Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I remember riding it for the first time at DL when I was maybe 8 or 9. I was hooked! (see what I did there?)
Originally Posted By RoadTrip ^^^ Yeah. You both beat me to DL and you worked Hook into your post. Well done!! (Although I actually beat you to DL since I am a lot older than you.)
Originally Posted By Dabob2 "Help me out here... why does Peter Pan still do it for me when Pirates does not?" Because it's magic. Seriously. As overused as that word is in the Disney universe, that ride - simple as it is - really does have magic to it.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance It's SOOOOOOO short though! I'm always surprised by how short it is, even though I know darn well going into it that it's going to be short. It is pretty awesome though. Even my grump of a husband loves it.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>It really is very short and has such an abrupt ending.<< Reminds me of my honeymoon.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I love everything about POTC. It dazzled me as a kid and continues to do so today. I love the pace of it, the sense of wonder about what is behind the next corner. I like the weird order of things -- the sense that you drift from today, to sometime after the pirates have died, back to their glory days, and back again. I also like that so much of it (pre-Jack Sparrow anyway) is left open to interpretation. Especially in the rat-tat-tat pacing of most movies and TV and theme park attractions, Pirates is a tribute to the journey itself being as fun as the ultimate destination. And with so many rides lasting just a couple of minutes (after a long wait), it is wonderful to be able to just sit back and enjoy a long form attraction, the likes of which we won't likely see again.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Wasn't it Doobie who said he disliked Pirates? I think he's the only person I've ever encountered who simply didn't like the ride at all.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Yes, it was Doobie. I'm with 2oony. I still love Pirates and think it's still (among other things) THE masterpiece of theme park environmental design. Just being IN that environment truly takes you away and makes everything else work. (Which, come to think of it, could be said for Peter Pan as well.) Sure, the AA's, the music, the languidness of the boat's movement... all of it helps. But the environment created is half the battle. And what's impressive is that the bayou, the grotto, and the town are three very different environments, yet they all seem of a piece.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance You guys are making me miss POTC really bad I even love being in the line for POTC. As soon as you step in the door, and the smell and music and atmospher all hit you at once it's, it's, it's........*faint*
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "You guys are making me miss POTC really bad" My biggest Disney theme park weakness might be Space Mountain. I would ride the original DLP "From Earth to The Moon" version all day if I could. Another one is ToT. I love the whole set up; and it never gets old to me. The only problem is that after one ride I'm done for the duration of my visit. lol
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Yes, ToT is a masterpiece (especially the WDW one in my opinion). I don't dislike Pirates but it doesn't hold anywhere near the attraction it did the first few times I experienced it. I don't want to get all PC, but my initial sense of awe and wonder at the size and scope of the attraction has kind of been dimmed by the overall dark tone of the ride. Arson, burglary, drunkenness and death... not particularly fun stuff.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>I would ride the original DLP "From Earth to The Moon" version all day if I could.<< Rumor has it that it is returning to the original theming for its 20th anniversary this year. It won't have the physical sets inside the dome, but it's supposed to get the original soundtrack back, some of the queue decorations, and a nice refurbishment. I would assume that it will last for a while (like Mission 2 has), but you can never be sure! That said, when I rode it ~3 years ago, it was really rough. It is one of the few rides that I've ever done where I thought it was a lot of fun and wanted to go again, but didn't simply because of how rough it was. I've been on smoother wooden coasters (though obviously without the inversions)
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I've never been to DLP, but it is hard to imagine a Space Mountain rougher than the one at WDW. I'm a coaster junkie, but SM at WDW is so rough it is painful. Now that I deal with lower back pain anyway I don't even attempt it, even though I ride all the other WDW coasters.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "Another one is ToT. I love the whole set up; and it never gets old to me." Me too. I love ToT.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "That said, when I rode it ~3 years ago, it was really rough. It is one of the few rides that I've ever done where I thought it was a lot of fun and wanted to go again, but didn't simply because of how rough it was." It's been forever since I've been to DLP, but I first rode Space Mountain in 1995 and it was as smooth as glass. Being shot out of a "cannon" to the Moon and back was glorious.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Now that I deal with lower back pain anyway I don't even attempt it, even though I ride all the other WDW coasters." It's really nothing to write home about at WDW, so I wouldn't consider it a major loss. Kind of the Matterhorn Bobsleds, but inside a not so dark warehouse. DL's is far superior.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<It's really nothing to write home about at WDW, so I wouldn't consider it a major loss. Kind of the Matterhorn Bobsleds, but inside a not so dark warehouse. DL's is far superior.>> Yes, the only good part at WDW is the initial climb to the top. It actually pulls off a space-agey rocket is about to blast off kind of feel. But once you've hit the top the best part of the ride is over.
