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pj4963
09-14-2003, 05:09 AM
We visited Disney's California Adventure Park in May 2002 and the Super Star Limo ride was closed. I've read it is still closed do they ever plan to reopen this ride. Has anyone ever rode the ride,what's the ride like?

MammaSilva
09-14-2003, 07:27 AM
While a search on MousePad will reveal multiple threads on the ride, rather than risk someone dredging them up, here's one persons opinion. What we 'know' is the ride was never highly popular and as of now there are mulitple rumors on how/when the company plans to revise the ride. So far none of the rumors appear to be acted upon by Disney.


Our opinion of the ride? We rode it even after reading all the negative reviews and all I can say was that they were all very accurate. I got off the ride thinking that had to be the biggest waste of my time I've ever experienced. All the kids with us on the trip agreed, it was just one of those "well that was DUMB" and they ranged in age from 8-18.

Andrew
09-14-2003, 10:36 AM
Ex-MousePlanet writer Kevin Yee put up a "Save Superstar Limo! (http://www.cafetiki.com/limo/)" page with some information and lots of photos. Dial-up users beware, the page weighs in at about 3.5MB.

Pam
09-14-2003, 11:01 PM
Is/was superstar limo different than at WDW? Cause I may be a big fat weener (and I have been told that more than once), but I really liked that ride at WDW.

MrTheFrog
09-15-2003, 05:01 AM
Originally posted by Pam
Is/was superstar limo different than at WDW? Cause I may be a big fat weener (and I have been told that more than once), but I really liked that ride at WDW.

I think what you're thinking of is Rockin' Rollercoaster at Disney-MGM. That's a coaster where you ride in limo shaped cars. Superstar Limo at DCA is/was a much slower dark ride in the spirit of Fantasyland attractions such as Peter Pan and Snow White (though apparently not as good). From the pics I've seen, you slowly drove past lots of wood flats, and bad likenesses of Disney owned stars like Tim Allen. Hope this helps.
-Artie

hbquikcomjamesl
09-15-2003, 08:30 AM
Indeed. SSL was not only unique to DCA; it was unique to the first few months DCA was open.

My opinion: It was cute. But the whole basis of it was one in-joke after another for the duration of the ride (as I recall, one storefront you pass was the fortunetelling parlor of Madame Leota [you know, from HM]), with a sarcastic animated agent on a small screen in the vehicle giving commentary, and an animated Joan Rivers (even more obnoxious than the REAL Joan Rivers; can we talk?) on large screens in the inside queue (the outside queue featured a cleaned-up variation on the white zone/red zone bit from the Airplane movies).

I wasn't especially optimistic for its longevity (despite the rather long line at the passholder soft-open), because of the limited appeal of an in-joke-based attraction, but the only thing I found disappointing about it was that it wasn't the "mini-GMR" I'd been hoping for.

Cadaverous Pallor
09-15-2003, 09:05 AM
This ride was horrible and I hope they alter it beyond any recognition before attempting to reopen it. An absoule travesty. An unequalled disaster. It made me feel dirty and abused.

It sucked, big time. :|

cstephens
09-15-2003, 09:50 AM
Hmmm, I thought it was a bit odd, but I liked it. I'm sorry it hasn't been available for me to ride.

Doodle Duck
09-15-2003, 10:29 AM
This awful ride WAS very funny in lots of ways...thus you can hate it as a not so nicely themed dark ride (though the light was fully bright) but really be entertained by its ineptitude and arogance.
Arogance? Yep...that 3rd rate (I'm being generous) Diz owned clebs would be of interest 10 minutes after their 15 minutes of fame. I'm sure it must have been designed for frequent 'star' replacement as do the Wax Museums. These were not AAs but for the most part statues with exagurated facial features...slight charactertures...that had very limited movement if any. Because some of these socalled 'stars' would be vague to many guests there was a narrator (!) who would say..."there's Mel Furd!"
..."Wow..there's Judy Doody!"
There was a scene that featured a famous has been super model who was dressed as a Hollywood Hooker (at least that's what most every one thought)...and the African American actress with the perpetual bad hair day that was truely frightening in her sculpitude.
The big gag of the ride was the huge screen at the end of it that would supossedly show the riders in any given car with big smiles and hopefully buy a photo (?)....well...more often than not the screen showed slacked jaws dropped in disbelief and or boredom.

On little tv screens in each car were some really (REALLY) ugly puppets...there was a hall way or two with absolutely nothing but black wall...

In it's favor...the paintings and scenics were very well done and colorful...it's was mainly the so-called 'storyline' that really bit the big one and put one in the position of being expected to idolize such D list 'names' on a trip through star studded Hollywood.


The initial concept was to have 'your' Limo being chased by obnoxious paparizzi but the Lady Diana tragedy bolloxed that plan.

Did those of you who didn't ride it miss something? You sure did...maybe not the something that Diz wanted you experience...but we rode it often while it was there just for laffs and mainly to confirm that my distaste of Pressler and the new regime was bonified.


It will take a small fix to get it rolling...mainly just a decision to change the theme of these so called 'stars' to either terrific Diz Characters (ala Gooffy etc.) or at least use REAL star power names...Marilyn Monroe...Bogart...and throw in one or two of todays instantly forgettable celebs.


There are some that actually liked the ride...but the vast majority did not and since I wrote the only book about dark rides, I was in contact with many experts in the industry that came to see this ride as what shouldn't be done...


It was also interesting in that the Disney Co. was the KING of the Dark Ride and always the goal to shoot for when building a non-Diz ride...this ride gave the independents hope that they were all catching up...and in many cases (Spiderman...Men In Black...Valhala etc.) surpassing.


But that's not fair either as this was to be a 'smallish' dark ride not a super spectacular...it's just those pesky CHEAP TO Acquire' no name celebs being fostered off as 'Super Stars"...NOBODY's gonna buy that, like the ride or not..

Andrew
09-15-2003, 10:40 AM
Here's an idea: What about combining SSL with the technology used in Buzz Lightyear? You could enjoy the real LA experience of participating in a drive-by and exorcise your dislike of those D-list celebs at the same time...

MontanaKC
09-15-2003, 11:19 AM
I rode the Superstar Limo during one of those preview weekends, before DCA officially opened to the public.

We waited a grand total of 5 minutes before riding.

I thought it was the most collosal waste of my time. If I had waited an hour or so for it - I would have been livid.

In fact, upon leaving the park for the day, there were CM's with clipboards asking for our opinions of the park.

We didn't leave anything to the imagination, when describing the limo ride.

I told her that it was "so bad, that I found it hard to believe that it was in a Disney park".

When I found out it was eventually closed, I was not surprised at all.

Kim

Doodle Duck
09-15-2003, 11:32 AM
Andrew:
DCA had the initial impetus to be 'edgy'...so taking the interactive idea of a shoot-em-up with laser pistols...and putting an 'edge' over on DL...change the ride to a Hungry Hungry Hippos ride.:D

GreatWhiteShark
09-15-2003, 11:48 AM
I heard a rumor awhile back, but could be wrong. That they planned on reopening the SSL in Sep 2003, but make it Goofy's SSL.

I know it is Sep and it still hasen't opened, like I said it was just a rumor.

I also spoke with a CM at DCA a few weeks ago and and he said the same thing about the popularity of the ride. Also that as far as he knows, their is no plans right now on what they are going to do with the attraction.