Seven Dwarves Mine Train Soft Opening???

[AndrewJackson]

Anyone hearing any soft opening rumors? Going last week in March, and really hope we can ride this.

[Strmchsr]

Not yet. Didn't look close to ready for soft openings any time soon when I was there last week, but end of March does give you almost 2 more months so I guess it's not an impossible hope.

[TinkerbellT421]

They came a long way, but I agree with Chris, when we were there last week it didn't look even close to soft openings. There was still scaffolding up and still a lot of construction to go it looked like. I think they are being optimistic by saying two months, but who knows lol. There wasn't even anyone working on it when we were there for two days.

[CaptSmee]

I read somewhere they were running behind

[IloveJack]

A CM friend told me they're not even looking to staff it til April, with a possible soft opening in early summer.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Lot of the scaffolding is now down and I just read they have started to take internal transfer requests for staffing...

They did fall behind it seems... There was some talk about issues with the mine cars as they pulled into the station at the end of the attraction as being one of the issues...

How long do they train new CMs on the attraction before they allow softs?

[tinksmom02]

Ugh, was hoping it would be done by our trip in May, but it doesn't look good.

[We LOVE Disney]

We will be there at the end of June. Hoping we can ride it by then :mickey:

[Melanie]

Very disappointing. I'm floored how long it's taken this attraction to be constructed.

[Buttercup]

I'm surprised actually that they're not going to have it open in time for Easter when the parks are going to be crowded with folks.

[BrerGnat]

This ride better knock my socks off.

[Melanie]

This ride better knock my socks off.

Heh.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Very disappointing. I'm floored how long it's taken this attraction to be constructed.

Not really as long as it looks. This ride was added after New Fantasyland was under construction because it was felt the area needed a better attraction. Normally, the conception and development of a ride is done in the background with little bring known publicly. There are rides/attractions that go through development and then are shelved and no one knows much about it.

In this case, conception and development has been going on at the same time as physical construction. They have been finding issues that normally would be found in background testing and changes have to be made. This all makes it seem longer but it's really just us seeing construction and background development together for the first time.

[Melanie]

Not really as long as it looks. This ride was added after New Fantasyland was under construction because it was felt the area needed a better attraction. Normally, the conception and development of a ride is done in the background with little bring known publicly. There are rides/attractions that go through development and then are shelved and no one knows much about it.

In this case, conception and development has been going on at the same time as physical construction. They have been finding issues that normally would be found in background testing and changes have to be made. This all makes it seem longer but it's really just us seeing construction and background development together for the first time.

Compared to what I see happening at Universal, it's taking a long time. For one attraction. One.

Despite however this ride was developed/built, the timeline appears bad, IMO.

[Fangorn]

Compared to what I see happening at Universal, it's taking a long time. For one attraction. One.


Given that Disneyland went from orange grove to Park Opening in 366 days, this seems really slow. Even Everest went from announcement to opening in less than 3 years. The mine train was announced over 3 years ago (January 18, 2011) and still isn't complete.

Now, granted, there were a lot of things that didn't exactly work right when Disneyland opened; and the Yeti is down.

I'm sure that here, though, once it does open, there will be zero issues or downtime. Why else would it be taking so long to build? (why is there no Smilie for sarcasm?)

Steve

[buzznwoodysmom]

This ride better knock my socks off.

Natalie, I have thought that all along. At this rate it better be one heck of a ride.


Very disappointing. I'm floored how long it's taken this attraction to be constructed.

Mel, I have been thinking the same thing recently. Every time I see a question about this attraction it blows my mind that it still seems so far off from actually opening. Simply mind boggling.

To be completely honest, right now in my opinion even the anticipation of this new attraction seems old and stale. I, for one, am not even that excited about it anymore. It's just been a far too drawn out ordeal from start to (hopefully one day in the next year ;)) finish.

[DizneyRox]

Very disappointing. I'm floored how long it's taken this attraction to be constructed.
Have you forgotten about Test Track?

[NewmanFamily6]

I sure hope it is ready for our trip in August:mickey: It is all my kids are talking about :)

[BigB]

I hope this ride is good because so far my fiancé (we got engaged on 12/07/13 in Epcot on our last trip) and I are disappointed in the Fantasy Land expansion. We went on Little Mermaid ride and we thought that after 25 years THIS is the best they could do!? So disappointed. We are hoping by the time we go again they have this and something more.

[Splash_Lover]

would you rather they rushed it and got it wrong and it was a disaster or take longer and do it right the first time so that it will be the attraction that people will want to ride and one that won't be out of commission constantly.

[AndrewJackson]

Hmmm... Well, if I HAVE to make a choice, I want them to get it right. ;)

I am not sure why we have to make a choice. It seems like TDO could get it right and finish it within 3 years of the announcement. It's just ONE ride, for goodness sake.

[Melanie]

Hmmm... Well, if I HAVE to make a choice, I want them to get it right. ;)



I am not sure why we have to make a choice. It seems like TDO could get it right and finish it within 3 years of the announcement. It's just ONE ride, for goodness sake.


Exactly.

[Lindsey310]

I sure hope it is ready for our trip in August:mickey: It is all my kids are talking about :)

You prob have a great chance of this...I have heard so many rumors but early summer was the latest rumor that's been around the internet, although disney hasn't announced an official date. :mickey:


3 days!!! :yay:

[DizneyFreak2002]

would you rather they rushed it and got it wrong and it was a disaster or take longer and do it right the first time so that it will be the attraction that people will want to ride and one that won't be out of commission constantly.

Too bad they don't take their time building to make sure they get it right, but only to spread money out over fiscal quarters/years... If they took their time to get it right, then we wouldn't have the junkfest which is the Little Mermaid ride... And no one would be complaining...

[Altair]

Have you forgotten about Test Track?

I'll never forget it. I think we went three years in a row and it wasn't open yet. At least the last time we got to hear the cars whizzing around the track. :rolleyes:

[r4kids]

Has anyone heard of an approximate ride height for this ride??

[BrerGnat]

Has anyone heard of an approximate ride height for this ride??

I am going to guess 35". Just a hunch. 40" tops. They mentioned it being an attraction that families can enjoy together, and being in Fantasyland, I would expect the height requirement to reflect the audience.

[Ian]

I'm very surprised to see/hear people bad-mouthing Little Mermaid. Sometimes I really feel like Disney, for as much as they admittedly get wrong, can't win.

Some of the exact same people I've seen lamenting the fact that Disney seemed to have abandoned the classic dark ride then turn around and complain when they build what I think is one of the best they've ever done?

My family and I really, really enjoy Little Mermaid and goodness knows it's my twins' favorite. I think it's incredibly well done, fun, and 100% in line with what I expect from a classic Disney dark ride.

I'm not one to defend Disney, but sheesh ... give credit where credit is due.

[BigB]

I work in construction and if we can build a casino in seven months how come they cannot finish a single coaster?

For what Little Mermaid was (classic Disney ride) it was good but it just seemed to lack something. It felt like they took the extra shells from "Living with the Seas" (Nemo ruined that ride for me too!) and drove you around a stop motion set. I don't have children (expecting our first in Sept) so my opinion of Fantasy Land is a bit skewed but I didn't find it amazing. Nice and visually pleasing but basically they added a themed bathroom. All those characters and lands they created and there is one new ride. And yes I know about the Dumbos and the Barnstormer ride but neither appeal to me. Plus they had Dumbo originally. I'll ride on Aladdin and try to get the camel to spit on my fiancé. I really really hope that Mine Train is an amazing ride. I hope Avatar is really good and I hope that Downtown Disney becomes the place it needs to be. As much as it pains me to say this but if neither of these are true my next trip might be my last for a very long time.

[Terra]

I agree.

I'd much rather it be safe for my children and I.
I don't really care what Universal or other parks do.:blush:

I hope I don't offend anyone, truly not my intention. Lately all I see and read is negative about Disney here :( I used to enjoy coming here more and sharing the magic and now I see so much negative though that I feel like I can't discuss positives.

Again, sorry if I offend with this. It's just what I noticed.

[Strmchsr]

Lately all I see and read is negative about Disney here :( I used to enjoy coming here more and sharing the magic and now I see so much negative though that I feel like I can't discuss positives.

You can absolutely post your positive feelings. There are a couple of posters on here who seem bound and determined to just be negative, but the vast majority of folks on here (me included) still love Disney. What you're seeing is a large amount of frustration being expressed by people who love Disney but are being really turned off by several of the new policies and practices of Disney. TDO has made some very, very boneheaded decisions lately that are negatively impacting the guest experience. So, it's not that everyone hates Disney now. Just the opposite. We still love it and are frustrated by the management's continuous policies to reduce what used to be fun and magical at WDW.

[Melanie]

You can absolutely post your positive feelings. There are a couple of posters on here who seem bound and determined to just be negative, but the vast majority of folks on here (me included) still love Disney. What you're seeing is a large amount of frustration being expressed by people who love Disney but are being really turned off by several of the new policies and practices of Disney. TDO has made some very, very boneheaded decisions lately that are negatively impacting the guest experience. So, it's not that everyone hates Disney now. Just the opposite. We still love it and are frustrated by the management's continuous policies to reduce what used to be fun and magical at WDW.


Exactly. We crank because we care! :D I hate that I've been feeling down on Disney recently, but like Chris mentioned, the boneheaded decisions are hard to take. I think you'll see that across the Disney community as a whole, but I guarantee we're more positive here at INTERCOT than most.

As for those consistently negative posters, don't forget we have an ignore button if you don't want to see it.

[DizneyFreak2002]

You can absolutely post your positive feelings. There are a couple of posters on here who seem bound and determined to just be negative, but the vast majority of folks on here (me included) still love Disney. What you're seeing is a large amount of frustration being expressed by people who love Disney but are being really turned off by several of the new policies and practices of Disney. TDO has made some very, very boneheaded decisions lately that are negatively impacting the guest experience. So, it's not that everyone hates Disney now. Just the opposite. We still love it and are frustrated by the management's continuous policies to reduce what used to be fun and magical at WDW.

Thank you! We aren't being negative for the sake of being negative... You just cannot help it with, as you point out, the bonehead decisions Orlando management, and to an extent, P&R division have been making for WDW...

Some of us hold Disney to their own standards, standards they no longer hold themselves to, in WDW anyway... Good enough is not always good enough... And good enough is not good enough for many of us.. Disney used to go above and beyond... I will never defend mediocrity from this company.. Some people want to, that's their business... I won't... I will always hold Disney to a higher standard, a standard they created... Good enough is a failure in my eyes... And if that means I am a Negative Nelly, then so be it...

[Ian]

I don't have children (expecting our first in Sept) so my opinion of Fantasy Land is a bit skewed but I didn't find it amazing. Nice and visually pleasing but basically they added a themed bathroom. All those characters and lands they created and there is one new ride. And yes I know about the Dumbos and the Barnstormer ride but neither appeal to me. Plus they had Dumbo originally.I actually agree completely with this sentiment. I've been pretty vocal in my disappointment with the lack of ... well ... anything of substance in "New Fantasyland."

I was strictly defending TLM as a standalone attraction.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

The way I look at it, I studied social sciences and I never too a single class in basic engineering so I really have no dog in this fight. I get that the project keeps getting pushed back, but I don't know whats going on behind those walls. My philosophy is to let them do their thing.

Yes, Disneyland was built in a year. Yes, the Magic Kingdom is an engineering masterpiece, but keep in mind that when they were building those parks they didn't have millions of visitors in a day. It was just them, not having to work around park guests.

That's not a good or a bad thing, in my book. It's just the way things are. Rome wasn't built in a day and nor will the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

[Terra]

The way I look at it, I studied social sciences and I never too a single class in basic engineering so I really have no dog in this fight. I get that the project keeps getting pushed back, but I don't know whats going on behind those walls. My philosophy is to let them do their thing.

Yes, Disneyland was built in a year. Yes, the Magic Kingdom is an engineering masterpiece, but keep in mind that when they were building those parks they didn't have millions of visitors in a day. It was just them, not having to work around park guests.

That's not a good or a bad thing, in my book. It's just the way things are. Rome wasn't built in a day and nor will the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

That's a great point. Also many laws have changed since then, safety things, etc.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Yes, Disneyland was built in a year. Yes, the Magic Kingdom is an engineering masterpiece, but keep in mind that when they were building those parks they didn't have millions of visitors in a day. It was just them, not having to work around park guests.


That's all well and good, and would be a nice excuse if it weren't for another theme park up the road... One who built a massive E ticket in the middle of a working and open crowded theme park, with NO direct access from backstage to the work site.... Yet, they pulled it off in one year... From tearing down an old building, to removing the mess, to prepping the land, to building the new attraction, to programming everything... 13 months...

If Disney wanted to, 7D could have been done in 13 months as well... They have easier access to the work site, they don't have to drive trucks with equipment through the park... And it isn't as advanced as Transformers is... Facts are Disney chooses to take forever in building projects to spread costs out over quarters/years... 3 years for a D ticket family coaster is too long a time... Nothing wrong with that... However, in the eyes of many, Disney looks silly...

And to top it off, this isn't going to be a mind blowing attraction... For as long as it is taking, it should be mind blowing... it won't be...

[r4kids]

I read on trip advisor they have let cast memners ride. That they plan to soft open last week in feb. Has anyone else heard or was this group posting misinformed??

[Strmchsr]

I read on trip advisor they have let cast memners ride. That they plan to soft open last week in feb. Has anyone else heard or was this group posting misinformed??

That information is incorrect. They are not to the human testing phase yet. Some of the Imagineers have ridden through parts to test it out, but not random CMs.

[TheVBs]

We're going end of April/beginning of May and really hoping we'll be able to ride as well.

As for how long it's taking.... not knowing a thing about what it takes or what their problems may be, and not having any genuinely, well educated knowledge of anything else to compare it to... I'll avoid offering my uneducated opinion here.

As an aside, we love the new Little Mermaid ride too. :mickey:

[Altair]

As for how long it's taking.... not knowing a thing about what it takes or what their problems may be, and not having any genuinely, well educated knowledge of anything else to compare it to... I'll avoid offering my uneducated opinion here.



Let's put it this way, here they just built a new bridge across the Mississippi River in less than two years. I would think a bridge is a bigger job than a roller coaster. :confused:

[Scar]

Is it possible that this has nothing to do with "how long it takes" as opposed to "when will opening it be best for increasing attendance?"

[r4kids]

That information is incorrect. They are not to the human testing phase yet. Some of the Imagineers have ridden through parts to test it out, but not random CMs.

:( Dang it..... I was afraid that was the case.

[TheVBs]

Let's put it this way, here they just built a new bridge across the Mississippi River in less than two years. I would think a bridge is a bigger job than a roller coaster. :confused:

I get what you're saying, but how do we know that's a fair comparison? I mean, genuinely, I don't know. Maybe they've built that kind of bridge in other places 20 times before? Maybe Disney is doing something different with the mine ride? I don't know. I want it open soon too. I just don't have any genuine knowledge to back up a statement that it should be done by now. Hope that makes sense!

[disneynarula]

I'm very surprised to see/hear people bad-mouthing Little Mermaid. Sometimes I really feel like Disney, for as much as they admittedly get wrong, can't win.

Some of the exact same people I've seen lamenting the fact that Disney seemed to have abandoned the classic dark ride then turn around and complain when they build what I think is one of the best they've ever done?

My family and I really, really enjoy Little Mermaid and goodness knows it's my twins' favorite. I think it's incredibly well done, fun, and 100% in line with what I expect from a classic Disney dark ride.

I'm not one to defend Disney, but sheesh ... give credit where credit is due.

I agree with you 100%. IMHO The Little Mermaid is something that Disney did right. Part of what I love about Disney is the classic dark rides. I love that we can ride it as a complete family. My DD loves the ride and my DSs agree (even though they pretend not too).

[AgentC]

Still no news on when the Mine Train will open, but the construction walls on Belle's side of the ride are down today. You can find pictures on Twitter.

[seanyred]

Saw picks today of imagineers riding the trains! Hope that means they are close to the soft openings for any folks that will be visiting soon.

[yjgirl32]

I don't think the park down the street is all that great. They have more 3d,4d rides than anything. It was nice to experience it once but have no desire to return. I think the Dwarf ride will be a lot of fun to ride and to me really doesn't matter how long they take- they want to get it done right and safely and I trust them to do it right.

[joonyer]

I get what you're saying, but how do we know that's a fair comparison? I mean, genuinely, I don't know. Maybe they've built that kind of bridge in other places 20 times before? Maybe Disney is doing something different with the mine ride? I don't know. I want it open soon too. I just don't have any genuine knowledge to back up a statement that it should be done by now. Hope that makes sense!

It all comes down to the amount of resources they want to allocate to the project. The U.S. Government & NASA put a man on the moon in just 9 years. Highways and bridges can be built relatively quickly if enough money and manpower are applied to the project. Disney could have built the SDMT attraction in just 3 months if they wanted to devote the resources ($$$) to get it done that fast. They simply have chosen not to, most likely for budget reasons. They take their time and can spread the cost over months and years.

[princessgirls]

When I was last in DW in November of 2012, we were blessed and got to be a part of the new Fantasyland "soft opening" and did all of the new attractions. I thought the whole addition was a good one to the park, and the signage up at that time said the Mine Coaster would be coming late Fall 2013. OK....I bet it will be exactly a year behind schedule. A YEAR!!! That is crazy to me. CRAZY.
I do hope it's a fun attraction, worth the wait and better than The Great Goofini!
Julie:mickey:

[John]

I will be there for the press event Wed-Friday - ride on's are to take place Thursday... I'll be shooting video if they allow and posting plenty of pictures to Twitter and FB.

[MyDisneyworld]

I will be there for the press event Wed-Friday - ride on's are to take place Thursday... I'll be shooting video if they allow and posting plenty of pictures to Twitter and FB.

Can't wait to hear about it. Does this mean next week it will be open to the public?

[DizneyFreak2002]

Can't wait to hear about it. Does this mean next week it will be open to the public?
Nope...

[joanna71985]

I will be there for the press event Wed-Friday - ride on's are to take place Thursday... I'll be shooting video if they allow and posting plenty of pictures to Twitter and FB.

So jealous! I can't wait to hear about it

[Ian]

John and I talked to one of the press liaisons last night and the official story seems to be an opening in late May or early June.

No word on soft openings at all. We've been here all week and it hasn't been open once. They haven't even done Cast previews yet and they are, in fact, still doing the test runs with the weighted dummies.

[RBrooksC]

My guess is this is the Fantasyland Crown Jewel. It is going to be a "D" ticket ride in an area that always had the basic "C" ticket rides.

They are going to test, do a tollgate or phase meeting, test again, do another meeting until all the bugs are out of it.

There is no way they are going to miss something or have an issue with this after opening.

[Buttercup]

Saw a video today of the ride; a POV ride through the whole thing. If you don't want spoilers don't read this...................

I was kind of "meh" about it. I thought there would be more indoor dark ride stuff, similar to Splash Mountain. But it looks like just a quick jaunt through the mine with the jewels in the walls and the dwarfs... And the rest is Rollercoaster (save for one drive by of the dwarf cottage with Snow White inside). And, I saw two different ride-thrus and each time through the mine it looked as though the audio wasn't working properly! At one point there was no background music in the mine, so it seemed really quiet with just the dwarfs talking.... And the next ride thru Doc was moving but he had no voice! Strange they would let that happen during a press event! (If you want to watch the video look on YouTube for the Attractions Magazine video. I haven't seen John's Intercot video yet).

I wonder if the delay in opening to the public has to do with problems like that?

Overall it looks cute and the animatronics are neat, but for years and years of construction I was expecting a little more dark-ride and a little less Barnstormer Rollercoaster.

[Melanie]

Totally agree, Carolyn. Meh.

[Terra]

Melanie or Buttercup, can one of you PM me the link? Or is it Google searchable?

[Buttercup]

Go to YouTube. Search for the mine train. Look for the video by Attractions Magazine.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Saw a video today of the ride; a POV ride through the whole thing. If you don't want spoilers don't read this...................

I was kind of "meh" about it. I thought there would be more indoor dark ride stuff, similar to Splash Mountain. But it looks like just a quick jaunt through the mine with the jewels in the walls and the dwarfs... And the rest is Rollercoaster (save for one drive by of the dwarf cottage with Snow White inside). And, I saw two different ride-thrus and each time through the mine it looked as though the audio wasn't working properly! At one point there was no background music in the mine, so it seemed really quiet with just the dwarfs talking.... And the next ride thru Doc was moving but he had no voice! Strange they would let that happen during a press event! (If you want to watch the video look on YouTube for the Attractions Magazine video. I haven't seen John's Intercot video yet).

I wonder if the delay in opening to the public has to do with problems like that?

Overall it looks cute and the animatronics are neat, but for years and years of construction I was expecting a little more dark-ride and a little less Barnstormer Rollercoaster.

Can't say some of us didn't warn members here not to expect something on a grand scale... ;)

WDI delivered exactly what some of us were saying... People were putting this on the same level as Splash Mountain and BTMRR... It's not... WDI delivered what some of us said this was going to be: a cute, D ticket kiddie/family coaster nothing close to the E ticket BTMRR, in between Big Thunder and Barnstormer... This is exactly what we got... It is cute, finishes off New Fantasyland.... Still leaves more style over substance though... It will be successful, no doubt, but this isn't an E ticket, no matter what fans try to say, and this isn't the greatest thing to hit theme parks...

[PirateLover]

See, now I haven't ridden it yet, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the recent videos from the press event, and have reversed my opinion of the ride. With all the prior previews I was feeling underwhelmed, but seeing the little finishing touches has brought it home for me and I look forward to the day in the future when I can ride it with my whole family. As adults, I think we lose the child's perspective sometimes. Kids will love it. It combines the kiddie coaster (which, let's be honest, usually stinks for adults) with the classic dark ride, using an impressive theme. Could it have been longer, with more internal scenes--I guess, but it's the Mine Train coaster, not the story of Snow White. There's only so much you can do in a mine. As a little girl who grew up loving Snow White, I'm in love with the details, like how the cottage looks like it's straight out of the movie and the Dwaves' shadows being cast against the cave walls during "Heigh-Ho" just like in the movie. If you watch John's POV, he has a giddy smile the whole time. I just wish they could hasten their production. It should not have taken as long as it did. The timeline on these projects is the biggest disappointment.

ETA: So a lot of the ride-throughs were cutting out the cottage scene at the end, which I finally saw. To that end, they probably could've done a bit more. It is a bit abrupt to end with the witch at the window.