I had read that a new ‘do it yourself’ interactive thrill ride had opened in Epcot and so on our recent visit to Florida decided that I had to try it out for myself. Having tried it twice I am pleased to report that the Disney Imagineers and Raytheon (the sponsors) have, in my opinion anyway, come up with another winner.
This new ride is contained within the Innoventions East Pavilion in Epcot, an area which is missed, or ignored, by the vast majority of visitors to Epcot I would guess, partly as it is indoors and most people want to spend time in the glorious Florida sun.
If you are unlucky you may have to queue for a short time, but on my first visit I walked strait in and on my second I had only a ten minute or so wait.
Having first been given your individual swipe card you then enter the Briefing Room which has 8 marked spaces on the floor and you, or your party, are allocated one of those spaces. From observation the maximum people on one spot is three, although most visitors were singles or in pairs. I believe that if you are in a party of three then one of you gets to experience your finished ride twice. This would mainly apply to a parent with two young children I guess, as most other riders split to two and one or just singles, so that they can design something that is truly individual.
Once the doors to the briefing room are closed a video starts and you are greeted by your hosts Grace and Chester who tell you how important science, maths and engineering are important when designing a ride. More importantly they give you an overview of how your design tools are operated.
Once the video finishes you then move into the design where your numbered desk awaits you. The desktop area is an interactive screen, approximately the size of an air hockey table with a ruler, a ‘speed’ dial and a test button. Your first action is to swipe your card in card reader and select your language. You then get to choose the type of thrill ride you want from a selection of three; bobsleigh, roller coaster or jet plane ride. Having decided which ride you wish to experience you are then ready to build your ride.
The detail of building and experiencing your ride will be found in part two of this article.
This new ride is contained within the Innoventions East Pavilion in Epcot, an area which is missed, or ignored, by the vast majority of visitors to Epcot I would guess, partly as it is indoors and most people want to spend time in the glorious Florida sun.
If you are unlucky you may have to queue for a short time, but on my first visit I walked strait in and on my second I had only a ten minute or so wait.
Having first been given your individual swipe card you then enter the Briefing Room which has 8 marked spaces on the floor and you, or your party, are allocated one of those spaces. From observation the maximum people on one spot is three, although most visitors were singles or in pairs. I believe that if you are in a party of three then one of you gets to experience your finished ride twice. This would mainly apply to a parent with two young children I guess, as most other riders split to two and one or just singles, so that they can design something that is truly individual.
Once the doors to the briefing room are closed a video starts and you are greeted by your hosts Grace and Chester who tell you how important science, maths and engineering are important when designing a ride. More importantly they give you an overview of how your design tools are operated.
Once the video finishes you then move into the design where your numbered desk awaits you. The desktop area is an interactive screen, approximately the size of an air hockey table with a ruler, a ‘speed’ dial and a test button. Your first action is to swipe your card in card reader and select your language. You then get to choose the type of thrill ride you want from a selection of three; bobsleigh, roller coaster or jet plane ride. Having decided which ride you wish to experience you are then ready to build your ride.
The detail of building and experiencing your ride will be found in part two of this article.