Screamin' Fix Up Ideas

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

"Even though Matterhorn is basic, it does have a lot of details that make it themed very well. You can tell that money was spent to make it themed."

Well, I did say it (Screamin') had less charm.

"you can tell that theyve redone the snow-work on the mountain...when did they do that?"

Not sure, but originally the Matterhorn's snow line was much more distinct than it is now.

 

Originally Posted By jirishgirl

I commented earlier on the "enclosed space" for the queue. I was thinking that a "building" is the easiest way to build a theatrical stylish area. (Soarin' or Space Mountain for example.) The problem is there isn't really space for that.

The other problem is that it wasn't built to incorporate the over all feel of the area. Look at Grizzly River Run. The queue isn't super detailed on its own. The part that makes it cool is that you are right next to ride itself. You can feel the mist of water and see the rafts coming around. With Screamin' there isn't much to look at. If you're faced toward the water (and are tall enough) you may get a glimpse of the other rides on the Pier. But if your faced the other way all you see is the bottom structure of the rails.

I really like the weathered surf shack idea. That sounds super cool and I think would fit into the overall theme.

 

Originally Posted By avatarmickey115

I think there would be plenty of room for a queue structure and the queue itself to hold the same amount of people or even more if they made it two stories, just like jungle cruise...which they dont even use.

 

Originally Posted By Sparrow

Thanks for that photo, Hans! It made me appreciate the Fantasyland we have now. Also it made me miss the sky buckets!

 

Originally Posted By LuLu

avatar - I don't think they'll make it two stories - aren't all the queues in DCA handicapped-accessible? JC is just "grandfathered" as an old attraction.

I do like your ideas to play up the surf theme tho. I never was aware of it!

 

Originally Posted By avatarmickey115

@Lulu Well there could easily be an elevator, just like they have now. And thanks. Although somebody else suggested this two story queue but i think it could easily work!

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

Wouldn't handicapped visitors have a different entrance?

 

Originally Posted By jaybee

FYI, the tubes on Screamin are being painted blue today. Same blue color as on the TSMM marquee.

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

Is the ride still open?

 

Originally Posted By avatarmickey115

YES!!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!!

That's great!!!...wow

I dont know why i got so excited there. Excuse me...

 

Originally Posted By jaybee

Mousetimes Twitpic - <a href="http://twitpic.com/2fy8zd" target="_blank">http://twitpic.com/2fy8zd</a>

I think the painting is taking place while the park is closed.

 

Originally Posted By avatarmickey115

YES! I'm really happy they are doing this! It's gonna look so much better! Even though its such a small detail, it can really bring extra....extra....whats the word........magic?

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

I'm glad they are being painted but I really wish they weren't there at all.

 

Originally Posted By TP2000

I rode Screamin' on Sunday. Three times. I was in the mood.

And I couldn't help but notice how dirty and dingy the whole thing looked. The queue and trains looked good, but the coaster structure itself just looked bad. It hasn't been painted since it was built in 1999, so obviously it needs TLC. That last part of the ride where you coast in and roll past the maintenance barn was particularly disgusting, with oil, grease, spitwads, spilled liquids, etc. dried and caked on the track structure.

This ride needs this paint job more than any attraction I've ever known. This is a good thing, and I like that color blue much better than the seafoam green (now horribly faded seafoam green) it's had for the past decade.

Let's hope they ordered about 150,000 gallons of white paint as well, for the rest of the track.

 

Originally Posted By avatarmickey115

Oh my goodness that would be a dream come true for me! A whole repaint??!!!??? yes please!

im sure they're thinkin about it if theyre repainting these tunnels...

 

Originally Posted By TP2000

I should mention that all three rides on Sunday I had different color trains, and the audio worked perfectly in all of them. Crisp and loud and synced perfectly with that wonderful ride.

I hadn't been on Screamin' in a few years, and it was great. The CM's working there were also just wonderful, like how CM's used to be everywhere back in the 20th century; clean-cut, perky, friendly, polite, and it looked like they were actually having a bit of fun with their jobs.

It was a nice, refreshing change from the crews on some of the Disneyland coasters who appear to take life just a bit too seriously, or apparently keep showing up to work after their dog dies. In addition to not being very attractively groomed or presented in their uniforms. But Screamin' had a great crew on Sunday!

 

Originally Posted By avatarmickey115

I was there on sunday as well, except when we first pulled out of the station and waited for the launch, the music wasnt on at all. But it kicked in mid launch. This has happened to me numerous times.

 

Originally Posted By LuLu

>>Wouldn't handicapped visitors have a different entrance?<<

I thought the point of the accessible queues was that everyone uses the same entrance and has (basically) the same wait.

@avatar, you're right, they could use the elevator, but they'd have to go up, rejoin the queue, and back down again. Do they do that now? I thought they bypassed that last part of the queue.

Now if they could just make those scream tubes look a little more like a wave...

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

"I thought the point of the accessible queues was that everyone uses the same entrance and has (basically) the same wait."

If that were the case then the queues would have to be wheelchair assessable, which they are not. My understanding is that most DLR attractions use their exits as entrances for handicapped guests.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

That's most of the attraction in DL proper. The vast majority of those were built before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed and went into action in 1990. Some of the older attractions can accomodate wheelchairs in the regular queue (though I honestly can't think of one right now), but most have guests in wheelchairs go through the exit. Since 1990, anything built must make some sort of effor to accomodate guests in wheelchairs. Whether it's using the standard queue (Indiana Jones), a separate queue (new Jungle Cruise boathouse), or a separate experience entirely (Tarzan's Treehouse play area at the base), all attractions that have been built or significantly remodeled (like the castle walkthrough and Subs) has accomodations for wheelchairs.

That's part of the reason that the queues in DCA are so large and charmless. It's much more difficult to have the winding paths like those inside Splash Mountain when dealing with turning clearances and slope regulations. Granted, Indiana Jones managed to pull this off just fine, and it means that queues like the maze for Peter Pan are a thing of the past, but most of the larger queues seem to be less themed. All of the attractions in DCA are designed for wheelchair access, even though some may use a separate queue anyway (I believe Screamin' has a separate queue, but they can fit through the switchbacks and take the elevators to the center boarding area).

The longer it is since 1990, and the more remodeling and rebuilding they do, the less often wheelchairs will enter through the exit. There are still rules about how many guests in wheelchairs can be on an attraction at a given time, in case they needed to be evacuated, but all other access should be the same. Ramps, elevators, and wide walkways are the way of the future.