Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 When I was a cast member at Disneyland and Space Moutain there came back from a major rehab they ran it for two days using cast members as riders. During some of the time they would run the regular show, then with all the lights on which was interesting because you saw how close you seemed to come to some of the track, and then they ran it with all the lights off, including all the stars, etc. Total blackness. That was really weird, you had no idea where you were going.
Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 I would have to say the one with every single light off...you had no sense of where you were or where you were going. At least with the regular show you can sort of see the track in front of you. However with absolutly no lighting of any kind...well it was really a bit unnerving!
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I think I would enjoy riding SM with the lights on, I have never had the opportunity to ride it with the lights on.
Originally Posted By Bellella I think I'd probably scream more with the lights on, if the track is really as closely entwined as everyone says.
Originally Posted By CDF2 One would think that with the lights completely out that the experience would be more intense than with the stars or "cookies" visible. Have ridden SM a number of times with dark glasses to kind of get that effect. I think they tried to make the ride darker at DL by removing the old viewing area in the queue which used to let in a small amount of light. I imagine it does chafe some folks here in the USA that DLP has a version of SM which uses loops and inversions, but by the same token WDW has Rock-n-Roller Coaster which has a superior initial launch sequence into the rollover compared that DLP's start (of course, Disney Studios in Paris has RnR too!) It is perhaps a shame that Disney decided not to build a new track design for SM in MK which perhaps could have accommodated one track with the old style design and another with loops and inversions but so be it. Perhaps the only time that such original thinking or additional investment might be allowed would be if attendance at MK park dropped it from the leadership of all the Disney parks in terms of that statistic - otherwise, why feed the cash cow if you don't have to to still get the milk?
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <<It is perhaps a shame that Disney decided not to build a new track design for SM in MK which perhaps could have accommodated one track with the old style design and another with loops and inversions but so be it. Perhaps the only time that such original thinking or additional investment might be allowed would be if attendance at MK park dropped it from the leadership of all the Disney parks in terms of that statistic - otherwise, why feed the cash cow if you don't have to to still get the milk?>> I really don't think that SP needs to be upgreated to supercoaster status with barrel roles and inversions. The MK is the "tame" park, kiddie coasters, kiddie rides, rides the whole family can do. No need for Six Flag fastest, highest, air-time coasters necessary. WDW has plenty of other more adult parks to build those things in. DL, and DLP can not boast the number of parks WDW has. It has gotten to the point that WDW basically has a park for every weekday. I guess if we throw in waterparks and Wide World of Sports complex we are up to a full weeks worth of excitement. Not to mention it can take more than one day to experience the MK and EPCOT. No need to "super size" SM at the MK. To some extent it would be like saying the Matterhorn is pretty lame, tear it down and build Kingda Ka! If you want some crazy rollercoaster build it in one of the many other parks at WDW. That being said, I still firmly believe SM desperately needs an upgrade. Tear out the inside, make it a single track that uses the entire inside of the building and give each car music. I find the MK's SM to be the lamest of all Disney's coasters with the exception of Goofy's barnstormer. All Disney's other coasters have better special effects, better music and are better executed. SM needs a redo.
Originally Posted By CDF2 I don't see any reason why an update to Space Mountain in the MK couldn't include both a musical update and perhaps one of the two versions of the ride getting some rolls or inversions. For those wanting the tamer version that would always be available - but for those wanting something a bit more exciting, see no reason that WDW's version can't have some of the same thrills that the DLP version does - does Disny brass think that there will be guests who will go to DLP simply because it has a Space Mountain with rolls and inversions? As far as the Matterhorn goes, where and how does an inversion or loop fit into that kind of themed bobsled ride? You have to kind of restrain yourself in the same manner you might with a Big Thunder Mountain where such elements really wouldn't exist in nature if you were riding a mine train or a downhill bobsled, right?
