Test Track ?

[AgentC]

I sure hope so. After reading about the new design your own-it just sounds like filler to me. I have no interest in this addition.



I'm with you on this. It sounds to me like this is in the que line? Correct? And if that is the case, if the people in front of you are taking forever to design their car and you want to just move ahead, well you're stuck!! And what if you get a group of 10 people and they all want to design it, and then a group of 5 behind them and so on and so on...Just seems like it has the potential to make the wait for this ride a nightmare.

Thank god I only feel the need to ride it once a year.

My understanding is there is going to be a time limit for the design phase that has been worked into the planned wait times. It is really like a pre show area with a special room as opposed to the interactive queues where the people in front of you can stop and play the games forever.

My cousin is a cast member at Epcot and was raving about this ride. I haven't heard him so excited in awhile so I am looking forward to checking it out in December.

[Cheshire_Girl]

Cindy-Thanks for the additional info. If it there is a time limit and it is a "pre show" area, then maybe it will be a benefit and a nice addition to the ride experience. I hope so...I just keep thinking about the game at space mountain...Last time I was there SM was practically walk on, yet they still had the game running (seems like it is not always running when the line is short?) Anyway, there was a large family group in front of us that kept stopping and playing the game and got a bit offended when I asked them to keep moving or let us get in front of them...it was really annoying, and not the first time it has happened to me in a line that was empty and has an interactvie que!
So now I am curious and "on board" to experience the new and improved Test Track!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Is there going to be a way to bypass all the interactive stuff and just do the ride itself?

Yep, Fastpass or single rider... Stand By will go through the process of designing the car... Fastpass/Single Rider get a generic test vehicle...

I'm with you on this. It sounds to me like this is in the que line? Correct? And if that is the case, if the people in front of you are taking forever to design their car and you want to just move ahead, well you're stuck!! And what if you get a group of 10 people and they all want to design it, and then a group of 5 behind them and so on and so on...Just seems like it has the potential to make the wait for this ride a nightmare.

Thank god I only feel the need to ride it once a year.

Yes it is part of the queue, but like Cindy said, think of it as more of a preshow than actual queue... The more I read and hear the less worried I become... Cindy's post reaffirmed what I read last night, about this being more preshow that actual queue (though it is actual queue if that makes sense)... I'm sure they worked numbers out...

I'm actually more concerned with NextGen being the culprit in excessive stand by line wait increases....

[Main Street Jim]

Last time I was there SM was practically walk on, yet they still had the game running (seems like it is not always running when the line is short?) Anyway, there was a large family group in front of us that kept stopping and playing the game and got a bit offended when I asked them to keep moving or let us get in front of them...it was really annoying, and not the first time it has happened to me in a line that was empty and has an interactvie que!
So now I am curious and "on board" to experience the new and improved Test Track!

We always just walk around them if they stop to play the games They want to take their time and experience the "interactivity"; we just want to get on the ride! We do the same thing at Soarin' when the end of the line is up past the games and people stop in front of us.

[FLKatie912]

I sure hope so. After reading about the new design your own-it just sounds like filler to me. I have no interest in this addition.



I'm with you on this. It sounds to me like this is in the que line? Correct? And if that is the case, if the people in front of you are taking forever to design their car and you want to just move ahead, well you're stuck!! And what if you get a group of 10 people and they all want to design it, and then a group of 5 behind them and so on and so on...Just seems like it has the potential to make the wait for this ride a nightmare.

Thank god I only feel the need to ride it once a year.

I was a little worried about all of this car design stuff as well. Having experienced it a few times now, it is a great addition! The queue has been completely redesigned, you won't even recognize it.

I can confirm that the car design preshow is indeed timed, so no need to fret over that although I must admit I typically finished 3 minutes prior to the allowed time, but I'm not a car person.

From what it looks like to me Fast Pass will not be bypassing the design lab, it appears that there are 2 sides when it comes up to the loading area to the design lab. It does look like the single rider line does not go to the lab.

The car you designs "follows" you throughout this entire attraction and becomes part of it, so give it a chance, it's amazing what the Imagineers did!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Test Track may not be opening for soft opens tomorrow (Saturday) after all... Some issues still remain getting everything online... The issues aren't severe, but they do affect show and shouldn't take very long to get running properly...

CMs who have ridden has said the ride is very Tronish... some pictures coming out show a totally revamped queue and post show... Both look excellent... Very Epcot Centerish...

[DizneyFreak2002]

One word... WOW!!!

Something tells me everyone will be happy with the new Test Track...

[BrerGnat]

There is at least one video of the FULL ride/queue experience on You Tube.

Looks neat, but the design element is ho hum, at least to me. The entire ride all you hear is "obtaining design data". Kind of annoying.

Visually, though, the ride looks cool. The queue is a 100% improvement.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Anyone going to the park today, Test Track is open for previews....

[JohnnyNovo]

We got on it today. I really like the new que. The updated theme gives it a completely new feel with the use of the old track. The new que made the 35min wait go pretty fast.

[DisneyDawgette]

I'm with you on this. It sounds to me like this is in the que line? Correct? And if that is the case, if the people in front of you are taking forever to design their car and you want to just move ahead, well you're stuck!! And what if you get a group of 10 people and they all want to design it, and then a group of 5 behind them and so on and so on...Just seems like it has the potential to make the wait for this ride a nightmare.

Yikes... This sounds like most of the other interactive queues that have so far stunted a few lines I've been in. What will be worse: lots of kids playing in the Haunted Mansion queue and not moving (a queue that was very literally sticky the last time I went), or lots of older kids and adults wanting to design their own car with no regard for other people in line? Either way, I don't think it's very promising.

[BrerGnat]

Yikes... This sounds like most of the other interactive queues that have so far stunted a few lines I've been in. What will be worse: lots of kids playing in the Haunted Mansion queue and not moving (a queue that was very literally sticky the last time I went), or lots of older kids and adults wanting to design their own car with no regard for other people in line? Either way, I don't think it's very promising.

As mentioned earlier, the design phase of the attraction REPLACES the old "preshow" inside that room. The room now contains a set number of computer terminals, with numbers on them. Guests are lined up and given a numbered circle to stand on as well as an RFID enabled card to hold. When the doors to the room open up, guests walk in and go to their corresponding computer terminal. From what I could tell in the video, guests have approximately 3 minutes to design all aspects of their car. There is a countdown timer on every screen and they all start at the same time.

When you are done designing the car, you hold your RFID card up to the terminal, and it "saves" your design. You exit the room as a group, then get into portion of the line where you wait to board the cars. Once you get in the car, the car "reads" all the RFID cards in the car. Essentially, there are points along the ride where the card data is "read" (i.e. at the different tests). At the end of the ride, there is a list ranking the cars from 1-6, in terms of which car "performed" the best overall. Cars are recognizable because they put up pictures of the cars, so you can tell which one is yours.

Honestly, the design portion is kinda confusing and I can see some younger kids having a hard time doing it themselves. Parents will basically have to decide whether to design their own car, or help their kids.

[Going2HeavenRU]

I just watched a video of the entire ride. Looks interesting (like Tron) until you go outside on the track. It really breaks the illusion.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I just watched a video of the entire ride. Looks interesting (like Tron) until you go outside on the track. It really breaks the illusion.

I agree with you about the outside portion... They need to add neon lighting to it (for night time rides) and a soundtrack based on Daft Punk... Or, enclose it and make it a neon jungle, complete with Daft Punk soundtrack...

However, since we know they won't do that, fixing the script to tie the outside portion into the Sim Track would help it out a ton...

[disneymom2000]

Can't wait to try this out. Will be there in less than 4 days.

[troy0228]

Any news on Test Track ?

Thanks.

I am at Disney world now, got on the new test track Tuesday. Test track opened Tuesday December 4 2012, I did NOT like the new set up at all, it is a dark ride with no personality at all. The old saying "if its not broke don't fix it" Disney should read it, the new test track is a flop.I was told by the engineers there that night test track was set up for the "computer generation" well it is like bring in a cat 5 cable not testing a vehicle.

[BrerGnat]

I am at Disney world now, got on the new test track Tuesday. Test track opened Tuesday December 4 2012, I did NOT like the new set up at all, it is a dark ride with no personality at all. The old saying "if its not broke don't fix it" Disney should read it, the new test track is a flop.I was told by the engineers there that night test track was set up for the "computer generation" well it is like bring in a cat 5 cable not testing a vehicle.

I kind of agree with you. What I saw on the video was visually interesting, but that's about it. There is no story anymore. As tacky as the old story was, at least you had some semblance of what the ride was all about. Saying this ride is about automobile design/testing is a S-T-R-E-T-C-H.

I will give them credit for making the ride at least look/feel more futuristic. And, major kudos to the new queue, which fits in much better with Futureworld.

The worst part is on the outside portion, when you can still see the old black and yellow checkered pattern on the side of the building from the "old" version. Fail.

That said, I have two boys, 6 and 8. They weren't the least bit interested in the old ride. Never wanted to ride it. However, I showed them the video of the new one, and they are ALL OVER it. They are drawn into anything with blinking/flashing llights, computer graphics, etc. So, maybe the Imagineers are right about appealing to the "computer generation" of kids these days...

[SBETigg]

I can't tell from the videos alone, but from what I have seen- yes, the whole things seems really generic. Disappointing so far. I like some of the new elements, but the whole dark with neon interior and ride-through, and even the music in the queue just lacks originality and wow factor. Maybe it's not coming off well in the videos. I already miss the old Test Track. Even the annoying queue music. But I guess it's not fair to judge until I've been through it in person.

[jwallace378]

I went on yesterday. Don't hate me...but I like the old Test Track better. The pre show "design your car" portion is too in depth and time consuming. There is no truth to the name of the ride anymore. They should've renamed it "Tron". The indoor portion is just all neon lights now and no "testing" at all.

[Stu29573]

I saw the videos and my impression is "meh." I can't see how this is a huge improvement over the original, which seemed to have more story and humor to it. The original also seemed a bit more exciting, since this version is just too slick and "everything is in control." All in all, I don't think its a Journey Into Your Imagination scale "Fail," but it isn't an improvement...