I hadn't been to AT since 2005 but recently visited and rode Galactica. I am probably quite a biased rider, as I only queued and rode the VR to stay with my group, having had multiple very poor experiences with VR resulting in hours of motion-sickness.
We rode in early June, and Galactica was up in the top 3 highest queues (although overall it wasn't too busy considering the time of year, I think?) along with smiler and of course Wickerman. We queued around 80 minutes for the ride,which I felt completely disappointed by. The VR itself was poor quality, and the whole ride is calibrated to expect you to hold your head up - a very uncomfortable position to be riding in! Naturally, I felt sick getting off the ride and the whole thing seemed to be a waste of time, certainly not something I would do again but I do have positive memories of Air from my previous visit, hazy as those memories are.
The thing which prompted me to write about it is that the rest of my group came off pleased, they were happy (the wait may have been a little long for them but they would ride again) and I saw many others happy with the ride. When we were queuing there was announcements that the non-VR had a 0 minute wait, which explained our confusion watching the trains pass overhead apparently half-empty!
I personally would love if they could, instead of completely scrapping their investment, spend some money to divide the queues early and possibly add both wait-times, to avoid the disparity between the two modes. With some careful marketing, GalacticAIR could really take off and provide a unique experience for those who want it, whilst keeping a polished classic running for long time fans (and those of us who just can't stomach VR at all!)
anyone agree, or everyone thinks it's already sentenced to death by merlin?