Originally Posted By tfdeere Hi everyone. I have a quick question. What is the current state of the Living Seas? I know it's opening as a new attraction next month, but can you still go into the side doors...by the gift shop...and see the aquarium? Or is it completely closed down until the new ride opens? Thanks!!!!!
Originally Posted By CTXRover Right now, you can still enter the pavilion through the exit on the right side of the pavilion (by the relatively new location of the gift shop). There has not been any indication yet that the pavilion will need to close again before the opening of the ride in mid-October.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 I am sorry to say that I am thusfar very less than impressed by what I saw of the Seas tonight. A new paint job (both inside and outside) have done nothing to take away the 'tired' feeling the pavilion sports. Unless the clammed up old seacabs just knock my knickers off, I'll remain steadfast that WDW only believes in doing redos on the cheap and it shows.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Unless the clammed up old seacabs just knock my knickers off, I'll remain steadfast that WDW only believes in doing redos on the cheap and it shows.>> It is a solid C-ticket and has been targeted as such. A good C but definitely a C. It is there to get people inside the pavilion again and it will definitely shift the focus of FW from the M:S/Test Track side to Soarin'/Seas side.
Originally Posted By BlueOhanaTerror >>>A new paint job (both inside and outside) have done nothing to take away the 'tired' feeling the pavilion sports. Unless the clammed up old seacabs just knock my knickers off, I'll remain steadfast that WDW only believes in doing redos on the cheap and it shows.<<< A friend I trust took a walk through and had a good look around the interior paint job... he said it looks just awful and - like you said - cheap. Blue everywhere, apparently.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> he said it looks just awful << Now what does that mean? I looked through it and I thought the inside paint job was quite nicely done. Is it just that it looks quite different than what it used to be?
Originally Posted By CMM1 When I was there in August the Living Seas seemed like it had simply become another Pixar-based attraction - the Turtle Talk was the big thing with some rethemed smaller tanks with "Nemo" connections everywhere. A far cry from the highly themed and scientifically oriented Seabase Alpha.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom All they need to do to the outside of the Living Seas Pavallion is a signiture from Wyland. <a href="http://www.wylandgalleries.com/index.cfm?do=disneydivebuddies" target="_blank">http://www.wylandgalleries.com /index.cfm?do=disneydivebuddies</a> <a href="http://www.wylandgalleries.com/index.cfm?do=disney" target="_blank">http://www.wylandgalleries.com /index.cfm?do=disney</a>
Originally Posted By CTXRover <<A far cry from the highly themed and scientifically oriented Seabase Alpha>> The theme has changed completely. Once the new ride opens, I imagine and hope that new "theme" will be much more obvious. I thought the seabase idea was cool when I was younger, but it became stale and boring the older I got (which is the complete opposite reaction I experienced with the rest of Epcot) Realistically, if the seabase's "scientific theme" was still able to pull crowds in perhaps more of it would have been saved with this re-do. However, as soon as they started introducing a relatable character, people started venturing back into the pavilion. No wonder WDW and WDI took it upon themselves to use their biggest animated character even more and use him to introduce a world of sealife to their guests young and old (the pavilion is still VERY educational). Any aquarium in the world would no doubt love to have the opportunity to use a character like Nemo to spice things up. Face it, The Living Seas was dying. Without Nemo or something else, it would have likely become a forgotten pavilion and who knows, a "seasonal attraction" before becoming another Wonders of Life. At least now it has a new lease on life and an energy among its guests that haven't been there since it opened. With not concentrating on a future where we will live under the water (which is not as neat of an idea as it was in the 80's), it will likely last longer too. None of it screams "cheap" to me. Cheap would have been simply slapping a Nemo image on the front of the pavilion and then leaving the pavilion as it was. This involved completely changing the look and feel of the pavilion. I will say this, I agree with those who find the new interior paint job too dark. I liked the lighter white interior myself, but it still works and I like what I've seen so far.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Without Nemo or something else, it would have likely become a forgotten pavilion and who knows, a "seasonal attraction" before becoming another Wonders of Life. >> That is precisely what Epcot Ops wanted to do with The Living Seas. It was only push-back from certain quarters of WDI that we now have the seacabs back and have a very popular LCP attraction at Seabase Alpha. There are a lot of little fixes coming to Epcot over the next few years and a couple of big ones that will help return some quality to the park.
Originally Posted By idleBrain BOT's friend is correct. The new interior paint job lacks the nuances and details which typically define Disney. The walls seem "flat" and visually bland. And as CTXR stated, the interior is now too dark, which makes the space seem even smaller. Yeah, let's ratchet up the feelings of confinement of being in an overgrown pressurized tin can sitting on the ocean floor. Turtle Talk with Crush's theatre is basically a broom closet, so let's keep the claustrophobic continuity flowing throughout the pavilion, right? Perhaps they should have merged with Germany's pavilion and gone with a "Das Boot" theme for even greater cost containment by using battleship grey paint.
Originally Posted By idleBrain <<There are a lot of little fixes coming to Epcot over the next few years and a couple of big ones that will help return some quality to the park.>> Yeah, that's nice. But when I shell out the big bucks for my Disney vacation, I don't want to settle for "some quality." Disney isn't just "some" theme park. Disney is THE theme park standard. At least they used to be.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I am not sure how much larger Turtle Talk's room could have gotten and still maintain the interactive experience for the kids there is today....with parents yakking and on cell phones it is tough enough to hear at times today
Originally Posted By leemac <<Yeah, that's nice. But when I shell out the big bucks for my Disney vacation, I don't want to settle for "some quality." >> Thankfully most guests think there is sufficient quality already there for them to enjoy their vacation. I foolishly went to CityWalk last night for the first time in 10 years (thinking there might be some good food options) and after a brief walk-around, being harrassed by strange street performers and teenagers and having my eardrums blistered by the excessive noise I happily got back in my car and drove up to Old Town Pasadena. I'm very thankfully I never feel like that at Disney. Disney is still the standard. That hasn't changed. You think there isn't enough quality for you then pick another destination. BTW IdleBrain I'm surprised you didn't identify yourself to the LP crew at the Figment event.
Originally Posted By leemac Between the new Canada movie, the Seas and adding Three Cabs animation to the Mexico attraction there is plenty to smile about. Thankfully there are still people at WDI that believe Epcot can be a mix of the old and new. I'm grateful for that. Chuck SSE into the mix and the next few years can be very interesting for the park as it reaches 25.
Originally Posted By leemac That said I don't know at what stage the paintjob is for the attraction (ie. if it is finished). WDI still have a few more weeks of work before handing the attraction over to Ops.
Originally Posted By idleBrain <<BTW IdleBrain I'm surprised you didn't identify yourself to the LP crew at the Figment event.>> I wanted to, Lee. But that was the day my illness hit in full force. I didn't actually arrive at the convention center until after the breakfast buffet had been cleared away. I had just enough energy to check in, look at my sculpts before shipping them home, and buy an extra pin. Then I left to return to the hotel room and sleep the rest of the day. By evening, I was running a high fever and coughing my head off. I felt like death warmed over. Not much fun getting sick at WDW.
Originally Posted By idleBrain <<Disney is still the standard. That hasn't changed. You think there isn't enough quality for you then pick another destination.>> I agree that quality still exists at Disney parks. But I don't believe it's worth the current pricing. WDC has increased the costs of admission media, food, and merchandise beyond a comfortable limit for me. This past trip, excluding of my sinus infection problems, was rife with disappointments and frustrations. Disney has allowed the overall quality of WDW to slide too far, and is now trying to undo some damage and bring the resort back up to snuff. But what bothers me is that this "refurb activity" will be stretched out over the course of several years, while prices will continue to be increased on a regular basis, perhaps even quarterly, in order to offset those refurb costs. And that's what I can no longer stomach. Disney isn't hurting for cash, and has no problem turning a profit. But Jay Rasulo certainly acts as though his business unit is on the brink of extinction, given his reluctance to fund park projects beyond an "adequate" level of acceptance for the bean counters. His solution is to continue increasing prices while offering unimaginative marketing promotions and an occasional C-Ticket to appease the customers. But there comes a point where perceived benefit fails to meet perceived cost, and the customers will fail to return. And I have now reached that point. Given what one day costs to stay and play at WDW, I'd rather spend my money at Universal. The hotel rooms are newer and cleaner, the food is much better (especially at the hotels), and the attractions are just as entertaining, sometimes more so. (Disney should have added a Spider-Man equivalent years ago. Midway Mania is about seven years too late.) In the future, Universal is going to get more of my Florida vacation $$$ than Disney. And Disney can fully take the blame for losing my business.
