Should Space Mountain Get A Space Lift?

[Narnia Fan]

Since Space Mountain at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris got a space lift, do you guys think Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom should get a space lift also? What do you think? If you would like it to get a new change, what do you want to see?

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Magic Kingdom's Space Mtn's coaster layout is certainly lacking compared to its counterparts. It's old, rough and less thrilling than the other versions. I say bulldoze the current track, and build a new coaster with one track that blows the other 2 away. There's certainly enough space in there to do it.

-- PMM

[CostaFreak]

Originally Posted by PeoplemoverMatt

Magic Kingdom's Space Mtn's coaster layout is certainly lacking compared to its counterparts. It's old, rough and less thrilling than the other versions. I say bulldoze the current track, and build a new coaster with one track that blows the other 2 away. There's certainly enough space in there to do it.

-- PMM

OR...they can still make another two tracked layout that is almost exactly the same, but still feels more thrilling than the current ride.

Remember, it's not always the track that influences the ride experience, which was proven in the DLR SM refurb. Yes, the track can be changed to be smoother, but the layout could stay. All it needs to be a better ride experience anyways is more darkness, better effects, and a soundtrack.

BTW PMM, since you've been to TDL recently, compare thier SM last year to this year. They didn't change anything to the track, but it's alot better, right? That proves that big screams don't always come in big packages.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Originally Posted by CostaFreak

OR...they can still make another two tracked layout that is almost exactly the same, but still feels more thrilling than the current ride.

It's hard to be more thrilling with the same layout when thrills come from the ride layout itself. The track layout by definition needs to change for a coaster to become 'more thrilling'. In this Space Mtn's case, since the current layout is identical to Disneyland's Matterhorn, there is a lot of room in there to add more thrilling elements such as inversions, airtime hills, helixs, etc. That's why I wanted to only go with one track because it would allow for the best use of space. Having two tracks in there wastes space on a 2nd track that could have been used for other elements.

Originally Posted by CostaFreak

Remember, it's not always the track that influences the ride experience, which was proven in the DLR SM refurb. Yes, the track can be changed to be smoother, but the layout could stay. All it needs to be a better ride experience anyways is more darkness, better effects, and a soundtrack.

If MK's Space Mtn's track layout was the same as DLR's, that might be true, but MK's current layout is less thrilling than DLR's. So, even if MK's received the same upgrades that DLR received, it'd still be lacking in the track layout area by comparison. DLR's layout was about as good as it could get in its given space. MK's has a bunch of extra space if they don't insist on 2 tracks, so why not use it to create a more thrilling ride experience at the same time?

Originally Posted by CostaFreak

BTW PMM, since you've been to TDL recently, compare thier SM last year to this year. They didn't change anything to the track, but it's alot better, right? That proves that big screams don't always come in big packages.

No I wouldn't call it 'a lot better'. The only things that were changed were pre-show elements. New entrance marquee, queue video, safety video, spaceship in the loading area, lift hill effects and removal of large red 'thing'.

The lift hill effects were rather underwhelming. Nice use of mirrors in the first lift hill, but after that its basically nothing but darkness until you go into the main building with all the stars, where you see the red thing's gone but nothing (not even an unlit asteroid) put in its place. No on-ride music either. So no I don't consider it 'a lot better', I don't even consider it better really. The new ship is cool, and you'll be seeing pictures of it soon, but that's about it really.

-- PMM

[Narnia Fan]

What do you mean by the new ship is cool? I didn't know it got a new ship. Did I missed something? Also, if you go to Utube, you will know that most of the videos of Space Mt. from the Magic Kingdom are the ones with the lights on. I also had problems looking for a good video of it.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Tokyo Disneyland's Space Mountain just received a new ship in its loading area.

-- PMM

[Narnia Fan]

Oh! My bad! I thought the one in Florida got it.

[Disney_Guy]

Here's the "newer" version of Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMwSCS-pihs

It features a, uh.... Interesting video at the beginning that you see while in line... Nothing special there, right?
But what's really cool about their queue is when you reach the boarding station. Same exact layout as DLR's Space Mountain, but it's tone and mood is a lot more interesting and cooler than ours (IMHO). Simply more going on in that room with effects. Wouldn't it be cool if ours were like that?
Well, that's all that's really better, I guess.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

I filmed the video in the queue myself while I was there as I thought it was really cool. Finally we have an explanation as to what a ship is doing in there in the first place!

And it's not quite the same layout as ours. They don't have that annoying split of the line down the very last hill to loading like ours does. Makes the line feel a bit quicker since that inevitable stop doesn't happen.

Pictures coming soon!

-- PMM

[Big Disney Fan]

Originally Posted by Narnia Fan

Since Space Mountain at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris got a space lift, do you guys think Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom should get a space lift also? What do you think? If you would like it to get a new change, what do you want to see?

Tokyo's Space Mountain got a space lift, too.

As for what the new SM should resemble, here's what I would do if I were given the opportunity (though it technically should go into the "Be an Imagineer" section):

The two tracks will be completely scrapped and replaced by one long single track. The new Space Mountain will be a roller coaster trip through space the likes of which the public has never seen before. Designed in collaboration with WDI and Intamin, it will be a launched Twister-style coaster with dramatic special effects and design structures (including a vertical loop and the world's largest barrel loop) to simulate a wormhole journey through the boundless realm of space. A new entrance pre-show allows guests the sensation of being "beamed" to an orbital space station (Space Station 75). A meteor shower ensues that then disallows the use of the teleporter to get back to Earth, thus the prototypical wormhole train would need to be used. The result is an incredible hyperspeed rush through the cosmos.

That's what I would do if I could do it.

[Narnia Fan]

Oh yes! I saw the video! The new queue line looks really awesome! More futuristic like! Let me see if I can explain this... I like the weird, bluish effect that is inside the front windows of the spacecraft! Totally futuristic! And I love the containers that charge up the spacecraft! I like the color! Let me see if I can explain this one also.... If you see the new video, you should see in the queue line, above on the sides, 2 green, straight lines that form and then disappear. Then, when the spacecraft makes that weird sound effect, the green lines come again, stay still for a few seconds, then they turn into small, green little ovals. Love how that looks! Sorry that is hard to explain! And Peoplemovermatt, you filmed the video? How did you get the stars?! The video is really awesome I gotta say!

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Only problem is those light effects only happen every so often. Maybe once the entire time you're in the loading area, if that. I wish those lights were always going constantly as the queue video would have you believe.

-- PMM

[CostaFreak]

Originally Posted by Big Disney Fan

Tokyo's Space Mountain got a space lift, too.

As for what the new SM should resemble, here's what I would do if I were given the opportunity (though it technically should go into the "Be an Imagineer" section):



That's what I would do if I could do it.

NO!

Please, if it's gonna be a refurb, they could put new track for a 2 track layout, but that idea there means sending the soul of the old SM 75 away into the coaster underworld, no offence.

In the future, If I have kids, I wan't to see them at 6 years old enjoying their ride on a refurbished SM, just like I did at 6. But if that happens, I'm gonna have to wait until the kid's 9 to step on that thing!

How about if it stays a family coaster like it should be, but inhance the thrill by changing the scenery and effects with newer, state of the art technology, just like they did with DL's SM.


Ok, I guess that wasn't enough. Time to use NoLimits.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

So you wouldn't consider any coaster with any inversions whatsoever a 'family coaster'? Hmm.

-- PMM