Trackless Vehicle Rides/Attractions

[Nrthwnd]

Am BUMPing this one, because I just realized I still love these kinds of attractions, now more than ever, after now having ridden the two first trackless I knew of (back when I started this thread in 2005) - Aquatopia in TDS and Pooh's Hunny Hunt in TDL. Now, WDS in Paris is coming up with a trackless ride based on the successful "Ratatouille" Pixar-Disney movie. And supposedly, Hong Kong DL is still going to "go trackless" when their new Mystic Manor opens in the next year or so, budget permitting. And then there is whatever (I hope) Disney is going to come up with in Shanghai... mmmm.

 

And now of course, other ride companies are coming up with trackless ride tech, like Disney. But after going over the first pages here, I definitely want to stress, if the ride vehicle doesn't do a 360' spin in some way or fashion, it isn't trackless, IMhO. The rides at TDLR proved that. And "Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin" doesn't count, either, LOL!

 

Anyone else want to share their "Trackless Vehicle Love" here?

The second one Disney created: Aquatopia! (Sept.4, 2001)

Silly and funny. Even better at night with all the lighting.

Pooh's Hunny Hunt came first (Sept.4, 2000).

Silly old bear. Great silly old ride, too!

Edited April 23, 2014 by Nrthwnd

[larrygator]

Bill - since you brought this back from the dead I might as well contribute.

 

I think Challenge of Mondor at Enchanted Forect (Oregon) is trackless. It's a great shooting dark ride.

[The SETGO Guys]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Ghostwood Estate at Kennywood!

 

Its a trackless shooting ride, and even (if I recall correctly) has a section where you travel backwards for a few moments.

 

The system for the Sally Dark Ride (Challenge of Tutankhamen) was built by the ETF Group.

-One interesting thing about Challenge of Tutankhamen is the three different ending rooms the vehicle may travel through

 

Personally I've worked on some code for guiding robots using lines in the floor autonomously (Very simular to trackless technology in the Theme parks). Sensors for the technology can get a bit expensive but the results are usually very impressive.

 

EFT creates 2 different types of trackless vehicles

This is the Vehicle for Kennywood Ghostwood Estate- http://www.etf.nl/nl/etf-ride-systems/products/mystic-mover/

This is the Vehicle for Challenge of Tutankhamen- http://www.etf.nl/nl/etf-ride-systems/products/multi-mover/

[DirkFunk]

Ghost Hunt at Lake Compounce went trackless a few years ago when it got overhauled.

[Nrthwnd]

Interesting to me, is every time Disney designs a new attraction

with trackless vehicles in it, the number of ride vehicles ups, lol.

 

Aquatopia TDS - 2 vehicles, two tracks.

 

Pooh's Hunny Hunt TDL - 3 vehicles, three tracks.

 

Mystic Manor HKDL - 4 vehicles, four tracks.

 

now Rattatouille at WDS - (possibly) 6 vehicles, six tracks!

(Or a possible 3 vehicles. Stay tooned...)

 

Makes me wonder if any trackless attraction(s) is/are built at Shanghai Disneyland,

it will be interesting to see if it's a clone of one of the above...or something else, original.

 

And more vehicles!

[Nrthwnd]

And to add... (sorry for the two posts in a row)

 

When I looked at the prototype (possible) ride vehicles for

Ratatouille at WDS, I realized these were also the first trackless

vehicles I'd seen, to allow the car to actually spin around, on it's base!

All Disney's previous trackless attractions, turned with the car and the base.

 

Now how cool would that be, for "Kitchen Kalamity"?

(I like spelling it with a "K")

A nice probable turning pedestal that vehicle is sitting on, on it's base. And the base looks much "thinner", too. Awesome if it's created like this!

[Myself]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Ghostwood Estate at Kennywood!

 

Its a trackless shooting ride, and even (if I recall correctly) has a section where you travel backwards for a few moments.

 

Not exactly. There is a room where the car turns right into a dead end, stops, turns around, and starts going another direction. Still something you couldn't do with a track.

 

To my knowledge, there are 6 Mystic Mover installations thus far:

-Ghostwood Estate at Kennywood

-Ghost Hunt at Lake Compounce

-La Aventura de Scooby Doo at Parque Warner Madrid

-Challenge of Mondor at Enchanted Forest

-Vi På Saltkråkan at Astrid Lindgren's World (a Swedish museum dedicated to a children's TV show)

-An installation in Asia that I can't seem to find at the moment

 

I have seen Tusenfryd's new dark ride quoted as a Mystic Mover installation, but as seen in the most recent pic in the Tusenfryd thread, there is a visible track in place. ETF makes tracked ride systems, so I would assume that it is a different system.

[gisco]

And to add... (sorry for the two posts in a row)

 

When I looked at the prototype (possible) ride vehicles for

Ratatouille at WDS, I realized these were also the first trackless

vehicles I'd seen, to allow the car to actually spin around, on it's base!

All Disney's previous trackless attractions, turned with the car and the base.

 

Now how cool would that be, for "Kitchen Kalamity"?

(I like spelling it with a "K")

 

If those are the ride vehicles then it could make for some very interesting rides in the future with the ability to tilt and spin.

[cfc]

It's great to see how these trackless systems have evolved (for instance, the step from Aquatopia to Pooh's Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disney) and how smaller parks, such as Kennywood, are using them.

 

I think these make for much more interesting attractions than the new gimmick roller coasters that have been springing up recently (such at Takabisha at FujiQ or the Wingriders).

[SharkTums]

^How dare you suggest that an innovative, awesome dark ride is better than a cookie cutter B&M!??! What kind of enthusiast are you!?!?

[cfc]

^This kind.

 

[Nrthwnd]

^ I'd rather be Cesar Romero, myself.

[Meteornotes]

Pooh's Hunny Hunt > Anything Cedar Fair has built in the last ten years.

 

dt

[Moose]

Pooh is amazing, i knew about it by my jaw dropped on that awesome ride. But a trackless ride vehicle does not make a ride good. Case in point, Sea World Orlando's penguin stinker.

[cfc]

^That is true, but it would probably still be better than a "tracked" version.

[Nrthwnd]

Hey, I guess between Disney and Sally Corp above all, trackless rides don't do too badly.

[SenseOFone]

I would love to see a Trackless Ride Vehicle system here in CA at the DL Resort. I feel like the problem will be the earthquake codes. I am aware Japan has earthquakes and they can do it. But, in the end, I feel like the govt doesn't have a giant OSHA sized stick up their butt in Japan. And they actually maintain their equipment to earthquake-fighting standards.

 

But one can dream

[Nrthwnd]

Not exactly. There is a room where the car turns right into a dead end, stops, turns around, and starts going another direction. Still something you couldn't do with a track.

 

Um, we just experienced this with the in door dark ride,

based on Thomas The Train and his neighborhood, etc.

At Fuji-Q Highland Park, right below Mt.Fuji itself.

 

And they used a turntable to switch us in another

direction without turning usual corner.

 

We came to a dead stop - turned around - and started going.... yeah well.

And all on the usual 'train tracks' which are/were two in number...

 

Turntable. It still works from time to time, lol.

Edited September 5, 2013 by Nrthwnd

[cfc]

I would love to see a Trackless Ride Vehicle system here in CA at the DL Resort. I feel like the problem will be the earthquake codes. I am aware Japan has earthquakes and they can do it. But, in the end, I feel like the govt doesn't have a giant OSHA sized stick up their butt in Japan. And they actually maintain their equipment to earthquake-fighting standards.

 

But one can dream

 

I am, at best, confused by this post. California's "OSHA sized stick" leads to weaker earthquake standards than Japan? Yes, this is probably so, but I doubt it has anything to do with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

[UberBeavis]

I'll be a little less diplomatic "How in the name of ever lovin' Jesus Mother Effing Christ would earthquake standards have anything to do with trackless rides?!?"

 

The only thing keeping trackless rides out of California, would be COLD HARD CASH! Nobody's put up the dough, so nobody gets one.

[Justice]

Back during the Blue Sky Cellar's focus on Little Mermaid, there was a concept for an elaborate trackless ride ala Hunny Hunt. A whole building schematic was shown with multiple layouts for each vehicle. There is also some concept art in one of the Imagineering books.

 

Source

 

However, I do believe we got the version we have now due to budget and the park's overwhelming desire to have an omnimover.

[Moose]

I think it's more likely a budget based decision than anything else.

 

Does anyone know the difference in capacity between an mono mover and something like honey hunt or aquatopia? Both seemed to be pumping out ride vehicles constantly.

[SenseOFone]

What I mean by the earthquake thing is that, I feel like at least a small part of not having trackless ride vehicles is that they would obvious operate independent of anything else, meaning that if an earthquake were to occur, the brakes and other safety systems would be reliant fully on the vehicle itself. Meaning, worst comes to worst, these vehicles would be free to slide around the floor run into any other vehicle, scenery, etc. Or even flip if really bad case. That's all I meant by the earthquake codes