Not Such a Big Shot
Written: Mar 06 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: fun, usually quick lines, Single Rider option, great view
Cons: generic, not suitable for all shapes, barely themed
The Bottom Line: Maliboomer is an attraction you've already seen over and over. Fun, but completely unMagical. Ride it because its days in the park are numbered.
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| Liffey's Full Review: Maliboomer - California Adventure |
It's not surprising that no one has reviewed Maliboomer yet. Disney loyalists would probably prefer to believe it doesn't exist.
Maliboomer is an off-the-shelf carnival ride. In other words, don't picture talented Imagineers rolling up their shirt sleeves and excitedly brainstorming long after the quitting bell sounds. Instead, think of one sleazy guy up in Marketing, thumbing through a "Rides-R-Us" catalogue. He puts a sticky note on page 23 where a cartoon bubble says, "POPULAR!" and the fine print reads, "As seen everywhere else!" Then he emails someone down in art and writes, "Anyone got some quick-n-dirty ideas for gussying up a generic Space Shot ride?"
I have a right to be critical. I live in Las Vegas, where we know Space Shots. Except, instead of stapling ours down to a corner of a park with the excuse that it's okay to have cheap attractions because the theme is cheap attractions, we put ours on top of second-tallest free-standing structure west of the Mississippi. It's the highest thrill ride in the world. That's how you make a Space Shot different.
The Maliboomer is easily visible from outside the park. Kind of like driving past a Sandia Fun Park. Or a parking lot carnival. In other words, it adds nothing special to the "skyline" of California Adventure. Up close, though, you can respect the way they themed it like one of those (again, carnival) games you hit with a hammer and try to ring the bell.
So we've established, as have thousands of other commenters across the Disney-loving Internet before, that Disney has tried a lot of patience with this one. We know it's a theme park, not a thrill park, Mr. Corporate Office. Why don't you?
But let's say you want to ride it anyway, because having fun is more important than crossing your arms and casting fierce, moral-high-ground glares across the water from Ariel's Grotto.
Kudos must be given for the Single Rider option. This may be handy for you if you come during the "feast" part of the "feast or famine" lines that seem to appear (or not, in the case of the latter) around this attraction. There's a lot of ebb-and-flow with the queue. If it seems busy, give yourself another gallivant around the boardwalk and check back. Often that's all it takes to come back to a walk-on.
There is no queue. I mean, there are standard metal rails routing people up a small incline to the loading platform, but there isn't any theme. (Or rather, no theme is the theme!)
Here I should probably pause for a moment and say I like the idea of the Paradise Pier. I've had great fun on the skeeball, and my husband totally owns the "toss the baseball in the basket" game. it's great to walk across the wooden planks, and I'm tickled all of the advertising. ("Meatier shower" for McDonald's? And how about all of the T-shirt signs... Curiosi-Tees, etc.?) But this is Disney. I think they could have all that and themey queues.
(And they agree, it seems, if the new five year plan comes to fruition. But I'm jumping ahead of myself.)
I've only ridden the Maliboomer once, but I've boarded it twice. Both times I was grateful for the loose items box they provide, although it's not for valuables. You may be seated on the opposite side of the "pillar" and unable to reach it quickly when the ride ends, for one thing.
Don't be ashamed of going barefoot on the Maliboomer - people do it all day, even in winter. It's better than holding on to your clogs or flip-flops. Nobody cares, except for the people in the queue who have nothing better to do than stand there and judge your pedicure as they whisper behind their hands. (Just kidding. Hopefully.)
The reason I boarded twice but only rode once was because the second time I was with my husband. Now me, I'm a little teapot, short (relatively, at 5'6") and stout (shopping the upper end of the Plus Size racks). Mike, he's tall (6'4") and bears a Falstaffian belly. Me, I got into the seat, buckled up, and shielded with little incident. If I had one complaint, it's that getting over the little plasticky part that comes up between your thighs where the buckle hitches up can be difficult if you have short legs. Mike, though, discovered that you can be tall or fat, but not both. If he'd just been shorter, his gut would've had no problem in the lower, roomier area of the scream shield. (Or if he'd just been thinner through his stomach, but some days it just feels easier to shrink vertically than horizontally, doesn't it?)
So, if you're Maliboomer-bound and worried about your weight, as you might be after learning that the nearby Orange Stinger has a 200 pound weight limit, understand that it's really more about shape. Alas, this isn't something you'll find out until everyone is ready for lift-off. (I'll just let you imagine how quickly we tried to slink away. Good times.)
The first and only time I rode, though, it was FUN "Whee! Woo-ee! Hahahahaha! WHOOOOOO!" That's my review of that. The hydraulics felt pillowy, with no harsh stops coming or going. The experience is more about being shot up than crashed down. The view, of course, is quite nice, but nothing you can't get from the Sun Wheel.
That's the difficult thing. Ordinary rides that everyone else has are fun. No one is denying it. But is anyone saying, "Oh boy, I can't wait to get back to Disney and ride the Maliboomer!" It's just not magical or special.
I may catch one more ride on the Maliboomer, though. Mike can wield the camera from the ground for posterity because Maliboomer is getting the axe. Word du jour is that the Golden Zephyrs will be moved across the water to the Maliboomer's spot as the revamp of the area (including a new water show spectacular) takes place. You can try being sad, but why? It's not like you can't ride this anywhere else.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
Liffey
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Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 71 members
About Me:
I like thinking.
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