Matterhorn has been ruined

[Giant Panda]

It is difficult for me to judge the lack of padding as my illness has caused me to lose a lot of "padding" on my backside. Ironically, having a life-threatening illness ironically makes one thankful for opportunities to ride a slightly diminished ride like Matterhorn.

[TigTug]

It's not that the new sleds have smaller room or are "bumpier", what bothers me is they seem laughably slower!

I Agree 100%.

[Werner]

I am so completely flummoxed by the changes. What in the heck were they thinking? Don't they have people try out some prototype -- and in this case, they should have said, "oh, that's not very comortable..." It's just shocking to me.

[Irish Princess]

Anyone else sensing another Matterhorn refurb on the horizon. I'm a healthy, active 22 year old and kept cringing the whole ride due to the lack of padding. My spine felt every bump and turn.

[Werner]

Anyone else sensing another Matterhorn refurb on the horizon. I'm a healthy, active 22 year old and kept cringing the whole ride due to the lack of padding. My spine felt every bump and turn.

I would sure hope so! If the Powers That Be are reading these boards, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we'll forgive you -- IF you go back to the drawing board and make it right! There's no shame in admitting that a mistake was made, as long as it's recognized and rectified!

[Wedcot]

I wouldnt say that the bad cars ruin the whole experience. It wouldnt take much just to add a bit of padding. The ride is still holding up well 50 years later. (Also Im back after a year abscence!)

[BlAcKoUt510]

My family & I were honestly fine on the ride.

But we only rode it once, I did sit in the front, which I hear is the most comfy(?), and we were also on the tamer Fantasyland side. Guess I'll check out the other side next weekend & see for myself :_

[PinBrian]

I am also over the 6' mark, and found the front seat of the sleds to be the most bearable. Getting in and out of the middle and back seats proved to be quite a chore. They really, really need to add some padding into the seats. It reminded me of a kid and riding a skateboard while sitting down on it.

[DrFink]

Anyone else sensing another Matterhorn refurb on the horizon. I'm a healthy, active 22 year old and kept cringing the whole ride due to the lack of padding. My spine felt every bump and turn.

I'm 24 and I also was in just as much discomfort. Hopefully another refurb to replace the ride vehicles is in the future at some point.

[Malina]

I am so completely flummoxed by the changes. What in the heck were they thinking? Don't they have people try out some prototype -- and in this case, they should have said, "oh, that's not very comortable..." It's just shocking to me.

I wonder that myself. Did they only test the sleds with a very limited sample of CMs? Many folks are uncomfortable just sitting down in those sleds, forget about the ride. How did that get past WDI?

[JediPrincess]

I would say that by making the sleds uncomfortable, Disneyland is not offering a "premium ride experience".

[Seawolf]

The real reason the sleds are far less comfortable is due to the removal of the double seating configuration. It was the same with Splash Mountain, the attraction was far better when you weren't squished in such a tiny area. Remember, there is only so much space each car can accommodate and single seating limits leg room which forces the designer to make sacrifices in comfort.

It was a lose lose from the very beginning with height requirements raising by 10 inches, parents losing the ability to sit with their children, reduced speed because of its altered capacity, and severe discomfort for those over 6 feet tall or over 40 years old. Lets be honest here, this change was never implemented for guest satisfaction, it was to reduce liability and operating cost. If they were actually concerned with guests, this design would have never made it past the initial stages due to all the sacrifices people have to contend with. Single riders are not happy because of discomfort/reduced compartment space and those who want to ride together have been banned entirely.

[Malina]

It's been mentioned before that Space Mountain in WDW has rockets that have a similar configuration (ie, single file, narrow track). Are those as uncomfortable as the new Matterhorn sleds? If not, I would wonder why DLR didn't choose to bring them here. You sit single (albeit side by side) on pretty much every other coaster and ride, and you don't end up feeling as though you've been crunched into a ball - that's my experience, anyway. I'm not 40 by any stretch and I still hate the new sleds.

[calsig31]

It's been mentioned before that Space Mountain in WDW has rockets that have a similar configuration (ie, single file, narrow track). Are those as uncomfortable as the new Matterhorn sleds? If not, I would wonder why DLR didn't choose to bring them here.

The track layout is different. That is the key factor as to why similar sleds are more comfortable on Space Mountain and less comfortable on Matterhorn.

[frollofan]

Yesterday I went in the first row of the 2nd car, and it felt really awkward. After the ride the CM asked if the people in the sled wanted to ride again due to a minor inconvenience, and nearly everyone got off, including myself. With that said, I kinda miss the old sleds now.