Does WDW ever open new attractions before they're finished?

[retroeric]

Apparently Universal has officially opened up its new Rip Ride Rockit, despite the fact they have not yet replaced the giant banner that covers that eyesore of a lift hill. If you are not familiar with what I am talking about, it's basically the visual centerpiece of the entire ride. Instead of 167 feet of razzle dazzle promised in the artist rendering, it basically looks like just another cheap, theme-less coaster thrown together at some midwest park. This is Universal Studios people, not Cedar Point.

Somehow I can't imagine Disney building a ride, having the entire visual centerpiece torn off, and opening it up anyways.

 

[klineski96]

Some would argue that Spaceship Earth isn't finished yet.

 

[WDW Vacationer]

Some would argue that Spaceship Earth isn't finished yet.

^Oh God!:dazzle:






They do NOT open attractions before they are completed. Sometimes they will add small things,but the main attraction is there.

 

[cblodg]

Some would argue that Spaceship Earth isn't finished yet.

:lookaroun

 

[Thrill Seeker]

Some would argue that Spaceship Earth isn't finished yet.

It's not.

From a business standpoint, I guess it makes sense to open an attraction if everything needed to make it run safely is in place and add in more late at night after hours until it's complete. Spaceship Earth is a perfect case of this being done. Same with the Rockit from what I've gathered. What's left to finish from both of those attractions wasn't anything too major, which is why they are (hopefully) being completed over time. For Universal, they just had to get the Rockit opened because of how well marketed the ride was, before being delayed through most of the summer. Spaceship Earth should have been completed before opening, but because of the whole touch screen thing, I guess they figured guests wouldn't notice there not being anything else. Well guess what, we did.:brick:

 

[WishingOnAStar]

Some would argue that Spaceship Earth isn't finished yet.

Excuse my ignorance, but whats not finished on SSE?

 

[LovingDisney]

We were in AK in March 2006 and rode expedition everest. I don't think it was "officially open". We weren't planning on going to AK that year, but our bus driver told us they were running Expedition everest on some days for testing. We decided to go on the last day we were there before we got on our plane. The ride was open and we got on. :animwink:

 

[rsoxguy]

Excuse my ignorance, but whats not finished on SSE?

The final descent. All of the dark material and triangles do not represent the final product.

 

[klineski96]

Excuse my ignorance, but whats not finished on SSE?

Some would say the end of the ride, the descent, isn't finished. Some people would tell you to pay no attention to the touch screen on the way back down and simply look around. They say you'll see black curtains, bare walls, wires/cables, random triangular tiles that appear to be placed around without any rhyme or reason.

Some people feel that because there were things to look at before the refurb (the video in the classroom of the the car/spaceship/dragonfly/underwater etc, the scenes where you'd see two events happening on two different sides of the earth;the birth, the graduation, and the scaled down futuristic city scene) and now all they have is a cartoon of "the future," that the ride isn't yet complete.

 

[klineski96]

The final descent. All of the dark material and triangles do not represent the final product.

Yes, what he said.

 

[WDW 3]

I guess it would be called a "soft opening", we were in EPCOT and rode the Nemo ride before the opening date. Any guesses on if SM will have a soft opening?

 

[fosse76]

Instead of 167 feet of razzle dazzle promised in the artist rendering, it basically looks like just another cheap, theme-less coaster thrown together at some midwest park. This is Universal Studios people, not Cedar Point.

I love how you call unthemed coasters "cheap." You do realize, right, that the majority of rollercoasters at some of these "midwest" parks probably cost more and are technologically more advanced than all of Disney's coasters (without the themeing, which does not affect the actual ride system), right?

 

[fosse76]

They do NOT open attractions before they are completed. Sometimes they will add small things,but the main attraction is there.

Didn't the Matterhorn at Disneyland open without any themeing in the interior? And that was when Walt was in charge! The themeing was added much later.

 

[FatBoy976]

I guess it would be called a "soft opening", we were in EPCOT and rode the Nemo ride before the opening date. Any guesses on if SM will have a soft opening?

You're correct about soft openings. They use them to see if the attraction is operating properly and if anything final needs tweaked. I'll never forget that as a kid I was in EPCOT with my mom late at night and The Living Seas was open for a soft opening. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

 

[hsisthebest]

Disney has soft openings a lot. We went to MILF almost a month b4 official opening. The queue area was barren but the show was room was finished.

 

[WDW 3]

We will be there in November. I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that SP will be operating!!!

 

[marni1971]

Ask a CM and they`ll tell you almost every attraction isn`t complete when it first opens.

 

[CaptainMichael]

They opened the new Pleasure Island almost a year ago with nothing new :lookaroun


The serious answer is yes, all of the time now. WDI has lost that control to Operations.

 

[retroeric]

I love how you call unthemed coasters "cheap." You do realize, right, that the majority of rollercoasters at some of these "midwest" parks probably cost more and are technologically more advanced than all of Disney's coasters (without the themeing, which does not affect the actual ride system), right?

Yes I agree with you. The majority of these types of parks (Cedar Points, Six Flags of the world etc) are not as focused on theming, landscaping, queue quality as they are on the meat and potatoes of the ride (speed and height). That's where they put all their budget. The Disneys and Universals of the world are supposed to have a higher standard of overall show quality. At least that's how it's been historically. I am just surprised Universal opened up this new ride after the entire visual centerpiece tore off. Instead of the banner covering, we see the "bones" of the lift hill, which is ugly and it makes it look like an unthemed coaster, something Universal or Disney has never made (ala the midwest parks)

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Some would argue that Spaceship Earth isn't finished yet.

I argue.