After three weeks in Orlando and meeting a lot of good friends old and new, I've returned with plenty of bits n pieces for anyone so inclined to read. I'll keep it current so not have it relegated to trip reporting, will post things as I saw them, and keep in mind anything proposed is where things stand as of now. I also apologise for whats been covered already.
The MK Monorail station was testing a new park closing boarding system. As well as the usual express ramp with switchbacks at the bottom plaza, they were entering guests up one side of the exit ramp and had switchbacks on the unload platform too. One end of the trains loaded as usual, the other end from the centre platform. A bit chaotic and surely to cram more people into waiting lines as posed to have them stood outside the turnstiles since train capacity is the same.
Main Sts. new curbing plan has ground to a halt. It seems due to unforeseen construction issues the kerbs may mostly be left intact after all.
The hubs redesign and additional paving / pathways plan is moving forward. Survey markers litter the flower beds and lawns in the NW corner.
The JC project continues forward. Don't expect anything new. This is purely a full on refurb with the canal drained and all AAs removed for an overhaul.
Pirates.... dear oh dear. Starting outside the insistence that FP+ has one of the two queues means standby (really. On PotC. Standby) frequently fills the exterior switchbacks, new interior switchbacks and the entire queue area whilst the other side is empty save for maybe a dozen guests at merge. Welcome to the future. The attraction itself... AAs that dont sing, a mist projection that is beyond a joke now its so unclear, LED uplighting thats plain to see, mermaids that aren't, and the new fleet of boats that continue to fill with water, leading to cascades at unload as CMs have to mop each boat before sending them up to load. Anyone say holey new boat fleet?
Strollers are becoming a real eyesore in the park. Overflowing stroller parks... outside the CP, Tiki room, HoP and all over fantasyland in particular. Seriously when I was a lad...
Tiki room - playing to at least half full crowds consistently. Figures and figures arms continue to be removed and replaced. One set of birds was static... the following day they were working. Kudos to 3rd shift.
Splash Mountain.... excellent. It looked great again. One or two AAs missing for I presume work, no fountain jets in front of the boat path, and the final lift audio needs fixing (no music after vultures) but it shows what still can be done.
BTM... how hard is it to create an earthquake effect? The show scene has lost all its impact now. Use light and shadow effects to suggest the rocks are moving back and forth. Project a decent image at the top of the lift instead of the fuzzy bee swarm. And get the lanterns shaking again. Two of the rainbow pools were finally working (yay) but bathtub man and his tub was MIA.
The HM.... still good, saw the B mode finale mirror where the ghosts just float above the doom buggies on white screens. How long has the final vulture in the graveyard been missing for? But outside... the queue is a mess. No switchbacks under the canopy means herds of guests are forced to squeeze up en mass, leading to pushing, shoving and line jumping. A disaster waiting to happen.
Tangled toilets look nice from outside. Iasw seriously needs a facade to match now. Speaking of iasw... the ceiling. Not only are all the lighting grates clearly visible, the work lights were all switched on giving a great view in each room of the entire roof support, AC piping, catwalks, everything.
The mine train is still coming next year (the butt of many jokes from locals) the the expansion area looks nice still.
Tomorrowland.... needs help. The TTA is filthy, still silent in Space Mountain, and still has nothing to see whatsoever inside the gravity building. Space Mountain itself is still flawed by the butchered refurb, the music is mostly inaudible, and quite a few star projectors were either jammed or failed. For 3 weeks. The CoP played to half full theatres on all our visits, but the eyesore stage outside had its PA so loud that scenes 3 and 4 were ruined by cheesy pop music from outside. Complaining to a manager seems to have fixed it there and then but for how long? Simply awful. It totally ruins the ambiance and atmosphere of the land. The Buzz A100 in the queue is still MIA too.
MNSSHP... cheaper. No treat trail decor. Less Main St lighting. Not as atmospheric as previous years overall.
The MK Monorail station was testing a new park closing boarding system. As well as the usual express ramp with switchbacks at the bottom plaza, they were entering guests up one side of the exit ramp and had switchbacks on the unload platform too. One end of the trains loaded as usual, the other end from the centre platform. A bit chaotic and surely to cram more people into waiting lines as posed to have them stood outside the turnstiles since train capacity is the same.
Main Sts. new curbing plan has ground to a halt. It seems due to unforeseen construction issues the kerbs may mostly be left intact after all.
The hubs redesign and additional paving / pathways plan is moving forward. Survey markers litter the flower beds and lawns in the NW corner.
The JC project continues forward. Don't expect anything new. This is purely a full on refurb with the canal drained and all AAs removed for an overhaul.
Pirates.... dear oh dear. Starting outside the insistence that FP+ has one of the two queues means standby (really. On PotC. Standby) frequently fills the exterior switchbacks, new interior switchbacks and the entire queue area whilst the other side is empty save for maybe a dozen guests at merge. Welcome to the future. The attraction itself... AAs that dont sing, a mist projection that is beyond a joke now its so unclear, LED uplighting thats plain to see, mermaids that aren't, and the new fleet of boats that continue to fill with water, leading to cascades at unload as CMs have to mop each boat before sending them up to load. Anyone say holey new boat fleet?
Strollers are becoming a real eyesore in the park. Overflowing stroller parks... outside the CP, Tiki room, HoP and all over fantasyland in particular. Seriously when I was a lad...
Tiki room - playing to at least half full crowds consistently. Figures and figures arms continue to be removed and replaced. One set of birds was static... the following day they were working. Kudos to 3rd shift.
Splash Mountain.... excellent. It looked great again. One or two AAs missing for I presume work, no fountain jets in front of the boat path, and the final lift audio needs fixing (no music after vultures) but it shows what still can be done.
BTM... how hard is it to create an earthquake effect? The show scene has lost all its impact now. Use light and shadow effects to suggest the rocks are moving back and forth. Project a decent image at the top of the lift instead of the fuzzy bee swarm. And get the lanterns shaking again. Two of the rainbow pools were finally working (yay) but bathtub man and his tub was MIA.
The HM.... still good, saw the B mode finale mirror where the ghosts just float above the doom buggies on white screens. How long has the final vulture in the graveyard been missing for? But outside... the queue is a mess. No switchbacks under the canopy means herds of guests are forced to squeeze up en mass, leading to pushing, shoving and line jumping. A disaster waiting to happen.
Tangled toilets look nice from outside. Iasw seriously needs a facade to match now. Speaking of iasw... the ceiling. Not only are all the lighting grates clearly visible, the work lights were all switched on giving a great view in each room of the entire roof support, AC piping, catwalks, everything.
The mine train is still coming next year (the butt of many jokes from locals) the the expansion area looks nice still.
Tomorrowland.... needs help. The TTA is filthy, still silent in Space Mountain, and still has nothing to see whatsoever inside the gravity building. Space Mountain itself is still flawed by the butchered refurb, the music is mostly inaudible, and quite a few star projectors were either jammed or failed. For 3 weeks. The CoP played to half full theatres on all our visits, but the eyesore stage outside had its PA so loud that scenes 3 and 4 were ruined by cheesy pop music from outside. Complaining to a manager seems to have fixed it there and then but for how long? Simply awful. It totally ruins the ambiance and atmosphere of the land. The Buzz A100 in the queue is still MIA too.
MNSSHP... cheaper. No treat trail decor. Less Main St lighting. Not as atmospheric as previous years overall.
