How is/was Guest Control for WOC?

Originally Posted By SuperDry

^^^ Interesting. I saw the 3rd show on June 12, and everything about the loading was orderly, from the point where the FP was verified at the first checkpoint, to the holding area, and from when the holding area was released just after the previous show had unloaded and up to where we entered the actual viewing area and the FPs were collected.

I wonder if the first show of the day is more chaotic than the others, as with the second and subsequent shows, the only issue is getting the guests that had just seen the previous show unloaded, and they're all very likely to want to get out of the show area quickly. The first show has the additional problem of having to clear the area of day guests that might not care or even know about WoC.

 

Originally Posted By SpokkerJones

As for views and getting wet, here's where I ultimately directed our group to stand in the blue section (they told me, the big fat genius, to figure it out) <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8579276@N05/4695098328/" target="_blank">http://www.flickr.com/photos/8...5098328/</a>

It was a good view with a slight obstruction by the speaker pole, but I figured anywhere you stand in the blue section would be obstructed by that speaker pole.

I didn't get wet save for some mist on my glasses. It's really nothing with a slight breeze. Between 8PM and 11PM the wind was coming in from the SSW at 5-8 MPH, which means the wind was carrying the water slightly but directly toward the viewing area.

 

Originally Posted By SpokkerJones

"I wonder if the first show of the day is more chaotic than the others"

It probably is, but it may be my personality as well. You have people who aren't knocking people over, but clearly are trying to break through the crowd to get ahead. I'm just not into that. My attitude is that we'll get there when we get there. There's no rush. We'll all be waiting an hour anyway.

 

Originally Posted By Itsanonymouse

How was it to stand for that long (queue, pre-show, actual show)? My wife is pregnant so we're skipping the weekend crowds in hopes that a slower tuesday will enable her to lean against something without getting shoved or crowded (which happens a lot at fantasmic/fireworks).

Thanks for the heads up on the less crowded orange section areas (ramp/lighthouse) but are there any section tips for just being left alone yet still having a good view? Or is there a pregnant lady section to keep her safe?

Thanks.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

It looked like in the Yellow and Blue sections (and probably Red too, but we couldn't see over that far because of the crowds) they had benches on almost every level. They are the same ones that are there during the day. They're on the back edge of each tier, right in front of the roped off walkways. Depending when you get there, you can probably get a seat at one of them. They won't be the best view ever, but you don't have to stand for 2 hours to see the show. There also seemed to be plenty of room to sit on the ground to wait, but you would need to stand up to see the show. I'm not sure if you could see the show from the benches or not. It also looked like they were moving some of the benches out of Paradise Park at one point, so I'm not sure if they will have benches there on a regular basis, or they were just testing it out for the first night.

And this isn't related to crowd control, but does anybody know if the Chernabog tower has worked yet? At the first performance, he just showed up on the mist screens, and the tower was a no-show. It seemed like they had some alternate animation then, since it didn't feel like anything was missing, and I couldn't even tell when exactly the tower was supposed to be there.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

>>...does anybody know if the Chernabog tower has worked yet?<<
What Chernabog Tower...?

>>The dining CM did tell me that they're purposely leaving lots of space for the dining package buyers, who I guess are blue.<<
That's right. When we got to our viewing area in Blue for Preferred Reserved, everyone tried to jostle their way into the lower tier on the rail. After some polite glaring and shuffling, I looked around and saw the section above was virtually empty. We headed up there and it was really quite spacious.

I believe that as word gets out about exactly how the sections work, there will be a better distribution, less crowded areas, and no empty areas.

I noted there were also a LOT of cast members out counting with clickers. So they may end up adjusting the number in each area, based on how the crowd reaction has been the first few weeks.

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

<<< I noted there were also a LOT of cast members out counting with clickers. So they may end up adjusting the number in each area, based on how the crowd reaction has been the first few weeks. >>>

Yep. Another thing about the clickers is they probably want to get a measure as to what the average "no show" rate is. With FPs issued in the morning-to-mid-afternoon range, I suspect that more than a handful end up being unused at the end of the night. If that number is relatively consistent, then they'd be wise to over-issue FPs by some amount so that the viewing areas are closer to being full.

 

Originally Posted By LuLu

If anyone has a link to an overhead view or sketch of this area, it would be sooo helpful. I'm having a tough time understanding this w/o a visual. Or, I'll study the area during the day before our dinner. I really haven't paid attention to Paradise Park. Do the "tiers" mentioned run crosswise, and are they on different levels too?

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

Here's the best picture I could find that shows the whole viewing area. From what I could see, the Red section is on the far left side of the viewing area, and I would assume it stretches until the staircase/aisle that makes a nice division in the crowd. Between the stairs and the fountain area (the round open spot) is the Yellow section, with Blue to the right of the fountain. Orange is on the little ramp behind the trailers (which have been removed, and kind of block the view of the ramp in this picture), the terrace directly behind that ramp, and all the way across the bridge to Ariel's Grotto.

Each of the 3 main sections (Red, Yellow, Blue) are only a left-to-right position for the show, and you get to pick which terrace level you want. I believe those three all have boardwalk access, but the level of the performance corridor is left open to help with crowd control, leaving 4 levels to choose from.

<a href="http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/Theme-Parks/Disneyland-Resort-51410/12187999_8yEbf#867594477_jwMAS-A-LB" target="_blank">http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/Th...MAS-A-LB</a>

"What Chernabog Tower...?"

There's a telescoping tower centered on the back edge of the show platform. I had heard that this tower would rise up and have mist screens on it that would make it look like Chernabog (and at one time it was also to be used with Zurg). I don't know what the actual intended use of it was, but it did not seem to show up at any point in the show. I'd seen them working on it several times through the last several months, so they may have just decided that it was too much work for the payoff. When fully extended, it looked like it was about 45 feet tall, and 20 feet wide. There were several curved arms at various levels with little nozzles on them to spread mist. I'm having trouble finding a picture of it right now, but I'll keep checking around.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

There are a couple images with the tower in it on this page:

<a href="http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/dateline-disneyland/1355-world-testing-captain-eo-moves-stroller-shop-opens-river-refurb-more.html#DD4-1" target="_blank">http://micechat.com/forums/blo...ml#DD4-1</a>

Scroll about halfway down, and you can see it in its 'down' position. In the first picture of the show platform, its in the back on the far left side. In the next photo, with the testing going on, you can see it again between the second and third projector houses from the right side. I don't know what this tower was intended for, but it never seemed to be used during the show.

Also, I noticed that they never turned the projection domes during the show. In those same pictures above, you can see that one of them was tilted 90 degrees, so that it was flat on the bottom. The show's original concept drawing seemed to show them being used as jellyfish (add some downward water nozzles and lights and it would make the shape quite nicely), but that never made it into the final show either. Maybe it took too long for them to tilt or something (since they do move pretty quickly during the show), but it's just another one of those random things missing.

And has anybody seen the show platform all the way under the water in the last few days? I've seen some pictures of it all the way down from a month-ish ago, but I still have yet to see that in person. I really hope they are able to get it down during the day, and bring it back up at night, since it's not so pretty in daylight.

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

<<< but the level of the performance corridor is left open to help with crowd control, leaving 4 levels to choose from. >>>

Actually, a small portion of the performance corridor is roped off as part of the FP reserved areas, so that's a 5th level you have an option of using (or perhaps the only choice left if you arrive toward the end of your FP return window).

 

Originally Posted By LOVE-DCA

yesterday, i saw them ropping off the area between winery and bakery, and letting people with FP's for the 9pm show line up past the rope. if you want to say grab dinner at trattoria you would have to go all the way around by the grape vines to enter...

 

Originally Posted By LuLu

Wow, thanks Ferret, now I can understand where the boardwalk and benches mentioned are. That really helped!

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

I was teasing when I asked "What Chernabog tower." It appears to be DOA.

 

Originally Posted By Itsanonymouse

Anyone go to both the 9PM AND the 10:15/11:15 shows? I'm curious if it's worth it to wait it out for the late night crowds. If it's anything like Fantasmic, they're a little less as "enthusiastic" as the 1st show folk and sometimes less crowded.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

I've heard that the crowd around the back of the lagoon is nonexistant at the later shows. If you have a FP, you don't really get to pick your performance, but if you have to save your spot it seems like the later shows are the way to go.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

I just found out tonight that the area at the back of Paradise Park (the leading edge of the Entertainment Corridor) is the Green area.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

That's interesting. I wonder if they've rearranged the puppets during the Carnival of Color so that Mike can be in the actual Green section then.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

I went ahead and slapped together a color coded viewing area chart:
<a href="http://s325.photobucket.com/albums/k375/newdug/?action=view&current=DLRPPChart.jpg" target="_blank">http://s325.photobucket.com/al...hart.jpg</a>

 

Originally Posted By WorldDisney

But I heard they will be changing the color with the areas every night so people wont know what sections they are getting. Has this changed?