When I originally scheduled a trip to Walt Disney World, my wife and I decided to stay for nine days in order to do everything possible during what was her first visit. There was only one problem: she desperately wanted to ride the Magic Kingdom’s latest attraction, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The highly anticipated ride was heavily tested throughout April and dedicated on May 2nd.
We were caught by surprise when Disney announced the opening date as May 28th. As fate would have it, we were leaving Florida on May 24th. It was a cruel twist of fate, but we were stubborn in our dogged pursuit of a single ride. In the end, we achieved our goal. Here is the information you need to know about Disney’s key addition for the summer of 2014.
Note: We have avoided including plot spoilers for the ride itself in this article, so as not to ruin the experience for those that haven’t yet boarded the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
1. There is a lot to do in line
Follow the instructions on the sign and a pleasant surprise awaits.
On a particularly fortunate Thursday morning, we happened to walk by the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train when a small number of beta testers were being permitted to ride. We could not believe our good fortune as any and all conversations about ride access prior to that had involved numerous repetitions of the words “no” and “sorry”, the former of which was stated with more conviction than the latter.
Better yet, there was not a huge wait in the line since only a handful of people were allowed to participate. You will be less fortunate. The average wait time for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is expected to be over an hour long for the body of the summer. During the first ten days it has been open, that average has been closer to two hours. That is the bad news.
The good news is that Disney’s Imagineers have planned for the annoyance of people standing in line. There is a trio of entertaining distractions along the way to the mine cart. The most fascinating of the three is hinted at in the image above. A person who takes the sign up on its request to spin the barrel is provided a pleasant surprise, an image of one of the dwarfs. The real goal, however, is a hidden one that requires a group of strangers to work in tandem. If enough barrels are spun at once, Snow White herself appears. Yes, Easter eggs have made their way into the realm of amusement park waiting areas.
The other two time passers are less subtle. There are a series of intricately wooden water spigots that encourage visitors to slide their hands underneath the falling water. Anyone who does so is rewarded with an unexpected music note. Once again, an orchestrated effort with others can create an enhanced effect. People can work together to recreate the dwarf working songs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Finally, the aspect of waiting in line that most people will remember is the game. There are gaming monitors in a specific area of the line. Similar to sit-down arcade games one would find at a pizza place, these monitors are touch-activated. They provide bored customers with a chance to plan a variation of games like Bejeweled and Candy Crush while the line is at a standstill. I should note that the game is so simple that Ralph Wiggum could excel at it. All that is required is for the user to match jewels with the appropriate barrel at the bottom of the screen. Frankly, anyone who cannot succeed at the game is presumably a robot incapable of passing the Turing Test. Still, it kills a few minutes of time while standing in line, and that alone justifies its presence.
2. If you are expecting a thrill ride, brace for disappointment
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train signals its style with this picture. Image © Disney
The eye test for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train would lead one to expect a steel roller coaster featuring exciting thrills. Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom already offers that ride. It is called Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Disney’s latest offering provides only a few fleeting moments of such excitement. It is not intended to be the latest, greatest roller coaster.
To the contrary, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has a different purpose. This ride is intended for all ages, meaning that children under ten can happily enjoy it with their parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents. There is absolutely nothing menacing about the journey. The speed of the ride is estimated at 30 miles per hour. Allow me to say what we are all thinking. If a kangaroo can hop as fast as the train car in motion, it is not a thrill ride.
3. If you want a long ride, once again brace for disappointment
These train tracks represent a significant portion of the outdoor portion of the ride. Image © Disney
Those of you who are like me and have been consumed by watching video in anticipation of the ride’s debut are unsurprised by this revelation. In fact, the 135 second run length is a bit better than initially indicated. The catch is that at one point, the ride slows to a crawl in order to let the user appreciate the ambience.
The indoor portion of the ride encompasses a full minute of the 135 seconds. Plus, there is another 30 seconds at the end where the train cart is effectively stopped. In total, there is less than a full minute of meaningful movement, reinforcing the above statement that we are not discussing a thrill ride. While the ride is brief in terms of actual time investment, I would note that it does feel a bit longer. The explanation is that the indoor portion featuring the dwarfs themselves is engrossing. This leads to point number four…
4. Pirates of the Caribbean animatronics fans, I have GREAT news
The real selling point of Disney’s latest offering has nothing to do with the cart itself, the tracks, the velocity or any of the other concepts generally attached to the concept of an amusement park ride. What is being sold with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is the popularity of the film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. One of the most revered Disney classics, Snow White and her friends must be treated with reverence in an amusement park ride. In order to accomplish this feat, the ambience of that world must be recreated.
In order to deliver on that concept, Imagineers have gone back to the drawing board. The animatronic figures that have been the lifeblood of the company since the 1960s have been reinvigorated by new technology. The primary reason why the ride slows down so much as mentioned above is because the ride’s developers want to give people extra time to appreciate the specificity of detail. No longer are blatantly artificial marionettes acceptable. Customers demand more in 2014.
The appeal of Pirates of the Caribbean has always been that the concept has been represented well in the product. In rebuilding Fantasyland, Disney has determined that the linchpin product is another ride of similar design, only with state of the art character design. The result is a level of detail that not only raises the bar for future Disney products but seems to be openly challenging Universal Studios’ Harry Potter to a fight for next-generation technological supremacy. When people look at the Dwarfs, they can tell which is which simply by examining the detailed facial expressions. That is a far cry from the ridiculously artificial yet much beloved pirates of old. The idea is the same. The (dramatic) difference is in the execution.
5. It’s not about the ride but the journey
Dopey enjoys the journey of his mine train ride. Image © Disney
Perhaps the best overall comparison for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is Peter Pan’s Flight, which offers a similar wait time, ride length and story-centric atmosphere. Based upon another fantasy staple, Peter Pan’s Flight continues to be extremely popular. The afternoon wait time is rarely less than 45 minutes, and it increases further during the popular summer months. The explanation is that Peter Pan’s Flight delivers exactly what it promises, a few moments of entry into the realm of Neverland. In exchange for a significant wait in line, people are provided with a couple of moments of escapism.
The same is true of the newest ride in Fantasyland. My companions and I took a slew of photographs during our Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. What we all noted in reviewing them was the astonishing attention to detail in all phases of the ride. The above picture of the spigots demonstrates the sweeping artistry throughout the ride. Similarly, the dwarfs themselves, while intentionally not exactly life-like, feel as if they have jumped straight out of the movie. Simply stated, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train may not be a thrill ride. It is, however, as impressive a feat in merging artistic sensibilities with the state of the art technology at an amusement park as I have ever seen.
