Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Discussion Thread

[Nrthwnd]

Looked like an awesome party, Robb!

 

And I can't wait when they finally film a "flying over" the new Fantasyland,

with everything up and running, including the new coaster.

And the themed wristband looks great! Perfect for PR-ing a new attraction or show.

[robbalvey]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around a 3-day media event!

WDW does this once or twice a year where they fly in media from all over the US and do a big 3-day event that covers everything new at the resort and what is happening around WDW. The main part of this event is Mine Train, but they are also finally rolling out My Magic+ and Magic Bands to the media and should talk a bit about what's "next" on Friday.

[robbalvey]

Jimmy "Does Olaf move or is he stationary in those photos?" Bo

He's stationary.

[ILoveRides]

Day 1 looked great! But this is Disney, of course it's great! Can't wait to see the Mine Train and Magic Band coverage on the next 2 days.

[cfc]

Looks like a great way to start a media event. Nobody does these better than Disney.

[The Geek Mojo]

Wow! Disney is just awesome...Nobody can compare. Can't wait for the full POV of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

[OrlandoGuy]

The media event looks awesome, thanks for the great TR!

[davidgr57]

Have they announced an official opening day for us non-media types?

[Someotherguyuser]

Just watched the video of the Seven Dwarfs coaster that TPR posted and I think it looks great! This is a nice addition for MK. I won't spoil too much if you are still wanting to ride it yourself, but I was really impressed with the animatronics. The theming looked amazing, and I liked the "Hi Ho" set-up they had for the lift hill. Very nice touch. I'm looking forward to riding this in June!

 

Here's my only complaint: While the ride looks great and very high-quality, it should've opened with everything else in New Fantasyland. Having the Seven Dwarfs coaster open two years later after a lot of tourists have already visited it for the original opening is going to set expectations a little too high for them. I don't think that will help when Diagon Alley opens. I think everyone will enjoy the ride (And it does look GREAT), but after all of the expectations, I can't help that some people will go, "so....isn't there more?"

[coastercrazy216]

Just watched the video of the Seven Dwarfs coaster that TPR posted and I think it looks great! This is a nice addition for MK. I won't spoil too much if you are still wanting to ride it yourself, but I was really impressed with the animatronics. The theming looked amazing, and I liked the "Hi Ho" set-up they had for the lift hill. Very nice touch. I'm looking forward to riding this in June!

 

Here's my only complaint: While the ride looks great and very high-quality, it should've opened with everything else in New Fantasyland. Having the Seven Dwarfs coaster open two years later after a lot of tourists have already visited it for the original opening is going to set expectations a little too high for them. I don't think that will help when Diagon Alley opens. I think everyone will enjoy the ride (And it does look GREAT), but after all of the expectations, I can't help that some people will go, "so....isn't there more?"

 

 

I agree with you on that, and what is really sad about that is that the Fantasyland update is astronomically superior in terms of quality of the product compared to any of the Potter crap at IOA and USO, but the fact that it is smaller makes people disappointed. Personally, I am amazingly impressed with the work Disney has been doing lately (California Adventure to present). They have really been upping their game and making attractions that not only look astonishingly real, but are fun and are perfect for the target audience. All of the Potter stuff just seems cheap to me. Like just hastily thrown together. Maybe the new part will change that, but I don't see it happening. All of this just proves that nobody does it like Disney.

[sugart]

Gotta agree here Rob. I am a huge HP fan and am exited to the new additions but new Fantayland was awesome. The mirror scene in enchanted tales with Belle is one of the most amazing effects I've seen and it's all for a glorified meet and greet. I'm not knocking Universal but I still don't think they are quite on Disneys level.

[DJeXeL]

Mine Train looks like a great addition. I love that Disney always has alcohol at their media events.

[cfc]

 

Here's my only complaint: While the ride looks great and very high-quality, it should've opened with everything else in New Fantasyland. Having the Seven Dwarfs coaster open two years later after a lot of tourists have already visited it for the original opening is going to set expectations a little too high for them. I don't think that will help when Diagon Alley opens. I think everyone will enjoy the ride (And it does look GREAT), but after all of the expectations, I can't help that some people will go, "so....isn't there more?"

 

Hmm--don't really agree with this. Disney chose to do a big project in different phases and decided to finish with what is probably the best attraction; that is, they chose to close strong. I imagine the logistics of trying to redo the most popular section for families in the park without closing the whole area down at once were outrageously complicated. (They actually did shut down all of Fantasyland in California when they gave it a big makeover in the 1980s.) I think they made the right choice. Would it have been better to have left, say, Dumbo for the "big finish"?

 

I think they did what they had to do to while keeping guests as happy as possible.

[ernierocker]

 

Here's my only complaint: While the ride looks great and very high-quality, it should've opened with everything else in New Fantasyland. Having the Seven Dwarfs coaster open two years later after a lot of tourists have already visited it for the original opening is going to set expectations a little too high for them. I don't think that will help when Diagon Alley opens. I think everyone will enjoy the ride (And it does look GREAT), but after all of the expectations, I can't help that some people will go, "so....isn't there more?"

 

I only see horrible DISers and Universal Fanboys having that type of attitude about the ride. The majority of the the people that visit the park don't have the same knowledge about the project's history and how the new land was phased like enthusiasts do. They are just going to view it as the brand, new ride and it looks like an awesome ride at that!

[PeggedSole]

I watched the TPR POV. Thanks for posting it! I wish there was another dark portion in which to show off those awesome animatronics. I was a little disappointed when the train pulled back into the station. I was hoping for another dark ride portion, not an end to the ride. It seems a little short overall. I think with a second dark ride portion (and perhaps another coaster section too), the ride would feel more complete to me. Oh well, I'm sure it will still be a big hit for the Magic Kingdom!

[robbalvey]

EDIT! Here are more photos from the evening party and an updated review: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1444677#p1444677

tl;dr version - the ride felt MUCH faster and swung a LOT more with a full train of riders! It was awesome!

 

Just rode the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom! Was a fun, family coaster! POV Video, photos and a quick review below!

 

Here is the POV we shot (along with Attractions Magazine) this morning:

 

Here's my initial thoughts on the ride, only having ridden it twice so far (Elissa and I are going back this evening for the Mine Train party and more rides!)

 

First off, this is NOT on the level of "Big Thunder Mountain" or "Expedition Everest" in terms of thrills. It was never meant to be, and that's not what this ride is about. I just wanted to put that out there! Here is what the ride IS - a great family attraction that's the perfect middle step between Barnstormer and Big Thunder Mountain. Remember guys, it has a 38" height restriction. It's the perfect definition of a "family coaster."

 

The coaster section is a lot of "fun", much bigger than your average Vekoma roller skater and just thrilling enough to enjoy. From my two rides, I felt that the swinging motion works pretty well, but certainly was dependent on weight and where you sat in the train. In the front seat by myself, I didn't feel that it swung or rocked that much. But in the back seat with two larger adults, it rocked pretty good! Not like an Arrow suspended coaster or anything, but you certainly felt the swinging or rocking motion as you hit the curves. Again, it's not THAT pronounced, after all this is more of a kids ride, but if you watch the video, you can see it more in the backseat POV than the front.

 

The dark ride section was great! I'll be honest, it was a bit shorter than I thought it was going to be, but what was there looked FANTASTIC! The animatronics with the projection mapped faces look VERY 'animated' like a cartoon that jumped off the paper. I was impressed.

 

Overall I think the ride will do very well as it's a solid attraction. If you want bigger thrills, there is Space Mountain, Splash, and Thunder for you, and this fits perfectly well as a step up to those, and also stands on it's own as a fun ride. I mean, it's a MILLION TIMES better than the old and busted looking Snow White Scary Adventures dark ride!!!

 

While we were editing video, I was discussing the ride with the guys from Attractions Magazine as a good was to describe it. It's not really an "Everest lite" or "Thunder Mountain lite", as I've heard some people try to describe it, and it's much better than describing it as a "Swinging Barnstormer" because it's much more than that.

 

We thought about it for a bit, and I think we decided that it's a better, Disney-fied version of Legoland's Dragon attraction. Good dark ride show scene and "fun" coaster section, much better than your average kiddie coaster but not quite to the Thunder Mountain level of thrills.

 

So a "bigger, better, Disney version of Dragon" is where we landed and I think that's about accurate!

 

Looking forward to hearing what you all think of it once it opens to the public! (I hear we are getting an official opening date announced tomorrow!)

 

--Robb

 

Here's a few photos from this morning...

We are here to do our rider cam and get some footage of the new coaster!

Yup. this is what we are riding today!

The ride is taking a few laps with some Disney Imagineers and the ride crew first.

Up the first lift hill they go!

I felt that the swinging motion works pretty well, but certainly was dependent on weight and where you sat in the train. In the front seat by myself, I didn't feel that it swung or rocked that much. But in the back seat with two larger adults, it rocked pretty good! Not like an Arrow suspended coaster or anything, but you certainly felt the swinging or rocking motion as you hit the curves. Again, it's not THAT pronounced, after all this is more of a kids ride, but if you watch the video, you can see it more in the backseat POV than the front.

The theming and landscaping of the exterior section looks GREAT!

Onride shots from the back seat. You can see where the cars will swing a bit.

I'm not so sure calling it "swinging" is accurate. I felt like it "rocked" more than it swung.

The view from the top of the second lift.

More coaster shots!

And remember, it's not just a roller coaster, there is a dark ride section, too!

The motion of the cars certainly made you lean into the curves more. Maybe this is what they were going for?

The animation of the characters looked GREAT! Was impressed at how much they looked like animated figures and not "robots."

Coming down the big drop!

Over the bridge and into the final section of the ride.

Another view of the big drop!

When will the ride open officially? We aren't sure. But we are hoping to find out tomorrow!

Edited May 2, 2014 by robbalvey

[RyanGsatMCO]

I agree with your statements Robb. I am out of state and likely will not get to ride until later this month, but from what I have seen all along I have felt that this is more about an adventure rather than a coaster. The scenic work is just stunning on all levels. I mean it seems real and polished and everything you would expect out of the new extreme detailed attractions going in at the Orlando parks. It looks like it will be a real winner for the family! Coasterfan boy/girls need not apply!

[PKI Jizzman]

What a beautiful looking ride. The indoor section looks great! I had no idea what this ride was going to look like, since I didn't keep up with the construction. This is just another way for little thrill seekers to take a step up to something new.

[ka8911]

Thanks for the update! Looks like a "big smiles, just plain fun" kind of ride! Those animatronics really do look amazing. Can't wait to ride it, especially at night. The views should be fantastic!

[rcjp]

Like Robb said, looks like it will be a big hit with families. And the animatronics definitely look pretty good.

[disneyfreak1986]

Looks exciting! Can't wait to try it out in June! (Seeing that it's open by then...)

 

The ride page on DisneyWorld.com has changed as well with a more thorough description as well as a pop-up window that you can click on that lets you find out what you're dwarf name will be. After taking the short quiz, my dwarf name is Chatty.

 

There is also a countdown that says "Training begins in 14 days" as well as after taking the quiz telling you to come back after May 18th to finish your training. Does this mean we will see the ride open sometime after the 14th of May?

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Looks exciting! Can't wait to try it out in June! (Seeing that it's open by then...)

 

The ride page on DisneyWorld.com has changed as well with a more thorough description as well as a pop-up window that you can click on that lets you find out what you're dwarf name will be. After taking the short quiz, my dwarf name is Chatty.

 

There is also a countdown that says "Training begins in 14 days" as well as after taking the quiz telling you to come back after May 18th to finish your training. Does this mean we will see the ride open sometime after the 14th of May?

 

Hopefully not too much past that!

[Woodie Warrior]

The dark ride section is very impressive. The coaster is great for a "family ride", but of course it can't compare to the bigger coasters at WDW. The rocking does look like a fun part of the ride.

[Ryan P.]

Looks like another successful family coaster! The scenery is outstanding! I skipped the dark ride section because I'm saving that for when i ride it myself, but the coaster looks fun. Im happy to see the rocking seats move a bit more on the second coaster section. This one actually looks more fun to ride in the back just because it swings more. So now that New Fantasyland is complete, Now Disney can put Avatar and Star Wars into high gear!

[toughmudder]

Long time lurker... first time poster.

 

I've been following the construction since Day 1 - so I'm happy to finally see a great POV video of the finished product. It looks great! Like many of you, I can't wait to see how it looks at night!

 

Robb - one kinda sorta on-topic question for you... I heard a disturbing rumor on MiceChat that they were cutting the budget for AvatarLand, and are no longer doing the boat ride... please say it isn't so! The whole land has the potential to be a game changer... and as excited as I was for the simulator/flyer/Soarin' attraction, I was excited that another big ride was being built as well. I would be bummed if we're only seeing one new ride and maybe a restaurant and shop. See what you can find out during media days, if at all possible. Thanks!