Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "Who said Blue Bayou was going to be given a pirates overlay? I don't remember that info at all." <a href="http://mb.laughingplace.com/default.asp?WCI=MsgBoard&WCE=T-76617-P-1&Refresh=0618124052" target="_blank">http://mb.laughingplace.com/de fault.asp?WCI=MsgBoard&WCE=T-76617-P-1&Refresh=0618124052</a>
Originally Posted By DopeyTink34 I still want to know if the jack Sparrow character's will be walking around on the 26th?
Originally Posted By Diztwins I have heard he will be walking around on the 26 but I cannot confirm it.
Originally Posted By dl1956 Interesting that an article in the LA Times about Disneyland fan reactions to the POTC changes, pros and cons, says: In a break from its ride-opening tradition, Disney is not giving any sneak peeks, not even to park employees, until after the movie's celebrity-studded premiere at the Anaheim theme park Saturday.
Originally Posted By TP2000 Ah, thank you Hans. I thought maybe Al Lutz or Jim Hill or someone had claimed there was a design change coming to Blue Bayou. Apparently it was just a fellow Disney Geek caught in a fit of temporary hysterics on a message board, and that's something different from one of the established website owners going on record as saying there were certain design changes coming to Blue Bayou.
Originally Posted By hiddencat3 Hey Westsider! I think we know the same Imagineer that used to work Pirates. I am good friends with an ex of his. He was also considered my "brother" when we worked Pirates together because we looked alike. Anyways, I was very thrilled when I learned he made it to WDI. He is a great asset and I think WDI should hire more former DL CM's. Yeah for Pirates!
Originally Posted By DismayingObservation Westsider, you rock out loud! LilliBelle and I are coming down soon and we're hoping to catch a soft opening, but if not, I'll gladly brave the line later on when it's officially open. Fantastic report. Getting off-topic, you mentioned malfunctioning AA's a few posts back. There were a few in the Tiki Room last month that were really not right at all. One or two of the totems had developed a rather bad case of lazy eye thanks to prying fingers and some of the birds of paradise plants have developed lockjaw. Some of the "clickety-clack" is returning as well. Anyway, if you could pass that on to the powers that be, 'twould be appreciated. Thanks. We now return you to your regularly scheduled topic.
Originally Posted By Westsider Since everyone seems to be enjoying this thread so much, I'll fill in a few more details in how things are going at the Pirate Ride. The spoilers for some new Show items don't come until the end, but be warned. And hiddencat3, yes, that's the same guy. I haven't talked to him during this rehab, he's never been there when I was there, but I remember working with him on the ride a few years ago. Some of my friends have talked to him and he's really enjoying his new job. WDI needs more people who started in Operations, because sometimes they make some really boneheaded design decisions that anyone who had ever worked on a ride for one summer would have been able to tell them was a mistake. Meanwhile, back at the ride... our friends from DOSH are here this week, inspecting and testing out all of our new operational changes to the attraction. We've all focused on the new Show stuff they've installed, and that's really what everyone should care about. But this rehab was also a very major operational rehab with plenty of changes to the way the attraction operates and how the CM's interact with that operation. There are all new evacuation brakes throughout the ride, and a new operating system to control and utilize those new brakes. Basically, there are now multiple "zones" throughout the attraction with brakes at them, much like the paddle brakes you've probably seen clamp closed at the drop of each drop on Splash Mountain. Except at Pirates the brakes are mounted a few inches below the water line, so without the worklights on you'll never be able to see them. But, in the event of a problem in the staion or at the drops, the evacuation brakes would close and begin backing up boats at different parts of the ride. Until now, once the boats went down the second drop there was nothing to stop them until they got to the base of the lift. During a downtime it could be possible to have 30 or more boats all backed in a long line from the lift all the way to the Battle Scene. But now, theoretically, the boats will stop in different zones near evacuation platforms and it will be easier and quicker to get the Guests out if an evacuation is called for. This also means we won't be putting on those fishing waders and pushing the boats by hand through the water. ;-( That makes us sad, because that was always our favorite part of an evacuation and CM's would often fight over who got to put on the waders and get in the water. (I even got a phone number from a hot girl once when I was pushing her boat around in those dorky fishing waders.) Instead of manually pushing the boats through the water, we'll simply cycle the brakes by pushing a button and the next boat loaded with guests will float to the evacuation platform for disembarking. At least that's how it's supposed to work in theory. It hasn't been tested during operation with 800 or 900 Guests all trapped in 44 loaded boats inside the ride. But we've been showing DOSH how it's going to work in theory. We also got a new control tower up in the loading area. It will be hard to see because they installed so many wood shutters over what used to be open windows. They had to install those shutters because there is now a huge wall of video screens that replaced the 10 dinkier screens we used to have. There are over 30 different cameras in the ride now, and they will automatically switch to whichever area the new high-tech sensors have detected someone has left their boat. Previously, the cameras were fixed at just 10 specific points in the ride and there were large stretches of flume where we couldn't see anything and had no idea what was happening. But now, there's not a part of the ride where we can't see if someone gets out of their boat. And with the motion detection sensors, the location where someone is misbehaving will automatically switch to one of the larger screens so the CM staffing the tower can see it immediately. The rest of the screens will stay fixed on the more important parts of the ride, although the CM can manually switch to any camera he/she wants to check out for whatever reason. You would think all these new cameras and motion detection systems would come in handy only on Grad Nites or when a group of rowdy kids is on the ride. But I've had sweet little old ladies climb out of their boat and wander through the sets because the "were scared" and didn't know what was going to come next. Or a few times in recent years we've had some idiot Dad climb out of his boat with his 4 year old kid because the child needed to go potty and he figured he could find the bathroom quicker if he got out of the boat in the middle of the ride. That stuff really happens! Most people have no clue they are three levels beneath Disneyland in a warehouse building far outside the berm and have no real ability to get back into the Park. The high-tech new camera setup will really help with all of that. But it does put off a great deal of light now, so the tower has been closed up except for one remaining window. There's also a nice new setup on the Unload dock. The turnstiles are gone, replaced with an infrared beam system that is sophisticated enough to count human skulls as they pass underneath the new wooden arch the beam system is built into. Supposedly this will be even more accurate than the turnstiles, as it will count small children who would pass under the turnstile or be carried in their parents arms. There's also a new setup for the wheelchair boarding area, with new gates that meet newly revised safety codes that require a physical barrier to be on both sides of a loading station with moving vehicles. Hopefully it will help us with the line of wheelchairs that will undoubtably go out the door this summer. Plus, there's a bunch of new barrels placed around on the Unload dock, furthering WDI's new "Barrels Of The Caribbean" subplot they've installed throughout the ride. Spoiler Warning!!!! A few other new Show items have also been installed in just the last two days. The new talking skull has gone in above Drop One. It still uses the original dialogue it always has, just digitally remastered and coming out of kick-ass new speakers. It sounds great! Plus, it's got a new look to it. It's kind of reminiscent of Jack Sparrow's look, with a leather hat and a cool pirate earring. It's mounted on red velvet with two big pirate swords and crossbones. It's definitely got some BLING to it now, but it looks great. 70% of riders won't even notice it's been changed, another 25% of riders will briefly think "Didn't that used to look different?", and about 5% of diehard fans will notice the changes to the new talking skull scene. At least we kept our talking skull, as one of the WDI guys on the project told us the last he heard they were removing the talking skull effect entirely from the Florida version because they didn't have enough room to do both the talking skull and the Davy Jones effect and WDW management didn't want to pay to have it installed somewhere else. The WDI guys working on this project were all extremely happy with the way the Disneyland version has turned out, but the word amongst their WDI peers is that the Florida version just didn't get the funding or the support from WDW Operations management that they were getting at Disneyland. TDA executives really got behind this project with all sorts of money poured into the revamped New Orleans Square stores, the revamped restaurants and menus, the new entertainment offerings in New Orleans Square and on the Sailing Ship Columbia, etc. But out in Florida the WDI guys were telling us that the WDW management attitude out there was "Yeah, sure, if you want to update the old pirate ride go ahead, but we need the ride back in operation for Easter Vacation and we don't want to spend a lot of money on extra stuff." Too bad, because the already superior Disneyland version looks even more amazing now, and all of the additional money poured into the surrounding New Orleans Square offerings will really showcase this newly refreshed 15 minute long E Ticket attraction. But then, when a bunch of us Disneylanders went out to WDW two years ago on vacation we were stunned at how short and poorly maintained their Pirates is. I know it's the Cliffs Notes version of the ride, but they could at least maintain their animatronics and show effects better. It was really sad to see at WDW, especially for us CM's who work Pirates at Disneyland and know how the ride should look and what the figures are capable of. I would have thought they would take this opportunity to make up for 35 years of lowered expectations at WDW and really get that pirate ride rockin'. But then, at least their Pirates wasn't as horribly maintained and operated as their Haunted Mansion! Now that was the real tragedy of our WDW trip, to see how they run their Mansion for paying Guests, but that's a topic for another thread! Okay, the Deidrich's espresso I picked up on my way home from work is making me ramble, so I'll end with this... While there's some new jewelry on the new talking skull, the real BLING is now found in the Treasure Scene. Whenever we go down for rehab they always clean up the treasure in there and refresh it all a bit, but this time it's like WOW! Don't put away your sunglasses when you step inside the queue, because you'll need them when your boat floats past the Treasure Scene down in the Caverns! There's no chance of a soft opening before the 24th for Guests, but I hear the Blue Bayou will be allowing Guests in to dine occasionally in the next few days. That would be your opportunity to hear the clarity of the new audio, as the Bayou Scene has plenty of new speakers playing the digitally remastered tracks from 1967. And the food from the new menu is great too!
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt "But I've had sweet little old ladies climb out of their boat and wander through the sets because the "were scared" and didn't know what was going to come next. Or a few times in recent years we've had some idiot Dad climb out of his boat with his 4 year old kid because the child needed to go potty and he figured he could find the bathroom quicker if he got out of the boat in the middle of the ride." *mouth wide open with vacant stare* Some people are so unbelieveably stupid.
Originally Posted By jmuboy Sad news about WDW's POTC! Sounds like the Magic Kingdom takes another step closer to becoming "Six Flags Magic Kingdom" - a reputation the seem h*ll bent on earning.
Originally Posted By Nobody With the addition of so many new CRATEs & BARRELs, I wonder if they are trying to subliminally attract a new ride sponsor? ;-)
Originally Posted By hiddencat3 Oh yes, working Pirates on Grad Nite is like no other. Thanks for all the info and updates, Westsider. I would love to see the new control tower. How much fun do you guys plan on having with all those new cameras?
Originally Posted By Westsider Oh, quite a lot hiddencat3! Sadly, Pirates was closed for this years Grad Nite season. I hope I'm still around next year for Grad Nite; I just need one more year of Pirates Grad Nite before I join the Golden Ears Retirement Club. And with that new camera setup, it's going to be a good one! Talk about the Disney Difference! If Human Resources was smart, they'd shut up about Canoe Races and Dental Plans in those stupid Disney Difference brochures, and they'd start marketing the stuff you can see on the cameras during a Grad Nite!
Originally Posted By azgroves (And with that new camera setup, it's going to be a good one! Talk about the Disney Difference! If Human Resources was smart, they'd shut up about Canoe Races and Dental Plans in those stupid Disney Difference brochures, and they'd start marketing the stuff you can see on the cameras during a Grad Nite!) ^^That is too funny. I have to admit that once when my daughter was little my husband was joking around with her and pretended to reach for something in the attic of HM. All of the sound effects stopped and someone came on the loud speaker to keep hand inside the doom buggy. He was just joking with her, but now keeps his hands inside at all times.(sometimes he still pretends and it gets her worked up. She thinks that they have a picture of him in the controll tower and watch him closely every time he rides). But I cannot imagine trying to get off the ride in the middle of it.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<If Human Resources was smart, they'd shut up about Canoe Races and Dental Plans in those stupid Disney Difference brochures, and they'd start marketing the stuff you can see on the cameras during a Grad Nite!)>> As seen on TV: Guests Gone Wild! Order yours today, only $19.95!
Originally Posted By tuknshak A quick Blue Bayou question. I was wondering has the menu changed or did the Blue Bayou just get alittle updating? We are thinking of making reservations for when we go in July but not sure if it just the same old thing with slightly higher prices. Also does anyone have the number to call and make reservations handy? Thanks!
Originally Posted By trekkeruss The new menu: <a href="http://mb.laughingplace.com/default.asp?WCI=MsgBoard&WCE=T-76313-P-1&Refresh=0619184802" target="_blank">http://mb.laughingplace.com/de fault.asp?WCI=MsgBoard&WCE=T-76313-P-1&Refresh=0619184802</a>
