RtS: IMAX at GardenWalk, Anaheim

[Kevy Baby]

The only time I went to IMAX (for feature films), we saw Beauty and the Beast (and then stuck around and "stole" a viewing of LotR). The only way I could tolerate it was by being in just about the back row. I enjoyed the viewings, but the immersion from that perspective was plenty for me.

[RStar]

I, too, was rather dissapointed. Besides the smallish screen a dirt on the film, the parking structure is a joke. The entrance is a nightmare with cars going two directions at once, crossing, ect. And it sounds like after 3 hours of validated parking you then have to pay.

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by RStar

And it sounds like after 3 hours of validated parking you then have to pay.

Complete joke. Exiting is worse. When we left they it looked like they had 1 booth at each entrance open, with 2 ways to each booth that met right before the booth. People had to cooperate and use the "zipper effect" to get to the booth. It took nearly 15 minutes to get out of there. Validated parking is 4 hours. Be sure to account for exit time though.

[RStar]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

Be sure to account for exit time though.

Yes, what is that all about? How do you pay at the kiosk not knowing how long it will take to get to your car, then to the booth??

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by RStar

Yes, what is that all about? How do you pay at the kiosk not knowing how long it will take to get to your car, then to the booth??

There is a pre-payment kiosk too?

Must have missed that. But you'd still have to sit in the exit line for everyone else who is paying at the booth.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Odd, we were out of there immediately, no waiting.

[RStar]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Odd, we were out of there immediately, no waiting.

It's not just the crowd getting out that is the problem, which has been hit and miss because it is so new and is worse on Fri. and Sat. nights. But it's the layout as well. The trafic flow going in and going out is not well split and tends to meet head-on.

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

There is a pre-payment kiosk too?

Must have missed that. But you'd still have to sit in the exit line for everyone else who is paying at the booth.

Yes, there are some type of Kiosks, but I have no idea how they work.

[MouseWife]

Okay, I'm just a little more than perturbed....you say the theater there is open? Since when? I stayed at the Motel6 {oh my gosh, a pretty basic hotel, did the job, I would stay there again, but, very very basic...} and I asked if they had a number for the theater and they said it wasn't open yet. We were there July 28th, I think. We could have walked from the hotel. Er, motel. So we went to DTD.

But, we did think about going in to walk around and check it out, to find the theater, but, we saw that you had to pay to park and we knew we weren't going that moment to see it so we just turned around. I can't believe they make you pay. I understand that it could be taken advantage of being so close to Disneyland but they need to work something out. Don't know what, though, but they should.

So, if we'd gone to see it there, would we have had the choice not to see it in iMax?

Thank you guys for your review, as always, this is the place to learn everything I need to know.

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by RStar

It's not just the crowd getting out that is the problem, which has been hit and miss because it is so new and is worse on Fri. and Sat. nights. But it's the layout as well. The trafic flow going in and going out is not well split and tends to meet head-on.

The design creates to many bottle necks, with what looks to be head-on meetings at each exit. The Spectrum structure has numerous entrances/exits but there is only one place that the flow meets head on. Of course the Spectrum is free parking and doesn't have take your ticket/pay for parking impeding its flow.

Originally Posted by MouseWife

Okay, I'm just a little more than perturbed....you say the theater there is open? Since when?

I'm not sure when it opened, but it was open on the 28th. Maybe they didn't get the memo?

So, if we'd gone to see it there, would we have had the choice not to see it in iMax?

It wasn't what we think of as a true IMAX screen. It was just a huge screen, but not in a domed shape like at the Spectrum or Balboa Park.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Wow, that's sucky.

As for paying for parking, if you eat or see a movie you can get validated. I think it was 3 hours for restaurant validation 5 for a movie. We got there early so we could do dinner and a movie and we only paid $2 for parking, which I'm fine with.