Tokyo Goes Soaring - Anaheim Gets Outclassed & Still Drops It's G's

[RobWDW1971]

Not every ride needs a story. Many DL attractions function perfectly without much setup. If Disney built the Matterhorn these days they'd probably have a preshow where Mandy the Mountaineer briefed you on a lost expedition on the mountain searching for an ancient crystal.

"We gotta get in and grab the crystal before that yeti gets us!"

And 90% of the attraction budget would be spent on authentic Swiss mountain climbing gear in a needlessly ornate queue filled with junk that Imagineers collected on their 75 "cultural immersion" trips to the Swiss Alps vs. actually creating a world-class ride experience. (Looking at you Kali River Rapids).

 

[RobWDW1971]

Not every ride needs a story. Many DL attractions function perfectly without much setup. If Disney built the Matterhorn these days they'd probably have a preshow where Mandy the Mountaineer briefed you on a lost expedition on the mountain searching for an ancient crystal.

"We gotta get in and grab the crystal before that yeti gets us!"

So spot on. Or the idiotic "My hands don't scan so I need your hands! Raise your hands for scanning! Now again!" Noooooooobody cares. We get the story - Rocket is going to use the elevator to get the Guardians, we're good. Enough of this misguided, juvenile "interaction".

It's just needless noise and overthinking the story that has quickly become just a disembodied voice shouting at everyone while they ignore it (Cough...Hondo...Cough). Well done, WDI.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Not every ride needs a story. Many DL attractions function perfectly without much setup. If Disney built the Matterhorn these days they'd probably have a preshow where Mandy the Mountaineer briefed you on a lost expedition on the mountain searching for an ancient crystal.

"We gotta get in and grab the crystal before that yeti gets us!"

I would usually absolutely agree with you. I don’t always need to know the vehicles history, why I’m there, and name after name after name of people I don’t really care about. However, if I had to choose between the stateside safety spiel over a touch of magic with a portrait coming to life and shadow play, I would always choose the magic.

This show building is absolutely appropriate for the landscape of Disney Sea.

It would not be as appropriate for the charming scare of the Disneyland Resort.

 

[Mickeyboof]

So spot on. Or the idiotic "My hands don't scan so I need your hands! Raise your hands for scanning! Now again!" Noooooooobody cares. We get the story - Rocket is going to use the elevator to get the Guardians, we're good. Enough of this misguided, juvenile "interaction".

It's just needless noise and overthinking the story that has quickly become just a disembodied voice shouting at everyone while they ignore it. Well done, WDI.

Soaring in Tokyo doesn’t ask for audience participation.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Pinocchio in Paris doesn’t do that, but Peter Pan does. Or did, I would hope it’s been looked into.

Peter Pan in Paris is squeaky for sure, but this noise for Tokyo's Pinocchio was more alarming.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

Also the Pinocchio ride vehicles make this horrible noise when they stop. Like a refrigerator bring dragged across the floor. I don't remember Paris or California being like that.

I know what you're talking about, noticed it the last few times I was there. There's also a ton of damage on the ground around load from where the vehicles have scraped the floor up when braking. Same for Snow White IIRC.

Overall I think TDR gets way too much praise for what it actually is, but the praise it gets for attraction maintenence definitely is warranted. Every time I've been to TDR I've only noticed one, maybe two things not working as intended across the entire resort (one of which is usually the crushed up Randall at the end of Monsters) and last time I was there I don't recall noting a single thing out of order anywhere.

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

I love these threads about the Tokyo parks. It just goes to show how fantastic they really are.

I can be critical of Tokyo Disney Resort. For example, once when I was in line in Westernland for ice cream I noticed about a quarter sized piece of paint chipped off the building and later that day I saw one (!) piece of trash lying on the ground. It was the WORST condition I had ever seen the Tokyo parks in!!!!

I don’t think I’m over it yet.

Wow, this says it all. I can’t believe that’s the “worst condition” haha, crazy! One day I will visit ugh.

 

[TP2000]

Not every ride needs a story. Many DL attractions function perfectly without much setup. If Disney built the Matterhorn these days they'd probably have a preshow where Mandy the Mountaineer briefed you on a lost expedition on the mountain searching for an ancient crystal.

"We gotta get in and grab the crystal before that yeti gets us!"

Mandy the Mountaineer. Perfection.

I can just see Mandy now; a feminine yet strong and athletic young woman, ethnically ambiguous with dark hair, dark eyes and chiseled features. An ancient crystal backstory based vaguely in Bavarian-Alpine culture yet not really. While 95% of the schmuck customers waiting in the line pay no attention to any of it and just want to go on the ice coaster before they get a churro.

And the Imagineers involved in the project would all need to take multi-week trips to Switzerland, staying in the Zurich Four Seasons and Tweeting photos at their 1,000 suck-up followers of their hiking trip with catered sunset supper served in an alpine meadow. With entertainment hired to keep them in the mood.

It's so hilarious, and yet so sad because we all know it's true. This is where you can't blame Mr. Chapek anymore, and you need to point the finger at the highly paid Tesla-driving Imagineers who build a roller coaster in a theme park and then over-think and over-design and over-indulge while their company picks up their tab for two weeks at the Zurich Four Seasons.

 

[TP2000]

Peter Pan in Paris is squeaky for sure, but this noise for Tokyo's Pinocchio was more alarming.

I think what's more alarming about Tokyo's Pinocchio and Snow White is the speed at which the cars run. They literally peel into the station and screech to a halt. It's hysterical! But typical of Japanese efficiency where you are expected to keep up and not dally in the vehicle when it's time to get out.

 

[Ismael Flores]

Good luck with that. Japan has extremely strict immigration laws.

In calendar year 2018, Japan approved a total of Forty Two (Not a typo. 42!) applications for asylum, out of 10,500 who applied to escape persecution in their home country. In the average year they approve approximately 9,000 applications for Japanese citizenship from foreigners, who have waited for years and years and paid huge sums of taxes and passed many tests designed to ensure the financial, educational and moral solidity of those who apply, including a college level ability to speak and write Japanese fluently. The government won't be changing those laws and standards anytime soon, as they are committed to very limited immigration for the purposes of "safeguarding security, including public order, protecting welfare mechanisms, cultural stability, and social trust."

The upside is that as an American with a US passport it is very easy to visit Japan for up to 90 days at a time. And when you get there the culture is inherently gracious, polite, classy, sophisticated and very safe. And they never drop their G's.

Visit Japan! You won't regret it!

my cousin actually just moved there about a year ago and it was quite an easy transition it really all depends on what you have to offer. schooling and employment history helps but its very different if you apply as an asylum seeker.

oh and now after only a year he is already planning a wedding for next year.

i just realized that he will be the third one to move to an asian country and marry.

last November my cousin married a girl in Malaysia and moved there and my niece moved to philipines four years ago and married a guy there also a year ago.
they were fun weddings too hopefully i get to go to the one in Japan. would enjoy going back and finally try and make time to go to the disney resort

 

[TP2000]

my cousin actually just moved there about a year ago and it was quite an easy transition it really all depends on what you have to offer. schooling and employment history helps but its very different if you apply as an asylum seeker.

Moved there and granted Japanese citizenship including a Japanese passport, or moved there to work as an English teacher or something on a year-by-year work visa with no Japanese citizenship granted?

 

[Ismael Flores]

Moved there and granted Japanese citizenship including a Japanese passport, or moved there to work as an English teacher or something on a year-by-year work visa with no Japanese citizenship granted?

moved there and granted citizenship. he is working as some kind of consultant now

 

[Ismael Flores]

he lives in Nara and his Fiance is from there as well
he fell in live with the area when we visited about ten years ago. we were actually visiting friends at the time

 

[TP2000]

moved there and granted citizenship. he is working as some kind of consultant now

Well good for him! One of only 9,000 people granted Japanese citizenship in 2018. It's a fabulous culture, but even with fluent Japanese writing/reading/speaking skills I can only imagine how long it will take him to pick up all the intricacies of that culture.

I get cut a lot of slack as a dorky American tourist that mainly sticks to touristy things while there, but once you get into the minutiae of daily life like grocery stores, driving, banking, barbershops, utility providers, etc. it can be extremely daunting!

 

[Ismael Flores]

I get cut a lot of slack as a dorky American tourist that mainly sticks to touristy things while there, but once you get into the minutiae of daily life like grocery stores, driving, banking, barbershops, utility providers, etc. it can be extremely daunting!

Its always fun to hear from people that travel and i always advice them that the first thing they need to do is step out of the tourist behavior.
to the fellow the us citizens i advice them to step out of the Im American ideology therefore im better. you would be amazed at how many times i feel ashamed of what i like to call ugly american tourist.

i always learn some of the language before traveling and as soon as i am there integrate.
i eat, dress and act like i belong and never have a been faced with fear or felt unwelcome.
been to over 60 countries now and have fallen in live with a little of each one. never felt unwelcome or scared and i have been to some places most people wont step foot on even Pakistan interesting place but not on my top 50 lol

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

Last time I was in Japan my American friend who I brought with me wore a t-shirt that unknown to him said “F*** Police” in Japanese

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Now if they can only find riders who want to come to that park

 

[TP2000]

Now if they can only find riders who want to come to that park

To DisneySea? It does quite well when it comes to attendance, at over 14 Million per year. Higher than DCA or any of the non-Castle parks in WDW, according to the unofficially official theme park attendance figures for 2018 from TEA.

1. Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, 20,859,000, 2.0%
2. Disneyland, 18,666,000, 2.0%
3. Tokyo Disneyland, 17,907,000, 7.9%
4. Tokyo DisneySea, 14,651,000, 8.5%
5. Universal Studios Japan, 14,300,000, -4.3%
6. Disney's Animal Kingdom, 13,750,000, 10.0%
7. Epcot, 12,444,000, 2.0%
8. Shanghai Disneyland, 11,800,000, 7.3%
9. Disney's Hollywood Studios, 11,258,000, 5.0%
10. Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, 10,830,000, 10.6%
11. Universal Studios Florida, 10,708,000, 5.0%
12. Disney California Adventure, 9,861,000, 3.0%
13. Disneyland Paris, 9,843,000, 1.9%
14. Islands of Adventure, 9,788,000, 2.5%
15. Universal Studios Hollywood, 9,147,00, 1.0%

 

[choco choco]

Not every ride needs a story. Many DL attractions function perfectly without much setup. If Disney built the Matterhorn these days they'd probably have a preshow where Mandy the Mountaineer briefed you on a lost expedition on the mountain searching for an ancient crystal.

"We gotta get in and grab the crystal before that yeti gets us!"

You forgot WDI's current favorite trend, "Put a long-winded, talky gasbag animatronic in the queue so they don't have to put one in the attraction."

Needless to say I hate this trend. I wonder if WDI even has the talent anymore to make an e-ticket without a single line of dialogue.

 

[Phroobar]

They've been doing that ever since Buzz Lightyear.