Are you talking domestic parks or world wide? Because Shanghai pirates is fantastic.
I think this a valid point. From what I’ve seen of Shanghai Pirates (YouTube) and what RotR is starting to look/sound like, there are a couple of note-worthy differences.
First, the “visceral” sensations of the RV. Pirates, sense it’s in the water, adds an extra, subtly immersive sensation to the action. The bobbing does a lot. A trackless RV is far more sterile, and when a dozen Stormtroopers are shooting at your petering transport, the lack of whiplash causes a disconnect that riders can feel without naming.
Which leads into the second big difference. Pirates features huge, transformative projections that send you underwater, raises ships, and adds an extra sense of speed that RotR doesn’t even attempt to do. There’s a benefit to practical sets, true, but Star Wars Imperial/First Order ships are pretty rote. It’s closer to, yeah, Antarctica.