5/21/07 Pirate's Lair Preview

Originally Posted By Dabob2

<The Columbia on a River(?)>

Actually, 3 years after the Columbia circled the globe, Capt. Robert Gray "found" the Columbia River, sailed into it with that very ship, and named the river FOR the ship.

<a href="http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5051" target="_blank">http://www.historylink.org/ess
ays/output.cfm?file_id=5051</a>

 

Originally Posted By TP2000

Thank you Dabob2! I was just about to go into an American History 101 lecture for those who weren't paying attention in class.

Yes, oceanic sailing ships routinely entered rivers and sailed upstream and inland. And that the might Columbia River is named after just such a ship, lovingly recreated by Walt Disney in his park, is something every American would do well to remember.

If it weren't for the Sailing Ship Columbia finding the Great River Of The West, everyone living in Portland and Seattle today might be speaking Russian since the Russian fur traders were beginning to poke around that coastal territory before Captain Gray showed up with his mighty ship.

 

Originally Posted By dresswhites

well anyone been to the island yet?

 

Originally Posted By SIR at X-S Tech

Thanks for the info Dabob and TP2000, I didn't know that.

 

Originally Posted By Tiggirl

<<well anyone been to the island yet?>>
I think it opens to the public today. My boyfriend was over there earlier in the week and said its really cool but not everything was working yet so he didn't get the full effect. We're going to really check it out on the 4th when we go ride Nemo. How exciting!!!

~Beth

 

Originally Posted By patrickegan

We just came back…

I liked what they did it wasn’t over the top but added to the island. I thought the effects in Dead Man’s Grotto were pretty cool. More things for the kids to do and a couple of photo opp’s added. Worth checking out-

 

Originally Posted By Lady Starlight

Madame Leota and I were there yesterday 5/26/07 and we both thought it was really cute. They haven't wrecked the island at all as I thought they were going to. In fact I was delightfully surprised. I'm deff going back again to wander around.

 

Originally Posted By TP2000

I checked out the new island for the first time today. I was also pleasantly surprised at how well all of the new pirates stuff is integrated into the existing island!

Dead Man's Grotto is really impressive. I thought it was like the original pirate walk through Walt had planned for New Orleans Square in the early 1960's before the lessons learned from the 1964-65 World's Fair turned the pirate walkthrough into a pirate boat ride. But the technology used in the Dead Man's Grotto walkthrough is clearly 21st century and very impressive.

The rest of the island additions are very well done, and the many kids over there really seemed to be having a blast with all of it. And honestly, that's the important thing, right?

The stunt show is much more impressive when you see it from the island. When you watch it from the riverbank in New Orleans you miss a lot of the dialogue and you can't see some of the snazzy special effects and sight gags going on. The girl pirate throws dead fish! The bad guy dukes it out with Jack Sparrow! The music and sound effects are great on the island, but barely audible on the other side of the river. Disneyland entertainment does such a great job with everything, and this new Jack Sparrow stunt show is no exception. I rate it better than the Jedi Academy.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

I was there on Friday-- first raft over to the island. A few thoughts...

LOVE the map. It's nice to have a free souvenir to commemorate an attraction. More!

Dead Man's Grotto is very cool. Great effects throughout. I hope they will be kept up well.

The island looks very nice right now. Smugglers Cove has been given a whole new lease on life.

I am, of course, sad to see that the Fort is closed up, and the back end (where the cemetery is located) is closed off. But the fort has been closed for some time anyway.

over all, I like the changes.

 

Originally Posted By retlawfan

<<over all, I like the changes.>>

Well if Doug likes it, than that's good enough for me.

I'll give it a try.

(So, Doug, Do you like DCA?)

 

Originally Posted By JohnS1

I don't get it. Why is this article filled with photos of coming attraction type drawings--the kind you see months before an attraction opens? If the island is open and all the special effects are in place, why weren't there photos of the actual effects?

 

Originally Posted By retlawfan

The article was posted on May 21st.

The island didn't open until May 25th.

Do the math.

 

Originally Posted By JohnS1

That's just four days. The LP people couldn't get advance entrance to the facility for promotional photos? I mean, if not, then fine. But LP clearly has connections, and one would think Disney would be happy to share some advance photos with the rest of us.

 

Originally Posted By Kimber

MiceAge has some wonderful images that have been posted by their readers and MouseInfo has both images and video up - I wandered around the island yesterday and found the overlay very Adventure Isle-DLP-like in it's technology and imagry and enjoyed myself completely - I'm a Pirates fan though so YMMV but it's a whole lot of fun to explore something new that you know so well.

Kim

KPetersenNFFC@aol.com

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

John, LP has been posting the images that the company has made available all along. In addition, photos taken around the island from public areas have been shown in many previous updates. The update presented on the 21st covered the material that was made available to LP (and other outlets) in the Media Center during the coverage of the movie premiere. (As far as I know, no one had advance photos on the island, since they were working on it right up until opening.)

Since the island opened on Friday, and LP's coverage of the Pirate's opening weekend and premiere (including 30 exclusive red carpet interviews, photos, and atmosphere) is running, we will have our coverage of the island itself during the week. Meanwhile, our readers are more than welcome to post their photos and reviews in the discussion boards.

 

Originally Posted By dresswhites

well i am glad to hear mostly postive views. i have seen the pictures of some of the changes, and i really like what they have done.
i like that the most of pirates type activity faces new orleans, while the part facing frontierland (the old mill now will turner's black smith is themed to frontierland.

 

Originally Posted By retlawfan

See this discussion also:

<a href="http://mb.laughingplace.com/MsgBoard-T-87104-P-1.asp" target="_blank">http://mb.laughingplace.com/Ms
gBoard-T-87104-P-1.asp</a>

There is a youtube video review posted.

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

DlandDug,

I THINK I saw you in one of the Miceage pictures in their Pirates Lair coverage . Did you take a picture with Jack Sparrow and a boy with a green shirt on? I'm pretty sure its you though.

I would link it here, but A. I don't know the rules for stuff like that and B. have no clue how to do it lol.

 

Originally Posted By ADMIN

<font color="#FF0000">Message removed by an administrator. <a href="MsgBoard-Rules.asp" target="_blank">Click here</a> for the LaughingPlace.com Community Standards.</font>

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

^^Uh, alright. Thanks (I think ).