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7 Reasons to Love the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

12 May 2014 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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Seven Dwarfs Mine TrainA little over a week ago, I was treated to a sneak peek at the newest attraction in New Fantasyland, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I wanted to take some time to really put my feelings about this new gem into words, and share my thoughts with you. This much anticipated finishing touch on this new land was full of a contradictory mix of secrecy and hype for the last year or so. The Disney Parks Blog would tease us with Imagineer videos, ride vehicles and tiny tastes of what to expect with this next generation of hybrid dark ride and thrill ride, while keeping certain aspects behind walls and under wraps. But would this experience live up to its hype? Would the wait be worth it? And will the standby queue be worth it? My answer to all of those questions is a resounding heigh ho! And here’s 7 reasons why:

1. An Immersive Experience – And no, I don’t mean immersive queues, although this attraction does have a cool one. What I mean is themed lands, which take you out of the “hey, I’m in a theme park in Orlando” experience, and put you in a “wow, I’m in the middle of a fairy tale kingdom with mountains and forests and castles!” New Fantasyland has done that incredibly well, from walking in to an old timey circus with animal prints and peanut shells embedded into the ground, to a Provincial village with a castle looming above a mountain, to a beautiful little town square (that just happens to house some restrooms too). Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has given this new land depth, character and, yes, story. Now when you walk through the castle walls, you see the mountain, but not what’s within it. You are treated to foliage, sounds of wildlife, waterfalls, and the faint melody of miners singing a familiar tune in the distance. You are transported and have left the other lands of the Magic Kingdom behind.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

2. Family Friendly Ride – I think many of us were wondering just how family friendly this attraction was going to be…Barnstormer? Big Thunder? What about the inside? What was going to happen in there? Well, I was really surprised by the ride itself. It starts off with an instant thrill, but it’s not too too fast, and the drops are not really steep or high. It is, in a word, fun. It makes you laugh, it makes you look around at all of the wonderful scenery, and it makes you want to ride again. The height requirement is only 38″, so it is on par with the “first coaster” that many little ones can experience. Depending on where you sit, it can be more thrilling or tame, but it’s not as fast or as “scary” as Big Thunder Mountain for those who consider that attraction scary.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

3. A Million Diamond Mine! Even though the two couldn’t be more dissimilar, when we first traveled inside the mine, my mind instantly went to Radiator Springs Racers out at Disney California Adventure. It’s just jaw-dropping to see all of this beauty, hidden within the mountain. The animatronics are unique and incredibly movie-like, the colors and the lights of the gems are just overwhelmingly pretty. You’ll be singing along, and not wanting to leave the mine.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

4. A Different Ride Every Time – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has a very high re-ride-ability factor. Mainly because, like most coasters, you have a different experience depending on whether you sit in the front, middle, or back section of the train. Other factors include how many people (and how heavy they are) are riding with you. When we first rode, it was pretty much solo, which didn’t do much for the swinging carts, or even the speed of the train. Later, we rode with a full car and the swinging carts was much more noticeable (but nowhere near the movement indicated in the cgi preview videos from back at the D23 Expo) and the train went much faster around curves. It felt like a completely different ride. And, much like riding Big Thunder at night, the experience on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at night is a whole other animal. Seeing the views of both Cinderella and Beast’s Castles at dusk and then at night are spectacular. And the final scene of the ride is much more visible at night too, so make sure you ride at different times of the day to choose your favorite.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

 

5. Views Unseen Since the Skyway – Speaking of views, when was the last time we were able to see this side of Cinderella Castle from up this high? Yep, way back when the Skyway was running (one of my most beloved and missed attractions!). So I am thrilled to be able to see views like this again, even if it’s briefly before a drop on a roller coaster. The views over to Beast’s Castle are equally beautiful, and riding by a waterfall and then high on a straight bridge as if we are the dwarfs marching home, is such an enjoyable experience, it just makes you grin from ear to ear.

6. Interactive Queue – I mentioned above how Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has one, and it’s quite fun. Not quite as big as some of the other interactive queues in Magic Kingdom, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has the benefit of being under cover of shade, which will be ideal in the middle of summer (or spring, or fall or winter for that matter!). There’s a little something for everyone here, and you can stay as long as you like before moving on to the last part of the queue.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

7. Seven Dwarfs Love – One of the enduring take-aways from the Mine Train event was the simple fact that Disney -as a company, and we – as guests, are celebrating, honoring, and shining a light on Walt Disney’s first animated feature film, Snow White, 77 years later. That’s pretty spectacular when you think about it. A testament to the art and artistry found within the film, combined with the newest Imagineering designs and technologies. What a wonderful thing. While at the party that night – all the dwarfs were out for photos, and as I stopped to take photos with some of them, I really got a new appreciation for their individual personalities. It can sometimes be easy to discount older characters, or ones we see on t-shirts all the time. But when you really stop and think about it, we can all relate to one or two dwarfs, and they really do stand the test of time. I left for the evening with a new love for both the Seven Dwarfs as individual characters and Snow White as a movie. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a love letter to that film and its magic.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

So to sum up, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a definite hit. It took a bit to grow on me as a ride, but once I experienced it at night, it won me over. The ride is smooth (you can barely hear the trains zooming by), swift, and beautiful with details everywhere and surprises around each turn. Whether young or old, it will be an instant must-do.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will officially open on May 28, but with cast members riding this week, I’m sure soft openings are just around the corner. If you’re visiting the Magic Kingdom this week, I’d keep checking! 

Here’s my video of the full dedication ceremony:

 

 

Disclosure: As mentioned at the start, I was invited by Disney to preview this attraction. I was provided with special access to the attraction but my opinions and words are my own. All images within this post are ©Disney

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Filed Under: Disney Attractions, Disney News, Disney Special Events, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: 7DMT, Family roller coaster, fantasyland, imagineering, interactive queue, Magic Bands, Magic Kingdom, Mine Train, New Fantasyland, roller coaster, SDMT, Seven Dwarfs, Seven Dwarfs Dedication Ceremony, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Dedication Ceremony, Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World News, walt disney world resort

Walt Disney World’s Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Preview

28 April 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Seven Dwarfs Mine TrainHi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train we go! The long-anticipated final jewel (pun intended) in the New Fantasyland crown is about to be complete. Local, national and international media and travel professionals will be descending on the Walt Disney World Resort in just a few days, to learn all they can about this new family roller coaster, as well as other news and updates from around the resort. Some of the other topics we may hear about include the latest updates to the  My Magic+ system and Magic Bands plus what’s coming up this summer at WDW.

I’ve made a choice not to share too much of the attraction as it has been revealed. I know I will be wowed when I ride for the first time, and want you all to have that same experience first hand. With all of the whirlwind of activities coming up starting this Wednesday night, I thought it would be a good idea to have a landing page where you can find all of the updates from the events, and where to follow along with me. Feel free to add me at the following outlets if you don’t already:

 

Twitter: @zannaland – here is where my main updating will happen. It’s easiest for me to tweet news and tidbits, retweet other folks who are at the event or official accounts, and it’s also where all of my instagrams will be shared.

Instagram: @zannaland – this is the easiest (and most fun) way for me to share photos and short videos with you all. All instagrams will be shared to twitter and my facebook page as well.

facebook: zannaland – as above, all of my instagrams will be shared here, as well as future blog posts and videos from the events.

YouTube: zannaland – Any videos from the opening will be posted here

Check back here for updates, photos and more – and feel free to share, RT, like, or otherwise share the love that you see here! ♥  

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train See you in the Mine!

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Filed Under: Disney Attractions, Disney News, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: 7DMT, Family roller coaster, fantasyland, interactive queue, Magic Bands, Magic Kingdom, Mine Train, My Magic +, New Fantasyland, roller coaster, SDMT, Seven Dwarfs, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World News, walt disney world resort

Disney Infinity Dragon Unlocked with MagicBand

22 August 2013 by Suzannah Otis 11 Comments

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Reported first here at Zannaland: After hearing some suggestions from Tom Staggs, Chairman, Disney Parks and Resorts, that there just might be some things in store for Magic Bands and the newest Disney video game venture, Disney Infinity, I thought I’d do a little experimenting. Turns out, something pretty cool happens! You may remember talk of the Disney Dragon, an elusive creature, who even had his own blog for a time. He made one appearance, at the press event celebrating the opening of New Fantasyland in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Well, now you can see him whenever you like, if you have a Magic Band.

DisneyInfinityMagicBand

The new RFID bands are part of My Disney Experience, a next-gen project which allows resort guests to pre-book their FastPasses, and organize tickets, dining and more all on their wrist. I’ll have more on the MagicBands and My Magic + portions of My Disney Experience in a later post, as well as a full write up on Disney Infinity. Until then, please enjoy the game play capture of the special achievement unlocked with the MagicBand. We thought it was fun!  *Edit, I realize the quality is less-than-stellar on this Wii video below. I did not know what I was missing until it was pointed out to me. We had an Xbox at home but my son used it upstairs, so I just got this for the Wii, not realizing a lot of the content was missing on this game. So I went out and got a Wii U. The difference was amazing! Check out the 3rd video below to see. I now a new video of Dragon Gate and the Dragons Keep world (not available in the Wii version) up from the Wii U, in HD. We also added some of the background sky and land power discs, so you could see the Dragon’s Keep in lots of different ways!

 

 

 

Disney Infinity is available now on all platforms with more figures and content coming out soon! I also captured the entire opening sequence for the game, after getting a Wii U and realizing a lot was missing from the Wii gameplay that is available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii U. It is simply gorgeous and I had to share it. If this doesn’t make you want to try out the game with your family, I’m not sure what will! (Wait, maybe the Tangled lanterns background sky would do the trick!) I’ll also have an updated Dragon Gate and Dragon’s Keep Toy Box World video coming soon, captured from the Wii U. Keep checking back and subscribe on YouTube for more!

 

Disney Infinity Dragon
Do you see the Disney Dragon shooting fire?

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Filed Under: D23 Expo, Disney Merchandise, Top Stories, Video Games and Apps Tagged With: disney dragon, Disney Easter Egg, Disney Infinity, Disney Infinity Dragon, Disney Infinity easter egg, Disney Infinity special item, Disney parks, Disney video game, dragon, Dragon Flight Sky, Dragon's Gate, Dragon's Keep, FastPass+, magic band, Magic Bands, My Disney Experience, My Magic +, Nex Gen, next-gen, NextGen, rfid, The Disney Dragon, video game, Video game easter egg, videos, Walt Disney World, Wii U

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