to see the final product, but I think that as a whole, Carsland wins and everything inside of the land is part of telling the story of Radiator Springs, and you feel more like you're on a idealized Route 66 than in the park. Disneyland's 1982 Fantasyland remake got it right by making ALL the rides in the courtyard "match", but with Mermaid, this attraction looks out of place. I think they should have kept the whole thing to look like Belle's world, and then build a mock up of Eric's boat for the entrance to that ride, making the whole land/area match.
Nothing wrong with Dumbo & Goofini per se (though Goofini isn't even as heavily themed as some stuff in Bugsland in DCA), but these are essentially old rides that got, IMHO, minor plussing/re-dressing to them. I mean, Dumbo with the castle in the background vs. dueling Dumbos about the same?
What I don't like about Circusland is that all of the new stuff is mostly landscaping, new lights, new train station, and no new rides. Why even make it its own land (sub-land)? Better than what was there, but more of just upkeep and refurbishment of the details . . . not like something totally new has been added.
