The Park Formerly Known as Disney's Hollywood Studios? Yep ...

[MerlinTheGoat]

I wouldn't even entertain the stretch that Popeye is "up there" with Splash. Just because it's a top tier rapids ride, it doesn't mean it can come close to a master class Disney ride like Splash Mountain with its rich and elaborate scenery and the massive animatronics population. I'm not saying it's a poor ride only worthy of Six Flags or anything, but it's a very far cry from Splash.

 

[Next Big Thing]

I wouldn't even entertain the stretch that Popeye is remotely "up there" with Splash. Just because it's a top tier rapids ride, it doesn't mean it can come close to a ride like Splash Mountain with its rich and elaborate scenery and the massive animatronics population. I'm not saying it's a poor ride only worthy of Six Flags or anything, but it's a very far cry from Splash.

Exactly. There's a distinct difference in the rides. Splash Mountain is about story telling in a highly themed environment with some thrills along the way. The rides has never been about make sure everyone comes off drenched, it's been about telling the story.

As for Popeye, well, I don't even know if there is a story for that ride. It's just getting absolutely soaked time after time. It's a fun ride and highly themed, but not even in the same league as Splash Mountain.

 

[AMartin767]

P.S. Move the hat over to Fantasmic. What an entrance! It would be a great addition to the show.

What an absolutely brilliant idea.. so obvious yet this is the first time someone was smart and aware enough to suggest it!

 

[Brian Swan]

I just said Popeye was UP THERE with Splash Mountain... obviously Splash is the best-themed. But there's not a single rapids ride in the world as fun or as high-quality as Popeye. Have no idea why people consider it Six Flags-quality.

I agree that Popeye is one of the best, but Grizzly River Run (DCA) still takes the top spot in my mind. Popeye is a bit longer, and definately wetter, but for blend of "track" design and theming, I have yet to be on a raft ride anywhere that equals GRR. Kali on the other hand...

I also don't get some of the hatred for Dudley. No, it's not Splash Mountain. NOTHING in the way of a "flume" ride comes even close to Splash Mountain; it ranks as one of the best rides that Disney has ever designed, and is probably my favorite ride in all four WDW parks. But if you take Splash out of the mix, I cannot think of a "flume" ride that has more to offer than Dudley. It has an unusually long "track", more theming than virtually any other I can think of, and a very good/wet final hill.

 

[Next Big Thing]

I also don't get some of the hatred for Dudley. No, it's not Splash Mountain. NOTHING in the way of a "flume" ride comes even close to Splash Mountain; it ranks as one of the best rides that Disney has ever designed, and is probably my favorite ride in all four WDW parks. But if you take Splash out of the mix, I cannot think of a "flume" ride that has more to offer than Dudley. It has an unusually long "track", more theming than virtually any other I can think of, and a very good/wet final hill.

The ride is half-assed. I'm not even comparing it to Splash. Dudley looks like something i'd expect at a Six Flags park everywhere except for the drop area. The drop area is beautiful, colorful, etc. But that's because it's a picturesque spot. The actual ride portion is of very low quality and if the ride were built by Uni Creative in this day and age i'd expect MUCH better, something on par with Splash.

 

[Slov72]

Ripsaw falls could be so much more, the track layout is great but out of all the universal rides it seems to be the least taken care of and there are large parts of the the track that are unthemed.... a lot of potential, better than almost any other flume ride I have been on, but not on Splash's level at all. I would not say "six flags level" though, it is much better than that.

 

[Brian Swan]

RSR doesn't work in the FL climate as is, at least not during peak summer travel season. Rain will shut it down every day. Yes, maybe only for 20 minutes at a time, but it still messes with FPs, stand by line, etc.

Intersting; I had never considered the weather issues with doing a RSR in FL. Not being one who really pays attention to such things, does TT shut down whenever it rains? It's the same basic rides system, so that would be a godd predictor...

 

[Brian Swan]

I would also think that RSR would be redundant with Test Track just a boat ride away

Yes, they are the same rides systems, but the experiences are totally different. It's like saying BTMRR and EE are redundant because they are both "run-away train roller coasters"...

 

[Brian Swan]

At one time a Launch Coaster was proposed for AVATARland and I believe it was cut. I think it was basically a re-themed TRONcoaster that's going to Shanghai.

Back in the early days of Pandora predictions, I remember reading that the coaster was a point of contention between Cameron and Disney; he wanted one (to have a "high thrill", "medium thrill", and "family" attraction in the land) and Disney didn't. Disney clearly (and sadly) won this battle.

 

[Brian Swan]

Oh I hope not. It's way too obvious, and really isn't that interesting to begin with when you look at what elements they would have to work with. The only thing that made the Cantina interesting conceptually or visually was all the folks at the bar - and I just don't see that being very interesting or easy to exploit in a restaurant setting.

What I do hope is for a Jabba's Palace dinner show. The Palace is much more dynamic, has several different interior locations, and, the biggest reason of all - audio-animatronic Jabba. (Two, actually - one during the dinner show and another one elsewhere in the building for pics.)

There are so many possibilities, and it's way more visually interesting. Also more audio-animatronic creature possibilities - Salacious, the Max Reebo band, 3-PO, etc. It could be really spectacular. The cantina? Really a big bowl of "meh" when you think about it - chipped stone stucco building with curved edges and very little in the way of decoration? They can do better.

But it could be a fun "side" bar, kind of like Tune-in is to 50s...

 

[JWG]

Intersting; I had never considered the weather issues with doing a RSR in FL. Not being one who really pays attention to such things, does TT shut down whenever it rains? It's the same basic rides system, so that would be a godd predictor...

Yes, and TT does stop running for rain (where others only stop for thunderstorms / lightning). So, the concern isn't with it being the same ride system from an experience perspective, just that it would end up having to shutdown for 20 minutes to a few hours a day during the heavy rain season, which is also a fairly high attendance period. Now, technology has likely changed since 1996, so maybe that's no longer a problem for an updated version of the ride system. But, if it is still a problem, it would feel short sighted to intentionally install a ride you know will have some heavy down periods at bad times. Either creating an indoor experience or using a modified ride system corrects for that if RSR is to come.

 

[MotherOfBirds]

Yes, they are the same rides systems, but the experiences are totally different. It's like saying BTMRR and EE are redundant because they are both "run-away train roller coasters"...

Oy, for the love of Osiris, people. I get it. You disagree.

I meant not to imply that similar ride systems automatically render two attractions "the same". Rather, I meant to say that, based on what I've gathered about RSR, the differences between the two are closer to Dumbo vs. Triceratops Spin. I want the difference between them to be like SW vs PotC, but Test Track's themeing, including the new additions, have never bowled me over. The themeing was something to tolerate while on a thrilling car ride instead of something that transformed it into a unique experience.

 

[misterID]

You are missing all of the subtlety of what I'm saying and assuming the absolute worst out of how I'm saying everything. I'm not yelling at you, or saying you're an absolute fool.

I'm simply saying you assumed better out of Universal than Disney, which shows some level of bias in the most standard definition of that word.

Bias - cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something.

And, again, that's fine. I'm glad you hold Disney to a high standard. I'm not sarcastically saying it's fine and I'm sorry if the all CAPS on fine made you think that, or think I have all this anger towards you or something. I was merely emphasizing the word, because, preferences are preferences. You don't have to be so argumentative about it.

I don't appreciate being patronized or name-called, and that type of debating is uncalled for. You clearly stated a bias, I pointed it out because you can't debate assumptions. It's like debating what I might eat tomorrow. You could know what I ate yesterday, and start debating me. I could start debating you about what I think I want. But, has it happened? Nope, so, it's pointless. I can't debate that Universal won't build the best thing since slice bread, because I don't know. I can point out Disney's recent trend to create more quality products, whether east coast or west. I can point out they're beginning to start producing quality again, and I can only hope that trend will continue.

Something we can't debate: I think Disney will produce awesome stuff for this re-do. You hope they do, but, they haven't proven anything to you to suggest that this is a guarantee. You think Universal is kicking butt, and I think Harry Potter rules but they still have a lot of work to do. These are our opinions, and I'm happy we each have them. We can debate quality in the past, but, not some unknown future where all we have are rumors, tealeaves, and biases of our own.

Now for the sarcasm: Thank you for grabbing all the context from my statements and turning them into snide remarks. /s

I assumed better out of UNI than WDW because of recent history, not biased thinking. That's fact. FLE vs DA, it's not even close. It just isn't. You're calling me biased and trying to dismiss my opinion because it's not raving about WDW when UNI has, in fact, been doing a better job recently at their expansions. I'm sorry, but this is a childish debate. I didn't all you names... I was wondering if you were a kid, because the joke would have been on me getting into this debate. This isn't about your or my assumptions... you'e actually calling me biased against WDW and that is wrong.

 

[NormC]

Such a "bland facade"...........

 

[WeLComeHomE OKW]

I assumed better out of UNI than WDW because of recent history, not biased thinking. That's fact. FLE vs DA, it's not even close. It just isn't. You're calling me biased and trying to dismiss my opinion because it's not raving about WDW when UNI has, in fact, been doing a better job recently at their expansions. I'm sorry, but this is a childish debate. I didn't all you names... I was wondering if you were a kid, because the joke would have been on me getting into this debate. This isn't about your or my assumptions... you'e actually calling me biased against WDW and that is wrong.

Bias does not have a negative connotation. It is a neutral word meant to suggest a viewpoint against something. The word is representative of that idea alone, and nothing more. "because of recent history" is not a separate thing from bias...it just means you have a reason to be biased. And, I'm not saying you hate WDW, I'm saying you're assuming UNI's stuff will turn out better, which you clearly said. I mean...clearly.

I was stating a fact. I'm trying to be nice, but, if you can't understand what a word means, even when I explain it, then this is going nowhere.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Dueling Dragons' queue already tops RnRC in theming. I'd recommend looking pictures up. Even with the HP retheme, it's still solid. But RnRC and DC both have equally unthemed ride experiences. Cardboard cutouts and an Aerosmith song isn't theming. Revenge of the Mummy tops both in the theming department.

You know for someone that complains about Disney "hate" and Uni "fanboyism", you seem to be shilling for one of Disney's poorly themed E-tickets. RnRC is "fun" like Hulk and DC... but the facade is a gray building, and the ride experience a coaster in the dark. Turn on the lights and it's just as barren as Uni's coasters.

I've ridden both. I prefer Dueling Dragons. Both are excellent coasters, I just love a dangling coaster especially when the two trains are dispatched the way it was originally designed. The thrill of "holy !@!$ the other coaster is coming right at me!" tends to top the indoor/blacklight coaster.

I dig RnRC for the music alone and the launch into the loop.

Of course age and injuries have caught up with me and there wont be any more of either.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Such a "bland facade"...........

Hey hey hey. You saw what those Ewoks did to the empire! The most fearsome predator imaginable.

 

[George]

Hey hey hey. You saw what those Ewoks did to the empire! The most fearsome predator imaginable.

Correct. Little teddy bears throwing rocks really brings into question the effectiveness of the Stormtroopers' armor. I think some contractor really fleeced the Empire on that one.

 

[misterID]

Bias does not have a negative connotation. It is a neutral word meant to suggest a viewpoint against something. The word is representative of that idea alone, and nothing more. "because of recent history" is not a separate thing from bias...it just means you have a reason to be biased. And, I'm not saying you hate WDW, I'm saying you're assuming UNI's stuff will turn out better, which you clearly said. I mean...clearly.

I was stating a fact. I'm trying to be nice, but, if you can't understand what a word means, even when I explain it, then this is going nowhere.

Sorry. Your explanation is wrong. It is in no way a neuteral word. That's laughable. It's indicating I have some kind of an agenda.

bi·as
ˈbīəs/
noun

1. 1.
   prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
   "there was evidence of bias against foreign applicants"
   synonyms: prejudice, partiality, partisanship, favoritism, unfairness, one-sidedness; More
   verb

1. 1.
   cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something.
   "readers said the paper was biased toward the conservatives"
   synonyms: prejudice, influence, color, sway, weight, predispose; More

Recent history is going by fact, not predjudice. As I said, I prefer WDW to UNI. You just seem to be ultra sensitive about this subject and WDW. Like I said, relax. I didn't say UNI's would be better, and I love to see where I said that it would definintely be better (what was supposed to be better anyway?). I don't remember saying it. I expect more from UNI going by DA... I know you kept trying to put words in my mouth. I was actually expecting something fantastic from the Pixar expansion, just not the SWL expansion, or more to the point, that it wasn't going to be as big as people think. I don't remember comparing any future expansions between the parks. It's not bias, it's tempered expectations.

You don't have to be nice, subtly, or in context or subtext, but please try to be a bit more level headed and aware of definitions before accusing people of things to try invalidate their opinion.

 

[mahnamahna101]

Exactly. There's a distinct difference in the rides. Splash Mountain is about story telling in a highly themed environment with some thrills along the way. The rides has never been about make sure everyone comes off drenched, it's been about telling the story.

As for Popeye, well, I don't even know if there is a story for that ride. It's just getting absolutely soaked time after time. It's a fun ride and highly themed, but not even in the same league as Splash Mountain.

Umm Popeye does have a story lol... Bluto kidnaps Olive Oyl and Popeye has to save her. It's basic and a very loose narrative, but as far as rapids rides go, it's the closest you'll get to actual storytelling. GRR and Kali don't really have an actual story in the ride - as far as I could tell. Kali might be about rainforest conservation, but it's loosely told.

Splash Mountain is the pinnacle of water rides though - tells a story while incorporating thrills, too... similar to how ToT is the pinnacle of drop towers. Neither will ever be topped IMO. But Popeye's pretty well-done (maybe an B+/A- to Splash's A++++) - I'd take it over GRR (without any AAs or show scenes) or Kali (budget cuts made it a lot shorter than intended)