New Cars for the Matterhorn? Thats what the CM said.

[thejoshualee]

So.... Last time I was at Disneyland, while waiting to be seated in those bobsleds (with my very large brother... we take two seats thank you very much) I heard the following conversation betwix two cast members. Observe:

CM1: It will happen during the next renovation.
CM2: What will they look like?
CM1: like Space Mountains cars in Disney World, two cars with three seats in each.
CM2: (dirty look on face) that will suck
CM1: It will be easier to load, no lap sitting
CM2: yeah, but a total of six in each car instead of eight?
CM1: well... (nods head in agreement, then points to my brother and I in our cars) but we won't need to do this anymore.



Now I understand that CM chatter isn't always dependable, but I think this is a great idea. It's always been a pain for me to ride that thing with another adult.

what do you all think?

[jurgenb52]

The set up has always taken me back to county fairs. Sitting in the lap of someone doesn't really strike me as the most comfortable, and sometimes when you are there with a friend, depending on who it is and your relationship it can be awkward... then again depending on the relationship you have with that person it could probably be kinda cool.

Either way I think updated vehicles would be nice... just as long as they still look like bobsleds.

[MiceMan]

I think it would be cool ... but I will believe it when I see it.

[Bacon]

They are systematically ruining the best rides to take a date on. First, Splash Mountain. Now Matterhorn. What next, doombuggies with bucket seats?

If you aren't comfortable with the lap seating, you can always request to sit separately. I've never had a CM say no. But some of us LIKE the lap sitting, damnit. And it's not like it's holding up the loading. The ride loads faster than they can dispatch the cars.

[MinionLumbo]

savelapsitting.com

(it's a joke)

[MiceMan]

I have a question that's pretty unrelated ... why don't they ever race the bobsleds??? I think it would be really fun to keep having close misses with the other car!

[DifrntDrmr]

I've never seen a bobsled where you sit side by side!

[Bacon]

I've never seen a bobsled where you sit side by side!

Not side by side. One in front of each other, but separate seats. 6 individual seats per "train", in a single file line.

[Codename Danger]

Sigh. This totally sucks IMHO. But it's not unexpected - I can't believe they got away with the crappy belts for so long.

Cuddling with your honey is one of the best aspects of the Matterhorn. I'll be very sorry to see that go.

[Tom Chaney]

I've always kind of liked the "lap-sitting" arrangement. Granted, it's not always the most comfy thing in the world... especially once the bobsleds get moving, jerking and jumping... but it was unique to the Matterhorn and reinforced the illusion. With individual seats, a little something goes away and the ride becomes more like "just another coaster."

[spacemountain85]

As the shortest one in my family, I will be more than happy to see lap-sitting go.

[Disney Analyst]

It's a good idea, doesn't work in theory... Uncomfortable, especially when your with your best friend...

[FI183]

plz, i love the old cars, if you wanna "cuddle" with someone these cars allow it, and if you wanna be separated from your friends(i always do it when i ride with my stupid brother) just ask the CM, they wont care, besides you have lots of room when your alone!

[Athlonacon]

Sitting in the lap of someone doesn't really strike me as the most comfortable, and sometimes when you are there with a friend, depending on who it is and your relationship it can be awkward... then again depending on the relationship you have with that person it could probably be kinda cool.

LOL, this is funny because there are actually some situations that you mentioned that arise from this. See, that ride is so rough that it vibrates like crazy and you want to make sure you have the right person sitting in front of you if you're a guy...I can't really explain much deeper than that.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was individual seats and lap bars pretty soon. I actually prefer the seat belts and lap sitting because there's so much room and empty space and nothing to hang on to, it feels a lot more terrifying then these rides where you're strapped in to a seat that surrounds you. With the seat belt and no seats, it feels like you're going to fall out and since people are used to feeling ultra-secure with lap bars and shoulder harnesses these days, the Matterhorn's scare factor is significantly increased with its wide open cars.

Also, as people have mentioned it's a nice date ride because you can get closer to your girlfriend than on, say, Space Mountain or now Splash Mountain. Lap bars are easier for Disney to keep track of to make sure everyone is secure. Also, the seat belts can be undone during the ride (not that anyone in their right mind would do that), unlike a lap bar which can't be unlocked until the end. I really wouldn't be surprised if the car redesign is coming, unfortunate as it is.

[innerSpaceman]

Suckwad and suckierwad. Ugh, I hate the thought of this, but don't put any more stock in what a CM predicts than what my dog does.

Frankly, they took a big step backwards from the bobsled illusion when they started towing a second car, but getting rid of lap seating will completely shatter the feeling of bobsled.

Just as individual seats damaged the riding-in-a-log illusion on Splash Mountain, but you can see how much worse it can get if you ride the Florida version. Tell me if you feel like you're in a log then, huh?


I really hope this is yet another stupid, wrong rumor.