I think 2014 is the "worst case scenario" number, like if everything goes wrong and it rains for two years, they can get it done by 2014, but if opens earlier than that no one will get upset.
Yup.
I honestly expect it open by Summer 2013. Fall 2013 the latest.
Summer...no way. Fall...possible soft opening, but very unlikely.
2014 has been the target date for 7DMR from the beginning.
I really don't see it moving up, other than maybe some softs in (very) late 2013.
Right.
You also have to remember that once the other parts of the Expansion open up at the end of this year, it'll be a veritable island in the middle of the park, surrounded by Guest areas on all sides, in close proximity to Guest walkways in some places. That will definitely slow down the speed of construction considerably.
With Everest, they were in an empty plot of land with plenty of backstage access, and far away from all Guest areas.
-Rob
Exactly. 100% of their material deliveries will have to take place at night, and workers will have to part somewhere and "commute" to the site - unless they leave a construction road to the site from between Mermaid/Circus Tents to the site, with construction walls up the entire time.
Sometimes I honestly wonder if they stagger the openings for new things so there's more reason for people (like me) to want to visit each year. If Ariel, B&B and 7 Dwarfs all had attractions opening by say Dec 2012 then I could say - well I'll go in April 2013 and see everything but now I want to go every year.
I swear they do this to me on purpose :lookaroun
Absolutely they do!
In reading Walt and the Promise of Progress City, one fact sprung to mind with today's protracted schedules.
Disneylands original monorail system (including cars) was designed, constructed, installed, tested and opened in less than a year.
Food for thought.
Construction projects went a lot faster back then. First, no OSHA getting in the way of productivity. Secondly, many things were designed on the fly and Disney's projects were often "fast tracked," meaning they'd get the site design done, and start on the site development while the architect worked on the building shell design. They'd put that out for bid and start getting the shell going while the Architect and Engineers would design the inside. Saves a ton of time vs waiting until 100% of the design is complete before starting any construction.
There also were fewer lawsuits, and the general public was made up of people who understood personal responsibility...meaning they could design and build things that weren't necessarily unsafe, but didn't require a 20x design safety factor or all the other CYA things that go into today's projects.
Lastly, people were honest. You could just tell the contractor to start after getting a price, and as things changed along the way, you'd just "work it out in the end." Today, if the Owner or Architect changes something, some work comes to a grinding halt while all the paperwork is sorted out. It's almost impossible to build anything on a schedule these days.
One thing that has to be considered here is the vehicle cars for this ride. They are one of a kinda and have not been used anywhere before. I have a feeling even after everything is complete you will see extensive testing on this ride because of the rocking motion. They will be working with a great deal of lateral g's on this ride and have to get it perfected throught each of the turns.
True, but I imagine they've built a few sections of track and are running test cars ragged at a WDI complex somewhere. One of my favorite books is "Roller Coasters, Flumes and Flying Saucers" which is written by the two guys who started Arrow Dynamics and helped Disney literally invent most ride systems we have today. There are several photos of them testing various Disney ride vehicles in parking lots and warehouses. I imagine they still do that today, even though the computers already tell them what will and will not work.
. Thanks Rasolu
