More Project Gemini News

[wanabeimagineer]

Apart from any structural damages it would cause, I think it would also just be horrible to put holes in SE with track coming out. Spaceship Earth is an engineering marvel in the way its built and just the sheer beauty of it. To change it would be the same as just spray-painting on it. This is how I feel about that stupid Epcot sign too, I think it greatly takes away from the marvel.

 

[SewIn2Disney]

I'm a little confused...they're not taking down the actual spaceship earth "golf ball" are they? or are they just fixing up the already existing ride?

 

[General Grizz]

No, the sphere housing Spaceship Earth (not a golf ball!! :brick: :hammer: :lol: ) will not be altered significantly. Only the ride inside, I believe!!

 

[Fievel]

I called it flaming because you told us all to quit whining and complaining. Something like that does nothing to help an adult discussion.


While I agree, and see now, how you could keep light out of the inside of the sphere, I have to ask if it'd really be worth it. Then you have to create areas that take up even more room just so that you can keep the inside dark.


While I agree that this ride has little to do with SE, I don't go running around telling people to quit whining. If I have a good, thoughtful reason why people might be overreacting, I'll point it out in a tactful manner. Not with insults.

 

[Fievel]

Originally posted by AndyMagic
Thanks Dreamer. I do agree that they are fun until people get a little carried away based only on speculation.

If you're gonna get frustrated every time people get carried away with speculation, you're going to be very frustrated almost every day on a Disney message board.

 

[jmarc63]

Originally posted by SewIn2Disney
I'm a little confused...they're not taking down the actual spaceship earth "golf ball" are they? or are they just fixing up the already existing ride?

I dont belive that in this rumor that Disney is going to remove the structure. The SE structure is the icon for Epcot. I think they are intending to modify the interior attraction

 

[AndyMagic]

Fievel, I would really appreciate it if you didn't make things up. My post was NOT a flame and if you read the entire post, you would understand that it was a perfectly well thought out observation. It's one thing to speculate, it is another to pretend certain things are true (Like Time Racers being a thrill ride) It really seems like you are the one doing the flaming now.

 

[leeocean]

About WS being open at night for free...it would never happen. Disney would never give free park admission.

 

[Fievel]

Originally posted by AndyMagic
Fievel, I would really appreciate it if you didn't make things up. My post was NOT a flame and if you read the entire post, you would understand that it was a perfectly well thought out observation. It's one thing to speculate, it is another to pretend certain things are true (Like Time Racers being a thrill ride) It really seems like you are the one doing the flaming now.

Exactly what am I making up? Did you or did you not tell us all to quit whining and griping about this?

I, for one, found the post a bit insulting. You may not have meant it that way, but that's the way it came across, even if dreamer agrees with you. If I was insulted, I'm sure I'm not the only one.


"Stop complaining about this thrill ride with a different theme that you all just made up to find something to moan about."

This is the comment I am talking about. You are acting like we made this up just because we really like complaining. I just threw you a warning that I took it as a flame, and that if it wasn't meant as such, to be a little more careful with your wording in the future.....


I have no problem with you personally, I just wanted to help you out quick because to me it sounded a bit edgy and mean. That's all....I didn't mean for it to turn into this.


Ask any of the long-standing members here. When I'm mad at you - you'll know.

 

[MKCustodial]

Originally posted by dreamer
I hope Disney architects were smart enough to design "the ball" to be independent of an interior ride structure that they should have known would some day become obsolete.

That's exactly my point: they DIDN'T. NOBODY builds something thinking it'll be destroyed some day. THAT wouldn't have been very smart...

 

[mocfan]

I don't know it this is even possible, but I'm throwing it our for DISCUSSION

Is it possible to send something into the sphere from underground so it isn't visible to the public?

 

[Moustronaut]

If they made WS free admission, how would people get to it?

The international gateway is very small, less than a third of the size of the main enterance and probably couldn't handle the traffic of a entire free park entrance.

Plus it lacks space for parking and bus access... I mean they'd have to tear down Beach Club or the UK pavilion just to make room for the bus stop. And maybe even relocate the canal from the WS lagoon to Cresent Lake.

I suppose they could build a gate between China and Germany, but looking at aireal site pictures, there's not a lot of room there either.

Where else could they put it?

 

[MKCustodial]

Originally posted by mocfan
I don't know it this is even possible, but I'm throwing it our for DISCUSSION

Is it possible to send something into the sphere from underground so it isn't visible to the public?

I wouldn't think so... The sphere itself doesn't touch the ground, and aren't the pillars solid?

 

[jmarc63]

Originally posted by MKCustodial
I wouldn't think so... The sphere itself doesn't touch the ground, and aren't the pillars solid?

MK, no the pillars that support the structure are not solid. the support pillars are accually a steel frame with crisscross supports for strength, ontop of the frame is applied stone facia to make it appear solid. Look at the attached Photo.

 

[figment99]

Maybe I was wrong to jump to conclusions myself about the nature of this rumor. The source seems credible, and most people would agree (although it's likely it won't be as extensive a renovation as we think). I'm guessing that it will be more like a "Journey into your Imagination" rehab than anything, with a complete overhaul of the omnimover system and a similar theme, but with different scenes and a different track layout.

I do think though that the "outside" track rumor is still baloney, along with the rumor that WS is going out of the theme park and into the public, similar to Boardwalk.

Now let us hope that they don't screw this one up like they did JiI *fingers crossed*

 

[MKCustodial]

Originally posted by jmarc63
MK, no the pillars that support the structure are not solid. the support pillars are accually a steel frame with crisscross supports for strength, ontop of the frame is applied stone facia to make it appear solid. Look at the attached Photo.

Thanks, Jmarc. And GREAT pic, by the way.

Anyway, by what you described, nothing can go THROUGH them. So there's no connection to the ground besides the loading/unloading area, right?

 

[garyhoov]

Great photo jmarc!!! That really shows what they have to work with. They can "gut" the ride and still maintain that broad ramp for a very wide variety of potential rides systems.

It is probably possible to have cars zig-zag across that surface and swivel for potentially much different effects than the current ride without changing the structure.

"Gutting" the ride won't leave an empty sphere, but rather it will leave a ramp winding through a sphere with very diverse possibilities for people with some imagination. It was probably designed to be able to handle different types of ride systems.

The building's not really all that different from something like "Take Flight/Buzz Lightyear". The same floor space can be converted into very different rides. This floor space just happens to follow an upward spiral.

 

[jmarc63]

Originally posted by MKCustodial
Thanks, Jmarc. And GREAT pic, by the way.

Anyway, by what you described, nothing can go THROUGH them. So there's no connection to the ground besides the loading/unloading area, right?

It appears so, the Omnimover queqe and load/unload station is on ground level in the structure on the south side of the sphere. There is a ramp that takes the track into the under side of the sphere. If they were to do anything with extending the track outside of the original configuration into the sphere they would have to demolish the Queqe and load/unload area to change the start/end of the new attraction. I seriously doubt that this would occur, But who knows???

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Originally posted by garyhoov
Great photo jmarc!!! That really shows what they have to work with. They can "gut" the ride and still maintain that broad ramp for a very wide variety of potential rides systems.

It is probably possible to have cars zig-zag across that surface and swivel for potentially much different effects than the current ride without changing the structure.

"Gutting" the ride won't leave an empty sphere, but rather it will leave a ramp winding through a sphere with very diverse possibilities for people with some imagination. It was probably designed to be able to handle different types of ride systems.

The building's not really all that different from something like "Take Flight/Buzz Lightyear". The same floor space can be converted into very different rides. This floor space just happens to follow an upward spiral.

Exactly...but if you notice...the "ramps" or "floor space" is connected to the outside structure...(and it helped with the formation of the "ball" because it supported it in a way)

The ramps/floor space can not change (and I know that's what you are getting at Gary) without MAJOR structural engineering.

 

[WDWGarden]

The photo made me think of this idea...what if the new attraction traveled the opposite direction of the current ride. You could begin by traveling up the center and then move down that wide spiral, possibly using gravity to produce some more dynamic, but not necessarily fast or thrilling, movements as you travel.

On the topic of the underground launch...if the "Global Neighborhood" were eliminated (PLEASE!) a track could start in or below that area and launch into SSE. Just a though...