Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Well I got back last night from a nice little trip to Orlando. I'll get into my updates/feelings before talking about what I really want to. On the day I got to Florida I headed to DHS. Naturally, I decided to check out the new Star Tours. My overall opinion is that it's nice, but I don't feel like it improved upon the original. There were some nice parts. I felt like the 3-D was a wast, didn't seem to do anything aside from the hologram transmission. Also, the ride was just all over the place, and said transmission was place in a part which destroyed the flow and excitement in the attraction. I loved seeing Boba Fett, but the ride just threw way too many characters into each segment. Still it was exciting, but wasn't an overall improvement. One thing I will say I loved, was the second room of the queue. The luggage scanner was an awesome effect, and I loved the messed up Rex. Tower is still the second best ride on property, but something needs to be done with the audio in the drop chambers. It's seriously messed up, and has been for the past 3 trips I've been there. It fades out and you can barely hear the end of the narration. Everything was working perfectly on GMR and I even saw the bandit scene. Very great! Everything else in the park looked clean and in working order. The next day I went to DAK in the morning, and then MK at night. Poor, poor DAK. I don't know why they bother with the park. It should be called Disney's Broken Effects Kingdom. EE is basically just a mountain with a coaster in it, Dinosaur is a jeep ride in the dark with a few working AAs, heck even ITTBAB had some broken effects. The place needs help desperately. Then it was off to the MK to check out the Haunted Mansion additions, which were night and day. The queue was just terrible. No thematic design whatsoever, terribly tacked on, doesn't feel like it belongs, and overall just not very interesting. As for the new hitch hiking ghosts, they were awesome! Very fun and a nice addition. And overall, the ride looked great. Pirates, HoP, and Jungle Cruise also looked terrific, and aside from the rocks not moving, the repaired section of BTM was a welcomed sight. COP looks pretty bad, TTA is still one of my favorites, and Space Mountain is still fun, if not painful at some parts. Nothing really stood out at Epcot, but everything looked great as always. Now...to my rant. Something needs to be done about the South American tour groups. They were consistently ruining the experience for the people around me, and they were out in force this week. Left and right I saw their rude, obnoxious behavior ticking people off around me, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. I doubt Disney would ever do anything about it, but their numbers need to be controlled and restricted.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Great TR, sounds fun, Hokie. >> It was! Other than the DAK disappointment, everything was a good time. <<Surprised you went on CoP... ;-)>> It was hot and it's air conditioned. haha One thing I forgot to mention was that the monorails look really, really bad. I saw a few with some obvious rusting in places. It's pretty obvious that more needs to be done than reducing operation for a few hours a week.
Originally Posted By ChiMike Hokie, Great report. Good to hear your opinion on the HHG. I haven't seen them yet. How did Splash look? What is the best ride on property?
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Splash looked okay. Some AAs seemed to have less movement than normal, but nothing as bad as the reports from a few weeks ago. And Mansion is the best ride, IMO.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>One thing I forgot to mention was that the monorails look really, really bad. I saw a few with some obvious rusting in places. It's pretty obvious that more needs to be done than reducing operation for a few hours a week.<<< Which ones did you ride? Noticed that Gold had no AC, Teal was freezing, and all had the rust and grime you mentioned. Poor things. ... They used to be GLEAMING.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>And Mansion is the best ride, IMO<< Hard to argue. While I might not say it is the best Disney attraction made, as far as MK is currently concerned, it is by far the best classic ride available. Wish they had not ruined the old wooded graveyard. I can't imagine why the new one was a priority when it came to spending improvement dollars.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<Wish they had not ruined the old wooded graveyard. I can't imagine why the new one was a priority when it came to spending improvement dollars.>> Ah, yes, thanks for bringing the wooded part up. The show building is EXTREMELY visible now when waiting to enter the mansion. And EE, don't remember which ones I actually rode, but Gold and Lime both looked terrible.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>^ It really is sad isn't it.<<< Depressing. They used to smell clean, be FREEZING, and just feel so classy. Now it's pathetic.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>The show building is EXTREMELY visible now when waiting to enter the mansion<< This original problem has been around since the before the 2004 hurricanes. Not only near the old graveyard but looking back towards the exit. I was in line with a off-duty plaid in 2003 and pointed to the showbuilding and said, "geez, you guys better redress that", and was told it had been like that for a while. To me, it is without excuse. Especially going on 10 years. Now, with your comments Hokie, it is completely perplexing to me. Why go to so much energy and not go the last 10 inches and hide the showbuilding???? Crazy. Doesn't really offer much trust to how they are going to handle the skyway's removal and the resulting sightline issues. Rapunzel better have a very wide tower.
Originally Posted By leobloom I'm still mystified as to why the "scenic" queue at HM is optional. Perplexing -- and it doesn't look like it's set up to eventually become mandatory. At least, I didn't get that impression when I saw it. I disagree slightly with Hokie on the HHG, but wouldn't hesitate to say Mansion is the best attraction on property right now. Tower's probably my second favorite, too. Rode it last time I was at MGM and enjoyed it a lot. And I'm totally in agreement about Star Tours. It's still just Star Tours. The 3D -- why? It's barely used. The character mishmash disrupts the pacing of the experience. Not saying it's bad, but how would you feel if you were working for WDW PR and you had to promote Star Tours 2 versus Harry Potter? I'd feel like a friggin' snake oil salesman. Star Tours 2 is marginally better than the 1987 version. Still waiting on Disney to one-up Spider-Man and Harry Potter... Maybe the Snow White mine train will.
Originally Posted By ChiMike So Star Wars is basically a refurbishment that most would have expected from Disney in an earlier era as par for the course. I have low expectations for the mass appeal of the mine ride. The Haunted Mansion additions after the well-received refurb is very confusing to me. Both alterations seem so unnecessary, where priorities are obviously misplaced. Almost has to be another vanity project.
Originally Posted By SeventyOne >Now...to my rant. Something needs to be done about the South American tour groups. They were consistently ruining the experience for the people around me, and they were out in force this week. Left and right I saw their rude, obnoxious behavior ticking people off around me, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. I doubt Disney would ever do anything about it, but their numbers need to be controlled and restricted.< Saw this yesterday at AK, then later in the evening in DtD. Total agreement.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer >>>I'm still mystified as to why the "scenic" queue at HM is optional. Perplexing -- and it doesn't look like it's set up to eventually become mandatory. At least, I didn't get that impression when I saw it.<<< they've added a metal gateway to separate the two. Which I am fine with. No need to have that silliness leaking onto the well themed, and erie, and subtle Mansion.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >>they've added a metal gateway to separate the two<< Any link to a pic?
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16264477@N07/5856965042/in/photostream" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/1...tostream</a>
Originally Posted By leobloom >> they've added a metal gateway to separate the two. Which I am fine with. No need to have that silliness leaking onto the well themed, and erie, and subtle Mansion. << I know the two lines were separated by a metal partition when I was there. But that doesn't explain why the new queue is optional. When I was there they had a CM stationed at the point where the queue split into the "scenic" route and the holding area for the stretch room. The CM was encouraging people to take the new queue. Wonder if they plan on having a CM stationed there from now on. WDW seems to be very stingy about staffing positions that aren't essential to the operation of attractions. I can't believe they built this new queue area with the understanding that they'd have to position someone there to tell people why the line was splitting.
Originally Posted By ChiMike >><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/1...tostream<<" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/1...<<</a> What a botched cluster#*&@ mess! See, this is what gets me going on a 20 post tirade about change for change's sake. There was nothing dysfunctional about the old queue. This is the most silly thing I have seen in a while. This whole project reeks of another employment protection program to justify somebody's presence and creative authority. What a complete mess.
