RotR: Disney is still not at Universal's level

JusticeDisney

Well-Known Member
Tron is a very mild coaster. It has a top speed of less than 60 mph, is under 80' in height and has no inversions. It will be a fun, incredibly well themed coaster, but the thrills are pretty mild.

When you compare Tron to something like Millennium Force at Cedar Point that is over 300' tall and hits speeds over 90 mph, Tron looks like a kiddie ride at the local fair.
Have you ridden Tron? Because while I agree it’s not the craziest coaster in the world, it’s also not even close to being “mild.”
 

NickMaio

Well-Known Member
there is a feeling that NOTHING Disney does will ever be good enough. We complained about Epcot, now that the park is getting some love, we moved onto HS, now that it's got things going on, we complain how tired and old MK is, I'm sure after the upgrades in that park, it will be onto the animal kingdom beat down. No matter what rides open, it will never be "good enough"
The OP - clearly loves Thrill rides.
Most of WDW's catalogue in not really Thrill <speed, drops, loops, intense turns>. So he is comparing a new non thrill ride to Uni's thrill base, apples to oranges.
We all know WDW and Uni have a vastly different customer base - - - just look at WDW annual attendance numbers. That should give you an indication of WDW's priorities.
Going for a broader customer base. Most kids can not really go to Uni until they are 8-10 years old.
Immersion and broad age base vs thrill and older customer base.

WDW is playing a wise financial move.

And yes eliza61nyc - - - - you really can't please everyone>:)
 

retroeric

Active Member
Original Poster
The OP - clearly loves Thrill rides.
Most of WDW's catalogue in not really Thrill <speed, drops, loops, intense turns>
Actually, I would say that I simply love technical marvels. Rides that leave you asking yourself, how on Earth did they do that?? I get that feeling with the Universal rides, but as great as some of the Disney rides are (RotR included), I just don't really get that same feeling.
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
Have you ridden Tron? Because while I agree it’s not the craziest coaster in the world, it’s also not even close to being “mild.”
Not yet, but nothing in its specifications, reviews, etc lead me to believe that it is any more thrilling than RnRC.

By coaster standards, RnRC is pretty middle of the road. It might be at the peak of what your average guest wants and the peak of what you will find at Disney, but it is far from the most thrilling, face melting coaster experience available.
 

retroeric

Active Member
Original Poster
Which is exactly what I said.

I honestly do not think we will ever see a ride more intense than an RnRC or E:E in an American Disney park again.

Its thrills are comparable to RnRC not more than RnRC.
For the record, I felt Tron was probably the most intense Disney ride I've ever been on. I think part of it is the leaning forward aspect which isn't exactly comfortable. You feel much less protected on the ride than you do with either RnRC or EE. And then there are the constant accelerations throughout the ride, unlike RnRC which only has the launch and then it's just coasting after that. Seriously, Tron is a legit thrill ride. It's absolutely exhilarating.
 

deeevo

Well-Known Member
I have not ridden RoTR yet but it sure does come with a stern health warning.

1575900353315.png
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
For the record, I felt Tron was probably the most intense Disney ride I've ever been on. I think part of it is the leaning forward aspect which isn't exactly comfortable. You feel much less protected on the ride than you do with either RnRC or EE. And then there are the constant accelerations throughout the ride, unlike RnRC which only has the launch and then it's just coasting after that. Seriously, Tron is a legit thrill ride. It's absolutely exhilarating.
I don't doubt it, but it still ain't no Formula Rossa. ;)

 

Hank Hill

Well-Known Member
I honestly do not think we will ever see a ride more intense than an RnRC or E:E in an American Disney park again.
I have been on enough Disney message boards to know how often people ask about the "drop" in Pirates because they can't do drops, so they have never been on PotC. If that's your thing, that is okay. A lot of Disney guests are that way, anything more than a slow moving tram is too intense. But that also means those guests wouldn't even get on a coaster, so I say Disney can do more to make a few rides a little more thrilling without getting away from what makes them great.

I enjoy both locations and what they offer. But no ride has been too much for me, so my wish for Disney is to get more thrills. People Mover and Living with the Land can be great times too though.
 

erasure fan1

Well-Known Member
I'm on both sides of this argument. I don't want hyper coasters all over the place but thrill rides like everest and tower of terror I would like them to add more. In some ways this shows the capacity problems in the parks. You shouldn't have to feel you didn't get your moneys worth because you aren't a big fan of certain types of rides. It's all about balance and having enough for everyone. I do think galaxys edge needs an outdoor attraction to add some visual movement to the land.
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
I have been on enough Disney message boards to know how often people ask about the "drop" in Pirates because they can't do drops, so they have never been on PotC. If that's your thing, that is okay. A lot of Disney guests are that way, anything more than a slow moving tram is too intense. But that also means those guests wouldn't even get on a coaster, so I say Disney can do more to make a few rides a little more thrilling without getting away from what makes them great.

I enjoy both locations and what they offer. But no ride has been too much for me, so my wish for Disney is to get more thrills. People Mover and Living with the Land can be great times too though.
I would not object to bigger thrills either, but it is not really their brand.

It is kind of like comparing a Cadillac and a Corvette. We might like to mix in some features of a Cadilac into a Corvette or vice versa, but the majority of their customer base does not want that.

People like us just have to buy both. ;)
 

retroeric

Active Member
Original Poster
I don't doubt it, but it still ain't no Formula Rossa. ;)


No you're right, not even close. Disney will never build a roller coaster like you see in the midwest, or in Japan. I think Tron is probably as far as they will go in terms of coaster speed (although I realize Test Track is technically faster).
 

Stripes

Well-Known Member
What I'm saying is, I believe they made the ride that way BECAUSE they don't know how to get the vehicles more involved.
And what I’m saying is that that’s just not true. There are ride systems on the market just like the one used for Spidey, and even THE ride system. All Disney would have to do is write a check. And is there any doubt that WDI has easily surpassed UC when it comes to media?

Disney purchased this ride system for Tokyo’s Beauty and the Beast:
Ride system brochure

With the exception of heave, it has all of the motions of Spidey’s ride system, plus it’s trackless.

Oceaneering (the company that built the original Spidey ride system) even has the Spider-Man ride system for sale. Thus far, Disney hasn’t purchased it.
Ride system brochure

FWIW, the Forbidden Journey ride system is also for sale. Robocoaster RCX G2. It was recently used in Abu Dhabi for WB World for Batman: Knight Flight.


Not to mention, Scott Trowbridge, the man behind Spider-Man works for WDI and was the lead for Rise of the Resistance.
I can tell you this, it's a lot easier to create an attraction like that, then it is to have the vehicles actually synced up to the scenery/footage where you are REALLY part of the action, something Universal has been doing now for 20 years.
Although not a very thrilling ride, Disney did this for Ratatouille some years back. The media utilizes moving eye point, and the ride vehicles motions are synced to the media.

And no, it’s not “harder“ to make an attraction like that. Hell, Busch Gardens Williamsburg did it with Curse of the Darkastle.
 
Last edited:

Hank Hill

Well-Known Member
To add to the conversation, keep in mind that “thrilling” doesn’t necessarily have to mean “fastest.” Expedition Everest, for example, is a pretty thrilling ride (at least in my opinion), yet it isn’t even close to being the fastest coaster around.
Exactly! Space Mtn. only gets up to 28 MPH (or 45 KPH for any metric using friends), and IMO feels so much faster through sound and darkness. To me, Slinky Dog is fun, more than a kiddie coaster, but is still lacking a bit in thrills. I wish they had gone just a little bit more thrilling with it. But it's funny, I have read so many differing opinions about Tron, here and elsewhere, some saying its big thrills, and some it's not many thrills. Everyone's perception is different. We can discuss this, but there is no right or wrong, just what we personally would like to see.
 

wdwfan22

Well-Known Member
You lost all credibility with your title. Disney rules and rise of the resistance is now the number 1 attraction out there. Not everything has to be a thrill ride to be great. Nothing over at universal in my opinion is on level with rise of the resistance including the Harry Potter attractions.
 

retroeric

Active Member
Original Poster
And what I’m saying is that that’s just not true. There are ride systems on the market just like the one used for Spidey, and even THE ride system. All Disney would have to do is write a check. And is there any doubt that WDI has easily surpassed UC when it comes to media?

Disney purchased this ride system for Tokyo’s Beauty and the Beast:
Ride system brochure

With the exception of heave, it has all of the motions of Spidey’s ride system, plus it’s trackless.

Oceaneering (the company that built the original Spidey ride system) even has the Spider-Man ride system for sale. Thus far, Disney hasn’t purchased it.
Ride system brochure

FWIW, the Forbidden Journey ride system is also for sale. Robocoaster RCX G2. It was recently used in Abu Dhabi for WB World for Batman: Knight Flight.


Not to mention, Scott Trowbridge, the man behind Spider-Man works for WDI and was the lead for Rise of the Resistance.

Although not a very thrilling ride, Disney did this for Ratatouille some years back. The media utilizes moving eye point, and the ride vehicles motions are synced to the media.

And no, it’s not “harder“ to make an attraction like that. Hell, Busch Gardens Williamsburg did it with Curse of the Darkastle.

You think Disney can just go on to some website, purchase an $80,000 ride vehicle, and they have their attraction? I was talking about the interaction part, the vehicle actually syncing/interacting/reacting with the action on the screen or other surroundings, ala Spider-Man. That takes an incredible amount of special ingenuity and time and money that you can't just simply purchase from a vendor. I know all about Scott Towbridge, and maybe I used the wrong words. Maybe they do "know how" to do it, but they're choosing not to. Because they haven't. At least yet.
 
Last edited:

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom