Race Through New York is good, actually

[Tom Morrow]

It's time to re-examine Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, now that the initial shock of another screen ride has worm off, we've lost some screen experiences, and will likely lose more soon. Also, with rides like Fast & Furious: Supercharged and Spider-Man WEBSlingers show just how low these companies are willing to go to crank out an attraction for a quick buck, Fallon deserves another look, because I now feel that it gets undeserved hate from theme park enthusiast community.

Should Universal have built it? No. Not after preceding it with several screen rides and proceeded it with another, terrible one. But is it bad? Also no. It's actually good. It's not great, by any means, but it's fine. It's far from the worst attraction in Universal Orlando Resort. It was never intended to be anything more than a filler attraction to add capacity (and probably some Comcast-mandated synergy), and it succeeds at this by being "good enough". In addition to being yet another screen ride it also premiered at the same time as Flight of Passage, and, well. You know. However, if you were remove these factors, and place it in a theme park with no simulators, I don't think the response would have been so negative. I also think that it's mostly theme park enthusiasts ragging on it while average guests seems to enjoy it when I ride, vs. Fast where everyone is visibly annoyed or confused after riding.

Some positives for it:

- Great queue, and you'll never wait long, either because of virtual queue or there's just no line. Hopefully the live entertainment returns soon. It's a very hassle free experience and a nice break to chill for a bit.
- Classy atmosphere, very rare for a theme park ride.
- The simulator movement is about as thrilling as Simpsons and feels more "real" while being less aggressive and without needlessly jerking you around.
- Pre-show safety rap
- The premise, being in the audience for The Tonight Show to race Jimmy Fallon around New York City for some reason, and then the moon for some reason, while you're literally in a giant flying theater, is so bizarre but you've got to admit, it's unique. The attraction doesn't take itself seriously and neither should you. I contend that it should have been a bit more of a grounded in reality experience, but also this is a family attraction and kids seem to get a kick out of it.

Yes, there are some negatives:

- Jimmy Fallon just isn't that funny. But he does seem to be a genuinely nice guy so I find it hard to hate him.
- "Sara". Pure cringe, and borderline transphobic? It's unfortunate that the pre-show follows up the awesome rap with the Sara bit. The audience falls dead silent every time. If they alter one thing about this attraction anytime soon, I hope to god it's this.
- They were lazy with the facade. The 30 Rock building theming really should have covered all guest facing areas, it wouldn't have cost that much more. The unthemed, ugly standby entrance is also an obvious afterthought.

But yeah. It's an acceptable "filler" attraction. A decent way to eat up some time especially during the afternoon heat and crowds. They weren't swinging for the fences, nor did they sink to the depths of worst attractions ever.

 

[jeanericuser001]

In the words of General Knowledge, "This has gotta be some kind of a sick joke." The only good thing about that ride is the fact that it was the first proper testing of virtual que for universal. Everything else you mention is a bum steer. The internal que basically has you wait outside to get inside then wait on the bottom floor till you can head up. Once upstairs you are pretty much trapped in an area with no clue at all how long your actual wait is. You could have 5 minutes or 50 minutes. You have no certainty on when you will get in and often mistakes are made when people miss their color so they have to wait even longer to get in thus messing up the que. As for classy, its basically nothing more than an advertisement for the show and its merch. At least twister and ghostbusters were smart about their use of the que to tell a story. This is just a long wait before you get in while watching clip after clip after clip which repeats constantly. As for the ride, its not nearly as thrilling as simpsons as that can be rough while this is basically no different than minion mayhem. Hell minions at least seems to tell a story while this one is just a mix of tonight show segments chewed up then regurgitated for us watch. As for story, surely universal can do better. Considering some of the amazing rides they have done in the past at this location, this one is sub par. As for the rap, heard much better honestly but then again I have seen worse. Honestly I question if universal did this to help the tonight show's faltering ratings as maybe some are questioning if we should bring back chinzilla himself to do some of his amazing monologues once again. At least he knew how to do good laughs. Fallon seems like he should be entertaining young kids instead of adults.

 

[marni1971]

Yes, in the greater scheme of things it’s good.

But Twister was better.

 

[Tom Morrow]

In the words of General Knowledge, "This has gotta be some kind of a sick joke." The only good thing about that ride is the fact that it was the first proper testing of virtual que for universal. Everything else you mention is a bum steer. The internal que basically has you wait outside to get inside then wait on the bottom floor till you can head up. Once upstairs you are pretty much trapped in an area with no clue at all how long your actual wait is. You could have 5 minutes or 50 minutes. You have no certainty on when you will get in and often mistakes are made when people miss their color so they have to wait even longer to get in thus messing up the que. As for classy, its basically nothing more than an advertisement for the show and its merch. At least twister and ghostbusters were smart about their use of the que to tell a story. This is just a long wait before you get in while watching clip after clip after clip which repeats constantly. As for the ride, its not nearly as thrilling as simpsons as that can be rough while this is basically no different than minion mayhem. Hell minions at least seems to tell a story while this one is just a mix of tonight show segments chewed up then regurgitated for us watch. As for story, surely universal can do better. Considering some of the amazing rides they have done in the past at this location, this one is sub par. As for the rap, heard much better honestly but then again I have seen worse. Honestly I question if universal did this to help the tonight show's faltering ratings as maybe some are questioning if we should bring back chinzilla himself to do some of his amazing monologues once again. At least he knew how to do good laughs. Fallon seems like he should be entertaining young kids instead of adults.

Fun fact - the ride receives high ratings on Universal's surveys from the general public, whose opinions they are more concerned with than butthurt theme park nuts.

I've never waited more than about 15 minutes inside. If you're upstairs for longer than that then there was probably a technical issue.

The only reason they're playing clips is because the live entertainment is absent temporarily.

Minions tells a better story but is a worse ride experience (most of the simulated movement is you bumbling around as a minion) and a far more excruciatingly slow queue due a much lower capacity. I also contend that there's something to be said for not being able to see a stationary floor in front of you and between the vehicles around you.

"Regurgitating stuff from the thing" is a complaint that can apply to many, many rides.

Simpsons is only more "thrilling" because it aggressively jerks you back and forth constantly. Let's face it, both rides are for families are and are not very thrilling.

I wasn't saying that the rap was a great rap, but that it's a fun twist on the theme park safety instructions trope.

People only watched Jay Leno for his monologues and then changed the channel after. At least Fallon has some fun with his guests.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Yes, in the greater scheme of things it’s good.

But Twister was better.

Ehh. Twister was "better" in that it was a unique, physical experience in a park full of screens. But I think it's become a bit overromanticized - it was not received well when it was new due to being 10 minutes of pre-show (which was mostly just clips from the film and DVD extras content) and 3 minutes of actual show with somewhat cheesy effects.

Like, for uniqueness, given the choice I would choose to have Twister over Fallon, but in the park today I would ride Fallon before F&F, Shrek, Minions, Rockit, and maybe even Simpsons.

 

[marni1971]

Ehh. Twister was "better" in that it was a unique, physical experience in a park full of screens. But I think it's become a bit overromanticized - it was not received well when it was new due to being 10 minutes of pre-show (which was mostly just clips from the film and DVD extras content) and 3 minutes of actual show with somewhat cheesy effects.

Like, for uniqueness, given the choice I would choose to have Twister over Fallon, but in the park today I would ride Fallon before F&F, Shrek, Minions, Rockit, and maybe even Simpsons.

You’d even consider Shrek or F&F? Ewwww!!

 

[Coolbert]

The Positives:

+Whenever Standby is in use, there's a little-to-no wait (because nobody cares about this ride).​

+First floor is a nice tribute to the show (even though I don't watch it).​

+Second floor is good for relaxation when there isn't live entertainment. ​

+The ride itself is average.​

+Pretty good simulator movements and screen quality, even without "Racing Glasses" on.​

+The Space Train segment reminds me of Nicktoon Blast, and that makes me happy.​

+Kazoos are sold in the gift shop.​

​

The Negatives:

-Virtual Line is pointless.​

-Ride is never busy enough to necessitate it, but it gets used anyway.​

-First floor is never used as a holding area anymore, might as well set up a standby line in there.​

-The Ragtime Gals.​

-Barbershop quartets aren't terrible, but I don't really care for them.​

-Juxtaposing them with music from the past ten-to-twenty years makes the bit insufferable.​

-A severe lack of a story prior to the preshow.​

-The preshow is the worst one I've ever had to listen to.​

-Safety Rap is pure, unadulterated cringe.​

-Sara makes it even worse, as the bit goes on for too long and is painfully unfunny.​

-"Applause"​

-Makes me visibly grimace.​

-I've started bringing earbuds and playing music to drown out the preshow audio.​

-Load times are horrendous and typically in excess of three minutes.​

-The ride itself is just average.​

-Not helped by how unfunny Fallon is and the bad dialogue (which, unlike Supercharged, is just bad and not "so bad, it's funny").​

-Sara, again...​

-The Space Train segment reminds me of Nicktoon Blast, and that makes me sad.​

-It's just another simulator in a park in which half of the rides are simulators.​

I'd honestly rather go on Supercharged because the big, dumb action sequence (which is all that I would expect from anything Fast and Furious related anyway), even with it's earblaster moments, doesn't bother me nearly as much as the "humor" in RTNY does.

I would ride Fallon before F&F, Shrek, Minions, (and) Rockit, and maybe even Simpsons.

Agreed.

 

[jeanericuser001]

Fun fact - the ride receives high ratings on Universal's surveys from the general public, whose opinions they are more concerned with than butthurt theme park nuts.

I've never waited more than about 15 minutes inside. If you're upstairs for longer than that then there was probably a technical issue.

The only reason they're playing clips is because the live entertainment is absent temporarily.

Minions tells a better story but is a worse ride experience (most of the simulated movement is you bumbling around as a minion) and a far more excruciatingly slow queue due a much lower capacity. I also contend that there's something to be said for not being able to see a stationary floor in front of you and between the vehicles around you.

"Regurgitating stuff from the thing" is a complaint that can apply to many, many rides.

Simpsons is only more "thrilling" because it aggressively jerks you back and forth constantly. Let's face it, both rides are for families are and are not very thrilling.

I wasn't saying that the rap was a great rap, but that it's a fun twist on the theme park safety instructions trope.

People only watched Jay Leno for his monologues and then changed the channel after. At least Fallon has some fun with his guests.

Some how I doubt those numbers are accurate as you need only look at the amount of people hitting some attractions compared to others. Even your own words confirm it. If its always a 15 minute wait then that doesn't mean there is a lot of people hitting that ride. That is of course if you are basing those numbers on less busy days. Im basing mine off several dozen trips both before and after reopen. Then again wait times can vary but generally that ride seems to have less attendance which typically is a sign that the ride is not doing very good.

Minions has the longer wait because its more popular first of all. Second of all, you can technically see everything else around you while on the tonight show ride so its not really that different than minions. Even then the ride vehicles are little more than the same design except the screen is smaller, the seating its more cramped, and the range of motion is almost identical.

The problem with the tonight show attraction is the regurgitation is just old gimmics that even you yourself admitted are some times a stain upon universal's image. At least when other rides reuse assets those assets are used to help forward a good story. Who else would prefer to see stuff they know from the harry potter films over something never seen before. That is why we have a hogwarts attraction and not harry potter riding a broom through the countryside.

Have you forgotten what a thrill ride is? Thrill rides by their very nature are aggressive and that is what makes people enjoy them. The problem tonight show is it tries to be more aggressive but its no different than minions but minions seems to bring in a lot more people.

Again seen better. Alas the rap still doesn't even come close in quality to some of the ones done by other attractions.

I have to disagree with that. Leno had some pretty solid numbers that fallon has never even gotten close to surpassing and likely never will as fallon seems to be slipping further and further down in ratings. As execs take notice they may just give him the axe and then replace this ride. As for twister being better than this newest dumpster fire, I have to agree wholeheartedly. Hell even ghostbusters may be better and that still makes my neck hurt just thinking about looking up in that angle.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I don’t have time to reply to all of your theme park nerd hivemind points right now but the ride is currently posting a 40 minute wait

NoBoDy WaNts To RiDe It

Minions has a longer wait all the time because it’s one theater that seats 40-something people vs. two theaters that seat 72. Kids also see the minions and HAVE to do it. It has nothing to do with the quality of the ride itself.

I said ~15 minutes upstairs because of the virtual queue is being regulated properly then that’s how much time you should spend upstairs, max.

In Minions you can see the floor directly in front of you. In Fallon you have a much bigger screen and can only see it and the seats around you moving during the ride.

 

[Tom Morrow]

The Positives:

+Whenever Standby is in use, there's a little-to-no wait (because nobody cares about this ride).​

+First floor is a nice tribute to the show (even though I don't watch it).​

+Second floor is good for relaxation when there isn't live entertainment. ​

+The ride itself is average.​

+Pretty good simulator movements and screen quality, even without "Racing Glasses" on.​

+The Space Train segment reminds me of Nicktoon Blast, and that makes me happy.​

+Kazoos are sold in the gift shop.​

​

The Negatives:

-Virtual Line is pointless.​

-Ride is never busy enough to necessitate it, but it gets used anyway.​

-First floor is never used as a holding area anymore, might as well set up a standby line in there.​

-The Ragtime Gals.​

-Barbershop quartets aren't terrible, but I don't really care for them.​

-Juxtaposing them with music from the past ten-to-twenty years makes the bit insufferable.​

-A severe lack of a story prior to the preshow.​

-The preshow is the worst one I've ever had to listen to.​

-Safety Rap is pure, unadulterated cringe.​

-Sara makes it even worse, as the bit goes on for too long and is painfully unfunny.​

-"Applause"​

-Makes me visibly grimace.​

-I've started bringing earbuds and playing music to drown out the preshow audio.​

-Load times are horrendous and typically in excess of three minutes.​

-The ride itself is just average.​

-Not helped by how unfunny Fallon is and the bad dialogue (which, unlike Supercharged, is just bad and not "so bad, it's funny").​

-Sara, again...​

-The Space Train segment reminds me of Nicktoon Blast, and that makes me sad.​

-It's just another simulator in a park in which half of the rides are simulators.​

I'd honestly rather go on Supercharged because the big, dumb action sequence (which is all that I would expect from anything Fast and Furious related anyway), even with it's earblaster moments, doesn't bother me nearly as much as the "humor" in RTNY does.

Agreed.

You make some good points. I’m not trying to say here that the ride is great, just that it doesn’t deserve to be grouped in with the bottom of the barrel attractions. F&F is still far worse, IMO.

It’s just that theme park nerds tend to fall for groupthink. Jimmy Fallon bad, must express that I hate it at every opportunity to show my superior theme park opinions. Expedition Everest bad because non moving yeti (meanwhile it’s still a huge draw and big crowd pleaser for the majority of guests)., etc.

I’ll address the points I don’t agree with:

- The Ragtime Gals - juxtaposing pop hits with barbershop is their shtick. You don’t ohave to like it but a lot of people do.
- The rap - I see it like the Itchy and Scratchy safety video - A fun take on a necessary thing. This is the only part of the pre-show that people seem to enjoy, yes.
- “Applause” - its there because you’re a studio audience and that’s how studio audiences work. Surely you know this, right?
- “Lack of story” - you’re visiting 30 Rock to be in the audience for tonight’s taping of The Tonight Show. Jimmy does a lot of games and gimmicks for the show and tonight’s is a race around New York. It’s supposed to be weird, bizarre, and silly. Not every ride needs a huge narrative.

 

[jeanericuser001]

It’s just that theme park nerds tend to fall for groupthink. Jimmy Fallon bad, must express that I hate it at every opportunity to show my superior theme park opinions. Expedition Everest bad because non moving yeti (meanwhile it’s still a huge draw and big crowd pleaser for the majority of guests)., etc.

Um I hate to tell you this but I hated that ride as soon as I finished riding it. No hiveminds influenced me. I genuinely think they botched an opportunity to create something amazing much in the same way they botched FF. It has nothing to do with outside influence. I was genuinely curious when I first saw it and had hoped it could be something good to replace the aging twister. By the time it was done the only thing that gave me hope was the fact that what ever replaces it will have a decent setup for something far more impressive.

As for disco yeti, you obviously do not understand this issue. Disco Yeti is an example of many problems at disney. Disney making promises repeatedly then breaking them. Disney essentially allowing certain things to go into disrepair to the point that the ride itself is not what it use to be. Its basically disney losing that spark of innovation that blows people's minds. That is largely a similar problem that is starting to creep up on universal. Fast and furious was to be 3d and now its not. Some people thought it would be like test track and instead its one of the poorest simulators ever. I think you should listen to the disco yeti song once and listen to the lyrics as you may understand why many of us are so unhappy about everest. We like the ride but we do not like what they are doing to it.

 

[Tom Morrow]

A sure fire sign of a theme park “enthusiast” that doesn’t know what they’re talking about is when they care a lot about the yeti.

Can you give me objective criticism that doesn’t align with what every fanboy says? Are you aware of how many rides at WDW have worse presentation than Everest?

 

[JT3000]

I was not hating on Fallon (the ride) long before not hating on Fallon was cool.

And I hate Fallon (the comedian.)

 

[jeanericuser001]

A sure fire sign of a theme park “enthusiast” that doesn’t know what they’re talking about is when they care a lot about the yeti.

Can you give me objective criticism that doesn’t align with what every fanboy says? Are you aware of how many rides at WDW have worse presentation than Everest?

Actually I know what Im talking about and apparently you are too clueless to spot the obvious. So I will explain it and how it pertains to universal's latest failures. The yeti is just one of many things that are wrong with that attraction. The original mist effects were never fixed. The audio system in select areas is missing certain sounds. Then there is the yeti. The yeti itself is a marvel of disney engineering. An animatronic designed with numerous functions that allowed it to be very unique compared to most out there. The problem was disney imagineers got the ride all built but the engineers couldn't keep up with keeping it in working order for long. The mist effects had to be abandoned for water issues. They even had some short circuiting which supposedly damaged the yeti to the point that they didn't want to try to repair it any more. Instead of simply repairing the damaged electronics, they abandoned repairs eventually until it was just not working at all. Now the coaster is the only thing that works on that ride cause everything else is barely functioning as it was meant to. Every few years they make a promise to upgrade the ride and fix the problems with everest but instead the upgrades are merely cash grab additions like a pin trading station and a drink bar. Its not just that ride at the park. Dinosaur had a lot of amazing effects but most are gone now. Now how does this relate to universal? There has been a slow creep in of problems at various attractions. Jurassic park is starting to age badly and a lot of things on it that were unique elements are slowly getting abandoned or removed. ET is in such a sorry state that one has to wonder if that will work ever again as it use to. That is what worries me a little about this new coaster. The original designers did a lot of interesting creative elements for that attraction. Creative elements are not always something that gets taken care of well. At least they can rely on the coaster itself to bring people in even if the only dinosaur element in good working order is the sign out front. They will of course upgrade that bar nearby and maybe even add some new merch for people to buy. Remind you of anything.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Actually I know what Im talking about and apparently you are too clueless to spot the obvious. So I will explain it and how it pertains to universal's latest failures. The yeti is just one of many things that are wrong with that attraction. The original mist effects were never fixed. The audio system in select areas is missing certain sounds. Then there is the yeti. The yeti itself is a marvel of disney engineering. An animatronic designed with numerous functions that allowed it to be very unique compared to most out there. The problem was disney imagineers got the ride all built but the engineers couldn't keep up with keeping it in working order for long. The mist effects had to be abandoned for water issues. They even had some short circuiting which supposedly damaged the yeti to the point that they didn't want to try to repair it any more. Instead of simply repairing the damaged electronics, they abandoned repairs eventually until it was just not working at all. Now the coaster is the only thing that works on that ride cause everything else is barely functioning as it was meant to. Every few years they make a promise to upgrade the ride and fix the problems with everest but instead the upgrades are merely cash grab additions like a pin trading station and a drink bar. Its not just that ride at the park. Dinosaur had a lot of amazing effects but most are gone now. Now how does this relate to universal? There has been a slow creep in of problems at various attractions. Jurassic park is starting to age badly and a lot of things on it that were unique elements are slowly getting abandoned or removed. ET is in such a sorry state that one has to wonder if that will work ever again as it use to. That is what worries me a little about this new coaster. The original designers did a lot of interesting creative elements for that attraction. Creative elements are not always something that gets taken care of well. At least they can rely on the coaster itself to bring people in even if the only dinosaur element in good working order is the sign out front. They will of course upgrade that bar nearby and maybe even add some new merch for people to buy. Remind you of anything.

Believe me, I know. I have an extreme attention to detail and obsess over ride details and am typically the first person in my group to notice something being different or missing. There basically isn't a ride in Orlando that's 5+ years old that doesn't have effects that are forever disabled, broken, etc. This is not new information to anyone who pays attention. In fact, it bothers me that Universal used to be much better than Disney about maintaining ride show quality from 2010 to 2016-ish (the parks themselves being a different story), but now they too are falling back on their old habits of poor upkeep.

But on the topic at hand: my issue is that the DisTwitter fanboy types obsess over JUST Expedition Everest, not because it's actually the ride in the worst condition (distinction may actually go to Tower of Terror) but because that's the obsession that has been fed to them online and they are regurgitating the same opinion. It's an easy go-to for all these new Disney lifestylers, bloggers, vloggers, etc., to attempt to come off as "in the know", when it is in fact surface-level of information and a big oversimplification. Expedition Everest is primarily a roller coaster and is still very fun even if every show effect is shut off. Tower of Terror, on the other hand, is 75% show and the experience is much more hindered by poor show than Everest. But the DisTwitter fanboy types don't care about that, they only want to obsess over the thing that will unite them with other fanboys.

The same goes for Fallon. Every theme park enthusiast just has to let you know that Fallon is "garbage" even though it actually scores pretty highly with the general public. This is what I have a problem with. Theme park nerds care more about having the "correct", "informed" opinion rather than just looking at things objectively. I fall victim too it too sometimes - I was quick to trash Fallon when it was new, that's why I decided it deserved another look.

 

[JT3000]

Actually I know what Im talking about and apparently you are too clueless to spot the obvious. So I will explain it and how it pertains to universal's latest failures. The yeti is just one of many things that are wrong with that attraction. The original mist effects were never fixed. The audio system in select areas is missing certain sounds. Then there is the yeti. The yeti itself is a marvel of disney engineering. An animatronic designed with numerous functions that allowed it to be very unique compared to most out there. The problem was disney imagineers got the ride all built but the engineers couldn't keep up with keeping it in working order for long. The mist effects had to be abandoned for water issues. They even had some short circuiting which supposedly damaged the yeti to the point that they didn't want to try to repair it any more. Instead of simply repairing the damaged electronics, they abandoned repairs eventually until it was just not working at all. Now the coaster is the only thing that works on that ride cause everything else is barely functioning as it was meant to. Every few years they make a promise to upgrade the ride and fix the problems with everest but instead the upgrades are merely cash grab additions like a pin trading station and a drink bar. Its not just that ride at the park. Dinosaur had a lot of amazing effects but most are gone now. Now how does this relate to universal? There has been a slow creep in of problems at various attractions. Jurassic park is starting to age badly and a lot of things on it that were unique elements are slowly getting abandoned or removed. ET is in such a sorry state that one has to wonder if that will work ever again as it use to. That is what worries me a little about this new coaster. The original designers did a lot of interesting creative elements for that attraction. Creative elements are not always something that gets taken care of well. At least they can rely on the coaster itself to bring people in even if the only dinosaur element in good working order is the sign out front. They will of course upgrade that bar nearby and maybe even add some new merch for people to buy. Remind you of anything.

Jurassic Park has been aging badly for a long time, although I'm not sure what unique elements have been abandoned. It's mainly the AAs that don't operate as well as they're supposed to. Other effects are usually fixed in due time, unlike the falling jeep in Hollywood. And this could all be moot if it goes down for a retheme.

What "creative elements" are you so worried about on VelociCoaster? There are a couple of AAs in the queue, but literally the only things that can break on the ride are the lights, the waterfall and the coaster itself. The first two would be an easy fix, and the other is kinda too important not to fix. It's a relatively low-maintenance attraction.

 

[jeanericuser001]

Believe me, I know. I have an extreme attention to detail and obsess over ride details and am typically the first person in my group to notice something being different or missing. There basically isn't a ride in Orlando that's 5+ years old that doesn't have effects that are forever disabled, broken, etc. This is not new information to anyone who pays attention. In fact, it bothers me that Universal used to be much better than Disney about maintaining ride show quality from 2010 to 2016-ish (the parks themselves being a different story), but now they too are falling back on their old habits of poor upkeep.

But on the topic at hand: my issue is that the DisTwitter fanboy types obsess over JUST Expedition Everest, not because it's actually the ride in the worst condition (distinction may actually go to Tower of Terror) but because that's the obsession that has been fed to them online and they are regurgitating the same opinion. It's an easy go-to for all these new Disney lifestylers, bloggers, vloggers, etc., to attempt to come off as "in the know", when it is in fact surface-level of information and a big oversimplification. Expedition Everest is primarily a roller coaster and is still very fun even if every show effect is shut off. Tower of Terror, on the other hand, is 75% show and the experience is much more hindered by poor show than Everest. But the DisTwitter fanboy types don't care about that, they only want to obsess over the thing that will unite them with other fanboys.

The same goes for Fallon. Every theme park enthusiast just has to let you know that Fallon is "garbage" even though it actually scores pretty highly with the general public. This is what I have a problem with. Theme park nerds care more about having the "correct", "informed" opinion rather than just looking at things objectively. I fall victim too it too sometimes - I was quick to trash Fallon when it was new, that's why I decided it deserved another look.

Again you keep dodging the issue. The reason the yeti has become such a poster child for disney misdeeds is the fact that the ride itself has been a promise repeatedly made but never kept. Its like the parent promising to the kids that some things will change once certain things happen but the problem is its all a lie. The promises to fix it instead becomes a cash grabs. To make matters worse there are more and more rides suffering a similar fate. Epcot is investing a ton in new stuff but we get a mexico ride with a finale featuring.......cheap cutouts. We have the imagination ride slowly deteriorating as even the tv screens are now discoloring to the point that you can spot just how bad a shape they are in. No matter which park you visit you see this problem over and over and over. The yeti has become the mascot for disney disrepair. Even before the yeti existed there was the second floor of imagination. People were hoping to go there again because it was so amazing and when disney finally made the promise people could go up there, it was instead a small waiting area at the top and not access to some of the most amazing stuff disney had created. Its all lies and it shows how disney is slowly turning away from the fans in favor of casual fans that are only there for that single vacation. The rest of us that remember disney in its prime are just lied to instead. Universal alas is starting to lean down a similar path which is why many hate fallon. Fallon is a symbol of the same problem disney is overdoing now, cross promotion. You can make original content or use a great franchise but instead you choose a show with sagging ratings the theme for a new ride in hopes it will bring in new tonight show viewers. I doubt that is working though and the show is further sagging so soon it will need to be replaced. The question is will they finally use a worthy franchise to replace it or just another tv show they need to give quick publicity to.

 

[jeanericuser001]

Jurassic Park has been aging badly for a long time, although I'm not sure what unique elements have been abandoned. It's mainly the AAs that don't operate as well as they're supposed to. Other effects are usually fixed in due time, unlike the falling jeep in Hollywood. And this could all be moot if it goes down for a retheme.

What "creative elements" are you so worried about on VelociCoaster? There are a couple of AAs in the queue, but literally the only things that can break on the ride are the lights, the waterfall and the coaster itself. The first two would be an easy fix, and the other is kinda too important not to fix. It's a relatively low-maintenance attraction.

Watch an old video of the ride and then ride it again. You will start to notice a few obvious glaring things. I could point them all out but some you have to know what you are looking for. As for retheme of the ride, universal blew their budget on the new ride and they got another theme park being built. There is no upgrade being made to river adventure period.

As for creative elements, you already sort of answered part of our own question. Waterfall and lights are an obvious one followed by some of the stuff in the que. Even the ride itself will start to get less smooth and rougher. Its only low maintainenece if they choose to make it that way and once they screw up enough it will be no different that other coasters with problems.

 

[JT3000]

Watch an old video of the ride and then ride it again. You will start to notice a few obvious glaring things. I could point them all out but some you have to know what you are looking for. As for retheme of the ride, universal blew their budget on the new ride and they got another theme park being built. There is no upgrade being made to river adventure period.

As for creative elements, you already sort of answered part of our own question. Waterfall and lights are an obvious one followed by some of the stuff in the que. Even the ride itself will start to get less smooth and rougher. Its only low maintainenece if they choose to make it that way and once they screw up enough it will be no different that other coasters with problems.

If the differences are so glaring, surely you can point them out so I know what I should be looking for?

Like I said, most of VelociCoaster's effects would be a very easy fix. They'd have no excuse to leave any of it broken for more than a few days. Even the AAs are more manageable than the ones on River Adventure due to not being exposed to the elements 24/7. Intamin coasters have a shaky reputation, but this one has operated almost flawlessly so far. Will the ride get rougher over time? Probably. It's a coaster. It happens. But considering we're talking about a park that rebuilt an entire coaster from scratch because it was nearing the end of its service life, I think they've earned a bit more good will than you're giving them.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Again you keep dodging the issue. The reason the yeti has become such a poster child for disney misdeeds is the fact that the ride itself has been a promise repeatedly made but never kept. Its like the parent promising to the kids that some things will change once certain things happen but the problem is its all a lie. The promises to fix it instead becomes a cash grabs. To make matters worse there are more and more rides suffering a similar fate. Epcot is investing a ton in new stuff but we get a mexico ride with a finale featuring.......cheap cutouts. We have the imagination ride slowly deteriorating as even the tv screens are now discoloring to the point that you can spot just how bad a shape they are in. No matter which park you visit you see this problem over and over and over. The yeti has become the mascot for disney disrepair. Even before the yeti existed there was the second floor of imagination. People were hoping to go there again because it was so amazing and when disney finally made the promise people could go up there, it was instead a small waiting area at the top and not access to some of the most amazing stuff disney had created. Its all lies and it shows how disney is slowly turning away from the fans in favor of casual fans that are only there for that single vacation. The rest of us that remember disney in its prime are just lied to instead. Universal alas is starting to lean down a similar path which is why many hate fallon. Fallon is a symbol of the same problem disney is overdoing now, cross promotion. You can make original content or use a great franchise but instead you choose a show with sagging ratings the theme for a new ride in hopes it will bring in new tonight show viewers. I doubt that is working though and the show is further sagging so soon it will need to be replaced. The question is will they finally use a worthy franchise to replace it or just another tv show they need to give quick publicity to.

See, an issue is that for every person that recognizes that the yeti is just -a- problem out of many, there are 10 other "lifestyler" types that regurgitate "lol the yeti is broken" because they want so badly to be seen as "in the know" and have no idea that there are issues elsewhere. But furthermore, rants like this are a dime a dozen among butthurt fanboy types. You're only focusing on the negatives. "Disney doesn't fix anything" (ignoring when they do, of course). "Disney lies to us and fails to deliver on their promises and they don't live up to their past standards", oh, well, except that they recently opened the greatest dark ride of all time.

Disney has never made any official promise that they will fix the yeti. The only statement ever was an offhand, unofficial comment by Joe Rohde at a fan event.

The cutouts on Gran Fiesta Tour were temporary and the animatronics have already been restored and are looking better than ever.

Monitors get replaced from time to time. Universal has plenty that are clearly well past their shelf life hanging above queues, it's not just a Disney issue.

Fallon is not a "symbol" of anything. Maybe when it initially premiered, but since F&F, Universal has opened two great non-screen rides, good non-screen rides elsewhere, and seems to have learned their lesson and is refraining from doing them for a while. Which goes back to the point of this thread - I think it deserves another look, as it's not fair to continue to hate it solely for being "another screen ride".

I can't say I know much about The Tonight Show or its ratings, but it did just get renewed for 5 more seasons.