Originally Posted By RoadTrip Big Thunder is a very fun coaster... in fact it is usually the only one I ride at the MK because Space Mountain is too tough on my 58-year-old back. But it isn't very thrilling. Space Mountain and Rock and Roller both have thrills that Big Thunder lacks. I'll agree that thrill is primarily because in the darkness you can't see what is coming up and not because of the basic coaster design. But the thrill is still there.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I gotta stick up for Big Thunder here. It's helixes are some of the best around, and the speed of the ride comes from them. As a coaster nut, the design and ride of Big Thunder far outmatches both Space Mountain and Rockin' Roller Coaster --------- agreed- I don't think it is lame at all-- I can tell you the g forces on someone my size in the double- trip turns are pretty impressive..... and the theming is grand
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<so who do they build the rides for that do count ?>> I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. <<I agree TT should count and I think more people appreciate the 'different' feel of the ride even if they miss the engineering side of it. >> Sure. But I don't think people appreciate it to the extent where if it was replaced by a more conventional thrill ride there would be a public outcry.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Space Mountain and Rock and Roller both have thrills that Big Thunder lacks.>> To each his own. To me, Rockin Roller Coaster is about as thrilling as watching paint dry after the launch. Slow gradual inclines/declines just don't do it for me. Space is kinda thrilling, but for me the thrills on Big Thunder are about equal, with the going in and out of the mountain passes.
Originally Posted By xrayvision I just returned from a week long trip to Orlando and had a great time at Walt Disney World and Universal. I thought that the parks were in great shape and the cast was very friendly and helpful, and wait times for the rides were kept short despite the large crowds in Orlando visiting for halloween, the last space shuttle launch and Harry Potter at Universal. They still ran most of the cars, trains and boats. I was only guest in my Tower of Terror elevator...kinda spooky. And, they were training brand new cast members at Epcot and Disney Studios, which was a good see that they were still hiring. Everyone seemed happy and having a good time, including guests and cast members. Main Street looked fantastic, especially with it's Fall harvest garland and ole' time character ambassadors welcoming everyone to Main Street. Great touch. The only things that I noticed that needed attention was in Pirates. Several of the animatronic humans were not working, including when the women are chasing the pirates out of the village. The carousel tables that the characters are mounted to were not turning. In Small World, the newer queue facade looked wonderful and the cast was very friendly (with an older castwoman happily waving to all the boat guests). But, the dolls' costumes and sets inside the attraction looked older and some dolls were not moving when they should be moving. It looked like DL's Small World several years ago, before our major refurbishments to the ride. Both times on MK's Splash Mountain, the attraction kept breaking down in the show building before the second drop. The logs were backed up in the show building, with guests watching the characters move without sound, except for the recorded message from cast that there was trouble downstream, but the ride would resume momentarily, until you were able get to the second drop. After the second drop you're good until you got close to the final lift hill and also near unload (at Brer Rabbit and Mr.Bluebird after the Showboat scene) where logs were held for about 10 minutes at each point before the ride resumed. And, for some reason, all the live tall grass and plants on the ride's mountain exterior were all dead. Other than Splash having operationaal issues and plants being dead, all the other attractions at MK and WDW resort in general were running great! And, the parks were very clean and festive, with both Fall and Christmas decorations up. BTW, MK's Space Mountain with sound effects and music was AWESOME! Now, I'm not sure which Space Mountain I like better, WDW or DL's.
Originally Posted By Christi22222 >>......we want to see it grow and flourish but we're tired of it bringing C's home come report card time when it should be on the dean's list---- we want the place to live up to its potential and deliver excellence<< This is a GREAT way of putting it. And I must be feeling the Hokie love in general today, as I'm a huge BTM fan as well. Totally more interesting than most coasters. My favorite Disney ride in fact. I do very much enjoy SM, and am a new convert to liking RRC as I used to be too chicken to ride. But BTM delivers the whole package, hands down.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper ^^^Yup. BTM is my favorite Mountain at Disney World. If only they would do something with the queue to make it more interesting.
Originally Posted By xrayvision OK, I really need to proof read before pressing "post". The line about ToT should have said, "ToT was a total walk on by 1pm and they still ran the car anyway, even though I was the only guest in my Tower of Terror elevator ...kinda spooky." At the end of ToT, it was funny when the cast member couldn't find anyone in my elevator car...I was in the corner and had to wave my hand and say to the bellman, "Hi..I"m over here." Lol.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> BTW, MK's Space Mountain with sound effects and music was AWESOME! << Funny the range of opinions on this. I could hardly hear the music on the ride to the extent that I thought it was more audible when I was waiting to board the ride.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey <<I can only say to Nikki that she really needs to actually visit another Disney resort and, perhaps, some Universal, SW parks and her views might change.>> Wow - I didn't even say "Beetlejuice" three times, but here you are. If you will read my original post, I didn't say ANYTHING about the parks, so I don't even know where that's coming from. My comments were related directly to the rampant negativity on this board. Let me refresh your memory with my original post: <> I'm sure certain missing posters will soon be alerted and swoop in to tell you why you're wrong (because they are authorities on EVERYTHING and your opinion is wrong if it doesn't match theirs) and that you're a Pollyanna wearing rose-colored glasses.<> I haven't said one word about the quality of the parks in quite some time, so I have no clue why you posted about the fact that I don't visit other parks, because it has zero to do with my original post. I'm tired of hearing the same comments over and over and over again (Wal-marting, What's Wrong with WDW, blah blah blah), much like the proverbial broken record. People stop paying attention after a while because it's the same thing over and over - like one bad rerun. I've gotten quite bored with your comments, Spirit, because it's the same schtick repeatedly - same thing with davewasbaloo. I skip 98% of your posts nowadays because it's the same rambling complaint fest. The WDW General thread is extremely negative, and myself and the original poster aren't the only ones to have noticed it. It's the same people posting a repeat of the same negative comments over and over - they're just rephrasing them. And now, Spirit, you're going to come back and tell me how naive and uninformed I am...blah blah blah. Maybe you can entice davewasbaloo back too and you can both talk down to me from your high horses - after all, I'm just a stupid bumpkin from the South. I should expect such treatment. In the end, however, I probably just won't pay attention to you; you're going to write a thousand word post and I just won't want to waste the time reading it.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer <<In the early years it seemed to break down regularly, but I have not experienced that for at least 5 years now.>> Oh, it does. It broke down every time I was there up until last year. Just finally rode it then. Really liked it, I might add.
Originally Posted By xrayvision Thanks too Leobloom. >> BTW, MK's Space Mountain with sound effects and music was AWESOME! << Funny the range of opinions on this. I could hardly hear the music on the ride to the extent that I thought it was more audible when I was waiting to board the ride. The music on B side was pretty loud during the day that I was riding SM. While on the ride, I could the music from other coaster rockets reaching points of the track where sounds effects/music were triggered on. You could definitely hear the effects turn on when the rockets hit the track's downward spiral just before the re-entry tunnel (on B side). I did not get to try the Alpha track to compare.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip One thing that really bothers me about SOME of the critical posts about WDW is the underlying elitism that shows through. It's too bad us rubes from the heartland can't afford to jet off to Paris, Hong Kong or Tokyo to see what REAL Disney parks are like. I guess it's just a burden we will have to bear. I consider myself fortunate that I can afford annual trips to WDW. I hear all the complaints about the merchandise becoming generic. I too remember when I first went to the MK and you could find beautiful Western-style leather jackets in Frontierland. I also remember they cost hundreds of dollars. How many guests could really afford to drop that kind of money while on a family vacation? I hear constant complaints about DVC... again partially based I think in elitism. The Disney Deluxe Resorts used to be bastions of the well-to-do. You knew you had really made it when you could afford to stay at a WDW monorail resort. Now DVC has put the Deluxe resorts within reach of the middle class, and through point rental, even (GASP) the LOWER middle class. Yes, I remember the spirited posts about how disgusting it was to see people dragging coolers through the lobby of Deluxe Resorts that are shared with DVC... coolers undoubtedly filled with food from Wal-Mart. I hear constant complaints about how the Disney Dining Plan has "dumbed down" the menus and made it difficult to get reservations. The Disney table service restaurants used to be another perk for the well-to-do. You never had to worry about getting a reservation because not that many people could afford to dine there. The menus were varied and deluxe because with what people were paying to eat there Disney could afford it. Now the well-off customers are forced to rub shoulders with the Wal-Mart there on the DDP. For god sakes, man... a HAMBURGER at Chef's de France? Oh, the horror of it all! Maybe we need another Disney resort in the U.S. We can call it Roy Disney World since he was the money guy. We'll run it kind of like a golf club... $50,000 initiation fee and $5,000 annual dues. That should keep the Wal-Mart crowd out and allow for all the expensive merchandise and fine dining that anyone could possibly hope for. Yes, I've overstated my case (a little) to make a point. But I think my point is a valid one.
Originally Posted By leobloom >> The music on B side was pretty loud during the day that I was riding SM. While on the ride, I could the music from other coaster rockets reaching points of the track where sounds effects/music were triggered on. You could definitely hear the effects turn on when the rockets hit the track's downward spiral just before the re-entry tunnel (on B side). I did not get to try the Alpha track to compare. << Which side is which? I can never keep that straight. I rode the FP side (i.e. the track on the right side as you reach the merge point). The sound effects on that side were more noticeable than the music, but it was still a very minor change IMO.
Originally Posted By irishfan >>One thing that really bothers me about SOME of the critical posts about WDW is the underlying elitism that shows through. It's too bad us rubes from the heartland can't afford to jet off to Paris, Hong Kong or Tokyo to see what REAL Disney parks are like. I guess it's just a burden we will have to bear. I consider myself fortunate that I can afford annual trips to WDW.<< Your not alone there, it bothers me too, but what bothers me more is that I've actually been to all those resorts, some numerous times, and I still scratch my head regarding the bashing WDW gets.
