Attraction Journey to Atlantis
- Thread starter Eric
- Start date
I would like to start off by saying that I think that Journey to Atlantis is definitaly the least taken care of ride at Seaworld Orlando. I have recently gotten the chance to visit Seaworld Orlando after not going for about 3 years and have noticed that Journey to Atlantis has really gone downhill as far as special effects go. About 90% of the sound(effects) do not not even work anymore. So all you get is the guy at the beginning and a mermaid moving their lips but not even saying anything. Also, some of visual effects don`t even work anymore either. So saying that, please tell me if you think they are just waiting a little bit to renovate it or do you think they might take the drastic measure of removing it for some reason?
I'm not sure what the deal is. I'm unsure as to what could be replacing it or when they'll renovate it. With rehabilitating their brand, older rides usually get the back burner.
In spite of all of its flaws, it is still my favorite water ride. I just love the theme of the ride. If it had fire like Escape from Pompeii, then Pompeii would have to be on the chopping block. The sound and media queues are still the biggest problems with the ride. Of course, then you still have an inanimate Medusa animatronic and a chandelier that won't fall anymore.
On a side note, I really think they should remove the Beetlejuice theme from the second lift. The ride has such a good original soundtrack. I think that song ruins the mood of that section of the ride.
On a side note, I really think they should remove the Beetlejuice theme from the second lift. The ride has such a good original soundtrack. I think that song ruins the mood of that section of the ride.
Just ride it again today and was surprised because the audio worked great until we got to the first lift hill where the rest of the ride was silent
Journey to Atlantis recently reopened after refurbishments. The entire soundtrack has been replaced with the soundtrack of the former show, "A'Lure: The Call of the Ocean" (aside from a select few sound effects). All effects pertaining to the fight between Medusa and (the wooden seahorse) Ares have been turned off.
I hope that this is a temporary fix to issues that were never resolved for more than a few weeks. That being said, the ride is now more of a leisurely journey without any story. This seems to be a new trend in their chain recently.
There are some parts where they hit the timing just right with the recycled soundtrack, yet having a familiar soundtrack also shows how complicated the audio system is on this ride. Under ideal conditions, the sound clips that were picked synchronize perfectly with the ride. Otherwise, the slightest change to water pressure or time spent on a block break can cause an audio cue to end too soon (usually resulting in brief silence). The audio loops are almost perfect, and they are triggered seamlessly. They are using a method which "follows the boat" for those sequences. There are very few repeating sequences such as the "hang on, there's a drop ahead" tracks. This greatly decreased sound leakage.
Otherwise, the biggest touch-ups were probably to the coral reefs and continued efforts to make the endless treasure scene look more realistic. The static lighting sequences are also more advanced than ever before.
Overall, I would usually be livid about an update like this, but the might still be hope. There were/are rumors that the park will slowly update the ride to fit better alongside Kraken VR. This gives me some hope. It could mean that SeaWorld didn't simply give up on fixing effects that break in a matter of days. Maybe there's more to come.
P.S. The Beetlejuice soundtrack on the second lift is gone.
I hope that this is a temporary fix to issues that were never resolved for more than a few weeks. That being said, the ride is now more of a leisurely journey without any story. This seems to be a new trend in their chain recently.
There are some parts where they hit the timing just right with the recycled soundtrack, yet having a familiar soundtrack also shows how complicated the audio system is on this ride. Under ideal conditions, the sound clips that were picked synchronize perfectly with the ride. Otherwise, the slightest change to water pressure or time spent on a block break can cause an audio cue to end too soon (usually resulting in brief silence). The audio loops are almost perfect, and they are triggered seamlessly. They are using a method which "follows the boat" for those sequences. There are very few repeating sequences such as the "hang on, there's a drop ahead" tracks. This greatly decreased sound leakage.
Otherwise, the biggest touch-ups were probably to the coral reefs and continued efforts to make the endless treasure scene look more realistic. The static lighting sequences are also more advanced than ever before.
Overall, I would usually be livid about an update like this, but the might still be hope. There were/are rumors that the park will slowly update the ride to fit better alongside Kraken VR. This gives me some hope. It could mean that SeaWorld didn't simply give up on fixing effects that break in a matter of days. Maybe there's more to come.
P.S. The Beetlejuice soundtrack on the second lift is gone.
Not a fan of the refurbishment. Just not very interesting. My kids were very bored. We still ride since it is a water ride and the hotel had quick queue included. It is just not the same to us.
I saw this great photo on Reddit today showcasing a scene from JTA.
It’s really crazy seeing how far this ride has regressed in quality and storytelling over the years. Hands down this ride has the best physical sets of any attraction in the SEAS chain and it’s just unreal to see it tell essentially no story. The attraction is borderline boring at points with no dialogue to go along with the now shuttered scenes.I wish I could see what the ride was like in 1998 with all the effects properly working and audio cues on.
It’s really crazy seeing how far this ride has regressed in quality and storytelling over the years. Hands down this ride has the best physical sets of any attraction in the SEAS chain and it’s just unreal to see it tell essentially no story. The attraction is borderline boring at points with no dialogue to go along with the now shuttered scenes.I wish I could see what the ride was like in 1998 with all the effects properly working and audio cues on.
JTA's current state is a tragedy. I have no idea how the park's management thought ripping out the storyline and replacing it with nothing was a good idea. Heck, I'm sure the effects are all still there, and could be returned with some minor reprogramming. But how anyone could ride through this generic, intrigue-devoid ride and determine it's an improvement over the charming story it told before is beyond me. When I rode 2018, it was abundantly clear we were floating past scenes where things should have been happening. Instead, we ambled past static sets while some generic music played, the whole thing without rhyme or reason. Even without considering the previous storyline, this ride on its own terms felt empty.
It's all the more baffling in the midst of Florida's increasingly story-driven theme park entertainment market. With the embarrassment that is Antartica and the rotting shell of its former self that is Wild Arctic, JTA is the one ride that could even hold a thematic candle to Disney's and Uni's attractions. But SWO for some inexplicable reason has decided to cut out JTA's soul.
It's all the more baffling in the midst of Florida's increasingly story-driven theme park entertainment market. With the embarrassment that is Antartica and the rotting shell of its former self that is Wild Arctic, JTA is the one ride that could even hold a thematic candle to Disney's and Uni's attractions. But SWO for some inexplicable reason has decided to cut out JTA's soul.
Journey to Atlantis does still has most of its story elements ready to be turned on again(or fixed). For example, the medusa(?) statue is in its unsprung position but still there. The glass that used to project the mermaid is still there and I bet the projectors are still there too(unless they somehow figured out how to put them in Antarctica or Wild Arctic somehow). Seeing the potential there still is very sad. The thing that really kills it for me too is that they just play the music from their former show Allure: Call of the Ocean throughout the entire ride too instead of the story.
(btw I'm going to have to debate you on Antarctica it's my favorite
)
(btw I'm going to have to debate you on Antarctica it's my favorite
)
I got stuck on this at Seaworld camp for 30 minutes, listening to that stupid musicJourney to Atlantis does still has most of its story elements ready to be turned on again(or fixed). For example, the medusa(?) statue is in its unsprung position but still there. The glass that used to project the mermaid is still there and I bet the projectors are still there too(unless they somehow figured out how to put them in Antarctica or Wild Arctic somehow). Seeing the potential there still is very sad. The thing that really kills it for me too is that they just play the music from their former show Allure: Call of the Ocean throughout the entire ride too instead of the story.
(btw I'm going to have to debate you on Antarctica it's my favorite
Besides Mako and maybe Antarctica, I would argue that it the best place to have to listen to music. Just my opinion though.
(#swomigos btw)
Story/ no story, I still love this ride. I can't hardly remember the old effects to be honest. To my four year old son though this ride is still amazing. He rode it 6 times when we were there in September and he still talks about it all the time. I think the drops and changes in intensity will always make this a crowd pleaser.
I do think SEAS has a major problem of letting ride experiences slip, but that's been for quite a while.
I do think SEAS has a major problem of letting ride experiences slip, but that's been for quite a while.
Bumping this to say, someone in maintenance is actually starting to give a carp about this ride. Roughly 65% of the building as been cleaned and pressure washed, it’s a noticeable difference too, I think it’s a slow effort to make this ride good again
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Wonderful news! It's been so neglected. Hopefully they will improve ops as well. Unloading and loading at the same spot is so inefficient.