SM photo update (21 Oct) - including STARPORT signage

[marni1971]

Come on! This is going to be a good refurb.At least we're getting a refurb and it will get ours up to Tokyo's level.

Good for what it does upgrade but a real let down for those wanting something more than 1975.

 

[EPCOTPluto]

I’ve been told that the ride system itself is getting a new state of the art computer control system that is supposed to allow for the Mountain crew to get the ride restarted more quickly than ever from any E-Stops. Previously, the procedure to recover from an E-Stop was to send CMs out onto the track to release each stopped car one at a time, and only releasing the next car on the line once the previous one had reached the unload station. This was a very time consuming process that could take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to accomplish, so a new more automated system will increase the recovery time by quite a bit.
The inside of the dome will also have a number of new and improved special effects added, which will take advantage of the new “darker” interior of the Mountain, thanks to the newly enclosed loading stations that have been roofed over. While the lift hill may stay looking pretty much the same as it has for decades, the final “Re-Entry” tunnel effect is supposed to be upgraded, along with the addition of a camera system to take your picture. No word on if they are finally going to enclose or do something to that odd open section of track between the Re-Entry tunnel and the unload station.
Speaking of the stations, I’ve been told that we can expect to see station gates added to the loading stations as well. Unfortunately that is about all of the improvements you can expect to see from the ride experience itself… station gates and hopefully a few new special effects. I’ve been told that the rest of the noticeable improvements will be entirely spent on the ride queue itself. The good news is that all new cutting edge “interactive” elements will be added to the queue experience, taking what they’ve learned from the interactive games added to the Soarin’ queue. I’ve also been told that the plan is to alter the queue enough so that the Standby and FastPass riders don’t have to stare at each other for the entire queue into the mountain as well, which is good news as well, since hopefully this means Disney will start loading the entire queue once again with Stand-By riders instead of leaving them to stand out into the sun for so long before going inside. Otherwise, that’s about everything I’ve heard about so far about this refurbishment, so take it for what you will. Personally, while I’m always up for some good upgrades to an attraction, I’m a bit let down since the top #1 most requested feature everyone has been asking for to be added to the ride was the on-board audio system and we saw just how quickly that aspect was cut while keeping in things like adding a rider photo camera system.

Interesting on how the queue would be reworked. I just hope it's not another great wall a la' Soarin'.

Otherwise sounds like a good gist of everything discussed here...

Main Street USA, you don't know the half of it.

Take a little trip, you'll be thankful for the wonderful graciousness of WDWmagic.
http://micechat.com/forums/disneyla...fornia-adventure-project-tracker-vii-172.html

:lookaroun

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Is outside lighting confirmed? If so, what colors do you guys think would look cool on the outside at night?

As said, no.

But what colors? Blue, green, alternating, and the strobe effect that DL has for the grooves.

The construction looks great!

Oh, and...first post!!!:ROFLOL:

Welcome!:wave:

http://screamscape.com/html/wdw_-_magic_kingdom.htm

Space Mountain Rehab - (10/28/09) The latest whispers from the Ultidoors is that Disney fans may be highly disappointed when Space Mountain reopens next month. As we had been hearing for some time now, the scope of the once massive refurbishment project had been scaled back from a proposed total ride replacement, that would have taken 12-16 months, to a more modest technical refurbishment that could be accomplished in half the time. While budget cuts are always a factor in any project like this, the real killer was the refusal of WDW Management to allow for Space Mountain to be closed for the winter holidays. I’ve been baffled for years as to why they hold onto the short winter holiday season as some kind of golden goose that they are afraid or unwilling to close any major attraction during. Meanwhile they are more than willing to disappoint the millions of guests over the busy 3 month long summer season, rather than close anything during the 2 week winter holiday period. Go Figure...
Anyway… this preference, mixed with the recession and falling attendance figures, was enough to turn what was once proposed as totally rebuilt version of Space Mountain into a project where most guests wont even notice the majority of the improvements at all. As we’ve seen from the construction pictures, the track is still pretty much the same old system that has been there since the ‘70’s. Old track sections have been modified here and there, or replaced where needed to take care of the “problem spots” where maintenance has been welding and repairing the stress cracks for years. But once the total track replacement concept was thrown out the window, the on-board audio system went with it.
I’ve been told that the ride system itself is getting a new state of the art computer control system that is supposed to allow for the Mountain crew to get the ride restarted more quickly than ever from any E-Stops. Previously, the procedure to recover from an E-Stop was to send CMs out onto the track to release each stopped car one at a time, and only releasing the next car on the line once the previous one had reached the unload station. This was a very time consuming process that could take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to accomplish, so a new more automated system will increase the recovery time by quite a bit.
The inside of the dome will also have a number of new and improved special effects added, which will take advantage of the new “darker” interior of the Mountain, thanks to the newly enclosed loading stations that have been roofed over. While the lift hill may stay looking pretty much the same as it has for decades, the final “Re-Entry” tunnel effect is supposed to be upgraded, along with the addition of a camera system to take your picture. No word on if they are finally going to enclose or do something to that odd open section of track between the Re-Entry tunnel and the unload station.
Speaking of the stations, I’ve been told that we can expect to see station gates added to the loading stations as well. Unfortunately that is about all of the improvements you can expect to see from the ride experience itself… station gates and hopefully a few new special effects. I’ve been told that the rest of the noticeable improvements will be entirely spent on the ride queue itself. The good news is that all new cutting edge “interactive” elements will be added to the queue experience, taking what they’ve learned from the interactive games added to the Soarin’ queue. I’ve also been told that the plan is to alter the queue enough so that the Standby and FastPass riders don’t have to stare at each other for the entire queue into the mountain as well, which is good news as well, since hopefully this means Disney will start loading the entire queue once again with Stand-By riders instead of leaving them to stand out into the sun for so long before going inside. Otherwise, that’s about everything I’ve heard about so far about this refurbishment, so take it for what you will. Personally, while I’m always up for some good upgrades to an attraction, I’m a bit let down since the top #1 most requested feature everyone has been asking for to be added to the ride was the on-board audio system and we saw just how quickly that aspect was cut while keeping in things like adding a rider photo camera system.

Wow. Screamscape has it right on the money.:lol:

Interesting on the reentry tunnel. Looks like we have the prism/reflector effect from DL? If so, cool. It does need much more than that....especially on the exterior and the launch scene. Hopefully our intel was right about the static figs to AA's.

 

[MousDad]

Thank you, Screamscape, for that nicely-typed summary of what Martin and Lee have been saying here for the last 18 months. :ROFLOL:

 

[jt04]

I consider no on board audio a plus. A big plus. Sorry, I don't want a soundtrack to my space mountain ride. Now off board audio effects hold much promise imo.

One thing I have noticed is that screamscape rarely posts positive news about WDW anymore while at the same time he praises TWWoHP on almost a daily basis.

Just an observation.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I consider no on board audio a plus. A big plus. Sorry, I don't want a soundtrack to my space mountain ride. Now off board audio effects hold much promise imo.

One thing I have noticed is that screamscape rarely posts positive news about WDW anymore while at the same time he praises TWWoHP on almost a daily basis.

Just an observation.

You are entitled to that opinion, of course...but....Why!?:lol:


On Board audio looks to be amazing and would really heighten the experience. Everyone in DL raves about it.

 

[jt04]

You are entitled to that opinion, of course...but....Why!?:lol:


On Board audio looks to be amazing and would really heighten the experience. Everyone in DL raves about it.

I feel like the experience would be more forced and less imaginative. It would take me out of the ride experience as it just doesn't match the storyline unlike RnRC. I just don't associate space travel with a soundtrack. But cool dopler sound effects and visuals are a different story.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I feel like the experience would be more forced and less imaginative. It would take me out of the ride experience as it just doesn't match the storyline unlike RnRC. I just don't associate space travel with a soundtrack. But cool dopler sound effects and visuals are a different story.

An odd perspective, but a interesting one nonetheless.

However, I must say that these parks are not meant to be a museum. I feel that keeping SM Soundless would be keeping it outdated.:shrug:

 

[urbanvegan]

Since space is a vacuum, there can be no sound - so let's just look at this as the Imagineers giving us a very authentic experience.

 

[jt04]

An odd perspective, but a interesting one nonetheless.

However, I must say that these parks are not meant to be a museum. I feel that keeping SM Soundless would be keeping it outdated.:shrug:

Um, yeah. I didn't say soundless. :shrug: I said soundtrack-less. It would be like adding a soundtrack to Haunted Mansion or Pirates or Safaris at AK. Sorry, don't want that.

Off board sound effects for SM good. Musical on board soundtrack bad.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Um, yeah. I didn't say soundless. :shrug: I said soundtrack-less. It would be like adding a soundtrack to Haunted Mansion or Pirates or Safaris at AK. Sorry, don't want that.

Off board sound effects for SM good. Musical on board soundtrack bad.

What I meant.:wave:


And both those attractions have a soundtrack, and both are quite prominent...I don't grasp the correlation.

 

[urbanvegan]

Um, yeah. I didn't say soundless. :shrug: I said soundtrack-less. It would be like adding a soundtrack to Haunted Mansion or Pirates or Safaris at AK. Sorry, don't want that.

Off board sound effects for SM good. Musical on board soundtrack bad.

I really hope they NEVER add a soundtrack to Pirates or Mansion. I love how they are silent.

 

[jt04]

What I meant.:wave:


And both those attractions have a soundtrack, and both are quite prominent...I don't grasp the correlation.

Apples and oranges. Let me try to be more clear. I view it as disruptive as if they played the Lion King soundtrack while riding on the safari at AK instead of having the driver narration.

Now they could do that. Or they could add real recordings of animal sounds and pipe those into speakers built into the scenery as they have done at the new DVC from what I have read. To me, the choice is clear.

 

[jt04]

I really hope they NEVER add a soundtrack to Pirates or Mansion. I love how they are silent.

Oh look, inane sarcasm that does nothing to advance the conversation. :brick:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I really hope they NEVER add a soundtrack to Pirates or Mansion. I love how they are silent.

Apples and oranges. Let me try to be more clear. I view it as disruptive as if they played the Lion King soundtrack while riding on the safari at AK instead of having the driver narration.

Now they could do that. Or they could add real recordings of animal sounds and pipe those into speakers built into the scenery as they have done at the new DVC from what I have read. Too me, the choice is clear.

But....don't they already do this?:lookaroun:lol:


POTC has the movie score going pretty loudly while we see the battle, and the rest is "Yo Ho".

HM has the Funeral Dirge and "Grim Grinning Ghosts" throughout.

If you are referring to a more of a ambient music feel for some parts, I honestly think that's what they try to do with the onboard tracks. Like in Star Tours.

 

[jt04]

But....don't they already do this?:lookaroun:lol:


POTC has the movie score going pretty loudly while we see the battle, and the rest is "Yo Ho".

HM has the Funeral Dirge and "Grim Grinning Ghosts" throughout.

If you are referring to a more of a ambient music feel for some parts, I honestly think that's what they try to do with the onboard tracks. Like in Star Tours.

Star Tours and Space Mountain are entirely different. Again adding the Lion King soundtrack to KS is a better comparrison. I guess it doesn't matter because SM is not getting a stupid musical soundtrack so I win. :lol:

Gotta go.....:wave:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Star Tours and Space Mountain are entirely different. Again adding the Lion King soundtrack to KS is a better comparrison. I guess it doesn't matter because SM is not getting a stupid musical soundtrack so I win. :lol:

Gotta go.....:wave:

Bi-Partisan of you....:lookaroun:lol:


:wave:
See ya

 

[urbanvegan]

Oh look, inane sarcasm that does nothing to advance the conversation. :brick:

But inane sarcasm is all I have in this world.

Well, inane sarcasm and an UNSHAKABLE sense of self-confidence.

Well, those - and my good friend Baxter, here.

 

[EPCOTPluto]

You are entitled to that opinion, of course...but....Why!?:lol:

On Board audio looks to be amazing and would really heighten the experience. Everyone in DL raves about it.

I feel like the experience would be more forced and less imaginative. It would take me out of the ride experience as it just doesn't match the storyline unlike RnRC. I just don't associate space travel with a soundtrack. But cool dopler sound effects and visuals are a different story.

What about Comchat? :lookaroun:zipit:

 

[hack2112]

On the subjct of SOBAT, don't knock it until you try it on SM. Having ridden both DL's and WDW's, after coming back to WDW after my trip to DL, I missed the SOBAT. Without it the ride just sounds like a roller coaster in the dark. DL's sounds like an epic adventure through space, which is what I want to feel while riding SM.