3. We were always watching you

While guests generally knew better than to misbehave during the “show” portion of the attraction, when they were in a small room with a team member, many assumed that once they were on the automated “ride” portion, they could do whatever they liked. In fact, however, we had a control tower located above and behind the flood effect in the earthquake simulation room. It provided a birds-eye view of the ride, along with a series of security cameras that monitored the entire track.

At some points during the ride’s lifespan, the tower employee made him or herself known at the end of the simulation by coming out with a megaphone and yelling, “Cut!” In other incarnations, that was not done. Whether or not you ever saw that person, though, rest assured that if you ever did something silly during the ride, we knew it.

4. We didn’t like the final version any better than you did

Based on a 1974 film, in some ways Earthquake was already dated when it opened in 1990. Nonetheless, the excellent ride technology and the interactive soundstage show kept the attraction feeling fresh. In 2002, however, the then-powers-that-be decided it was due for a revamp.

Although the actual ride did not change, the spieling portion was heavily re-themed. Many of the Earthquake-specific references were removed and other, more current, films were added to the mix. A series of tweaks occurred over the next five years, each making the experience more disjointed and confusing. By 2007, when Earthquake closed to make room for Disaster, it was an incoherent mess filled with references to flash-in-the-pan early-2000s movies that no one really remembered.

As team members, we tried valiantly to create an excellent guest experience. But truth be told, most of us didn’t like the ride’s final version any better than anyone else did. Though there was a bit of nostalgia for the pre-2002 attraction, few team members were sorry to see that last version close forever. In my opinion, Disaster is a wonderfully well-done attraction that is a worthy heir to the spirit of the original Earthquake.