Nearly a year after the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster opened at Magic Kingdom, Coaster101 writers Nick and Kyle finally able to give it a try. For those of you who may not have ridden it yet, here is our full review of the Kingdom’s newest addition:
Appearance in New Fantasyland
Kyle: First of all, Disney has done an immaculate job of renovating Fantasyland into a beautiful upgrade from what it was before. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train fits seamlessly into the new area. It is as if it grew out of the ground to fit in perfectly with its surroundings. The area consists of a (not so tall) mountain and a slight valley around it. The coaster does a great job maneuvering through this valley, and it also gives spectators great views of the ride.
Nick: Indeed. It’s very interesting how the back side of the ride matches the style of the Under the Sea Little Mermaid ride while the front blends in with Winnie the Pooh area.
The Interactive Queue
Kyle: Over the last couple years, Disney has introduced interactive queues to its most popular attractions. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is no exception. It has several moments throughout the line where the youngest guests and even adults can help pass the time by playing games and triggering effects. In this particular queue, there was some sort of matching game with large touch screens, set at a low height so kids could easily access them. Once inside the mountain, there are large barrels full of jewels form the mine that you can spin and see different projections above you on the ceiling. I felt that while the games added to the experience, especially for the younger crowd, they slowed down the line a bit. Children would get mesmerized by the screens and then not follow their party along, causing much running and congestion among the switchbacks.
Nick: Yeah, when the line is barely creeping forward the interactive elements are great. But at the end of the day when the wait was basically as long as it took you to walk through the long queue the games were more of a distraction and caused unnecessary congestion.
Theming
Kyle: From first glimpse to when you exit the ride, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is packed with the trademark Disney theming. In my opinion, it may be one of the most heavily themed rides in the park. The level of detail put not only into the ride, but also the queue and surrounding areas is incredible. There are numerous trees, bushes and rocks spread around the ride to create a small oasis among the hot concrete paths. For most of your wait in line, you are under a wooden structure outside of the mountain that was crafted to look as if it had been transported right from the movie.
Nick: You also get a glimpse of Snow White’s cottage which also looks like it was lifted straight out of the animated feature and plopped down in Fantasyland.
The Ride
Kyle: On to the ride itself! Immediately after pulling out of the station, you drop down a small hill into the first outdoor section of the ride.
Nick: In this day and age, you can go on YouTube and watch countless on-and-off ride videos of nearly every roller coaster in the world. The best rides are the ones that, despite watching every angle of video you can find, still manage to surprise you in real life. This was my experience with Mine Ride. I thought I knew exactly what to expect going in but I was still pleasantly surprised by a few things. I had the opportunity to sit in the back of the train and I was quite shocked by the speed at which the mine carts are jettisoned out of the station. To my delight, the back of the train is yanked down the first drop resulting in a surprising bit of airtime. The train ascends the first lift must faster than you would expect too.
Kyle: You are then taken up a lift and put through several twists and turns before heading back into the mountain.
Nick: The cars are mounted on pivots that allow them to swing or sway back and forth. It’s a unique feature but doesn’t really add all that much to the overall ride experience. The most swaying action I felt was coming to a stop on the brake run immediately before re-entering the mountain.
Kyle: In the mountain is where you get to see the new dwarf animatronics which are truly remarkable. The use of projections inside of the faces of the animatronics really takes the effect to the next level.
Nick: The dwarfs are amazing and definitely a highlight of the ride. The second and larger lift hill takes place inside the mountain while the dwarfs sing the famous “heigh-ho” song and their silhouettes are projected on the sides of the cavern. It’s a really cool moment and actually had everyone in my train clapping along, something I’ve never experienced on a coaster before.
Another cool feature I wrote about in my Magicbands article is they not only take an on-ride photo of you in two locations, they also take video!
It’s not the biggest or best ride ever, but it’s a fun roller coaster with outstanding theming, and sometimes that’s all you need. Have you had an opportunity to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride yet?
Cool review! Looks like a fantastic coaster!