Space Mountain, Disneyland U.S.A.: The New and Improved Space Mountain.
Written: Jul 11 '05 (Updated Dec 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun as always, improvement only made it better.
Cons: No queue line entertainment.
The Bottom Line: A definitely must hit ride if you plan on going, but the improvements are not good enough for this to be your only motivation.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Space Mountain - Disneyland |
Space Mountain, for only going 30 mph, is one of the best roller coasters out there for the average person. Disneyland closed this ride for refurbishment a while back but now it is finally open. Basically it is the same ride with a couple of small changes, but the changes do make a difference. It is a fine addition to their 50th year anniversary.
Space Mountain officially opens this Sunday July 15th but it is being tested out with park visitors right now.
Summary of the changes
The ports that allowed you to see into the ride are not sealed off. This is to create an even darker experience. A great move.
The video advertainment (by FedEx) is no longer there. It is replaced by an annoying safety video that loops every 20 seconds or so. It is REALLY annoying. Also that annoying robot is removed.
The outside lights on the mountain are changed.
The entire ride has brand new lighting effects. One of the features is hundreds of tiny spotlights moving around. It is a neat effect.
The speakers on the cars actually work this time, hope they stay that way.
The music sound track.
The projected images.
The satellite on top is now a meteoroid.
What remained the same
The queue line.
The basic theme.
The track (I think.)- I counted the turns on Space Mountain and I compared them to a model of the original Space Mountain in the 50th anniversary tribute area near the entrance to Disneyland. From this comparison I believe that the track is exactly the same. I heard some of the track was repaired because the track was becoming unsafe and there might have been some changes in the angle of some banking to make it smoother, but I haven’t been able to officially confirm this yet.
About the current line setup
To get in line you pass in between Honey I Shrunk the Audience and the Pizza Port. From there you walk up a ramp that takes you over the Pizza port exterior eating area. From there you will find yourself on top of the roof of Honey I Shrunk the Audience and there will be a series of chains to take you to the back of the roof and inside the building. There is one pair of drinking fountains if you get thirsty, and if it is a hot day then you will be. There is also no real shade up there so do not expect to get much protection.
Once you get to the other side of the roof you will meet a worker that will let you go down to the main loading chamber. This is also the same place that
Fastpass ticket holders will merge up with the main line. You then walk down a long ramp that used to have a window so you could view the roller coaster. It is also at the end of this ramp that they play a horrible safety video on continuous loops. Hopefully they will time it so you do not have to be subjected to this for very long.
The loading chamber is pretty much unchanged. The space ship that is hanging is improved with extra lights and a few added shapes to make it look more modern. The screen at the far end of the room is removed with a projection screen (at least it looked like projection to me) of an image of a planet in constant motion. Kind of like the genesis project footage in Star Trek II & III, except at a much slow pace and you are in high orbit so you can’t see any individual features of the planet.
The one thing I did not like about the queue line is that there was really no entertainment. In Indiana Jones, Roger Rabbit, and Buzz light year you have some sort of entertainment in parts of the queue line. You have nothing here except that annoying video.
About the ride itself
The track appears to me to be unchanged. I am sure the whole track was refurbished to make it safer (at least that is the rumor). It certainly seemed like the same design as they had before. The real difference comes with the lights. The lights still increase your adrenaline and add a little entertainment value while you take the long trek to the top of the dome, but nothing really special here. They certainly did not go as crazy with lights like I would have liked during the pre-launch phase, but inside the dome the lights are perfect and simple.
The globe itself was even more basic then it was before, and this is a good thing. It is just moving star lights (kind of like thousands of tiny spotlights), a couple of projected images, and blackness. And as you went further down it got even blacker. Just white lights (for the stars) and darkness. I also have a little trouble defining the effect. The best I can come up with is a strobe light effect but without the annoying strobe. Or as I said, thousands of tiny spotlights. My wife rode on the very back and thought it was very annoying because it also lit up the passengers/seats in front of her. If you are in the front car then this effect is not as prominent. You are very visually stimulated by this contrast and it adds to the illusion of speed and space.
I think simplifying the ride like this was a big risk but the effect is far superior to what it was before. It was definitely a smart move.
The soundtrack
I originally thought they added speakers to this ride because I have never heard music on this ride before. Jkafer pointed out a website (see below) that clarified my confusion. In 1996 they added sound to the cars but the new sound system required high maintenance so the sound frequently went out. During the many times that I rode it between 98 and 03 I never once heard the music. This was actually the first time I heard it. I personally did not find the music annoying but I wasn’t wild about it either. In the current mix, there was a combination of different instruments that I really could not make out while on the ride, but it was an upbeat mix but more on the instrumental side (but see the last paragraph for Rock It Mountain). I do miss the simple ambient noises inside the dome and the screams from other riders, I would much rather have this over the music any day.
At the beginning there are basic sound effects that try to make you feel like you are beginning to launch into space, like a 10 to 1 countdown at the top of the dome.
Dick Dale, known for inventing the surf guitar in the 1950’s, wrote the soundtrack in the late 90’s when tomorrow land was redone. But they got rid of that soundtrack for the reopening. Keep in mind that several websites (including some I reference below) still state that Dick Dale wrote the music, and they are wrong. If you go to the Walt Disney World website for their Space Mountain then you will hear a sample of music that I believe is from Dick Dale. So I assume Walt Disney World is playing that sound track instead (feel free to leave a comment if you have the answer.)
As I stated, they got rid of the Dick Dale sound track and added two new ones. A daytime running one written by Michael Giacchino. He wrote the soundtrack to the Incredibles, some video games, and a symphony. Not only do some websites state this fact, I also went to city hall to confirm this information. A kind gentleman in city hall made a phone call and he was able to provide me with the correct information. But he failed to tell me about the nighttime soundtrack. The nighttime track features a hard guitar style featuring Van Halen (and different visual effects.) This is part of the reason why I got confused about the surf guitar music when I was first doing research on this ride for this review (and the Disneyland website does not list the new features.) But from what I remember it was not a very heavy guitar and I liked it better than the daytime sound track I heard today.
About the speed and smoothness.
I believe that the speed is the same or slightly increased from what it was. I also thought the speed effect was greater in the second car then it is in the first. If my perception is correct then it is only by 1-2 MPH which is a lot since the ride only gets up to 30mph or so. I really have no way of telling and I may be wrong, but it sure did seem faster.
The ride was also fairly smooth. There were no rough parts, just nice tight turns. My head did not bobble around and I did not feel that I needed a head cushion.
What did my son think? What is the height limit?
As I started to write this, my son is counting down from ten and running across the room. This is how the ride starts at the top of the ball. So my son apparently loved the ride and was telling my wife this morning “how he went weeee in the dark.” He didn’t seem to slide around in the seat and appeared to be secure.
My son is 1 month shy of 4 years and he is 45 inches tall. Tall for his age but he safely rode it with no problems. I am 6ֶ” and I also had no problems fitting in the same seat. Thankfully there are separate lap bars for greater safety between two people of such differing heights. I also saw many other kids around the same height/age that seemed to enjoy the ride. At least no kids were crying when they got off the ride.
The height limit is 40 inches. There are two measuring stands, one overlooking the entrance to “Honey I shrunk the audience” and another at the ride entrance.
Is there a single rider line?
I asked the worker at the exit if they did single riders like they do with California screaming and Indiana Jones. He said no and did not know if they were planning to. I think they are because they are set up to do it (by following the handicap entrance) and there is a definite need for single riders. The gal in front of us was a single rider and the rider that took our car was also a single rider. I also saw quite a few singles get on the ride when I was waiting in the launch room, so they do need to accommodate singles.
Is there fast pass
Yes there is. It is located at the ride entrance, past the outside eating area for the Pizza Port. Wait for fast pass riders will be 10-15 minutes.
Can I buy pictures
At the end of the ride (right outside before you hit the bathrooms and arcade) there is a station with pictures of you during the ride. Just keep in mind that if your child is 45 inches tall then the camera will only get his nose and up.
Car capacity.
Each set of roller coaster cars holds 12 people. 2 people per row and 6 people per car. Safety bars are one per person. No belts or harnesses.
Sources referenced for this review
http://www.ultimateorlando.com/archive/space/anaheim.htm
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/parks/attractions/detail?name=SpaceMountainAttractionPage
http://miceage.com/kevinyee/ky080905a.htm
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/attractionDetail?id=SpaceMountainAttractionPage
http://www.michaelgiacchino.com/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Mountain
http://www.answers.com/topic/space-mountain
Summary
This is the same old roller coaster that you knew before, just with more lights and a new sound. The cars now have speakers that work, the launch areas are improved with new lights, and the dome itself is more simply done. The dome is just white lights, a few simple projections of space objects, and darkness with nothing unnecessary. For a roller coaster fanatic this is a nice improvement. There is very little to distract you from the experience, except the music. But I was a little disappointed they did not do more with the queue line. The roof (where the queue line is) should have been enclosed and entertainment should have been inserted. But for a basic roller coaster it is worth going on if you ever find yourself at Disneyland.
Disneyland Attractions.
Indiana Jones Adventure.
The Haunted Mansion
Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin.
Shootin Exhibition.
Main street cinema
Main street horse drawn carriage
Goofys Bounce House.
Tarzans Treehouse
California Adventure attractions
Tower of Terror.
Soar’in over California.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
Boudin Bakery.
Mission Tortilla Factory.
Golden Dreams
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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