Possible Major Refurbishment Coming to Space Mountain

I like WDW SM better than DL SM. Maybe that’s an unpopular opinion, but I love the two tracks and single-line ride vehicles. Smoother track + onboard audio is all I need in a revamp.

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This article has some good discussion points about the when and what.

Space Mountain Reimagining Rumored at Disney World - Disney Tourist Blog

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Disney’s coaster offerings are honestly why I like Universal better. Last time we were there my SIL talked up Exhibition Everest like it was the best thing ever, and when I finally rode it all I could think was “that was it?”

Slinky, Guardians, and Tron are good, but I find them not worth the wait time. If I’m waiting 1hr+ in line, it’s going to be for Velocicoaster or Hagrid’s.

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Really?

See, I consider myself a coaster enthusiast. Bigger, taller, faster, etc., and I’m there! My top two favorite coasters are Millennium Force and Steel Vengeance. Very different experiences. I love Stardust Racers and Velocicoaster. But I would never consider Expedition Everest a “that was it” kind of experience. I think it is an absolutely blast every single time…and YET, they pulled that off while someone who is like 6 years old can ride it!!! That is utterly amazing to me. The “surprise” of the broken track, going backwards, the times of darkness, the second reversal, are all things that make the coaster very unique (particularly when it was built).

GOTG is similarly exciting. And it is hard to compare it to Universal’s offerings. Probably closest to Hagrid’s, maybe, but still very unique experience.

What Disney does well, and to my mind, should continue to do, is focus on thrill rides which are accessible to most ages. This is what Universal utterly fails at. It is almost like Universal doesn’t WANT kids in their park!

This roller coaster enthusiast would never necessarily put the Disney coasters at the top of his list of favorites, but they have coasters I absolutely love, and could ride again and again.

Part of the reason why I actually prefer Hagrid’s to Velocicoaster and Stardust Racers, even though the latter two are amazing coaster experiences, is because if I had to pick one of those to ride again and again, it would be Hagrid’s! I would find after a couple rides on VC and SR I would need a break from them to recover. :slight_smile:

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My problem might have been that I didn’t ride Everest until it was 20 years old, so the “surprise” of going backwards, as well as the whole layout, was well advertised at that point so I knew what to expect. I’ve also never been a fan of Vekoma Boomerangs, and I know Everest is a different track system than their typical Boomerangs, I still had that moment of “ah, Boomerang, got it.”

Contrast that with Verbolten, which I rode in its inaugural season. I didn’t know about that surprise and I genuinely thought I was about to die for about 10 seconds. Best experience I’ve ever had on a coaster.

I’m excited to see how Hollywood Drift compares to Cosmic Rewind, considering that it’s Intamin vs. Vekoma. I know a lot of people have opinions on Intamin because of their reliability, but they’re my favorite manufacturer because of the fact that they’re always pushing the limits.

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I felt so disappointed with Tron. Even knowing how short it was before I rode it, it somehow feels shorter. The thrill level is there, but the abrupt ending is a sharper disappointment than the feeling I get from the thrill. I won’t ride it unless the wait is under 30 minutes.

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Whole-heartedly agree! :slight_smile:

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Same! Good ride, too short. Although that bit with the window in the queue almost makes the wait worth it.

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Tron is so short, it basically makes the ride rather pointless to ride, to me, unless the wait is short. Short ride, short wait. It would otherwise be a great ride if it were, like, twice as long.

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That’s the thing. I can’t even say the ride needs to be “a little longer,” because if it was twice as long it would still be short! :weary_face:

I really agree with this. If you want thrill rides go to Universal. We didn’t like it all because it’s all thrill and motion simulator. They really need some more family rides (not talking about Seuss landing).

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But Expedition Everest is nothing like a Boomerang. You actually transfer to a different track twice. More similar in what Hagrid’s does, except EE did it decades earlier. :slight_smile:

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Hey now, you conveniently left out the first half of that sentence where I said “I know Everest has a different track system than their typical Boomerangs, but”

I know how it works.

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Yeah. Made my argument stronger. :nerd_face:

But, even so, I would never consider EE to be anything like a Boomerang. I’m struggling to see the similarity at all. Which is why I highlighted that part of your comment.

The backwards part felt janky like a Boomerang to me. I know they moved away from the Arrow -type track in the early 2000s, so it just might be a learned reaction to “this is a Vekoma” at this point for me.

I see. That’s fair.

I’m not a fan of older Vekomas myself. (I mean…if any Disney coaster needs to be retracked, RRC would be it!)