Any Updates on Test Track Redo?

[marni1971]

Unfortunately, If we go by description on what's out there....(i.e. pre and post show redo, scene refresh) TT refurb sounds a lot like what we got with SM.

This one will be more than aesthetics and infrastructure. From what ive seen and heard it should be a worthy makeover.
What little scenery is in there can be out within a week. Then the blank canvas is ready to be dressed. Scenery doesn't take long to install.

Plus it's funded.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Plus it's funded.

Ah, the magic words.

* gets hopes up*


ers, needing outside funding to give me a good ride during my $20000 vacation

 

[ADP2]

Closing this attraction over the busy summer months doesn't seem right. Does anyone know why they couldn't have done this from the Fall through the Winter months so less guests would be impacted?

I think EPCOT will be really affected by this closure. Soarin will have a lot more visitors and I'm not sure how much the other EPCOT attractions will absorb from the TT closure. IDK...Maybe it won't be so bad, but we'll see.

 

[janoimagine]

Plus it's funded.

Yes, very well funded. Chevy is going all out for this. The advertising / promotional budget alone is a close match to what they spend to typically launch a new vehicle. The execs are really excited about it.

 

[xdan0920]

Closing this attraction over the busy summer months doesn't seem right. Does anyone know why they couldn't have done this from the Fall through the Winter months so less guests would be impacted?

I think EPCOT will be really affected by this closure. Soarin will have a lot more visitors and I'm not sure how much the other EPCOT attractions will absorb from the TT closure. IDK...Maybe it won't be so bad, but we'll see.

There is not really a slow time at WDW anymore. In fall and winter you have Food and Wine fest, Jersey week, Halloween, Christmas, New Years. The closure is always going to effect a busy time of year.

 

[xdan0920]

This terminology again. Is this what you call people who enjoy Disney and don't go to Orlando to critique everything like a food critic with a bad attitude? That they're using pixe dust. What do the food critics do, put doom and gloom in a pipe and smoke it?



Most of the elements could have already been created or are being worked on. GM could also be paying for more people to work on it, thus faster completion of the project.

My guess is, you do not get past 50 posts this time.

 

[wm49rs]

Most of the elements could have already been created or are being worked on. GM could also be paying for more people to work on it, thus faster completion of the project.

GM doesn't employ the people working on the ride; Disney does. They are providing (in part) the funding and some of the (company-related) enhancements going into the refurb. But as Lee said, they should be woking quite diligently to have the ride re-opened by October 1.

 

[ADP2]

There is not really a slow time at WDW anymore. In fall and winter you have Food and Wine fest, Jersey week, Halloween, Christmas, New Years. The closure is always going to effect a busy time of year.

I think it's safe to say you're right, but I think it's also safe to say the summer months are busier than the winter months. Bottom line...More guests will be impacted because of the timing of this closure.

 

[xdan0920]

I think it's safe to say you're right, but I think it's also safe to say the summer months are busier than the winter months. Bottom line...More guests will be impacted because of the timing of this closure.

Thats probably going to be true, but not by a crazy large amount. And quite frankly, the sooner they start this the better in my opinion. Putting it off for 4 months would not be a good move.

 

[Annielkd]

This I whole heartedly agree and what I am setting my hopes on as to not be overly disappointed.

With all the complexity of the ride vehicles, the complexity of the ride control systems and the overall ride itself...five to six months does not sound like much of a reimagining so much as a software upgrade and some change in direction/plussing/exchanging some theming.

-New Software
-New queue
-New Post Show
-Ride enhancements

I think some people have their hopes way too high on this one as if the ride will be completely different when it reopens.

Let's look at Star Tours. It closed for ten months and most of the changes were film media based. The only big deals of physical nature were the replacing of Rex and C-3PO and programming the movements of the ride and the animatronics.

With a ride as physical in set nature as Test Track, what can really be done in five-six months to where the queue, ride and post show can all get some awesome attention? I hate to be a doom and gloomer but being realistic with past experience.

I have to disagree on that... I think that Star Tours had a lot of changes. It was significantly different... even had different versions you could try. I think they did a lot with that in the amount of time it was down.

 

[Annielkd]

Closing this attraction over the busy summer months doesn't seem right. Does anyone know why they couldn't have done this from the Fall through the Winter months so less guests would be impacted?

I think EPCOT will be really affected by this closure. Soarin will have a lot more visitors and I'm not sure how much the other EPCOT attractions will absorb from the TT closure. IDK...Maybe it won't be so bad, but we'll see.

there would never be a good time to close this... they had to pick the time they thought was best for re-doing this.

 

[Brava Centauri]

My level of optimism for these changes is rising, if what some of you are saying is true. My hope is that no matter what we get, however much, will compliment the attraction rather than cause yet another case of "what were they thinking?"

And I completely agree that the "low" season at WDW is almost non-existent now. No matter when they close down rides, it's going to impact at least one high season of crowds. A lot more people go to WDW these days. Many CMs will tell you that it's actually Christmas time that is the busiest time of year.

I hope that the redo stays on schedule so that if they do really want it open for the anniversary, they're not doing a rushed, botched, incomplete job to have it ready in time.

 

[NoChesterHester]

This I whole heartedly agree and what I am setting my hopes on as to not be overly disappointed.

With all the complexity of the ride vehicles, the complexity of the ride control systems and the overall ride itself...five to six months does not sound like much of a reimagining so much as a software upgrade and some change in direction/plussing/exchanging some theming.

-New Software
-New queue
-New Post Show
-Ride enhancements

I think some people have their hopes way too high on this one as if the ride will be completely different when it reopens.


Let's look at Star Tours. It closed for ten months and most of the changes were film media based. The only big deals of physical nature were the replacing of Rex and C-3PO and programming the movements of the ride and the animatronics.

With a ride as physical in set nature as Test Track, what can really be done in five-six months to where the queue, ride and post show can all get some awesome attention? I hate to be a doom and gloomer but being realistic with past experience.

Sounds really tight but they have two things working for them.

1. Space: the scale of the pavilion makes it far easier to work and have multiple crews doing multiple things. Anyone that has ever done a small project will tell you they are much harder from a staging and scheduling standpoint.

2. The name of the game now seems to be pre-fabrication. If scheduled correctly most show elements could already be well into production and just need to be installed.

 

[Lee]

2. The name of the game now seems to be pre-fabrication. If scheduled correctly most show elements could already be well into production and just need to be installed.

As I understand it, that is indeed the case with portions of the TT refurb.

 

[G00fyDad]

As I understand it, that is indeed the case with portions of the TT refurb.

It makes far more sense to do it that way. Manufacture the pieces offsite and bring them in for assembly during a short downtime of the attraction. OR shut the attraction down for much longer just to do everything onsite. I agree, I'm sure Disney would prefer it be down for as little time as possible. :wave:

 

[montyz81]

there would never be a good time to close this... they had to pick the time they thought was best for re-doing this.

The timing of the closing is really not the issue. It all wouldn't be an issue if Horizons, Imagination, Land, Seas and Energy all kept up with refurb schedules. If those rides all existed with their original shows but updated to reflect new ideas and technology, I am sure TT Downtime wouldn't be as big an issue. I am going in 1 week. I can tell you that I will not have as much for my kids to do there so I have adjusted my arrival time to Epcot from the morning to the early afternoon. Where we were originally going to have lunch there, we will probably just have it at the hotel now. One thing though, if I were going without my kids, it would not change my schedule at all, I would still spend all day there.

 

[misterID]

It would be nice to see some real AA scenes in that building again. One can hope, at least.

 

[hurricanepat]

I have a question, I'm not sure whether this has been discussed before. What do the TT cast members (or any ride for that matter) do when the attraction is down for a refurb like this? Are they simply transferred to another ride while this refurb is taking place?

 

[Annielkd]

The timing of the closing is really not the issue. It all wouldn't be an issue if Horizons, Imagination, Land, Seas and Energy all kept up with refurb schedules. If those rides all existed with their original shows but updated to reflect new ideas and technology, I am sure TT Downtime wouldn't be as big an issue. I am going in 1 week. I can tell you that I will not have as much for my kids to do there so I have adjusted my arrival time to Epcot from the morning to the early afternoon. Where we were originally going to have lunch there, we will probably just have it at the hotel now. One thing though, if I were going without my kids, it would not change my schedule at all, I would still spend all day there.

You are right, they do need a better balance. I'm going the 16th (ironic) and I'm not even going to go there on the 17th (there early morning hours) I'll still go to the world, and I'll go through Living with the Land and the one about the history in the silver ball (for the life of me I can't think of it now) but, it's not worth the early morning going there.

 

[wdwmagic]

I have a question, I'm not sure whether this has been discussed before. What do the TT cast members (or any ride for that matter) do when the attraction is down for a refurb like this? Are they simply transferred to another ride while this refurb is taking place?

Yes they are.