ISTCrew's March 16th WDW Update

[ISTCrew20]

Hello there everyone. I got a huge update for you guys today. Got a little bit of news from everywhere.


Downtown Disney News

~Here are some pictures of the new LEGO store. It is really nice. They have opened up the play area to fit more people. They have completely remodled the shop, and it looks like it has a wall with every color LEGO ever made. New LEGO displays were also put up around the shop. The giant dinosaurs were removed, and replaced with a LEGO underwater scene with a shark. The napping guy on the bench was also removed as was the alien spaceship. In their place is a LEGO tourist family, taking pictures of the LEGO dragon in the lake (that is still there). On the side of the building are plastic bubbles with LEGO displays inside. It was nice how they included Disneyland Paris in the Paris scene, and Tokyo Disneyland in the scene from Japan. Here is a picture of the overall store:


~Notice anything missing in the following picture?

The giant kalidescope is gone!

~Below is an example of the new Transportation advertisments going up. These are similar to the Magic Gatherings signs that were places on the windows of busses and Monorails. Now, these took the place of them. Below is an Expedition Everest one. You can also find Cinderellabration, Soarin, Lights Motors Action, and Happiest Celebration On Earth signs on various busses and monorails. The Monorails, however, kind of look like a Christmas tree, they are so decorated. They have each of these signs, plus the old Stitch advertisements.



Magic Kingdom News

~All the walls in the hub have come completely down and it looks great.

~There is also something missing in the Haunted Mansion...


~Here we go folks, the second most exciting thing to discover today:

The new Small World sign. The rumor was true. The entrance has been switched over to where the exit was.

~The Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station also opened today. Half of the seating area was still walled off, but the menus were up. I didn't eat there because I'm not crazy about that kind of food, but it was open to guests today.


Epcot News

~I heard about a Soarin preview today, and I had nothing to lose, so I went over and hung out by the Soarin building for awhile. There wasn't many people...Maybe 15, myself included. Around 3 I think, a group of Soarin cm's came out and asked if we wanted a tour of the building, with a *possibilty* of riding. The rules were clear: No food or Drinks, no cameras, video cameras, camera phones...nothing. A group of about 40 of us went on the first "tour". Unlike the cm previews, on the previews today (which we were escorted by 3 or 4 CMs) we got to see the entire queue. It was awesome. We went in a side door and ended up in a little plaza area next to the Soarin standby/fastpass/singles line. By the way, this area is not in the exact area Food Rocks was. It's down a little hallway.

The style of the queue was awesome. There was hardwood ceilings and lighted walls the entire way through. The hardwood ceilings gave way to very high metalic sloped cieling halfway through the queue. The closest thing I can think of to the style of the beginning of the queue is the new Animation Gallery store at MGM:


The group of us (first group of guests ever on the ride by the way) went through the Fastpass entrance. All 3 queue lanes (standby, fastpass, singles) slope up and turn right. On the wall are flat screen televisions, each displaying trivia questions of each climate zone (desert, frozen tundra, tropical forest, etc.). I think it was 5 or 6 in all. Next to each of the screens is a GIANT photograph of that biome.

After a few more turns, we got to the area of the queue that CMs first entered for the CM preview, with the blue lights along the walls. We actually went to concourse B this time (CM previews were all done in Concourse A) so that is good news, since we now know that both theaters are generally finished.

After the ride, you exit from the oppisite way you came in. Now, the exit path slopes down, as you are walking under the queue now. The walk is longer than the walk is if you were in Centrifuge Green on Mission Space lol.

By the way, some of the queue music is the music from popular movies, as it is in DCA's version. This was pointed out to us on the "tour". After the ride, we were escorted back out the CM gate. We saw 2 more tour groups going in, so I think there was a total of 3 or 4 "tours" today.

It was a VERY cool idea the CMs and the Managers came up with to give tours like this. It was an awesome idea, and I know alot of the people I rode with were completely thrilled about getting the chance to do what they did today (myself included). Thanks alot!


Disney MGM News

~Lights Motors Action is listed on the Times Guide as having performances every day. For times though, you are advised to visit the attraction.

~Bad news for fans of the show Blossom. The billboard was sadly removed, and replaced with an ESPN billboard.

~A construction wall and crane was up by the Great Movie Ride today.


That's it for today guys. Thanks for reading.

[brisem]

Great Update, as always

[lscott933]

what was missing from the haunted mansion. nice update. there was no one there at downtown disney. or was it just a slow day all round if you of to all those places

[SpenceMan01]

I love your updates man. Thanks!! So, I guess you didn't explicitly say whether or not you got to ride Soarin'. So... did you?

[MKCP 1985]

Great report on Soarin'! Scoop on the Small World entrance, too!

I was sad to see the kaliedascope has been removed at the Village. That thing has been around for a loooong time. Maybe it will come back? Oh, well.

Thanks!

[The_CEO]

I got the impression he did....

[Fantasmic!329]

Thanks for the great update, as always!!
I LOVE IASW's new entrance sign! Its so cool!

[phichi17]

Thanks Patrick....great update..read your PM"s...

[missionspace]

I was wondering if everything was working on SOARIN, the smells,orange,pine ocean?

THANKS!!!

[ISTCrew20]

Originally Posted by SpenceMan01

I love your updates man. Thanks!! So, I guess you didn't explicitly say whether or not you got to ride Soarin'. So... did you?

Of course lol. Would of been a bummer if we didn't. Everyone cheered at the end.

lsscott-The changing portrait of Master Gracey was missing from the Haunted Mansion

[Donfan]

Thanks, Patrick. I always look forward to your great updates. Any idea what's going on with the crane at the Great Movie Ride in the Studios?

[imagineersrock]

great update, thanks a lot.

So, I'm sure everyone would love to hear what your opinion on Soarin' was, because I for one would!

[Langdonj]

Thanks for the great update. Have you ridden Soarin' CA? If so, any comparisons?

[ISTCrew20]

Originally Posted by imagineersrock

great update, thanks a lot.

So, I'm sure everyone would love to hear what your opinion on Soarin' was, because I for one would!

Oh yea, I really liked it. I posted my first impressions in the "Soarin CM Previews today" thread 2 weeks ago, which was the first time I rode it.

[Mouse's Magic]

Did you like the ride?