Doom Buggie Speed...Glitch or....???

[Mac Daddy]

Sorry to start yet another thread on the HM, but I went on the HM this morning and was halfway through the ballroom scene when I noticed something: I was able to take all of it in without having to crane my neck around to see the dueling ghosts, organist, etc. That's when it hit me that the doom buggies were going noticeably slower.

So....I was thinking....I wonder if they cooled off the speed of the Doombuggies as the lines for the past couple of years haven't been quite as long, giving guests a chance to soak it all in a bit more without feeling rushed. I could be imagining all this, but I rode HM LAST Monday before the bride was finished, and the whole tempo of the ride felt quick compared to my earlier memories. You were through the party scene and the graveyard before you really had a chance to enjoy any of it.

To further complicate matters, as I got off around 10:30 am, they literally closed the gates in my face and told me the ride was shut down due to technical difficulties.

So....my questions are:

1) Any chance that they have actually slowed the speed of the ride down just a bit in order to take in all of the cool new things in the attic? (Keep in mind the average guest probably only goes on this once if it's their first time to DL.)

2) If not, would they consider it in the future? I REALLY enjoyed myself much more at what felt like a slightly slower speed...maybe down 10 to 15% from what it was last week. I actually got to hear an entire phrase sung by the quintet in the graveyard!

3) Is it just me, or did they change speeds since...I don't know...the 1980's at some point? And does this change of speed correlate to the smaller lines out front? Or has the speed always been constant since it opened?? I know that a faster speed means more guests per minute, but if the standby line wait time remains under 15 minutes throughout the year, would they consider slowing it down, even a little?

4) Or are the CM's simply slowing the ride for guests with disabilities? Can they control the overall speed in case a guest is having trouble getting on and off?


Other observations:

1) The Ghost Host voice gave the Madam Leota Spiel last Monday, but today it was definitely gone. Hmmmmm......

2) From some of the descriptions, I expected the bride to be 4ft tall. I think her size was fine...although her face does get cartoonish at times. I think they were going for a psychotic look, but maybe got carried away. Two thumbs up for the entire attic sequence!!

3) HM was down until at least 11:45. Still tweaking??

[Bruce Bergman]

They added the ability to run the ride in "Creep Mode" a few years ago. The ride runs at about half-speed to assist handicapped people into and out of the Doom Buggies without a full stop and the Stop and Start auto-spiels... Of course, if the person getting in still can't get in or out in time, they may have to hit the "E-Stop" button and fully stop the Omnimover.

While it is running in Creep Mode some of the audio track cues might not run right, which would explain why you did not hear them. They get muted when the Auto Spiels run, that circuit might have triggered.

--<< Bruce >>--

[Olympicnut]

No noticeable slowing yesterday the 3 times we rode, other than the creep mode slowdowns (and the stop I had in front of the bride ). I think the speed is fine. Dont wanna have TOO much time to look at things, keeps people wanting to come back for more. Plus ride slowdown = less efficiency as a true people eater.

[Mac Daddy]

They added the ability to run the ride in "Creep Mode" a few years ago. The ride runs at about half-speed to assist handicapped people into and out of the Doom Buggies without a full stop and the Stop and Start auto-spiels... Of course, if the person getting in still can't get in or out in time, they may have to hit the "E-Stop" button and fully stop the Omnimover.

While it is running in Creep Mode some of the audio track cues might not run right, which would explain why you did not hear them. They get muted when the Auto Spiels run, that circuit might have triggered.

--<< Bruce >>--

This wasn't creep mode. I've experienced that quite a few times and it reeeeeeeeally slows down. Maybe I'm imagining things but I would SWEAR it was just a few ticks slower than normal. Hence....the ride shutting down just after I got off. Maybe something was overloaded...I have no idea. It was just SLIGHTLY slower...like 3 - 5 extra seconds in the ballroom.

Or....maybe it's all in my head?

[Mr. Dark]

My wife and I both observed that the Mansion seemed faster since last year. I hadn't been in a couple of years prior to last Thanksgiving, and I figured the speed up was for the Holiday, trying to increase capacity.

However, now with Holiday gone, it's seemed just as fast. The jerks as your buggy is spun at the very beginning seem -much- faster and rougher than years past.

That seemed to be the case the two times we rode late yesterday, so we didn't see any change. The crowds did give us a few slow-downs in each ride, the kind they do when someone is slow to load or has trouble unloading, but overall it still seems to fly through there. I wish they'd slow it down, dramatically, give us time to look.

[RobotMirror]

...I wonder if they cooled off the speed of the Doombuggies as the lines for the past couple of years haven't been quite as long, giving guests a chance to soak it all in a bit more without feeling rushed. I could be imagining all this, but I rode HM LAST Monday before the bride was finished, and the whole tempo of the ride felt quick compared to my earlier memories.

...

4) Or are the CM's simply slowing the ride for guests with disabilities? Can they control the overall speed in case a guest is having trouble getting on and off?...

This has been happening a lot lately to me. Twice at the end of the ride, and once at the very beginning, but I'm almost certain that it's just to assist those that are handi-capable.