Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>The fact that it has closed less than three years after it opened without any blow back from online fans says fail to me.<< But it doesn't appear to have been a mechanical failure like the original attraction. By all accounts, the original Flying Saucers was a real headache, and what ultimately closed it down. From everything I've heard and seen, the new version seemed to run daily without any noteworthy mechanical/operations problems However, if it's a question of whether it was a hit with fans, that's much more debatable. Like the debates that took place in DCA's early days, I think it would be difficult to label it a true success, but it's also not a total failure. The reality is somewhere in between
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt But it doesn't appear to have been a mechanical failure like the original attraction." Although it didn't function exactly the way that was promised, I'm not specifically talking about mechanics here. Whatever the reason, the closure of the ride can be viewed as a business failure. In my view the ride was unsuccessful.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Flying Saucers were cool, in the news, and interesting during the 50's. Flying tires today are not.
Originally Posted By 2001DLFan The technology used for the Flying Saucers was creative and efficient (air force directed ONLY under the saucers). The problem was that the mechanics involved were difficult to maintain. If they had the technology we have today, there wouldn't be the problems associated with them. It was the combination of HUGE tires, the air hockey platform (extremely inefficient), and random load/unload that doomed the attraction. I would assume that the reason for that concept was financially driven. I believe if they had replicated the old saucers (same size, updated air system, former load/unload system), and themed them to tires, the ride would have been immensely popular and successful.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I'm not sure that's true. There's a lot of rose-tinted nostalgia for the saucers, especially for those of a certain age, but quite apart from their notorious technical difficulties, when you look at old footage of them... they didn't glide all that fast or easily either. Some people are inevitably not gliding at all, or just sort of bouncing in place - in other words, some people were better at controlling them than others, just like... the flying tires. Even those who are controlling them well in the old footage aren't gliding along all that fast. I'm also not convinced that the hourly capacity was any greater, even with the load-unload system, due to their smaller size. Although I just missed the chance to ride them, I asked my friend's older sister about them. Her response: "they were okay." And this is a huge DL-fan we're talking about; she still waxes rhapsodic about things from her youth like the old upside down room in Alice. And don't get her started about the PeopleMover. But she doesn't wax nostalgic about the flying saucers and she thought Luigi's was just as fun - which is to say, for her anyway, a minor diversion in the day, with neither being anything to write home about.
Originally Posted By hbquikcomjamesl >Shouldn't the first word in this thread be "Arrivederci?" Yes, it should.
Originally Posted By PeterPan1313 >>>It didn't fail. Yes, it had problems, but it was a very popular ride and a lot more successful than the flying tires. The fact that the tires system was just a huge air hockey table and there was no efficient load/unload like the saucers had, it had no chance of being a success.<<< It was mostly for legal reasons, guests tripping getting in and out of the ride vehicle. If ride experience was the sole determinant, then Heimlich's Chew Chew Train would've been history a long time ago!
Originally Posted By PeterPan1313 >>>"It didn't fail." The fact that it has closed less than three years after it opened without any blow back from online fans says fail to me. "Yes, it had problems, but it was a very popular ride..." Was it?<<< Luigi's often had long lines, and little kids loved it. The ride that will replace it won't be an e-Ticket and will similarly be a slower ride.
Originally Posted By Bellella So what's the point of closing something if they can't replace it with anything amazing?
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Save up $14K and buy yourself a personal airboard. They are fast, apparently easily controlled and look like a helluva lot of fun. They would be totally inappropriate though for a theme park environment. That is the problem... you just can't make one that is fun that would still meet theme park safety requirements. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_-PQdrgw2A">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...PQdrgw2A</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros That looks like a lot of fun! Completely impractical for a theme park (or pretty much anywhere else), but it sure would be fun to play with one for an hour or two And is that what the Incredibles are supposed to be riding during the Pixar Play Parade? Their mini-vehicles appear to be some sort of Segway-type basis, but I could never figure out what exactly they were supposed to be. The design seems suspiciously similar, even down to the bright red paint color: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.magicalkingdoms.com/dlc/photos/pageimages/pixarplay.jpg">http://www.magicalkingdoms.com...play.jpg</a>
