Peter Pan's Flight - Appreciation

[plagued]

i am a first time Annual Passholder, and before i bit the bullet to get one at the beginning of this month, i have only gone to Disneyland twice in the last 10 years. and within those rare trips, i never went on Peter Pan's Flight, even though it was a childhood favorite.

after reading on this forum that Peter Pan got a boat overhaul and a new paint job, i knew i had to go on it during my next visit.. which unexpectedly turned out to be tonight (just got back home).

i was not surprised to see that Peter Pan's Flight had the longest line out of the dark rides in Fantasyland. as one of the most innovative ideas for a dark ride, especially in comparison to the others surrounding it, it was a given.

so after over a decade of not setting foot on this ride, i rode it. i was delighted to see that everything i loved about the ride was still there (i mean, where would it go?). the feeling of flying, the AA, the characters, etc. it is pure magic. but there were some things that, for some reason, may it be that i'm bigger and older or the fact that some modifications were made, felt different. for instance, when flying high above London, i felt like the city below had less detail. it's most likely because i was only 10-12 years old the last time i rode it, and i had a much more vivid imagination so i saw houses, moving cars, and people walking around. having admittedly lost some of that 'magical' imagination, i just saw the street lights and the larger buildings.

the stars. have they always been that awesome? i don't remember the stars looking so engulfing and multi-dimensional in the way they were placed. at most times it felt more realistic than the projected stars in Space Mountain. i tried leaning over the side of the boat to see exactly how they did it but i failed at seeing what it was.

i can't say much about the boat overhaul since comparing it to memory of when i was 10 years old wouldn't be very accurate, but they do have that 'like-new' look to them. and i must say, some parts of the ride, when you would fly downward i.e. the boat would tip forward, felt a lot steeper and more intense than i remember. i actually took hold of the lap bar.

but like i said, everything i loved about this ride remained. and it was great, after over 10 years, to relive a childhood memory on what is still one of my favorite disneyland rides.

does anyone appreciate and hold this ride close to them like i do?

[StormTheCastle]

I love Peter Pan's flight . . . we get to fly! The lines are way too long and the wider boats don't seem to make much of a difference in ride capacity. The best time to ride is first thing in the day to avoid that line. I did notice the ride was really smooth since the upgrade.

[SnorkletsMom]

I love this ride too. The only thing I don't like is the wait time and the fact that the queue seems to be a very hot spot, temperature-wise.

The star lights look like they are on a sort of grid/net type thing. I've been tempted to take a flash shot so it will show, but I don't like to spoil the view for the other boats.

There's a thread about the renovation the did recently, you can search for it. Personally the only thing I noticed was that the colors were brighter on the figures.

[Captain_Jenny1987]

The star lights^

[aashee]

Great post Plagued and Welcome to MiceChat!

I agree, while I rarely wait in that long line there is certainly something magical about Peter Pan that's help up for over 54 years.

[darkfairycthulu]

Uh oh, I better call the Flash in here....

But seriously, great post, and while Pan isn't my favorite, it certainly is very long on atmosphere inside and a true classic. Plus, that photo is fascinating, captainJenny....thank you!

[Goover]

This ride certainly does hold a special place in my heart, specifically during the "flying over --" scenes. I love seeing the "smoke" coming out of the factories down below in London and the Indian activity taking place far below in Neverland.

The dips are also very magical and unexpected if you aren't a regular on that ride. Specifically, the drop infront of Tiger Lily has me also grabbing for the handlebar.

I also notice that the less weight you ride with, the less control the boat has. I went alone the last time I rode this ride and as a rather small kid for my age, I got a special treat when I returned to the unloading spot as my boat rocked back and forth and then jammed in place into the floor track.

[brenden]

I've been to Disneyland well over 50 times this year so far and I've only been on Pan once or twice. The line is always way too long for such a short attraction. I like the ride, but there's not a lot of substance to it, it feels like I'm on and off within a minute. Not worth a wait of over 15 minutes, in my eyes.

[JFSebastian]

They make great use of fiber optics in that room, the effect ends up being more magical than Space Mountain because the room in Peter Pan is much smaller in size and therefore more detail can be put in. I am a huge fan of Peter Pan's flight, I can't imagine Disneyland without it. It is extremely short, but the experience is of such high quality and magic that it makes it worth the long lines.

[EvilQueen]

We rode Peter Pan's Flight back in April, before the boat replacement*, and I was disheartened to see that the large statue of Admiral Nelson (on top of "Nelson's Column", in Trafalgar Square) was missing; not broken or toppled, just GONE! Has this become like the witch's apple from the old Snow White's Scary Adventures - something to knock over or steal? Have they replaced the statue since the refurb?

* I did see all (8?) the old single-rowed boats - neatly lined up along side of the Train Barn - when I was backstage last; I wonder if they have some "special plans" for these; who wouldn't want to own one?!

I too, have always loved this ride since I was a child - but I haven't ridden it in nearly two decades (I have one nephew - now in his mid-20's - whose idea of a 'Day at Disneyland' with his Auntie was to ride Peter Pan over and over and over... and over; I felt like I had spent an entire YEAR in that line!!); I was happy to see that it was still wonderful and magical.

[LangenFox]

It still surprises me that Peter Pan's Flight queue line is still long. 25-45 minutes waiting time. The ride is short and sweet but not worth the outdoor wait. At nighttime it is a lot better, because you get to see the effects easier and much brighter than daytime. So, I recommend most people to ride the attraction during the night. Disney should cover the queue area and make it more indoors with some theme. But due to space issues and time management. It will not happen.

Too bad I didn't ride it this year, the one was so long even during the day. Night is even longer! So, I had to skip it. Maybe I will try riding when Disneyland almost closes.

[Mr Wiggins]

Really great post, Plagued! Yep, same feelings here for Disneyland's Peter Pan ride, for many, many years. It was my hands-down favorite Fantasyland ride in the pre-'83 Fantasyland, and remains so today.

[plagued]

+1 for the ridiculous queue for Peter Pan.

i rode the ride at 11:40PM last night, 20 minutes before the park cloesd - it was HOT, and the little kiddies still haven't been forced home by their parents. and while the freakishly high humidity in Anaheim is partly to blame, the line itself is very condensed and you're literally knocking elbows with the person next to you.

whether or not the ride is "worth" waiting in that line for is purely subject to each his/her own, and i personally wouldn't do it every time.. but once in a while, when you just need that refresher course as to why this ride is still so popular, i say jump on it.

[mandypandy]

I love the Peter Pan ride :]
and I absolutely agree with what you said about the stars, its beautiful at that part.

[Karalora]

Peter Pan's Flight is, to me, the ultimate in what a movie-based dark ride should be. The characters make appearances but the focus is not on them for most of the ride; instead it is on the settings and environments and making riders feel as though they are part of the fantastic world of the film. The whole thing is designed in service of that end, from the extreme forced perspective in the London set to the use of fiber optics to create three-dimensional starfields. If the newer movie-based dark rides were designed this way instead of as summaries of the film plots, I would like them much better.