Foto Fridays: Splash Mountain v. Space Mountain Face-off

Congratulations on making it to the conclusion of another work week! With your weekend about to start, hopefully this eases you into relaxation mode. In this edition of Foto Face-off Friday, the weekly blog that features photographs from our TouringPlans Flickr Group that are an extension of the Disney Debates we’ve been holding on our Twitter Account, @TouringPlans, we will attempt to resolve one of Walt Disney World’s “biggest controversies,” which is the better attraction in the Magic Kingdom Mountain Range: Space Mountain or Splash Mountain. Since pictures speak louder than words we’ve decided to seek definitive resolution photographically for this especially hotly contested Disney Debate!

Here is what some of our followers on Twitter had to say:

@FastPassDad Daytime = splash, night = space!

@TheRealKevinW Splash. It’s a nice relaxing and cool ride that gives us a small break

@jobber99 MK? splash. more true to the song of the south story than DL, and space mtn out in MK just isn’t that good

@DisneyMarc Splash, because of the length and number of scenes. Awesome at night

@beci_mousefan Can I incl left coast? DLR Space Mountain.. w/o holiday overlay. (was kinda cheesy maybe plussed this time?) #disneydebate

@RyanKilpatrick Splash Mtn, despite the soaking. Theming, music, fun characters vs. darkness and quickly over. No contest. #disneydebate

@skubersky space in dl (smoother & better fx) but splash in WDW (bigger & better aa’s)

@druantia space mountain. Soothing soundtrack. Oldie but a goodie. Plus, I am not a fan of getting wet on rides. #disneydebate

Pretty neck and neck, although it seemed there was a preference towards Disneyland’s Space Mountain (with which I don’t agree) and Splash Mountain in the summer months.

Along with their photo entries, we asked for an explanation as to why each poster preferred their respective choice. Their reasons may pertain to photography, general enjoyment of the choice, or both. Their personal thoughts are provided below their photo-entry. To view more of their photography click on their respective submission, which will direct you to their Flickr photostream.

Space Mountain

wonderful world of Hilary:

Hands down it has to be Space Mountain. For me the intrigue of Space far exceeds Splash. While Splash does revolve around some great storytelling with the characters from Song of the South, Space uses some great visual effects and wondrous sounds that transport guests to another galaxy all together.

Splash Mountain

Isabelle Boivin:

Definitely Splash Mountain. So much details in the line and in the show. I cannot be tired of riding this one. Always looking for a new hidden Mickey ! And I remember waiting 1hour and a half with my family back in 1996…. and it was so worth it ! A trip at Disney without riding Splah, is not a real trip!

ddindy:

Another tough decision. Both attractions have pluses and minuses for me. Space Mountain is fun, even more so in the new “total darkness” incarnation, but the new(?) lap bars can be a bit painful on some of the sudden drops. Splash Mountain is great on the inside, but not so great on the outside. The story of Br’er Rabbit is presented in a charming manner and the songs stick in your head. However, I hate getting wet on rides and having water splashed all over my glasses is never a good thing. But the story wins out, so this week my vote goes to Splash Mountain.

Corsey21:

I might give the slight edge here to Splash on this case because I get more of a rush on the drops and I love the theming inside there. However, I will easily be switched to Space Mountain if they ever put music on the ride like they do in Disneyland.

Scott Barlow

I love the music and huge drops of Splash Mountain. It’s my Happy Place!

Finally, my entry and commentary:

Not a very strong showing of support for Space Mountain from the photographers. Could be that Space Mountain is really less popular, or we could have difficulty photographing it. I know I have a lot better pictures of Splash, in general. That notwithstanding, this was another tough one for me, and one of those to which I can’t really give a definitive answer. Many of the Twitter responses encompassed my thoughts on this well.

I love Splash Mountain’s duration, level of detail, and storytelling. Space loses points for being shorter, but gains points over its pre-refurbishment self for now having a more cohesive story from queue to post-show. Both are favorites from a perspective of nostalgia, but overall Splash probably wins there. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned, location, gives Space Mountain the strong edge. I am definitely a Tomorrowland kind of guy, which means that we typically ride Space twice as many times as Splash per trip, even more so in the colder months. Much like the Tower of Terror v. Haunted Mansion Face-off, this is one that could easily go either way for me. These two attractions are both in my top 5 (as are ToT and HM, leaving the final spot for…?) and are so starkly different, it’s really difficult to compare them. Ultimately, the duration of the attraction and level of detail give Splash Mountain the edge for me. It’s one of those attractions you can experience over and over, yet each time you might notice a detail that you missed the previous go round.

What are your thoughts on the face-off? Let us know in the comments!

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The next Disney Debate subject of the Foto Face-off Friday is going to be another good one. The two most popular Walt Disney World parks celebrate their birthdays on October 1st, and since this challenge ends then, what better face-off than one pitting the birthday parks against one another on their “big day”? Since these parks are divisive fan favorites, we’re expecting some heated debate! So check back Friday October 1st for the definitive results! Also, as this is an important one, please help us settle the debate on Twitter by voicing your thoughts to @TouringPlans and entering your submissions in the TouringPlans Flickr Group discussion entitled “TouringPlans’ Foto Face-off Friday Blog – October 1st Birthdays!” You could have your comments and picture chosen to be featured in the next Face-off blog, so get to Tweetin’ and Postin’!