Originally Posted By MagicalNezumi I'll be there on the 4th for sure guys! Hope there is no rain. Five years ago on the same day, we were expecting a typhoon to hit. -- MagicalNezumi
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I guess I will see you then bright and early on the 4th, even though I can only stay till noon time. Fingers crossed about the rain...
Originally Posted By CMM1 IMO, Indy combines all of the elements that make up the type of attraction that you find only at a Disney park - immersive queue with a definitive storyline, a high-tech experience with state-of-the-art visual and musical components. It also doesn't hurt that there is a strong tie-in to some well-known movies which provide some of the key scenes on the ride. The only beef I have with Indy is the big and fake giant snake - if they can make the dinosaurs in the Dinosaur ride at AK look real and threatening then they certainly should be able to come up with some kind of decent AA snake. Sure, if you ride the ride a bunch of times you begin to see things like the big fan in the skeleton room or some of the painted walls but that goes for any ride. I kind of still go by the measure of "what would Walt think" and I believe he would find both Indy (and Star Tours for that matter) to be the kind of attractions that he would find very amazing and representative of the Disney style. I'd certainly look forward to any chance to go to TDR and experience JTTCOTE and 20K Leagues, not to mention just seeing the parks there and see their differences.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<IMO, Indy combines all of the elements that make up the type of attraction that you find only at a Disney park - immersive queue with a definitive storyline, a high-tech experience with state-of-the-art visual and musical components. It also doesn't hurt that there is a strong tie-in to some well-known movies which provide some of the key scenes on the ride. >> So does Journey to the Center of the Earth, except it goes a step further by having a great preshow. I would take the Terravator over the film room anyday. Why is it that preshows are always films? << kind of still go by the measure of "what would Walt think" and I believe he would find both Indy (and Star Tours for that matter) to be the kind of attractions that he would find very amazing and representative of the Disney style.>> I'm sure Walt Disney would be equally impressed by what Journey to the Center of the Earth offers. It delivers all the thrills one could want without limiting its appeal to any one age group, and combines an innovative (and refined) ride system with incredibly intricate detailing and a great premise. That sounds like the quintessential Disney attraction to me, and definitely one of the greatest masterpieces ever created by Imagineers. I understand if you don't think it's the "best", but at least give it the credit of what I said above. Saying Journey to the Center of the Earth was cheesy or underwhelming is like saying Pirates of the Caribbean is boring and makes no sense. Don't forget... to judge an attraction, you MUST go by overall experience. This means you must take in every piece of theming meant for this attraction. In the case of JttCotE, the enormous volcano Mt. Prometheus. The experience begins as soon as you enter the massive cavern that serves as the entrance area (and holds the FP machines), and doesn't end until AFTER you exit down the staircase. It's unfair to judge an attraction on the ride alone, as Imagineers obviously spent a great deal of time and money creating the environment meant for that attraction alone. Like I said before, JttCotE is a magnificent feast for all senses. <<Free falls are overrated rides. With that said, JTTCOTE continues to be TDS' best. You can not compare a silly free fall experience that lasts seconds over an immersive attraction like JTTCOTE.>> That's good to know that Journey to the Center of the Earth is still Tokyo DisneySea's best attraction.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<So does Journey to the Center of the Earth, except it goes a step further by having a great preshow. I would take the Terravator over the film room anyday.>> The film room at TDS Indy is horrible compared to DL, and as I mentioned earlier, the Tokyo film itself is vastly inferior to Anaheim's. <<Saying Journey to the Center of the Earth was cheesy or underwhelming is like saying Pirates of the Caribbean is boring and makes no sense.>> I never said Journey was cheezy. I said _elements_ of JTTCOTE are cheesy and underwhelming. Just as you think that way about Indy. Both are fun attractions worth riding. <<Don't forget... to judge an attraction, you MUST go by overall experience. This means you must take in every piece of theming meant for this attraction. In the case of JttCotE, the enormous volcano Mt. Prometheus. The experience begins as soon as you enter the massive cavern that serves as the entrance area (and holds the FP machines), and doesn't end until AFTER you exit down the staircase. It's unfair to judge an attraction on the ride alone, as Imagineers obviously spent a great deal of time and money creating the environment meant for that attraction alone.>> By that measure, JTTCOTE doesn't live up to it's surroundings. The volcano and the queue almost overshadow the ride itself, IMO. But knock yourself out trying to convince me that it's the best ride Disney has ever done... it's not gonna happen.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<Just for the record, my favorite attractions at TDL (minus TOT, Raging Spirits and Journey which I have not yet experienced) are: 1. Pooh's Hunny Hunt 2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 3. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull 4. Castle Mystery Tour (gone *sniff* 5. Splash Mountain (WOW, what an awesome version) 6. Aquatopia 7. Space Mountain (it's the OLD Disneyland again!) 8. Mermaid Lagoon Theater (holy crap! Ursala! WOW!) 9. Stormrider (best simulator ever, period) 10. Mickey Mouse Revue (for me, an 80s Walt Disney World retro orgasm) >> Thanks to that list, now I feel compelled to make my own list of the best attractions at TDR as of now. 1. Journey to the Center of the Earth 2. Pooh's Hunny Hunt 3. Indiana Jones Adventure 4. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 5. Splash Mountain 6. StormRider 7. Big Thunder Mountain 8. Sindbad's Seven Voyages 9. Pirates of the Caribbean 10. Haunted Mansion
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Gotta say that I am not a big fan of StormRider. For me, the theater feels too large... it lacks the intensity of a smaller simulator, IMO. The in-cabin effects are nice, but the film could be much better. I like how the film wraps around the cabin at the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas, where they use an IMAX-like spherical screen. I wish StromRider was more like that.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<The film room at TDS Indy is horrible compared to DL, and as I mentioned earlier, the Tokyo film itself is vastly inferior to Anaheim's.>> I've been to Disneyland far more times than either TDL or TDS, so my opinion was based on Disneyland's film room. Yes it's better than TDS's but not as good as the Terravator experience. <<By that measure, JTTCOTE doesn't live up to it's surroundings. The volcano and the queue almost overshadow the ride itself, IMO. >> Yes, but all those are factors which you must take in to properly judge an attraction. The volcano and queue are all parts of the overall experience, hence why I rate Journey to the Center of the Earth the most immersive and impressive attraction. And using your logic, I think the temple and queue for Indy (Disneyland) surpass the actual ride itself too. Same goes for Tower of Terror. The lavish lobby just doesn't compare to the actual ride. But do I judge them by that? NO. I rate them by judging the overall product. The ride itself is only part of the overall experience, so the queue and environment are just as important. <<But knock yourself out trying to convince me that it's the best ride Disney has ever done... it's not gonna happen. >> Believe me, I'm not trying to convince you. Trying to convince you that it's the best Disney ride is like you trying to convince me it isn't. What's important is that you take the whole environment as well as the queue into consideration when judging JttCotE. To me, it's just unfair to both the attraction AND the imagineers who put their heart and soul into designing it when you judge ONLY the ride itself. Like I said above, it's the WHOLE PACKAGE that counts. Otherwise, why bother to create the wonderful setting that is Mysterious Island for JttCotE if people are just going to judge the ride itself and ignore every detail poured into the entrance area/queue?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<What's important is that you take the whole environment as well as the queue into consideration when judging JttCotE. To me, it's just unfair to both the attraction AND the imagineers who put their heart and soul into designing it when you judge ONLY the ride itself.>> It's not unfair at all, regardless of whether you or I take everything into account or not. Take the elevated railway, for instance. FANTASTIC attention to detail, and the surrounding American waterfront is beyond belief. But it's still not a very exciting attraction. Pleasant, but nothing to write home about. Is that an insult to the Imagineers who put their heart and soul into that ride? Of course not. <<why bother to create the wonderful setting that is Mysterious Island for JttCotE if people are just going to judge the ride itself and ignore every detail poured into the entrance area/queue?>> But I am not judging it as a stand-alone attraction. Honestly, when I first went to TDS, I was blown away at all the detailing that went into the park. And looking at Mt. Prometheus and entering Mysterious island was a mind-blowing experience. The queue and Terravators were very convincing. But FOR ME, the ride wasn't as good as those other elements, and was thus a bit of a letdown.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<It's not unfair at all, regardless of whether you or I take everything into account or not. Take the elevated railway, for instance. FANTASTIC attention to detail, and the surrounding American waterfront is beyond belief. But it's still not a very exciting attraction. Pleasant, but nothing to write home about. Is that an insult to the Imagineers who put their heart and soul into that ride? Of course not.>> Was the American Waterfront area created especially for the Electric Railway? What I mean is that the areas I described for JttCotE was meant for that attraction alone. It wasn't meant to be seen as part of the whole port; rather it was created for the sole purpose of adding to JttCotE's experience. <<But I am not judging it as a stand-alone attraction. Honestly, when I first went to TDS, I was blown away at all the detailing that went into the park. And looking at Mt. Prometheus and entering Mysterious island was a mind-blowing experience. The queue and Terravators were very convincing. But FOR ME, the ride wasn't as good as those other elements, and was thus a bit of a letdown.>> Many rides are letdowns. Like I said above, both Indy and Tower of Terror don't live up to their rich visuals. Does that make them any worse? Not really. They are both world class attractions, and so is JttCotE. As long as you take everything before the ride just as important as the ride itself, I'm okay with that. With the overall experience in mind, JttCotE is definitely amazing by your standards.
Originally Posted By barboy The volcano is the single most amazing "man-made" thing on earth. And JTTCE is by far the best theme park attraction in the world. I could spend hours in the queue marveling at all of the detail from the teravators(which are 50 times cooler than those Living seas hydrolators at EPCOT) to the huge drill bits boring below us in the vast pit near the loading station. The ride vehicles are the best in the business---beautifully detailed(even has a miners light mounted on the front)and very comfortable to sit in. And here something to consider that I'm willing to bet nobody thinks about: loading in and out of those vehicles is fluid and effortless which makes life easy for those who spend many hours in the parks. Compare that to boarding and unboarding the likes of a Space mountain MK in WDW or DL's Matterhorn. The subterranean sea is the best specific show scene in any attraction. JTTCE also has the best single moment of any theme park attraction: after escaping out of the pressure hole we abruptly drop and catch air time just- sheer fun.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<The volcano is the single most amazing "man-made" thing on earth. And JTTCE is by far the best theme park attraction in the world. I could spend hours in the queue marveling at all of the detail from the teravators(which are 50 times cooler than those Living seas hydrolators at EPCOT) to the huge drill bits boring below us in the vast pit near the loading station. The ride vehicles are the best in the business---beautifully detailed(even has a miners light mounted on the front)and very comfortable to sit in. And here something to consider that I'm willing to bet nobody thinks about: loading in and out of those vehicles is fluid and effortless which makes life easy for those who spend many hours in the parks. Compare that to boarding and unboarding the likes of a Space mountain MK in WDW or DL's Matterhorn. The subterranean sea is the best specific show scene in any attraction. JTTCE also has the best single moment of any theme park attraction: after escaping out of the pressure hole we abruptly drop and catch air time just- sheer fun. >> Finally! Another person who appreciates JttCotE like I do.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<The volcano is the single most amazing "man-made" thing on earth>> Okay, now you guys are just being silly. In the context of theme parks, yes, Mt. Prometheus is paramount (pun intended.) But the single most amazing man-made thing on Earth? More amazing than the Great Wall of China? The Eiffel Tower? The Chunnel? The Great Pyramids of Giza ? I don't think so!
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<Okay, now you guys are just being silly. In the context of theme parks, yes, Mt. Prometheus is paramount (pun intended.) But the single most amazing man-made thing on Earth? More amazing than the Great Wall of China? The Eiffel Tower? The Chunnel? The Great Pyramids of Giza ? I don't think so!>> I thought it was pretty clear that he meant the most impressive structure ever built in a theme park.
Originally Posted By barboy The only weak link in the whole JTTCE chain is its duration. Considering how elaborate the facade(volcano), queue and sets are the ride should have been longer. It should have had Test Track's length and ride time. But for me quality over quantity is what counts.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<The only weak link in the whole JTTCE chain is its duration. Considering how elaborate the facade(volcano), queue and sets are the ride should have been longer. It should have had Test Track's length and ride time. >> At about 3 minutes, it's not considered a short ride. Both Tower of Terror and Indy are 3 minutes long, with DCA's Tower of Terror being 2 minutes long. I agree that it could be longer like Test Track. By the way, Test Track was just plain boring. It may be long but it seriously lacks a good storyline and any theming at all. It could use a big drop like JttCotE to spice it up.
Originally Posted By barboy Okay, now you guys are just being silly. In the context of theme parks, yes, Mt. Prometheus is paramount (pun intended.) But the single most amazing man-made thing on Earth? More amazing than the Great Wall of China? The Eiffel Tower? The Chunnel? The Great Pyramids of Giza ? I don't think so! I stand by my opinion
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan By the way barboy, when did you first experience JttCotE and what did you consider the best attraction of all time before riding JttCotE? I'm just curious...what convinced you that JttCotE was the best theme park attraction in the world?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss Sorry, but if you stand by that opinion, that makes it even more difficult for me to swallow the "by far the best theme-park attraction" pill.
Originally Posted By barboy Or let me say it another way. That recreation of a mythical volcano blows me away. The art work, architecture, props(drilling machine on the side of the mountain) amazes me more than the Great wall or pyramids. But I have not seen those two in person either and I find theme parks more interesting than Chizen Itsa of the Mayan empire(which I have seen) and other historical monuments and developments.
