Yay! I got to ride Gran Fiesta!
Now let's talk about the nitty-gritty.. Yes, spoiler fearing folks, look away or go read about the debacle (by the time you finish that thread your vacation should have come around).
The queue. When I arrived at roughly 1:50 the park was somewhat busy but not as busy as the day prior. The line was extending into the Mexico pavilion slightly, but CM's were working to have it under control (building switchbacks). It switchbacked once or twice infront of the San Angel and then went into the standard queue we all know from before.
The noteable difference is that there's a dedicated wheelchair queue once you get to either the San Angel switchbacks (they setup a switchback just for it) or, as it will normally run, just as you enter the archway. The WC line bypasses the switchbacks of the main hard queue and goes down the ramp to load. Everyone else does the switchbacks and then down the ramp right besides it. One wall has an image of each of the 3 cabs with their name under them, and then the far wall has a "3 Cabs Playing Tonight" concert poster.
Behind the loading/unloading area, there are large images of each of the 3 cabs too. Hanging overhead in the queue is a sort of flag garland. It's sorta like tissue-paper with patterns cut out. Amoung suns and other festive art, there are images of the 3 Cabs - look for them!
At load/unload they've added automated gates. 2 CM's now man station operating the dispatched and a 3rd groups parties. Fairly often a boat would go out with an empty row because they were struggling to keep up with returning boats.
From the station to the tunnel you enter just past the restaurant, the ride is nearly identicle to El Rio. Audio is improved and lighting looks to have been spruced up as well. I heard animal sounds and such I've never heard before on El Rio. Some soft music also plays.
You enter the tunnel, and are flanked by the ruins on either side, nothing seemingly changed, but at the end of the tunnel there is now a screen where the Mayan god/cheif used to be. You boat hits a trigger in the tunnel and Jose and Panchito fly onto the screen riding their magic serape.
In short, there's a concert, they're going to be late, and where is Donald? Panchito seems to do nearly all of the talking whenever you see those two.
You float into the ancient culture scene from El Rio and physically it's still the same, but all of the screens have changed. Donald is taking photos, an Aztec pyramid morphs to smile as Donald zoom by, Panchito and Jose fly onto some of the screens searching for Donald and having a comical encounter. That's pretty much the gist of it.
My favorite little vingettes are Donald and the girls on the boat with all the hearts and Jose and Panchito flying past a golden angel statue (I know it adorns some famous building in Mexico) and it points the way for them.
They're all a mix of live action (with people) and the animations. They look really good. It's sort of like If you Had Wings gets taken over by Donald and friends.
Next scene - the Mexican small world in El Rio - is still the Mexican small world, however there's a big banner saying "Fiesta Hoyo" meaning "Party Today" and there's apparently reveling going on. Everything looks updated and nicer. The Pinata kids are hitting a Donald Duck pinata. I didn't notice much else different in this scene except it seemed to all be working and freshened up.
Into the caves.. The infamous swim-up pool bar is gone. More scenes of Donald causing chaos and getting into trouble, and mroe scenes of Jose and Panchito trying to find Donald but getting into trouble. For example, Jose and Panchito fly into a restaurant and nearly crash into a chef with big giant carving knives and then flee. "Excuse me, can you help us? (the chef turns around exposing the huge knives) "Uhm.. nevermind!"
Donald tries cliff diving, with the old animation going on behind him, and he does a pretty horrible job. He swims in the ocean (remember the reef diver?), meets a cute little octopus, and then Mommy octopus aint happy.
The long hallway with the sales folks are gone. Rather it's the archways looking into a building in which is having a fiesta before the concert. Mariachis are in the first window, and then pretty Mexican girls in the second, and finally in the 3rd are Jose and Panchito trying to drag Donald away from the girls and into the concert. Everytime the film loops balloons fall from the ceiling in the image. It's a nicer transition.
Finally, we enter the scene with the fireworks. The fireworks are still there, but the mirror wall they reflected from is covered over. As we pass the little scenes like the small fountain and boat (which now says Viva Donald) it looks pretty much the same. We come to where the old carousel used to be, in it's place is a alrge stage with stage lights and at the rear a screen which has the 3 cabs alltogether singing "We are 3 Cabelleros" which is a catchy song from the movie
Donald still misbehaves, but Jose does some cute things like use a slingshot to shoot a star out of the speail FX to bonk him on the head.
You round the corner past the stage and go under the same decor as before (an angel) into the final tunnel. It's now a big map of Mexico with all 3 Cabs at the far end with the words "Adios Amigos." The audio loops a goodbye message, but it doesn't repeat really. Each time it plays things are a little different, like mocking Donald's voice "What did you say?" "I said Adios Amigos" "What?" (angry) "Adios!!" and other little fun bits like that. They seem to know the boats tend to stack up there.
I free floated until the very end of the tunnel, then got backed up and I think I heard most of the variations.
Up the ramp, out of the ride, and there's a carefully placed kiosk of Donald Duck merch
Now let's talk about the nitty-gritty.. Yes, spoiler fearing folks, look away or go read about the debacle (by the time you finish that thread your vacation should have come around).
The queue. When I arrived at roughly 1:50 the park was somewhat busy but not as busy as the day prior. The line was extending into the Mexico pavilion slightly, but CM's were working to have it under control (building switchbacks). It switchbacked once or twice infront of the San Angel and then went into the standard queue we all know from before.
The noteable difference is that there's a dedicated wheelchair queue once you get to either the San Angel switchbacks (they setup a switchback just for it) or, as it will normally run, just as you enter the archway. The WC line bypasses the switchbacks of the main hard queue and goes down the ramp to load. Everyone else does the switchbacks and then down the ramp right besides it. One wall has an image of each of the 3 cabs with their name under them, and then the far wall has a "3 Cabs Playing Tonight" concert poster.
Behind the loading/unloading area, there are large images of each of the 3 cabs too. Hanging overhead in the queue is a sort of flag garland. It's sorta like tissue-paper with patterns cut out. Amoung suns and other festive art, there are images of the 3 Cabs - look for them!
At load/unload they've added automated gates. 2 CM's now man station operating the dispatched and a 3rd groups parties. Fairly often a boat would go out with an empty row because they were struggling to keep up with returning boats.
From the station to the tunnel you enter just past the restaurant, the ride is nearly identicle to El Rio. Audio is improved and lighting looks to have been spruced up as well. I heard animal sounds and such I've never heard before on El Rio. Some soft music also plays.
You enter the tunnel, and are flanked by the ruins on either side, nothing seemingly changed, but at the end of the tunnel there is now a screen where the Mayan god/cheif used to be. You boat hits a trigger in the tunnel and Jose and Panchito fly onto the screen riding their magic serape.
In short, there's a concert, they're going to be late, and where is Donald? Panchito seems to do nearly all of the talking whenever you see those two.
You float into the ancient culture scene from El Rio and physically it's still the same, but all of the screens have changed. Donald is taking photos, an Aztec pyramid morphs to smile as Donald zoom by, Panchito and Jose fly onto some of the screens searching for Donald and having a comical encounter. That's pretty much the gist of it.
My favorite little vingettes are Donald and the girls on the boat with all the hearts and Jose and Panchito flying past a golden angel statue (I know it adorns some famous building in Mexico) and it points the way for them.
They're all a mix of live action (with people) and the animations. They look really good. It's sort of like If you Had Wings gets taken over by Donald and friends.
Next scene - the Mexican small world in El Rio - is still the Mexican small world, however there's a big banner saying "Fiesta Hoyo" meaning "Party Today" and there's apparently reveling going on. Everything looks updated and nicer. The Pinata kids are hitting a Donald Duck pinata. I didn't notice much else different in this scene except it seemed to all be working and freshened up.
Into the caves.. The infamous swim-up pool bar is gone. More scenes of Donald causing chaos and getting into trouble, and mroe scenes of Jose and Panchito trying to find Donald but getting into trouble. For example, Jose and Panchito fly into a restaurant and nearly crash into a chef with big giant carving knives and then flee. "Excuse me, can you help us? (the chef turns around exposing the huge knives) "Uhm.. nevermind!"
Donald tries cliff diving, with the old animation going on behind him, and he does a pretty horrible job. He swims in the ocean (remember the reef diver?), meets a cute little octopus, and then Mommy octopus aint happy.
The long hallway with the sales folks are gone. Rather it's the archways looking into a building in which is having a fiesta before the concert. Mariachis are in the first window, and then pretty Mexican girls in the second, and finally in the 3rd are Jose and Panchito trying to drag Donald away from the girls and into the concert. Everytime the film loops balloons fall from the ceiling in the image. It's a nicer transition.
Finally, we enter the scene with the fireworks. The fireworks are still there, but the mirror wall they reflected from is covered over. As we pass the little scenes like the small fountain and boat (which now says Viva Donald) it looks pretty much the same. We come to where the old carousel used to be, in it's place is a alrge stage with stage lights and at the rear a screen which has the 3 cabs alltogether singing "We are 3 Cabelleros" which is a catchy song from the movie
Donald still misbehaves, but Jose does some cute things like use a slingshot to shoot a star out of the speail FX to bonk him on the head.You round the corner past the stage and go under the same decor as before (an angel) into the final tunnel. It's now a big map of Mexico with all 3 Cabs at the far end with the words "Adios Amigos." The audio loops a goodbye message, but it doesn't repeat really. Each time it plays things are a little different, like mocking Donald's voice "What did you say?" "I said Adios Amigos" "What?" (angry) "Adios!!" and other little fun bits like that. They seem to know the boats tend to stack up there.
I free floated until the very end of the tunnel, then got backed up and I think I heard most of the variations.
Up the ramp, out of the ride, and there's a carefully placed kiosk of Donald Duck merch
