Why are carnival rides disliked?

[DfromATX]

I enjoy Dinosaur but could do without the rest in Dinoland (especially Pure Evil Hurl) , but I will say that last time we went, we rode Triceratops Spin 5 times in a row. My youngest really loved that one although I think he has finally outgrown it.

 

[Kman101]

What everyone loses sight of is the WDW is theme park for children that parents and adults can also enjoy. Not the other way around. If you want epic thrill rides then there are other parks in the area for you to enjoy. Don't try and make the parks not enjoyable for children just because you don't like something.

No, the original goal of the park (Disneyland and Magic Kingdom) was for the adults to feel like children, and give the ENTIRE family something to do. It was not meant with JUST children in mind.

NOW it is.

And I'm not saying I want all thrill rides, either. I prefer the Disney coasters over Rip Ride Rocket, Hulk, Dueling Dragons, Busch Gardens coasters, etc. ...

 

[FettFan]

...or just have the walkways be the correct width and not interrupt the polynesian/tropical theming that's supposed to continue from the Crystal Palace all the way to the Jungle Cruise.

I fully endorse removing the carpets and the Agrabah micro-land.

How about they turn it into another splash-play area, akin to Casey Jr? Only make it jungle themed and add more squirting Tiki idols.

OR....since it's right in front of the Enchanted Tiki Room....an actual aviary.

Pictured: Parakeet Pointe at the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans.
The guests feed the birds with suet sticks.

 

[Tim Lohr]

What does "carnival rides" mean exactly? Dark rides, rollercoasters, and spinners, all originated from carnivals and amusement parks, so the majority of the rides are technically carnival rides. Disneyland began by doing their own versions of these types of rides just using Disney characters

Dumbo & The Astor Orbiter "are carnival rides", but people seem to like them because the rides themselves look great, and they also give you a great view of the park while you them ride them

Toy Story Midway Mania is "themed to a carnival", but really it's a high tech, 3-D ride, where you play digital versions of tacky carnival midway games featuring Toy Story Characters, and people seem to love it.

Chester and Hester's Dinoland "is a tacky carnival midway" themed to dinosaurs, inside a park that's supposed to be all about animals and nature, but a fair amount of people seem to hate that place

 

[thomas998]

Most overused statement these days. For $100/day, I expect ______

You do realize that some people only do a single day, right?

 

[Bairstow]

What does "carnival rides" mean exactly? Dark rides, rollercoasters, and spinners, all originated from carnivals and amusement parks, so the majority of the rides are technically carnival rides. Disneyland began by doing their own versions of these types of rides just using Disney characters

Dumbo & The Astor Orbiter "are carnival rides", but people seem to like them because the rides themselves look great, and they also give you a great view of the park while you them ride them

Toy Story Midway Mania is "themed to a carnival", but really it's a high tech, 3-D ride, where you play digital versions of tacky carnival midway games featuring Toy Story Characters, and people seem to love it.

Chester and Hester's Dinoland "is a tacky carnival midway" themed to dinosaurs, inside a park that's supposed to be all about animals and nature, but a fair amount of people seem to hate that place

Taken literally, "carnival ride" usually implies something small enough and cheap enough that a traveling carnival could afford to buy the hardware and move it from place to place.

Technically, nothing at Disney World really fits that definition since even their flat spinners like Dumbo and Aladdin are permanent installations with concrete moats dug underneath them. Over at Disneyland, a lot of the stuff at A Bug's Land might qualify.

Maybe people are using "carnival ride" to imply a ride that has hardware that isn't hidden in a building a clashes so violently with the theming of the land that it's obvious that it shouldn't "exist" in that little fictional world.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

I am not a fan of carnivals I barely like 6 flags! If they added a tilta whirl I would probably not go again OKAY OKAY not that bad but I would not go on it haha

 

[Chef Mickey]

You do realize that some people only do a single day, right?

They do?

Then Disney has the right to soak them. That customer can't generate enough revenue in a day trip to make up for the enormous costs. It's a very common practice for many businesses. Spend more with us and we give you a better deal.

Disney isn't big and bad for doing this and they certainly aren't alone.

 

[Nubs70]

Carnival rides are temporary installations with the ability to be assembled and disassembled quickly and transported to the next destination. The operators of carnival rides have the reputation of being slick individuals whose prime motivation is to fleece the customer of as much money as possible often through deceit and borderline if not actual criminal means.

The original motivation to create Disneyland was to provide a themed permanent set of attractions without the fleecing borderline criminal element and practices found in traveling carnivals. I would be very interested if the carnival games found at Chester and Heaters have the same deceitful design features found at the typical carnival midway.

This is why I feel carnival rides have no place at Disney.

 

[morningstar]

There is nothing wrong with the carousel and Dumbo, which are basically carnival rides. There's also nothing inherently wrong with Aladdin's carpets. It's just a bit redundant and kind of overcrowds Adventureland without a good transition between jungle, desert, and Caribbean environments. Dumbo and Aladdin make sense thematically: they are based on flying in the movies. Triceratop-spin? Why do triceratopes fly? Was this from a movie I missed? The carousel doesn't really have much theme, but at least it has intricate craftsmanship.

Then let's talk about Primeval Whirl. The concept is okay - some sort of time travel thing, clocks spinning, you're spinning - maybe it makes sense. It's just the shoddy "production values". You can see all the exposed structure and track ahead above and below. Cheap cutouts and signage pass for the environment. The track course is dull and repetitious, I'm guessing because they make it out of standard mass-produced parts, which is cheap.

 

[DManRightHere]

You still have slow spinners, the the carosoul (a very cool themed carosould COULD be very well done and over the top for AK). A tall enclosed ferris wheel may do well at DD.

Other than that, not really any other carnival rides.

I like carnivals by the way. My view on safety standards will keep me off some of them.

 

[DManRightHere]

I am going to try and state this as nice as I can. A lot of people have already mentioned the price point of Disney compared to carnivals, so I will not go on about that but I 100% agree with their point. When you walk into Dinoland USA at AK it is like you entered a whole other park and left Disney property all together. The theming is atrocious and looks like it is right out of the local county fairs that get put on each year in each of our home towns. Then as if it was not enough to charge us $90 plus dollars to enter their park, now you want us to pay to play the carnival games inside your park. I find that to be ridiculous and a slap in the face. I love Disney and this is probably my biggest gripe with them and is why I am hopeful that Avatar will be beyond amazing and I am not an Avatar fan.

The whole point of that area is to be cheesy! It can't be too serious or it may scare the kiddos. Some people like carnival games (hence why so many theme parks push them so much). It's the annoying pressure to play the games that is irksome elsewhere. I don't mind the cheesy dino land.


EDIT: I also want to add Disney definitely does not want to confuse their dino land with jurassic park. And dinosaurs definitely deserve a place at AK.

 

[morningstar]

Well, Tom... it was supposed to be tacky. That was part of the theme of the land. I roadside attraction meant to just take advantage of the unexpected rush of people to the area due to finding Dinosaur bones. It is the story that so many missed and in the process tend to take the area out of context and cannot appreciate the story.

It's sweet that you defend Disney. Maybe I'm cynical, but I think they came up with the idea of adding some cheap attractions first, and the "theme" second.

 

[unkadug]

It's sweet that you defend Disney. Maybe I'm cynical, but I think they came up with the idea of adding some cheap attractions first, and the "theme" second.

It's the proverbial chicken or egg conundrum.

 

[morningstar]

... or Disney picked a subject that most people can not relate to at all and therefore have no positive connection with and hence see it for it's physical attributes vs what it represents. Dinoland is a miss because the subject doesn't connect with people in a positive way... or at all.

I kind of connect to the theme. I have not really come across one of these roadside attractions, but I have seen them depicted in movies, and they have a certain kitschy appeal. I've also taken that western road trip and such attractions bring back memories of that. The problem, theming a theme park after an amusement park is a dumb idea. It was a dumb idea for Paradise Pier, and it's a dumb idea for Dinoland.

 

[unkadug]

I kind of connect to the theme. I have not really come across one of these roadside attractions, but I have seen them depicted in movies, and they have a certain kitschy appeal. I've also taken that western road trip and such attractions bring back memories of that. The problem, theming a theme park after an amusement park is a dumb idea. It was a dumb idea for Paradise Pier, and it's a dumb idea for Dinoland.

Having themed rollercoasters is OK, but having themed amusement park rides is not???

 

[morningstar]

Having themed rollercoasters is OK, but having themed amusement park rides is not???

Hmm? Themed rides are of course the best. Theme parks > amusement parks. I'm saying that the theme of a ride or park can imitate a fantasy world or space or the Alps, but it can't imitate an amusement park. Then it just IS an amusement park, not a theme park.

 

[unkadug]

Hmm? Themed rides are of course the best. Theme parks > amusement parks. I'm saying that the theme of a ride or park can imitate a fantasy world or space or the Alps, but it can't imitate an amusement park. Then it just IS an amusement park, not a theme park.

Wait...so if you imitate something, you become that something.

What's the difference in a rollercoaster themed to Everest and actually being in Nepal? A LOT

The same amount of difference in a theme park having a themed amusement park area and an actual amusement park.

 

[Goofyernmost]

It's sweet that you defend Disney. Maybe I'm cynical, but I think they came up with the idea of adding some cheap attractions first, and the "theme" second.

Glass Half Full or Glass Half Empty! Personally I can't imagine someone like Joe Rohde deciding that he wanted a bunch of carnival rides and then sat down to figure out a way to fool the public into thinking that they were just there to make it look like part of the scenery.

I understand that many people think of it as a travesty, but, if allowed to be understood it is a very intricate part of the story of the land it's in. And I don't defend Disney at any level, it's just that I understand this one. Could they have done better, I don't know! If I did know for sure I could be making big bucks as an imagineer, but as part of the story it works. It also helps that I grew up in the era of roadside attractions like this one so it doesn't seem out of place at all to me.

 

[DManRightHere]

I always thought they should add a couple of small boardwalk rides to the Boardwalk. I live at the Jersey Shore and can't figure out how a resort that is supposed to represent the Jersey Shore left out some rides.

too awkward to have attractions outside of the theme park? If they charged for the attractions they may be very few people to actually pay and ride? If they beefed up boardwalk to make it a mini DD maybe?