Originally Posted By CMM1 While there seemed to be an inordinate number of removed posts regarding opinions on EE, what about the rest of us who would talk in a civil manner about the subject?
Originally Posted By CMM1 TDL: You noted that you felt the JTTCOTE attraction at TDS was far better than EE - I've only seen both in videos (good ones mind you). But it seemed to me that JTTCOTE was very short with only a small number of sets before the drop - after the drop, it appeared to be a very boring circuit around the rim of the crater. The queue presentation seemed absolutely fantastic however. In viewing the video of EE, the queue area seemed interesting but no more so than, say, the African village part of AK - as for the ride itself, it appeared to be segmented into the initial coaster part, the backup routine, and then the finale plunge/creature encounter. While it is hard to guage thinks like the steepness of the drops or thrill of going backwards in the dark, the rides do appear to be comparable. For theming and overall presentation in a coaster, I'm partial to the DLP BTMRR - it has the usual BTM stuff plus the unique tunnels at both the start and the finish (the latter is really well done). But overall, I still think of the DL Indy ride as the best combination of effects and theme to this point.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I feel all of the BTM rides out there outdo EE in theming, and also feel that Indy (both DLs and TDS') are about equal in show and execution to JTTCOTE, and will also agree that JTTCOTE is a bit too short a ride, but nonetheless, a great all immersive ride. Still, when I offered my review of EE here on LP (still available to read if you choose 'All Messages' option) I offered what I thought was a well intentioned opinion that places EE in a good standing, regardless of the minor technical flaws that should be fixed. I believe EE is a fun ride but there is some room for improvement. Of course, the younger generation will go for only thrills and spills and not really care much about what separated Disney from the pack: immersive theming... Somthing that I feel is being sacrificed by budgets in Burbank.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN ..and talk about vindicated.. Some of the problems I predicted in my initial review have now come to be.. as stated by Kevin Yee on Miceage. No steam effect in the boarding area, no mist at the top of the hill during the ride, the Yeti has been seen motionless...and a strobe effect used to hide it's un-animated state without having to close the ride for tech difficulties. Leave it up to WDW for not offering guests the full blown experience they are capable of offering if only htey invested more in keeping some maintenance standard. Bloody shame.
Originally Posted By Boardwalkbum Just rode EE twice this past friday morning. We thought it was excellent. My only complaint is the bird on a stick. That was real Velveeta. Otherwise, the AA is excellent ( it was fully operational both times 2hrs apart) and I think there is ample viewing time. The steam effect was operational in the boarding area and I thought the queue was nicely themed. We all liked the museum and the temple. The ride system itself was very cool. Going backwards through that mountain in pitch dark is very disorienting. It seems to me that depriving you of every sensation except that of motion really leaves you wondering exactly where in the heck (and in what direction exactly) you're moving. I was very anxious to ride EE and am pleased to say it did not dissapoint. Looking forward to some more riding in the not to distant future. Oh....to have a topic with so many posts removed and then to actually have the topic closed by ADMIN is reprehensible. How embarassing. You know who you are even if I dont so do us all a favor and grow up.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip ^^^ I agree with everything Boardwalkbum posted about EE. I rode it about a month ago and thought it was without a doubt Disney's best coaster. Is the EE set as elaborate as the one for BTMRR? No, it is not. But it is a completely different type of attraction. I would rank the EE set as considerably better than the Matterhorn, Space Mountain or Rockin Roller Coaster.
Originally Posted By CTXRover ^^Good to hear the steam effect is back on in the loading stations. I had heard that over the past month they were having some issues with it that they were trying to rectify as quickly as possible. Glad to hear they resolved those issues. Hopefully it will now continue to work. Was there any mist inside the tunnels at the top of the mountain? I've heard they were shut off for a good portion of the last month because they discovered they were making the tracks too wet. I don't know if that is true or not, but some claim they are looking at using cold fog effects instead but that it would take some time to get that installed and working. Could just be they weren't working anymore too. I imagine everything will be 100% again by this weekend's grand opening.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>My only complaint is the bird on a stick. That was real Velveeta.<< Hey! Don't insult good cheese with bad cheese.
Originally Posted By BlazesOfFire It's all based on opinion. You either like it or you don't for whatever reason you may have. Saying it's a bad ride doesn't make that the truth. It's your opinion. The wait times on saturday proved this ride to be very popular...got to 115 minutes and fastpasses went out around noon. I think it is going to continue to be this way for a long time. As far as AA's go, what does it matter if EE only has one AA? It's a roller coaster!
Originally Posted By CMM1 After showing the video to my 14 year old daughter, all I can say is that she is ready for a trip back to Florida now (our last trip to WDW was in 2002). Even my wife, who is not real fond of 5-hour plane rides, thinks that EE might be the kind of new experience she would like to see. So at least EE passes the litmus test of generating interest in our household.
Originally Posted By BlazesOfFire are there a lot of advertisements there for EE? Im in the Tampa area so there is a lot of attention on EE here, seeing how Orlando is an hour and a half away. Billboards, radio spots, commercials.
Originally Posted By barboy "As far as AA's go, what does it matter if EE only has one AA? It's a roller coaster!" Is this your way of saying that coasters on Disney property need not be themed out? If yes then I think you are better off riding Montu at Bush Gardens or Raptor up in Ohio. Sets, AA's, show scenes and thematic approaches are what separate Disney attractions from Paramount, Six flags and to a lesser extent Anheiser Bush parks. Yes, it matters a great deal.
Originally Posted By barboy The entire ride of EE is based on encountering Yeti but yet we see him one time in a flash. The star of the show only makes a cameo appearance--- strange, very strange indeed.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<The entire ride of EE is based on encountering Yeti but yet we see him one time in a flash. The star of the show only makes a cameo appearance--- strange, very strange indeed.>> The entire ride of EE is based on a runaway train going down a mountain. The Yeti and broken tracks are there primarily as a way to explain why the train is now running backwards. It really is a minor part of the total experience.
Originally Posted By barboy "The entire ride of EE is based on a runaway train going down a mountain" No. I listened to Rhode's interview, walked the queue and looked at Disney's promotional writings("Adventurers who dare, will trek into a remote Himalayan villige and explore the local artifacts that tell tales of the feared and revered yeti") EE is all about encountering yeti. The train is just a vehicle(intentional pun alert) for getting us up to his lair and "stomping ground"(yes, another pun). The runaway train ride is merely the result of being stupid enough to go looking for this beast who is none too pleased by our trespassing. The protagonist and star of the attraction is yeti and the overal point of this attraction is an interaction/sighting/ encounter with him.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<The protagonist and star of the attraction is yeti and the overal point of this attraction is an interaction/sighting/ encounter with him.>> For me the overall point is going speeding downhill backwards in the dark! The Yeti stuff is just something to look at while you stand in line. Pre-show… nothing more. ;-)
Originally Posted By barboy "speeding downhill backwards in the dark" --- agreed, that is great fun. But I can't help but compare/contrast Expedition Everest-Legend of the Forbidden Mountain to Disney Sea's Journey to the Center of the Earth. And I think about what could have been Disney's ultimate achievement. I find JTTCOTE far better because of the execution of the story and greatly detailed sets and show scenes as well as an up close and personal encounter with the lava monster.
