Astro Orbiter and TTA Refurbishment in 2014

wdw71fan

wdw71fan

Well-Known Member
Actually, this one rumor is pretty accurate.. Rockettower plaza will be completely overhauled, including the League of Planets Astro Orbiter..

Instead of repairing the issue that caused the fire on the AO months back, they will be completely overhauling the structure.. I don't know if it's a NEW concept going into place, or if it's just a re-upping of the current one, but either way, it's in motion..

FWIW, there are several parts of the AO still by central shops, they have been there since the fire..
 
GymLeaderPhil

GymLeaderPhil

Well-Known Member
Astro's vehicles have been in -poor shape for years now. Not only is it a logistical nightmare for operations to work the attraction, upkeep also suffers due to the height. I doubt we will see the planets as we once saw them back up since they could never find reliable motors for them, especially after the electrical fire they had a few years back with the tower lighting. Other thing I've heard regarding the planets is that some OSHA updates prohibits work above a certain height in a confined space.

Happy that Astro will be receiving a TAV and stop in the same location - great for accessibility. I hope they expand the seating for existing vehicles and I would not at all be opposed to having Hong Kong's saucers to bump up capacity. If they do that I wouldn't be surprised if they try to add FastPass to the attraction.
 
GymLeaderPhil

GymLeaderPhil

Well-Known Member
As for the PeopleMover, it's structural support beams have been slowly sinking into the ground. They have been trying to fix these without closure.

Making the PeopleMover fully ADA accessible would require a lot of time, effort, and money. Track would have to widened, wheelchair lifts/elevators at every evacuation staircase, and if they went with TSMM wheelchair loading procedures at the station with a spur-off line it would require a complex overhaul to the ride control system. The RCS needs an update. The surveillance system needs to be track-wide or they need some sort of restraint system for the vehicles.
 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
GymLeaderPhil said:
Astro's vehicles have been in -poor shape for years now. Not only is it a logistical nightmare for operations to work the attraction, upkeep also suffers due to the height. I doubt we will see the planets as we once saw them back up since they could never find reliable motors for them, especially after the electrical fire they had a few years back with the tower lighting. Other thing I've heard regarding the planets is that some OSHA updates prohibits work above a certain height in a confined space.

Happy that Astro will be receiving a TAV and stop in the same location - great for accessibility. I hope they expand the seating for existing vehicles and I would not at all be opposed to having Hong Kong's saucers to bump up capacity. If they do that I wouldn't be surprised if they try to add FastPass to the attraction.
Click to expand...

It will definitely be interesting to see if they are taking the land in a new direction. I sometimes wonder if the Laugh Floor got approved because they have intended to morph the land into a more science fiction based backstory for a long time. If so, I enthusiastically approve!

Feeling very optimistic about this.
 
TubaGeek

TubaGeek

God bless the "Ignore" button.
rct247 said:
One thing about the LED lights on TTA. From my understanding, the reason they are not taken advantage of more is because it is hard for the working cast to monitor the track with colored lighting. If you ride you will see a few that are colored, but not all. It's a safety thing.
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I think that the cameras need to be improved and increased, and that there needs to be one centralized location to monitor a whole slew of attractions that aren't monitored at all yet. TTA and Stitch (with low-light cameras) in T-Land specifically need something like that.
 
rct247

rct247

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
@GymLeaderPhil hit it all right on the nail. To make TTA wheelchair accessible would require the track to be widened which would affect every attraction in Tomorrowland including working over the Speedway and along the exterior of CoP. If the attraction has to receive any major work or is closed for a certain period of time, it would then have to be accessible. I'm worried that when that day comes, they will just decide it's not worth it and close the attraction. This is one of the main reasons Disneyland cannot reopen their Peoplemover. The track is not only not accessible, but it is even narrower that guests can touch the walls in the dark zones. Not to mention that parts of the track have been closed in or are not structurally sound anymore. Disneyland will never get their Peoplemover back unless they had an entire land overhaul in the scope of 1967's Tomorrowland which based on guest feedback, closing an entire land like they did back in 1967 and in 1993 for our Tomorrowland, won't be happening to that extent again. The overall product was great, but the cost of guest dissatisfaction for the construction period was hard to cope with.
 
imagineer boy

imagineer boy

Well-Known Member
Whatever they do to Rocket Tower Plaza, I do hope they keep the same visual look mostly intact. I've always loved the way the avenue of the planets and rocket tower plaza looked (now beyond those areas the Buck Rogers theming tends to die a little bit). And did I mention they should bring back the old TTA narration?
 
muteki

muteki

Well-Known Member
GymLeaderPhil said:
The RCS needs an update. The surveillance system needs to be track-wide or they need some sort of restraint system for the vehicles.
Click to expand...

I really hope I never see restraints on this. Part of the appeal is you can get on and kick back and relax for a few minutes.
 
Nmoody1

Nmoody1

Well-Known Member
AstroOrbiter would be great if they used the flying saucer concept from HKDL. Same ride, different ride car - just looks cool.

As fornthe rest of TL - I always think there is so much space - the old theatre space, tha wasted stage (let's do away with dance parties now please). The whole land could be re-imagined - I wish a autopia was shorter, or had raised roads to reduce the land space it covers and another ride could be squeezed in somewhere.

I only hope, no matter wha the changes, cosmic rays will still ffer yummy chicken!!!
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
jt04 said:
Mr Lutz has caught wind of TL upgrades at WDW and he has gone into full campaign mode for Tron cycles at DL.

Makes me even more encouraged that this refurb is the beginning of a much bigger project for the MK's most dated land.

PS- He also seems to confirm MI for DHS since he is also campaigning for MI at DCA.

PSS- sorry Al, but it is our turn now.
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I dont know, after reading the article it doesnt sound like MI is coming here first, it sounds like its going to happen at DCA first and much faster. Which wouldnt surprise me, its taking how many years to build the mine train now?
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
jt04 said:
It will definitely be interesting to see if they are taking the land in a new direction. I sometimes wonder if the Laugh Floor got approved because they have intended to morph the land into a more science fiction based backstory for a long time. If so, I enthusiastically approve!

Feeling very optimistic about this.
Click to expand...
They're trying to remove TLF from Tomorrowland, but that's another story.

Btw, the Lutz story was about Disneyland. You did get that? The coaster WDWs turned down twice is probably going to Anaheim. Along with the (so far) rejected five times Monsters coaster.
 
aladdin2007

aladdin2007

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
They're trying to remove TLF from Tomorrowland, but that's another story.

Btw, the Lutz story was about Disneyland. You did get that? The coaster WDWs turned down twice is probably going to Anaheim. Along with the (so far) rejected five times Monsters coaster.
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I thought so, once again due to TDO's lack of vision and care, all the good stuff goes to Cali.
 
D

djlaosc

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
They're trying to remove TLF from Tomorrowland, but that's another story.

Btw, the Lutz story was about Disneyland. You did get that? The coaster WDWs turned down twice is probably going to Anaheim. Along with the (so far) rejected five times Monsters coaster.
Click to expand...

Actually, weren't they considering moving Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor into Disneyland's Tomorrowland when Captain EO was finished there? Whatever happened to that? Would there now be a chance of them putting it into a new Monstropolis land?
 

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