Here’s my take:
- When it comes to simulators in a box, FoP wipes the floor with everything else (as it should, being the newest and an E-ticket). This doesn’t include Spider-Man or Kong on principle, because they are not simulators in a box.
- If this type of ride system is your favorite type of ride system, FoP probably has a shot at being your favorite ride. If not, probably not. My boyfriend HATES Splash Mountain, even though he agrees with me that it’s the best ride in the Magic Kingdom. No big deal, flume rides aren’t his thing.
- It is groundbreaking not in the sense that it does something for the first time, but that it achieves a level of greatness that I think many (myself included) thought impossible for a simulator in a box.
- I think most people who are freaking out over the ride do so because of the previous statement. Most people know going in that it’s a simulator in a box, and the sensation of flight is really convincing, which catches them off guard. The illusion is about as good as it can get when it comes to convincing you that you're actually flying on a living creature, and that’s really impressive to a lot of people (again, myself included). There’s nothing that exists in the area that quite captures exactly the same sensation, and it doesn’t make people sick while doing it. It’s a different kind of rush, much as Spider-Man is a different kind of rush than the Hulk.
- The ride is Disney’s first big hit on the east coast in a decade. The opinions are going to vary wildly. My best friend likes the ride but doesn’t ever want to wait more than an hour for it again, and on the other end is my boyfriend’s mom, who loves it so much that she looks on the app every day to try to score a Fastpass for it (they’re local).