Seven Dwarves Mine Train Soft Opening???

[AndrewJackson]

Hmmm... Well, if I HAVE to make a choice, I want them to get it right.

I am not sure why we have to make a choice. It seems like TDO could get it right and finish it within 3 years of the announcement. It's just ONE ride, for goodness sake.

[Melanie]

Hmmm... Well, if I HAVE to make a choice, I want them to get it right.



I am not sure why we have to make a choice. It seems like TDO could get it right and finish it within 3 years of the announcement. It's just ONE ride, for goodness sake.

Exactly.

[Lindsey310]

I sure hope it is ready for our trip in August It is all my kids are talking about

You prob have a great chance of this...I have heard so many rumors but early summer was the latest rumor that's been around the internet, although disney hasn't announced an official date.


3 days!!!

[DizneyFreak2002]

would you rather they rushed it and got it wrong and it was a disaster or take longer and do it right the first time so that it will be the attraction that people will want to ride and one that won't be out of commission constantly.

Too bad they don't take their time building to make sure they get it right, but only to spread money out over fiscal quarters/years... If they took their time to get it right, then we wouldn't have the junkfest which is the Little Mermaid ride... And no one would be complaining...

[Altair]

Have you forgotten about Test Track?

I'll never forget it. I think we went three years in a row and it wasn't open yet. At least the last time we got to hear the cars whizzing around the track.

[r4kids]

Has anyone heard of an approximate ride height for this ride??

[BrerGnat]

Has anyone heard of an approximate ride height for this ride??

I am going to guess 35". Just a hunch. 40" tops. They mentioned it being an attraction that families can enjoy together, and being in Fantasyland, I would expect the height requirement to reflect the audience.

[Ian]

I'm very surprised to see/hear people bad-mouthing Little Mermaid. Sometimes I really feel like Disney, for as much as they admittedly get wrong, can't win.

Some of the exact same people I've seen lamenting the fact that Disney seemed to have abandoned the classic dark ride then turn around and complain when they build what I think is one of the best they've ever done?

My family and I really, really enjoy Little Mermaid and goodness knows it's my twins' favorite. I think it's incredibly well done, fun, and 100% in line with what I expect from a classic Disney dark ride.

I'm not one to defend Disney, but sheesh ... give credit where credit is due.

[BigB]

I work in construction and if we can build a casino in seven months how come they cannot finish a single coaster?

For what Little Mermaid was (classic Disney ride) it was good but it just seemed to lack something. It felt like they took the extra shells from "Living with the Seas" (Nemo ruined that ride for me too!) and drove you around a stop motion set. I don't have children (expecting our first in Sept) so my opinion of Fantasy Land is a bit skewed but I didn't find it amazing. Nice and visually pleasing but basically they added a themed bathroom. All those characters and lands they created and there is one new ride. And yes I know about the Dumbos and the Barnstormer ride but neither appeal to me. Plus they had Dumbo originally. I'll ride on Aladdin and try to get the camel to spit on my fiancé. I really really hope that Mine Train is an amazing ride. I hope Avatar is really good and I hope that Downtown Disney becomes the place it needs to be. As much as it pains me to say this but if neither of these are true my next trip might be my last for a very long time.

[Terra]

I agree.

I'd much rather it be safe for my children and I.
I don't really care what Universal or other parks do.

I hope I don't offend anyone, truly not my intention. Lately all I see and read is negative about Disney here I used to enjoy coming here more and sharing the magic and now I see so much negative though that I feel like I can't discuss positives.

Again, sorry if I offend with this. It's just what I noticed.

[Strmchsr]

Lately all I see and read is negative about Disney here I used to enjoy coming here more and sharing the magic and now I see so much negative though that I feel like I can't discuss positives.

You can absolutely post your positive feelings. There are a couple of posters on here who seem bound and determined to just be negative, but the vast majority of folks on here (me included) still love Disney. What you're seeing is a large amount of frustration being expressed by people who love Disney but are being really turned off by several of the new policies and practices of Disney. TDO has made some very, very boneheaded decisions lately that are negatively impacting the guest experience. So, it's not that everyone hates Disney now. Just the opposite. We still love it and are frustrated by the management's continuous policies to reduce what used to be fun and magical at WDW.

[Melanie]

You can absolutely post your positive feelings. There are a couple of posters on here who seem bound and determined to just be negative, but the vast majority of folks on here (me included) still love Disney. What you're seeing is a large amount of frustration being expressed by people who love Disney but are being really turned off by several of the new policies and practices of Disney. TDO has made some very, very boneheaded decisions lately that are negatively impacting the guest experience. So, it's not that everyone hates Disney now. Just the opposite. We still love it and are frustrated by the management's continuous policies to reduce what used to be fun and magical at WDW.

Exactly. We crank because we care! I hate that I've been feeling down on Disney recently, but like Chris mentioned, the boneheaded decisions are hard to take. I think you'll see that across the Disney community as a whole, but I guarantee we're more positive here at INTERCOT than most.

As for those consistently negative posters, don't forget we have an ignore button if you don't want to see it.

[DizneyFreak2002]

You can absolutely post your positive feelings. There are a couple of posters on here who seem bound and determined to just be negative, but the vast majority of folks on here (me included) still love Disney. What you're seeing is a large amount of frustration being expressed by people who love Disney but are being really turned off by several of the new policies and practices of Disney. TDO has made some very, very boneheaded decisions lately that are negatively impacting the guest experience. So, it's not that everyone hates Disney now. Just the opposite. We still love it and are frustrated by the management's continuous policies to reduce what used to be fun and magical at WDW.

Thank you! We aren't being negative for the sake of being negative... You just cannot help it with, as you point out, the bonehead decisions Orlando management, and to an extent, P&R division have been making for WDW...

Some of us hold Disney to their own standards, standards they no longer hold themselves to, in WDW anyway... Good enough is not always good enough... And good enough is not good enough for many of us.. Disney used to go above and beyond... I will never defend mediocrity from this company.. Some people want to, that's their business... I won't... I will always hold Disney to a higher standard, a standard they created... Good enough is a failure in my eyes... And if that means I am a Negative Nelly, then so be it...

[Ian]

I don't have children (expecting our first in Sept) so my opinion of Fantasy Land is a bit skewed but I didn't find it amazing. Nice and visually pleasing but basically they added a themed bathroom. All those characters and lands they created and there is one new ride. And yes I know about the Dumbos and the Barnstormer ride but neither appeal to me. Plus they had Dumbo originally.

I actually agree completely with this sentiment. I've been pretty vocal in my disappointment with the lack of ... well ... anything of substance in "New Fantasyland."

I was strictly defending TLM as a standalone attraction.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

The way I look at it, I studied social sciences and I never too a single class in basic engineering so I really have no dog in this fight. I get that the project keeps getting pushed back, but I don't know whats going on behind those walls. My philosophy is to let them do their thing.

Yes, Disneyland was built in a year. Yes, the Magic Kingdom is an engineering masterpiece, but keep in mind that when they were building those parks they didn't have millions of visitors in a day. It was just them, not having to work around park guests.

That's not a good or a bad thing, in my book. It's just the way things are. Rome wasn't built in a day and nor will the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

[Terra]

The way I look at it, I studied social sciences and I never too a single class in basic engineering so I really have no dog in this fight. I get that the project keeps getting pushed back, but I don't know whats going on behind those walls. My philosophy is to let them do their thing.

Yes, Disneyland was built in a year. Yes, the Magic Kingdom is an engineering masterpiece, but keep in mind that when they were building those parks they didn't have millions of visitors in a day. It was just them, not having to work around park guests.

That's not a good or a bad thing, in my book. It's just the way things are. Rome wasn't built in a day and nor will the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

That's a great point. Also many laws have changed since then, safety things, etc.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Yes, Disneyland was built in a year. Yes, the Magic Kingdom is an engineering masterpiece, but keep in mind that when they were building those parks they didn't have millions of visitors in a day. It was just them, not having to work around park guests.

That's all well and good, and would be a nice excuse if it weren't for another theme park up the road... One who built a massive E ticket in the middle of a working and open crowded theme park, with NO direct access from backstage to the work site.... Yet, they pulled it off in one year... From tearing down an old building, to removing the mess, to prepping the land, to building the new attraction, to programming everything... 13 months...

If Disney wanted to, 7D could have been done in 13 months as well... They have easier access to the work site, they don't have to drive trucks with equipment through the park... And it isn't as advanced as Transformers is... Facts are Disney chooses to take forever in building projects to spread costs out over quarters/years... 3 years for a D ticket family coaster is too long a time... Nothing wrong with that... However, in the eyes of many, Disney looks silly...

And to top it off, this isn't going to be a mind blowing attraction... For as long as it is taking, it should be mind blowing... it won't be...

[r4kids]

I read on trip advisor they have let cast memners ride. That they plan to soft open last week in feb. Has anyone else heard or was this group posting misinformed??

[Strmchsr]

I read on trip advisor they have let cast memners ride. That they plan to soft open last week in feb. Has anyone else heard or was this group posting misinformed??

That information is incorrect. They are not to the human testing phase yet. Some of the Imagineers have ridden through parts to test it out, but not random CMs.

[TheVBs]

We're going end of April/beginning of May and really hoping we'll be able to ride as well.

As for how long it's taking.... not knowing a thing about what it takes or what their problems may be, and not having any genuinely, well educated knowledge of anything else to compare it to... I'll avoid offering my uneducated opinion here.

As an aside, we love the new Little Mermaid ride too.