Attraction Changes over the years I Remember... Lost Attractions of WDW & More Discuss Attraction Changes over the years in the I Remember... forums; I thought it would be fun to have a spot where we can discuss changes made to attractions within the Walt Disney World parks. I'll start off with a few: ...

[thunderman04-07]

I thought it would be fun to have a spot where we can discuss changes made to attractions within the Walt Disney World parks.

I'll start off with a few: The new Haunted Mansion. I absolutely love it. Especially the part with the Escheresque stairs and the floating Leota Crytal Ball. And the audio is alot clearer and louder in the areas that needed it.

Pirates- Im more neutral on this. Its great to have Captain Sparrow running around the attraction, but it kinda takes me out of the adventure and puts me in a movie.

Anyone else feel free to openly discuss your feelings/opinions here on changes done over time!

[Toad's Buddy]

Here's a photo collage of how the Carousel of Progress has changed over the years...

1964/1965 World's Fair

1967 Disneyland

1975 Walt Disney World

1993-Present Walt Disney World

[envypeterpan]

I completely agree with you on the Haunted Mansion. I am not a fan of Captain Jack Sparrow being in Pirates. I don't mind him the first few times, but one of my favorite scenes from the ride was the final one where all of the pirates were drunk and shooting every which way, and there were a lot of little details added to the room. I just wish Captain Jack wouldn't have been put into the final scene. Everything else I am fine with, however.

Another attraction that gets huge props from me for the changes is Tower of Terror. I love that it is now random compared to how it was when it first came out.

[thunderman04-07]

Oh yes. I love how you never know what to expect when you get shot up!! And i love how it goes from AC and cool in the ride area to warm and damp in the tower, thats how you can prepare yourself for the ride up!

Ok another ride that has changed for the good recently was Space Ship Earth, its more interactive now, while still retaining alot of the original ride. And the new project tomorrow area is nice too! Something fun thats inside when its hot! They do need to staff it better though, maybe add queue lines to some of the more popular games on the inside when its a busy day?

One ride that changed that im not too ok with is the boat ride in Mexico. I liked it when it was educational and historical.....now it just looks like they took a Mexico travel brochure and the 3 Caballeros and stuck them in a blender.....lol

[envypeterpan]

Personally, I really like how Mexico added the Three Caballeros, but I am a huge animation nut so it was great to see these characters back again. I think the future generation should get to know classic cartoons instead of some of the not so great cartoons that are on TV and in movies these days.

A ride that I am still not 100% sure about yet is The Living Seas, now with Finding Nemo. I love Finding Nemo, and I loved how they added the characters into the ride, but I still have to ride it a few more times to be completely sure. (I've only been on it about three times so far)

[thunderman04-07]

Alot of the cast at Nemo arent big fans of the Clammobiles. They prefered the seas when the Hydrolators were there, when it was Seabase Alpha. I like the nemo ride, I am working on setting up a saltwater fish aquarium to recreate a live version of the dentist office fish tank :-)

[envypeterpan]

Haha. That's funny that you say that because while I was doing my student teaching I asked my students if they would want me to bring something like that into the classroom and they thought it was stupid. Granted, they were fifth graders so a lot of them were too "cool" for Nemo at the time.

[NC_WDW_Daddy]

I miss Jeremy Irons narration in SE, but love the changes they have made. I kind of enjoy when they update attractions. It shows a willingness to follow Walt's vision of the Park never being complete.

[KINGCRAB]

Personally, I've been pleased with just about every attraction change/refurb that they've done so far (Tiki Room, Stitch, Laugh Floor, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Small World, Country Bears, Imagination, Spaceship Earth, Gran Fiesta Tour, The Seas, O Canada, Reflections of China, American Adventure, etc.).

I guess that unlike most other members of the Disney fan community, I'm not as hard as please and I'm more open to change. And I think that Walt would've loved all of the aforementioned changes, which I think were all done with utmost reverence and respect to the past.

All too many members of the Disney fan community seem to have nothing better to do but to mindlessly bash ANY and EVERY change at a Disney park without mercy, no matter who big or small it may be--the sort of behavior that has been ticking me off lately and giving me incentive to want to avoid all of those many anti-Disney sites/forums/blogs that I think everybody should avoid at all costs (including, but not limited to, MiceAge, Re-Imagineering, Epcot Central, WDWMagic, Laughingplace.com, etc.).

After all, there IS a difference between complaining out of necessity and complaining just for the sake of complaining (like the aforementioned sites take delight in doing).

It helps to go experience the new or changed attractions with an open mind and an understanding of why they had to occur.

[thunderman04-07]

This isnt a bashing thread, but more of an open discussion of likes and dislikes. I do love every attraction that graces any Disney Park, but there are some versions of attractions that i liked "pre change".

Change is a great thing, it is something Walt believed in. He believed that everything should never be finished, and with change is it ever really done?

On another note, i heard in the rumor mill that Magic Kingdom will be closing Big Thunder Mountain for an extended period of time in order to relay the track, and redo the trains themselves. Anyone else hear about this?

[envypeterpan]

I completely agree with you thunderman. No matter what I am extremely bias towards every ride in a Disney park compared to ones at Universal or a Six Flags, but sometimes you do like the rides before. I do enjoy The Living Seas with Nemo and Friends, however, I'm not quite sure if I enjoy it more than the original. No matter what, change is always good...unless they changed the monorail into a dualrail...that may be pushing it.

[Bobby2]

Originally Posted by KINGCRAB

All too many members of the Disney fan community seem to have nothing better to do but to mindlessly bash ANY and EVERY change at a Disney park without mercy, no matter who big or small it may be--the sort of behavior that has been ticking me off lately and giving me incentive to want to avoid all of those many anti-Disney sites/forums/blogs that I think everybody should avoid at all costs (including, but not limited to, MiceAge, Re-Imagineering, Epcot Central, WDWMagic, Laughingplace.com, etc.).

After all, there IS a difference between complaining out of necessity and complaining just for the sake of complaining (like the aforementioned sites take delight in doing).

I disliked Alien and the re-do to Stitch, well, my opinion, bad to worse.
But I don't believe that opinion makes me mindless. It is an opinion not meant to tick anyone off. If we are to have a forum of interest one would think we could respectfully disagree.

[thunderman04-07]

And not all changes are done cosmetically, at splash mountain they rearranged the loading area to where each console can dispatch its own log as long as the one in front of it is gone. And so far it has nearly cut the wait time in half, and has boosted the capacity numbers higher.

[KINGCRAB]

Originally Posted by Bobby2

But I don't believe that opinion makes me mindless.

I was not referring to you or anyone else on this forum directly.

It is an opinion not meant to tick anyone off. If we are to have a forum of interest one would think we could respectfully disagree.

I can understand and respect that. After all, everybody has opinions and everyone is entitled to them.

It's just that far too many other Disney sites, including the ones that I mentioned in my last reply, tend to give Disney and those who love it (hardcore geek or not) a bad name and take delight in taking mere criticism to a place of utter hatred and hostility, showing absolutely no dignity or respect for those with opposing views--that's the kind of thing that I just can't stand.

The negativity of those other sites tends to rub off on me at times.

Perhaps if those other sites weren't so whiney and plagued with one complaint-fest after another, tolerating differing opinions would most likely be an easier thing to do.

[thunderman04-07]

I hope this thread doesnt turn into one of those disney hating sites, it isnt the intention. Im only curious in others opinions on the changes, how they are good, how they could be better, and attractions we all might miss.