SPACE MOUNTAIN- I assure you, we are SOFT re-OPEN!!!

[Thrill Seeker]

I went right when it first opened today and got video footage of everything from the queue line, to the ride itself, to the post show and the gift shop. I am editing the footage into two episodes and will upload them asap for all to see. I had a great time riding the thing again. :king:

 

[CastleBound]

I havent been on SM since 2004, soo I'm not as familiar with it as everyone else, but I can say that this gets me excited to come back and finally ride it again! Looks like alot of fun! Its always a good thing to add even alittle more to an already great ride! I'm happy with any addition!

 

[the-reason14]

Better is very subjective.

I'd certainly say the queue has been refreshed. And new paint and lighting is all good.

But beyond that? They did basically nothing.

This is a 23-page (and counting) post giving Disney kudos for doing a very, very basic rehab ... and one where track work and asbestos removal were the two biggest factors ... nothing that affects the quality of the attraction/experience.

I just don't get the foaming and drooling and breathles panting/posting.

Space Mountain, which should have been brought into the 21st century, was cleaned and freshened up in the most basic and cheap of ways.

Nothing more.

And when TDO sees threads like this, it certainly doesn't make them think they need to spend money to impress the fan community.

Not good ... but let the droolfest continue.:xmas:

It is subjective, but to say that nothing done to it at all is better than what is there now is just stupid. They did bring it into the 21st century, the look and feel of the que and post show is different, def. more futuristic looking than what was previously there.

Like I said in the other post, if you were expecting them to gut it, they didn't so get over it. The so called "drooling" over it that you claim we're doing is probably because we like what we see. It's better than finding fault in everything they did, not just with this refurb but with every decision they've made this past decade. This isnt 1974 anymore, so maybe you should just accept that and move on.

 

[the-reason14]

That's bull-hit plain and simple. When I write positive stuff, no one acknowledges it and it dies. Plenty that Disney does is 'good enough' for me.

But this droolfest (I haven't seen posts generate so much activity here since the Marvel deal was announced) is really too much.

There is almost nothing substantively new/different/improved.

Those are the facts from folks who are reporting and have ridden.

All this foaming is over things like lime green signage, games in the queue and post-show.

Again, does that make Space Mountain better than a year ago? Likely.

But certainly not in a major way. :xmas:

Not in a major way, TO YOU. So what if other people like it, let em like it. If you cant see anything good in it, than thats your handicap.

I guess all the positive posts you make do die, because I dont think I've ever read one. But whatever, if you dont like the refurb thats your issue. You can dedicate your energy trying to convince people that nothing on Space mt. has improved, but not just that but that WDW is stale and all the other negativity you generate. I can somewhat agree with some of your insight about WDW, but this space refurb is good.

Can't wait till Jan.

 

[EpcoTim]

To 74 & the rest of the whiners responding in this thread:

I've been on Disneyland's SM quite often now, being a new resident of southern california (go annual pass!). While I do love and appreciate the on-board audio and lift tunnel, I don't really understand why it's so monumentally important that these two things be included for you whiners to be happy.

I actually love the silence in the WDW ride, because space itself is a vacuum. To me, the music in Disneyland strays way too far in the whole "Telling us how to feel" category, rather than adding to the story of the ride. With the exception of Ghost Galaxy, the music doesn't say anything other than "Woooeee we're in space!" Yeah, I got that. The pitch blackness, stars everywhere, space-station themed queue, and fact that I'm sitting in a freaking rocket ship in TOMORROWLAND sold the story there. Cheesy synth music doesn't add anything to said storyline; all it does is force something on you. Ghost Galaxy, of course, is markedly different, but that's not the point.

So to me, the only thing that would have made the whiners happy here would have been at the very least on-board audio, a neat but ultimately unnecessary feature, a re-entry tunnel change (even though I love it and never saw anything wrong with it, fine, I'll hand that one to you), and a "smoother ride".

What this equates to is that you wanted them to basically remove EVERYTHING inside the mountain, and design and build what amounts to a completely different roller coaster, since the current system has no way of physically supporting the added weight of an on-board audio system (no, I don't have the data to back that up, but think about it - these systems are designed very specifically to the finest detail by people with engineering degrees, to be able to handle a finite amount of weight - quit emailing me). You wanted this done during the single worst economic crisis in this country since the great depression. Oookay. I know you can't please everybody, but yikes.

Another lapse in logic: We knew we weren't going to get an entirely new ride. So why are you people acting so surprised?

You guys are like spoiled kids on christmas, throwing their presents against the wall and screaming about how they didn't get that 21-speed bike...and of course, it's soooo easy to make a caricatured scapegoat out of TDO. No, I'm not saying they're saints or anything, but I find it way too convenient to direct tantrums at what amounts to a snidley whiplash-style cartoon villain. I can just see them now, with their monocles and black top hats, twirling their mustaches, and POURING over this thread as though their lives depended on it...

Yeah, right. Half of them probably think the internet is a tool used for catching trout. You ever think that maybe the reason they couldn't redo space mountain was because, oh, I don't know, a lack of time and money?

Thank you for letting us know that we should all think like you and be happy with everything that you are happy with. Thank you for saying that the whiners are obessive and that all they care about is audio. Thank you for pointing that out. Thank you for not recognizing that most people are upset mainly over the fact that Space Mountian is a flagship ride in Disney's premiere park--why shouldn't it be the best?

Oh yeah, because you're totally happy about it.

 

[hoke2007]

I'm pleasantly surprised with the rehab. Of course I wish they would've added more effects to the ride, but they did a heck of a job with what they had to work with. The queue and post-show areas look fantastic.

 

[HersheyBearsDan]

If it's so "flagship" why does everyone it to be something else?? Kinda like saying Splash mountain is flagship but they should turn it in to a River rapids ride

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

To 74 & the rest of the whiners responding in this thread:

If complaining is whining, does praise equate gushing sycophancy?
I’m sure some people at Disney controlling purse strings will be delighted that a care and maintenance package has been so well received.

Im glad the ride has been cleaned and remains the same ride experience, doesnt make my opinion any more or less valid than those dissapointed in what they perceive to be Disney Failing to deliver to standards they have previoulsy set.

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

I would also love to know how Disneyland's Space Mountain queue is better than WDW's? You go past a brown and gold painted 1998 colored tomorrowland theater featuring Honey I shrunk the Audience, overgrown plants and cracked tile benches, up through a 1970s mall foodcourt, beneath an unused peoplemover track, outdoors around a patio with a painted landing symbol for rocketships, past an unused second story shopping boutique, and into a back and forth narrow queue of posters, chrome walls, and track lighting, with the load room being somewhat of a saving grace. The post show, our lack there of, has more posters, a few signs, and a picture pick-up desk.

The ride experience: after you make it up a couple of lifthills (one in which the effect of speed is nowhere achieved like it is with WDW's blue tunnel), after the last lifthill, it's bank to the right, bank to the right, bank to the right, over 95% all the way down.

 

[Thrill Seeker]

The first episode of my Space Mountain footage is being uploaded to YouTube now while the second is being made into a video. Click the link in my sig to get to my playlist, then go to my channel and view the new episodes once they are uploaded.

 

[Lee]

If I may...

I don't really understand why it's so monumentally important that these two things be included for you whiners to be happy.

Tunnel? Eh. Not a big deal.
Audio? Huge deal. The one thing that by it's omission reduces this refurb from excellent to just good.
Putting in onboard audio is a no-brainer...or should have been. Disney knows this. That is why they put audio into every Space Mountain they operate except for MK's, and why they did extensive testing in anticipation of adding it here as well. It was part of the original plan and was cut fairly late in the game.

I actually love the silence in the WDW ride, because space itself is a vacuum. To me, the music in Disneyland strays way too far in the whole "Telling us how to feel" category, rather than adding to the story of the ride.

That's fine. That's your opinion, and you are welcome to it. Others differ. It doesn't make anyone right or wrong. However, I can say that internal surveys have shown that onboard audio increases guest satisfaction with the ride at the other parks.

So to me, the only thing that would have made the whiners happy here would have been at the very least on-board audio,

Maybe not the only thing...but a very important one.

What this equates to is that you wanted them to basically remove EVERYTHING inside the mountain, and design and build what amounts to a completely different roller coaster, since the current system has no way of physically supporting the added weight of an on-board audio system (no, I don't have the data to back that up, but think about it - these systems are designed very specifically to the finest detail by people with engineering degrees, to be able to handle a finite amount of weight - quit emailing me).

Not correct. The current structure inside the mountain is capable of handling onboard audio with some moderate modifications to the support structure and track. No need to gut and rebuild at all. In fact they know this, and have made steps in this direction already.

You wanted this done during the single worst economic crisis in this country since the great depression. Oookay. I know you can't please everybody, but yikes. ?

Yep. Wanted it done at the exact time they are dumping a billion bucks into DCA and $400 million (ballpark) into Fantasyland. Absolutely correct. The budget for SM was approved in mid 2008, well before the economy tanked.

Another lapse in logic: We knew we weren't going to get an entirely new ride. So why are you people acting so surprised?

Nobody wanted or expected a new ride. Personally, I just wanted what the original plans called for before the cutters got their hands on it.

You guys are like spoiled kids on christmas, throwing their presents against the wall and screaming about how they didn't get that 21-speed bike

Not me.
I've known basically what the refurb would contain for months. Not disappointed now at all. They did a fine job. Only problem is that they didn't aim high enough.

...and of course, it's soooo easy to make a caricatured scapegoat out of TDO.

And instead we should be blaming who? Rasulo? Iger? Sure. There is enough blame to go around and they are welcome to their share.

You ever think that maybe the reason they couldn't redo space mountain was because, oh, I don't know, a lack of time and money?

No, because I know better.
The only "lack of time" was their reluctance to have it down for any longer than they had to, and the only lack of money was their desire to cut costs. The money was there, they just chose not to spend it.

Whew...that was kinda tiring...:lol:

 

[Exprcoofto]

Whew...that was kinda tiring...:lol:

Excellent post Lee, probably one of the best I've seen in this thread.

 

[GenerationX]

It's what I term Walmarting.

Kevin Yee calls it Declining By Degrees.

It's a little cut here, a small slash there, a disappearing act over there ... and they're all just 'little things' ... but over time they add up to a greatly diminished product.

And a new generation of dumbed down fans with much lower and simpler expectations for what a WDW experience is supposed to be.

Oh look ... they're painting a wall. Kudos to TDO! Who says WDW is stale?
:xmas:

Who here is in a position to define "what a WDW experience is supposed to be"? This is the primary flaw in your arguments. YOU have an expectation, YOU have a standard for this-or-that. Your expectations don't necessarily match that of other people or current TDO management. Others may view your expectations as unnecessarily high, unrealistic, and/or overly focused on things that don't really matter.

I'm willing to give you a lot of your other points. Yes, there have been cuts of "little things". Yes, the Space Mountain refurb does not appear to have significantly improved the guest experience.

However, people still enjoy and are entertained by WDW. It's not because they're stupid ("dumbed down") or toadies for TDO, but because there is still very much about the World that is entertaining. If the average guest perceives a reduction in value of a WDW trip (because it is "stale", perhaps), that guest may not return soon or at all. However, if the average guest doesn't notice or care about the "lesser" product (or considers the product improved), they will continue to return. Expectations for a WDW trip are subjective, and people have wildly varying tastes in entertainment. You seem to think that your subjective "higher" expectations for WDW are somehow better than other people's expectations, because they are aligned with the TDO of the past. Your expectations are just different from others.

The current TDO management runs the business in a way that you don't like. Their priorities don't match yours the same way that previous TDO management's did. That's a shame. If there are enough people like you, WDW's profits will go down and management will likely change their course. That's for them to decide. You can rail all you want about "wal-marting", but focusing money and attention on what a company thinks will be profitable is their prerogative.

 

[RSoxNo1]

WDW has 4 theme parks and for now DL has only has 1.5, so the answer is no.

:lol:

If you're counting DCA as a half park, than Animal Kingdom and DHS are also 1/2 parks.

I'm confused, did I just get off of Delta DreamFlight?

Am I the only one that reads this as Patrick Warburton?

That's fine. That's your opinion, and you are welcome to it. Others differ. It doesn't make anyone right or wrong. However, I can say that internal surveys have shown that onboard audio increases guest satisfaction with the ride at the other parks.

I think that would actually make him wrong.

I'll see this refurbishment in 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to it. I don't expect to be blown away by this as I was by Haunted Mansion. I give them credit for the changes that they did make - they all seem to be positive. However, I'm glad this is not being marketed as a new experience, there haven't been enough modifications to the ride to validate that.

 

[ChrisFL]

If you're counting DCA as a half park, than Animal Kingdom and DHS are also 1/2 parks.

I know I count them as that

 

[wdwfan94]

In fact they know this, and have made steps in this direction already.

What exactly have they done to try to out onboard audio on?

 

[Lee]

What exactly have they done to try to out onboard audio on?

For starters, they modified one train with sound and ran it after hours using DL's score. Worked very well, I understand.

 

[TURKEY]

Why can't people seem to understand that little was actually done to the ride itself (according to those that have ridden)?


Preshow and postshow queues are very important, but not actually part of the ride.

 

[ChrisFL]

Just a note of fact, Tokyo's SM does NOT have audio, even after an extensive refurb

 

[Studios Fan]

For starters, they modified one train with sound and ran it after hours using DL's score. Worked very well, I understand.

Interesting...