Haunted Mansion Refurbishment News!

[disneygirl746kt]

Great news, as long as the new resident isn't Eddie Murphy :brick:

Eddie Murphy is great, but the HM movie wasn't that good with him in it. We thought it was going to be funnier than it was. (we took the entire family to see it because of Eddie Murphy and to make my grandmother laugh-even if she didn't understand the concept from the ride to the movie-and that didn't go so well.) At least it will be finished by the time I'm wanting to go back down after February...so I will get to check it out.
I still need to go over to DL and catch up on some riding since I haven't been there since Jan. 2002.

 

[disnyfan89]

Can you forward your valuable statistical analysis to Disney as Im sure they would be grateful to have any data that shows errors in their market research and financial asessments.

How do you know what Disney's market research and financial asessments is? For all you know it could show that we all want HMH!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

How do you know what Disney's market research and financial asessments is? For all you know it could show that we all want HMH!

I base my assumption on the lack of a seasonal makeover, despite all the hysterics on fan sites.

Almost as scientific a technique as you and your fellow shoe starers, but perhaps a little more practical. Dont you agree?

 

[PianoManKD]

I don't see why it matters if WDW main base of tourist our from out of state or country! WDW still get tons of its business from FL! In the slow period (AKA the period that they would do the lay over to the HM) all there usually is in the parks is Floridians! And what if a tourist from out the country can't ride HM. How many of them actually know what it is.

Wow, you're an ______ hole.....Chill out.

 

[disnyfan89]

I base my assumption on the lack of a seasonal makeover, despite all the hysterics on fan sites.

Almost as scientific a technique as you and your fellow shoe starers, but perhaps a little more practical. Dont you agree?

No its in no way "more practicle" than my methods. Your methods are nothing more than shots in the dark! The main info I provided came from not one but two inside higher ups that are heavily involved in WDW and DL. I would also highly suggest you refrain from trying to stereotype me or anyone else! You know little about me and have no right to say what kind of person I am. You couldn't be any more wrong when you say I'm a "Shoe Starer!"

Wow, you're an ______ hole

Why thankyou! I try my best :wave:

 

[culturenthrills]

Sorry for this being a bit long...but well, you know!

I too watched the movie several years back and thought the same as alot of people, cute, but no need to watch it again.

I was able to finally get back to D-land last year, '95, right after they re-opened HM with the overlay, and I have to tell you, I was in shock at how good it was. It was my 1st trip to finally be there for the holiday's after it had opened. My friend and I liked it so much we went back 3 more times that day to see it (We actually got to be like one of the last Doom Buggies to go through for the night).
The line was a good hour & 1/2 to two hours ALL DAY LONG and fast pass tix were gone by 11:30A. :brick:

Would I like to see WDW finally get a make over like this - DEFINITLY! Everyone keeps saying, the 1st time visitor to WDW would throw a fit not to see the original HM during the holidays should a "takeover" happen. Come on, 60-80% of visitors are repeat guests now.
It would have a huge boost of attendance for FL locals as well - being a former FL resident & cast memeber, you get alot of "been there done that" with WDW attractions. It would also throw a huge Christmas feeling to that side of the park too.

Can you make 100% of the people happy 100% of the time - absoultly not . Heck, even with every attraction open - I would still hear complaints about this or that: to crowded, to hot, lines are to long, ride was to short, the parade didn't get to MS at 3pm, I didn't see Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, etc etc, food wasn't hot, just goes on and on and on.

IMHO - I don't think the MK has taken enough risks to go out on those limbs to satisfy a very very stale taste that has been there for way to long. Sure, the MK got Aladin's Carpet Ride, Advntrs of Pooh, and Stitch - but are those attractions really attractions that just make you want to go to the MK...'fraid not. They really do need to take a look at the west coast and see how change is a good thing. To say it again as Walt did (sorta) - Disney is never complete as long as there is imagination in the World.

Just my 2cents worth:hammer:

Thank you for making some valid points. The amount of people coming to WDW as repeat visitors is going to keep increasing. The amount DVCers is going to keep growing and Kevin Yee over at www.miceage.com mentioned in his article this week that the DVCers are probably going to become a force like the AP holders at DL. Which I think would be a good thing. I would be very disappointed if I spend that kind of money every year at WDW and things were dingy and broken down I would def. start voicing my opinion and many of them have already.

WDW is starting to rely more and more on local visitors. When I moved to Florida earlier this year I never heard any commercials for Disney AP's on the radio in the last 4 months the commercials have been blaring all the time and talking to some friends who are cast members they really want to up the number of AP's to help boost the slower parts of the year. I think if you add the HMH makeover and the IASWH makeover to the MK it would be packed during the week during the slow time in the first 2 weeks in Dec. If you give a reason for the locals to come out they will.

All I want is the parks kept up the way they used to be. I spend alot of money at Disney and I don't think it is too much to ask that rides like HM be in good condition and not the shabby condition it is in right now.

 

[scottnj1966]

Sorry this has nothing to do with the HM but I have to ask,

What was wrong with our space mountain?
That is the way the ride has always felt and rode.
It is 70's technology, but it has always run very well.

We are hoping it will receive an upgrade like yours, the onboard sound and music and lighting too but remember yours rusted away and had to be shut down, they had no choice. If ours were that bad we would get the upgrade faster too.

Your monorail needs help bad...we were there in March for the first time.
I almost laughed out loud when I had to duck to get into the monorail. I guess it is because it is mainly a ride and not a mode of transportation.
the vinyl peeling off the walls and mildew sure gave it a nice look too.
I hear they are upgrading your fleet anyway so I am looking forward to seeing them.

I do love the amount of old style dark rides you have. What an assortment, lots of fun. MR Toad alive and well was awesome.
Your Submarine voyage is coming back, as Nemo, but at least your park didnt bury any remnants of it like we did. What a mistake.

Both our parks have its good and bad points. They both can learn something from each other. The thing I never understood about our park was why replace something when you have so much room. I am sure it is because of priofits, but sometimes you have to jsut be Disney and go all out, not cut back.

I loved your new HM upgrade. I cant wait till we get it too. I got some good video of yours even though they told me to turn off my camera

Well I said enough I am sure.
thanks for the great post.

Scott

I live in Orange, and as a Disneyland regular, I just wanted to note that, essentially, the only rides that are really closed are the Matterhorn and the Monorail. The Matterhorn is almost 50 years old, and it basically goes down every year for some TLC and track work. I went on Space Mountain last summer at Disney World, and I would cringe if the Matterhorn got to that state.

The Monorail has essentially been operating daily since its expansion to the Disneyland Hotel in the 60's (And for moments where the trains were upgraded), and the station was starting to feel seedy. The result is going to be a brand new monorail station, completely new trains, and a new E-ticket ride in the Sub lagoon as a part of it. I doubt either of these attractions will be going down again for a long time.

The Haunted Mansion was closed for about three weeks for the Nightmare layover while the park was basically dead on weekdays (And the 2 hour lines winding down ROA and looted Nightmare Before Christmas stores seem to justify its work). IASW closed 2 weeks ago for its holiday layover, and it reopens this Friday. It's well worth it to me - the 2 hour line for Small World at Christmas also seems like justification.

I agree that the refurbs around 2003-2004 were excessive, when at one point, the Matterhorn (Annual refurb), Thunder (The accident), and Space (Overhaul) were all down at the same time, but this was after a long period of neglect by Pressler and Harriss. I'm sure MK will receive this sort of treatment soon if the management gets their heads together, and the payoff is well worth it. The seedy feeling that Disneyland had a few years ago is completely gone, and all of my casual-visitor friends who I have gone with in the past year have been blown away at how much better everything is.

Basically, as someone who has visited Disneyland every month for the past 6 or 7 years (When I lived in Norcal), and as someone who now goes every other week (I'm in college), I think the rehabs are very reasonable, and completely unnoticeable. THey payoff definitely outweighs the occasional missed experiences.

Thanks for reading a CA native's rant!

 

[TP2000]

Sorry this has nothing to do with the HM but I have to ask,

What was wrong with our space mountain?
That is the way the ride has always felt and rode.
It is 70's technology, but it has always run very well.

We are hoping it will receive an upgrade like yours, the onboard sound and music and lighting too but remember yours rusted away and had to be shut down, they had no choice. If ours were that bad we would get the upgrade faster too.

Disneyland's Space Mountain was closed in 2003 for a two year rehab/rebuild to replace the track. The track didn't "rust", it was developing stress fractures from the onboard audio that was added in 1996. That '96 rehab for Disneyland's Space Mountain happened 19 years after it opened, added new effects and onboard audio, and brought it out of the 70's and into the 90's. While the big '96 rehab was impressive aesthetically and the onboard audio was a big hit, it placed unseen stresses on the tracks and supports and it was closed 7 years later for engineering reasons, not because of "rust". The 2005 rehab introduced a dramatically superior onboard audio system, and brought the special effects and technology out of the 90's and into the 21st century.

WDW's Space Mountain opened in 1975 and hasn't been changed since, except for losing the RCA sponsorhip.

Disneyland's Space Mountain opened in 1977 and has had two different versions installed since then; the '96 rehab for onboard audio and cosmetics, and the '05 rehab for new onboard audio and new cosmetics. And there are three versions if you count the "Rockin' Space Mountain" they do for Grad Nite and they will do for regular park visitors beginning in January, 2007.

Paris' Space Mountain also received a similar upgrade and rebuild of the audio, special effects and cosmetics to the attraction last year. The Paris Space Mountain opened in 1994, and they are already on their second version.

Tokyo Disneyland's Space Mountain, which opened in 1983, is currently closed for many months to rebuild it and add the effects and onboard audio that Anaheim got in '05. The new Tokyo Disneyland Space Mountain opens in May, 2007 with a look, feel and sound that will be very similar to Anaheim's. Since it's Tokyo, it will probably be even better.

So the real question is, why has the oldest Space Mountain in the Disney empire continued to live in 1975, without even one major rethink of the theme or attempt at new technology and effects? :veryconfu

 

[marni1971]

WDW's Space Mountain opened in 1975 and hasn't been changed since, except for losing the RCA sponsorhip.

So the real question is, why has the oldest Space Mountain in the Disney empire continued to live in 1975, without even one major rethink of the theme or attempt at new technology and effects? :veryconfu

The actual ride itself has changed here and there; new cars debued in 1978, and the restraints were changed again in 1998. And.... er.... UV lighting on the lift hills was introduced with FedEx sponsorship.... er...

WDWs SM will get a fairly hefty overhaul soon. How soon? Don`t know. It`s been in the planning stage for at least 18 months. Now, if we get a mix of DLCs effects and some of the effects unique to Paris it`ll be superb. There is the perfect opportunity here to make a world-beater indoor rollercoaster; keep it at 28mph, but make the visuals so amazing it dosn`t matter. IMHO.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

The main info I provided came from not one but two inside higher ups that are heavily involved in WDW and DL. :

Did they tell you when it was being overlaid then? Or do your in depth conversations revolve solely around statistical analysis and demographic trends, human geography is such an interesting area. Did you discuss the term repeat guest, where one would imagine the term applies to a local going several times a year at DL and WDW where possibly it may just refer to a guest having visited more than once.

Disney sure has a lot of people high up, either that they must have a big circle of friends?


As to what type of person you are............. well I know you seem a little overly concerned by labelling, a case of “thou doth protest too much”. As for your recent admission, I don’t think you’ll get a lot of disagreement, but there does seem to be a youthful petulance in some of your replies, so don’t let old cynics like me wind you up. You do know it all, after all.
:wave:

 

[disnyfan89]

Did they tell you when it was being overlaid then?

Why yes if you read my first post I mentioned it quite clearly!

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Why yes if you read my first post I mentioned it quite clearly!

So the overelay is happening for next Halloween, or is this just a wish or a posting hijack, because having re read your post your initial implication is that it is a normal refurb, which no one has yet to disagree with.
Yet somewhere in the 15 pages of posting it has become a seasonal overlay.

 

[disnyfan89]

I guess I can give you that one since I never said a year but I did say the rehab would happen next may and open in time for the fall season of that year.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I guess I can give you that one since I never said a year but I did say the rehab would happen next may and open in time for the fall season of that year.

see my revised post above, cause I cant follow what is your hot ________ and what is thread drift because of other posts?

Humour an old man. It is a repair and restore job that you have intilay posted about ?

how can p ooo p be blocked?

 

[Main Street USA]

Did they tell you when it was being overlaid then? Or do your in depth conversations revolve solely around statistical analysis and demographic trends, human geography is such an interesting area. Did you discuss the term repeat guest, where one would imagine the term applies to a local going several times a year at DL and WDW where possibly it may just refer to a guest having visited more than once.

Disney sure has a lot of people high up, either that they must have a big circle of friends?


As to what type of person you are............. well I know you seem a little overly concerned by labelling, a case of “thou doth protest too much”. As for your recent admission, I don’t think you’ll get a lot of disagreement, but there does seem to be a youthful petulance in some of your replies, so don’t let old cynics like me wind you up. You do know it all, after all.
:wave:

Ha, yep. I know two "higher ups" in the company, as well.

One is an Imagineer (he drives a Monorail), and the other is on the Board of Directors (he used to be a tour guide on Living with the Land).

They both told me Haunted Mansion Holiday is coming to WDW! It MUST be true! Why wouldn't it come!? It's the most popular movie EVER! It's being shown in 3D right now! Everyone loves it! Most of the people who go to Disney in the offseason are Floridians! They all love it! It's the most amazing thing ever! I've had too much candy and am in for a huge letdown! Everyone is trying to tell me but I won't listen!

 

[disnyfan89]

see my revised post above, cause I cant follow what is your hot ________ and what is thread drift because of other posts?

Humour an old man. It is a repair and restore job that you have intilay posted about ?

how can p ooo p be blocked?

Yes I originally posted about it being a refurb. I didn't really want to mention HMH because I knew this thread would get out of hand like it did. The only hint I gave to HMH was the statement about a new resident. When some one asked me if I was talking about Jack I said they where right.

Ha, yep. I know two "higher ups" in the company, as well.

Main Street if you go back and read this thread you will see where I mentioned what my two Sources do at Disney. I rarely will throw out the word source on this forum. When I do I am serious about the information I am providing. I kindly ask you do not mock me.

 

[Main Street USA]

Main Street if you go back and read this thread you will see where I mentioned what my two Sources do at Disney. I rarely will throw out the word source on this forum. When I do I am serious about the information I am providing. I kindly ask you do not mock me.

The "no mocking" request is fair enough. I apologize.

My point is that simply typing that you knwo two higher ups, and even stating what they do within the company really doesn't mean anything in type. It's a common thing on a Disney Forum (well, this one anyway...I don't visit others) for people to say they "know" people.

The proof is in the pudding. So, if HMH comes to WDW, i'll issue a public apology to you like none that has ever been seen. Until then, I'l remain extremely doubtful.

 

[disnyfan89]

Fair Enough :wave: