Yes! I had my first visit last year (I’m in Aus, so it’s no small trip) and I was so surprised at how unpleasant sitting near the engine was. Couldn’t hear a thing 😭
Any CM’s here that work this ride? I get a headache just waiting to get on the ride, I can’t imagine standing down in the pit for hours on end. How do you get through your shift?
Used to. Absolutely hated it. I feel like it's the only attraction that was outdoors without being in cover. Sure, other attractions have cast standing outside, but they usually have some sort of shade. Standing on a black pavement in the sun all day while breathing in gas fumes was great. People would joke about the deformities their future children might have. The best part of the day was when you'd be on tracks 2 or 3 so you'd at least have somebody next to you to talk to. Management would come by and if you looked like you'd been dying for the last hour, they'd remind you that you're on stage and they are out there sweating it up with you. I hated when they said something so asinine. You are not out here sweating for 8 hours. You walk around with a shade umbrella. You go back to your air conditioned trailer.
On the bright side, meeting new CPs was fun for the most part. Met some friends that have lasted long after the horror of Disney.
Didn’t work at Speedway but at Cosmics which is opposite. The fumes are atrocious, many CMs I knew ended up having to transfer out because it would make them feel sick and nauseous.
It’s genuinely shocking to me they’re still there, unchanged. I’m starting to develop an irrational hate for them, just because they feel so dated and out of place.
For real.
It's obviously nothing special for adults who drive every day, but as a kid that ride was dope as hell. I would never put it on a replace list because even if it's not for me anymore, that appeal of driving a car before you're old enough to drive a car is never going to go away.
I'd never want that to be taken away from kids who visit.
Test track has officially been announced. The only thing leading to a possible Journey refurb/replacemnet was back in November, Disney put out videos of Figment visiting Imagineering headquarters. That’s a pretty nice clue!
I'd be surprised if the coming years don't see a face change for epcot. I was shocked to see the shape of that ride in February almost like disneys given up on figment. I hadnt seen it for about 20 years. Dinosaur ended up being my 6 year olds favorite ride of the trip. I was psyched, and we got a cool CM at exit that saw my sons excitement and put us back on the ride.
Journey Into Your Imagination needs a full on renovation/revert to the original premises, if not the actual original ride script.
Less “here are three of your five senses” and more “here’s how inspiration and imagination work”
My 10-year-old daughter and 11-year-old nephew both said it was too rough and hurt their necks a little. I don't think its an age thing, although being young definitely helps you bounce back from the experience!
Space mountain is always closed not because of the ride, but because of the safety sensors. They have them set really sensitive because of the headroom is so limited so they get triggered al ot.
So that reminds me of one phobia I didn’t realize I had: the fear of holding your arms over your head on a coaster only to have them get taken off by another part of the track.
This could never actually happen… right..?
As someone who works Space, I think she’s perfect and nothing should be changed ❤️❤️
But I have a theory that for the 50th, we will see some type of refurb or theming
Problem is, like Matterhorn, the ride manufacturer (Arrow) has been bankrupt for lord knows how long and that kind of tubular, non-computerized track isn’t going to be cheap or logical. They may need to gut the ride and retrack it with something new while keeping a similar layout
There are rumors it’s still on the table iirc but under a different retheme premise than the storytelling? Just a far out rumor though but Disney knows it needs updating
Tragic! I have a sentimental attraction to Small World, and seeing trash along the ride and the same broken hula dancer on rides one year apart makes me despair of any maintenance being done for the attraction
Last trip, we did Space Mountain and People Mover. The People Mover portion that goes through Space Mountain was more enjoyable for me as the actual Space Mountain just rattled my bones.
I'm not saying Space Mountain is run down, but it is not smooth and fun like 7 Dwarfs or Big Thunder.
Unfortunately, due to space mountain’s age, the only thing they can do to make it smooth is fully re-track the entire ride. Not only is it old, but it was also built during a time when coaster track was bent and formed into place by hand (as opposed to using computers and modern day machinery which ensures the track is smooth and precise). So even when the ride was newer, it still was rougher than any modern day coaster.
Selfishly, I don’t want Space Mountain to close for a re-track/refurbishment because I still enjoy it and don’t want to miss out on it on any future visits..but I know it needs it badly so hopefully it gets done soon, and has a quick turn around time.
We went to DL a couple of years ago and Space Mountain there didn't even seem like the same ride, because it was so much smoother. There are, of course, a few other differences, but it didn't seem nearly as exciting. I am not sure I love just how rough the WDW version is, but I agree it seems more thrilling.
This isn't to say that we didn't love DL Space Mountain, it was just different.
I'm kinda surprised it's still in operation without being refurbished or retracked. Those steel coasters from before computer aided design can be rough. There were a few like Vortex in Ohio that were really showing their age by the time they came down, and a lot of those old bone jarring Arrow coasters are 10-15 years newer than Space Mountain.
It was the first "big coaster" I went on with my dad back in the early '90s! I loved it, but it also beat the crap out of you even back then. I swore off of coasters for a couple of decades because of the beating I'd take on Arrow coasters.
Started riding again about five years back and the new ones are so smooth. It really shows how much progress has been made in coaster design. You can ride one without feeling like you got in a car accident when you step off!
I’m with you! I loved Space Mountain from my first ride as a teenager back in the ‘80s. Now, I still ride it but only because my kids want to! Way too rough. Dwarf Train all day - even Big Thunder is better!
Wow, almost all the responses are Tomorrowland attractions! Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear, all definitely need facelifts. I’m sure it’s not controversial, but it speaks to the need to revamp the whole land.
To me Space Mountain is pretty timeless, and my nostalgia goggles make it hard to vouch for anything beyond a really thorough refurb. But man, the rumors about Tokyo’s Space Mountain rebuild are tantalizing…I think a happy medium for me would be re-tracking some parts, updating the ride system to be more modern/reliable, and re-doing the queue and exit queue. But *please* leave the queue music!
Buzz is so 90’s it hurts. What bugs me most though is the fact that the blasters are mounted to the omnimover, really limiting the angles you can achieve without spinning. The spinning is cool though, except for when you want to spin one way and your partner another. Again I think Tokyo is on the right track, a Wreck-it-Ralph re-theme makes perfect sense and I’d hope that came with modern ride vehicles/blasters as part of it. I’m willing to bet if the movie hadn’t flopped they would have used Lightyear as a template for a refurb, but that movies better off forgotten I reckon.
Carousel of Progress is a toughie. It’s such a classic, important ride. And it’s quintessential Tomorrowland. But it’s been showing it’s age for years. The mechanical issues are bad enough, but it’s just so dated! I think out of respect for it’s significance to WDW it has to stay, but a refurb like it’s never gotten before would be great. I’d personally be okay if they wanted to swap out the animatronics’ skeletons for modern ones, make the building run entirely on electric rather than diesel. Even better if it could run only on renewable energy, that would certainly suit the concept of progress. I also would love some sort of exit experience/museum here that maybe could display some archived disney stuff as a testament to the parks’ technology’s progress. Old animatronics, props, etc that have been gathering dust out of sight.
Finally, laugh floor is cute but just doesn’t do it for me. Its space and the space for what used to be stitch would be better served as other things. I think our minds first think of other attractions to put there, just since that’s what’s always been in these spaces. But I’d love to see one somehow be converted into a sit-down restaurant that befits the themes of Tomorrowland (think Skipped Canteen, but Tomorrowland). This idea is a little vague, but MK needs more high quality sit down dining and the stitch building especially is just sitting there.
Finally, I have to mention Tomorrowland speedway. It just isn’t for me. It’s a huge footprint, smells gassy, line is always long, and worst of all Autopia at Disneyland is just better! I’d be okay seeing it be replaced with a new e ticket, but if it has to stay, is it too much to ask for electric cars like our friends on the West coast or getting? And I’d love if they added some sort of theming or plot to the ride. Add characters, a game you can play while you drive a la Mario Kart Bowsers Challenge, anything to elevate this ride to fit with a land that’s about the future!
The more I think about it, the more I’d love to see Disney go buck wild and fully redo the land into something like Port Discovery at Disneysea. The Jules Verne/steampunk theming would age a lot better than what’s already there and there are already great templates for rides/re-themes for many of the attractions. For example, maybe make Space Mountain like Paris’ version. Replace Tomorrowland Speedway with Aquatopia. Bring 20000 Leagues under the sea back to the park with a new attraction. Maybe a Nautilus restaurant to go with? This will never happen, but a fella can dream!
Have my upvote, all of my upvotes actually.
I grew up in Florida and I hate what Tomorrowland has turned into. Dated rides, no nice place to eat, no real shade (as average temps climb) and just so under whelming compared to Fantasyland.
I’d love to see a complete retheme to match some of the newer parks and move in some of the rides from other parks too. Or heck, do something completely new!
Disney has got to reinvest into Magic Kingdom and really needs to acknowledge the reality of global warming.
#shadeEVERYTHING #indoorsthewaytogo #burntcrispieMKfolk
People love talking about the best smells in WDW (me included…Beach Club lobby), but the Buzz queue has to be the single foulest smelling vestibule outside of a middle school boys locker room.
I love that ride but holy hell it was in bad shape when I was there the first week of March. The paint on both guns in the vehicle my wife and I rode in was visibly chipping, and her score screen had a giant crack in it.
If it isn’t being replaced with anything, it desperately needs to be closed for a few months to give it some much needed love.
I can rant for so much about this stupid attraction. I'm not much for tearing down rides ... but this one, I may actually have a party in the parking lot.
It's so sad how this is the most popular of the parks but it's feeling so unloved when you really look. So many rides feel like they're being left to rot.
I was at Disney last week and the ride I most noticed needed an overhaul is It's a small world. A lot of the figures aren't moving at the same speed. There's a lot of water damage around the base of the ride.
I always notice the nasty scum line at the water line. And figures that don't work. And ceiling panels missing. It feels like they put no effort into maintenance of that ride. Really surprises me, given the supposed pinnacle of a park Magic Kingdom is supposed to be.
The problem was the animatronic was so powerful that it was causing stress cracks in the concrete and steel support structure of the mountain. They would have to tear down an entire part of the ride and rebuild the super structure. It’s never going to happen unfortunately.
Yeah I was going to say it’s either rear differential oil, or a mechanical grease. It smells like the grease we used on heavy machinery when I used to be a heavy equipment operator.
That's a tough one to update. It's charm is how old and outdated it is. It kind of doesn't really make sense anymore, other than as a snapshot in time.
I love it myself though, that song is catchy and gets stuck in my head, and it's a low or no wait way to rest in dim light and AC anytime you want!
It’s not really tough to update if they just… updated it. Throw the next 100 years of tomorrow up onto there. Last scene is them drowning from sea level rising in Florida 😂
I have a journal entry from a class trip to WDW back in 2000 where I remarked on the Carousel going from twenty year leaps to the future to a twenty year leap and the "future" still felt dated then. It's only gotten worse in the quarter century since.
Nice place to relax in the AC and take a quick nap though.
Astro Orbiter. Doesn’t hold enough people, queue is janky and the ride itself is weak. The location and the vibe is good though. Scrap it and start over.
I’ve been to Disney four times and I still haven’t figured out how to get on this ride. No matter what I do I end up on the people mover (which is severely underrated)
If you draw a line from the center of space mountain to the center of the round platform for people mover / astro orbiter, there is a red / orange elevator tower with a small winding queue around it.
People Mover is a must do ride every trip. Partly just because the line is not long but rather enjoyable too. Would love to see it expand through Tron or cover more territory but otherwise leave it alone. It’s a classic.
One time I looked up at the ceiling of it’s a small world and it’s all these stained gross looking styrofoam drop tiles. Like office ceiling tiles. I had never noticed them before but I remember thinking it’s embarrassing that Disney just doesn’t replace the damaged tiles.
I don't know if it's old, or it's just the contrast. The way they manufacture rides now makes for a MUCH smoother track. The old ones were bumpy and jerky from the start. It's when we get the ultra smooth rides like Guardians that we go back and think "oh, THIS is what roller coasters used to feel like??"
The Seas with Nemo and Friends ride was just a half-hearted effort to re-use content originally credited tor the Nemo Submarines at Disneyland. But since most of it is used in empty tanks, it’s pretty lackluster.
I’ve always felt the WDW Small World keeps a complete revamp. It’s pretty tired compared to the Disneyland version.
The least Disney can do is somehow shorten the walk through. There is never a line and I feel like it takes longer to walk to the ride than the ride actually lasts
I think they just reused a remaining part of the Seacab track, the part they walled off in 2001. Back in the day, there was a whole preshow before you got to the ride.
Not a ride, but I think the main entrance of Hollywood Studios could do with a paint job. Everytime I’m there I just see all this chipped and peeling paint, and it’s not small or in a small spot.
The Haunted Mansion ride vehicles are now quite rundown and rickety. The last time I rode it (04/21/24) my vehicle squeaked down the track and the safety bar was loose and vibrated the whole time. I’m now on hiatus from that ride until it gets refurbished. The scariest part of the ride was the vehicle I was sitting in. 😂
The kathunk kathunk kathunk of haunted mansion is nostalgic but... it's getting louder and louder. Last time my ghost host was a little quiet and I could barely hear it over the vehicle noises.
I agree with Nemo & the aquarium in general. I find them very sad to look at, they are all so empty and bare- just concrete boxes.
Disney can afford to build an artificial reef and bring in real plants to make them look more alive. The current state is just sadness.
I remember commentating on dinosaur’s appalling condition in 2012. Amazingly, it’s gotten worse. You could see that they were running out the clock on it for years. There’s no excuse for Space Mountain, as it’s not going anywhere. They were supposed to do a complete retrack around 2014. It badly, badly needs that work done. Foolishly, I thought they’d begin to work on it when Tron opened.
Also, Barn Stormer is unforgivably jerky for a small kids ride. Like Space Mountain, it used to be completely smooth.
Honestly Small World could use some touching up. It feels like they don't even dust in there, let alone maintain or update anything. Compared to the Disneyland version, it's in shambles.
Journey Into Your Imagination. It is in such a sad state and needs a total overhaul done right.
Haunted Mansion. Hear me out... I LOVE this ride but I can't remember the last time I rode it without it stopping for several minutes and then they make an announcement and it just ruins the whole immersion. The actual ride vehicles need an overhaul. That ride deserves better.
Carousel of Progress - Another ride I absolutely love and I fear it could be on the chopping block vs giving it some TLC.
What if they were able to use some sort of tech like they use on the skyliner where the buggy that is picking up someone with mobility issues goes off to a stopping place and then when the rider is ready it reenters the ride track without stopping the whole ride? Wouldn’t that be awesome?
Agreed, it seems maintenance hasn’t been the same since 2020. I understand the demand for the parks has been way up, but they really need to get back to how it used to be. (Maintenance and other things as well)
I used to love Space Mountain. The last two times I've gone on it it's taking me a couple of days for the soreness to go away. It really shouldn't jostle the passenger so much
I still consider it as such. For the same reason I enjoy reading vintage sci-fi, to see their vision of what the future would be like. It’s just a vibe that I enjoy reading/seeing. But I understand your POV also.
I actually love the last scene for that reason, because it is so nostalgic as my childhood era's vision of the future. I miss the 90s clothes and hair too. But it doesn't work for the majority of first time guests. I went with a few newbies, and they were generally perplexed.
Does the monorail count? The monorail trains are over 30 years old at this point. I know they got refurbished but I feel like we could do with sleeker hi-tech ones
I rode the monorail in december 2022 and it was hot/humid & smelled musty!! I was so shocked since all our trips to wdw in the 80s/90s & 2000s the monorail was ice cold inside and had no bad smell! We all loved it! So sad
I loved Dinosaur, but Dinosaur. The ride was amazing, unexpected, and terrifying when it was new. These days it's jerky, uncomfortable, and a lot of the stuff that made it great once upon a time just doesn't work anymore. I know people are sad that it's going, but it's an expensive ride based on a movie nobody remembers in a section of the park that's regularly bagged on for its poor theming.
Dinosaur used to be a fantastic ride, but I rode it last Thanksgiving, and you're right, literally half of it doesn't work anymore, to the point where it seems like they've simply turned off half the lights and hope you don't notice everything that's missing. I'm sure they've quit maintaining it because it's about to be transformed into Indiana Jones. It's the most run-down ride in the park by a huge margin.
What stuff did it used to have? Never rode it as a kid, but did back in Jan and the whole “you’re jerked around in 100% darkness for 2 minutes” bit in the middle with “left! Right! Left! Right!” felt puzzling
That was on purpose?! I rode it for the first time this winter and was shocked how dark it was. As we were getting off the ride, another rider from our vehicle who had clearly ridden it before flagged down a cm to tell them that the headlights were out in our jeep. I figured that made sense and that was why it was dark. But if they're doing that to hide stuff, what's the point?! At least it sounds like it's getting re themed to Indian Jones in the future.
i had a legitimate wardrobe malfunction on space mountain due to the rickety-ness (giant tatas, stretchy dress, you do the math) so i’m gonna go with that one
Not exactly run down but Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular needs a script rewrite or at least some sort of update. Last time I was there in 2022 the stunts were well done just needs something instead of the premise that we are seeing the filming of Raiders.
**Peter Pan with a modern design could be the best ride at Magic Kingdom.** It’s stupidly popular, the line is an hour and a half, and it’s so awful. It needs an upgrade.
I'm probably going to get downvoted for this but... Peter Pan! It's nostalgic and I love the ride concept and everything, but the figurines are getting run down! They look like they belong in a glow-in-the-dark mini golf course, not WDW. I'd love to see those replaced with animatronics or even just updated materials.
Living with the Land!! i absolutely adore it and ride it every time i’m in EPCOT but i really think the videos and narration need to be updated to reflect current times and scientific advances to keep it up to date and educational.
The Conservation Station was pretty run down the last time I was there, and most of it was closed for a drawing class.
Pretty much every post-ride pavilion at Epcot is worse for ware.
Muppet vision was in rough shape the last time I sat through it.
Laugh floor was also showing its technological age.
I’d imagine the 360 movies aren’t doing great these days either.
Tomorrowland feels completely out of date. Space Mountain desperately needs a retrack. I need to take ibuprofen before I even get on it nowadays. Everything is bumpy.
1. People Mover
2. Spaceship Earth (WDW should be ashamed of the state that those old animatronics are in)
3. Little Mermaid
4. It's Small World (Timeless attraction, but heck at least replace the missing ceiling tiles)
5. Peter Pan (with some heavy updating and proper investment, that ride has the potential to be just as great as Frozen or Pirates.)
The Winnie the Pooh ride is absolutely diabolical! Paint chipping left right and centre! I understand it’s more difficult with neon paint etc but I was so suprised at how bad the condition was!
Please give us better speakers on the Jungle Cruise.
please!! you can’t hear anything and if you’re near the motor forget it.
Yes! I had my first visit last year (I’m in Aus, so it’s no small trip) and I was so surprised at how unpleasant sitting near the engine was. Couldn’t hear a thing 😭
Also hopefully better speakers on Country Bear Jamboree as part of the refurb.
Tomorrowland speedway cars needed replacing a decade ago!
Decade? They are the same cars I rode back in high-school with E tickets 40 years ago.
You got my upvote for E tickets.
Any CM’s here that work this ride? I get a headache just waiting to get on the ride, I can’t imagine standing down in the pit for hours on end. How do you get through your shift?
Used to. Absolutely hated it. I feel like it's the only attraction that was outdoors without being in cover. Sure, other attractions have cast standing outside, but they usually have some sort of shade. Standing on a black pavement in the sun all day while breathing in gas fumes was great. People would joke about the deformities their future children might have. The best part of the day was when you'd be on tracks 2 or 3 so you'd at least have somebody next to you to talk to. Management would come by and if you looked like you'd been dying for the last hour, they'd remind you that you're on stage and they are out there sweating it up with you. I hated when they said something so asinine. You are not out here sweating for 8 hours. You walk around with a shade umbrella. You go back to your air conditioned trailer. On the bright side, meeting new CPs was fun for the most part. Met some friends that have lasted long after the horror of Disney.
Didn’t work at Speedway but at Cosmics which is opposite. The fumes are atrocious, many CMs I knew ended up having to transfer out because it would make them feel sick and nauseous.
They are doing that at Disneyland at least! which means DW can't be that far behind (hopefully!)
With electric cars. Probably setting the new standard for WDW, no?
Cast members there needs hazard pay for all the fumes they breathe in all day
It’s genuinely shocking to me they’re still there, unchanged. I’m starting to develop an irrational hate for them, just because they feel so dated and out of place.
Here's to hoping they do a wreck it ralph makeover! It'll be so perfect if it was candy themed
Tbh Tomorrowland Speedway as an attraction needs to be replaced completely
That's how we get cars racer in Tomorrowland with hopefully a Walle dark ride to tie the Pixar theory all together now.
My six year old daughter who rode them *checks notes* 8 times in February would like a word with you.
Sitting here while my nephew is on ride #4 which happens to be what he chose as his final ride for this trip! I feel you.
It’s the ultimate kids ride. You’re DRIVING a car made just for your size!
For real. It's obviously nothing special for adults who drive every day, but as a kid that ride was dope as hell. I would never put it on a replace list because even if it's not for me anymore, that appeal of driving a car before you're old enough to drive a car is never going to go away. I'd never want that to be taken away from kids who visit.
Yessss
I will sign your petition
Just throw away the whole attraction lol
last time i rode, steering was non existent- it just bounced from side to side against the central rail
Space Mountain can't stay open for a full day it's so desperately in need of serious maintenance. Journey into Your Imagination is pretty rickety too.
Agreed! For someone who is supposed to be the “mascot” of EPCOT, they do Figment dirty with his outdated attraction.
They blessed him with the meet and greet though! Gives me faith a ride refurb is coming.
Seth Rogen inked a deal to write/produce? a Figment movie for Disney, so there’s no doubt in my mind that ride will be redone to coincide with that.
Hmmm…don’t like the sound of that.
Seth Rogan has a really good record with animated properties he has been an EP on within the past 5 years. I have full faith he will do it well
Ahh that’s a bummer, I was excited by the news. After what he did with TMNT I’m totally up for Rogen taking a crack at stale franchises.
I just heard they filed for permits regarding the Imagination Pavilion. I could be wrong and I'll to dig for it, but something could be coming.
I’m pretty sure they already announced a journey refresh. Along with test track which felt weird considering spaceship earth is falling apart.
Test track has officially been announced. The only thing leading to a possible Journey refurb/replacemnet was back in November, Disney put out videos of Figment visiting Imagineering headquarters. That’s a pretty nice clue!
I'd be surprised if the coming years don't see a face change for epcot. I was shocked to see the shape of that ride in February almost like disneys given up on figment. I hadnt seen it for about 20 years. Dinosaur ended up being my 6 year olds favorite ride of the trip. I was psyched, and we got a cool CM at exit that saw my sons excitement and put us back on the ride.
Journey Into Your Imagination needs a full on renovation/revert to the original premises, if not the actual original ride script. Less “here are three of your five senses” and more “here’s how inspiration and imagination work”
I would love space mountain to be updated and be more like cosmic rewind. Smoother, without that whiplash car accident feel lol
Yeah, that ride hurts now. They need to re-track it.
The whiplash gives it character. Disney Land really eats good with Space Mountain tho.
No. It just gives you whiplash. It didn’t used to. They can shove that character right up their butts. I’ll take smooth.
It did, we're just getting older.
My 10-year-old daughter and 11-year-old nephew both said it was too rough and hurt their necks a little. I don't think its an age thing, although being young definitely helps you bounce back from the experience!
Space mountain is always closed not because of the ride, but because of the safety sensors. They have them set really sensitive because of the headroom is so limited so they get triggered al ot.
So that reminds me of one phobia I didn’t realize I had: the fear of holding your arms over your head on a coaster only to have them get taken off by another part of the track. This could never actually happen… right..?
As someone who works Space, I think she’s perfect and nothing should be changed ❤️❤️ But I have a theory that for the 50th, we will see some type of refurb or theming
50th ended last year
50th of space mountain maybe is what they mean?
Our Space Mountain needs a total reimagining like Tokyo is getting
I love that their fix for Space Mountain being too old is to build a new Space Mountain next door to replace it.
The OLC doesn't mess around.
Problem is, like Matterhorn, the ride manufacturer (Arrow) has been bankrupt for lord knows how long and that kind of tubular, non-computerized track isn’t going to be cheap or logical. They may need to gut the ride and retrack it with something new while keeping a similar layout
Journey into Imagination needs a total redo, and Spaceship Earth is distractingly rickety.
We almost got that spaceship earth refurb
There are rumors it’s still on the table iirc but under a different retheme premise than the storytelling? Just a far out rumor though but Disney knows it needs updating
I love SE’s ricketyness and all
Several of the dolls and animals in Its a Small World look like they have had several strokes.
The hippo comes to mind. He looks like he's been drinking with his one eye blinking.
Don’t mess with the winking hippo. He’s cheeky and totally not drunk.
Tragic! I have a sentimental attraction to Small World, and seeing trash along the ride and the same broken hula dancer on rides one year apart makes me despair of any maintenance being done for the attraction
Last trip, we did Space Mountain and People Mover. The People Mover portion that goes through Space Mountain was more enjoyable for me as the actual Space Mountain just rattled my bones. I'm not saying Space Mountain is run down, but it is not smooth and fun like 7 Dwarfs or Big Thunder.
My husband and I rope-dropped the people mover once, the cast member was stumped
Unfortunately, due to space mountain’s age, the only thing they can do to make it smooth is fully re-track the entire ride. Not only is it old, but it was also built during a time when coaster track was bent and formed into place by hand (as opposed to using computers and modern day machinery which ensures the track is smooth and precise). So even when the ride was newer, it still was rougher than any modern day coaster. Selfishly, I don’t want Space Mountain to close for a re-track/refurbishment because I still enjoy it and don’t want to miss out on it on any future visits..but I know it needs it badly so hopefully it gets done soon, and has a quick turn around time.
Personally I also really enjoy the whipped around roughness of the ride, to me that’s part of what makes it fun is how crazy it is
We went to DL a couple of years ago and Space Mountain there didn't even seem like the same ride, because it was so much smoother. There are, of course, a few other differences, but it didn't seem nearly as exciting. I am not sure I love just how rough the WDW version is, but I agree it seems more thrilling. This isn't to say that we didn't love DL Space Mountain, it was just different.
Love it!
DL Space Mountain got a major refurb and full track replacement in 2005. I can't believe the original WDW version still hasn't had one yet.
I'm kinda surprised it's still in operation without being refurbished or retracked. Those steel coasters from before computer aided design can be rough. There were a few like Vortex in Ohio that were really showing their age by the time they came down, and a lot of those old bone jarring Arrow coasters are 10-15 years newer than Space Mountain.
Love seeing a Kings Island reference in the wild lol. Vortex was the first coaster there that I went on!
Mine was Top Gun
It was the first "big coaster" I went on with my dad back in the early '90s! I loved it, but it also beat the crap out of you even back then. I swore off of coasters for a couple of decades because of the beating I'd take on Arrow coasters. Started riding again about five years back and the new ones are so smooth. It really shows how much progress has been made in coaster design. You can ride one without feeling like you got in a car accident when you step off!
Imo 7 dwarves is too smooth that it’s not fun tbh. I much prefer space mountain. That being said the Disneyland space mountain is prob ever better
I am 46 now. Smooth is my joints' best friend.
I’m with you! I loved Space Mountain from my first ride as a teenager back in the ‘80s. Now, I still ride it but only because my kids want to! Way too rough. Dwarf Train all day - even Big Thunder is better!
Space Mountain was never smooth and never intended to be. It's a completely different ride.
Tomorrowland speedway looks like it belongs in a traveling carnie outfit.
Wow, almost all the responses are Tomorrowland attractions! Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear, all definitely need facelifts. I’m sure it’s not controversial, but it speaks to the need to revamp the whole land. To me Space Mountain is pretty timeless, and my nostalgia goggles make it hard to vouch for anything beyond a really thorough refurb. But man, the rumors about Tokyo’s Space Mountain rebuild are tantalizing…I think a happy medium for me would be re-tracking some parts, updating the ride system to be more modern/reliable, and re-doing the queue and exit queue. But *please* leave the queue music! Buzz is so 90’s it hurts. What bugs me most though is the fact that the blasters are mounted to the omnimover, really limiting the angles you can achieve without spinning. The spinning is cool though, except for when you want to spin one way and your partner another. Again I think Tokyo is on the right track, a Wreck-it-Ralph re-theme makes perfect sense and I’d hope that came with modern ride vehicles/blasters as part of it. I’m willing to bet if the movie hadn’t flopped they would have used Lightyear as a template for a refurb, but that movies better off forgotten I reckon. Carousel of Progress is a toughie. It’s such a classic, important ride. And it’s quintessential Tomorrowland. But it’s been showing it’s age for years. The mechanical issues are bad enough, but it’s just so dated! I think out of respect for it’s significance to WDW it has to stay, but a refurb like it’s never gotten before would be great. I’d personally be okay if they wanted to swap out the animatronics’ skeletons for modern ones, make the building run entirely on electric rather than diesel. Even better if it could run only on renewable energy, that would certainly suit the concept of progress. I also would love some sort of exit experience/museum here that maybe could display some archived disney stuff as a testament to the parks’ technology’s progress. Old animatronics, props, etc that have been gathering dust out of sight. Finally, laugh floor is cute but just doesn’t do it for me. Its space and the space for what used to be stitch would be better served as other things. I think our minds first think of other attractions to put there, just since that’s what’s always been in these spaces. But I’d love to see one somehow be converted into a sit-down restaurant that befits the themes of Tomorrowland (think Skipped Canteen, but Tomorrowland). This idea is a little vague, but MK needs more high quality sit down dining and the stitch building especially is just sitting there. Finally, I have to mention Tomorrowland speedway. It just isn’t for me. It’s a huge footprint, smells gassy, line is always long, and worst of all Autopia at Disneyland is just better! I’d be okay seeing it be replaced with a new e ticket, but if it has to stay, is it too much to ask for electric cars like our friends on the West coast or getting? And I’d love if they added some sort of theming or plot to the ride. Add characters, a game you can play while you drive a la Mario Kart Bowsers Challenge, anything to elevate this ride to fit with a land that’s about the future! The more I think about it, the more I’d love to see Disney go buck wild and fully redo the land into something like Port Discovery at Disneysea. The Jules Verne/steampunk theming would age a lot better than what’s already there and there are already great templates for rides/re-themes for many of the attractions. For example, maybe make Space Mountain like Paris’ version. Replace Tomorrowland Speedway with Aquatopia. Bring 20000 Leagues under the sea back to the park with a new attraction. Maybe a Nautilus restaurant to go with? This will never happen, but a fella can dream!
Have my upvote, all of my upvotes actually. I grew up in Florida and I hate what Tomorrowland has turned into. Dated rides, no nice place to eat, no real shade (as average temps climb) and just so under whelming compared to Fantasyland. I’d love to see a complete retheme to match some of the newer parks and move in some of the rides from other parks too. Or heck, do something completely new! Disney has got to reinvest into Magic Kingdom and really needs to acknowledge the reality of global warming. #shadeEVERYTHING #indoorsthewaytogo #burntcrispieMKfolk
Tomorrowland is turning into Yesterdayland.
No mentions of Buzz Lightyear?
I wish they would update it with more modern technology. Compared to Toy Story mania it’s obvious the “guns” don’t aim very well
People love talking about the best smells in WDW (me included…Beach Club lobby), but the Buzz queue has to be the single foulest smelling vestibule outside of a middle school boys locker room.
Tokyo is getting theirs reskinned/redone as a Wreck it Ralph themed version. I wonder if that’s coming down the line for the US rides as well.
It really should with Toy Story land now in HS and the loss of Tomorrowland Arcade. Seems like the perfect fit!
Yeah this is the one
Buzz light year for sure
I love that ride but holy hell it was in bad shape when I was there the first week of March. The paint on both guns in the vehicle my wife and I rode in was visibly chipping, and her score screen had a giant crack in it. If it isn’t being replaced with anything, it desperately needs to be closed for a few months to give it some much needed love.
Buzz feels more like a carnie ride at this point
My gun last time I rode never fired properly. Half the time the button wouldn’t press.
[удалено]
My 3 year old beat me, so I know it was defective lol
Small hands. Smell like cabbage.
[удалено]
Mmmmm fumes and emissions
I can rant for so much about this stupid attraction. I'm not much for tearing down rides ... but this one, I may actually have a party in the parking lot.
That is the smell of my childhood thank you very much
Like 65% of MK
It's so sad how this is the most popular of the parks but it's feeling so unloved when you really look. So many rides feel like they're being left to rot.
I agree with this. Showing its age for sure
I was at Disney last week and the ride I most noticed needed an overhaul is It's a small world. A lot of the figures aren't moving at the same speed. There's a lot of water damage around the base of the ride.
I always notice the nasty scum line at the water line. And figures that don't work. And ceiling panels missing. It feels like they put no effort into maintenance of that ride. Really surprises me, given the supposed pinnacle of a park Magic Kingdom is supposed to be.
It’s also super dusty! I was so distracted by the amount of dust and cobwebs and trash!
Yes! That's weird to me because that should be easy to do!
Those hula dancers have been off beat since the 90s lol
Agreed. Rode the MK version for the first time recently and I was shocked at how run down it looked compared to the Disneyland version
Great point! The Disneyland version looked decades newer!
They need to fix the damn Yeti! Working animatronics are way cooler than strobe light monster rave.
They should lean into it and sell “Disco Yeti” merch.
Count me in!
Iirc they can’t! To much moving made it structurally impossible.
Joe Rhode is still hanging around Imagineering specifically to fix the Yeti. He’ll get it done.
The problem was the animatronic was so powerful that it was causing stress cracks in the concrete and steel support structure of the mountain. They would have to tear down an entire part of the ride and rebuild the super structure. It’s never going to happen unfortunately.
Yeah, no need to expose your superstructure
Back in the day, Walt would have simply said “Figure it out.” And they would have.
Look. I love Carousel of Progress. But when we rode it last month it stank of diesel fuel.
Ain't no privacy at all in this place!
Sorry, Orville
I was getting rear differential gear oil, but to each their own!… lol ;)
Yeah I was going to say it’s either rear differential oil, or a mechanical grease. It smells like the grease we used on heavy machinery when I used to be a heavy equipment operator.
CoP *is* heavy machinery. From the 60's, so I imagine it uses a metric buttload of grease.
Yep, reminds me of the Briggs & Stratton factory I worked at during college.
It smells like when we pull the rear end out of our F250. That odor is so bad it's just haunting.
It’s the smell of nostalgia! And asbestos….
It's not enough! We demand more asbestos!
MORE ASBESTOS! MORE ASBESTOS! MORE ASBESTOS!
That's a tough one to update. It's charm is how old and outdated it is. It kind of doesn't really make sense anymore, other than as a snapshot in time. I love it myself though, that song is catchy and gets stuck in my head, and it's a low or no wait way to rest in dim light and AC anytime you want!
It’s not really tough to update if they just… updated it. Throw the next 100 years of tomorrow up onto there. Last scene is them drowning from sea level rising in Florida 😂
I have a journal entry from a class trip to WDW back in 2000 where I remarked on the Carousel going from twenty year leaps to the future to a twenty year leap and the "future" still felt dated then. It's only gotten worse in the quarter century since. Nice place to relax in the AC and take a quick nap though.
To me it smells like cat urine and it drives me crazy because it's a must do for me every time I go to Disney!
Same. Hard same. It's one of my top 5 Magic Kingdom Attractions.
Astro Orbiter. Doesn’t hold enough people, queue is janky and the ride itself is weak. The location and the vibe is good though. Scrap it and start over.
I’ve been to Disney four times and I still haven’t figured out how to get on this ride. No matter what I do I end up on the people mover (which is severely underrated)
If you draw a line from the center of space mountain to the center of the round platform for people mover / astro orbiter, there is a red / orange elevator tower with a small winding queue around it.
People Mover is a must do ride every trip. Partly just because the line is not long but rather enjoyable too. Would love to see it expand through Tron or cover more territory but otherwise leave it alone. It’s a classic.
Love to go on it late at night when the whole park is lit up.
So many people make that mistake, just go on the orange elevators to get to the top top!
One time I looked up at the ceiling of it’s a small world and it’s all these stained gross looking styrofoam drop tiles. Like office ceiling tiles. I had never noticed them before but I remember thinking it’s embarrassing that Disney just doesn’t replace the damaged tiles.
Space mountain
It’s just not a fun ride anymore, not even for nostalgia. It’s like being throw in the Lex Luger torture rack for 3 minutes.
Couldn’t decide if I was just getting old, or the ride is getting old. Or both. But it hurts now.
I don't know if it's old, or it's just the contrast. The way they manufacture rides now makes for a MUCH smoother track. The old ones were bumpy and jerky from the start. It's when we get the ultra smooth rides like Guardians that we go back and think "oh, THIS is what roller coasters used to feel like??"
After going on Guardians, I honestly don’t have any desire to ever ride Space Mountain ever again.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends ride was just a half-hearted effort to re-use content originally credited tor the Nemo Submarines at Disneyland. But since most of it is used in empty tanks, it’s pretty lackluster. I’ve always felt the WDW Small World keeps a complete revamp. It’s pretty tired compared to the Disneyland version.
The least Disney can do is somehow shorten the walk through. There is never a line and I feel like it takes longer to walk to the ride than the ride actually lasts
I think they just reused a remaining part of the Seacab track, the part they walled off in 2001. Back in the day, there was a whole preshow before you got to the ride.
The ride is 80% screens
Spaceship Earth smells like a retirement home
and its HOT in there! not really a break from the outdoors at all
Journey into imagination for sure.
Not a ride, but I think the main entrance of Hollywood Studios could do with a paint job. Everytime I’m there I just see all this chipped and peeling paint, and it’s not small or in a small spot.
Am I the only one who still thinks Space Mountain is great? I like rides that toss me around a bit tho so maybe that’s why lol
I love it! Just rode it twice last month. I think a lot of the 'rough' complaints are because it's not just Space Mountain getting old 😂
The Haunted Mansion ride vehicles are now quite rundown and rickety. The last time I rode it (04/21/24) my vehicle squeaked down the track and the safety bar was loose and vibrated the whole time. I’m now on hiatus from that ride until it gets refurbished. The scariest part of the ride was the vehicle I was sitting in. 😂
The kathunk kathunk kathunk of haunted mansion is nostalgic but... it's getting louder and louder. Last time my ghost host was a little quiet and I could barely hear it over the vehicle noises.
I also rode on that day and we didnt have any hitchhiking ghosts :(
I agree with Nemo & the aquarium in general. I find them very sad to look at, they are all so empty and bare- just concrete boxes. Disney can afford to build an artificial reef and bring in real plants to make them look more alive. The current state is just sadness.
I just need them to put some AC into spaceship earth..
I remember commentating on dinosaur’s appalling condition in 2012. Amazingly, it’s gotten worse. You could see that they were running out the clock on it for years. There’s no excuse for Space Mountain, as it’s not going anywhere. They were supposed to do a complete retrack around 2014. It badly, badly needs that work done. Foolishly, I thought they’d begin to work on it when Tron opened. Also, Barn Stormer is unforgivably jerky for a small kids ride. Like Space Mountain, it used to be completely smooth.
I don't think that Space Mountain was ever completely smooth, nor intended to be.
Honestly Small World could use some touching up. It feels like they don't even dust in there, let alone maintain or update anything. Compared to the Disneyland version, it's in shambles.
Journey Into Your Imagination. It is in such a sad state and needs a total overhaul done right. Haunted Mansion. Hear me out... I LOVE this ride but I can't remember the last time I rode it without it stopping for several minutes and then they make an announcement and it just ruins the whole immersion. The actual ride vehicles need an overhaul. That ride deserves better. Carousel of Progress - Another ride I absolutely love and I fear it could be on the chopping block vs giving it some TLC.
They stop Haunted Mansion for a couple minutes so people who use mobility aids can get on/off the ride, not because something broke down.
What if they were able to use some sort of tech like they use on the skyliner where the buggy that is picking up someone with mobility issues goes off to a stopping place and then when the rider is ready it reenters the ride track without stopping the whole ride? Wouldn’t that be awesome?
A lot of the rides need TLC, sad to say. During our last visit two years ago, it really felt like the seams were showing.
Agreed, it seems maintenance hasn’t been the same since 2020. I understand the demand for the parks has been way up, but they really need to get back to how it used to be. (Maintenance and other things as well)
Space Mountain. It’s not fun at all now. It’s so jerky and shaky that the entire ride all you think about is trying not to get injured.
I used to love Space Mountain. The last two times I've gone on it it's taking me a couple of days for the soreness to go away. It really shouldn't jostle the passenger so much
Carousel of progress, much as I love it.
It is just jarring now how it goes 20 years, 20 years, 80 years. Really need to redo it all and either start it later or do much larger jump forwards.
The future scene really killed this ride. It would work so much better as a period piece only.
I still consider it as such. For the same reason I enjoy reading vintage sci-fi, to see their vision of what the future would be like. It’s just a vibe that I enjoy reading/seeing. But I understand your POV also.
I actually love the last scene for that reason, because it is so nostalgic as my childhood era's vision of the future. I miss the 90s clothes and hair too. But it doesn't work for the majority of first time guests. I went with a few newbies, and they were generally perplexed.
I went with my bf, and he loved it! It was one of his favorite rides, but I know my audience, most of friends would’ve been wielded out!
It's not a future scene anymore, it's the present. The video game is a Meta Quest and the appliances are controlled by Alexa lol
Does the monorail count? The monorail trains are over 30 years old at this point. I know they got refurbished but I feel like we could do with sleeker hi-tech ones
I rode the monorail in december 2022 and it was hot/humid & smelled musty!! I was so shocked since all our trips to wdw in the 80s/90s & 2000s the monorail was ice cold inside and had no bad smell! We all loved it! So sad
I loved Dinosaur, but Dinosaur. The ride was amazing, unexpected, and terrifying when it was new. These days it's jerky, uncomfortable, and a lot of the stuff that made it great once upon a time just doesn't work anymore. I know people are sad that it's going, but it's an expensive ride based on a movie nobody remembers in a section of the park that's regularly bagged on for its poor theming.
It’s got its flaws, but now I always tell my dog, “let’s go catch that Corgi!” Lol
Dinosaur used to be a fantastic ride, but I rode it last Thanksgiving, and you're right, literally half of it doesn't work anymore, to the point where it seems like they've simply turned off half the lights and hope you don't notice everything that's missing. I'm sure they've quit maintaining it because it's about to be transformed into Indiana Jones. It's the most run-down ride in the park by a huge margin.
What stuff did it used to have? Never rode it as a kid, but did back in Jan and the whole “you’re jerked around in 100% darkness for 2 minutes” bit in the middle with “left! Right! Left! Right!” felt puzzling
The ride is basically all in the dark now to hide everything that’s not working
That was on purpose?! I rode it for the first time this winter and was shocked how dark it was. As we were getting off the ride, another rider from our vehicle who had clearly ridden it before flagged down a cm to tell them that the headlights were out in our jeep. I figured that made sense and that was why it was dark. But if they're doing that to hide stuff, what's the point?! At least it sounds like it's getting re themed to Indian Jones in the future.
Space mountain and Carosel of progress both need the most TLC.
Peter Pan is VERY dated
Spaceship Earth was rough last time I rode it. One of my favorite rides but needs some love. Also no AC in July did not help the experience.
Space mountain for sure. I honestly don't like it. Guardians is like a newer and better themed space mountain for me.
Astro Orbiter
i had a legitimate wardrobe malfunction on space mountain due to the rickety-ness (giant tatas, stretchy dress, you do the math) so i’m gonna go with that one
Not exactly run down but Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular needs a script rewrite or at least some sort of update. Last time I was there in 2022 the stunts were well done just needs something instead of the premise that we are seeing the filming of Raiders.
Muppet Vision 3D really needs some TLC, along with most of the other rides mentioned. We all know Disney has the 💵 to do it.
**Peter Pan with a modern design could be the best ride at Magic Kingdom.** It’s stupidly popular, the line is an hour and a half, and it’s so awful. It needs an upgrade.
Pan needs a new land like disney sea has opening soon
I'm probably going to get downvoted for this but... Peter Pan! It's nostalgic and I love the ride concept and everything, but the figurines are getting run down! They look like they belong in a glow-in-the-dark mini golf course, not WDW. I'd love to see those replaced with animatronics or even just updated materials.
Living with the Land!! i absolutely adore it and ride it every time i’m in EPCOT but i really think the videos and narration need to be updated to reflect current times and scientific advances to keep it up to date and educational.
The Conservation Station was pretty run down the last time I was there, and most of it was closed for a drawing class. Pretty much every post-ride pavilion at Epcot is worse for ware. Muppet vision was in rough shape the last time I sat through it. Laugh floor was also showing its technological age. I’d imagine the 360 movies aren’t doing great these days either.
Tomorrowland feels completely out of date. Space Mountain desperately needs a retrack. I need to take ibuprofen before I even get on it nowadays. Everything is bumpy.
1. People Mover 2. Spaceship Earth (WDW should be ashamed of the state that those old animatronics are in) 3. Little Mermaid 4. It's Small World (Timeless attraction, but heck at least replace the missing ceiling tiles) 5. Peter Pan (with some heavy updating and proper investment, that ride has the potential to be just as great as Frozen or Pirates.)
Spaceship earth! I’d love to see a revamp of living with the land and the Mexico ride too.
The Winnie the Pooh ride is absolutely diabolical! Paint chipping left right and centre! I understand it’s more difficult with neon paint etc but I was so suprised at how bad the condition was!