Quick notes from 11/9-11/13

[pax_65]

Nice recap and observations. I was there 11/10-11/15, staying at Saratoga Springs. Our resort was also immaculate, cast members were awesome. A few random thoughts to add to your recap:

While we're on the subject of the film at Soarin' (which I agree with, at one point you can actually see scratches in the film), I would also point out the films shown at the conclusion of the Great Movie Ride. Since many of the more recent movies have been released in HD, surely they could upgrade this. I actually thought they had upgraded to digital a few years back, but apparently not.

You forgot to mention how crowded the week of 11/5-11/12 was. Three major factors in play, in order of importance: NJ Teachers' convention (NJ schools out), last week of Food and Wine, and events at Universal for the release of the final Harry Potter film on DVD brought crowds to the area. I noticed a significant drop in the crowds on 11/13.

Agreed on Food & Wine. I didn't see drunks this trip either, which was good - since I was one who reported seeing that previously. I thought the food was good and they had a nice beer selection (although I could offer some suggestions).

In general I thought the rest of the attractions I rode were in good condition (I didn't ride Splash though). I spend a lot of time complaining on these boards (the Yeti frustrates me to no end) but I was really impressed with the condition of the attraction and mostly by the spirit and courtesy of the cast members I encountered on this trip.

The magic lives on...

 

[ScoutN]

Maybe it was just me, but I did not even scent the orange grove. I asked my wife and she said the same thing. Maybe just a one time bad luck thing?

It was there in Feb, May, and June. I have a feeling the canisters could need switched every now and then, though. My beloved Pine scent was functioning as well. Oh how I love the AT hikes in early Fall and early Spring.

 

[COProgressFan]

Wow, Epcot really gets screwed over when it comes to maintenance, doesn't it?

You should see the MK! :hammer:

 

[Hobnail Boot]

You were practically my neighbor at OKW. I was in building 38 from 11/11-13

As was I. Crazy.

 

[prberk]

Shouldn't the Soarin' fix simply be a new print? (At least without major refurb to go to digital.) That should be easy for a movie company like Disney which does film distribution every week...

 

[invader]

That's odd that you say that about 11/11. I was there also but hardly noticed any lines for rides, only things that were semi-crowded was the 7pm switch and of course, the parades.

 

[Monorail Lime]

Shouldn't the Soarin' fix simply be a new print? (At least without major refurb to go to digital.) That should be easy for a movie company like Disney which does film distribution every week...

Soarin's problem is the projector, not the film. The projector was designed with a special system intended to keep the film gate clear of hair and dust by overlaying the actual print with a higher-speed clear layer. This system works great at Disneyland but the Epcot installation has unfortunately always been plagued with issues. Cleaning the print (which they do from time to time) only provides a temporary improvement.

Digital projection technology is not yet capable of IMAX HD resolutions. Perhaps in a few years.

 

[TomHendricks]

I'm okay with that.

Sorry to say, but, you are going to be waiting for a very long time.

 

[pax_65]

That's odd that you say that about 11/11. I was there also but hardly noticed any lines for rides, only things that were semi-crowded was the 7pm switch and of course, the parades.

Maybe we just picked the wrong parks that day. We went to the Studios which was very crowded. An hour after opening, Toy Story was well over an hour (with a 20-minute line to get FPs!) and Tower of Terror was over 45 minutes. We rode Star Tours (which surprisingly was only about 20 minutes) and then Great Movie Ride (waited close to 45 minutes). We got FPs for Toy Story for later in the day and then walked to Epcot for lunch at Food and Wine (as you'll see, we enjoy walking!). World Showcase was very crowded for midday because of Food and Wine (last weekend of it!). But we really enjoyed ourselves - sampling food and beers. We walked back to the studios, stopping at Big River Brew Works for another beer sampler which was really good (didn't want to dehydrate from all that walking lol).

Finally made it back to ride Toy Story, and did an afternoon Idol show too, which was the most crowded I've ever seen a non-finale show - easily 3/4 full. (Compared to the 14th when we did the finale show and it was only about about 1/6 full).

We drove to our room at Saratoga and then walked to Downtown Disney for dinner... and found that to be an absolute madhouse. I'm glad we walked there, because the parking lots had to be almost entirely full.

On the 12th we went to Epcot in the morning shortly after opening and ended up parking in a far-off lot (Explore I think). Epcot was very busy throughout the weekend because of the end of Food and Wine. In contrast, we went at about the same time on the 15th, parked near the entrance and went on Soarin' with only a 20-minute wait. What a difference a few days makes!

 

[Eastsider05]

That's odd that you say that about 11/11. I was there also but hardly noticed any lines for rides, only things that were semi-crowded was the 7pm switch and of course, the parades.

Sunday's party was far from sold out.

While the lines at the treat locations and the crowds on Main street for the first parade may seam crowded. Go anywhere else and the park is almost empty.

 

[WDWfanboy]

I was there in early June and the Soarin film was in bad shape then. Same with Splash and Big Thunder. Big Thunder will be getting some TLC soon-Splash really needs it too but there's no chance they'll be rehabbed at the same time.

Anyone know if they fixed the Swedish Chef in Muppets 3D?

 

[pax_65]

Another funny comment about 11/11... we had stopped at Big River Grille and Brew Works on our way from the Studios to Epcot around 11:30, but they weren't open yet. We found out later, they had to delay their opening because they were awaiting food shipments. The trucks were held up because of all the weddings taking place on the grounds around Boardwalk - couples getting married at 11:11 on 11/11/11.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I was there 11/10-11/15 and would like to throw in a few comments as well. MVMCP crowds on 11/11 were AWFUL!! The place was so packed! I know they don't allow as many people in as they do during a regular day but it was still so busy. We didn't even get to half of what we wanted to do. As fun as it was, I don't think we will be doing it again. For $52 it wasn't worth it.

The parks were very crowded on Friday and Saturday (Epcot especially, no doubt because of the F&W Festival) but the crowds dropped off significantly Sunday-Tuesday. Even a CM by Mexico in WS commented to another CM it was like walking through a ghost town now.

The parks looked great, the decorations were fabulous. The decorations at our resort Wilderness Lodge went up overnight when we were there so that was really neat. We woke up one AM and there they were. Other than Friday and Saturday night when it was chilly, the weather was great. Definitely a great time to go.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I was there in early June and the Soarin film was in bad shape then. Same with Splash and Big Thunder. Big Thunder will be getting some TLC soon-Splash really needs it too but there's no chance they'll be rehabbed at the same time.

Anyone know if they fixed the Swedish Chef in Muppets 3D?

Everything in Muppets was working... the Penguins, the chef... it looked good.

I definitely noticed some things in Splash that need fixing (no jumping water, the audio on Brear Fox right before the second drop wasnt working, etc..)

 

[xdan0920]

A handful of other things I neglected to mention in my original post.

- Ran into some dorks on the ToT who decided to break out the gift shop line. I told them they were dorks, my wife reprimanded me for yelling at them, we went on with our day. But god do I hate that. Furthermore, said dorks were using their smart phones throughout the entire pre-show video.

- The Blackbeard projection on pirates is very bad. Poor sound and video quality.

- JellyRolls was predictably outstanding on Thursday night. I can not get enough of that place. Every time I see Scotty(tall, thin, glasses) play I am blown away. The guy is outrageously talented. If you have never been to JellyRolls, do yourself a favor and carve out some time there on your next trip.

- Finally saw the Festival of the Lion King at AK. Holy cow, have we been missing out. I am not sure why we hadn't taken the time to see it before. I suppose it's because of the location. This is now on the must do list for next years trip.

- Saw countless people insisting on feeding the birds. What a bunch of empty headed bleeps. Worst offenders were near the turkey leg cart in AK right outside of DinoLand. Feeding the birds huge pieces of Turkey. It was cannibalism.

- What happened to the cinnamon buns at the Main Street Bakery? They are totally different then I remember, and they are horrible. Dry and hard, not soft and gooey. And I tried them on 2 separate days to be sure.

- Sum of all Thrills, This was very very fun. And well worth the 25 minute wait.

 

[xdan0920]

I was there 11/10-11/15 and would like to throw in a few comments as well. MVMCP crowds on 11/11 were AWFUL!! The place was so packed! I know they don't allow as many people in as they do during a regular day but it was still so busy. We didn't even get to half of what we wanted to do. As fun as it was, I don't think we will be doing it again. For $52 it wasn't worth it.

We bought our tickets on the morning of the party, so we paid around $67 for them. It was probably the worst value of the entire trip for us. There is just not enough special things going on. Add the huge crowds onto that, and I see no real value in it at all.

Totally TomorrowLand Christmas show was not very good. The lines for the special character meets could easily eat up the entire party if you let them. The MVMCP merch was very very underwhelming. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, I will not be back for another Christmas party.

 

[pax_65]

What happened to the cinnamon buns at the Main Street Bakery? They are totally different then I remember, and they are horrible. Dry and hard, not soft and gooey. And I tried them on 2 separate days to be sure.

Same thing happened to me! We waited in a long line, you could see the steam coming off those buns and I was licking my lips. Then I sat down and started eating and was very disappointed. I threw more than half of it away.

 

[Cactusspade]

Not only was the Soarin film blurry and out of focus, there was dirt and bugs being projected when we went on it last month. It's disgusting.

 

[RSoxNo1]

A handful of other things I neglected to mention in my original post.

- Ran into some dorks on the ToT who decided to break out the gift shop line. I told them they were dorks, my wife reprimanded me for yelling at them, we went on with our day. But god do I hate that. Furthermore, said dorks were using their smart phones throughout the entire pre-show video.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Did they just say that every attractions ends in a Gift shop while you were on Tower of Terror?

 

[TP2000]

Soarin' is painfully bad at this point. I think basically everyone can see that. I really hope they are in the process of doing something about this.

We had a discussion about this in another thread, because the older version of Soarin' at DCA doesn't have the same glaring film problems that the newer Epcot version does. In fact, Soarin' Over California at DCA really looks great in 2011, ten years after it opened.

Several insiders here, and me being stereotypically chatty with a DCA Soarin' supervisor in the queue recently, pieced together the answer to this Epcot problem.

The DCA Soarin' was designed and built with a very expensive "Clean Room" system where the projectors for the two theaters are housed in specially filtered and pressurized rooms. It requires a lot of money upfront to build the rooms with all the technology required, and then it costs more money year after year in maintenance and filter costs to keep the system going. The result is a film that has very, very little dirt or grime on it, and that keeps the film prints and projectors working at prime condition.

The Epcot version of Soarin' was built without the expensive Clean Room projector facilities. Instead, they use a more typical and much cheaper projector room like found at a mall multiplex where the film only is in use for a month or so before the movie is changed for a new one.

To have Epcot swap to the better DCA system would require TDO to not only go in and install the Clean Rooms (Vacation Ruining Rehab!) they should have done to begin with, but it would also require TDO to sign off on increased maintenance costs for all future years since the Clean Rooms need regular maintenance on the expensive filters and air pressurization equipment. :lookaroun