Big Thunder Mountain
At A Glance |
Good rollercoaster themed
after a runaway railroad. Not really a white knuckle ride,
but good and well worth riding nonetheless. |
Although
visually the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride at Disneyland
Paris looks pretty much the same as its Floridian counterpart
at Walt Disney World, the French version of the ride is far superior
and is much more of a "thrill" ride. Both rides are
themed identically, with a runaway mine train passing through
superbely themed Western surroundings.
The one big difference that's immediately noticable
to anyone that has seen or ridden both attractions is that the
Disneyland Paris version of the ride takes place mostly on the
Island in the middle of the Rivers of the Far West, with the loading
area on the main park side of the "rivers", whilst at
Walt Disney World the ride is all in the main park area, and well
away from Tom Sawyer's Island.
After the well themed queueing area, guests board
the runaway train, which features a dropdown knee-bar for safety.
(The ride doesn't go upside down, and isn't particularly violent,
so a shoulder harness isn't required). Shortly after it leaves
the loading area the train passes into almost complete blackness
for a few seconds, as it passes through a tunnel under the Rivers
of the Far West.
It then emerges onto the central island, and starts
a hectic 3-minute typical roller-coaster journey, though without
many of the wild thrill-features that are present in many newer
coasters, such as inverted twiste or loops. The theming throughout
the ride is excellent, and must rate amongst the best in the park.
(Watch out for the Goat trying to pull the miner's jeans from
the washing line). Eventually the train returns back through a
black tunnel and the load area for disembarkation.
Big Thunder Mountain is one of the most popular rides
in the park, and although the queueing times aren't as long as
they once were, (before Space Mountain opened), guests can still
expect at 45 minute or longer queueing time as the day lengthens.
The ride passes through a well themed landscape that
resembles that of Arizona or Utah particularly the Monument Valley
area (or at least it resembles what guests think Arizona or Utah
should look like). Overall the rocky peak of Big Thunder Mountain
rises 119 feet (36m) above the park.
Big Thunder Mountain is an excellent attraction to
ride later in the evening, but if you want to get onto it without
a long queue it's going to be a case of heading straight for it
quickly when the park fist opens its gates in the morning.
Big Thunder Mountain is not suitable for those with
nect, back or heart complaints, and carries a minimum height restriction
of 40 inches (1.02M ), and a minimum age restriction of 8 years.
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