CTXRover's all park Update

[CTXRover]

Well, I just got back from 2 wonderful weeks at Disney and thought I would post an update on things I observed over the past 2 weeks. Some minor things we all love and some major things. I apologize if its been covered already since I've been gone. I will do each park in a different post. I hope you enjoy all 5 posts. First:

MAGIC KINGDOM:

-On 1/3/04, Wishes used different style fireworks for the rocket launches during the Beauty and the Beast segment and the finale. Instead of the bright, broad white tail shells used prior, these were thin and golden colored similar to those used in the fan effect when Jiminy announces the blue fairy. My guess is that they are being used since they seem to produce less smoke or perhaps they were improperly loaded that night. I found the older shells to be more impressive.

-In the Pirates queue, a few cannonballs seemed to have been stolen from one of the displays and the hot glue-like residue that once secured them is visible to all. This was like this for the entire 2 weeks.

- Buzz Lightyear cars have received new control panels that look brand new. :sohappy:

-Chandeliers have been added to the holding room in Philharmagic giving it a much more formal look. However, the arm rests on the chairs in the main show room are not holding up very well at all and many are showing bad signs of wear with the dark wood staining being rubbed off.

-The park and restrooms were amazingly clean despite the unbearable crowds. Compared to last year, the restroom facilities were back to standards I would expect from Disney and I always saw a CM cleaning stalls when I used the facilities.

-During Barnstormer's rehab a while back, I imagine, the painted wooden fenceposts in the queue area were replaced with colored "plastic", similar to the type of material seen in the benches made from recycled material. This should reduce the need to paint them in the future. Good move.

 

[Pixie Duster]

We appreciate your observations and thank you for recognizing our efforts to keep our parks clean.

 

[CTXRover]

EPCOT:

-Mission:Space is holding up extremely well and looks as new as the day previews started. I didn't see any motion sickness bags though the three times I rode it during my trip. Many I overheard came off loving it and I heard many asking among themselves what was it that causes people to get sick? I didn't see one person ever look ill when I was there.

-Nemo has been added to the Living Seas, both inside and out. A huge, beautiful display now stands at the entrance to the LS. It was a huge crowd draw, especially when Nemo and those seaweed creatures on stilts showed up. Nemo also now occupies an entire room inside the pavilion called: Nemo and Friends. Each tank represents a different character from the movie. I found it very well done and informative. The kids in there seemed to love it, especially the tank full of clownfishes with the title: Can you find Nemo? It is tasteful and well done.

-The shell of the building for Soarin' is now visible to the keen eye looking past the trees on the left side of the Land, back behind Imagination!

-On New Year's Eve, Epcot was so busy MS had a 3 hour wait, Test Track had a 3 hour and 20 minute wait, Figment had a 45 minute wait and there was a line just to get into the Land Pavilion, which had its own very long lines inside. It was absolutely nuts, but the fireworks for NYE were phenomenal and well worth fighting the crowds.

-I thought Epcot was a little reserved with their holiday decorations this year. I remember WS having a lot more decorations in the past. Don't get me wrong, it was still very nice, just lacking a little in my opinion. (MGM on the other hand was done better than I've seen it in a long time...that's later )

 

[CTXRover]

DISNEY-MGM STUDIOS:

-The park was probably the best decorated for the holidays that I've seen it for a while. Garlands everywhere, the trees on the lamp posts on Hollywood Blvd were back after being gone for two years, the stars on the lampposts on Sunset Blvd were back after being gone for two years, there were more garlands at the entrance than I remember in year's past, there were new shooting star fixtures attached to the posts around the lagoon. It was beautiful and there was a holiday stage that played "dance" music everynight, similar to what was usually only done on New Year's Eve. I felt they were definetly trying to compensate for no Osbournes this year. I hope to see Osbournes back next year, with all these decorations again.

-Taking the Backlot tour gives great views of the Stunt Show. The skeleton structures of the facades for the stage backdrop are up as are the posts that I imagine will be used for the stadium-style seating. It appears as though when seated you will be facing down NYS with the stage closer to the street. Themeing of the entrance/restroom facade has begun.

-It appears that the San Fransico backdrop will actually be attached to a strucutre that is being attached to the one side of the exisiting overhang structure that once covered guests as they watched the Hunchback show. One new facade on the old ChinaTown street has already been converted into a San Franciso theme, complete with light green paint and white trim.

-No real progress for the Chicago backdrop/street.

-Backlot tour now has two props from Pirates in the entrance queue: a cannon and the "lady" attached to the front of the Black Pearl as well as Captain Barbossa's costume in the Villians we love to hate exhibit.

 

[CTXRover]

DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM:

-Sometime within the last few months, Dinosaur underwent some semi-major scenery changes. I rode it twice on my trip and it was the same both times so it wasn't a mistake. It seems that the plants within the ride have been painted to show up better under blacklight and many new blacklights were added to the pavilion to enhance the effect. Although seeing some new scenery was nice, I felt this "change" has greatly diminished the quality of the ride rather than enhancing it. First, with all the new "light", the walls of the show building are quite apparent in many spots, as is the track so now in many areas where you once were not sure which way the vehicle would turn, it has become extremely clear. It took away from the "thrill" of not knowing where one was going or what was going to pop out at you next. In fact, I could see the first Carnotaur way before we were beside him. I hope this is just an experiemental change or a mistake. If it is a change, add more leaves/trees to hide the walls of the building. I'm all for seeing more scenery in this ride as most of it is in the dark, but I ask that they just be sure to do it right. Right now, it isn't right. This is one of my favorite rides (as my name might suggest ), and I was dissapointed this time with these changes, which may or may not be noticeable to a first time guest.

-Everest is coming along very nicely. The new town buildings are already showing nice signs of themeing. Not much though has visibly changed with the mountain construction from pics others have posted a while back.

-Enclosing the Lion King Theater was a super idea. It is like a whole new show. I don't know if the open air show had all those lighting effects or not, but they are very evident now and add a whole new dimension to the show. Two scenes that I thought really benefited from the enclosure was the Be Prepared scene with the fire twirler and the Can you feel the Love tonight scene. The lighting is perfect now.

-Camp Minnie-Mickey was very nicely decorated this year, but I thought Discovery Island had less this year than in year's past.

-AK filled to capacity several days over the holiday break and I was there on one of them. WOW! What a madhouse. However, keeping the park open to 7pm was great and allowed me the first time to ever see the park in complete darkness. What an amazing park at night and the Tree of Life is absolutely beautiful when lit up. Dinoland and Dinorama! especially look great a night with all the flashing lights and whatnot. Its really a shame this park doesn't stay open past sunset more often. Hopefully with Everest, AK will have more to offer that can be done at night and the park will get longer hours all year long. They really should think about a night-time show/event for AK that obviously wouldn't use fireworks. A Spectro-Magic type Light parade themed to animals would be my suggestion

- The baby Elephant is out and wandering the savanna. Very cute. Our safari guide also stopped at the Lion Rock for a minute or two and had us listen to the male lion roar from atop "Pride Rock". Very cool.

-I don't know if this is new or I've never seen it before, but the observation area that you immediately see when you get off the safari had a gorilla in it. I've never seen one there before as I thought Gorillas could only be seen on the Pangani Forest Trail. It was neat, but something I've never noticed before.

-This is old news, but I thought the AK security posts were the best themed of all the parks. I noticed it last year but never brought it up

 

[CTXRover]

OTHER STUFF:

MINI-GOLF:
-Many of the holes on both Winter Summerland and Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf have received new carpeting and many of the props on the holes have been repainted (my parents saw it for themselves the week prior to Christmas as one of the holes was actually closed when they played due to fresh paint).

-The Mini-Golf courses are trying a new "reservation tee time" system. When you pay, you get a card with a time on it to come back when you can play. Think Fast Pass meets Mini-Golf. For instance, on one night, the wait to play after paying was an hour for Fantasia Gardens. This system, in which a new group was allowed to start every 4 minutes, appears to have greatly diminished congestion between holes and seems to be working very nicely. This is instead of paying and then waiting in a line to putt on hole #1.


RESORTS
- Pop Century is actually quite nice. I stopped over there one day to check it out and was surprised at how much I actually was digging the place. I, like most others, thought it looked tacky, but once you get in there I think you'll absolutely love it. Its obviously not in the same category as the moderates or deluxes and one must remember that, but it makes one neat hotel.

-All the resorts were decorated wonderfully again this year. My favorite though was the Boardwalk. The garlands in the lobby are amazing.

-Over the week of the 21st, Orlando had a few nights of freezing overnight temps and a lot of the foilage around AKL was covered with sheet-like cloths. It was obviously needed, but I really thought that they should have removed it during the day, but it wasn't. No big deal though.

WATER PARKS:
During the time I was down there, BB was the only waterpark open. Its usually Typhoon one week and BB the next, but TL was closed for both weeks. That said, they decorated BB for Christmas this year with lots of garlands and wreaths. I don't remember the water parks being decorated for the holidays before, but it may have been that I never really noticed it before. (As it may be obvious by now, I was on the lookout for decorations this year as I had read elsewhere that WDW really scrimped on their decorations. Beyond WS at Epcot, I can say WDW was decorated just as good, if not better, than year's past).

TRASHCANS:

This may seem foolish but, it seemed that several of the trash cans, especially all of them at BB and some at the parks themselves, have "lost" their themed tags or stickers. For instance, several cans on Main Street did not have the Main Street carriage logo on them and ALL the cans at Blizzard Beach had their BB logo stickers removed. The indentation for the BB stickers could still be seen on these cans, but every can was just plain green. I only noticed since I had just read an article about how Disney even cares about the detail in their trash cans and I was surprised to see the cans at BB and some on Main Street that didn't have their "themeing".

 

[General Grizz]

Figment had 45 minutes?! I would NEVER enter the park! :lol:

Good report! Very extensive and well-done.

 

[Shaman]

Great update!!! Thanks.

It must have been a long day in a very crowded Epcot....but I agree with you, NYE fireworks at Epcot are worth the crowds and the wait to get on the rides...

 

[Mission: SPACE]

Just for everyone's info, Epcot broke its attendence record on December 31... 79,229 guests.

 

[Jacks Sally]

How many guest
My goodness thats alot of people

I loved reading your report CTXRover

My sister in law just got back yesterday
and I'm waiting to hear how her time was

 

[bcampione]

This report was awesome! It's really helpful when people like you inform us so well! And, you did it perfect, it wasn't over the top or too short....just great! Kudos!

 

[FigmentJedi]

If JIIWF had a 45 minute wait on New Year's, then Imagine how many more people it would have if Dreamfinder returned to the ride.

 

[barnum42]

Originally posted by CTXRover
Enclosing the Lion King Theater was a super idea. It is like a whole new show. I don't know if the open air show had all those lighting effects or not, but they are very evident now and add a whole new dimension to the show.

I agree with your assessment of the lighting in Lion King. I think the lighting effects were there before, but I wonder if there is a cast member on the boards who can confirm if the lighting was adjusted as part of the project to enclose the theatre?

keeping the park open to 7pm was great and allowed me the first time to ever see the park in complete darkness. What an amazing park at night and the Tree of Life is absolutely beautiful when lit up.

I would love to see the park after dark. It sounds terrific.

I don't know if this is new or I've never seen it before, but the observation area that you immediately see when you get off the safari had a gorilla in it. I've never seen one there before as I thought Gorillas could only be seen on the Pangani Forest Trail. It was neat, but something I've never noticed before.

I spent a lot of time checking out the gorillas from this vantage point. I often saw a couple of the bachelor group here. There is one that like sitting in the water, but I guess does not like getting a wet backside, so he places a plastic container down to avoid this problem.

This is old news, but I thought the AK security posts were the best themed of all the parks.

They also seem to have the best security cast members (not to take anything away from those at the other parks), but the AK bag search crews seem to have more fun joking with the guests.

 

[CTXRover]

Originally posted by Pixie Duster
We appreciate your observations and thank you for recognizing our efforts to keep our parks clean.

You're very welcome and thank you so much for your hard work in keeping the park and restrooms so clean in which had to be a near record breaking holiday season. The crowds were unbelievable yet the parks seemed to stay cleaner than in previous holiday seasons. People can be downright pigs as I have seen myself when a parent told his kid to just urinate in the floor drain when the stalls were all busy. Its amazing how many people can miss the trash can when throwing away a simple paper towel and I commend everyone who keeps the parks so clean. Keep up the excellent work!

 

[CTXRover]

Originally posted by Mission: SPACE
Just for everyone's info, Epcot broke its attendence record on December 31... 79,229 guests.

...and I was there :sohappy: :lol: It was a complete madhouse and I surely hope that no one there that day was using it as their one Epcot day for their trip. The signs of people sunbathing in the large grass areas around the park (including the grass on either side of the Land pavilion) made me realize that a lot of people were their for the NYE fun and fireworks, as was I. By the way, to those who went to Epcot on NYE, who was at the Deano's dance party in China? The fire jets that kept going off to the beat of the music around the stage was so cool and I had a lot of fun dancing there :lookaroun :lol:

 

[Skippy]

thanks for the info. Greatly apreciated

--do you have any night DAK Pix that you could share?

SkipKid

 

[NemoRocks78]

Nice report CTX Rover, I enjoyed it a lot.

JIIWF at 45 minutes!?!?!? That's insane! I would never wait more than 5 minutes for it!!

 

[dxwwf3]

Originally posted by CTXRover
DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM:

-Sometime within the last few months, Dinosaur underwent some semi-major scenery changes. I rode it twice on my trip and it was the same both times so it wasn't a mistake. It seems that the plants within the ride have been painted to show up better under blacklight and many new blacklights were added to the pavilion to enhance the effect. Although seeing some new scenery was nice, I felt this "change" has greatly diminished the quality of the ride rather than enhancing it. First, with all the new "light", the walls of the show building are quite apparent in many spots, as is the track so now in many areas where you once were not sure which way the vehicle would turn, it has become extremely clear. It took away from the "thrill" of not knowing where one was going or what was going to pop out at you next. In fact, I could see the first Carnotaur way before we were beside him. I hope this is just an experiemental change or a mistake. If it is a change, add more leaves/trees to hide the walls of the building. I'm all for seeing more scenery in this ride as most of it is in the dark, but I ask that they just be sure to do it right. Right now, it isn't right. This is one of my favorite rides (as my name might suggest ), and I was dissapointed this time with these changes, which may or may not be noticeable to a first time guest.

I noticed this on my last trip. I really wish they would turn this back into a less "kid friendly" ride. This should be a dark, fast, bumpy, thrill ride. But I guess this is just my opinion. I would take the "Countdown To Extenction" ride program over what we have now any day.