There are Cushions on the Matterhorn a.k.a. Dreams Really Do Come True

[muddyrivers]

Exactly.

What they need to do next is add padding to the sides. That way I won't walk off the ride with bruised knees and thighs anymore.

This. The seat bottom never bothered me nearly as much as being jostled and whacking my knees against the side of the bobsled. Since I always have to sit in the back, I feel like I'm getting beaten up every time I go on!

 

[Californian Elitist]

This. The seat bottom never bothered me nearly as much as being jostled and whacking my knees against the side of the bobsled. Since I always have to sit in the back, I feel like I'm getting beaten up every time I go on!

Exactly! No matter how hard I try to keep still and keep my legs close together, they always hit the sides with great force. This wasn't the case for me with the previous bobsleds. Those sleds were way more spacious than these crappy new ones, especially in terms of width, so my legs could move freely without crashing into the sides. Not anymore! The new sleds are poorly designed. I feel cramped in the news ones.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I concur. I'm a slim guy and I find them cramped and painful.

I would have to say that the Matterhorn is the most intense ride operating at any of the US Disney parks because of the roughness. When I first rode, it had just come out of massive refurb with the current bobsleds. I was expecting a ride experience along the lines of Space Mountain at WDW, not Son of Beast. When you go around some of those curves and down the dips, it's extremely rough.

 

[180º]

I am fairly tall and have mostly not had a problem with my knees on these sleds, since I can stretch out my legs to either side of the seat in front of me.

Rows 1 and 4 are a different story, since they have no leg-stretching room. In those seats, you can either sit with your legs relaxed and get tossed around, or cross your legs/brace them against the sides but beat up your knees. Now that I don't have to brace myself to save my butt, I don't have to worry about my knees in rows 1 and 4.

Also, trust me, those cushions are more comfortable than they look.

 

[Californian Elitist]

The dips are fun, but they're also the worst. That's usually the time when I get beat up the most.

 

[mickEblu]

The last big refurb they did ( new sleds I believe ?) made the ride too slow. It was never that fast to begin with but whatever impact the new sleds have on the speed have made a big impact on the thrill factor for me.

I have not taken a ride on the FL side in a few years because of the last refurb but now I'm curious to check it out again.

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Which side is the TL and which side is the FL side?

 

[SpaceMountain75]

The projections at the end of Snow White

The ghost fruit in Haunted Mansion ballroom

The removal of the tarps at Alice in Wonderland

Big Thunder refurb

I didn't even know there was a time without ghost fruit. What do you think of the Hatbox Ghost?

 

[mickEblu]

Which side is the TL and which side is the FL side?

The TL is the line to the left when entering the covered queue in front of the loading area. The FL side is the line to the right. Closer to Fantasyland / Alice in Wonderland

 

[dweezil78]

I concur. I'm a slim guy and I find them cramped and painful.

I would have to say that the Matterhorn is the most intense ride operating at any of the US Disney parks because of the roughness. When I first rode, it had just come out of massive refurb with the current bobsleds. I was expecting a ride experience along the lines of Space Mountain at WDW, not Son of Beast. When you go around some of those curves and down the dips, it's extremely rough.

It's because Bob Gurr literally had no idea how to design a roller coaster (let alone one made of steel, which had never been done before) and was pretty much wingin' it the entire time. Walt asked for it, so he obliged. It's really amazing to hear him talk about it. Even he won't ride it!

 

[Deleted member 107043]

^^ Thanks for posting this because I first rode the Matterhorn in 1977 and it was as bumpy and sluggish then as it now - to me. Every time I read comments about how jerky and painful is today I'm like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Another question: what is "ghost fruit"?

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

In the middle of the ballroom table, there's a fruit bowl with rotten fruit. Backstage with the ghost figures is a bowl of fresh fruit aligned with the rotten fruit. For decades or possibly forever, the fruit did nothing. Now, they've shined a light to reflect the fresh fruit along with the ghosts and it appears to decay as the reflection/pepper's ghost vanishes. No other version of the ride has such an effect and no one can recall when it has ever worked until it was added last year.

 

[Curious Constance]

^^ Thanks for posting this because I first rode the Matterhorn in 1977 and it was as bumpy and sluggish then as it now - to me. Every time I read comments about how jerky and painful is today I'm like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Lol that's adorable, Hans! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Deleted member 107043]

Lol that's adorable, Hans!

I try.

 

[yookeroo]

^^ Thanks for posting this because I first rode the Matterhorn in 1977 and it was as bumpy and sluggish then as it now - to me. Every time I read comments about how jerky and painful is today I'm like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

No. It's always been bumpy, but it wasn't painful. It is now (I say this before trying out the new cushions).

 

[Deleted member 107043]

That's the thing Yook - I didn't see any difference when I rode it.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Well, I think I'll make an exception there. Just because it's always been horribly rough and painful doesn't mean it should remain as such.

 

[Californian Elitist]

This thread reminds me of one of my math professors in college. He was pretty old, at least in his 80's, and very nerdy. He had multiple sayings, but my two favorites of his were, "Solving this problem is more fun than riding the Matterhorn at Disneyland," and "Solving this problem is more entertaining than an E-ticket at Disneyland." Loved that man.

 

[yookeroo]

I did. BIG difference.