SPACE Developing

[pheneix]

Without giving away any more information than neccesary, I'll just say this:

Don't hold your breath on Mission Space opening before the end of the year.

 

[disneyreports]

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[ToTBellHop]

Originally posted by pheneix
Without giving away any more information than neccesary, I'll just say this:

Don't hold your breath on Mission Space opening before the end of the year.

The great insider speaks I'll hold my breath and be riding it before you...and I have still yet to see any proof supporting your side of the argument.

 

[pheneix]

>>>I have still yet to see any proof supporting your side of the argument.<<<

There is, but you refuse to accept it.

>>>I'll hold my breath<<<

Don't die on me.

 

[ocolectr]

Imagineering is noted for celebrating milestones. A party to celebrate the finishing of the building's exterior is not out of the question.

In October of 1997, I had the great privilege of playing "Tour Guide" at an Imagineering Halloween Party in Dinoland at Animal Kingdom. The building and sets for Countdown to Extinction were 80 to 90% complete. The ride vehicles were just beginning to get programmed. But everything was on schedule and it was time to celebrate.

It wasn’t until a few months later after lots of Test and Adjust hours were put on the rovers that anyone was allowed to actually ride through CTX. Same way with Test Track - the building and sets were ready WAY before the ride system was.

They have just begun getting a T&A Crew together for SPACE. From what I understand there is a good six to nine months of T&A to get done before any type of soft opening can happen on the main ride.

I haven’t heard anything about the gift shop or the post show exhibits. There is always a possibility that these may open before the main ride. I doubt it though looking at Test Track. None of the building opened to Guests there until the ride was ready.

Sorry if this dashes any hopes, but I would not count on a 2002 opening.

 

[AndyMagic]

I agree with DogsRule. So far EVERYTHING he has said makes perfect sense yet people who say it is FAR from opening have not given a reason why? They simply DO NOT put the fastpass and marquee signs up 4-6 months before a ride opens. It never happened and I don't see why they would do it now! :hammer:

 

[cymbaldiva]

Originally posted by disneyreports
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Huh??? :veryconfu

 

[TURKEY]

Originally posted by AndyMagic
I agree with DogsRule. So far EVERYTHING he has said makes perfect sense yet people who say it is FAR from opening have not given a reason why? They simply DO NOT put the fastpass and marquee signs up 4-6 months before a ride opens. It never happened and I don't see why they would do it now! :hammer:

I'm not saying you are wrong, but how many rides have opened since FastPass debuted? I can't think of many that have FastPass.

I also can't think of any rides that were this hyped or groundbreaking as Mission Space in the past few years.

 

[pheneix]

>>>I don't see why they would do it now!<<<

It's cheaper to have everybody finish their job now than to have to call them back several months later to finish the job.

BTW, New Orleans Square at Disneyland sat there greeting guests for YEARS before it's anchor attraction ever opened.

 

[bamboo7]

Originally posted by DogsRule!
You do not finish an attraction six months before an attraction opens; Disney has NEVER done this. Five months before Rock 'n' Roller Coaster opened they were just installing the large guitar on the outside. You do not turn on outside effects that long before an attraction opens, and you certainly do not put in the official ride marquee; Disney has never done this, with any new attraction. They just did the final paint job on the outside; Disneyland received its final paint job the day it opened. What would be the point in giving a final paint job if this attraction is not to open for months? The paint would fade. That is simply not how you build an attraction, and it is precisely why work on the outside progressed so slowly, so it would not be completed before the inside. Imagineers do not have a picnic outside an attraction until it is finished--why would they solute themselves before knowing it had been a job well-done. Disney, a company that saw a poor third quarter, would pay workers overtime to make a mad dash to finish the outside before the inside? I think not. Look at Primeval Whirl--ALL of its theming went up just weeks before it opened. Then there is the Tower of Terror--opened in July 1994; I was at Disney in February 1994--wasn't even close to being finished on the outside, and yet it opened five months later. Disney does not complete the outside work on projects before the inside is very close to completion--especially going so far as to put up the space training and the Fastpass signs. They never have. We have known for several months now that this attraction was ahead of schedule--from the start people felt it would be soft opening by February, then they said Christmas of this year; I can easily see it opening further ahead of schedule, ESPECIALLY with the last announcement regarding poor attendance at the parks; Disney wants more people in the parks, which is why they would be willing to pay workers overtime to get the outside done quickly so this attraction can open. Remember that this attraction was originally designed to have one full year of testing for the ride elements; is it hard to believe that just maybe testing went without many problems explaining an early completion of the project? Anyway, I think it will open soon, and every clue points toward that conclusion--the paint job, the doors, the signs, the marquee, the elements and lighting being turned on, the work on four World Showcase nations during the summer season, the Imagineers, and the new bushes.

i'll take that with a grain of salt. (a very large grain)

 

[WDW Imagineer]

Yes I believe the attraction is complet, however the opening 'time frame' is still in effect. I don't know if anyone else remembers what happened with Test Track. I think that they are trying to avoid that public relation nightmare that they had.

Like a few have said before the is NO WAY the attraction will open in the next 2 or 3 months. And if it does everyone that said it would open can hunt me down, that how much confidence I have in it NOT OPENING soon.

 

[wdwmagic]

Originally posted by AndyMagic
I agree with DogsRule. So far EVERYTHING he has said makes perfect sense yet people who say it is FAR from opening have not given a reason why? They simply DO NOT put the fastpass and marquee signs up 4-6 months before a ride opens. It never happened and I don't see why they would do it now! :hammer:

Test Track would be a very good example. The building was quickly converted from WoM, and the exterior was done in what seemed like around 6 months. Then as we know, it was a couple of years before the attraction opened.

I wouldnt read too much into the exterior being completed.

 

[bamboo7]

Originally posted by wdwmagic


Test Track would be a very good example. The building was quickly converted from WoM, and the exterior was done in what seemed like around 6 months. Then as we know, it was a couple of years before the attraction opened.

I wouldnt read too much into the exterior being completed.

agreed. i would think that the new ride system would be complecated enough to warrent a lot of construction time, followed by a LOT of testing.

 

[DMC-12]

Originally posted by wdwmagic


Test Track would be a very good example. The building was quickly converted from WoM, and the exterior was done in what seemed like around 6 months. Then as we know, it was a couple of years before the attraction opened.

I wouldnt read too much into the exterior being completed.

Hiya Steve:wave:

Have you heard anything about them opening the Plaza in front of M:S and taking down the black walls anytime soon?

 

[AndyMagic]

Originally posted by bamboo7


agreed. i would think that the new ride system would be complicated enough to warrent a lot of construction time, followed by a LOT of testing.

Well there might be a lot of testing but the constuction time you speak of is complete. The ride system was integrated into the existing building and is way too big to just sneak into a completed building. The only thing going on in there is probably queue theming and ride testing.

 

[RobFL]

Would now be a good time to mention yesterday, there was an official photography group outfront of the building most of the day. Most likely the archives. They were taking shots of the lighted marquee (i got night shots after they went home.. would be rude to take pics of them taking pics.. not proper etiquette) and other things around the site.

The gift shop is no where near complete - and neither is the lounge. The mainbuilding does look finished though.

I anticipate the opening of the plaza, because everyone wants it open, with a smaller wall so people can look and explore, but the system itself will undergo several months of testing. You don't jsut stick people in a centerfuge system that's never been used before and hope it works. Like i said before.. you gotta cycle each moving part one by one to test for durability and proper functioning. That takes a while.

-Rob

 

[bearboysnc]

Test Track would be a very good example. The building was quickly converted from WoM, and the exterior was done in what seemed like around 6 months. Then as we know, it was a couple of years before the attraction opened.

Disney took a PR blood bath with Test Track. They were hated by the Sponsor, AND the Public. I wouldn't be surprised if they padded the estimated construction time... JUST so they could come in under the deadline.

However, since we don't know exactly what the ride system is, we could be comaring apples to oranges.

 

[RobFL]

Its basically a centerfuge with little pods that have some motion ability. What that motion is exactly, is what's debateable. But the main movement iss centerfugal.

-Rob

 

[ToTBellHop]

Ever wonder why the countdown clock went away? Just a thought...also, Test Track was an exception--most rides do not malfunction and have to close for two years after opening. As for this ride not being tested...Michael Eisner rode it about a year ago and is still alive...as I have said, this ride had a one year buffer time period for testing, which even if this ride were to open in late April, as planned way back in 2000 when this was announced, we would be into. By necessity, then, the ride is completely installed. We could even see one of the indoor exhibits from the outside of the attraction with the latest batch of photos. As for your question about Fastpass attractions--not many; Primeval Whirl! would be the obvious pick. But, plenty of other attractions have opened and generally, their marquees do not show up until just before opening. Don't you think having lighting effects on for the next number of months would irritate guests a lot? I'm sure disney learned its lesson from all the irritated guests that came into Epcot to see Test Track running LONG before it actually opened. By the way, Disney has its own personal contractors to do painting and such. With such a large property, there is a constant need for repainting, which happens EVERY night of the year. There would be no "calling the workers back", as you say--they are always there. Construction crews are different, they are not always there, but they don't work on the finer points of theming--they don't come close to the ends Disney works to; so I could see shipping the planets in quickly being cheaper, but not the paint jobs and new plants--disney has a permanent agriculture team, and it will cost more to have them water and keep these plants up for months that in would have been to leave the dirt there; the same can be said with having the lighting on--this attraction would have been fine with no permanent lighting as it has set for two years, and it would have been cheaper. The path Disney is taking is in no way cheaper than the gradual method would have been (again, w/ the exception of the construction team), which they had been using for, again, two years. Steve's explanation is well-taken, but again, that assumes something goes wrong with this ride, which is always a possibility. I just think too many things are happening at once for this to be a coincidence. If I am wrong...okay. I'm just trying to use logic rather than speculation (some may say I'm speculating...but, I *think* I'm being logical...makes sense in my head)

 

[RobFL]

A thought...

They shut the marquee off when no one is in the pavillion. It was on for the imagineer party (i assume it was imagineers, the park was crawling with them) and then for the photo shoot. The typical "don't fall and get killed in the dark" lights were on, but no special lighting FX at night.

And whatever is inside the big red ball is bright, I remember the light blaring out and reflecting onto the imaineers as they looked inside and wandered about - it was an overcast day.
-Rob