(edited and updated on 11/16/10)
Ride length: 2:10 minutes
Ride length: 2:45 minutes
(for more info, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pan's_Flight)
Magic Kingdom: 4 out of 5 rating
The first difference you'll notice with the Magic Kingdom version of Peter Pan's Flight is the facade. The theming is that of a medieval faire, which helps it blend in with the rest of Fantasyland. A marquee overheard depicts characters in flight, making it immediately apparent what the ride is. Peter Pan is very popular for the fact that it's a thrilling ride without a height requirement. Due to this, the Magic Kingdom has a few great things going for it in order to handle the crowds.
First, it actually uses the Fastpass system. This makes it EXTREMELY easy to guarantee that you'll get to experience the ride during your visit, and you'll avoid the long lines. The second way they cycle through riders is through their loading platform. They use Omnimover-style moving ramps, which enables continuous loading without the vehicles stopping to load each guest.
The ride itself is similar in many ways to it's Disneyland counterpart, but also very different. You begin by flying through the nursery, which is much smaller than the nursery you fly through at Disneyland. After your flight over London, and prior to heading into Neverland, your vehicle passes by a moon that shows a silhouette Peter Pan and the kids over it.
Neverland is MUCH different than what I'm used to seeing at Disneyland. It rises higher above ground which puts it closer to your vehicle, and you fly amidst giant plants and iconic settings found throughout Peter Pan. It has a warped sense of scale though, because the characters are much larger than they probably should be. There's also a mermaid pool, which is the finale on Disneyland's version. After the initial flight through Neverland, the remaining differences were subtle. While entertaining, the ride is clearly overdue for an update though. Many of the characters, props, and sets seem as though they haven't been changed since the park opened back in 1971. The lighting also seems to be a bit too bright, which enables guests to see emergency staircases sitting throughout the ride.
The ride is so short to begin with that I really didn't feel the extra 30 seconds or so. I guess I was expecting a little more with it, but it's still a great, and stands out as a classic Disney dark ride.
Disneyland: 5 out of 5 rating
I actually think that both rides offer experiences so similar that I can't really say that one is "better" than the other. The ride is actually pretty even on the rating scale, but I'll give more favor to the Disneyland attraction since the facade of the ride is much better themed. It makes standing in line more exciting, though you WILL have to stand in line (and unless you're lucky, the shortest line you'll stand in will at least be 40 minutes). Back before the 1983 rehab of Fantasyland, this version actually looked very similar to the Magic Kingdom's Peter Pan, as it was also similarly styled to look more like a medieval faire.
Of the differences within the ride, I also prefer the Disneyland version. The loading area is themed to be high above London, atop a building, and you take off on the ride by heading into the nursery window. The nursery is much larger, but what makes it work better is that it's theming is more detailed. The Magic Kingdom's nursery feels like you're flying through a small closet. I enjoy the more distant flight into Neverland, which acts as a great counterpart to the flight out of London. I might also add that I prefer seeing Pan and Hook fighting on the plank rather than up above the mast. It makes their duel a little more cinematic with the other characters placed behind them as onlookers. One other thing that the Magic Kingdom was lacking was the effect near the end where Tinkerbell sprinkles pixie dust onto the pirate ship. That's such a cool effect, and another strength, though subtle, for the Disneyland version.
0 comments:
Post a Comment