Originally Posted By Mr X I love IOA, but I would have to say that it's not in the same league with such amazing parks as DisneySea, the Magic Kingdoms (any of them), or Epcot. I'd even be bold enough to say that it doesn't measure up to its next door neighbor, Universal Studios Orlando. IOA is great, but has it's issues like most of the recent offerings. Some of the issues are...not enough rides for the whole family, disproportionate on the thrill ride front, and way too cartoony in some areas (too much "toontown"). Not to mention the fact that IOA (and Universal in general) is pretty weak entertainment wise (where DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland are absolutely the best on the planet). As for customer service and cleanliness, again you can't beat Japan Disney. Disney in America is up there, but DEFINITELY not Universal (and I WORKED there, so believe me I know!).
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I live in Orlando and have been to IOA. That park is in need of rehab and the last times I have been there, the buildings have looked run down and not up to TDS-like quality. Not good maintenance in the part of Universal.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Honestly.. TDL (21 years after it opened) looks brand new as opposed to what IOA looks like now a days.
Originally Posted By Park Hopper That is something that has always amazed me about TDL. I know American Disney parks repeat it like a mantra, "It looks like it opened yesterday." But the only parks that you can actually say that about are the Tokyo parks. DLP -- one of the pretiest parks ever built and 9 years younger than TDL -- looked run down last time I was there, Very depressing. Keep up the good work OLC!
Originally Posted By SuperDry I think this whole notion is very reflective of the values passed down from top management, and reflects all areas of operation. It's not just fresh paint, operating light bulbs, and clean sidewalks (although all of those things are important). It also comes down to things like attraction show elements working properly. You'll very rarely see such things not operating correctly at TDR. Over the years, there's been an increasing tendency for minor things on attractions to break and remain broken until the next scheduled refurb, which could be months away. In fact, one of the DLR execs has been quoted as saying that he wanted to switch to a "run until failure" mode, as opposed to preventative maintenance, as a management direction. I think this has been mis-quoted a lot to refer to safety issues, especially in light of the BTMRR accident, but I think it's more applicable to what I think he was directly speaking toward: don't replace the bulbs early; don't do PM on the animatronics and just wait until they break, and so on. In my one brief visit to DLP, I saw what others had described here already: if you think that the US parks are bad as compared to Tokyo, you ain't seen nothing. I specifically remember seeing a goat on BTM that had a whole side of his body torn in half such that the fur was hanging down and you could see the metal cage inside. It would have been trivial to fix such a thing (even if you couldn't do a full repair, you could certainly tape or stitcht the flap so it wasn't hanging), but it was obvious that this sort of thing simply wasn't important to management. I had the opportunity to visit the original DL last weekend, and I do have to say that the park is looking much better under the new resort President's direction. All of the good things I've been reading about here and on other boards seem to be true. Main Street looked ship-shape, and the castle was simply beautiful. It's amazing that TDR has been able to keep up these high standards for its entire 21 years, as far as I can tell.
Originally Posted By Roger55 Was told by a WDI exec once that the Japanese do the BEST in upholding Walt's vision of a theme park. I have to agree. Roger
Originally Posted By barboy TDR's condition is a clear reflection of some core values of Japanese culture. Walk the streets of Tokyo and try to find oil stains, loose debris, potholes, violent crime or autos with broken windows or dents. Then walk some streets in LA, Kansas City, Oakland or NY... (I know that I'm speaking in generalities so stay with me). TDR will always be the cleanest and best maintained park. It's not just the top mgt which keeps this resort pristine--guests(who are 99% Japanese) show respect. They don't stick their used gum on handrails or carve their initials on benches.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<JTTCE is the best attraction ever created anywhere. From the queue to the ride system to the show scenes/sets as well as the story lines, JTTCE is an all out assault on our senses. It makes Indiana Jones look like a lesser attraction>> I totally agree with you there. Journey to the Center of the Earth is the most impressive and immersive ride I've been on. Why? It's just so mindblowingly detailed and elaborate (more so than any other attraction) that it takes dozens and dozens of rides to see everything. I would definitely put it above Indy or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It just has everything I look for in an attraction and MORE. I have to disagree about Disneyland's Indy having a better queue. The amount of DETAIL in JttCotE's queue is phenomenal, and you are constantly immersed in the environment. The walls are a mix of different types of porous and solid volcanic rock. You can feel the volcano rumble, see liquid lava oozing down, smell the rusty railings, and hear the sounds of drilling, not to mention an outstanding score. From the moment you step into the cavern that serves as JttCotE's entrance area all the way to exit down the stairs around the pipes, JttCotE is a magnificent feast for all senses. The Crystal Caverns were jaw dropping, the Mushroom Forest mystifying, the Subterranean Sea breathtaking, and the magma monster terrifying JttCotE has blown me away ever since the first time I rode it, and continues to blow me away since. Journey to the Center of the Earth is simply nothing short of amazing.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Different strokes for different folks. While I think JTTCOTE is a very good ride, IMO a lot of the effects are a bit on the cheezy side, not to mention a good part of the ride (the escape) is nothing more than a blast through pitch blackness, ala Dinosaur at DAK. Fun? Absolutely. Best set decor and effects of all Disney parks everywhere? No way.
Originally Posted By CMM1 I have not been to TDR and have only experienced JTTCOTE via video ride-throughs, but it seems like the ride is very short and after the big drop is very anticlimactic. There is no doubt that the visuals in TDS must be stunning in person - just looking at photos of the park in general and at the detail in the Mysterious Island area it appears great attention was paid to every aspect of the experience. The queue area for JTTCOTE seems to very much rival the immersive experience of DL's Indy ride (thanks to BB for his great video which includes the queue area in great detail). And the vehicles themselves seem very much appropriate for what might expect in that kind of fantasy story. It's very hard to get a good feeling for something in a video so one can only make general statements about what is seen - it does seem like there are only a couple of real developed sets to be seen (as compared to Indy's numerous rooms) and it's hard to gauge the impact of the lava beast at the end as you don't get a good sense of scale from a video. But having just returned from WDW and having gone on EE, JTTCOTE seems like it does not have the sustained thrills of an EE or of the Indy ride. Just an opinion - and again, it's one derived only from a video of the attraction.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss I actually felt that 20K was the more realistic and immersive of the two. It of course lacks the thrill factor of JTTCOTE. My only gipe with 20K is the awkward seating position and layout of the subs.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<it does seem like there are only a couple of real developed sets to be seen (as compared to Indy's numerous rooms)>> When I said the effects seemed a bit cheezy, I was referring to the scenes which TDR_Fan jaw-dropping, mystifying and breathtaking. The Subterranean Sea most especially is an unconvincing effect. <<and it's hard to gauge the impact of the lava beast at the end as you don't get a good sense of scale from a video.>> Oh, it's pretty big. It was hyped as the biggest AA of the time, but sorry, that title still belongs to the Dragon underneath Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant. The disappointing part about the Lava Monster is that looks as bolted to the ground as it really is... you never feel like it is truly going to come after you.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<Different strokes for different folks. While I think JTTCOTE is a very good ride, IMO a lot of the effects are a bit on the cheezy side, not to mention a good part of the ride (the escape) is nothing more than a blast through pitch blackness, ala Dinosaur at DAK. Fun? Absolutely. Best set decor and effects of all Disney parks everywhere? No way.>> Sorry to disagree but it's hardly cheesy. You want cheesy? Think about the 5th dimension room at Tower of Terror. Whoopee....we're rolling through a pitch black room with nothing to see. It's pointless in my opinion. As for the sets, I dare you to say one ride which matches the detail and richness of these sets. Certainly not Indy, which in reality, is only a notch above the rides at your local fair. Have you seen it with the lights on? Painted flats everywhere and skeletons on sticks....hardly appealing. The only detailed rooms in Indy are the Hall of Promise and the main chamber. Definitely not Tower of Terror either. You have a plain hallway, and a pitch black room. And in DCA's version, you have a mirror instead of a pitch black room. The only ride I can think of that has real detailed sets is Pirates of the Caribbean. << actually felt that 20K was the more realistic and immersive of the two. It of course lacks the thrill factor of JTTCOTE. My only gipe with 20K is the awkward seating position and layout of the subs.>> Everybody has different opinions. I for one, was disappointed in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The effect of being underwater was hardly effective, nor realistic. You could see bubbles in the screen even after you are presumably taken out of the water. I don't find the sets anywhere close to being as detailed or immersive as Journey. The moment you enter the Crystal Caverns, you are transported into another world. Each luminescent glow of the crystals refracted of the walls of the cave is simply leaves one without words. Sure there may be people who are not big fans of this attraction (this goes for every attraction), but the majority of Japanese people are. And reviews from American visitors were also very good, with the majority of them tooting it as the best Disney ride ever.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>The Subterranean Sea most especially is an unconvincing effect.<< Yet it is one of the most stunning scenes ever created for a Disney ride, and comes with a big scare as well.. Can't say that for the entire Test Track experience...for example. As you put it, different strokes for different tastes.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<Yet it is one of the most stunning scenes ever created for a Disney ride, and comes with a big scare as well.. Can't say that for the entire Test Track experience...for example. As you put it, different strokes for different tastes. >> Exactly. The use of forced perspective is amazing and it is definitely leaps and bounds over anything Test Track has. No matter how much I look at it, I can never seem to figure out how it works. It's extremely convincing in my opinion.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan >>The Subterranean Sea most especially is an unconvincing effect.<< If that's what you call unconvincing, I can list a whole bunch of effects from other E-tickets which are even more "unconvincing" but I won't get into that. Look, every attraction has it's ups and downs. You cannot have a perfect attraction. However...on no means do I find the subterranean sea scene unconvincing. Like I said above, it gives you a real sense of depth and space that you don't find in other attractions.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<I dare you to say one ride which matches the detail and richness of these sets.>> PotC, HM, BTMRR. That's three. <<Certainly not Indy, which in reality, is only a notch above the rides at your local fair. Have you seen it with the lights on?>> Of course not, it wasn't designed to be ridden with the lights on. <<Painted flats everywhere and skeletons on sticks....hardly appealing. The only detailed rooms in Indy are the Hall of Promise and the main chamber.>> The hall and main chamber are two of the main sections of the whole ride. The chamber is HUGE compared to the puny sets in JTTCOTE. <<Yet (the subterranean sea) is one of the most stunning scenes ever created for a Disney ride>> I think it's pretty, but I wouldn't say it's one of the most stunning scenes ever created. <<it gives you a real sense of depth and space that you don't find in other attractions.>> It looked like a video to me.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<Of course not, it wasn't designed to be ridden with the lights on. >> Even without the lights on, you can clearly see the painted flats, and mechanics that make up the effects, especially the snake and the skeletons. <<The hall and main chamber are two of the main sections of the whole ride. The chamber is HUGE compared to the puny sets in JTTCOTE.>> Journey's sets may be smaller but they're much more richer and detailed than Indy's sets. <<I think it's pretty, but I wouldn't say it's one of the most stunning scenes ever created.>> I disagree. I also think it's one of the most stunning scenes ever created. It shocked me the first time I saw it in person. <<It looked like a video to me>> Hardly.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss As I said, different strokes for different folks. You think it's the greatest ride in all of Disneydom. I don't happen to agree.
