All aboard the runaway mine train (Disneyland Paris - Attraction Big Thunder Mountain)

Member Name: karalouk

Product:	Disneyland Paris - Attraction Big Thunder Mountain
Date:	03/06/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A classic Disney ride, fun for almost everyone, can fastpass

Disadvantages: Not exactly white knuckle! ques

Big Thunder Mountain is a ride in Disneyland Paris. There is also a version of the same ride in Magic Kingdom Florida and Disneyland Calafornia.

It can be found in 'Frontierland' which is situated on the west side of the park. Other attractions in Frontierland include the Phantom Manor and the Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing (which is a big Mississippi riverboat which sails the lake around Big Thunder Mountain). As with all the rides in Disneyland you don't have to pay to ride Big Thunder Mountain as the price for rides is included in the entry fee.

You can't miss Big Thunder Mountain as it is set on a huge orangey red rock and as the ride is in contant use trains go by every minute or so. The theme behind the ride is that a gold was discovered on big thunder mountain way back in the late 1880's and a mining company soon got involved. They dug out tunnels and set up tracks for their mine trains unknowing that the mountain was infact cursed by native Americans. Before long the mountain and nearby town got hit by flash floods and was abandoned. Many years later the mountain was discovered with the mine trains racing around the tracks without passengers or a driver. The train is also commonly refered to as 'the runaway train' for this reason. The rock looks quite authentic but is quite obviously man made. The rocks (and the queing area) are covered by old wooden barrels, empty wagons, rusty wheels and cogs, cactus and the train track is made to look old and worn out. There is also a big lake which surrounds the ride. The front of the train looks like a rusty old steam train and has 5 carriages which hold 15 rows of seats. Each row of seats usually seats 2 passengers (but I think there might be room for 3?) which means up to 30 passengers can ride per train (or upto 45 if my suspicions are correct).

Big Thunder Mountain was first opened in 1992 when the park opened. It is a rollercoaster but does not have any loops and does not go upside down. It is not a scary ride but it does go quite fast - up to 40 miles per hour. The duration of the ride lasts 3-4 minutes which is about average. The track is very windey and dippy which means the ride is quite jolty and can throw you around abit, therefore the ride is not suitable for young children (unless they are over 1.2 metres tall), elderly people, pregnant women, and those with weak hearts and back problems! The ride is best suited to adults, older children, teenagers and families. Extreme thrill seekers probably won't be too impressed.

Big Thunder Mountain is a classic and very popular Disney attraction which means there are usually big ques for it. The ques can spiral round for hours. This is not a ride I would personally be happy queing for more than half an hour for, but is a classic and therefore a must do. My advise would be to use the Disney fastpass service. The fastpass service allows you to jump right to the front of ques. You need to look for the fast pass distribution machine which is situated near the entrance of the ride, choose the time you would like to return and pop your park ticket into the machine. You'll then be issued with a fast pass ticket with a time to return to the attraction on it. When you return to the attraction you will enter a separate fast pass entrance where queing times will be less than 10 minutes (sometimes you can jump straight on the ride). Fast passes come at no extra cost and you can use them as many times as you like. I definitely advise taking advantage of this service. Another way to avoid ques is to leave this ride until the very end of the day - this is when people start leaving the park and all the rides have small or no ques.

When you get to the front of the que you have to que up at seperate gates (according to which row of seats you will be sitting in), when the train pulls in and the other passengers get off the gates open and you can board the train. The restraint is in the form of a lapbar which automatically lowers. The train pulls away and goes inside a dark cave. The train then goes up a steep hill and as you reach the top of the hill it looks as though you are going to go through a small waterfall but instead the water goes down either side of the train and you don't get wet. You then take a few twists and turns and dip down into a pool of water where the ride takes your photo. Again you don't get wet but just spinkled a little. There are many more hills and tunnels to go up and down, it seems the higher the hill the faster you come down again. After the first minute it does seem a little samey but is still lots of fun.

I recommend riding this at least one if you are in Disneyland Paris, yes indeed.

Summary: Ride em cowboy!