Originally Posted By MPierce Or what ever name they are calling it this week. Once again I will start on a positive note. The DS was very clean. Crowd level was low. We went for about 6 hours Tuesday, and returned to Dine at SCI-Fi Friday evening for a couple of hours. My wife had concerns for killing enough time until our FP time for Monsters Midway Mania came up at 2:30 pm. We went directly there when we arrived so FP's go quickly for this attraction even when there are low crowds. The stand by line seemed to always be 55 minutes. Once again no front of the line privledge for us gimps. My darling wife didn't need to be concerned there was plenty to do, even though ToT, and RRC were definetly romper room no-nos for us. We rode the Great Movie Ride first thing. We could have rode as many times as we wanted. It seems like nobody else was interested. Maybe it's because it's hidden behind the Big Hat. Now the Big Hat has construction walls around it so it would be easy for first timers to miss this attraction. The CM's tried really hard to be entertaining on this ride, but they missed the mark. It's been a few years since we've been on this ride, and it really needs some life put back into it. I really wish I had some ideas what would help, but I don't. We wandered around, and looked at things. That's normally what we do when we are there. I really like the looks of the Studios. We went to Muppets 3D. It had been a while since we were there. The film quality seemed better than I remember it. We also went to see the Indian Jones Adventure. It had been 8 years since we saw it last. I forgot what a fun little show it could be. Even when you know what's going to happen next. We enjoyed it, and the crowd seemed to get into it. I would guess the theatre was about 3/4 full for the 1:00pm show or around that time. We grabbed a snack of fries at the Backlot Express then headed for MMM. Pixar place is a welcome addition to the Studios. It is definetly the area with the most activity. The ride itself was a fun little ride, I would call it a strong C ticket. I want to warn people with bad backs this ride can jerk you around at times for a short period. It definetly is very popular, and has it's place there, but it should never be the major attraction it has seemed to become. I guess it has to do with the popularity among the younger set for video games. Never in passing did I ever see a line at AI in the outside Queue. I don't even know if it was going on or not. We went right by it about 15 mins. before the final on Friday, but it seemed dead in the area. Warning DUCK RANT to follow. Just a few scattered duck sightings. That's the first time I never saw a Duck on echo lake. Maybe -em is right, and they're scarred of me now. Landscape needs help in this park also. I remember a time when they had crews out replacing flowers in all the parks. I don't give them a pass just because it was cold some nights. They use to replace the flowers this time of year constantly. Now here's my biggest complaint. This park is stunning after the sun goes down. With it's art deco design it does seem like a gone bye era. However, it's not nearly so stunning when you have so many neon lights out all over the place. There is absolutely NO excuse for this. It definetly cuts into the Disney Magic deeply. That is a very big negative on a Park that they are trying desperately to improve. Can I say it destroys the illusion of a beautiful park to save a few thousand dollars. Really bad show.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Was everything working in GMR ? That has been my issue with it the last few visits. I love GMR. I can tell you waht's amazing -- how the park changes when Star Wars Weekends are there. Even members of my family who are not into Star Wars say the 'vibe' in the park is sooo different. More things to do- none of which cost them much of anything...more characters and 'sreet shows' -- the parade with the Stormtroopers becomes an 'event' - not something to run from..... If there was only a way to keep that additional buzz other weekends... this park would be much more fun.
Originally Posted By MPierce I really couldn't say VBDAD if everything is still working. It's been that long since we rode it. The rain was working in the Gene Kelly scene. The Alien came down in that Sigourney Weaver scene. One propeller was working in the Humphrey Bogart scene. Tarzan was still swinging. Nothing seemed wrong in the John Wayne, Clint Eastwood scene. Indiana Jones seemed fine. There was nothing that would have made a new person think the ride was any different than the way it was meant to be. >> If there was only a way to keep that additional buzz other weekends... this park would be much more fun. << That's what is special about Pixar Place, and ToT. There seems to be a vibrance about the Park in those spots. I forgot to mention the Jedi School. We watched it while we snacked on our fries. They wouldn't let me participate. I think Darth was scared of me. It drew a fairly good crowd, and the kids seem to like it. There were more people there than it seemed for HSM 3 or 4 or what ever # it is now. I got as far away from that as fast as my scooter would permit. The Music was very loud, but I guess that's how the kids like it.
Originally Posted By Disney and beyond DHS has the most potential as a park. I'm hoping for more Pixar (as in concentrate all pixar rides into that area) and more Muppets (Give me Muppet Movie Ride!)
Originally Posted By vbdad55 the biggest issues were the gangster car not leaving the alley for the shootout - and the western fire scene just not working at all... those would have been the most noticeable
Originally Posted By -em I was just at the Studios and for once in my life I wished I hadnt gone... It was a LOT busier than I figured (Cheerleaders...) and I caught the 5 pm show of Idol which I think wins for the rudest CMs ever... I did think the show was a bit more entertaining than I figured but not being musically "in" a LOT of the judges comments went over my head... I was very surprised how the WHOLE back side of the park essentially shut down at 5:30/5:45... Merchandise, Food etc was all shut down it was kinda weird (and the park was open till 8) I know with Backlot down and LMA done for the day there isnt much back there but geez... Coaster/Tower/Mania all held 60+ min wait for most of the time I was there.. Tours was 5 when I walked by and tower dropped to 20 They finally took out the Pal Mickey signs and replaced the Brown Derby entrance cover and I guess Disney Channel just isnt the big seller any more as Toy Story and Boy Crew took over Legends...
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 TPFKaTD-MGMS is clearly the weakest link in the WDW chain ... it's also the least fun park for me in Disney's USA chain. Let me first ask, before your latest health issue did you ride ToT and/or RnRC? Because when you take them out of the equation (and now Fantasmic) there is an amazingly small lineup of things to do in this park. People say HKDL is short on attractions. Well, count the number in this park that are open daily right now. There's no excuse for the neon other than neglect. Same with horticulture. If Busch and Universal can keep their lights on and their flower beds perfectly manicured than the Mouse can. If not, then I don't know of a stronger indictment for losing the current 'leadership' team at WDW. Most of my visits to this park tend to be at night for a few hours and the one thing it has going is atmopshere and those lights are a big part (although to be fair and honest, the atmosphere has never been the same since Mickey crapped the BAH into the middle of the park to hawk merchandise). I have to be honest, while TSMM has given me another reason to visit, it's not enough. The popularity of it speaks to the fact that it is a fun C+/D- type attraction BUT MORESO to the dearth of attractions in this park. What are they going to do if they ever have to refurb ToT? I go to the park for ToT and dining at Brown Derby ... I'll hit RnRC if the single rider line is open too but it isn't a must see by any means ... once in a great while I'll do 1-2 other attractions like Star Tours or Muppets ... but there's just very little there. As to Em's comments about the back part of the park being empty, I have seen that myself on a few visits in the past year or two. Once, I was even eyed by a security CM as I wandered around near LMA and the SoA/Backlot area with not another human in sight and the park open for at least another two hours ... and this was a regular night, not an EMH one ... it was weird, spooky and not at all how a park should be operated in my opinion. DEAD zones aren't magical except in the Haunted Mansion.
Originally Posted By dshyates A friend over at OU was at DHS today and posted 2 great pics of some guys with a cherry picker painting the Big Ugly Hat in the middle of the afternoon. Disney magic at its best: <a href="http://www.orlandounited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1942" target="_blank">http://www.orlandounited.com/f...p?t=1942</a>
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Of course they're painting. Disney is having a big party for their opening of AIE on the 12th. And even though Disney plies the media with lots of booze and C-list celebs, they still want to make sure it appears everything (or everything the media will be taking pics of) will look great!
Originally Posted By dshyates Yeah, I don't mind at all that they want the hat to look great. But isn't it odd that they are doing it in the middle of the day surrounded by guests? At one point in time it would have been considered "bad show".
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^Yeah. And at one time they cared about that. That time ain't now.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << But isn't it odd that they are doing it in the middle of the day surrounded by guests? At one point in time it would have been considered "bad show". >> What have the overnight temps been in Florida lately? It might be too cold at night for proper paint application this time of year. Having been a facilities manager at different points in my life, these are some things you consider when you schedule painting work. I read on another site where the waterparks were closed due to cold temperatures for several days, so I'm assuming there's been a recent cold snap in Florida?
Originally Posted By MPierce >> the biggest issues were the gangster car not leaving the alley for the shootout - and the western fire scene just not working at all... those would have been the most noticeable << To be honest VBDAD I just don't remember. I remember the shoot out with the gangster car, and I'm pretty sure it was moving, and I really can't say about the fire scene. I was kind of nodding out.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> I'm hoping for more Pixar (as in concentrate all pixar rides into that area) and more Muppets (Give me Muppet Movie Ride!) << They would be wise to listen to your suggestion.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> (Cheerleaders...) << That dreaded word that strikes fear in the heart of every Disney CM, and guest! >> I was very surprised how the WHOLE back side of the park essentially shut down at 5:30/5:45... Merchandise, Food etc was all shut down it was kinda weird (and the park was open till 8) I know with Backlot down and LMA done for the day there isnt much back there but geez... << Same here -em, I forgot to mention that. It's pretty much like a Ghost Town back there after the High School Musical gig is over. It's realy creppy back there with the street sounds going on, and nobody around you. I felt like I had been cast as the lead in The Omega Man.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Let me first ask, before your latest health issue did you ride ToT and/or RnRC? << Yes, back when I was a whole man. RnRc is ok, the take off is great. It's just a little to short. ToT is definetly Disney done right. That is a ride that anybody would be proud to have their name attached to. Most of the action is now centered around these 2 rides, and now TSMM. >> There's no excuse for the neon other than neglect. Same with horticulture. If Busch and Universal can keep their lights on and their flower beds perfectly manicured than the Mouse can. If not, then I don't know of a stronger indictment for losing the current 'leadership' team at WDW. << I don't know who the VP of the studios is, but if I was that person I would be out there changing out neon lights, and planting flowers myself.
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad >> I was very surprised how the WHOLE back side of the park essentially shut down at 5:30/5:45... Merchandise, Food etc was all shut down it was kinda weird (and the park was open till 8) I know with Backlot down and LMA done for the day there isnt much back there but geez... << That's the catch with the Studios (although we still love it). In the late afternoon after the shows are finished there are very few attractions to choose from. It makes the park seem crowded at night because all the shows are finished and everyone is funneled into just a few rides. It is a shame because that park is beautiful at night. We quickly learned that DHS is a park you attend in the morning and then move on to another park in the afternoon. It would be great if those streets in back led to something. Like make some of the facades into real rooms and make a prop museum to tour. Make a walk thru or bench seat theatre that shows animation from various eras. It would be a great place to hang out while the kids are over in the play area across the street. It doesn't have to be an E-ticket. Just put something back there that is entertaining to help spread the crowd after dark like I would imagine the Osborne lights do at Christmas.
Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad Also I don't mind the big hat itself. I'm just not crazy about it's location. The front of GMR is impressive but impossible to appreciate from so close. I just wish the hat could be a little more to one side. Maybe with the further constuction of Pixar Place there will be a courtyard created which could be a better fit for the "Spirit's Big Hat". (I know Spirit will have my hide if that name catches on!)LOL
Originally Posted By MPierce Off to the side of the entrance to the Studios is a perfect location for the HAT.
