The Theme Park Topic

[Gabz Girl]

Since we lost the previous Theme Park topic in the great SSMB crash, might as well make a new one since I know some of you love to talk about theme parks around the world. So here you go! Here you can talk about good theme parks, bad theme parks, attractions and even theme park news. I'll start off by mentioning the most amazing theme park in Europe (IMHO) called The Efteling, situated in Kaatsheuvel in the Netherlands.

 

 

The Efteling is one of the oldest theme parks in the world, dating back to 1952 when the fairytale forest first opened. Since then the park has evolved into an amazing place with thrill rides, dark rides and much more, most of these based on stories from legends, fairytales, myths and fables. It's a wonderful place to be and it's hands down my favourite theme park. Yes, better even than Disneyland Paris (though I really like that one too)!

 

There's a new attraction in the works called Baron 1898, a Dive Coaster themed as a mining station. Supposedly it will open this summer but I won't be there for opening day since I expect there will be long lines! However, I will be going to the Efteling in just a few weeks so if anyone wants me to post some pictures of the park I'll gladly do so!

[JonoD]

So glad this thread is back.

 

Well, earlier this week, this came through the post for me:

 

 

Year - Sorted. Back to get corrected this coming Wednesday! Can't wait to get back.

 

 

On the subject of Alton Towers, people are starting to speculate about SW8 stuff.

 

Lingo: SW - Secret Weapon. Basically, the 'secret weapons' signify big, major attraction investments by the park. These rides are often awesome, huge game changers of rides, normally incorporating some sort of world first element or concept. To give the rundown of the park's Secret Weapons...

 

SW1+2: Prototypes/concepts only. Never saw anything beyond planning.

 

SW3: Nemesis. First Inverted coaster in Europe, and often considered by many as one of the best steel roller coasters in the world.

 

SW4: Oblivion. World's first 'Diving Coaster'. Baron Von 1898 will be one of these.

 

SW5: Air. World's first 'Flying Coaster'.

 

SW6: Th13teen. World's first 'Track Freefall' coaster. Basically, there is a section of track that actually falls under gravity with the coaster train on it.

 

SW7: The Smiler. World's first 14 looping roller coaster (and currently my favourite ride in the country).

 

 

SW8 is currently suggested to be built in or around the Forbidden Valley area of the park near Air and Nemesis. Alton Towers announced the closure of the 'Blade' ride stating that there are some big plans in the works for the area. In the same area, there was a noticeable clearance of trees. Finally... there is this request that has been submitted to the local council.

 

What they're asking for is a screening opinion. You only ask for one of those if you're planning on submitting a big planning application for a certain area of land, and to decide whether a full environmental impact survey will need to be undertaken. Whatever they're planning for the area, they're planning something large scale. As a matter of fact... Let me show you something that Alton Towers considered doing back in 2005:

 

 

 

That's a wooden roller coaster that spans the whole length of the valley. And anyone who has walked that valley will tell you it's not a short distance. and it's deep... This deep in fact.

 

 

Here's a view of what the ride would have been like:

 

The thing is, the reason it wasn't built is not because the council rejected the plans, but because Alton Towers withdrew them... Has the time finally come..?

[JonoD]

Was back at Alton Towers on Wednesday, and it was awesome fun as usual I managed to get all of these rides in:

 

Nemesis: 4

Air: 2

The Blade: 2

Duel: 2

Runaway Mine Train: 1

Sonic's Spinball: 1

Octonauts: 1

Oblivion: 1

Hex: 1

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: 1

Rita: 1

Th13teen: 1

The Smiler: 7(!!)

 

Fantastic day. And that brings me onto another little subject: On ride photos. They're awesome. I especially love it when you know exactly where the camera is, and can do something awesome for when the picture is taken. So in this case, we decided to have some fun when riding Duel. I'm on the right, my friend Matt is on the left...

 

 

 

I'd love to see other people's onride pics if they have any

[The Tenth Doctor]

Ah it's back, good. Let me nerd out on my favourite ride ever.

 

 

Jurassic Park River Adventure is just fantastic. I went on it for the first time in about 1999, not long after the park opened. As soon as I saw a "making of" show on the plane there (not the one below sadly) I knew I'd love it. I was a kid, I loved dinosaurs and I loved the films. We then went through those legendary gates and found a world straight out of our favourite film. The ride itself was glorious, great animatronics, suspense and getting very wet. The T-Rex is absolutely gorgeous in motion. I know it's aged now, the animatronics aren't the best in the world now but in the end, it's just the best for me. I hope with Jurassic World coming, they give it a little TLC (and not concentrate on the Kong ride they want to add into Jurassic Park's turf). Below is a fun "Making of" video I found of the Hollywood version.

 

[JonoD]

Alton Towers is set to get a 'Rollercoaster Restaurant'!

 

This is so cool. Alton Towers is trying to turn the ride shop that sits above Air's station into a roller coaster restaurant!

 

Roller coaster restaurants are awesomely cool things. You sit at a table, order what you like at a screen, then the food you order is delivered to you via roller coaster. Here's a look at one at 'Europa Park' in Germany:

 

 

I can't wait to see what they do with this one (on the basis they are permitted planning permission).

[Badnik Mechanic]

You know it's going to be so expensive to eat in that place.

[JonoD]

Yeah, I do... Won't stop me though!

[JonoD]

This is awful.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32980354?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central

 

 

 

Two of The Smiler's trains have collided, seriously injuring 4 people. I'm speechless.

[Osmium]

I just discovered this topic so I guess I will post about 1 theme park that I like, but with a twist. 

 

Now, I'm a 2000s kid and am nearly 16. But the two theme parks I want to talk about are Disneyland and The Magic Kingdom.

 

They are both generic choices and are usually what comes to mind when you think of theme parks, but I'm not talking so much about them in modern day versions. I'm really obsessed with Disney theme Park history. 

 

I always wanted to visit the Magic Kingdom of the mid to late 70's. I have fallen in love with seeing pictures and hearing about the types of things that were there in the 70s. When I think of the Magic Kingdom, I don't just think about rides but the atmosphere and the buildings. The Magic Kingdom has changed a lot from 1971, and I think there have been some bad losses. 

Probably my favourite Disney land I have ever seen is the 1971 version of Tomorrowland. 

 

The architecture and mood of this land was top-freaking notch. The huge pylons which would cascade water down into the moat would attract people into the land. These would be taken down in 1994 in the thoughtless and unimpressive Tomorrowland reboot which still stands today.

 

Many people like to talk down about Magic Kingdom's "White Tomorrowland" but it really was inspiring, open and friendly. 

This concourse which is now filled with distracting junk was the main way to get through Tomorrowland past the two pilons. Those futuristic signs with bold letters displaying MISSION TO MARS and AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL were simple and inviting, and pointed to the sky.

Tomorrowland was filled with many geometric shapes, from planters to the top of buildings. 

As you rode the speedways up into the WEDWay Peoplemover platform and in the queue of Mission to Mars, there were hexagon signs. 

 

These simple white buildings were expansive and with Tomorrowland's very basic "urban" lights while the rest of the park had more ornamental lights, the whole land was too carefully planned to be ugly. 

 

At night, the pylons and the interior of the buildings glowed a warm, soft yellow.  

Colour is another thing that Tomorrowland is worse off with now. While many people complain that Tomorrowland was too white. quite the contrary was actually there. While most of the buildings were white, they were also complimented with soft yellows and orchres which sweeped along the tops and sides of the buildings and underneath the WEDWAY Peoplemover roofs. 

 

 

The interiors of buildings are the opposite of what they are today. Instead of the cold blues and indigoes inside queues and restaurants, almost every interior had walls that were bathed in reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. While designers wouldn't imagine using even a touch of orange in the places they did just a decade later, it created warm spaces which looked inviting. 

 

 

This is all in direct contrast of 1994 Tomorrowland, which I call "cold". many people call 1971 Tomorrowland "cold", I think the opposite. 

 

1994 Tomorrowland is filled with distracting junk and clutter that do nothing except try to scream future. 

With harsh metal walls, dark blue interiors, and stuff like these metallic palm trees laying around: 

Tomorrowland is uninviting and cold now. It doesn't try to radiate optimism and warmness anymore, but now laziness and desperation. 

 

Well, at least this Tomorrowland didn't suffer as much as Disneyland would like their uber-ugly gold buildings and their once awesome Rocket Jets now displaced and sitting in front of the whole land, and creating bottlenecks. 

 

Okay, that's all i will say right now. If anyone want's to hear more of my rants(Probably not as I talk about Disney Park architecture of the 60s and 70s) just say so. 

[fluffybunnyboy]

At least Tomorrowland has still essentially retained its theme, even if it's not as classic.

 

EPCOT's Future World has had it a lot worse. They've severely botched that side of the park and have all but lost sight of its original vision. Lots of old attractions have either been demolished, been replaced by disappointing updates, or are presently rotting away behind closed doors.

 

More recently, they've been working on botching the World Showcase as well, with Maelstrom being taken out for a Frozen ride and one of its international restaurants turning into some Disney Princess meet and greet dining location.

 

I'm not kidding when I say that EPCOT is, quite arguably, the worst Disney park in the world. It's either that or Hollywood Studios, due to its sheer lack of stuff to do. But hey, at least Hollywood Studios has a fairly consistent theme to its park.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8pNM9IUY44

[Osmium]

At least Tomorrowland has still essentially retained its theme, even if it's not as classic.

 

EPCOT's Future World has had it a lot worse. They've severely botched that side of the park and have all but lost sight of its original vision. Lots of old attractions have either been demolished, been replaced by disappointing updates, or are presently rotting away behind closed doors.

 

More recently, they've been working on botching the World Showcase as well, with Maelstrom being taken out for a Frozen ride and one of its international restaurants turning into some Disney Princess meet and greet dining location.

 

I'm not kidding when I say that EPCOT is, quite arguably, the worst Disney park in the world. It's either that or Hollywood Studios, due to its sheer lack of stuff to do. But hey, at least Hollywood Studios has a fairly consistent theme to its park.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8pNM9IUY44

 

COMPLETELY agree with you. EPCOT Center used to be a place that made you think about our world and it's people. Now it's a place to shove in uninspired crap that fits nowhere else. I was born in 99, so it sucks that I never got to see EPCOT Center in it's full glory, but I know it was a hell of a lot better better than now. 

 

Horizons was completely taken out and replaced by a ride that looks like a more lazy version of Mission to Mars. World of Motion replaced with Test Track, a thrill ride so kids won't have to think too much, because you go to EPCOT Center for thrill rides, right? Journey Into Imagination, replaced by two uninspired lazy short rides, the latest one(Journey Into Imagination with Figment)trying to suck off of the original like a parasite. 

 

And the pavilions left like how they were in 82 are filled with information that was outdated 20 years ago.

 

Communicore was replaced by Innoventions, which is filled with X Boxes and other nonsense that shouldn't be close to EPCOT Center. 

 

The World Showcase hasn't suffered as bad, but I think it was a final straw for many people when the Malestrom was shut down to be replaced with a fucking Frozen ride. 

 

EPCOT Center probably is the most suffered and changed theme park of the world. And I don;t mean physically most changed, but I mean ideologically changing. 

 

The reason why EPCOT Center and both Disneyland's and Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowlands suffered, is because I guess Disney got tired of trying to update the land, so they built Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris so they wouldn't have to deal with the "Todayland" syndrome. Discoveryland is pretty ugly in my eyes, but at least it's more well done than the other makeovers. 

 

Discoveryland did so well that they decided to remake both Disneyland and Magic kingdom Tomorrowlands and were still suffering to this day from that. Disneyland's Tomorrowland is sliding back to having white buildings again, but the land is in danger. WDW's is still filled with ugly sheet metal buildings based off a early 20th century future (Look, I know people like that kind of idea, but I think it's terribel.). The thing is though, at both DL and WDW, Tomorrowland is going to keep slipping back into it's White period. Space Mountain dictates the area. When you have sheet metal buildings and those tower things on the buildings and all this other nonsense, the whole land is going to be dictated by Space Mountain's white cone. And I don't think Disney is going to be remaking the exterior of Space Mountain at any time. 

 

DL is slipping back slowly into it's white incarnation. The buildings are being painted white again. WDW's Tomorrowland is stuck in a limbo between the 20s future and early 70s white sleek buildings. 

 

The thing is though, Disney World made their Tomorrowland like that, so they wouldn't have to remake it again. But now looking back, 21 years after it's creation, Tomorrowland looks pretty desperate and dated with all that nonsense all over the buildings. It's time for another remake, and a good one. 

 

The White Look for Tomorrowland I think is much more timeless than the nonsense that covers the buildings today.

 

The rest of the Magic Kingdom needs the White Tomorrowland to be whole again. This isn't like Disneyland where things were built up over 20 years, and that's what we got. Magic Kingdom in the late 60s was designed all the way around. Without the White Tomorrowland, the east side of Fantasyland makes no sense. Have you ever noticed how angular Fantasyland gets the closer you walk to Cosmic Ray's? That's because it was a transition, and now it's all messed up. 

 

Tomorrowland and EPCOT Center really need to go back to their roots and see what went wrong. 

[Gabz Girl]

I think Walt Disney Studios is a lot worse than EPCOT and IMO it's the worst of the Disney parks. You think EPCOT is a mess? Think again. WDS is basically Pixar Land now with the addition of Toy Story Land, Ratatouille and Toy Story Mania on the horizon. There are hardly any unique movie rides, a lame car show (used to be much better in the park's first few years) and really outdated attractions like Armageddon Special Effects and Studio Tram Tour that need serious replacing.

 

EPCOT has World Showcase with international cuisine and a Japanese merchandise shop, that automatically makes it better than WDS which has none of that. =P

 

That reminds me...I still need to upload photos of the Efteling. 8I

[Osmium]

Just to clarify, you are talking about the Disneyland Paris park right? I've never been to Disneyland Paris(or Paris at all), but I've heard that it's pretty horrible. 

[fluffybunnyboy]

@ShroomZ:

 

I'm sad to read that you didn't get to see EPCOT in its full operational glory. I was there in 1995, at 9 years old, and it was a mind-blowing experience. I don't think Horizons was open at the time, but everything else was there. The Wonders of Life pavillion. The original Journey Into Imagination. The Universe of Energy without Ellen DeGeneres. World of Motion. So many attractions that you either can't see anymore or have been changed for the worse. Hell, even Innoventions was a lot better and more focused on showing advanced or state-of-the-art technology.

 

Test Track (which didn't exist yet in 1995 btw) at least used to have a psuedo-educational theme with its focus on real-world car safety testing. Now that's gone, and replaced with a very cheap-looking Tron overlay. As for Mission to Mars, it's pretty dreadful, yeah.

 

But even beyond what rides are and aren't there, like you said, it is ideologically lost and you can tell that they have no idea what to do with EPCOT anymore. Just look at all the ugly-looking exteriors of the buildings there that look like they're struggling to strike a balance between contemporary and kiddy.

 

Regarding Tomorrowland, I have my doubts that it will undergo major changes for WDW MK anytime soon. I don't know how much you've read about this, but the people in charge of running Disney World are real cheapskates and the general upkeep of the parks is very poor. Everywhere you look you'll see props that have poorly weathered with age and dummies that have fallen into disrepair. Really, I think Disney World is a shell of its former greatness these days.

[Boomer]

The thing with Disneyland Paris is that people from the U.S go there expecting it to be just like the U.S parks, when that's just a ridiculous thing to expect. You're in France, yes people there like to smoke, but stuff like the architecture there completely blows even WDW away. You can go inside the castle and up to the top, you can go down below and see a dragon.

And then there's the larger changes such as Phantom Manor, Space Mountain, which has inversions, and Big Thunder Mountain.

[fluffybunnyboy]

I think Walt Disney Studios is a lot worse than EPCOT and IMO it's the worst of the Disney parks. You think EPCOT is a mess? Think again. WDS is basically Pixar Land now with the addition of Toy Story Land, Ratatouille and Toy Story Mania on the horizon. There are hardly any unique movie rides, a lame car show (used to be much better in the park's first few years) and really outdated attractions like Armageddon Special Effects and Studio Tram Tour that need serious replacing.

 

EPCOT has World Showcase with international cuisine and a Japanese merchandise shop, that automatically makes it better than WDS which has none of that. =P

 

That reminds me...I still need to upload photos of the Efteling. 8I

 

Honestly, Disney Hollywood Studios has it worse. There is basically nothing to do there these days other than riding Tower of Terror and Rock'n'Rollercoaster over and over and over again.

 

When my friend and I went there a second time, we not only left early due to sheer boredom, but we also wondered why we ever decided to go there a second time anyway. It's totally not worth it.

[Boomer]

There is basically nothing to do there these days other than riding Tower of Terror and Rock'n'Rollercoaster over and over and over again.

Oh come on, they've got Star Tours: The Adventure Continues, Pixar Place, all of the shows, The Great Movie Ride.

[Osmium]

@ShroomZ:

 

I'm sad to read that you didn't get to see EPCOT in its full operational glory. I was there in 1995, at 9 years old, and it was a mind-blowing experience. I don't think Horizons was open at the time, but everything else was there. The Wonders of Life pavillion. The original Journey Into Imagination. The Universe of Energy without Ellen DeGeneres. World of Motion. So many attractions that you either can't see anymore or have been changed for the worse. Hell, even Innoventions was a lot better and more focused on showing advanced or state-of-the-art technology.

 

Test Track (which didn't exist yet in 1995 btw) at least used to have a psuedo-educational theme with its focus on real-world car safety testing. Now that's gone, and replaced with a very cheap-looking Tron overlay. As for Mission to Mars, it's pretty dreadful, yeah.

 

But even beyond what rides are and aren't there, like you said, it is ideologically lost and you can tell that they have no idea what to do with EPCOT anymore. Just look at all the ugly-looking exteriors of the buildings there that look like they're struggling to strike a balance between contemporary and kiddy.

 

Regarding Tomorrowland, I have my doubts that it will undergo major changes for WDW MK anytime soon. I don't know how much you've read about this, but the people in charge of running Disney World are real cheapskates and the general upkeep of the parks is very poor. Everywhere you look you'll see props that have poorly weathered with age and dummies that have fallen into disrepair. Really, I think Disney World is a shell of its former greatness these days.

 

Oh, I do know about that. When I was saying it's time for a new update, I know it won't happen for a long time. And I do know about their poor up keeping. Just look at pictures of the Magic Kingdom in the 70's compared to now. It looked way better maintained and a lot more cleaner than now. 

 

WDW is definitely a shell. You are probably more interested in EPCOT Center, but I've always looked at the Magic Kingdom more, and it has suffered greatly there too.

 

Adventureland's original peaceful and relaxing center has been ruined with the inclusion of plastic carpets. Adventureland Veranda was shut so it could become another freaking meet and greet, like we don't have enough of those. Pirates of the Caribbean has also been cheapened down. The barker bird is gone, and only one of the two loading docks remain. The queue has suffered too, as the carefully chosen music of the original queue has been thoughtlessly been replaced with the Disneyland queue music. 

 

The Haunted Mansion, even though the refurb in 2007 was great, somethings are wrong with it now. The original red lamps in the corridor of doors have been replaced with Disneyland's amber lamps. The red lamps gave the whole area a much more uncomfortable feeling. The outside of the Mansion suffered. It originally had this bright creamsih brick colour which I think made the house look more eerie as it was just this clean looking house on a hill by itself. They decided to repaint it in this ugly faded dark orange which makes it look more rundown, and the trees that were placed in front of the mansion are absolutley terrible. You can barely even see it anymore. The Mansion also had this window effect where you could see a light moving though all the windows. Due to negligence, this effect was lost years ago. 

 

Those are only some of the things that have worsened over the years at the Magic Kingdom. Negligence, Eisner, and passing fads have really messed up a lot of the original carefully designed detail which made it special. 

 

I wish I could have seen EPCOT Center in the late 80's when everything was there, but i think I want to see the Magic Kingdom of the mid 70's more. I wish I could see the original facades, the original colours and designs, and see how large and imposing everything looked before the trees started to really grow. 

[Gabz Girl]

I was at EPCOT in 2000, so I got to see most of the original park. Living Seas was still there as well El Rio del Tiempo and Maelstrom. They had an amazing parade at the time to celebrate the Millenium with these huge puppets and there was the epic fireworks show at the end. Probably the best fireworks show I've ever seen!

 

Man that was so long ago. I wish I could go to Florida again. 8(

[Emperor Robrainiac]

All this Disney theme park bashing is hurting my feelings. as a mindless disney fan, i hate you all and i want to tell you go back to your  scary roller costers. >=/

 

Okay, okay In all seriousness though, our family's pretty much the prime example of Disney Drones, so we never really cared about any changes that Disney made as others do. Sure my dad gets a little annoyed at some of the rides changing... He was not at all happy to learn that Maelstrom, his favorite ride in Epcot was being replaced by a Frozen ride. My mom on the other hand was a little disappointed but has more of a suck it up and move on mentality. I think we've been spoiled by the atmosphere of Disney to the point where all parks just pale in comparison (At least to my parents anyway.)

 

I remember my dad complaining that the workers at Universal aren't as friendly as the ones in Disney, which while friendly workers are always nice,  I still think that's kind of a silly reason not to go to Universal anymore. Though as of recently, my parents are starting to gain more interest in visiting one day, what with the Harry Potter area and the upcoming Nintendo area as well.

 

Busch Gardens we happened to go on a rainy day, and the park ended up closing, which my parents proceeded to blame on how lousy the park was. IMO, It think it was the weather that made it so crappy, but in the end, seeing as how a lot of the rides were roller coasters, I doubt I would have had as much fun as I would at Universal or Disney.  

 

I love Disney as well and I honestly don't care about the changes. Most of the people I know who don't like Disney parks often criticize it for the lack of thrill rides. Whatever floats their boat I suppose. I can't stand roller coasters and I don't think anyone in my family likes them. Last rollercoaster my sister and I went on, we ended up coming out almost in shock. I just have a horrible phobia of falling from great heights, and going on those rides scares the hell out of me. I don't really have much incentive or interest to conquering that phobia anytime soon. 

 

Though just because I love Disney parks doesn't mean I'm gonna say all of the changes are good. I'm not that blind of a fanboy. XD

 

The test track ride has been drastically changed, to a point where they might as well have slapped the Tron logo onto the ride and put Daft Punk music. I also recall my dad being very disappointed with the Stitch alien encounter attraction at Tomorrowland, saying it wasn't scary or convincing at all. The Tiki Room, while not the best attraction in the park, was made pretty stupid when they added Iago of Aladdin and Zazu of The Lion King into the attraction. The new mexico ride, I was actually disappointed they changed, despite me liking Donald Duck, and I'm really thankful that I went on Maelstrom more times than I could count. As soon as I heard the rumors of it being replaced by a Frozen ride, I knew it was true considering how Disney's been trying to make Epcot more Disney-like.

 

But in the end, yeah I admit me and my family are very very, very biased. But hey, I'm having a good time, like anyone else has a good time at their theme park. In the end, like what you like.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Hear Hear Robrainiac. As long as I have fun, I'm happy with it. On that note though, let's point our annoyance at one attraction here that really has to go. You mention it Robrainiac and your probably familiar with it ShroomZ

 

 

Stitch's Great Escape. Don't get me wrong, I liked Lilo and Stitch. It's just this attraction is abysmal. You wait for ages to be put in an uncomfortable chair, locked in then spat and farted on in the dark. What a waste of a ride. I have heard everyone say how awful it is and heck, Disney have just stopped trying to make it better knowing what a failure it is.

 

Here's some reviews (it has some positives but way more negatives) http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/stitchs-great-escape/reviews.htm

[Osmium]

in response to Robrainiac: 

 

The thing is though, even though I do complain about rides and their changes when they are either necessary, or the ride is taken out and replaced by something worse, I'm not complaining so much about rides right now.

 

And my complaints have nothing to do with there not being enough thrill rides.

 

I'm talking about aesthetics and atmosphere. I'm one of those people who could go to the Magic Kingdom and just stare at the architecture for hours. It bothers me when the Magic Kingdom was so carefully planned and put together in 1971, for more recent changes to completely ruin how something is supposed to work, or the overall atmosphere. 

 

And you may say: "An average guest won't care about a colour change, or if a building gets a funny extension", but the thing is is that all the stuff you see in the park is subconscious. Everything blends and adds together to really immerse you into the environment. 

 

One of the things that has bugged me the most is the changes to Adventureland with the Aladdin crap. The area in the center of adventureland where that cluster of shops were was one of the most relaxing places in the park. It was wide and clean, and you could sit there and think you were in the Southwest Pacfic. The Aladdin changes consisted of demolishing and covering up some beautiful facades to throw up some cartoon tent and a giant middle east shop that adds nothing except to cash in on a fad that would last another 2 years. Notice how much more cheap the "Agrabah Bazaar"(Put up in 2001) looks compared to the adjacent Adventureland Buildings which were much more carefully planned and built, in 1971. The 1971 buildings looks like they are actually real buildings while the Agrabah Bazaar looks like cheap plastic that wouldn't be much out of place in some normal amusement park. 

 

The inclusion of the Carpet Spinner not only looks cheap and completely out of place next to the Tiki Pagoda, it also created chaos and bottlenecks in what was a very pristine positive environment.  

 

I'm a mindless Disney fan too, but I'm very involved in the multiple park's histories and what made them work. 

 

It's more than rides. And I don't even like roller coasters very much.

 

I don't even understand how you looked at my previous posts about design changes and thought I hate Disney because they don't have thrill rides. 

[Emperor Robrainiac]

Hear Hear Robrainiac. As long as I have fun, I'm happy with it. On that note though, let's point our annoyance at one attraction here that really has to go. You mention it Robrainiac and your probably familiar with it ShroomZ

 

 

Stitch's Great Escape. Don't get me wrong, I liked Lilo and Stitch. It's just this attraction is abysmal. You wait for ages to be put in an uncomfortable chair, locked in then spat and farted on in the dark. What a waste of a ride. I have heard everyone say how awful it is and heck, Disney have just stopped trying to make it better knowing what a failure it is.

 

Here's some reviews (it has some positives but way more negatives) http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/stitchs-great-escape/reviews.htm

 

Yeah, I mentioned that one. It was kinda... Meh. Nothing awful, but not something I'd go back to. I mean, I probably wouldn't have been caught dead in Alien Encounter, due to how terrifying it was, (I've heard claims of people fainting out of fear.) but I do give props to Disney for stepping out of their comfort zone.

 

In the end though, this one felt like a cop out. It's clear disney was worrying about how scary Alien Encounter was, and wanted to replace it with a familiar character... They sure have been doing that a lot, haven't they?

 

As I mentioned before, my dad was really disappointed, one of the very few Disney attractions he's ever said that sucked.

 

Edit:

 

 

I don't even understand how you looked at my previous posts about design changes and thought I hate Disney because they don't have thrill rides. 

 

If you're referring to the beginning of my post, I was just joking around.

 

If you're referring to the middle part, I wasn't really directing my post at you, nor was I saying you hated Disney. it was more so towards most of the people I knew outside of the net. Admittedly, when it comes to entertainment I tend to be around shallow people, and it kinda rubs off. 

 

I am well aware there's more reasons to not like the changes Disney's been making, (And as I've mentioned, there are plenty of their choices I don't really support) and I wasn't trying to imply that you Or anyone else who's posted, hated it.  

 

If it seemed that way, then I apologize, I have the tendency not to think about how people will interpret what I say.

[Osmium]

Stitch is one of the oddest attraction out there, and it's obviously a complete failure. Kids are too afraid by it and adults just find it annoying. I don't think anyone finds it pleasant. Plus, it has nothing to do with the future or space or anything besides Stitch being an alien. It's just another lackluster attraction that they threw into Tomorrowland along with Buzz Lightyear and Monsters Inc., because they wouldn't fit anywhere else. 

 

It was definitely worse than Alien Encounter, and this is coming from a guy who doesn't like Alien Encounter much either, at least that was a bit more suited for Tomorrowland.

 

Flight To The Moon / Mission To Mars was much better than either of those in my opinion. Mission to Mars / Flight to the Moon was both educational and entertaining. 

If you're referring to the beginning of my post, I was just joking around.

 

If you're referring to the middle part, I wasn't really directing my post at you, nor was I saying you hated Disney. it was more so towards most of the people I knew outside of the net. Admittedly, when it comes to entertainment I tend to be around shallow people, and it kinda rubs off. 

 

I am well aware there's more reasons to not like the changes Disney's been making, (And as I've mentioned, there are plenty of their choices I don't really support) and I wasn't trying to imply that you Or anyone else who's posted, hated it.  

 

If it seemed that way, then I apologize, I've never been one to think about how people will interpret what I say.

 

Nah, I should be sorry. I knew you were joking, but that was my inner butthurt coming out. I get very obsessed about Disney Park history and I am very defensive of WED and late 60's/ early 70's Disney design. Sorry, I just get really anal-retentive. 

[Badnik Mechanic]

Why did Disney remove Alien Encounter.

 

Short answer... because it was too scary.

 

Long answer.... welll erm...

 

Someone I know worked at Disney for a couple of months on this exchange programme, whilst there they learnt a lot of stuff about how Disney works and a few things which people sorta know but nobody is sure if it's a rumour or not.

 

e.g. If a child is crying on a ride, Disney staff shouldn't start the ride until the child stops crying.

 

If you drop your ice cream, Disney will replace it free of charge.

 

etc. etc.

 

One thing they learnt was the reason why Alien Encounter got removed. Now, I have been on Alien Encounter and Stitch, I have to say, Alien Encounter really was incredible, it's probably the scariest ride I've been on, and I've been on Tower of Terror as well as a bunch of roller coasters and other simulators, nothing tops Alien Encounter.

 

And that's why it got removed/re-themed, or part of it.

 

Alien Encounter was a very misleading ride, low ride hight restrictions, not a roller coaster and if you've never been on it before, you had no idea what to expect. Also add to the fact, it's Disney, you're not expecting to be terrified.

 

And that's the problem. 

 

I remember when I went on it, when I was actually on it in there, there were women screaming, children crying, lots of children crying... then walking out into the Florida sunshine with the other riders... there was ALWAYS children crying, and they were crying! They were terrified! Some probably had nightmares and Disney probably got a lot of complaints about it.

 

So you have this attraction in Disney, which takes kids in, and makes them cry for a good chunk of the day.... but it's awesome... What do you do? 

 

Raise the high restriction? Why? It deliberately stops short people from riding it and there's no reason they can't ride.

 

You could make it an 18+ only ride, which is pretty much unheard of anywhere.

 

Place signs on it saying 'it's really scary!' Well that just encourages more people to go on it.

 

See the problem? It's a ride which makes kids cry, in Disney... The problem it had is that it's in the wrong theme park, it really should have been in somewhere like Universal, or even Hollywood studios near Rock-n-roller-coaster/tower of terror.... but it's not.. it's in the Magic Kingdom. 

 

The park which will replace your ice cream for free if you drop it regardless as to how much you ate, the park which will hold a ride so a child can calm down so they won't ruin the ride for other people or traumatise a kid, the park which will give you free cookies and ice cream if it's your birthday... the same place which describes itself as the happiest place on earth, and which is designed in a way that you arrive to it via Disney Bus, Ferry, or monorail because it's creator wanted visitors to feel like they were entering another world...

 

And it has a ride which makes kids cry, and not just a short cry... utterly scares them to death.

 

Now, I really wish they had moved it, or kept it alive somehow, because it was awesome, heck I even have some merchandise from it, and part of it still survives in Disney Quest, though I suspect many people who go there have no idea what it is.