Thats awesome news, Im going to Epcot tomorrow, and its my birthday, and I was praying that it would soft open
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Test Track refurb???
- Thread starter NicNoc12
- Start date
towerofterror8
Member
we can only hope
jdmdisney99
Well-Known Member
WALL*E?
dreamscometrue
Well-Known Member
I've seen the terms 'Epcot-y', 'Epcot-ish' and read TT2.0 described as having an Epcot Center feel. So, can you veterans from early Epcot Center days please describe this 'Epcot-y' look to me? I love the look, and can't wait to experience TT2.0, but what is the look or feel that evokes old school Epcot? Thanks.
c-one
Well-Known Member
The biggest difference to me is that the old days of Epcot were considerably more abstract. Old Test Track was clearly meant to simulate a proving ground; Mission Space is sleek/modern but largely picks up its motif from current space travel and basic science fiction; don't think I need to explain what the Living Seas has done.
The classic Epcot motif was sleek and modern, but in a different way than we see at Mission Space. The architecture was clean, geometric and modernist -- obviously much of this remains today, but there's also Misson Space and the revamped TT building which I'd argue swing dramatically towards post-modernism. There were the simple, circular icon logos for each pavilion, which represented a sort of futurist graphic communication. The entire experience was entirely unlike any theme park experience before or since. The aesthetics weren't rooted in anything we'd seen before, not even a sci-fi background the way Tomorrowland is. Everything felt like a clean, pensive slate.
towerofterror8
Member
well i guess it's not soft opening today. Let's aim for tomorrow! 
dreamscometrue
Well-Known Member
Wow...excellent explanation! Thanks for that. I'm excited for this attraction but I'm happy to see so many who long for old Epcot Center, to be so excited for this refurb/makeover as well.
I do enjoy Future World, including 'newer' additions like Soarin' and 'Sum of All Thrills', as well as some of the older attractions, but I would have liked to have experienced Epcot 20 years ago. It always sounds really neat when described, and all that I've seen in Martin's vids looks awesome. Having said that, change would certainly be necessary to attract a new generation of fans. My daughter and her friends (in their early 20s)-who have been going to WDW for quite a few years-have always said that although they love Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land, they certainly wouldn't want a whole park of old school omnimover and boat rides. For them, Soarin, TT, M:S and Sum of All Thrills are necessary for a FW visit. Even if it was 2012 versions of 1982 attractions, I don't think this would attract many new fans to FW.
janoimagine
Well-Known Member
Don't hold your breath.well i guess it's not soft opening today. Let's aim for tomorrow!
ebof1023
Active Member
whats the chance we get one by the end of the weekend?
backinaction
Well-Known Member
can we get a confirmation on when soft openings will be? I'm down in the world right now but I leave on the 6th (i know its sucks). I got to experience the new fantasy land today and if the TT refurb is anything like FLE, I will not be disappointed. just wondering when to plan my trip to epcot.
djkidkaz
Well-Known Member
The CM previews aren't even happening all day. They are only letting CMs on for a few hours a day which should tell you something about the situation inside. Yesterday when I rode they weren't even letting us design the cars. We completely bypassed it. And they are routing us out a side exit which tells me they are still working on the post show. It just doesn't seem guest ready yet , not even for a soft open.
rct247
Well-Known Member
More pictures... I like how sleek and EPCOTish it looks. Kudos to General Motors!
^These photos are from the Fastpass/Single Rider Line and Merge Point. I had the opportunity to experience the attraction tonight for this line and let me tell you, the difference between the Stand-By and the Fastpass/Single Rider when it comes to the design process is very big! In all honesty, I don't think I will be getting a Fastpass for this attraction ever. It is very clear that you are almost punished for choosing to use Fastpass or Single Rider line as your entire experience is now expedited.
For Stand-by, your design mode starts with you drawing a line to form the shape of your car, optimizing that shape, custom selecting specific aspects of the cars shape like the front end, then you move to to selecting color, front wheels, back wheels, front wheel size, back wheel size, and extra additions for the front, side, back, and roof of your car such as spoilers, turbo engines, jet propulsion, Tron lighting, etc. All the choices affect the four categories: Power, Efficiency, Capability, and Responsiveness.
For Fastpass, you select which of the four categories above is most important to you, then you you have about 8 premade cars to choose from, and that is it. Seriously. I knew it was abbreviated, but I was very disappointed. Not only that, but as you can see the design area (which, IMO, looks less impressive than the standby design studio with it's plain white walls) [SEE PHOTO 1 ABOVE], then leads into the rest of the queue to the merge point where it passes glass that looks in on the standby design studio. [SEE PHOTO 2 ABOVE]. Photo 3 above is post merge queue with more glass looking in to the area between the standby design studio and the merge point. (That ramp up in Photo 3 leads to the Exit Sign on the left in Photo 2.)
I'm still very pleased with EVERYTHING, but I'm just nitpicking at this point. I really will advise people NOT to get a Fastpass for this attraction and simply choose the Stand-by queue unless you really pressed for time and only care about the ride (which will be a certain guest demographic).
Last but not least, after riding again tonight, there are still lots of little bugs here and there. The biggest being that we still couldn't upload our design to our sim-car. Other things were just various effects. I did notice two new things. The first was near the simi, there seemed to be a smell of burnt tires almost as if it was purposely placed there with us swerving to avoid the simi. I noticed this on a previous night, but noticed it again in the same place. I'm not sure if that is normal, but it almost seems like it was intentional. The other was that they have moved the photo for the ride. The photo is now taken once you exit the building and begin the high speed loop, just after you dip down after exiting the building. Still lots of technical issues to work out. I honestly don't feel like it is ready for soft opens. The main queue is still being worked on in area. As the post said above, cast member previews aren't even consistent yet. I'm still very pleased with the experience and refurbishment though even with those bugs. I just hope it all comes together over the next week.
Darth Sidious
Authentically Disney Distinctly Chinese
Because where credit is due credit is given... http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/test-track-at-epcot-offers-hands-on-design-experience/
Tip Top Club
Well-Known Member
Obviously anything can change, so this isn't Gospel, but the person I spoke to tonight said that this was the last night of Cast Previews and now Operations is handing it back over to Imagineering until December 6th. Obviously things can change, and people can have wrong information, but that based on what I heard tonight, soft openings don't seem likely.
Who paid for the project and led the design direction and execution?
Cosmic Commando
Well-Known Member
articos
Well-Known Member
We're at the point in the process where the show production manager realizes exactly how much has yet to be done and how much isn't working yet and the "Oh, crap!" sets in. The show producer's job changes from taskmaster/creative producer/jack-of-every-trade to therapist. And everyone sleeps in their office or in a corner of the project site until opening. It's normal to shut people out for a few days in order to power through the punch list and fix things before reopening on a limited basis with things almost completed. It may come down to the wire, but this is all normal process for opening an attraction. Still might see a soft for a day or two before the 6th, or may not. Could also see signs out for technical rehearsal for a week or two after the 6th if the integration software is still buggy, but I'd suspect it will all be worked out by the 6th.
montyz81
Well-Known Member
I would argue that we the public actually paid for it.