Studio Backlot Tour Closing on September 27, 2014

[Goofyernmost]

Maybe i'm wrong then... I was very young when I went and i'm going off a combination of vague memory and videos. It very well could've been open.

Granted it was a long time ago. But I do remember that being a big part of the experience on my first visit. Even the Tram would be diverted if they were filming in there. I can remember the CM saying that "we cannot go up SoA now because there is production going on. Unfortunately, that situation didn't last very long. Before no filming was happening but there were probably more guests on the street so the just stopped running the tram through it.

I should point out that I do not remember exactly when I made my first visit. But, I don't recall Disney/MGM as being very old when I was there.

 

[flynnibus]

Maybe i'm wrong then... I was very young when I went and i'm going off a combination of vague memory and videos. It very well could've been open.

Granted it was a long time ago. But I do remember that being a big part of the experience on my first visit. Even the Tram would be diverted if they were filming in there. I can remember the CM saying that "we cannot go up SoA now because there is production going on. Unfortunately, that situation didn't last very long. Before no filming was happening but there were probably more guests on the street so the just stopped running the tram through it.

It was both.. and NBT has it slightly twisted.

There was the backlot or 'NY Street' area.. and the Residential Street part of the backlot. Both were parts of the tram tour. Later, they started letting guests on foot in the NY street area, and eventually it opened full time to guests and was renamed 'streets of america' and the tram did not drive through any longer. Then eventually LMA wiped out residential street and streets of america further just felt like another land in the park and no longer the movie set it was built out to be as it just became that corner of the park.

 

[CDavid]

Whaaaaaaaaat?!

I'll be at DHS next Wednesday. If it turns out you're correct I will post a response here to let everyone know if you're right or not.

Sit tight, everyone. We won't have a final word on this for another week.

It is already confirmed closed.

I know people keep making jokes about this, but it was only amusing the first 531 times it was posted. It would only be funny now if there was actually a sliver of doubt about something. There isn't.

Exactly! Can we stop with it already, I think it's been played to death.

In fact, can't this thread be closed now, since the subject of the title has come and gone.

There may still be things to discuss regarding the closure (and eventual demolition and construction on the site) of the Back Lot Tour, at least for those who want to have a serious discussion. Those who still need to know whether the tour is really closed might try reading the thread title...

No, because the SoA was not a guest area back then. It also wasn't called SoA, it was called Residential Street.

As a matter of fact, it wasn't a guest area until 2005 when LMA was built. The BLT got cut big time for LMA.

That's not exactly correct. Residential Street consisted of single story residential home facades, and was completely demolished to make way for Lights Motors Action in the same location. New York Street has always been known as such, and was in fact a guest area since the early 1990's (originally, the trams did operate on that street, however).

 

[Goofyernmost]

It was both.. and NBT has it slightly twisted.

There was the backlot or 'NY Street' area.. and the Residential Street part of the backlot. Both were parts of the tram tour. Later, they started letting guests on foot in the NY street area, and eventually it opened full time to guests and was renamed 'streets of america' and the tram did not drive through any longer. Then eventually LMA wiped out residential street and streets of america further just felt like another land in the park and no longer the movie set it was built out to be as it just became that corner of the park.

Since I do not remember what year I first visited it, that could very well be correct. I know it was still an active studio when I first saw it. And I do remember that the CM on The BLTour specifically said that we couldn't go on it because they were filming at that time. I assumed that meant, that time of the day.

 

[flynnibus]

Since I do not remember what year I first visited it, that could very well be correct. I know it was still an active studio when I first saw it. And I do remember that the CM on The BLTour specifically said that we couldn't go on it because they were filming at that time. I assumed that meant, that time of the day.

Again.. partial information.

In the beginning it was backlot...
Then they had people walking on it..
Eventually it became just an open area of the park...

but even across ANY of those periods.. they could and would block it off for production. But if your were on the BLTour, the tram would go down that area in the early days if it wasn't in production that day. Kind of the purpose of the tour That entire part of the park was considered backlot and not open to regular foot traffic when the park opened. They chipped away at that as they expanded the attractions and capacity of the park while reducing the studios aspect.

 

[Next Big Thing]

It was both.. and NBT has it slightly twisted.

There was the backlot or 'NY Street' area.. and the Residential Street part of the backlot. Both were parts of the tram tour. Later, they started letting guests on foot in the NY street area, and eventually it opened full time to guests and was renamed 'streets of america' and the tram did not drive through any longer. Then eventually LMA wiped out residential street and streets of america further just felt like another land in the park and no longer the movie set it was built out to be as it just became that corner of the park.

Even if filming had long stopped by that point, LMA wiping out Residential street was the worst. That was the best part of the backlot filming areas imo.

 

[ChrisM]

I know people keep making jokes about this, but it was only amusing the first 531 times it was posted. It would only be funny now if there was actually a sliver of doubt about something. There isn't.

Nope. Still funny.

Why do you hate ADAM SANTOS, Lord of the Backlot Tour Closure Date (also, Creation)?!

 

[Steel City Magic]

Ah how I remember hoola hooping in front of the 'ernest saves christmas' house back in '99. Good times

 

[Rob562]

As a side note, in the days of New York Street being open to foot-traffic and Residential Street being open to only the trams, the only time pedestrians were allowed down Residential Street was during the evenings of Osborne Spectacle of Lights, when they closed the tram tour at sunset and opened Residential to foot traffic.

You entered from New York Street and then looped around the far end and returned to NYS past the tram loading/unloading areas.

-Rob

 

[Steel City Magic]

Or on the off occasion that they opened up residential street for special events...

 

[BrerJon]

Again.. partial information.

In the beginning it was backlot...
Then they had people walking on it..
Eventually it became just an open area of the park...

Everyone seems to have different memories of this, presumably because it constantly changed.

I could be wrong about this, as I was only a kid, but my memory from the early years was that the area that would become Streets of America wasn't accessible outside of the tour, but the trams stopped for a few minutes and let everyone out to take photos and stretch their legs (this was in the days when the tour was several hours long). Once taking pictures was done, you got back on the trams and the tours continued.

 

[dhall]

Again.. partial information.

In the beginning it was backlot...
Then they had people walking on it..
Eventually it became just an open area of the park...

but even across ANY of those periods.. they could and would block it off for production. But if your were on the BLTour, the tram would go down that area in the early days if it wasn't in production that day. Kind of the purpose of the tour That entire part of the park was considered backlot and not open to regular foot traffic when the park opened. They chipped away at that as they expanded the attractions and capacity of the park while reducing the studios aspect.

My recollection is that it was only the first year or two where the SOA was tram-traffic only. It seems like it opened to foot traffic at about the same time Star Tours opened.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Everyone seems to have different memories of this, presumably because it constantly changed.

I could be wrong about this, as I was only a kid, but my memory from the early years was that the area that would become Streets of America wasn't accessible outside of the tour, but the trams stopped for a few minutes and let everyone out to take photos and stretch their legs (this was in the days when the tour was several hours long). Once taking pictures was done, you got back on the trams and the tours continued.

I'm sure a lot of your memories are correct, but, it wouldn't make sense to have a stretch session with a tram tour that wasn't anymore then a half hour, tops. The studio tour that preceded it was about 2.5 hours long and it was all stand up, if anything people would have been wanting to sit. You may be confusing it with some other place??? I don't know but apparently your observation that SoA was not open to pedestrian traffic in the beginning must be correct. I don't remember when I first visited there, it could have been two or three years in to it's life. Again that's Streets of America not the Residential Street.

 

[danlb_2000]

Everyone seems to have different memories of this, presumably because it constantly changed.

I could be wrong about this, as I was only a kid, but my memory from the early years was that the area that would become Streets of America wasn't accessible outside of the tour, but the trams stopped for a few minutes and let everyone out to take photos and stretch their legs (this was in the days when the tour was several hours long). Once taking pictures was done, you got back on the trams and the tours continued.

I have very clear memories of the part where the shark jumped up from the water next to the tram.

 

[BrerJon]

I'm sure a lot of your memories are correct, but, it wouldn't make sense to have a stretch session with a tram tour that wasn't anymore then a half hour, tops. The studio tour that preceded it was about 2.5 hours long and it was all stand up, if anything people would have been wanting to sit. You may be confusing it with some other place??? I don't know but apparently your observation that SoA was not open to pedestrian traffic in the beginning must be correct. I don't remember when I first visited there, it could have been two or three years in to it's life. Again that's Streets of America not the Residential Street.

Having looked into this a bit more, I think my recollection of a break between sections of the tour was actually that they split the tour up into two attractions, and in between you could wander the streets, play in the HISTK playground, or get some lunch. You then took the entrance where you took the Backlot Tour from until last week to continue the rest of the tour which took you back to the main park.

So I was broadly right, just wrong on the details. But it explains why people remember both being able to wander the streets and them not being accessible from the main park.

 

[Texas84]

As a side note, in the days of New York Street being open to foot-traffic and Residential Street being open to only the trams, the only time pedestrians were allowed down Residential Street was during the evenings of Osborne Spectacle of Lights, when they closed the tram tour at sunset and opened Residential to foot traffic.

You entered from New York Street and then looped around the far end and returned to NYS past the tram loading/unloading areas.

-Rob

Yep. That was a big deal for us at the time. Fun walking through the streets at Christmas.

 

[asianway]

My recollection is that it was only the first year or two where the SOA was tram-traffic only. It seems like it opened to foot traffic at about the same time Star Tours opened.

I believe it was when Muppets opened

 

[Rob562]

So I posted my theory during a discussion of parking at the Studios, but then realized it was a spin-off of the Disney Springs garage thread so I figured I'd put it here, too.

Since there seems to be a lot of speculation going on, here's my thoughts on how they can handle the situation at the Studios (and while I've tried to keep up on the discussions, these may not actually be entirely new ideas):

-Build a new parking garage backstage at the Studios. This would go just south of the Earful Tower in the thin plot of land between Cypress Drive and the warehouse/shops the trams went through. Relocate all CM parking from the main lot to the new garage. (Cast would enter from Buena Vista onto Cypress Drive and drive down the edge of the park)
-Relocate some/all of the functions in those workshops to other places on WDW property.
-Turn the old shops into the new CM entrance/costuming complex.
-The large BLT/LMA chunk of land is available for whatever expansions they have planned.
-Moving the Cast parking and associated backstage support facilities allows them to demolish that building, the parade storage building and Backlot Express and expand directly out into the current Cast parking to build any Star Wars attractions. This would also allow the Indy theater to stay.


-Rob

 

[jensenrick]

Finally! that attraction - well, talk about the Walking Dead.

 

[roj2323]

So I posted my theory during a discussion of parking at the Studios, but then realized it was a spin-off of the Disney Springs garage thread so I figured I'd put it here, too.

Since there seems to be a lot of speculation going on, here's my thoughts on how they can handle the situation at the Studios (and while I've tried to keep up on the discussions, these may not actually be entirely new ideas):

-Build a new parking garage backstage at the Studios. This would go just south of the Earful Tower in the thin plot of land between Cypress Drive and the warehouse/shops the trams went through. Relocate all CM parking from the main lot to the new garage. (Cast would enter from Buena Vista onto Cypress Drive and drive down the edge of the park)
-Relocate some/all of the functions in those workshops to other places on WDW property.
-Turn the old shops into the new CM entrance/costuming complex.
-The large BLT/LMA chunk of land is available for whatever expansions they have planned.
-Moving the Cast parking and associated backstage support facilities allows them to demolish that building, the parade storage building and Backlot Express and expand directly out into the current Cast parking to build any Star Wars attractions. This would also allow the Indy theater to stay.


-Rob

You do realize you just hypothetically spent 200million dollars to move a parking lot, 3 buildings and countless other support facilities. I'd rather see that spent on attractions. Also there is literally tons of room to expand without cutting into cast parking. There are spots all over the park. A few examples are SOA, echo lake, the entire American idol to sounds dangerous building, over 3 Acres worth of back lot tour, the area between rockin roller coaster and Tower of terror not the mention a huge strip of space behind that going all the way to fantasmic. If you want to add it up there is probably 50acres of space to expand/remodel. Keep in mind I didn't even mention LMA which has been rumored to be on the chopping block for a while.