I know some are trying to remain optimistic. But I just don't have big hopes for this. And it all goes back to that original Orlando Sentinel article announcing the rehab, and how Disney went out of it's way to downplay the upgrades while distancing itself from the superb California SM rehab.
Seven months. That's less than Haunted Mansion was down, correct? (if not, it's close).
But HM was an entirely different beast, where (in theory) multiple new elements could be installed simultaneously (one guy could be hanging new speakers in the graveyard at the same time another crew was installing the attic scene while at the same time carpenters were building the staircase just down the track from where new portraits were being hung. And none of that work stopped the guys from playing with the stretch rooms.)
We KNOW from the Sentinel they are replacing the dome ceiling. Even if they do not need to remove dangerous mold or asbestos, I imagine that no other track or queue work could be done simultaneously.
Unlike a new floor, that ceiling will require cranes and scaffolding. That will be time-consuming.
Once the ceiling guys move out, the track guys will move in and set up their own cranes and scaffolding. Although it's possible that any new on-ride visual effects could be installed simultaneously, those are two different construction disciplines presumably governed by different union rules. So I would imagine the track guys would have to me close to complete before any lighting, projection, or prop installation crews could begin.
With a mostly (or entirely) new track, the ops and safety teams are going to want to run it for at least a month before welcoming the public aboard. And if the trains are speeding along the new track, I doubt they'll be putting any set decorators or special effects crews in the dome.
That leaves the queue. Knowing that they will be enclosing the old overhead "windows", I assume those carpenters will have to be finished before any new queue configuration and lighting is put in. So even that project will have restrictions.
It just seems like there's not enough time to do the minimal improvements mentioned in the Sentinel.
Hoping for any unmentioned "secrets" seems like a setup for disappointment.