This list is interesting, thank you so much for posting it! :wave:
It was most interesting because much of it is part of the rehab that no guest will conciously notice or ever be able to see. I broke the changes into three categories;
red being unnoticeable/unseen,
orange being noticeable to someone who is very familiar with the attraction ("fanboys"?), and
green should be a noticeable change to the average casual tourist from Columbus, Ohio.
I just thought it might be nice to give you some information on the Space Mountain refurbishment...
- New lift mechanism installation
- Audio track being added to the ride experience
- Additional sound effect speakers being installed, along with upgraded audio quality
- Light levels are being adjusted to provide a darker experience as the ride was originally intended to have
- Banked hairpin turns installed
- Sloped quick-drops installed
- Significant track and structure upgrades
- Queue line is being modified for a more efficient queue
- Queue audio is receiving a significant upgrade
- Queue effects are receiving a significant upgrade
- Queue entry room rethemed
- New safety spiel videos added
- New (and expensive) star field projector added
- Upgraded and new projection effects
- Upgraded E-Brake system
- On-ride Special Effects overhaul (lighting and audio), including possibility of new CO2 effect
- Mannequin and set refurbishment
- Upgraded ride surveillance and control booth computer system installation (specifically reducing infrared-induced issues).
- Recarpeting
- Post-show refurbishment
- Tomorrowland Arcade refurbishment (modified layout)
Broken out that way, hopefully some of the
green categories can be dramatically different. The "banked" turns and "drops" added should hopefully be noticeable track changes that provide increased G forces and ramps up the thrill factor from the current Gerald Ford era mildness.
The intriguing statement of "on-ride" special effects "upgrade" seems to also be covered in several other bullet points on the list regarding new dome speakers, new starfield effect, etc. Hopefully these changes can be really dramatic and different, rather than just a more vibrant or sharper version of the effects that are already there. And if the queue gets drastically rethemed with big new props, perhaps even to tell an entirely new story and plot like Disneyland's, then that will be a big
green achievement.
A few of the
orange items might also be sleeper hits. If the "significant" track upgrades provide a smooth as silk ride experience, using Disneyland's new track as a benchmark, then that is going to be a big improvement. Otherwise, much of the
orange stuff just falls into the fanboy category of new spacesuits for the lift manequins. :animwink:
The
red stuff is probably nice for the ride operators and maintenance men, but not even a fanboy who has built a Space Mountain model out of toothpicks in the basement is going to be able to notice. :lol:
