There are two reasons I have ZERO issues with spoilers and think other people might be too cautious about them. It’s not like a movie or a book:
I’m not gonna frikkin remember by the time I ride it.
It looks nothing like the video in real life. Being immersed in the 3D, real-world environment is pretty much nothing like watching YouTube videos, so it’s not even remotely the same experience. It’s like apples and oranges, so it takes nothing away from the brand-new experience. Also, getting some insight into what the story is gonna be might help you notice more important details and have a better story experience.
But even my rules have exceptions. Both Hagrid’s and ToT in Paris had surprises that I’m glad I knew nothing about. Neither surprise was something I would’ve picked up from the video anyway, because of how dark the rides are when those moments happen—or because of how subtle they would appear on video compared to the actual physical experience—which goes back to my apples-and-oranges point. But I’m glad I didn’t read about those parts of the rides because they both got me and, therefore, blew my mind.
I agree.
It’s not going to change my life—it’s make-believe, and a two-minute ride is basically a blink in the grand story of me. Even with movies, I almost never sweat spoilers; there’s too much real-life stuff crowding my brain for that. Generally, if it won’t matter in a week, it doesn’t really matter now.
NOW I won’t go around intentionally ruining surprises for anyone!!
Other re: spoiler duration: I honestly don’t think they’re at all necessary. I might be making an assumption that isn’t fair, but it feels like we all know how to avoid them if we want to
Other re:why I watch videos: purely for entertainment, especially when it will be a while before I’m there again
I think the phenomenon of a ride being spoil-able is relatively new. In the past most rides were pretty easy to see what you were going to get from the outside.
Rides like Rise of the Resistance kicked off the idea that the ride is a true story that needs to be experienced in real time. Several Epic rides are like that.
There were story-based rides before. Indiana Jones at DL comes to mind. Maybe even Pirates and HM. But those were before the internet era.
People in a forum can blur spoilers or have a spoiler warning so people wishing to be surprised can avoid them.
I watched POV videos at first to see if I thought my kid would enjoy the ride, or to show my kid to prevent scary surprises. I’ve also watched videos of some rides to judge whether I thought I would like them or to experience rides I’m not sure I’d enjoy in real life.
I purposely avoided watching (as much as possible) spoilers about Soarin’ Across America. I still got some, and was sorry I did. It set an expectation that I found the ride didn’t live up to. I am not sure I would have felt as disappointed with the end result if I hadn’t been (slightly) spoiled.
Mostly, it isn’t a huge deal. But there is only one first impression. Some rides I don’t care whether I am spoiled or not. Sometimes not being spoiled backfires as well.
It is very difficult to ever go in not being spoiled at all when you hang out on forums like this though. It is par for the course.
I found this super interesting, as I had never even considered that watching these POV videos was a spoiler! Having said that, I rarely watch them, but not because I don’t like them or whatever; it just doesn’t occur to me to do so, for whatever reason.
If I do watch one of these videos, it’s probably because I’m super curious about an attraction I haven’t yet had the chance to see. We only go to WDW about every 5-7 years, so a lot of stuff happens in between. Occasionally, there’s lots of online chatter (positive or negative) about something, so I have to see what the fuss is all about!
While listening to the podcast, I remembered a tragic moment on our last trip to WDW in March: after queuing for about an hour, the shaman figure in Na’vi River Journey was NOT WORKING! I’d never seen a video, but I knew the figure moved around… it was stuck in off-mode, and there was no B mode or anything. Just the AA figure humped over and was doing nothing. What a waste of time, and we were so disappointed. We probably should have gone on to complain… booo. It will now be about 7 years before we can go again. So I’ve gone online to see what I should have seen, but that obviously doesn’t make up for the chance to see it all in person.
I can’t ride most rides due to my propensity towards vertigo so spoilers aren’t a thing for me. POV videos also can trigger the vertigo, so I can’t watch them much, especially if they are shaky-cam.
I have no issues if people want to post them and others want to watch them. I actively avoid them. My first ride on Hagrid’s solidified this for me. I was absolutely shocked when we dropped and I wish I could get that first time feeling again! Since then, I haven’t watched any ride spoilers.
I typically don’t seek out ride spoilers because I..don’t really care? I guess I figure I’ll see it when I see it.
My favorite rides are roller coasters, and watching a POV ahead of time doesn’t really do much for me because I can’t feel anything. I do watch them afterwords, because having experienced the ride I know what certain parts will feel like.
The one time I appreciated not knowing anything about a coaster was with Verbolten at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I think at that point the only other drop track was Thirteen, and I’ve never been to the UK so I didn’t know such an element existed. I had no idea what I was about to be presented with. We get into the show building, and I’m watching the wolf’s eyes flash and expecting the wall in front of me to open up or something, and then suddenly I’m falling and I think I’m about to die. Once I realize what had happened I spent the rest of the ride laughing my head off. By far the best experience I’ve ever had on a roller coaster.
As Chris mentioned, when I ride motion simulator rides I need to be seated where I can look off to the side and see something “real.” I don’t get motion sick, but they do trigger migraines. Watching a POV won’t really help in that case because a YouTube video won’t simulate the motion/visual combination of the ride, which is the problem for me.
If I know I am going WDW within a few months of a new ride opening, I’ll avoid POV videos. But if it’s longer than that (which it usually is) I’ll watch the video so I at least have a point of reference when other people are discussing them. Two that I did avoid before riding were GotG and RotR.
This is a pretty big thing and changes a lot of the dynamics. Someone who goes a lot and someone who goes infrequently are going to differ quite a bit. You can’t reasonably expect to remain spoiler free for years and you probably shouldn’t either.
Agree with many of the comments. As a fairly anxious person, it is helpful for me to know what I’m getting into. Like a social story helps folks prepare for an experience. Previewing the ride also enhances the experience for me. Rides happen so quickly. A preview gives me extra time to take it all in.
I will also say that, while not a spoiler, I have found a channel on you tube that I can “ride” LWTL on for hours. I often put ride vids like that on for relaxation or background at work.
