Whoa, whoa, WHOA!!!!!!
So are you telling me that people have been slamming this refurb as "cheap" and a "disaster" because Disney was without-a-doubt not adding on-board audio?
And now, more than 1200 posts later, we learn it's possible that the groundwork has been laid for audio in the future.
First of all, if Martin's veiled hints are true.... the first 1200 posts on this thread (and all the whining associated with them) are mostly misinformed, jump-to-conclusions baloney. If (and that's a big "if") at the end of the day on-board audio is added as a result of this refurb (even if a few years down the road), there is a lot of egg on a lot of faces.
So, now, of course, this discussion will turn to the "audio now vs. later", with a certain group of posters destined to slam Disney as being "cheap" for "not doing it right, 100% the first time."
And while such arguments might have merit, this 1200-post thread has proven such a decision (if true) to be wise.
Look at the number of people here salivating to ride the "completed" SSE. And as many have already admitted, it is only rabid internet fans who even KNOW there is a "secret endng" yet to be unveiled. The general public doesn't care now, and likely won't care when its finally opened.
Space Mountain, on the other hand, is a highly-promotable attendance-driver. Disney will certainly benefit from marketing the "new and improved" Space Mountain in November. And (if true) they'll be able to cash in once again in a few years promoting the "Space Mountain: now with SOUND!" a few years later---- allowing Disney to truly get more bang for its buck.
Back to the SSE example. If internet sources are to be believed, the money once devoted to finishing the SSE ending has now been diverted to other projects.
Perhaps by breaking up SM into two "phases", money that would have been spent on a single "full blown" refurb will allow other projects to proceed. (And to those who claim to know differently about SM's budget process, where were you 1200 posts ago? Surely someone with that kind of insider knowledge would have been able to report that the current SM budget included infrastructure to add on-board audio later....again, if true.)
Now back to the "audio now vs. later" argument. Some will claim that Walt would have done it all at once and given the public a 100% complete project (cough, ahem, Matterhorn Yeti, cough). Yes, it would truly be mindblowing for all improvements to be complete on re-opening day versus spread out over years. But as we all know, and as Disney knows, Space Mountain has been Disney's, the MK's, and arguably, the entire theme park industry's iconic attraction for 34 years without audio. Truly, what would a few more years of silence hurt? (And that's where the similarities to SSE end. If internet sources are to be believed, the "completed ending" could not be added in time in 2006, leaving that attraction with less than it had pre-refurb. When SM reopens, it will, at absolute worst, be EXACTLY like it was for the past 34 years---which, as the long lines attest, really ain't that bad.)
