Despite everything outside of the park saying otherwise even somethings inside of it too, EITA is still open.
Europe In The Air
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
Any word on whether Europe In The Air is open or will be open this year? Despite what the official website says (and the overall feelings about it on this forum), I rather like EitA, and I've been holding out hope that it will operate this year.
Thanks Matthew. That post was made before the park officially opened, so I wasn't sure if it was meant to be true or funny. So it is in fact open? That's great (for me anyway). It's too bad the park can't simply update the website, however.
It is open. They seriously need high def video and cg so it has a flight path between landmarks instead of horrible and random transitions. Better yet they should forget landmarks and just do a flyover over Ireland or the alps
So I would take this with a grain of salt but according to a tour guide EITA might have another 2013 shut-down. The attendance numbers with the maintenance cost don't match and it's showing. I imagine it will just be used for haunted houses until a permanent replacement is found. While this isn't confirmed in any way, shape, or form by the park it means one thing. Zachary needs to marathon EITA, and he needs to do it fast.
My 4 yr old just reached 42 inches, and couldn't wait to go on this ride. He loves caves and castles, so the ride entrance really called out to him.
Throughout the ride, he had an expression of pure joy on his face; mouth wide open in wonder and amazement the entire ride. I wished so much I could take a picture of him during the ride!
As we were walking out, he said he wanted to ride it again and again.
Apparently, Europe in the Air has at least one fan.
Throughout the ride, he had an expression of pure joy on his face; mouth wide open in wonder and amazement the entire ride. I wished so much I could take a picture of him during the ride!
As we were walking out, he said he wanted to ride it again and again.
Apparently, Europe in the Air has at least one fan.
I liked it. It just needs new shots. Using drone technology and UHD cameras they can make something really cool. Or turn it from a Europe in the Air (there's enough in GB to never leave) to a 4-D show with the leprechaun chase through Dublin. I think that would be fun and a hit. Something like Universals Minions ride.
Here is a POV that I made the other day. At the end of the ride something strange happens. Also, there is slight video bleeding between two of three projectors. It's more apparent in some scene than in others.
From today
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BD4YNpesG8o/]
[instagram=https://instagram.com/p/BD4YNpesG8o/]
Here's another on-ride video. But this one is just a tiny bit different from your typical EitA experience:
That's actual on-ride video taken mid-ride on EitA on 6/19/2016, after three things happened:
At one point near the end of the ride cycle, one rider starting taking selfies with the flash on. A ride attendant hit the PA twice to tell him to knock it off. He yelled back "FIX YOUR RIDE!" and was joined by a growing chorus of other riders. Basically it started to feel like an ongoing argument between the attendant and riders yelling suggestions like, "SHOW THE MOVIE!" Apparently ride attendants can tell when people are taking flash photos, but they either can't see that the entire screen is screwed up or can't do anything at all in response...?
Other notable details from before and after:
I do wonder what's next for this ride's footprint at Busch Gardens. And when.
That's actual on-ride video taken mid-ride on EitA on 6/19/2016, after three things happened:
- Of the three projectors that show the stationary pre-ride image (the red digit "2" in this case), one turned off while the other two remained lit.
- The actual ride video never started... but the audio did.
- The sim platform went through its entire ride program in the semi-dark.
At one point near the end of the ride cycle, one rider starting taking selfies with the flash on. A ride attendant hit the PA twice to tell him to knock it off. He yelled back "FIX YOUR RIDE!" and was joined by a growing chorus of other riders. Basically it started to feel like an ongoing argument between the attendant and riders yelling suggestions like, "SHOW THE MOVIE!" Apparently ride attendants can tell when people are taking flash photos, but they either can't see that the entire screen is screwed up or can't do anything at all in response...?
Other notable details from before and after:
- As we walked from the entrance tunnel to the pre-show room before all of the above occurred, a ride op strode past us muttering "No no no no..." almost as if the pre-show doors weren't supposed to have opened yet. Nobody told the group to stop or turn back, so we continued walking in.
- There was a 5-minute delay in the floor-dot room, announced by the attendant.
- I could have SWORN there were two guests already standing in the far front corner of the sim vehicle when our doors opened for boarding. Could.have.sworn. Did they somehow stay there after the previous ride ended? Did they enter through the retractable exit ramps before our entry-side doors opened? If they were waiting with us on the floor-dots, I don't see how they could possibly have darted into the sim vehicle and made it that far over within about 3 seconds. It seems completely impossible.
- After exiting the ride, there was a white-shirt attendant in the exit hallway looking utterly distracted by whatever news had reached them. They were on the radio but also constantly beset by complaining riders. (I feel like security and medical personnel have an uncanny ability to talk into a radio without behind heard by anyone physically near them.)
- As far as I saw and experienced, at no time did any employee between the sim vehicle and the building exit offer any explanation or apology, either over the PA or in person.
I do wonder what's next for this ride's footprint at Busch Gardens. And when.
halfabee said:
As soon as I read "already standing in the far front corner" I got chills! So creepy... I wouldn't have gotten on
I heard many complaints about the ride on Saturday.Yeah the problem was that you rode the ride to begin with. Ireland is a very small and underwhelming part of the park. If they ever get rid of the show in the Abbey Stone(can't believe I can't recall the name. FL must be taking it's toll on me), I fear that the entire hammock will become absolute fly-by territory.
Believe it or not, Europe in the air actually had a line on the 19th(which is why I didn't go on it that day), Also, besides Celtic Fyre, there is grogans pub and castle o' sullivan( when it's actually open) and during the F&W festival, they carve ice sculptures, which rounded up quite a crowd last time I saw.
^Still, it's quickly approaching the ultimate fate of that which was Hastings.
Anyway- Yes, they are definitely able to stop the ride very easily. It's possible that the ride operator didn't notice the screens. Their main objective is to stare at three monitors and check for any bad/suspicious behavior (like taking flash pictures.) They actually have two windows looking into both theaters, however, they sometimes have the blinds down.
That is still an odd excuse, because I think the ride operator should have at least noticed that the lighting conditions were not changing with the film. That, and the guests can be heard via microphones, which are easily visible. Honestly, I have no idea what happened there. They usually switch people to another cabin if they think that the film might have, or is having issues. Also, I wonder what that guy was muttering about. Strange.
Anyway- Yes, they are definitely able to stop the ride very easily. It's possible that the ride operator didn't notice the screens. Their main objective is to stare at three monitors and check for any bad/suspicious behavior (like taking flash pictures.) They actually have two windows looking into both theaters, however, they sometimes have the blinds down.
That is still an odd excuse, because I think the ride operator should have at least noticed that the lighting conditions were not changing with the film. That, and the guests can be heard via microphones, which are easily visible. Honestly, I have no idea what happened there. They usually switch people to another cabin if they think that the film might have, or is having issues. Also, I wonder what that guy was muttering about. Strange.
Don't forget the Emerald Isle shop! I love walking through that place and looking at everything.... Not buying, just looking. Because, really, that shit is ass expensive.
Took a make-up ride on EitA today and it seemed to run fine. We got the "left hand" theater this time, instead of the "right hand" one that was screwed up before. As far as I can tell, they're just running one of them at a time. Not a high-demand attraction.
One question for the resident EitA trivia minds: Do the two theaters have different automated door mechanisms leading from the floor-dot room to the simulator room? I seem to recall that the "right hand" theater has slow-opening hinged doors, but today I noted that the "left hand" theater's doors whip open in an upward direction like a Star Trek spaceship door, or a runaway window blind. Thwip!
One question for the resident EitA trivia minds: Do the two theaters have different automated door mechanisms leading from the floor-dot room to the simulator room? I seem to recall that the "right hand" theater has slow-opening hinged doors, but today I noted that the "left hand" theater's doors whip open in an upward direction like a Star Trek spaceship door, or a runaway window blind. Thwip!
In a park based on "the old country's" myths and legends and stories and culture, Europe in the Air is an odd-ball. Doesn't fit. Not a great ride anyway. Honestly, I think people at this point would celebrate the return of Corkscrew Hill, even if an updated and fresh journey into Irish folklore is what the theatre REALLY needs.
At the end of the day, no one is coming to Busch Gardens FOR Europe in the Air or, realistically, for any simulator they could put in that space. But it seems to me that Corkscrew Hill, even now, is a better use of the technology, a better fit for the park, and a better ride. A new legends and fables simulator would be preferred, but I'd take a Captain-EO style "tribute" throwback season of Corkscrew Hill over EITA.
At the end of the day, no one is coming to Busch Gardens FOR Europe in the Air or, realistically, for any simulator they could put in that space. But it seems to me that Corkscrew Hill, even now, is a better use of the technology, a better fit for the park, and a better ride. A new legends and fables simulator would be preferred, but I'd take a Captain-EO style "tribute" throwback season of Corkscrew Hill over EITA.