Episode 27
The Trill of Disney - A look at all of the Disney World Thrill Rides
This podcast episode delves into the intricate history of thrill rides at Walt Disney World, elucidating their evolution and significance within the broader context of amusement parks. We commence by defining what constitutes a thrill ride and subsequently explore the diverse array of these attractions, ranging from the iconic Space Mountain to the modern marvels like Tron. The discussion further examines the implications of height requirements for younger patrons, emphasizing the importance of parental discretion when selecting suitable rides for children. Through our dialogue, we reflect on the contrasting thrill experiences at Disney compared to other amusement parks, particularly highlighting Disney's unique approach to ride design. Ultimately, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of how thrill rides have become an integral component of the Disney experience, ensuring that both nostalgia and excitement are preserved for visitors of all ages.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Disney
- Six Flags
- Universal Studios
- Magic Kingdom
- Epcot
- Animal Kingdom
- Hollywood Studios
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Aerosmith
Transcript
Foreign Wishes podcast.
Speaker A:I'm Tony Desiri, along with all the magic travels, Lauren Mallard.
Speaker A:And today we are going to be going through some of the history of Disney World in terms of thrill rides.
Speaker A:What's the definition of a thrill ride?
Speaker A:Some of the newer ones that are named in that category, and maybe some of the things that you may be thinking about when it comes to your young ones, about whether or not they can ride these even if they meet the height requirements.
Speaker A:There's a lot to unpack here when it comes to thrill rides at Walt Disney World.
Speaker A:How are you, Lauren?
Speaker B:I'm good.
Speaker B:How are you?
Speaker A:A couple of weeks off of travel and different things that we're doing with families.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Good to get back into the podcasting chair.
Speaker B:Yes, it is.
Speaker B:It's a busy time of year.
Speaker A:It certainly is.
Speaker A:I thought about this topic because one of the things that has been kind of popping up when we talk, you and I talk about Disney, is I will bring up a ride and you'll say, I don't go on that anymore.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:We both have kids.
Speaker A:Mine are older, yours are still in the youthful stage.
Speaker A:And so I thought, you know what, let's talk about thrill rides.
Speaker A:Because it's so different at Disney World compared to when you go to a Six Flags or other amusement parks or even the county fair or even Universal Studios, where thrill rides really, really take on a huge, huge component of the experience.
Speaker A:And Disney has for a number of years, not really had the big booming roller coasters.
Speaker A:They've never had like a Goliath, you know, like the thing that goes super tall.
Speaker A:They've had Space Mountain.
Speaker A:They've had Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and that is it.
Speaker A:And now they have thrill rides in all of their parks, and now they feel like they're getting kind of into the game again.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So let's start talking about some of the.
Speaker A:Some of these.
Speaker A:And as a mom, and especially as a mom of young kids, and especially one of a young boy that's kind of went from young, too young to ride to getting into the in at a young age, what is sort of the guidelines that you've used and whether or not some of these thorough rides, even if you meet the height requirements, would you still take your kids on some of these?
Speaker B:Yeah, I love it.
Speaker A:All right, so let's start with Magic Kingdom, because when I was young and this is going to the early 80s, this was the one ride, Space Mountain, that all of my friends talked about.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:They'd go on their summer vacations, they'd come Back school would start and they would talk about Disney and Space Mountain.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So my parents took us to Space Mountain.
Speaker A:Couldn't wait to ride this.
Speaker A:We go over to Space Mountain and it was closed.
Speaker A:This is still a humorous story to this day in my family.
Speaker A:How we ran over there and the guy said, I'm sorry, it's down for maintenance.
Speaker A:Oh, gosh, I don't know when I'm going back to Disney World, of course.
Speaker A:And so now I have to go back and tell my friends that the ride I've been dying to ride.
Speaker B:Oh, I didn't ride it.
Speaker A:But Space Mountain is an interesting thrill ride because if you looked at it with the lights on and some people get to do that, it's not that much of a thrill ride.
Speaker B:No, it's like a.
Speaker A:What they call the mousetrap.
Speaker B:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker B:And, you know, it's.
Speaker B:It's funny because I can distinctly remember my first trip.
Speaker B:I was 6 years old and my parents tricked me on to Space Mountain.
Speaker A:Very good.
Speaker B:I was tall enough, and because I couldn't see what was inside, I went ahead and went through it.
Speaker B:And my mom still says she can hear my screams and she can see my ponytail just bouncing up and down in front of her.
Speaker B:And she was like, what have I done?
Speaker B:I've made her ride this.
Speaker B:And so for a long time, I didn't want to get back on it as a kid.
Speaker B:And now I'll ride it again.
Speaker B:And now I'm almost to the other end of that threshold of where I'm getting too old to write it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I.
Speaker A:I'm in the same boat as well.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I had a hard time fitting into the.
Speaker A:Into the shuttle.
Speaker A:Like, I was, like, getting too big, and I was like, now I'm.
Speaker A:Now I'm better.
Speaker A:But that was one of my biggest drawbacks, was actually getting into the.
Speaker A:Into the capsule.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then you have to climb back.
Speaker A:Out of it, climb back out of that.
Speaker A:And eventually, one of these years, I'm just not going to be able to do it.
Speaker A:But that being said, I think that even if you were to tell somebody, hey, look, this roller coaster doesn't even go.
Speaker A:Doesn't go faster than like, 40 miles an hour.
Speaker A:There's no huge drops.
Speaker A:The two biggest things about this ride is the noise and the darkness.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And I think for young people, even if.
Speaker A:If you took them on the same exact ride outside and they loved it, they still might not love the fact that it is pitch black and you don't know where you're going.
Speaker B:I agree.
Speaker B:With you.
Speaker B:I think especially with my youngest, Cora, I'm not sure that I'll ever get her on Space Mountain because of that aspect.
Speaker B:I think it's so intimidating.
Speaker B:And the fact that in Walt Disney World's version, which is different from Disneyland, is you are seated one at a time, right?
Speaker B:Whereas at Disneyland you can sit with somebody.
Speaker B:And I think that that kind of helps a younger child feel a little more secure if mom or dad can sit with them.
Speaker B:Whereas at Walt Disney World they are sitting by themselves and you can't really even see them that well and know whether or not they're enjoying it or whether they're terrified for their life.
Speaker A:It is one of the coolest cues in, in from.
Speaker A:From the Tomorrowland aspect.
Speaker A:I think it's one of the reasons as a young kid I love Tomorrowland music.
Speaker A:Just that feeling when you walk in, everything's space, everything's like you're on a spaceship.
Speaker A:So it really was bringing to life the theme of the Tomorrowland experience when you first go on might be a little outdated now because a lot of the cues are so much more advanced.
Speaker A:But there's still a nostalgic feeling when I'm walking through.
Speaker A:Especially like on the bouncy, you know, the bouncy like walkway.
Speaker A:I still remember, you know those.
Speaker A:That feeling of this is a really exciting ride to be on.
Speaker A:It does.
Speaker A:CH has a nice Christmas changeover for the holidays.
Speaker A:It's still iconic.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's still rated as one of the top coasters in Florida because I think of nostalgia and also think just in taking a basic design and turning it into something else.
Speaker A:The theming of it.
Speaker A:All right, let's go to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Speaker A:Cuz this was the ride I did get to ride when I was 10 in early early 80s.
Speaker A:And this is one of my favorite rides at Disney World because I think the theming of this is fantastic.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I agree.
Speaker B:And so really with Big Thunder Mountain, I would put it as almost an entry level.
Speaker B:Even above something like 7 dwarfs mine train or Slinky Dog.
Speaker B:If you didn't have the noise of Big Thunder Mountain.
Speaker B:Because if you can think about it, it is probably one of the loudest rides at all of Disney World.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:With the chain and you're going through and the tr, it's just so loud.
Speaker B:And so if you take that away, then the intensity of the ride, especially if you're in the front and you have a little kid, you're barely moving and you can kind of gauge whether or not they're to like that or.
Speaker A:Not without being an engineer and I don't know the specific degrees of banking and dips and whatnot, I feel like I get more of a roller coaster experience on that ride in terms of speed than I do Space Mountain.
Speaker A:Even though Space Mountain has got its dips and turns and it's dark and you don't know where you're going and that adds to the excitement, I really feel thrilling when I'm on Big Thunder Mountain.
Speaker A:And now it's going, it's going to be shut down.
Speaker A:And I know a lot of it is because of the construction that's going on behind it, but they've really done a good job over the last couple years of sort of really enhancing the sort of gold mining prospector sort of atmosphere that you get when you go on that ride.
Speaker B:Yeah, I really, really love this ride.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:I find myself just laughing the entire time because I mean, I think I feel like the curves could kind of like shoot somebody off the side, which I know it's not going to, but it's.
Speaker B:It's really thrilling in that way without being high speed.
Speaker A:All right, so now those were the.
Speaker A:Some of the original design coasters that came to Walt Disney World.
Speaker A:I mean, not original per se.
Speaker A: I know Space mountain was in: Speaker A:And if you're an adult and you've gone when you were a child, very good chance you went at a time when these existed.
Speaker A:Now let's get to two that have been added to the park in recent years.
Speaker A:And the one you just mentioned, seven dwarves mine train.
Speaker A: This was added in I think: Speaker A: chool, it took over for where: Speaker A:And then they sort of filled that out.
Speaker A:They made it sort of.
Speaker A:It was sort of a space you could rest.
Speaker A:They didn't really know what to do with that area.
Speaker A:Then they finally built this really awesome roller coaster themed to Snow White.
Speaker A:This is a, again a smaller coaster.
Speaker A:It's not gigantic, it's not on the scale of Everest, but it does have swinging carts and it does have some, you know, cool theming.
Speaker A:You get to pause for a bit and enjoy some animatronics and whatnot.
Speaker A:But overall, how would you rate that thrill ride with your kids?
Speaker B:Yeah, so I really do love this one.
Speaker B:And I think it's one that each of my kids rode as soon as they hit that high requirement.
Speaker B:Because I Thought, okay, it's a very short ride.
Speaker B:It's one that you can kind of take and say, okay, well, if they hate it, it's going to be over in less than 90 seconds.
Speaker B:And there's only really one big drop in the whole ride.
Speaker B:And so it would be a really, really good one if you're unsure of what your kids can do.
Speaker B:And it has the lowest height requirement of all of the thrill rides.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it' also, again, it's a roller coaster that does have some pretty cool theming within it.
Speaker A:You don't get to see that a lot because you know, you're going through.
Speaker A:Whether it's, you know, if you're going through Space Mountain and you're going up the hill.
Speaker A:Yeah, okay, there's some theming there.
Speaker A:If you're on the Big Thunder Mountain and you see sort of the elements around you and especially the.
Speaker A:The going up into the.
Speaker A:Into the cavern.
Speaker A:Yeah, there's some theming, but this one actually has some IP characters.
Speaker A:Yeah, this is actually has a mine where the dwarves are working.
Speaker A:It has the house that's Snow White stancing.
Speaker A:It has the witch.
Speaker A:These are things that are to the roller coaster experience.
Speaker A:And, and speaking about cues, it is one of the coolest cues of any.
Speaker A:Of any ride at the park.
Speaker B:Yeah, this is one of the first ones that they started adding interactive things to in the queue.
Speaker B:And so it kept people entertained because this can be one of the longest rides that you're going to encounter in Magic Kingdom.
Speaker A:Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker A:Especially if it can get outside its.
Speaker A:Outside its gate.
Speaker A:And you can sometimes find that even on not so hugely busy days, you can still see it extend all the way outside of its normal gate.
Speaker A:So this is again, this was highly anticipated.
Speaker A:I remember so many people buzzing about this.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:When it was.
Speaker A:When it was going to be, you know, going to be launched.
Speaker A:And I know it's got its critics.
Speaker A:I think it should be more thrilling.
Speaker A:But I think if you're talking about a Snow White ride, you can go back in time to the scary adventures and whatnot.
Speaker A:And how scary that is still at Disneyland.
Speaker A:I think this does a great service to the property, to the ip.
Speaker B:So I agree.
Speaker A:All right, let's go to Tron.
Speaker A:Now.
Speaker A:This was just built not that long ago.
Speaker A:It felt like it was being built forever.
Speaker A:Like every trip I went down there, there was something going on at Tron.
Speaker A:Like, eventually they'll open that.
Speaker A:Yes, eventually they'll open that.
Speaker A: movie, I should say from the: Speaker A:I think as a young kid, I loved.
Speaker A:I loved the.
Speaker A:The movie when they had the light cycles and what they did with the light cycles.
Speaker A:So I love the fact that they're bringing.
Speaker A:They brought this to Orlando.
Speaker A:This was a humongous hit in China, in Shanghai.
Speaker A:Disney.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:People who went there said, why are these parks outside the United States killing us?
Speaker A:Because we have to go overseas to get these amazing rides.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And they finally said, all right, we'll bring it to Orlando.
Speaker A:And they did.
Speaker A:It's a great addition to Tomorrowland.
Speaker A:My biggest criticism of Tomorrowland is that it needs to be more tomorrow.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:This is tomorrow.
Speaker A:This is exactly what you're looking for.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Now, have you been on Tron?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:I love Tron.
Speaker A:Good.
Speaker A:Oh, good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I was nervous to ask you because you've told me a number of times there's rides you don't like.
Speaker B:It's more the simulators that I can't do.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And so I would rank Tron very similar to Rock and Roller Coaster, but even less.
Speaker B:Less stimulating for motion sickness than Rock and Roller Coaster because it is very straightforward.
Speaker B:You're not going to find any surprises, any backwards or upside down, anything like that.
Speaker B:It is very fast, so keep that in mind.
Speaker B:If your child is old enough to ride, then just know, engage.
Speaker B:How are they going to feel?
Speaker B:Because the launch is going to be the most intense part of that ride.
Speaker A:Now, that's the one thing that is coming in the roller coaster business.
Speaker A:Those launches.
Speaker A:People love those launches.
Speaker A:Get me going quickly, get me up to speed as fast as possible.
Speaker A:There.
Speaker A:It is, a unique ride system.
Speaker A:It is a motorbike system.
Speaker A:You're going to kind of lean over with handles.
Speaker A:There's other ways to ride it.
Speaker A:You can check with the tenant.
Speaker A:They can put you in a actual card.
Speaker A:If you can't actually do it.
Speaker A:I will say this.
Speaker A:My wife is.
Speaker A:She can do some roller coasters, she can't do others.
Speaker A:And she just.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:And I've been married to her for a long time.
Speaker A:I still don't know what she wants and what she doesn't want.
Speaker A:But I did tell her, I said, I think you'd be able to handle it.
Speaker A:But the one thing I think I'm going to tell you not to write it is it's very loud.
Speaker A:It's noisy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And if you're somebody that doesn't like chaos.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Meaning I can handle the speed, I can handle the dips, I can handle the cool moments.
Speaker A:My Stomach feels when I'm going fast and around a corner, but I can't take loud noise, like just chaotic noise.
Speaker A:This is, this is the one you want to stay away from, because part of the story is that you get miniaturized in a game and there is a lot of things going on.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:You know, so you're virtually racing and so you're hearing, you know, if you're in, if you're in first place or whatever's happening.
Speaker B:But yeah, you're right.
Speaker B:That's a great point.
Speaker A:So, again, that's a brand new addition and, and again, to keeping Disney World as modern as it can in the race of theme parks.
Speaker A:I think it's been a fantastic addition to the Tomorrowland motif.
Speaker A:I got one more.
Speaker A:I don't know if this is a controversial one or not.
Speaker A:Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Call this a thrill ride.
Speaker B:I still think I would, only because I would gauge it by whether or not Cora, my youngest, would write it or not.
Speaker B:And my oldest two, they're gonna write anything that they can.
Speaker B:Cora would still look at this one and say, I don't think so.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Because she can see that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But will I take it on her neck?
Speaker B:Will I take her on it next time?
Speaker B:If she's tall enough?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I will make her write it because I don't think that it is going to torture her in the way that some others that we might get to later.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:Now I won't speak to this one.
Speaker A:Maybe you can.
Speaker A:Goofy's Barnstormer.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker A:I haven't, I didn't have kids old enough to ride it back in the day.
Speaker A:Kids ride that?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:So my oldest two loved it as soon as they were tall enough.
Speaker B:Cora thought that I was trying to kill her when I put her on it.
Speaker B:And so it is one that will really, really bang you up a little bit because it's very short, but it's, It's a rough one, but it's cute.
Speaker A:I, I will have to wait till the grandkids to find.
Speaker B:You're not just gonna go and ride it.
Speaker A:I, I, I would love to.
Speaker A:I just don't want to be the older guy with no children riding the Barnstorm or Goofy Ride over at Magic Kingdom.
Speaker A:All right, let's go over to Epcot.
Speaker A:And I think you and I have talked about this a number of times with Epcot, which is, it is a, it was a place that had educational rides, and that was really it.
Speaker A:That was its beginning.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:It was more like going to school at A theme park was the best way I could put it.
Speaker A:There were dark rides, nothing really overly scary, nothing really thrilling.
Speaker A:Just, hey, we're going to take you through the history of communication or the history of motion or the history of whatever.
Speaker A:And now it is.
Speaker A:It has three rides that I think if we were to talk about the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Speaker A:I think this is the best way to describe the thrill rides at Epcot center.
Speaker A:Because let's start with sort of the Ugly and that's Mission Space.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Is there a more controversial side splitting ride than this that makes people go, hate this thing.
Speaker A:Destroy it to.
Speaker A:I love it completely.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:You hit the nail on the head with that.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I mean, there's really nothing more that I can add.
Speaker B:I don't really know what makes those that love it actually love it.
Speaker B:Because I am in the camp of you can take this away forever and I don't think anybody would ever miss it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I agree with you completely.
Speaker A:So this, this was a ride that they wanted to simulate flight on a rocket ship.
Speaker A:And Gary Sinise used to be the narrator of this.
Speaker A:They changed that and it replaced Horizons, which was a pretty popular.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think Horizons was.
Speaker A:More people were into it once it was gone, then they actually buzzed about it.
Speaker B:I think you're probably right.
Speaker A:Like when you tick something away and then everybody goes, no, I loved that.
Speaker A:Okay, whatever.
Speaker A:But they wanted to do something a little more thrilling.
Speaker A:And I think if you know a little bit about, for, for those of you who kind of like really know about the history of these parks, like Michael Eisner went to Epcot and realized we got to do something here.
Speaker A:Like when he became CEO and he brought back, he brought characters there and he tried to like, wanted to kind of spice it up a little bit.
Speaker A:And this was sort of one of the attempts.
Speaker A:So you, if you're claustrophobic, you cannot ride this ride.
Speaker A:No, there's no, there's no secondary ride.
Speaker A:Like, oh, I can't do that, but can I ride it in a different way?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:If you don't like small spaces, you're out.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Like, you can't ride this.
Speaker A:You're going to be one of four people in a capsule.
Speaker A:That capsule is going to spin really fast at various times.
Speaker A:I think if you watched it from the outside, you'd probably get sick to your stomach.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:If you were in it, you could get really sick to your stomach.
Speaker A:It's the only ride I know that has throw up bags on the ride.
Speaker B:That should be enough to tell Me that I should stay far away.
Speaker A:I was okay with this ride for a long time.
Speaker A:And then I took my son down to take him down to college.
Speaker A:We decided to do a day at Epcot with my parents.
Speaker A:And my.
Speaker A:My mother said, don't go on that.
Speaker A:It's too hot.
Speaker A:She goes, it's really hot today.
Speaker A:And I'm like, no, I love it.
Speaker A:I went on it.
Speaker A:I felt awful.
Speaker A:The whole rest.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:My mother just laughed.
Speaker B:Ruined your day.
Speaker A:Ruined the day.
Speaker A:But then I get to some good and even some very, very good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Soarin.
Speaker A: e in Disneyland back in early: Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:I thought it was brilliant in the design and what they did again as a mom, little kids sitting in a chair.
Speaker A:You're not actually flying, but you're high up.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's another one that I think that as soon as they're tall enough to try it, that it's.
Speaker B:It's really harmless.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:I always tell my kids when they're going on it for the first time, it's like a big movie.
Speaker B:We're just going to be kind of like we're in a swing.
Speaker B:We're not going to be up high.
Speaker B:And you're just going to watch the movie.
Speaker B:And if you start feeling like you don't want to look at that anymore, or like, start feeling like you're afraid of heights, then you can just simply close your eyes and then you don't have to be there anymore.
Speaker B:So this is a very, very mild thrill, right?
Speaker A:Yeah, and that's a great point, because if you have little kids and you take them on Tron, for example, they can't close their eyes and not feel the speed and not hear the noise and not hear the chaos.
Speaker A:But you're right, if you're on Soarin and you just closed your eyes, all of the feelings of flying over whatever the scene is, is gone.
Speaker A:You're just.
Speaker A:You're just.
Speaker A:Next thing you know, you're just in a chair that might be moving a little bit from side to side.
Speaker A:But that's really it.
Speaker A:It's that feeling that's having the senses sort of tricked into feeling like you are hang gliding through these various scenes.
Speaker B:It's a very beautiful ride.
Speaker A:It's a really beautiful ride.
Speaker A:It's one of my favorites.
Speaker A:It's absolutely a must do.
Speaker A:If you don't do it when you're there, you feel like you really, really miss something.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And then let's get to Guardians of the galaxy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Now, I know you like this.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:Yeah, we all know.
Speaker B:We all know.
Speaker B:This is the one I did one time.
Speaker A:This is the one.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:But I think that this is when my kids love it.
Speaker B:But I'll say my daughter Lily, who's my older daughter, she loves it, but it pushes her limits.
Speaker B:So she gets a little bit motion sick.
Speaker B:So if you know that going into it, know that it's not.
Speaker B:You don't really know how much you're going to necessarily rotate or spin.
Speaker B:And then you have the backwards launch.
Speaker B:There's a lot going on in this ride.
Speaker B:It's not as loud and chaotic as Tron, but there is music.
Speaker B:But you're going to have one song that's going to play while you're in there.
Speaker A:And again, going back to my wife's roller coaster experience, she told me afterward, she goes, like, there were.
Speaker A:She goes, I would have a hard time riding it again because I remember there's a point in the roller coaster I couldn't stand.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And she goes.
Speaker A:And so I would be anxious until that point.
Speaker A:I enjoyed it up until there was a point.
Speaker A:It was the spinning around where you saw the earth and.
Speaker A:And she said, I didn't like that at all.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And she goes, so I would not enjoy it knowing that was coming up if I wrote it a second time.
Speaker A:So sometimes you get like that, where people start going, it.
Speaker A:It was that dip or was that loop or is that.
Speaker A:Whatever it was.
Speaker A:I'm okay until that point, but because I'm not okay at that point, I really can't enjoy it completely.
Speaker A:I thought it was a fantastic.
Speaker A:This is something.
Speaker A:Again, it goes back to some point I was making earlier.
Speaker A:Like, Disney had thrill rides that were just not on the level of whatever Six Flags was producing or whatever other places were producing.
Speaker A:They've.
Speaker A:They've really got into this game.
Speaker A:This is one of the more modern roller coasters you could ride.
Speaker A:Keeping it so it's not dramatic, but yet giving you a feeling of, this is a really, really thrilling experience.
Speaker B:Yes, it's extremely well done.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's really great.
Speaker A:The whole cue of it is great.
Speaker A:The whole ride mechanism is great.
Speaker A:I think a lot of times now, roller coaster companies are not just saying, how fast can we.
Speaker A:How can the track provide some experience?
Speaker A:They're looking at things like backwards.
Speaker A:You know, you were talking about the launch.
Speaker A:You were talking, you know, how to spin something.
Speaker A:Whatever it may be, they're adding new elements to these roller coasters.
Speaker A:And I think this does it really, really well, so there are three really good thrill rides my wife and I argued about.
Speaker A:Test track.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:I guess we could touch on it.
Speaker A:It's thrilling for one part of the ride and I don't know what the new experience is.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:I'm anxious to see when we're going to get that reopening date because I've heard that they've testing vehicles.
Speaker A:Yes, I saw a video on that.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I'm anxious to see what we're gonna get.
Speaker B:But you're right, the entire ride is not a thrill ride.
Speaker B:You do get that spin around at the end that makes it a little bit of a thrill, but.
Speaker B:Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker A:To get some high speed performance.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:I am really looking forward to seeing what they'll do.
Speaker A:I think they will kind of.
Speaker A:I'm hoping that they'll thrill it up a little bit, for lack of a better term.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because I think that space over there, it's gone through different iterations of the automotive industry.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I'd like to see them add a little bit more thrilling aspect to it, especially when they have it.
Speaker A:All right, let's go to Hollywood Studios and a number of ones here, including some that have been with the park since it's very, very beginning, some that have been recently added.
Speaker A:Well, let's start with Tower of Terror.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:If you're not been on a drop ride.
Speaker A:This is a drop ride.
Speaker B:And this one I think takes on so many different elements because my kids, they all wrote it when they were tall enough to write it.
Speaker B:Graham was only 4.
Speaker B:I distinctly remember I asked him, did you like that?
Speaker B:And he said, yeah.
Speaker B:And I said, did you?
Speaker B:Do you want to go again?
Speaker B:No, never again.
Speaker B:And they have since gone on it again.
Speaker B:None of my children enjoy this ride.
Speaker B:And I say that Cora's never been on it and she probably never will go on it.
Speaker A:Especially with their brother and sister saying, I'm not going on that.
Speaker B:But they don't love the free falling aspect.
Speaker B:And then they especially do not like, like the creepy theming.
Speaker A:The creepy theming is what I was going to ask you about.
Speaker A:Because that alone is even if you didn't had the drop, but you had some sort of thrilling aspect to it.
Speaker A:There is some really creepy.
Speaker A:I mean, it's Twilight Zone.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:I mean, almost every episode of the Twilight Zone is not a happy ending.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:I mean, it's all based on a TV show that was supposed to leave you a little disturbed after you'd watch an episode.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:With a couple ones that made you feel good.
Speaker A:But most of the.
Speaker A:The thrill of the Twilight Zone was, boy, that was really horrible.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:You know, and now they added that element to it.
Speaker A:Ghosts and creepy elevators and creepy cast members.
Speaker A:So if you've got kids, this is something to think about as they're watching.
Speaker A:How would you compare it to the Haunted Mansion?
Speaker A:The first time your kids went on.
Speaker B:The Haunted Mansion, I still think that this is.
Speaker B:This scared them a lot more.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I took my kids on the Haunted Mansion thinking that they wouldn't really care.
Speaker B:I just try to tell them that they're kind of like.
Speaker B:Like, funny ghost.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:There have still been times that they don't love Haunted Mansion, but especially.
Speaker B:I think Tower of Terror trumps that by a lot.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I'm not a fan of drop rides at all.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I just don't.
Speaker A:I just don't enjoy the anticipation of it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I know.
Speaker A:I went to Kings island years ago and we went on one of the drop rides.
Speaker A:It was my brother and my.
Speaker A:My son and my niece, and we're all laughing and carrying on inside.
Speaker A:I was like, this is not good.
Speaker A:I don't like this at all.
Speaker A:And it just hung there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And then it just starts.
Speaker A:Starts cracking.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Creaking.
Speaker A:You're just like.
Speaker A:You know, you don't know when you're dropping and it.
Speaker A:You just hear the mechanism of it, and then it just releases you.
Speaker A:And this is similar.
Speaker A:Like, it just.
Speaker A:You move, you move, you move, and then finally you're in a place where you drop and you bounce up again.
Speaker A:You drop, you bounce up again.
Speaker A:Do you think if they change this to what they have at Disneyland, that Guardians of the Galaxy laugh thing, do you think that your kids would enjoy it?
Speaker A:Or is it that just.
Speaker A:If they.
Speaker A:If they took out all of the creepiness, this turned it into a.
Speaker A:It was.
Speaker A:It's mostly like.
Speaker A:It's not falling.
Speaker A:It's supposed to be about bouncing.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I think that if it were turned into Mission Breakout.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I think that they would be more willing to ride it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker A:I think.
Speaker A:I think that was one of those rides where the element and the theming of it can take a parent and make it go, look, I don't know about this.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:My wife got to the ride and turned away.
Speaker B:I've done that, too.
Speaker A:She got right up until Party of four.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Party of four.
Speaker A:No, party of three.
Speaker A:Goodbye.
Speaker A:And she's off to the gift shop.
Speaker A:Let's go to.
Speaker A:Well, Aerosmith, Muppets whatever it is going to be the roller coaster.
Speaker A:Rock and roller coaster, yeah.
Speaker B:That one's gonna rank high on my list.
Speaker B:It took a long time.
Speaker B:It took a long time for me to write it.
Speaker B:I think I've said that before.
Speaker B:I think it was probably just about three years ago that I started writing it as an adult.
Speaker B:And because just the launch itself, when you see that launch in there and it is so intense and you know that they're going directly into the loop de loop, it's a lot.
Speaker B:But once you get past that first loop de loop and the corkscrew there, then the rest of the ride I find to be very smooth.
Speaker B:So I think it's one maybe not right.
Speaker B:As your child hits 48 inches, they might not be ready for it, but have them maybe wait in line with you.
Speaker B:Maybe let them see the.
Speaker B:The queue and let them see the launch so that they know what they're in for before they're.
Speaker B:Before they decide.
Speaker A:All right, let's talk about the queue for a second.
Speaker A:I know it's gone, so it's going to be changed to Muppets and we'll see what they do there.
Speaker A:But did you find with Aerosmith and limousines and paparazzi and rock and roll, like little kids don't understand that.
Speaker A:They just know they're going on a ride.
Speaker A:They don't know what the purpose of the ride is.
Speaker A:Does that have any effect on your kids riding this thing?
Speaker B:No, not at all.
Speaker B:They didn't know who Aerosmith was in the whole pre show situation.
Speaker B:I don't think they really understood that either.
Speaker B:So that's.
Speaker A:It's a real.
Speaker A:It's more of an adult concept like get us to a concert and.
Speaker A:And we're getting a limousine and paparazzi's here.
Speaker A:We're chasing it out and getting, you know, going through the streets of LA and all of that stuff.
Speaker A:I think for a kid it's like, is that just.
Speaker A:What ride is this?
Speaker A:What are we doing?
Speaker A:We're going on a fast ride, I guess.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:All right, let's go to some of the.
Speaker A:Some of the rides that have been added, including Slinky Dog Dash, a ride you mentioned earlier.
Speaker A:This is a more family friendly roller coaster really built for kids of all ages.
Speaker B:What.
Speaker A:What is your initial impressions and your kids.
Speaker A:Initial impressions?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's an.
Speaker B:This is my favorite one.
Speaker B:I love it.
Speaker B:I think it's so much fun.
Speaker B:My kids love this one also.
Speaker B:Cora hated it the first time she wrote it again.
Speaker B:It's like Seven Dwarfs.
Speaker B:You're gonna have that low height requirement for this one.
Speaker B:And so I think that as soon as they hit that height requirement, go ahead and let them try this one.
Speaker B:The intensity to a three and four year old is going to feel like a lot.
Speaker B:But it is a good gauge to see where there's, where they are in terms of thrill rides.
Speaker B:And it's one that a lot of families can ride together.
Speaker A:And if you're a fan of the Toy Story franchise, it's one of those, you get to see the big games and the big toys and it's like if you remember the movie and you're like, this is neat.
Speaker B:So much fun.
Speaker A:They've, they've, they've enlarged all this to make me feel like a toy riding this ride.
Speaker A:So again, I, I enjoy, I've only been on it once.
Speaker A:I enjoyed it when we went on.
Speaker A:It was one of those family, huge family trips that my parents took everybody for Christmas and then would like, we're going on this ride.
Speaker A:You'll love it.
Speaker A:We all did.
Speaker A:Rise of the Resistance.
Speaker A:I think this is my favorite ride of all the rides in the theme park.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm a Star wars guy.
Speaker A:I think it's brilliantly executed.
Speaker A:It's got everything.
Speaker A:I think this ride incorporates so much in a ride.
Speaker A:It's part theater, it is a motion ride.
Speaker A:There is some visual sort of effects that go into this.
Speaker A:There are some props that are just jaw dropping.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so I think when you add these elements to it, the fact that you're in a story, you're actually in a story and then, and you're seeing some things that you know you would you have only seen on the movie.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And their, and their life size.
Speaker A:Plus the fact that effects wise, when a blaster goes off behind you and then you see the burn mark.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Right in front of you.
Speaker A:These are elements of it that are great.
Speaker A:I, I don't know far as thrilling.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It moves quickly around all over the place, spins you around.
Speaker A:There's that one visual where it's like you're landing.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:Thrilling would be the right word for it.
Speaker A:So I don't, I put it in this category because I know it's sort of advanced.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I agree with you.
Speaker B:I don't know that there's a whole lot of thrill to it.
Speaker B:But you.
Speaker B:There is a height requirement here.
Speaker B:So it's a lot of parents will say, well, is it going to be okay for my child if they're tall enough?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I think that if you're tall enough to write it.
Speaker B:If you don't have any restrictions or anything that there's not going to be anything in here that's particularly scary or that would be jarring in terms physically for, for.
Speaker B:For anybody that's tall enough to ride it.
Speaker A:The next one I put.
Speaker A:I put.
Speaker A:I combine these two because they're motion simulators.
Speaker A:It's Star Tours and Millennium Falcon.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:They don't really go anywhere, but it makes you feel like you're going somewhere.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I, I've thought Star Tours to me and this is, this is unfortunate.
Speaker A:I feel like is an outdated thing.
Speaker A:It was great 30 years ago.
Speaker A:It's a little outdated.
Speaker A:It just moves back and forth.
Speaker A:It doesn't feel as thrilling as other rides.
Speaker A:I know there's nothing they can do about it.
Speaker A:This is a ride they're going to keep because they have the Star Wars IP Millennium Falcon.
Speaker A:Though.
Speaker A:I was a little disappointed when I went on this.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think that it's.
Speaker B:When we were so much build up to Galaxy's Edge and we have two attractions.
Speaker B:I do think that there was a lot of disappointment around this one.
Speaker B:It's more of a filler ride.
Speaker B:I think at this point it's not one that I necessarily recommend that my clients must do unless they're Star wars fans.
Speaker B:And even then it's kind of one that even Graham, who is a big Star wars fan, doesn't have to do every time he's there.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it's kind of similar to what they did over at it at.
Speaker A:At Animal Kingdom with Avatar, which is.
Speaker A:They have one fantastic ride.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:The Navi river journey is nice, but it's not a.
Speaker A:It's not going to break your mind.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Don't do it.
Speaker A:It's a little disappointing because when the, when the news started coming out that you'll be in the Millennium Falcon, I was, I was okay with the whole prop aspect of it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I took my picture at the checkerboard.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I did all that.
Speaker A:But the ride mechanism itself, maybe it's because I wasn't piloting the thing.
Speaker A:I mean, I was sitting back letting my kids do it.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:Maybe that's why I was a little bit like I wasn't as grand as I thought.
Speaker A:But overall these are screen based so there's no dips.
Speaker A:There's just what you see.
Speaker A:And like a point you made earlier.
Speaker A:If things get a little scary, shut your eyes.
Speaker A:You won't even know you're on a ride.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:All right, let's go to Animal Kingdom.
Speaker A:Now, and let's talk about one of my favorite actual roller coasters, and that's Everest.
Speaker B:Yeah, but you.
Speaker B:I like it, actually.
Speaker B:I will ride Everest.
Speaker B:This one is one that.
Speaker B:When you were talking about Lori earlier about how she anticipates a certain point in Guardians, I kind of feel that way about Everest a little bit because I do not enjoy the backwards part.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:I have to kind of hold my breath and, like, just get my way through it.
Speaker B:As soon as that part is over, I'm able to enjoy the rest of the ride.
Speaker A:Going backwards is a weird feeling.
Speaker B:It is very strong because you are.
Speaker A:You don't see what's behind you and you're in the dark anyway, but you don't know what you can.
Speaker A:You know what's coming.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Whereas a regular roller coaster, if you're outside, you see, you can say, okay, we got a dip, then we got a spin.
Speaker A:You're going backwards.
Speaker A:And the first time can be really, like.
Speaker A:There can be a lot of anxiety when you're going backwards the first time.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I think this is one.
Speaker A:A very cleverly themed ride.
Speaker A:I love the whole exhibit, the queue.
Speaker A:Like, you're going on this expedition.
Speaker A:There's this yeti.
Speaker A:What is it?
Speaker A:Who is it?
Speaker A:What's going on?
Speaker A:Why are all these other expeditions been thwarted in the past?
Speaker A:You're getting this feeling like something's really interesting.
Speaker A:And then I.
Speaker A:I've made this point before when you get to the top and you pause and you can look out and see because of the flatness of Florida buildings and stuff in the distance, that I think that I find that pretty cool.
Speaker B:Very cool.
Speaker B:But that's also an aspect that's Graham's least favorite part of the ride.
Speaker A:When you're up at the top of the banner and you're just waiting there.
Speaker B:With the broken track, so.
Speaker A:Because you know you're going backwards.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:He will close his eyes throughout the entire climb up.
Speaker B:And then once we get that part again, he closes his heights, because he.
Speaker B:He hates that part.
Speaker A:The heights that used to.
Speaker A:The original design of that had a yeti with a big arm that was supposed to swing down.
Speaker A:They couldn't get that mechanism to be perfected.
Speaker A:So you don't get that aspect of it.
Speaker A:Supposed to be pretty awesome.
Speaker A:Then by the time I wrote it, it would have been already removed.
Speaker A:Let's go to Flight of Passage.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Motion.
Speaker A:But yet there is a real thrill to this one.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I could only ride this one once.
Speaker B:It was one that, even with me closing my eyes on, just was A lot to handle.
Speaker B:If you have motion sickness, be very, very aware of this ride.
Speaker B:It is a fantastic ride if you don't deal with motion sickness.
Speaker B:But it is truly a thrilling motion motion simulator.
Speaker A:I, I, I've heard of people get on this ride and as soon as they get the glasses go, nope, I'm out.
Speaker A:I've done this before.
Speaker A:I don't do well with these things.
Speaker A:Yeah, there's, there is a visual aspect of it that requires the three dimensional glasses.
Speaker A:Some people get, get real nauseous with that.
Speaker A:Some people get headaches with that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So if you are one of those people, I don't recommend it because in order to really enjoy it, you have to really feel like you've been immersed into this.
Speaker A:That's on the screen.
Speaker A:The ride mechanism is very unique because the ride is.
Speaker A:You're riding one of these banshee birds.
Speaker A:Banshee birds.
Speaker A:And you actually are on a machine.
Speaker A:And if you're, it'll breathe.
Speaker A:It'll, it, it's an amazing ride mechanism to make you feel like you're really on a live animal.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But it's a heavy ride.
Speaker A:It's, it's a ride.
Speaker A:If you see the line outside its gate, it's a long wait.
Speaker A:It's a long wait, especially in the heat because if it's hot, you're going through a queue that's wrapping around a lot of the sort of theming of Pandora.
Speaker A:And you, you just can't wait to get inside air conditioning.
Speaker B:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker A:Now if you get to a point where you don't see a lot of people in front, get in because once you're inside, it's not, it's not that bad.
Speaker A:And there's a lot of cool things if you are a fan of the movie to take pictures of while you're in the queue, do.
Speaker A:But again, I would do it once if you find yourself loving it.
Speaker A:My, my father, for example, loves this.
Speaker A:And back before COVID with the season pass, he would often check to see how busy a particular day was.
Speaker A:If it was a light day, they would boogie down there, go on a couple of rides and go to dinner.
Speaker A:Like that's what he would.
Speaker A:Damn.
Speaker A:That's retirement for you.
Speaker A:And then Collie river rapids.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Thrilling.
Speaker A:Not thrilling.
Speaker B:I don't think it's thrilling.
Speaker B:It's one of those.
Speaker B:I do enjoy it if I know that I'm gonna get on there and not get soaked.
Speaker B:But I am at the stage of life that I don't like to have wet socks.
Speaker B:Socks.
Speaker A:Hey, I, I made the joke when I was there last.
Speaker A:I said, if you can guarantee me that I wouldn't get wet, I would enjoy it.
Speaker A:I'm with you.
Speaker A:One, it's not refreshing.
Speaker A:People think it's refreshing on a hot day.
Speaker A:It's not.
Speaker A:No, it's not refreshing too.
Speaker A:It's a real pain when you are soaked and you are in wet socks and you're walking around all day.
Speaker A:It's horrible.
Speaker A:And you will remember that stupid raft ride causing you discomfort and whatnot when you're walking around that park when you're drenched.
Speaker B:Better just skip it.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Any ones I'm missing on our thrill ride directory of the Walt Disney World complex?
Speaker B:No, I think we've pretty much covered it because, I mean, we're about to.
Speaker B:To the dinosaurs are about to be extinct again.
Speaker B:So, you know, so I think we pretty much covered everything.
Speaker B:And if you're unsure, there are so many POV videos on YouTube you can check out.
Speaker B:I like to do that with my kids beforehand to kind of let them take a look.
Speaker B:I, I do that instead of stay spoiler free.
Speaker B:I would rather see it before I do it, so.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:I know a lot of people, you know, like when Seven Dwarves Mind Train, they didn't want to watch videos.
Speaker A:And Tron, they didn't want to see videos.
Speaker A:But again, if you're talking about your kids and the enjoyment of your kids, because I do remember my daughter going on a ride and hating it and she was kind of miserable for the rest of the day.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And she was 6 and I get it.
Speaker A:But it was, it was a ride that we thought she would enjoy.
Speaker A:We thought she was okay with.
Speaker A:She had gone on similar rides, but it didn't hit her.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And she kind of, you know, she kind of checked out and sometimes you get that.
Speaker A:So as a parent, if you're looking at whether or not your kid can go on a throw ride ride, do check it out beforehand because you may know things about your child that Disney doesn't.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Like we said at the beginning of this podcast, again, just because your child meets the height requirement, there is some theming elements.
Speaker A:There's some other things that are going on on the thrill ride that they might not enjoy.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:Well, like I said before, Disney has really stepped up some of their thrill rides from what they did in the past.
Speaker A:Hope you like the podcast.
Speaker A:Please like and subscribe.
Speaker A:Leave us a five star review if you do.
Speaker A:That's Lauren Mallard from All the Magic travel.
Speaker A:I'm Tony.
Speaker A:Tony Desiri.
Speaker A:We will see you next time on Wands and Wishes.
