Test Track 2012 Update

[HauntedGabe]

You're stupid... blah, blah, blah. You live in Wisconsin, blah, blah, blah. You're always pining for the old attractions and can't embrace change... blah, blah, blah. People can ONLY have MY opinion and never any to the contrary.

There. Feel better now?

Anyway, I feel Disney did well removing the old "educational" slow moving rides from Epcot. The biggest stallwart right now is Universe of Energy, which is still one of THE worst rides on property. Even adding Ellen and Bill Nye wasn't enough, and Bill very much dates the ride. At least Ellen has managed to keep herself current.

I'm not sure you could even put Energy in the category of slow, it is such a painful crawl. I hadn't been on it in many years and did last year during a huge thunderstorm. It is a shame you just can't leave like in a movie theater when the movie is too painful to endure.

[Mo Noyz]

Just curious...before the first "remake" of JII, was it a popular attraction (in relation to other Futureworld attractions and its own capacity)? Or had it dwindled, prompting the remake?

I'm wondering if it suffered from it's location - at the extreme end if the area, with no "through" traffic - basically the same as Wonders of Life.

It was as popular as it always had been to that point. Which was about as popular as Horizons.

I do disagree with your point about the location, though. What pavilion in Future World has "through" traffic? If nothing else, Universe of Energy and The Living Seas have the worst locations.

[supernova]

I'm not sure you could even put Energy in the category of slow, it is such a painful crawl. I hadn't been on it in many years and did last year during a huge thunderstorm. It is a shame you just can't leave like in a movie theater when the movie is too painful to endure.

I'm the same way with the second half of The Great Movie Ride. I understand that, when the park first opened, they were worried about a lack of attractions, so they took their "weenie" and made a lengthy ride out of it. Now that the Chinese Theater is slightly less than an afterthought, it might be time for an overhaul of the attraction. Although today in 2013, it is still very much a half-day park.

[doconeill]

It was as popular as it always had been to that point. Which was about as popular as Horizons.

I do disagree with your point about the location, though. What pavilion in Future World has "through" traffic? If nothing else, Universe of Energy and The Living Seas have the worst locations.

I oversimplified - it's not technically linear, but it's more of a perception thing.

On the East side, although there are multiple potential paths, the natural traffic seems to go by Test Track, then Mission: Space, then UOE and Wonders of Life. WoL is odd that it is at least visually set further back, so it basically is at the "end" of the walk.

On the West side, it's a bit different, with only 3 such pavilions. In theory they are roughly the same distance from the hub (the courtyard just outside Innoventions West. Yes, both the Seas and Imagination are at opposite "ends" of this area. But it seems that most people do seem to gravitate towards the Seas as part of their touring plan, and there are at least two attractions in there, with one of them heavily advertised (Turtle Talk with Crush), so it seems to be more of a "destination" than JII/EO are.

Imagination is at a stub end. It's close to the WS/flower garden paths, but does not connect. You need to double back quite a ways to get over to the WS. This makes it inconvenient as a location, so in general the only traffic near it is that which treats it as a destination.

I think it would benefit greatly (aside from a major refurb with something new to replace EO and JII returned to original form) if they made a convenient path connecting its area to the flower garden paths, especially if that's the optimal route from The Land to WS.

This is just my perception of the areas, but I know others have similar perceptions as I've discussed them with others who agreed.

[Mo Noyz]

I see what you're saying. Kinda...

It's weird, I always pass by Journey on my way to World Showcase. That's one of my favorite paths. That's why it just doesn't seem "off the beaten path" to me.

Also, I've always seen Journey as having the visual attraction aspect. A mini-weenie, so to speak.

[supernova]

The trouble there is that, while the building might have the visual appeal, the interior now has the appeal of a dead pet. A dated Michael Jackson film with 'enhanced' effects (I'm all in favor of removing the 4D aspect from films if it means I won't have to get squirted in the face by water every single time), a subpar attraction, and a boring post-show area. I'll walk by and watch the hopping water, or view the reverse waterfall, but strictly for nostalgia. Other than that, my wife likes the rose garden near there. These days, JII offers as much reason to visit as the Odyssey. The abbreviated evening hours are telling.

[Mo Noyz]

I didn't think the original offered all that much, to be perfectly honest. Other than the long gone upstairs area, which was kind of cool. I haven't even seen the current version of the ride.

[supernova]

And you are missing... zero. I visited it a couple of years ago and I'm good for another few years at this point.

[Mo Noyz]

Not quite sure what it was, but even the original simply never appealed to me. It was cute, but I just never 'got' it the way almost everyone else did.

On a loosely related note, I did finally watch the first two Toy Story movies this weekend. Got the trilogy on Bluray.

[supernova]

Word was that Toy Story 3 was to be the last of the saga. Now they're talking about 4??

[Mo Noyz]

I heard 3 was the best. Pretty cool considering how good the first two were.

[clj2]

I don't know if you've done the (now ruined) Seas ride, but if it's any perspective, JII w/ Figment is better...

[supernova]

I know I rode the first two versions but don't remember them very well. And this latest version leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[clj2]

I know there are some things around FW that need updating (Energy, Imagination, Circle Of Life, namely), but I hesitate to suggest they do anything to them....I don't really want another Horizons to Space-type change (where there was a calm, mass-appeal attraction replaced by a offensive, small appeal thrill ride). I'd rather just have them in their current state, but that's JMO.

[Mo Noyz]

I don't know if you've done the (now ruined) Seas ride, but if it's any perspective, JII w/ Figment is better...

The Living Seas was the best overall pavilion in Future World when it first opened. And one I sorely miss.

Don't even get me started on The Seas w/Nemo and Friends...