Carousel of Progress exterior refurbishment

[Bocabear]

True. I love the TTA and it is one of favorites, but I wish there was a bit more going on. Maybe posters for the appropriate attractions here and there on the blank walls, black lights in the dark tunnels, and a star field in SM would be fun.

The original thought with the peoplemover was that it would give you little preview windows into the different attractions...so why not make the Space Mountain segment feel more like Space Mountain.,.. it used to have more of that when it opened as you could see into the home of Future Living and the queue and the entire starfield and moving ride vehicles... it also gave you several views into If You Had Wings and Mission To Mars... It is certainlt possible to make the People Mover a "Must Do" attraction...

 

[marni1971]

The 2009 refurb isolating the SM load areas was a prime example of today's WDI not understanding yesterday's WDI. The new kids on the block still need educating.

 

[RobidaFlats]

The 2009 refurb isolating the SM load areas was a prime example of today's WDI not understanding yesterday's WDI. The new kids on the block still need educating.

Do you know of any reason that they put forward for the changes? E.g. concerns about things being thrown from the WEDway track? Surely they must have had a reason (even if it was a poor one) for making the changes.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Do you know of any reason that they put forward for the changes? E.g. concerns about things being thrown from the WEDway track? Surely they must have had a reason (even if it was a poor one) for making the changes.

I recall them being visible, but not open. That's what Plexiglas is for. That was a long time ago though and I can admit that my memory is all tangled up with years of living.

 

[RobidaFlats]

I recall them being visible, but not open. That's what Plexiglas is for. That was a long time ago though and I can admit that my memory is all tangled up with years of living.

I do remember a sort of plexiglass wall, but I'm not sure if it was always there or not. However, I am almost positive that it didn't extend all the way to the ceiling, so something could have been thrown over it.

In any case, I want to make clear that I am not suggesting that that was an actual reason cited, it was just an example of a possible one that I came up with off the cuff.

 

[marni1971]

Do you know of any reason that they put forward for the changes? E.g. concerns about things being thrown from the WEDway track? Surely they must have had a reason (even if it was a poor one) for making the changes.

I recall them being visible, but not open. That's what Plexiglas is for. That was a long time ago though and I can admit that my memory is all tangled up with years of living.

There was (and still is) a plexiglass wall along the WEDway track. It made it virtually impossible to throw anything.

The PR story was it was done to make the ride even darker and to rid the cars of their luminescent stripes which apparently made a "light bubble" illuminating the track and structure around each vehicle. Believe that if you will. And that is why we have today's empty, pointless blackness.Then go back and read the original 1973 story treatment about the building structure and design by George McGinnis.

 

[RobidaFlats]

There was (and still is) a plexiglass wall along the WEDway track. It made it virtually impossible to throw anything.

The PR story was it was done to make the ride even darker and to rid the cars of their luminescent stripes which apparently made a "light bubble" illuminating the track and structure around each vehicle. Believe that if you will. And that is why we have today's empty, pointless blackness.Then go back and read the original 1973 story treatment about the building structure and design by George McGinnis.

Great, because I needed more WDW related reading assignments, haha. But thanks for the information, as always you tend to have the answers or at least know where to look.

 

[Goofyernmost]

There was (and still is) a plexiglass wall along the WEDway track. It made it virtually impossible to throw anything.

The PR story was it was done to make the ride even darker and to rid the cars of their luminescent stripes which apparently made a "light bubble" illuminating the track and structure around each vehicle. Believe that if you will. And that is why we have today's empty, pointless blackness.Then go back and read the original 1973 story treatment about the building structure and design by George McGinnis.

If that is the reason for getting rid of the stripes it will win the award for the biggest pile of BS that Disney has ever attempted to throw at the public. Yea, that glowing stripe was just blindingly bright. In fact, to me it made the whole experience more realistic and somewhat more thrilling to see those occasional flashes of passing space vehicles. I first rode Space Mtn. in 1985. I don't remember having any problem with not being in complete darkness. So, like I said... total BS. I wonder what the real reason was? It was probably so they wouldn't have to clean the Plexiglas.

 

[Bocabear]

the glowing stripes were very muted but even from the queue area, they were visible and added a lot of kinetic energy... seeing them move across the ceiling while not being able to discern the track...it was brilliant. Years later it seemd like the starfield projections got a lot dimmer and there was more ambient light spill...some from the queue area upward... I honestly don't mind enclosing the queue ceilings, but they should have offset that visual loss by adding sets and effect for those on the TTA... Space Mountain should be the highlight of the peoplemover experience....instead of just a dark space on the trip...

 

[RoysCabin]

I will add my voice in saying that, yeah, last August when I was down there my girlfriend and I got stuck in the Christmas scene of Carousel for three straight playthroughs. Pretty funny, very confusing, but glad to come on here and see what the reason was! Reminded me that about the third time the scene started playing a cast member got on the PA and sternly announced that people should NOT attempt to leave the theater. Maybe Carousel needs safety restraints, haha.

Also add me in in saying nice paint job on the ride, and hopefully they'll keep touching up the interior as best they can. I'd definitely be fine with changing the last scene back to something more akin to the original Progress City ending, otherwise we'll be back here in a few years saying "welp, it's already outdated".

 

[dreamscometrue]

I will add my voice in saying that, yeah, last August when I was down there my girlfriend and I got stuck in the Christmas scene of Carousel for three straight playthroughs.

 

[tirian]

Can the audio upgrade also include removing the TV audio system?

It's been annoying the heck out of me seeing a brand new flat panel TV sandwiched between concert sized speakers...

True high-end speakers are still that big.

 

[tirian]

The 2009 refurb isolating the SM load areas was a prime example of today's WDI not understanding yesterday's WDI. The new kids on the block still need educating.

I suspect the old-school Imagineers weren't necessarily better talented so much as well-rounded. All of them had been engineers, filmmakers, or artists prior to theme park designers. They knew how to think from multiple points of view and still create something unprecedented.

If anything, today's breed of WDI is too focused, too specialized. And the overall product suffers for the lack of comprehensive experience and training. For example, consider Shanghai DL and its outrageously bad placemaking despite having some standout rides.

 

[RoysCabin]

I suspect the old-school Imagineers weren't necessarily better talented so much as well-rounded. All of them had been engineers or artists prior to theme park designers. They knew how to think from multiple points of view and still create something unprecedented.

If anything, today's breed of WDI is too focused, too specialized. And the overall product suffers for the lack of comprehensive experience and training. For example, consider Shanghai DL and its outrageously bad placemaking despite having some standout rides.

I also think it was an enormous boon to the early WED developers that many of them came from a background in film. It really allowed them to think in terms of pacing, framing, and it really showed in rides that calls for beats and transitions between "scenes" (e.g. the transition to the burning town in Pirates, or the dark "cuts" between scenes in Horizons).

I can't speak for current Imagineering so much, but I wonder if that same background is emphasized today as much.

 

[tirian]

And the scrims that hide the rotating scenes on the sides? They've been all droopy and don't serve their purpose of hiding what's going on until the show lights come on for the longest time.

They've been fixed.

Actually, if we consider locally managed maintenance and operations, Danny Boy Cockerell has proven to be a good VP for the Magic Kingdom. Burbank has handed down foolish cutbacks that no local VP can avoid, but considering what's actually in his scope to manage, Danny is better than Phil Holmes ever was.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, Danny also pushed for some unnecessary-but-nice refurbs during his tenure as VP at Epcot, including the LED-lit fountain railing, lots of old-school icon references, and a few other small things that simply looked better. He also spearheaded the Innoventions Plaza refurb that went horribly wrong under a different VP. I've never met him and I'm not convinced he's going to be a great WDW VP one day, but Danny's boyhood as Lee Cockerell's son created a deep connection to WDW, almost the way Lasseter idolizes DL in California.

 

[tirian]

I also think it was an enormous boon to the early WED developers that many of them came from a background in film. It really allowed them to think in terms of pacing, framing, and it really showed in rides that calls for beats and transitions between "scenes" (e.g. the transition to the burning town in Pirates, or the dark "cuts" between scenes in Horizons).

I can't speak for current Imagineering so much, but I wonder if that same background is emphasized today as much.

No, it isn't, and the contrast can sometimes be shocking (see: the truly awful attempts at forced perspective throughout New Fantasyland in the MK and on Mickey Avenue at SDL).

 

[Figments Friend]

The 2009 refurb isolating the SM load areas was a prime example of today's WDI not understanding yesterday's WDI. The new kids on the block still need educating.

Too bad there are no real 'mentors' left to do so....



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[Bocabear]

Can the audio upgrade also include removing the TV audio system?

It's been annoying the heck out of me seeing a brand new flat panel TV sandwiched between concert sized speakers...

and beyond the fact that the TV and Speakers not looking current, the placement of those items is just plain strange...the dining room table is behind the television and speakers? It just looks bad...well so much of the set does.

 

[P_Radden]

and beyond the fact that the TV and Speakers not looking current, the placement of those items is just plain strange...the dining room table is behind the television and speakers? It just looks bad...well so much of the set does.

Yeah and those kitchen appliances really feel dated.. They should slap one of these in there:

 

[Kevin_W]

Can the audio upgrade also include removing the TV audio system?

It's been annoying the heck out of me seeing a brand new flat panel TV sandwiched between concert sized speakers...

For what it's worth, I have a flat-panel TV wall mounted between two large, floor-standing speakers (and a large center channel beneath).