It's official: Wand is GONE !!!!

[Mansion Butler]

I wish the controls on Mission Space actualy did something. The first time I rode it I was the pilot. I was trying very hard to fly correctly, the same as I do on my flight simulator computer games with the joystick.

Then I found out that the controls will take care of themselves no matter what you do.

It would be good if they could at least let you partially contol some things, like maybe, letting the Pilot go off course a little and then saying 'Warning- autopilot is taking over now.', or something like that.
That would make people maybe want to ride it repeatedly, or at least more than once per EPCOT visit.

They obvisously couldn't let the guests run amuck with the controls but some degree of actually being in charge would be nice.

Agreed And shoddy maintenance makes it even worse. The joystick is supposed to have a force-feedback mechanism that lets you feel like you're steering, even though you're not. It makes it more difficult to steer the way you want to to get the craft to go where it should. However, I've only had a working joystick twice.

That's exactly as many times as I've had a pink screen. In the Kingdom we close rides for things like that.

 

[MrNonacho]

A ride that cost as much money as M:S shouldn't be walk-on during the busiest days with only two of four systems running.

Completely agreed. Fortunately, M:S itself is not one of those rides.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I agree with the maintenance issues with Mission: SPACE--I, too, have had a pink screen before and it REALLY detracts...and the joysticks almost never work. It's just a poorly-executed ride, but I love the ride system. It has tremendous potential. However, to suggest it is walk-on on the busiest days is nonsense. My experience has been that toward busy seasons (like now), it tends to have 40 to 50 minute stand-by wait times. Same as the Tower of Terror. Is the ToT a waste, as well? Or does it just have an enormous hourly capacity like Mission: Space?

 

[Mansion Butler]

Completely agreed. Fortunately, M:S itself is not one of those rides.

If things have drastically changed in the last 6 months, I'll be surprised.

 

[Mansion Butler]

I love the ride system. It has tremendous potential.

Agreed.

However, to suggest it is walk-on on the busiest days is nonsense. My experience has been that toward busy seasons (like now), it tends to have 40 to 50 minute stand-by wait times.

Not nonsense at all. With a year and a half of going to Epcot on its busiest days, I've never waited more than 5 minutes, only seen more than two systems open a couple times (my roommate said they had that for a couple hours a week during busy seasons), and I've only seen waits of 30 or more minutes a few times. My friend estimates they've opened the extended queue ONCE in the last ten years and they never, ever reach 4-show OHRC.

Same as the Tower of Terror. Is the ToT a waste, as well? Or does it just have an enormous hourly capacity like Mission: Space?

Tower is only that longe on the busiest of days, but even then, it does have lower capacity. A much larger percentage of park guests ride Tower, as well.



I had a roommate who worked in tower, a neighbor who works at M:S and a friend who transfered there for how easy it is.

 

[MrNonacho]

If things have drastically changed in the last 6 months, I'll be surprised.

As someone who's there 5-6 days a week, I can assure you that we do build up quite a wait time. And we hardly EVER (if we can help it) run only two bays. We'll only drop to three after 5:30 or 6, and that's on slower days.

I'm sorry your screen was acting up. It's rare, but with 160 of them it does happen occasionally. The only way the CMs find out about it is when you tell us, and once we do the capsule will be disabled for the day. As for the control sticks.... well, they just suck. The mechanisms in the sticks do break often, but sometimes the morning maintenance guys will actually forget to turn on the computers that control them. It won't be until one of the 2nd shift guys does his checks in the afternoons that they will be.

We've been opening the entire queue pretty much daily for weeks now, and we still need additional stanchions for the crowds. Your friend's information is very wrong.

 

[mousermerf]

Normal split at M:S is 20/40. Sometimes it does 10/20 but during peak of day it's running 30/60 or higher. Green is usually half of orange.

 

[Enigma]

hey some great news.. Now tell me that they are going to start re digging the lagoon for 20 k and we REALLY WILL HAVE SOME THING TO CELEBRATE..

BRING BACK THE SUBS...

They just did bring back the subs!....
....at Disneyland

 

[ToTBellHop]

Normal split at M:S is 20/40. Sometimes it does 10/20 but during peak of day it's running 30/60 or higher. Green is usually half of orange.

what do these numbers mean for those of us not up on the terminology?

 

[fyn]

green v. orange wait times?

 

[Eyorefan]

However, as much as I love Soarin', I fail to see what flying over California has to do with the Land, or anything Epcot period.

Uhm... I think it fits. Let's see you are flying over California which, last time I checked is full of LAND. It shows you Mountains (land) the Beach (land) Orange trees (land) other stuff that I don't remember, but it's all LAND and LAND attraction if I have ever seen one no matter where it was first built.

 

[Mansion Butler]

Uhm... I think it fits. Let's see you are flying over California which, last time I checked is full of LAND. It shows you Mountains (land) the Beach (land) Orange trees (land) other stuff that I don't remember, but it's all LAND and LAND attraction if I have ever seen one no matter where it was first built.

And San Francisco, LA, San Diego, jets and golf courses?

It's not a celebration of the land, it's a celebration of a state across the country, landing in a completely different theme park in a completely different resort. I mean, just think about the theme. How did you arrive in California? Why are you in California? Why are you landign in Disneyland? Of course the only actual answer to these questions is that it's a ride from California about California that just happened to be ported to Florida.

It's the best place for it, and it's a great ride, but it doesn't fit and - post 50th - it's just a cheap port. Hopefull they'll do something great with the ride system that fits a little better and they can find someone living who can produce such extraordinary music.

 

[kucarachi]

just asking

Why is everyone so happy the wand is coming down? I know it didnt really fit into the futuristic theme of epcot, but its flashy, distinctive, and i know all of you have taken a picture there at least once if not every time you go! I dont know if they are replacing it with anything but why not project on the geosphere the words epcot or have an hourly show of cool lighting effects on the ol' titalist.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Why is everyone so happy the wand is coming down? I know it didnt really fit into the futuristic theme of epcot, but its flashy, distinctive, and i know all of you have taken a picture there at least once if not every time you go! I dont know if they are replacing it with anything but why not project on the geosphere the words epcot or have an hourly show of cool lighting effects on the ol' titalist.

Spaceship Earth isn't flashy and distinctive? People don't take pics of it every time they see it?

 

[palmage]

Wow!!!
Just saw a TV news story about the wand coming down.

 

[beachclubbasics]

Will it possibly be mostly down by the time I arrive (8/1/07?). My kids were crushed to hear this..they love the wand. Then agian, they've never seen SSe without it.

My oldest (26) is the only one who has seen it both ways. He says a sure sign of the apocolypse will be when a huge golf club descends from the sky and hits SSE for a hole in one in Bay Lake or Seven Seas Lagoon.

 

[Enigma]

Why is everyone so happy the wand is coming down? I know it didnt really fit into the futuristic theme of epcot, but its flashy, distinctive, and i know all of you have taken a picture there at least once if not every time you go!.

um I haven't

 

[justducky78]

OH MY GOSH!!!!! :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

I haven't been on here in a couple weeks because I hurt my neck and I've been in therapy and focusing on getting better...but when I came on here today and read this, I just can't believe it. It's the best news - I thought they would never get rid of that ugly wand! Yay!

 

[fyn]

Why is everyone so happy the wand is coming down? I know it didnt really fit into the futuristic theme of epcot, but its flashy, distinctive, and i know all of you have taken a picture there at least once if not every time you go! I dont know if they are replacing it with anything but why not project on the geosphere the words epcot or have an hourly show of cool lighting effects on the ol' titalist.

I take pictures of SSE in spite of the wand being there, not because of it.

To quote my friend on our last trip: "It looks like SSE crushed Mickey. You can see his arm and wand sticking up from the ground, trying to get one last spell off to lift the sphere. It's too bad his hat landed all the way in MGM."

 

[CThaddeus]

Why is everyone so happy the wand is coming down? I know it didnt really fit into the futuristic theme of epcot, but its flashy, distinctive, and i know all of you have taken a picture there at least once if not every time you go! I dont know if they are replacing it with anything but why not project on the geosphere the words epcot or have an hourly show of cool lighting effects on the ol' titalist.

I've also taken pictures of that dumb Hat, but it doesn't mean I want it there. I'm just a Disney geek, and a self-proclaimed Park historian, so I take pictures and video everything, no matter how much I don't like it. And I have tried to take pictures of Spaceship Earth without the Wand, Arm, Scaffolding, and Stars appearing. It's almost impossible, unless you take an undershot on the right side if you're heading into the Park. But any kind of shot of the whole sphere forces you to pretty much get stuck with some of that ugly thing in it. Photoshop can only do so much. I'm glad Disney is finally doing the rest.
And why do people NEED to be told they're at Epcot? Did they not see the signs as they came in? Are they not seeing merchandise everywhere with that name on it? Didn't they pick up a map when they got there? It's really just too redundant and kind of insulting to the intelligence. And since it's actually Spaceship Earth (sponsored by SIEMENS, a Sylvania company), shouldn't that be the name projected, anyway? But why bother? There's a sign in front of it saying what it is, too.