Tomorrowland Speedway -- not worth the wait??

[yaya74]

Just listened to the Best/Worst podcast dated 1/24 on attractions that are not worth the wait.
I am happy (relieved) to hear that Navi's River is not worth the wait so I don't have to panic about not getting a FP+ on my upcoming trip. Also glad to know that someone mentioned Test Track which I personally don't enjoy as well...

However... Tomorrowland Speedway?????

My 4 yo DS begged me to go back again and again to that ride back in 2016. There is just something special about little kids "driving" a car. I agree that the exhaust from these cars are bad for people and for the environment.. Would love to see Disney changing these cars into solar-powered engines since FL has plenty of that!

After all, Disney is for all ages. Parents have fun when their kids enjoy the trip too. So it wouldn't hurt to take a spin on a subject from a kid's point of view.

Nevertheless, thank you for the Podcasts. Always fun to listen.

 

[gmboy95]

for me the speedway is played out....for the amount of space it takes up, it is not nearly worth it....especially considering the crowds at MK....to open that space would be welcome

 

[Tom P.]

The podcast team is largely made up of adults with no children. In fact, outside of the "mothership" show, I'm not sure that any of the participants in any of the others shows (e.g. Best and Worst, Dining, etc.) have any children. Sometimes, I think the perspective of the parent coming to Walt Disney World with their kids -- especially their young kids -- gets lost a bit. That's not a criticism of the team. I really enjoy the shows. It's just a perspective that's not well-represented.

If I were going to WDW solely as an adult, I would totally agree with Pete that Tomorrowland Speedway is not worth the wait. It wouldn't even bother me to see it close. I do a lot of driving on a daily basis in "real life" and I'm way past the point where driving was something exciting and enjoyable -- now it's just something that has to be done. But I have young children who have never experienced driving a real car and who think the Speedway is an absolute blast. And it is totally worth it to me to wait for the attraction with them.

Different strokes for different folks, as they say. But I'd hate to see the Speedway go away.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Just a few thoughts from my end:

I really liked the Nav'i River Journey, but agree it is not worth the "Standby" wait - I think it is totally worth getting a FP for it if you can't get one for FoP (or have one for that for another day) and totally worth riding ... just not worth waiting 2 hours for or anything

As for the speedway, I do still like it and my kids get a kick out of it - I find it isn't too hard to get a 4th/etc FP for it so that is often how we will ride it. Have seen some rumors that it will get a bit of a "TRON" like overlay and possibly be changing to electric cars - I think that would be a win/win solution as those that still like the ride will still have it and those that hate the noise/smell will see that aspect go away

 

[DLgal]

I always roll my eyes when adults say the Speedway is a "waste of space" and should go away. I guarantee that this is one of the most popular rides in WDW. There is ALWAYS a line. Have you ever seen empty cars sitting in the load zone? Nope.

Kids LOVE this ride. And you know what... ADULTS do too! It makes you feel like a kid.

 

[Horizons-1]

I loved the Speedway as a child since my brother and I would try to race. As an adult I can easily see that it is not appealing to those without children, but my DW and I went on the ride on one of our last trips. One of us controlled the gas and the other the wheel. It was a lot of fun just being silly again.

I can't wait to take my DD on this once she is old enough to experience it with us. That's if it's still around in 5-6 years.

 

[chipndaleluver]

I am going to put my 2 cents in on this one. My husband and I have no children. I have to admit, I still like to go on this ride. It reminds me of being at a kid at our local church carnival, or local small amusement park back in the day. I won't wait hours for it, but if the wait is 30 minutes or less, I'm on it.

 

[ToffPrincess]

My 3 year old ADORES this ride. We end up having to do it at least once a day.
I often get a fast pass for it. When park opens there are no queues and then up to about 10.30 queues tend to be conservative at 10-20minutes but the queue doesn't pass as fast as lets say the Pirates one does. Huge difference between an indoor and outdoor queue.. and so I tend to FP it. After 10.30 I have seen it go up to 40/60 minutes and during the Mickeys Halloween Party it was a 40/60 minute wait!! So I do feel its a popular one.

However without DS I would never get on it. Not even if it was a walk-on or a free FP.. not my thing! But for kids.. its one of the most important rides and I'd be so sad to see it go. Not worth standing there in the sun for longer than 20 min though!

 

[Evilrubberducks6]

I'm not a fan of this ride. So many better things could fit inside the space that the Tomorrowland Speedway takes up. I get that it's one of those rides that's been there forever, but c'mon. At least upgrade the cars so that the whole area doesn't smell like a cheap county fair from all the diesel fumes in the air.

 

[Hunterr]

not a fan. But I'm an adult with a car, so it's not for me. Also, I'm a tall guy, and sitting in that little car is very uncomfortable, let alone driving it.

I think it should be revamped with new electric cars though!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It should be torn down. An open field would be better.

 

[KC Mouse]

We hate this ride. Wait time if outrages and the heat is murder. Im begging Disney to replace it with team of drunken flamingos. They would be more entertaining.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

I only remember doing this ride once - back during my first MK visit in Feb. '92. Now I could never get in/out/be comfortable in the vehicles, and don't like the smell, so I usually avoid that area of the park entirely, which is pretty easy to do. And as for most things - just because I feel this way doesn't mean I begrudge anybody else their jollies on it, if they so choose.

 

[Tonyz]

Complaining about not like Tomorrowland Speedway... now I have seen everything on this site.

I think there’s probably a couple other rides that the kiddies can do in these parks if that one goes away.

But I *think* that the Speedway is somehow connected to the TTA or something like that... so if one goes the other might have to too. If that’s true... long live the Speedway.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Complaining about not like Tomorrowland Speedway... now I have seen everything on this site.

I think there’s probably a couple other rides that the kiddies can do in these parks if that one goes away.

But I *think* that the Speedway is somehow connected to the TTA or something like that... so if one goes the other might have to too. If that’s true... long live the Speedway.

Wow - had never heard that - and if you're right - then you're right!! Long live the Speedway for sure!!!! I love my WEDWay!

 

[cxcelica]

Its hard to argue that the ride is not old and tired; and its impossible to really defend the fumes and noise. But, my kids really enjoy it and some of the most fun memories/experiences I have are on that ride with my children. That being said the attraction is begging for an updating, refreshing, refurbishment and/or retheme. Its a ride in Tomorrowland that isn't even modern day!