really? rode the simpsons for the first time this summer and thought it was the best simulator i ve ever been on.... havent been on dispicable me (opened a week after i was there)
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Spirited News and Observations and Opinions ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
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Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
Defensive much? And why would you choose Despicable Me to compare Star Tours to when both Star Tours and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man were the 2 attractions that both simultaneously received the HD upgrade? Oh yeah, because The Amazing Adventures of Spider-man is mind boggling better than Star Tours. You just sort of sound really unreasonable with your rant.
Yes, Universal shows are weak. Sindbad's is simply painful. Oh, how is Stitch's Supersinic Celebration? What about that piece of crap that Disney puts on in front of the Castle everyday.
DHS has 5 rides and DAK has 6 I can finish BOTH of those parks by 3 on the same day. So what's your point?
I'll take parting at CityWalk over Pleasure Island any day considering partying at PI now consists of stand outside holding my drink watching stilt walkers in front of plyboarded up buildings.
I honestly think that you are so defensive about your true love because you truly know how inferior the product is these days. Not necessarily in comparison to Universal, but to what WDW used to be.
agree
even if you dont like universal at least they re doing something about it and not relying on the good ole days...and im a dvc owner and can see whats going on
Darth Sidious
Authentically Disney Distinctly Chinese
I think you made some great points here. I honestly think that myself coming from a finance background myself FP+ is a good idea for the company. They haven't been efficient in recent years and that's evident in their margins. I think if FP+ works they will invest into new attractions and repairing older attractions because they have variable costs under control. Will it be good for guests at first? Maybe it maybe not but I think they will find a way to make it work.
Cody5242
Well-Known Member
I'm sorry I left out Spider-Man? I think Spider-Man is better than star tours. I just think their marvel land can be so much more. The hulk is in terrible shape but I haven't been there in a year so maybe they fixed it up. I do think Disney has been on the decline but I still think the current Disney is still better than universal. I always spend a full day in HS so thats my point. Citywalk is nice but you have to pay to get in. I was at splitsville two nights ago and I spent the whole night there. It's a great establishment and its something citywalk doesn't have
Cody5242
Well-Known Member
The thing that makes star tours so good is that it has multiple scenarios and the Simpsons does not. I'm not a fan of the Simpsons so maybe that also makes me not like it as much
im not a fan either of simpsons and could care less about the simpson mini land although i get it that people like it anyway to each his own
Cody5242
Well-Known Member
They changed star tours to a completely new ride so you just made yourself sound stupid there
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Wow, so many opinions. Where to start?
I guess, to start, you realize that you and I are just expressing opinions, right? From a certain point of view, I'm right; from a certain point of view, you're right.
Regarding FLE, I didn't write "FLE is not good". I wrote "It's funny how something can look pretty if it's new and hasn't been given enough time to rot. Let's see what it looks like 10 years from now." In other words, WDW has been having a lot of maintenance issues lately. I expect FLE to follow the same trend. Just give it time and we'll be having effects-watch threads on JotLM, just like we have today on Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest.
It's funny you should mention both Star Tours and Despicable Me. My family always has enjoyed ST. It's one of our must-dos. Earlier this year, we experienced Despicable Me for the first time and were absolutely wowed by it. So much better than Jimmy Neutron. As a result, we bought the movie (which we hadn't seen before and really enjoyed BTW) and DD-14 bought a large stuffed one-eyed Minion. The 9th graders at my kids' high school now think Minions are the cutest thing ever. A lot have their own Minions. It's just a fad but it caught me off-guard.
Since you mention them, I've always enjoyed USF and DHS equally. IMHO, both have some really entertaining attractions but, usually, I can tour DHS in fewer hours because USF offers more. Once HP2 opens, I suspect USF will win in a landslide.
Since you mention IOA and POE, I agree that Jurassic Park and HP are its best lands. In terms of simply walking through them, IMHO the other IOA lands are just so-so. The Lost Continent isn't bad visually but I've never been thrilled with its two shows and now, of course, it's being cannibalized by HP.
Let's face it, Universal is where all the action is right now. WDW continues to coast on past glory. I still like WDW more but Universal is catching up. As recently as 5 years ago, the concept that Universal is on par with WDW would have been unthinkable. Now .... Well, it's not so unthinkable anymore.
IMHO, 1974's original post is right on target.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
I too like Spilsville. I think it is a great addition to DtD.
PI also had a cover charge. Althought I do see why they dropped it when they closed everything over 4 years ago.
When I go to DHS it's ToT, RnR, Star Tours, sometimes Indy, and DONE. Unless I am with a newbie, then we hit the shows. I am not a fan of the GMR, LMA, Backlot Tour, or TSMM.
Being a local, I think I am fortunate that we have so many local world class theme park options. I really feel sorry for anyone who simply can't enjoy either resort because of emotional biases. Even Sea World is now a world class option. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. But both Universal and Sea World are putting a LOT of effort into improving their product. WDW not so much.
PI also had a cover charge. Althought I do see why they dropped it when they closed everything over 4 years ago.
When I go to DHS it's ToT, RnR, Star Tours, sometimes Indy, and DONE. Unless I am with a newbie, then we hit the shows. I am not a fan of the GMR, LMA, Backlot Tour, or TSMM.
Being a local, I think I am fortunate that we have so many local world class theme park options. I really feel sorry for anyone who simply can't enjoy either resort because of emotional biases. Even Sea World is now a world class option. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. But both Universal and Sea World are putting a LOT of effort into improving their product. WDW not so much.
Clyde Birdbrain
Unknown Member
Me too! Last time we were at IOA it was only 3pm and we were done. I love HP's Forbidden Journey, but we had already done it 4 times with single rider. I couldn't believe we were done, and we didn't feel like staying or looking around any longer because we had already gone around the lake a few times. I have never had that feeling at any Disney park.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
Star Tours is still Star Tours. It is most definitely NOT a completely new ride. Despicable Me is a completely new ride utilizing an existing ride system. Similar to how the Nemo Ride is a completely new ride utilizing the existing Sea Cabs ride system.
Quoted for the shocking truth.
Darth Sidious
Authentically Disney Distinctly Chinese
Well to be fair I think by your examples ST is a new ride. Even though the IP hasn't changed the ride itself (the show) is different with the same ride system. I think theyre all comparable since the experience is different from ST1 to ST2.
It's all up to opinion however so obviously you aren't wrong I just disagree on the argument/example.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
I would call ST a significantly upgraded ride, but not a "new" ride. And the changes greater than the Spider-man upgrade. But I have to admit that I was a little disappointed at how similar ST1 and ST2 were. I do like the random options though. But when I got off I was like, "Well it's still Star Tours". Star Tours is still Star Tours. How is that a "new" ride?
disney fan 13
Well-Known Member
Okay... Let respond to this rant...
Family forum dude, cool down.
FLE is great visually, and has some nice food options, but it has no meat to it, 2 subpar rides that are not going to get anyone to the MK besides Disney fans and families with girls under 7.
That is a matter of opinion, I finish AK and DHS by 12, yet some can spend all day there. Also, Terminator, Beetlejuice, and Horror the makeup show are all very good shows.
Despicable Me is a very nice ride, though a D ticket at best, not meant to be compared to Star tours, an E, a More apt comparison would be Spiderman vs Star tours, in which Spiderman beats Star tours by a mile.
USF has Transformers, Potter, Simpsons expansion, and various refurbs all finishing before 2015, after that a Kidszone refurb is all but confirmed. All this would put it way over DHS, which might get a Pixar expansion by 2016. (If they start in the first half of next year.)
The only land I have a problem with is Toon Lagoon, mainly because of how rushed it looks. But everything else ( Which are being repainted and refurbished.) Are very nice lands.
Universal is not yet the best ( though it already passes AK,HS, and TOONCOT in my book.) But once all these expansions go through along with the rumored ones, it will be, and Disney's not doing a thing about it.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
I have heard they are thinking of "going big" with a Jurassic Park expansion after Potter 2.0 opens.
Seven pages since the middle of the night? They love me ... they really, really love me! (cupid smiley anyone?)
Not sure I will have time to read them all tonight, so wanted to put some more news/thoughts/observations down while they are fresh.
First, let's start with MK and New Fantasyland. It's nice to look at. Very. Nicest part of the MK now. But it largely lacks substance. And the new Princess Hall meet-greet-and-grope and the mine train coaster are not going to do more than fill out the project. Rode Mermaid twice ... exactly the same as in Anaheim with one piece of nicer animation that is more than off-set by shoddy workmanship (as soon as you board and rotate backwards on the right side you see a wall that doesn't go all the way down to the floor leaving a gap of about 18 inches ... whether YOU notice, doesn't change the fact that it shouldn't be that way), poor lighting, exposed ceiling and electrical and effects that already don't work (seriously, Disney, are the eels NEVER going to work? too complicated? too pricey?)
Some will, and many have, talk about the improved showbuilding and queue from Anaheim and they'd be correct. It's nice and detailed and quality. But there's a reason why it's that way and it's called FP+. In Anaheim, even on holiday weekends, I've never seen waits more than 15-20 minutes. On a Christmas Party night in late afternoon, I arrived to a 30-minute standby, which I only entered so I could walk the queue. I think most rational people would say 'I'd rather no queue or a plain queue than a nice one set up specifically to create lines where there shouldn't be any' but maybe I'm wrong. During the party, I walked by and saw 20 minutes posted, but didn't believe that. Sure enough, it was a walk on.
I question the placement of the kiddie coaster as far as sightlines and such, but feel like waiting to see more development before commenting more.
The thing about Mermaid is it sorta has become the headliner of the 'new' land and it just can't carry that load. It isn't 1995.It isn't DCA where you have so many new things that it is just a very small part of a redo/expansion. The attraction isn't as appealing or MAGICal as ET at UNI, something that opened in 1990. It's just very plastic.
Wanted to do Storytime With Belle, but not wait 50 minutes to do so, so I didn't.
I did walk into Bonjour Gifts, which is nice and has themed merchandise (want to do an over/under on how long it lasts?). Experienced the new restrooms and walked into Gaston's, which is quite nice (sort of a tiny Three Broomsticks type of place), but feel the menu is being forced. From the porkshank, which holds no interest for me, to the LeFou's Brew. You can't force these things and think you'll have butterbeer. It either is organic or it isn't.
Speaking of organic, the land certainly has more aspects of a park esthetic. Trees ... rocks ... flowing water. It certainly is quite an improvement over what Fantasyland has been. But is it better than a Skyway floating over a lagoon of crystal clear water lined by volcanic rock and palm trees? We all have our opinions.
Mine is the MK needed something and this is definitely something. But was it the right thing? If you have young girls, or are a Disney fanboi, quite probably. Beyond that? YMMV.
Not sure I will have time to read them all tonight, so wanted to put some more news/thoughts/observations down while they are fresh.
First, let's start with MK and New Fantasyland. It's nice to look at. Very. Nicest part of the MK now. But it largely lacks substance. And the new Princess Hall meet-greet-and-grope and the mine train coaster are not going to do more than fill out the project. Rode Mermaid twice ... exactly the same as in Anaheim with one piece of nicer animation that is more than off-set by shoddy workmanship (as soon as you board and rotate backwards on the right side you see a wall that doesn't go all the way down to the floor leaving a gap of about 18 inches ... whether YOU notice, doesn't change the fact that it shouldn't be that way), poor lighting, exposed ceiling and electrical and effects that already don't work (seriously, Disney, are the eels NEVER going to work? too complicated? too pricey?)
Some will, and many have, talk about the improved showbuilding and queue from Anaheim and they'd be correct. It's nice and detailed and quality. But there's a reason why it's that way and it's called FP+. In Anaheim, even on holiday weekends, I've never seen waits more than 15-20 minutes. On a Christmas Party night in late afternoon, I arrived to a 30-minute standby, which I only entered so I could walk the queue. I think most rational people would say 'I'd rather no queue or a plain queue than a nice one set up specifically to create lines where there shouldn't be any' but maybe I'm wrong. During the party, I walked by and saw 20 minutes posted, but didn't believe that. Sure enough, it was a walk on.
I question the placement of the kiddie coaster as far as sightlines and such, but feel like waiting to see more development before commenting more.
The thing about Mermaid is it sorta has become the headliner of the 'new' land and it just can't carry that load. It isn't 1995.It isn't DCA where you have so many new things that it is just a very small part of a redo/expansion. The attraction isn't as appealing or MAGICal as ET at UNI, something that opened in 1990. It's just very plastic.
Wanted to do Storytime With Belle, but not wait 50 minutes to do so, so I didn't.
I did walk into Bonjour Gifts, which is nice and has themed merchandise (want to do an over/under on how long it lasts?). Experienced the new restrooms and walked into Gaston's, which is quite nice (sort of a tiny Three Broomsticks type of place), but feel the menu is being forced. From the porkshank, which holds no interest for me, to the LeFou's Brew. You can't force these things and think you'll have butterbeer. It either is organic or it isn't.
Speaking of organic, the land certainly has more aspects of a park esthetic. Trees ... rocks ... flowing water. It certainly is quite an improvement over what Fantasyland has been. But is it better than a Skyway floating over a lagoon of crystal clear water lined by volcanic rock and palm trees? We all have our opinions.
Mine is the MK needed something and this is definitely something. But was it the right thing? If you have young girls, or are a Disney fanboi, quite probably. Beyond that? YMMV.