SLUSHIE

This past winter I was told my maintenance that Northstar California was planning on upping their game when it comes to summer activities. It's one of two resorts in the Tahoe area that is on private land (the other being Kirkwood which is also a Vail resort now) and are allowed to operate during the summer. They are planning on putting in a alpine coaster as well as zip-lines n stuff like that.

I'm not sure a transfer track would really work that well on this ride in the first place. Does this park actually get crowed? I haven't gone in a while but there was hardly ever a time where the wait for Medusa or any other coaster had a line that stretched further than the lines for the individual rows. Zonga had a pretty long line sometimes but that thing was really slow at loading and I think usually ran one train. I think the riders per hour of this wont be too much slower than V2. I think the rendering is actually a bit slow, and I think it will be a bit more efficient than V2 when it comes to the end of the ride. V2 comes to almost a stop out in the launch area and crawls backwards. I bet this basically comes right in and stops. Here is a video of it testing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6drQCmkCJc&feature=share

I'm in the group of people (is there a group?) that would rather of had the ride taken out or left alone than updated. I'm not the biggest fan of straight up simulators, but Star Tours is something you always had to do once on your visit (for those that don't go all the time). I've only been to Disneyland once since it reopened and I rode it twice, I opted to ride Matterhorn a couple more times rather than ride it again (this was probably a year ago). When I rode the 2nd time there was only one scene that was different. The fact that it changes is cool, but it doesn't change the ride. To me it's not worth spending my time in line to ride it again just to see 30 seconds of different footage. If I want to see the different scenes I'll look at them on youtube. The updated projection and 3D does look pretty damn good though. I don't think the update of Star Tours was necessarily to increase the rides long term popularity, but to just make it a bit less dated and fresher. Kinda like the additions to Pirates n such.

I was going to say something earlier about how the writer of the article has probably never been to Disney World, since a major point was that DCA has about half the rides as Disneyland or something like that. DCA has more major rides than any of the other WDW parks, but obviously each of the other parks has its own unique offering. DHS has the shows, EPCOT World Showcase, and DAK the animals. As far as major 'thrillish' attractions, DCA has somewhat of an equivalent to the big hitters in all the other parks, except Mission Space I guess. I think that's one of the issues with DCA is that everyone wants it to be another park packed with rides like a MK style park. I think it wanted to be a park with shows but it didn't really bring them to the table. DHS has I think 4 shows, and has had some other ones in the past. I think I remember them having a hunchback show at one point. People seem to regard these shows pretty highly, it's not something I'm all that interested in but it does bring something else to to the table for some people. The park also lacks spontaneous performances like at World Showcase. They could put a classic style magic act in Paradise Pier, something you can still see at places like Pier 39 in SF. Wouldn't be all too hard, just needs a little stage. I mean I like rides but I don't want the park to be forced into a different version of a MK park.

I understand your argument, but I have eyes and have ridden many a coaster and nothing about this really grabs my interest and makes me want to go there, even though I haven't gone since before 07 (when they changed the name).

This is my home park but I haven't been for quite a while. I've actually never ridden the spinning ride they used to have and Didn't realize this new ride is actually replacing it. I can't help but think that the spinning ride was actually a much better fit for this park. I've never really cared for these impulse type coasters though.

I think pretty much everything at Disneyland is targeted toward 10 year olds (or less). Rastuso, I think your just having some "early life crisis" and realizing that you have outgrown Disneyland's target market, till you have kids that is. I think Cars is a great Disney property and a good thing to have built a ride around but what were you expecting? It's Disneyland, they are going to build something Disney. I mean rides like California Screamin are great, it's a good coaster, but simple rides like that are exactly what gave California Adventure it's crappy reputation. There is nothing Disney about that ride, and that's why people go to Disneyland. Racers is 100% Disney and everyone but you is going to love it. Thunder Mountain isn't the best coaster in the world, but people don't automatically think it's a piece of crap just because other coasters go faster and they wasted money on a fake mountain. That thing was my favorite ride as a kid and I remember riding it over and over at night just before closing with my sister, and as you get older that is what Disneyland is about.

I didn't say it would but I thought that there could probably have been a better alternative, like if they used that area to convey a more proper race.

I think it's a fun ride but I don't really understand some of the decisions they made. One of the big ones being why you go though the Radiator Springs town. There is a little bit of story before getting to that point, though not really, then you round the corner into radiator Springs. I think this is supposed to be a WOW! moment but it isn't really because you just walked though a much more impressive version outside, and there isn't much story in that part of the ride until you pull into either of the shops. I think they should have just kept the story of the inside parts revolving around the outlying areas of Radiator Springs, instead of some how ending back up in the town you were just in that isn't the same town your were just in. They could have done a bit more to convey the race theme as well, like make it seem that your in a legitimate race like something from the 2nd movie and not just a banner that says START and another that says FINISH. It's a good ride and impressive but I don't think the indoor part is on the scale of Indy and way better like lots of people seem to be thinking.

I don't see how this ride could have too many issues, in fact I think it has to be pretty freakin solid. The ride vehicles are almost exact to Test Track, so reliability should be at least as good as that. As far as show elements, I don't think any of the animatronics are any more complicated than Buzz from the Astroblasters queue or Mr. Potato head from Toy Story Mania. Actually despite that some of them are on a track, they are probably less complicated. Disney does seem to have a history of problems with show elements that reset for each vehicle. Even if the movement of them fails, their eyes and in some cases their mouths can still operate. I'm sure there will still be breakdowns for various reasons though.

Found this on their site. Part of the layout seems different from the stills but same basic thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MBFa8ZSqZsI#!

Looks like a nice update to an out-and-back style coaster. I like the crossover and curvy bits, much more interesting then hills, a u-turn and more hills.

Even if these rides are a bit boring I'm sure I would still prefer any of them to X. Yes it lacks the whole flipping bit, but that's part of the reason why I think they would be better. Since X flips around, the seats are only attached to the main part of the train at one location. When the train experiences forces or bumps n stuff the seats fairly violently shake up and down as well as rock back and forth. Since these Wing Rider trains don't spin they are fixed to the main train much better and I'm sure flex way less. That and the fact that it's a B&M, I'm sure the comfort its way better. Weather or not the style of train really makes the ride all that unique I'm not sure yet. It will certainly have a unique feeling when going though twists n such as your so far out from the center of the train, but I don't think the sitting off the side part itself is all that unique.

These new B&M wing things look pretty cool, I hope to get to ride one at some point. They sure seem to be the thing for parks to buy this year. I can understand how each seat could give a different ride, kinda like X in that aspect, so I get the re-ride-ability thing. For me at least though, once I find that seat I like the most that's generally where I always choose to sit unless something like added wait time makes me choose differently. I agree about the 2d hangar. I could understand something like that being a prop along the perimeter but being so prominent and so small in scale next to the way more impressive control tower it looks dumb. If they really wanted a head-chopper effect right there, there is probably some other prop that could provide a similar effect and look less dumb. They should just put a rear and sides on it with a partial roof.

This seems really cool, but I don't get how the design you car thing works. Considering each car fits six people only one person will have gotten to design the car? Im wondering if the characteristics of the car will actualy effect the ride, but the only real thing I can see them doing is making the car go slower or faster at certain points and maybe some of the effects going though what were the hot and corrosion rooms. I'm just hoping what they are doing has some real interactivity and not in a "push the button" Mission Space kind of way.

So is the "secret" path to Tomorrowland closed for good? Seems like its blocked off and has all the railings removed.

While probably true, it could be that the Irvine Company simply didn't like it.

I really don't think this has anything to do with Potter Land. Yes, Potter did bring in massive crowds, and there is opportunity to cash in on it even more, but I just don't think they would put it in a separate park. Potter Land is a pretty cohesive design, and even expanding it further into Lost Continent would screw up the layout a bit. Really I don't think any of us at this point have any idea what will be built there. I think the studio parks should be all about movies, especially the classic ones. There are plenty of old titles that can be reborn with a new high tech attraction.

I hard about this, but it's cool you were actually there when it happened and got photos n stuff. I've used stuff like this in the past. The ski resorts in my area use it for their passes. Before they used to scan you tickets bar code, but now you don't even have to take it out of your pocket, they just hold the device up to you wherever it is and your photo and info pops up on their screen. Really I don't see that as a major positive, but what is cool is that every lift has a scanning gate you walk though, and there is a website that you can go to that tracks all the lifts you rode and how many feet you traveled for the whole year. There are achievements n stuff you can get too. It's pretty awesome. They used to have something like this a long time ago that you paid extra to have, but it wasn't nearly as accurate or featured. The old system you wore a wristband and had you go though an special actual gate, and it only calculated your "vertical feet" with set values per lift. So a certain lift would be so many feet, even if you traveled to a lift that was half way back down the lift you came up. The new system actually calculates distances like that. Then the only info you got from it was the number of feet for the day or yearly total. What was cool about the old system though is that the feet could be used to cash in for lift tickets or gear, or even getting to use the system the next year for free. We usually used it for getting it next year and free paid parking tickets. Too many retired people were going every day and getting like new skis and season passes n stuff so they quit doing it. They also have had the option to apply your credit card to the pass, but I've never really seen the purpose of that. As far as Disney application goes I'm not too sure of benefits either. I mean using it for fast-passes would save paper, but then I don't have a tangible way of knowing what ride I have a fast-pass for and what time it's at. I mean when Disney does something like this I see it as a way to milk more money out of people. Now kids are going to be running around buying stuff with their parents card on their little wrist deals.

Understandable, but really lame. Who's to say that the objects didn't come from the same train though? What they should do is install one of those on-ride video systems and kill 2 birds with one stone. Provide on-ride videos to whoever wishes to purchase one, and so that can fine idiots for dropping items that smash peoples faces. I don't think this will make the ride any less fun though. I've always thought of it more as something for people watching the ride than those actually on it.

So just like every theme park and every ride in the world? In a way yes, But I think you know what I mean.

I'm on the fence about it, because I'm one of the people that didn't care for the movie. Just seems like a money making gimmick too me, but I'll keep my mouth shut from saying any more till I see some more details. It may not be Disney property, like Star Wars or Indiana Jones, but Avatar is no friggen Star Wars or Indiana Jones.

Surprising to see Dudley-do-Right is the best water ride. I rode it a year ago, before the fire, so maybe its better now, but I though it was pretty bad. The audio was out of sync, and ear piercingly loud in some spots. Many of the effects weren't working too, like the horse running with the scrolling background. A light just shined on it for a second and that was it. Splash Mountain still is a way better ride.

Water has mind control chemicals in it. I'ts meant for immigrants/visitors that can't read English.

I'm pretty sure it's been thought of before. I mean most of us here have thought of it before because of the Dreamworld tower. I'm sure the people at SFMM thought of it a while ago aswell and had consulted Intamin about it. This is a pretty specific system and maybe Intamin didn't have time to develop this system with other projects they are working on. Also could be that SFMM didn't find it cost effective, and now they do after having built pretty much every other type of thrill ride in existence.