A Ride on the Re-Imagined Test Track® Attraction
By Magic Maker® Julie Paolino
Test Track® Attraction, a thrill ride loved by many at Epcot®, closed its doors in April of 2012. We all wondered what was to become of one of our favorite rides in all the Disney parks. Well, just over a month ago, in December of 2012, we finally got to find out when the doors reopened to the re-imagined Test Track® Attraction now sponsored by Chevrolet.
Car enthusiasts, kids, adults, well…just about anyone that can withstand the forces of the 60+ mile an hour cyclone that I call Test Track® Attraction, will not be disappointed! This attraction has every guest immersed in the car making process at kiosks that allow each rider, or family, to design their very own test vehicle. Once your design is complete you swipe the card you have been given before you enter the ride so that you can see how your design measures up with the actual Test Track® Attraction vehicle through the duration of the ride.
The ride itself has gone from what a car would actually go through in real world scenarios in the great outdoors to what appears to be a computerized simulation of how a car would handle on the road. Riders are thrust into darkness and then surrounded by computer graphics and bright neon simulated landscapes as they travel through the course which ultimately leads to a thrilling “crash” through the doors leading to a whirlwind of a ride at over 60 miles an hour around an outdoor track. Be warned that you will lose your hat if you leave it on!
Once you exit the ride you will have a chance to design more concept cars, play specially designed computer games and explore a showroom full of Chevrolet’s newest lineup of cars, including some concept cars. And of course, who could pass up the urge to pick up a brand new Test Track® Attraction t-shirt from the gift shop on the way out?
Because Test Track® Attraction is such a popular ride the wait time often exceeds 90 minutes in the stand-by line. FASTPASS® Service is available for this ride, but rider beware that if you want to design a fully customized car to compare with your ride vehicle you will have to wait in the stand-by line. Obviously FASTPASS® Service is supposed to get you to the ride quickly, so while you can customize a car when you enter through the FASTPASS® Service line, it is a very condensed version of the one you will find in the stand-by line.
Either way the newly re-imagined Test Track® Attraction will not disappoint. It is still one of the most exciting and innovative rides in Disney World and definitely one not to be missed.
Be sure to contact one of Off to Neverland Travels® Magic Makers® who will be happy to help you start planning your next Walt Disney World® Resort vacation.
