Space Mountain question

[JaSnake16]

Hey everyone. I just got back from Disneyland and rode their version of Space Mountain which has been recently refurbed. All I can say is :sohappy: WOW. The rockets 3 trains with 2 rows containing 2 seats. Each seat has speakers behind them ala Rock and Roller Coaster pumping a futuristic soundtrack which kind of reminded me of the Incredibles theme that plays in sinc to whats going on with the ride (ex. begins a buildup as your being pulled up the chain). It is so completely pitch black that you cant see anything but the stars and boy is this ride smooth.

Anyone know if they are gonna do a similar refurb to Orlando? I was in Orlando in December and while it is still an all time classic it, IMO, pales in comparison to the one in Anaheim.

 

[scottnj1966]

A refurb will probably happen. I know people have talked about it here on wdwmagic.

Now I know Disneyland's was in very bad shape.
Ours is old but not falling apart like Disneyland's

Disneyland always has side by side seating. They only have one track also.
So that was not one of the upgrades at Disneyland.

The music was the big additon and I am hoping to have it here also. It made it a whole different experience. With the music going and the start of the lift hill I actually thought we were gonna launch. I wish my video came out better for it, so dark haha.

 

[nicolita3]

Disneyland always has side by side seating. They only have one track also.
So that was not one of the upgrades at Disneyland.
quote]

they did not always have side by side seating and they do have 2 tracks

 

[abian]

Yeah, the special effects at DL's Space Mountain are awesome! The whole star field is very cool and like others have said, the music espcially the starting music is so upbeat and exciting. I rode about 6 times last time I visited DL. It is definitly the best ride in the park ride now over Indiana Jones. Disneyland is improving in every aspect. They are revamping every E-Ticket attractions such as SM, HM and the up-coming POTC and Submarine. Their POTC are reported to be way better than ours. As to submarine, it is reported to be an E-Ticket that John Lasseter puts all his heart and effort to make it right,according to MiceAge. And they got the new firework which is far and away the best firework show over others IMHO. Disneyland is really getting the spotlight recently. On the other hand, I think its time for MK to follow what Disneyland is doing. The new stitch escape doesn't sound like a good direction and hopefully the monster Inc show that replaced Timekeeper would be an improvement.

 

[Boardwalk Joe's]

Hows the space mountain in DL compared to space mountain 2 in dlp?

I got to ride SM2 this past March and its incredible! I hope they do something like that for MK...

 

[WDWToddKaren]

[/quote]they did not always have side by side seating and they do have 2 tracks[/quote]


Can you back your self up on this? show me a link of the original specs of the ride?:hammer:

 

[Mr Bill]

Disneyland always has side by side seating. They only have one track also.
So that was not one of the upgrades at Disneyland.
quote]

they did not always have side by side seating and they do have 2 tracks

I won't comment on the side by side seating, as I'm not positive but do believe they've always had it.

It definitely only has one track though.

Also, the onboard audio was added in 1996. The additional weight put more stress on the track, which contributed to the recent rehab.

 

[Pete C]

We will probably not get a refurb like that since our SM is running fine. I have come to realize that DL spends a lot of time and money on their classic rides. WDW has a lot more to worry about, such as trying to keep adding new stuff to 4 parks. I think WDW is of the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mindset. From what I've read here, our PotC rehab is nothing compared to what is going on over there.

 

[Lee]

they did not always have side by side seating and they do have 2 tracks

Just plain wrong.
Disneyland has ALWAYS had side-by-side seating, and has NEVER had more than one track.

 

[Rob562]

Also, WDW's Space Mountain was built first. They took the Disneyland Matterhorn ride system concept and placed it entirely indoors. In fact, when WDW's Space Mountain first opened, they had bench seating like the Matterhorn's bobsleds.

It was later when they were designing Disneyland's Space Mountain that they decided to go with a single track, but double the seating capacity of the train by making it 2-across seating.

At some point they added the on-board audio to Disneyland's Space Mountain, I believe after Disneyland Paris' SM opened. I've heard a few reasons why WDW's version never got sound, though one of the more credible sources said that it was because the equipment would add too much weight to the chassis.

But the Disneyland version of Space Mountain had structural issues over the years. They were having problems with metal fatigue, and were always working on it. Sometimes they couldn't even open the attraction because work needed to be done. They even closed it a couple months early when they decided to refurb it, because another structural issue cropped up.
Disney was already having track fabricated for Hong Kong version that was a duplicate of Disneyland's. So, they essentially told the manufacturing company to double the order and make two sets of track. They then tore down the old track and totally replaced it. Brand new track, same exact layout as before. New effects were also installed during the replacement.

MousePlanet had a series of articles by one of the original Imagineers that worked on Space Mountain.
You can read about the development of Disneyland's here:
http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mg051012gm
And WDW's version here:
http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=mg050706gm

(This will also prove to one of the previous posters that yes, Disneyland's SM only has ONE track...)

-Rob

 

[Lee]

Oh, I forgot to mention...there is a proposal in place to refurb WDW's Space Mountain, however it has not gotten past the proposal stage. It's not greenlit yet.

 

[scottnj1966]

Disneyland always has side by side seating. They only have one track also.
So that was not one of the upgrades at Disneyland.
quote]

they did not always have side by side seating and they do have 2 tracks

Not disneyland.

 

[Pongo]

Hows the space mountain in DL compared to space mountain 2 in dlp?

I got to ride SM2 this past March and its incredible! I hope they do something like that for MK...

DLP's Space Mountain is much different than other Space Mountains because of the launch and the fact that it has inversions. DL's SM has a chain lift like WDW's and (I've heard) that it is pretty much just a bunch of right hand turns.

I, for one, hope that if a refurb is done to WDW's SM, that it is done in the same manner as DL's refurb - replace all the tracks but keep the layout the same. I love our Space Mountain and don't want it to change in any way. ESPECIALLY the seating.

 

[Mr Bill]

I do think that double wide seating would take away from the "personal" experience of the ride. You'd lose some of the "If I stick my hands above my head or outside of the vehicle I will no longer have hands, hey where did my hair go?" feel of the ride.

 

[CHAPPS]

Disneyland always has side by side seating. They only have one track also.
So that was not one of the upgrades at Disneyland.
quote]

they did not always have side by side seating and they do have 2 tracks

Space Mountain at Disneyland has ALWAYS had side by side seating and it has NEVER had two tracks. And actually, the fact that DL's has only one track is the REASON it has side by side seating. It has to do with structure size and ride capacity. Here is a quote from an article in the Fall 1998 issue of "E Ticket" Magazine:

One of the first issues dealt with by the WED design team was the problem with structure size, and how to make it fit within the more confining park in Anaheim. The open environs of Walt Disney World allowed the huge profile of Space Mountain to be seen from every angle, but this was not possible at Disneyland. The ribbed, cone-shaped design by John Hench was retained, but the ride structure was necessarily smaller. The diameter of this building was 200 feet with an interior of only 1,811,710 cubic feet. In order to prevent Space Mountain from dominating the nearby Main Street skyline, the base of the structure was placed 17 feet below ground level.

Disneyland's version of Space Mountain would have other differences besides the size of the building. Like the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Florida's Space Mountain operates two tracks, separate but intertwined. The new ride in Anaheim would run as many as twelve two-car "space rockets" up to 32 mph on a single track 3,450 feet in length. The cars themselves are wider, seating two people side by side. The increase to twelve passengers per rocket (and a faster lap-bar loading system) produced the necessary ridership of over 2,000 per hour.

 

[Pongo]

I do think that double wide seating would take away from the "personal" experience of the ride. You'd lose some of the "If I stick my hands above my head or outside of the vehicle I will no longer have hands, hey where did my hair go?" feel of the ride.

The other day when I was at MK, I got a little too excited for the big drop near the end of Space Mountain, and I stuck my hands up as we started to go down it.

Then I realized how much of an idiot I was being a quickly pulled them back in. It was a scary experience :lookaroun

 

[DisneyGal126]

theres a big drop at the end? I thought there was no drops... I've never been on it though because I dont' like the thought of not having someone next to me to hold on to.

 

[Pongo]

theres a big drop at the end? I thought there was no drops... I've never been on it though because I dont' like the thought of not having someone next to me to hold on to.

There are about 2 or 3 small drops. When I say "big", I don't mean on the scale of Splash or Everest. I just mean big compared to the other drops in Space Mountain :wave:

 

[Scar Junior]

I think the WDW version could use a refurbishment. I don't think it "needs" one though. My mom - on the other hand - won't ride it anymore because it's so rickety and tough on her neck. I kind of like the "oh crap, this is going to break!"

 

[Rayray]

Oh, I forgot to mention...there is a proposal in place to refurb WDW's Space Mountain, however it has not gotten past the proposal stage. It's not greenlit yet.

Refurb? Do you mean overhaul, or do you just speak of refreshmemt?