Soooo... I'm home with jet lag, 27 hours of DV and 11 gigs of still images 
It was great meeting everyone we saw during our 2 crazy weeks in Orlando, and we had a blast. Some observations, with an attempt of listing them in some sort of order (although it`s 5pm, my body thinks it`s noon, and I`m missing half a day over the Atlantic)
Starting with the MK, and Main St since it is now virtually a mall, merchandise. Very bland, very generic. There were some high points (monorail T shirt, a few retro shirts) but even these were for sale all over property. Too little attraction specific material, far too much general logos that every store on property was selling.
The Jungle Cruise. It looked great!! The recent refurb was paying dividends. The AAs all looked wonderful, with some great movements. Kudos to Skipper Philip too :wave:
PotC: seems on the whole to have gotten over its glitches it had at the start of the month. Long lines moved quickly. AAs were all looking good, apart from one stuck chase turntable on Friday. Lots of mist in bombardment bay, and great canonball fx both from guns and from splashdowns. Skeleton lightning (both flash anim and strobe) was missing on Friday too. Audio levels were better balanced than October. Jack AAs still drawing good comments from guests.
Splash Mountain was in good shape. Bouncing Brer Rabbit was MIA all trip, though it was obvious it had been moved a few times. C'mon guys, get it together. It was a key scene of the show, and is sorely missed. That right turn is now lacking. Fox and Bear shadow projection was working, but faded. Some AAs mouths were stuck but on the whole the ride looked great. All Lauching Place jets were working, and the exterior drop jets were working perfectly. Drip drip. One ride we rode front and got soaked to the skin - not from the jets or spray, but from a bow wave after the drop tunnel as we turned right. Came right over the front of the log. Not a splash. More like a deluge.
Big Thundermountain - gorgeous. I assume the earthquake falling rocks are now deactivated? Shame. The gobo projection is good, but not as good. Apart from that it was superb. Station chimney was smoking. Station waterfalls were falling. Bat cave looked great in all its UV Glory. Lift one waterfall also had lots of steam. Tumbleweed looked great. Isobar was bailing water, the bathtub was spinning, the guns were shooting. And the geyser showscene area... wow! All geysers working, all ponds were bubbling. Plenty of mist effects - so much so that with no wind the queue switchback was filling with mist. Train fx were loud, and at night the attraction looked stunning - especially the geyser area and Tumbleweed.
The Haunted Mansion - still great post-rehab. Working full capacity twice the stretch rooms began stretching with the door still open, but I`d say this was more due to guests not going to the dead centre of the room quick enough (they can`t drag their bodies anymore). All endless corridor and corridor of doors audio was working, including some screams I`ve not heard in years. Stretch room 2`s exit whispers and bat fx were also working well and were quite loud. Constance was constantly (no pun intended) out of sync with her audio, sometimes painfully so. New hat boxes are now in the attic opposite her. Hmmmm. Graveyard was looking great apart from a new lighting splash on the opera ghosts scrim. I`m told it was meant to look eerie, but it looks like a misguided light hitting the (clearly visible) scrim.
Philharmagic was as good as ever, but the main screen is visibly creased. Needs a good iron!
Stictch was good, but the left theatres canons were just moving, not firing when they should have. Not too long ago this would have been a 101 since they are a major show element.
TTA - fine, and coping well with a full load during one of many big storms. Several times I heard the PA booming out for people to sit down. We got an E Stop (hurrah!) and finally experienced the WEDway travelling backwards
The CoP - playing to 2/3 full theatres. Still getting laughs, but fathers left eye in act 4 was stuck wide open. He looked scary. Forthcoming rehab should fix this.
Space Mountain - great fun. Projectors looked superb. Minor lighting elements on Alpha missing, and re-entry audio out of sync. The post show really needs the forthcoming upgrade, but whilst riding I thought I`m glad the layout will remain the same, I can`t wait to ride it with a super smooth track and audio. Had a big 101 during the previously mentioned storm, so we dived for the TTA and got 4 lights on ridethrus. Also got a 101 whlist documenting the queue area - a friendly CM took us through to the rear of Omegas load switchback to shoot a good 10-15 minutes of lights on footage
SpectroMagic - great. All elements worked, plenty of smoke. 3 Fairies were MIA one night, replaced by thermoplastic wing fairies. Cherbourg is still getting his wings stuck half way through the parade. The Lib Sq bridge is showing why it needs replacing. Plenty of gouge marks from the carousel float.
Wishes - stunning. Again. Ran at midnight one night due to storms. Thanks to a friend for a priceless insight into how the show works and a great view :wave:
Dream Along with Mickey - still dosn`t like the rain, but what stage show ever did? A great show, good pacing, with the best theme this side of DisneyMania. Arctic heads still playing up, several shows used static heads. BTW; during one really bad storm (the one that knocked out SM AND Buzz) the Galaxy Palace Theatre was opened with 8 dancers on stage entertaining soggy guests to a backing meledy. Nice touch.
Spaceship Earth - fantastic. After riding 9 times I have to say the ascent refurb was very well executed. Not one bit of show was untouched from cleaning, to lighting, to Animatronics.
Starting outside, the LED uplighting is great at night. It really enhances the nice new landscaping. The new signs look good shimmering from blue to cyan. Shame there is no purple. It would add a bit of warmth. They also need a good clean. Think birds. Load had its wall lighting fx off one day, they worked the next. The dawn of time projection looks good as one image on the screen as opposed to the previous montage, but is a bit dim, especially after the image capture flash.
The cave scene is a great enhancement of the original, like most of the ride. The changing paintings were a pleasant surprise, one of many little touches re-riding shows up. The Venitian boat movement was an example of didn`t-have-to-but-they-did-anyhow. Musicians and paperboy are all back, with full compliance limbs. Though they couldn`t squeeze these figures into the rehab schedule at least they wern`t forgotten. The paperboy now has his arms waving wildly, and though facing away from guests does look back over his shoulder. He also thankfully has his Cronkite-like higher pitched voice back too. The new scenes were well implemented, even if the computer lab is a little on the bright side. Which leads us into 180top.
The matrix tunnel effect was good, but misaimed. The right side of the tunnel was dark too often. The slats added at the tunnel end to kill light spill seemed out of place. And twice the projected image was bouncing onto the geos ceiling. The new earth is great, even if it does light up 180top a bit too much. The new starfield projector however... when seen from the entrance the effect is stunning. When looked at closer though you can see the actual projector above the core entrance. A bit of masking wouldn`t go amiss. And the repo setting... is this intentional or not? All of a sudden the stars would go into fast forward. A strangely pleasing effect, but one you do wonder if it is meant to happen.
The dimensional starfield is a clever effect (hi, window girl) but the descent does need finishing. Which I can state it isn`t. The famous triangles now go from the 180top star curtain all the way to the car-spin for unload, with 2 major pattern installations (one to the right, one overhead). The shapes are now UV lit from trackside darklight canons. Once the full effect is complete I feel the attraction will be even more of a draw for guests old and new. Yes, Guest Relations have received a LOT of complaints about the descent. Plans are in place to pluss this part of the attraction, both audio and visually, with Siemens eager to add a few things that will make old timers and new riders happy. Which brings me to the touchscreens... we loved them. Very clever, both technically and in execution. To have the option of seeing images on screen or in the descent tunnel would be perfect. We laughed out loud on our first ride watching the video. I heard several guest comments saying they liked the video too, but interestingly also how they wanted to see more outside the car too. A 95% complete stunning overhaul of a classic, and I`ll give a 9 out of 10 until it is finished. If all goes to plan it`ll get 11 out of 10.
Soarin' - dusty as hell. Not the building, the film. The Omnimax environment needs to be perfectly clean, but the fastpass rides projector needs sealing. Yes, airblasting does clean it out - but after the damage has been done to the experience. Unis Simpsons (awesome) can do it. Some of the specks of dirt and muck were appalling (as mutters from other guests will testify)
RoE - still great. Lasers looking good, but pyro timing has slipped in several key sections to be less of a distraction and more of poor show. One failed airlaunch shell in 5 shows. LCD screen no worse than last year. Major tech issues one night when all pavilions failed to have any show lighting - washes, strobes, rim lighting and searchlights all failed to operate. Oops! Skydance should make the show pristine again.
One final showcase note; the Am Ad was stunning. Minor show elements all in place. Shame the main projection sync sprocket is loose - the wobble was most noticable and really was a distraction in several show scenes. Oh; Slippery When Wet - a local band - get our vote for not only being an awesome Bon Jovi tribute, but also by greeting the crowds with "Hello EPCOT Center"!
Onto Disney`s Hollywood Studios (how much did it cost to change all the road signs?)
The park needs capacity help fast. Okay, it is July, but by mid morning the walkways were not pleasant. Pixar land, and more, should help and not a moment too soon.
Indy had a few tech issues with the plane not hitting its sensors properly. The show was restarted but it is always a jar in the storyline. Better safe than sorry. How long has the jeep not overturned for? Having not seen the show since 2001 it was conspicuous by its absence. LMA was playing to chocker-block full crowds. Nice to the see the jet skis that are missing in Paris, and other little changes to the original to keep the pace up.
That`s it for now. Part 2 will come when I can think straight.
It was great meeting everyone we saw during our 2 crazy weeks in Orlando, and we had a blast. Some observations, with an attempt of listing them in some sort of order (although it`s 5pm, my body thinks it`s noon, and I`m missing half a day over the Atlantic)
Starting with the MK, and Main St since it is now virtually a mall, merchandise. Very bland, very generic. There were some high points (monorail T shirt, a few retro shirts) but even these were for sale all over property. Too little attraction specific material, far too much general logos that every store on property was selling.
The Jungle Cruise. It looked great!! The recent refurb was paying dividends. The AAs all looked wonderful, with some great movements. Kudos to Skipper Philip too :wave:
PotC: seems on the whole to have gotten over its glitches it had at the start of the month. Long lines moved quickly. AAs were all looking good, apart from one stuck chase turntable on Friday. Lots of mist in bombardment bay, and great canonball fx both from guns and from splashdowns. Skeleton lightning (both flash anim and strobe) was missing on Friday too. Audio levels were better balanced than October. Jack AAs still drawing good comments from guests.
Splash Mountain was in good shape. Bouncing Brer Rabbit was MIA all trip, though it was obvious it had been moved a few times. C'mon guys, get it together. It was a key scene of the show, and is sorely missed. That right turn is now lacking. Fox and Bear shadow projection was working, but faded. Some AAs mouths were stuck but on the whole the ride looked great. All Lauching Place jets were working, and the exterior drop jets were working perfectly. Drip drip. One ride we rode front and got soaked to the skin - not from the jets or spray, but from a bow wave after the drop tunnel as we turned right. Came right over the front of the log. Not a splash. More like a deluge.
Big Thundermountain - gorgeous. I assume the earthquake falling rocks are now deactivated? Shame. The gobo projection is good, but not as good. Apart from that it was superb. Station chimney was smoking. Station waterfalls were falling. Bat cave looked great in all its UV Glory. Lift one waterfall also had lots of steam. Tumbleweed looked great. Isobar was bailing water, the bathtub was spinning, the guns were shooting. And the geyser showscene area... wow! All geysers working, all ponds were bubbling. Plenty of mist effects - so much so that with no wind the queue switchback was filling with mist. Train fx were loud, and at night the attraction looked stunning - especially the geyser area and Tumbleweed.
The Haunted Mansion - still great post-rehab. Working full capacity twice the stretch rooms began stretching with the door still open, but I`d say this was more due to guests not going to the dead centre of the room quick enough (they can`t drag their bodies anymore). All endless corridor and corridor of doors audio was working, including some screams I`ve not heard in years. Stretch room 2`s exit whispers and bat fx were also working well and were quite loud. Constance was constantly (no pun intended) out of sync with her audio, sometimes painfully so. New hat boxes are now in the attic opposite her. Hmmmm. Graveyard was looking great apart from a new lighting splash on the opera ghosts scrim. I`m told it was meant to look eerie, but it looks like a misguided light hitting the (clearly visible) scrim.
Philharmagic was as good as ever, but the main screen is visibly creased. Needs a good iron!
Stictch was good, but the left theatres canons were just moving, not firing when they should have. Not too long ago this would have been a 101 since they are a major show element.
TTA - fine, and coping well with a full load during one of many big storms. Several times I heard the PA booming out for people to sit down. We got an E Stop (hurrah!) and finally experienced the WEDway travelling backwards
The CoP - playing to 2/3 full theatres. Still getting laughs, but fathers left eye in act 4 was stuck wide open. He looked scary. Forthcoming rehab should fix this.
Space Mountain - great fun. Projectors looked superb. Minor lighting elements on Alpha missing, and re-entry audio out of sync. The post show really needs the forthcoming upgrade, but whilst riding I thought I`m glad the layout will remain the same, I can`t wait to ride it with a super smooth track and audio. Had a big 101 during the previously mentioned storm, so we dived for the TTA and got 4 lights on ridethrus. Also got a 101 whlist documenting the queue area - a friendly CM took us through to the rear of Omegas load switchback to shoot a good 10-15 minutes of lights on footage
SpectroMagic - great. All elements worked, plenty of smoke. 3 Fairies were MIA one night, replaced by thermoplastic wing fairies. Cherbourg is still getting his wings stuck half way through the parade. The Lib Sq bridge is showing why it needs replacing. Plenty of gouge marks from the carousel float.
Wishes - stunning. Again. Ran at midnight one night due to storms. Thanks to a friend for a priceless insight into how the show works and a great view :wave:
Dream Along with Mickey - still dosn`t like the rain, but what stage show ever did? A great show, good pacing, with the best theme this side of DisneyMania. Arctic heads still playing up, several shows used static heads. BTW; during one really bad storm (the one that knocked out SM AND Buzz) the Galaxy Palace Theatre was opened with 8 dancers on stage entertaining soggy guests to a backing meledy. Nice touch.
Spaceship Earth - fantastic. After riding 9 times I have to say the ascent refurb was very well executed. Not one bit of show was untouched from cleaning, to lighting, to Animatronics.
Starting outside, the LED uplighting is great at night. It really enhances the nice new landscaping. The new signs look good shimmering from blue to cyan. Shame there is no purple. It would add a bit of warmth. They also need a good clean. Think birds. Load had its wall lighting fx off one day, they worked the next. The dawn of time projection looks good as one image on the screen as opposed to the previous montage, but is a bit dim, especially after the image capture flash.
The cave scene is a great enhancement of the original, like most of the ride. The changing paintings were a pleasant surprise, one of many little touches re-riding shows up. The Venitian boat movement was an example of didn`t-have-to-but-they-did-anyhow. Musicians and paperboy are all back, with full compliance limbs. Though they couldn`t squeeze these figures into the rehab schedule at least they wern`t forgotten. The paperboy now has his arms waving wildly, and though facing away from guests does look back over his shoulder. He also thankfully has his Cronkite-like higher pitched voice back too. The new scenes were well implemented, even if the computer lab is a little on the bright side. Which leads us into 180top.
The matrix tunnel effect was good, but misaimed. The right side of the tunnel was dark too often. The slats added at the tunnel end to kill light spill seemed out of place. And twice the projected image was bouncing onto the geos ceiling. The new earth is great, even if it does light up 180top a bit too much. The new starfield projector however... when seen from the entrance the effect is stunning. When looked at closer though you can see the actual projector above the core entrance. A bit of masking wouldn`t go amiss. And the repo setting... is this intentional or not? All of a sudden the stars would go into fast forward. A strangely pleasing effect, but one you do wonder if it is meant to happen.
The dimensional starfield is a clever effect (hi, window girl) but the descent does need finishing. Which I can state it isn`t. The famous triangles now go from the 180top star curtain all the way to the car-spin for unload, with 2 major pattern installations (one to the right, one overhead). The shapes are now UV lit from trackside darklight canons. Once the full effect is complete I feel the attraction will be even more of a draw for guests old and new. Yes, Guest Relations have received a LOT of complaints about the descent. Plans are in place to pluss this part of the attraction, both audio and visually, with Siemens eager to add a few things that will make old timers and new riders happy. Which brings me to the touchscreens... we loved them. Very clever, both technically and in execution. To have the option of seeing images on screen or in the descent tunnel would be perfect. We laughed out loud on our first ride watching the video. I heard several guest comments saying they liked the video too, but interestingly also how they wanted to see more outside the car too. A 95% complete stunning overhaul of a classic, and I`ll give a 9 out of 10 until it is finished. If all goes to plan it`ll get 11 out of 10.
Soarin' - dusty as hell. Not the building, the film. The Omnimax environment needs to be perfectly clean, but the fastpass rides projector needs sealing. Yes, airblasting does clean it out - but after the damage has been done to the experience. Unis Simpsons (awesome) can do it. Some of the specks of dirt and muck were appalling (as mutters from other guests will testify)
RoE - still great. Lasers looking good, but pyro timing has slipped in several key sections to be less of a distraction and more of poor show. One failed airlaunch shell in 5 shows. LCD screen no worse than last year. Major tech issues one night when all pavilions failed to have any show lighting - washes, strobes, rim lighting and searchlights all failed to operate. Oops! Skydance should make the show pristine again.
One final showcase note; the Am Ad was stunning. Minor show elements all in place. Shame the main projection sync sprocket is loose - the wobble was most noticable and really was a distraction in several show scenes. Oh; Slippery When Wet - a local band - get our vote for not only being an awesome Bon Jovi tribute, but also by greeting the crowds with "Hello EPCOT Center"!
Onto Disney`s Hollywood Studios (how much did it cost to change all the road signs?)
The park needs capacity help fast. Okay, it is July, but by mid morning the walkways were not pleasant. Pixar land, and more, should help and not a moment too soon.
Indy had a few tech issues with the plane not hitting its sensors properly. The show was restarted but it is always a jar in the storyline. Better safe than sorry. How long has the jeep not overturned for? Having not seen the show since 2001 it was conspicuous by its absence. LMA was playing to chocker-block full crowds. Nice to the see the jet skis that are missing in Paris, and other little changes to the original to keep the pace up.
That`s it for now. Part 2 will come when I can think straight.
