Been waiting for this one - for exactly the reason that’s been mentioned - so many folks haven’t been to GE yet. Curious to see if they “guess” that one of them will be the best or if they’ll go with their current favorite…
And even though I have been, it was still very tough. I LOVE Tower of Terror. From the theming and effects to the thrill of the drop, it’s got it all. And yet, Smuggler’s Run was SO. DAMN. FUN. (Probably because I wasn’t pilot, mind you!) That ride, more than any I’ve ever been on in my life, far exceeded my expectations. Yet it’s RotR all the way.
Call me crazy but I think even the thrill of “will I get a boarding group or not?” adds to the excitement. I know it stresses other people out, but I love being part of something special and given that BGs are gone within a minute, you know this is one of those things. The CMs, the sets/stages/visuals, the multi-experience components. The only flaw this ride has is that it’s not long enough.
I like that metaphor! I do like all the new lands and rides, but there is a disconnect I’m feeling lately with HS and EP, where all the changes have become hugely IP-driven. At least EP still has WS, where there is a clear theme. HS still seems lost to me, even with the addition of TSL and SWGE.
Count me as part of the RotR crowd. It’s not the most thrilling ride in existence, but it is the most immersive and believable. I’ve explained it as the difference between riding in a ride, and being a part of an experience that includes a ride. It fully justified the early morning wake-up and stress to me. It was believable that we were a part of the entire story they were describing along the way. The multiple set scenes and cast members are so far above what is considered a ‘pre-show’ for other rides, that by the time we get to the actual ‘moving ride vehicles’ portion I was fully immersed.
When I was a kid and I’d get an album there was a three or four songs from the radio that I actually liked and then all of the other ones I had to fast forward through. I would rather have a park just full of rides I want to ride.
Did you just change your screen name @alicescarpa? I was trying to follow along the conversation, and all of a sudden I see @qwerty6 respond to @adusca! Took me a minute to figure out what happened.
My favorite park is Animal Kingdom, which is the one that feels the most cohesive. I only really love EE and FOP there (Navi is a relaxing way to start the day, and FotLK makes for a good break), so I think overall feel is something that matters to me.
But I think my perfect park would be a random collection of favorites, so maybe not so much? I don’t know! Maybe what I think I would love is different from what I would actually love
I agree it’s all about the rides for me. But I always thought that the theming of Disney was what set it apart from six flags, universal, etc. Like, in MK, the horse tracks designed in the cement that run through the area around the Beauty and the Beast Castle blend seamlessly and lead to the Dumbo area, where if you look closely there are fake peanut shells dug into the cement. Each land blends into the next, without abrupt transitions. Disney are masters at that. These are the things you notice when you are bent over picking up things your kids drop out of the stroller every 30 seconds .
One month ago I tried to change my username (to adusca), but it didn’t work. Now I just discovered that it worked, but only when I am posting from my computer and not my phone
I guess HS doesn’t feel particularly disjointed for me, though. I do think RnRC would be better themed as Radiator Springs, (or better yet, something from Marvel) and TOT in its current form means nothing to me. But I don’t feel like the rest isn’t meaningful. I feel like it is “MOVIELAND.” Lots of fake stuff - just like Hollywood. All facades and silliness. Make-believe lands and talking animals. It seems 100% appropriate to me.
If licensing wasn’t an issue, I’d start the process of transforming Sunset Blvd into Stark Labs. I’d make ToT themed to Spiderman, and RnRC transformed to “Iron Man’s Flight Academy”, then start adding in and replacing shows in that area until it all made sense. You then get Pixar place, Batuu, and Stark Labs tied together by Hollywood Blvd.
Then again, I would have put MMRR in MK, Tron in Epcot FW, and GotG in DHS. Must be why I haven’t gotten a job at Disney yet
I can’t speak for you, but I love riding Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan’s Flight, etc., not because they are amazing rides, but because they are parts of a greater whole. In other words, without the theming at Disney, I wouldn’t care about most of the rides! There is synergy between the two in a theme park. Amusement parks don’t even bother trying.
If it were just me and my husband, we wouldn’t even visit MK. But with our kids I suck it up and visit. I watch stuff and ride stuff that I couldn’t be bothered with. The theming is fun and I do appreciate it when it is well thought out. But I wouldn’t bother to go just for theming or the rides.
We would go to HS - there are a lot of good rides there and when and if the theming is lame, I don’t slow down to notice. But - I don’t really think it is there. It’s Hollywood - which is phony in and of itself… I actually couldn’t dream of an “authentic Hollywood studios” experience?
I think I can’t really see the movie theme because most of Magic kingdom, Animal Kingdom and a lot of Epcot are also themed to movies in some way, so there is nothing that says to me “this belongs at DHS and not Magic kingdom”, for instance.
But I also don’t understand why Tron is going to MK, the Guardians coaster is going to Epcot and even why Buzz Lightyear is at MK. The only park I understand is AK (IP that has something to do with nature), I guess
