Originally Posted By TDLFAN Ok.. for those who do not want to read much of this, let me get it out of the way. The ride is ADORABLE and worth a spin, a C or D type attraction. Now for those who have more time.. my real opinion here, and there could be spoilers... so be forewarned. Arrived at the MK yesterday at 5pm and was able to get a Fastpass+ for the mine train at 8:40pm. Shocking.. still, this being my first time I wanted to take it all in. So as soon as I entered the park, made my way to the Mine Train. 75 mins wait time in the stand by line. Surprisinly, the line didn't spill outside and seemed to move at a pace. We hardly stood for more than 30 seconds in any given spot, except for the area where the video games distract people and stalls the line a little. But the games are cute and engage the kids, which is what Disney seems to be all about lately. What found me totally engaged is the attention to detail and the lushly landscaped atmosphere. Somehow even Splash Mt's queue doesn't feel this elaborate. The placing of the Dwarfs cottage nearby and the props and faint views of the mine trains speeding by in the distance just enhances the anticipation. Still, Mermaid's ride queue is still the best at the MK today. The games are cute. Kids can mix and match gems by colors and shapes, or play with a colorful water fixture that resembles the Dwarfs organ and makes noise. Once inside, the overall quality of the theming is gorgeous. More spinning barrel games follow that paint the ceiling above with fun images and dwarf animation. Colorful and whimsical. Making your way thru this cave, we get our first glimpse of the boarding platform that reveals a stunningly detailed mine like atmosphere, with mining props and such things. JUST GORGEOUS, Tokyo DisneySea style quality in a smaller scale, but very detailed and I was impressed. From the lighting fixtures to the shaded lighting tones.. just great use of lighting and set design. When the stand by and fastpass line merge, we are directed to either line 1 or two for boarding. CMs were on top of this boarding process, it was quickly and well orchestrated, as if they had been doing this ride for years. Still, I noticed some small delays dispatching trains as some guests were asked to rearrange their sitting, maybe to match an adult with a smaller child in the same row. This should be done before and not after guests have boarded. Just a small technicality. Small pouches are available at your seat for personal belongings stowage, and then the lap bar comes down and after a quick safety check, we are off to the mine!!!! ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** We leave the boarding platform and quickly drop and go outdoors for a tight turn and up the first lift. As we climb, a mine shaft and car can be seen to the left (with sound effects) and two ominous vultures stare down at us from the top of the pole on the lift. The boys were recycled from the old Snow White Scary adventures ride. We get a great view of Ariel's Grotto and then speed down for a twisting good time, accentuated by the swinging bucket style design of the coaster vehicle. The made the turns feel more fun and smooth. Not much can be seen during these fast speed moments but the lush environment is really nice. More greenery is in fact what the MK's Fantasyland has always needed, so in my book it is a most welcomed change. Then the ride train enters a mine to the sound of clink clink and other mine related effects. It's here where the ride turns magical.. WE encounter a beautiful mine filled with colorful jewels that even have sparkles. Our dwarfs friends are hard at work and in precarious situations as they "dig dig dig" along. The AAs here are impressive and fluid. They basically bring these characters to life in a stunning way. Look for a hidden Mickey on the wall just behind Grumpy. Passing this all too brief delightful scene, we turn to the right and encounter Doc (I believe it was Doc) Calling out Heigh Ho!!!! and it is at that moment we go into the 2nd lift as we see shades of the dwarfs marching alongside us and singing Heigh Ho! Heigh ho! It is to me the most climatic and enjoyable moment of the ride, just magical. Even some riders joined in singing and clapping along as we heigh ho'd all the way to the top of the lift. Walt would have been proud. It was that burst of magic that is pure Disney magical fun. LOVED IT. Once at the top of the hill, we can see the Beast castle and Belle's village and we drop into the steepest drop of the ride, for a few moments of fast speed twisting and turning fun. Then the ride end... but just before we come back to the boarding platform, there is one final surprise that pays tribute to the original ride. That is a spoiler I won't spoil. Let me just say it was a moment that exceeded my low expectations going into this ride, yet a fitting way to end a ride that screams HAPPY from beginning to end. We exit the ride thru the forest, passing near the dwarfs cottage and out into Fantasyland. So what did I think overall? The ride is delightful and quite adorable. While this is not the E ticket that we would have preferred it to be, It still gets the job done. Not a thrill ride perse, but could be thrilling enough for anyone who goes in with low expectations like I did and I came out pleasantly surprised. The overall quality of the theme and the exquisite attention to details, and those impressive AAs just put a smile on my face. Many will call it a kiddy coaster, and yes it is, but considering Walt wanted Disneyland to be a place where kids and parents could have fun together, this little coaster does fill that need. But don't get me wrong.. I am not giving Disney (and WDW execs) a free pass. While this ride more than fills in Fantasyland (the MK's most dated and most in need of improvement land), this is not something that I hope powers that are will believe is all we can expect from them going forward. I would hope for WDW to give us something ground breaking in the E ticket levels, or at least something that can be just as impressive as Carsland is to DCA park. In the meantime.. while we wait for that greatness to happen, let me just say that The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a delightful romp. I can't help but think.. what impressive Fantasyland rides we would have at WDW if only they decided to rebuild the current rides (or even update the old Snow White ride) and applied the same state of the art technology we see in the indoor mine train scene. It would have been a stunning transformation of the old albatross rides like Peter Pan, Pooh and even IASW. But for now, we have to be content with what we've got. And yes.. comparisons will be made to Universal's new Diagon Alley and the Gringots Escape ride..and Universal is promising a ground breaking experience... we will see about that. Much to Disney's credit, seemed like most guests get off the Mine Train with a smile on their face and with good reaction. For what little it is, there is excellent quality throughout the entire experience and no one appeared to be disappointed. Much to Disney's credit, the guests behind me didn't know this was a brand new ride (really?!?) and wondered why the long line for it. That's validation to Disney's impressive themed aging and landscaping techniques. One word of advice... do the stand by line on your first time visit, and put down those phones and take in the atmosphere, then get Fastpass+ for your subsequent spins. Do the ride in the daytime and again at night. TDLFAN rate: B++
Originally Posted By dennis-in-ct Thank you TDLFAN for sharing your thoughts. From what I saw online, I agree with you. I am happy to hear your in-person impressions match the videos posted online. I trust and value your reviews and comments because you are in the unique position to see and compare the Disney parks all over the world. When I visited last month I remember just being wow-ed at all the lovely Disney eye-candy the new Fantasyland offered. Just stunning. You commented to me how I was getting a taste of Tokyo Disney Sea and boy ... Disney can be proud of the new fantasyland. The area just felt "fixed" and we were so impressed. Coupled with the new parade - we were even more "wow-ed" To see what Disney is capable of is encouraging. I have high hopes for equally successful redesigns and reworks to come.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I also recommend the day and night experience AND the front and rear seating. The first time we rode center, next trip requested front for the first drop fun and finally with our midnight Fastpass got the rear. Love the extra swing for the ending!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Nice recap! I'm glad that it turned out so well, even if it's not as long as some people had hoped. It sounds like a perfect fit for the area, and certainly adds a lot of atmosphere around it I wonder how the general reception of the Fantasyland expansion would have been if everything had opened at once. It seems like everything has gotten good individual reviews, but there was no solid anchor to tie it all together. It sounds like this has filled that gap, and will make a nice capstone for that area
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 Very nice review, I missed it by just 5 days. I get to ride it late next year.
Originally Posted By dagobert Thanks for the great review. Now I can't wait to see the ride in person next year.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Just an update. Showed up at the MK early this morning at 8:30am. We were led into the park by CMs holding a rope all the way to the mine train. Lots of people all eager to ride it. The whole process was organized very well and prevented the TDR-like stampede which I appreciated very much. By 9:05am I was in the line. Took only 15 mins to reach the boarding station. Again, the ride operated well. I guess some people expected more.. and several guests were heard saying.."Is that it?" Hmmm.. Anyways, by the time I left the ride, the stand by wait was posted at 180 mins around 9:25am. The stand by line stretched all the way to the Dumbo Circus gate next to Ariel's Ghotto. A la TDL, a CM held a sign saying "Line begins Here, 120 wait time". Very well done MK. However, the main reason I went to the park was not to ride but to see if there was any Opening day exclusive merchandise. Low and behold, they sold NOTHING. Very disappointed. I only found an open edition pin and a nice painting in the Main Street Cinema shop, and that was it. The "grand opening" was very subdued and without any fanfare. Congrats to the MK for this new fun addition. Please Management, keep the new rides and cosmetic improvements coming. Greatly appreciated.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Just an update. Showed up at the MK early this morning at 8:30am. We were led into the park by CMs holding a rope all the way to the mine train. Lots of people all eager to ride it. The whole process was organized very well and prevented the TDR-like stampede which I appreciated very much. By 9:05am I was in the line. Took only 15 mins to reach the boarding station. Again, the ride operated well. I guess some people expected more.. and several guests were heard saying.."Is that it?" Hmmm.. Anyways, by the time I left the ride, the stand by wait was posted at 180 mins around 9:25am. The stand by line stretched all the way to the Dumbo Circus gate next to Ariel's Ghotto. A la TDL, a CM held a sign saying "Line begins Here, 120 wait time". Very well done MK. However, the main reason I went to the park was not to ride but to see if there was any Opening day exclusive merchandise. Low and behold, they sold NOTHING. Very disappointed. I only found an open edition pin and a nice painting in the Main Street Cinema shop, and that was it. The "grand opening" was very subdued and without any fanfare. Congrats to the MK for this new fun addition. Please Management, keep the new rides and cosmetic improvements coming. Greatly appreciated.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>The whole process was organized very well and prevented the TDR-like stampede which I appreciated very much.<< From what I've heard, they've been doing that for a few weeks. Ever since Anna & Elsa moved into PFH, they have had a big problem with people getting there early to do the 200 yard dash for the meet & greet. They quickly revised the process to have the orderly walk behind the rope, so I guess it makes sense they would continue on to the Mine Train >>The "grand opening" was very subdued and without any fanfare.<< I'm not sure exactly how they worded it, but there was an opening ceremony during the media event a couple weeks ago, even though they kept the attraction closed after. That could potentially also explain why there was no merchandise, though they didn't have anything for the public a few weeks ago either
Originally Posted By sjhym333 We also rode yesterday. I would describe the attraction as cute. To me it was a C or D ticket. I thought the mine sequence was nice but we were less impressed with the AA figures. Some of the projection faces were good, others less so in our opinion. At the end of the ride all three of us said "That was nice." No one raved but we all enjoyed it. And the park was packed. A couple of other observations. FP+ has changed the park flow in the park. Rides that usually have no line had longer waits then in the past. I think it will take getting used to the new reality of the effects of FP+. This is not a complaint to FP+ (Which I like alot) just a statement. Sorry, you can love the Frozen characters all you want. (Some seem to think Frozen is the second coming) but 3 hours to see characters is insane in my opinion. Saw the new parade for the first time. Very nice. A great step up from the last one. We enjoyed it a lot and would love to see it again and we haven't seen a MK parade in 10 years. My fellow humans. We are fat. My family had a long discussion on the number of wheelchairs in the park. Of course we don't really know why people are in wheelchairs, but just a quick observation says that many just can't get around the parks due to their weight. Not a very healthy thing and not a great role model for our kids. Too many attractions stopped too many times yesterday to accomodate people in wheelchairs. I said this last time and I will say it again. God created a thing called an umbrella stroller. Buy one. Those tanks that you call strollers make the park experience a lot less fun for everyone...including the person pushing it. A topic for another day was a discussion we had when we left the park which was how the MK seems to have lost some of its charm. I can't put my finger on it but the feel of the park has changed. I am not talking cleanliness (the place was clean) or attractions not working (they all seemed in good condition) but it was something else.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>FP+ has changed the park flow in the park. Rides that usually have no line had longer waits then in the past.<< That's the real downside of FP+ to me, but it's still not terrible. Instead of waiting 5 minutes, you now wait 10, which is no big deal, but it's something that will take some getting used to >>Those tanks that you call strollers make the park experience a lot less fun for everyone<< It doesn't help that the Disney rental ones are huge too. They're probably about 2' wide, and are designed with a nice battering ram on the front end. I would think that if Disney's strollers were smaller, it might encourage people to be more mindful of where they're pushing them and whether or not their 8 year old really needs a stroller. Or it might just encourage them to bring their own stroller from home, causing even more transportation delays >>A topic for another day was a discussion we had when we left the park which was how the MK seems to have lost some of its charm<< I agree. I wonder if they've done a lot more tree trimming recently, since it just seems very sparse and bare in a lot of places (something that MK has always suffered from). Obviously the hub work is probably making things worse at the moment, but I also noticed it in January and February. Moving Dumbo out of the FL courtyard and just leaving that area as open concrete certainly isn't helping either; heck, I'd even take and ODV cart there, just to give the area something!
