I was a guest on a national radio show this morning, and one o the hosts asked me a question that I would like to share with you.
The question was, "what theme park attraction do you hope never gets closed?"
I did not get any advance notice about this question, and the host asked me to respond immediately with the first thought that popped into my mind.
So I answered, Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. It's the original installation for that franchise and set the standard for what dark rides could be. Sure, Disney has tweaked it over the years, but if those changes have helped keep the ride open, I hope that Disney will continue to do whatever it must to keep this important part of its - and the industry's - history alive for future generations.
Now, what is your answer? Which theme park ride or show do you hope never gets the axe?
Space Mountain (MK)- The first roller coaster generations of kids have ridden from around the world.
Spaceship Earth. I know they threw around concept art of a high speed roller coaster around at some point, but it's too iconic to remove.
Pirates was a great answer and was the first thing that went to my head too. You could argue most Disney dark rides will never close.
If any ride will stick around Universal, It's Spider-Man. Not because it's a great ride, but because having it means that Disney can't clone a Web-Slingers East of the Mississippi.
Fantasmic. For me, every Disney vacation (be it Orlando or Anaheim) always builds up towards seeing it on the last day. It is the perfect closer to a trip.
I agree with the above that there are a bunch of classic Disney attractions that can never be removed: Pirates, Small World, Haunted Mansion, and TBH I thought Splash Mountain was one of them as well. Also the original Tower of Terror at DHS (it was fine to retheme DCA's but WDW's is way too iconic of an attraction to mess with like that and I think they made a very wise choice).
My #1 non-Disney would be Whizzer at Six Flags Great America, followed by Blue Streak at Cedar Point. For Knotts fans I guess they could say the Calico Mine Ride. For me personally like every sky ride that still exists, IMO the biggest loss SFGAdv had this year was the skyride. You know they are going to get more big roller coasters, but TBH you can't ever see them getting another skyride.
Haunted Mansion. Full stop. If this is ever threatened with removal I’ll be like Gaston rousing the angry villagers with torches and pitchforks. I’m a native Floridian from Jacksonville so my home park and preferred version is at MK. I agree with @The_Man about the ToT at DHS as well.
Maybe a hot take here but choice at the UO Resort would be the Hulk Coaster. It was the first ride I ever rode at IoA and by tradition it’s the first thing I go on whenever I enter the park. Its opening is still the “greatest 6 seconds in theme park history”.
I will light your torch for you.
Being a traditionalist it has to be Carousel of Progress as it is the only attraction at WDW with Walt's direct fingerprints on it so is priceless. Update the last segment but keep the attraction for prosperity.
Universal’s Horror Makeup Show
Robert , That was a tough question to answer "off the bat".
I've had time to think and still had trouble coming up with an answer.
There are so many but in the end I had to choose the one iconic attraction that I can't imagine Disneyland or MK ever being without.
The Disneyland Railroad that circumnavigates that Park was Walt's favourite.
I love it too and I think perhaps this should always be considered the Crown Jewel of Disney whether it's at Disneyland or MK or wherever.
For Disney, the Haunted Mansion is my absolute favorite with the Railroad being a close second. It's hard to remember a visit when I haven't ridden both of them when they are available.
For Universal, Spiderman is the ride that I hope that never closes, but it may happen one day when Universal gets the right offer from Disney.
So many classics mentioned but I think getting rid of Jungle Cruise would be a mess.
I could probably name 50, but I'm going to keep it to a top 5 (in no particular order), one per company, and restrict it to US parks...
-Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man: This is still the gold standard for a multimedia motion-base dark ride, and it's based on an evergreen IP. Sure, there are a few rides that do things better, but I think it's hard to find a better all-around package.
-Cyclone: Quite possibly the most well known roller coaster still operating outside of a destination park, and probably the best remainder from the 1920s golden age. This is the icon of Coney Island, and it would be a real shame were it to go away.
-New Revolution: We need a representative from the second golden age, and what better choice than the world's first successful vertical looping coaster? This is a ride that straddles the line between family friendly and thrill ride, and is one I hope sticks around for generations to come.
-The Old Mill: This is a dark horse pick, but it is a super historic attraction that gives a look back in time at what themed attractions were before the the introduction of destination resorts. Opening all the way back 1901, it is also likely one of the oldest theme park attractions still in operation.
-It's a Small World: Truthfully, Disneyland has at least ten candidates and I'd expect most to put Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean higher, but I'm naming this one as my Disneyland pick for one simple reason...it is instantly recognizable. Ghosts and Pirates are common tropes at theme parks, but nobody else has a celebration of world culture that instantly springs to mind from a 5 second snippet of music.
Sindbad's Storybook Voyage in Tokyo DisneySea. OLC's ownership leaves this attraction reliably safe from closure, thankfully. It's nearly impossible to articulate why this stalwart adventurer and his cute tiger sidekick resonates so much without experiencing it for yourself. It's probably my favorite Old Mill ride in existence.
Spiderman at IOA jumped into my head..
Love the ride - the noises - the theming....