The first review is in for Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, after Disneyland apparently held a day of Cast Member Previews today. The ride officially opens to guests on Friday, and I plan on riding later this weekend, so why not have a thread for us local SoCal folks to offer up our reviews?
Ready? A Cast Member, "Westsider" over on Laughingplace has already given his/her review. I'll just cut and paste the review as it's pretty self-explanatory and has me intrigued to experience this new HalloweenTime offering at Disneyland.
"They had Cast Previews of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy for about 10 hours today. I rode a half dozen times, a few times in the morning and a few more times at the end of the day. SPOILER ALERT!!!
It's a nice physical freshening of the 2005 version of the attraction. The queue and loading area got a good scrub and a fresh painting, and it shows. The queue and load area aren't decorated in any way, although the lighting looked a bit darker and moodier in the loading area. The attraction starts off as normal, but once you turn towards A Lift you can tell things are a bit different.
The trip up B Lift is the first view of the villain, this animated demon made up of galaxies and stars who is in a bad mood and doesn't like you in his corner of the universe. He shows up and follows you throughout the rest of the ride, with a much more ominous soundtrack blaring from the rockets. Some of the digitial projections are better than others, and a couple of the more animated effects (like the ghost galaxy reaching out for you as you race by) aren't as effective as they should be. But overall the animation and effects are well done, and are very unique to experience. There are a couple of surprises, and I'll let those stay secret for now to allow the natural suspense play out.
But, one thing I don't mind leaking is that the effects and overall show definitely look best from the second car. Ride in rows 4, 5, or 6 for the best effects throughout the entire ride, with Row 4 the absolute best in my opinion after riding multiple times in the front rows and rear rows.
While it's noticeably scarier than the original Space Mountain, it's not as terrifying as some folks feared. I would think that anyone over 10 years of age would be fine, but some 6 or 7 year olds who meet the height requirement might not be cool with the scary sights and sounds on Ghost Galaxy.
Overall, I think this is a darn good addition to the Halloween roster of themed attractions and entertainment. The WDI guys in the station today were happy to tell us this is just Phase One, and they are already planning other effects and additions for next year and the year after. It's one of those things that gets some new stuff each year, if WDI gets its way.
And most importantly, Ghost Galaxy is presented and designed much better and far more enjoyable than Rockin' Space Mountain. Another big Halloween hit for Disneyland is on the way!" -Westsider
Ready? A Cast Member, "Westsider" over on Laughingplace has already given his/her review. I'll just cut and paste the review as it's pretty self-explanatory and has me intrigued to experience this new HalloweenTime offering at Disneyland.
"They had Cast Previews of Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy for about 10 hours today. I rode a half dozen times, a few times in the morning and a few more times at the end of the day. SPOILER ALERT!!!
It's a nice physical freshening of the 2005 version of the attraction. The queue and loading area got a good scrub and a fresh painting, and it shows. The queue and load area aren't decorated in any way, although the lighting looked a bit darker and moodier in the loading area. The attraction starts off as normal, but once you turn towards A Lift you can tell things are a bit different.
The trip up B Lift is the first view of the villain, this animated demon made up of galaxies and stars who is in a bad mood and doesn't like you in his corner of the universe. He shows up and follows you throughout the rest of the ride, with a much more ominous soundtrack blaring from the rockets. Some of the digitial projections are better than others, and a couple of the more animated effects (like the ghost galaxy reaching out for you as you race by) aren't as effective as they should be. But overall the animation and effects are well done, and are very unique to experience. There are a couple of surprises, and I'll let those stay secret for now to allow the natural suspense play out.
But, one thing I don't mind leaking is that the effects and overall show definitely look best from the second car. Ride in rows 4, 5, or 6 for the best effects throughout the entire ride, with Row 4 the absolute best in my opinion after riding multiple times in the front rows and rear rows.
While it's noticeably scarier than the original Space Mountain, it's not as terrifying as some folks feared. I would think that anyone over 10 years of age would be fine, but some 6 or 7 year olds who meet the height requirement might not be cool with the scary sights and sounds on Ghost Galaxy.
Overall, I think this is a darn good addition to the Halloween roster of themed attractions and entertainment. The WDI guys in the station today were happy to tell us this is just Phase One, and they are already planning other effects and additions for next year and the year after. It's one of those things that gets some new stuff each year, if WDI gets its way.
And most importantly, Ghost Galaxy is presented and designed much better and far more enjoyable than Rockin' Space Mountain. Another big Halloween hit for Disneyland is on the way!" -Westsider
Sheesh.
