Just got back from WDW last night...great trip...a few thoughts on Magic Kingdom, where I spent most of my time...
Positive
- New Little Mermaid ride is pretty incredible; Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, it was a lot of fun.
- New Fantasyland looks amazing, as does the Storybook Circus...was fun to walk through a brand-new area...but more on that in a minute...
- MSEP had all floats running every time I watched it, crowd was really into it so were the characters in the parade. That girl playing Tink this weekend...what a good looking gal! And REALLY into the part too...loved it! (Sunday night Tink and Peter Pan weren't there; I was told it was because the CMs were too cold to perform even in their warm outfits; Whaaat?!?!)
- All of the elements (except falling rocks of course) were in full working order on Big Thunder...looks like they put the possums back swinging on the tree, too!
- Just a note, it's really cool to see the CMs in their winter outfits, with scarves and whatnot.
- New Projection show on the castle kicks "Magic Memories and You" in the rear end...I loved it!
- I loved the new background loop on Main Street...took a few listens to get used to it, now I love it!
Negative
- The Dumbo Tent is just as dumb as I thought it would be.
- The Haunted Mansion looked pretty bad...actually really bad. . .first, CMs weren't in character at all, but also, the doors weren't shutting all the way in the stretching room...Madam Leota's head was floating, but you could clearly see THICK ropes holding the ball up, completely ruining the illusion. The Graveyard scene had the clear curtains ruffled and showing. Attic Bride looked out of sync and no-so-great. Narration cut out a few times in the Doom Buggy. Overall needs a little TLC, such a shame too.
- The new, edited Country Bears is TERRIBLE. I will probably never do it again. The cuts DO ruin the show's pacing, that even my sister, who isn't as insane with details as we WDWMagic folks, noticed. She said, "Wow they really hacked that up, huh? What was the purpose of doing that?"
- I still hate the "new" area loop for Liberty Square. It makes no sense to have 1800s Sousa marches in a colonial-themed area. What's next, 1930s jazz on Main Street? Johnny Cash in Frontierland? Give me a break.
- The New Fantasyland is WAY over-hyped. Sure, the Little Mermaid is great, and I popped through the shops and restaurants. Saw the 90+ minute wait for Belle's enchanted stories, then, I went on with my day. I know it looks amazing and everything...but I cant' help but feel that there should be more there. I don't know, maybe a B or C-ticket ride? Even a 3D film or something. It is this GIANT space with very little to do after you are over the initial "wow, this looks great." I might get torched for this, but I felt like it was kind of a big waste of space the way it was laid-out. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that MK has been expanded, first time in a long time that I experienced something NEW at MK...but I couldn't shake that feeling of, "Well, this is nice, but I wish there was more to do or see." Am I wrong here?
Also I want to mention how freaking bad Fantasmic!'s stage looks at DHS. Those torn up curtains that border the entire set were blowing in the wind before it got dark and it looked like neglected pieces-of-trash hanging all around the stage. How hard could it be to stitch them up or replace them? Oh right, this is TDO we're talking about...The show itself looked pretty good on Saturday, and looked GREAT on Sunday night. Lots more pyro it seemed, on Sunday, the way it should always be, if you ask me.
Overall the good and the bad are sort of 50/50 for me. I'm not a giant nay-sayer by any stretch of the imagination, but there are certainly things slipping that shouldn't be at all. The Disney Difference is a thin line these days...I can surely still enjoy myself at the parks, but I sure would like to see a little more effort in keeping things up and tidy at MK.
Positive
- New Little Mermaid ride is pretty incredible; Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, it was a lot of fun.
- New Fantasyland looks amazing, as does the Storybook Circus...was fun to walk through a brand-new area...but more on that in a minute...
- MSEP had all floats running every time I watched it, crowd was really into it so were the characters in the parade. That girl playing Tink this weekend...what a good looking gal! And REALLY into the part too...loved it! (Sunday night Tink and Peter Pan weren't there; I was told it was because the CMs were too cold to perform even in their warm outfits; Whaaat?!?!)
- All of the elements (except falling rocks of course) were in full working order on Big Thunder...looks like they put the possums back swinging on the tree, too!
- Just a note, it's really cool to see the CMs in their winter outfits, with scarves and whatnot.
- New Projection show on the castle kicks "Magic Memories and You" in the rear end...I loved it!
- I loved the new background loop on Main Street...took a few listens to get used to it, now I love it!
Negative
- The Dumbo Tent is just as dumb as I thought it would be.
- The Haunted Mansion looked pretty bad...actually really bad. . .first, CMs weren't in character at all, but also, the doors weren't shutting all the way in the stretching room...Madam Leota's head was floating, but you could clearly see THICK ropes holding the ball up, completely ruining the illusion. The Graveyard scene had the clear curtains ruffled and showing. Attic Bride looked out of sync and no-so-great. Narration cut out a few times in the Doom Buggy. Overall needs a little TLC, such a shame too.
- The new, edited Country Bears is TERRIBLE. I will probably never do it again. The cuts DO ruin the show's pacing, that even my sister, who isn't as insane with details as we WDWMagic folks, noticed. She said, "Wow they really hacked that up, huh? What was the purpose of doing that?"
- I still hate the "new" area loop for Liberty Square. It makes no sense to have 1800s Sousa marches in a colonial-themed area. What's next, 1930s jazz on Main Street? Johnny Cash in Frontierland? Give me a break.
- The New Fantasyland is WAY over-hyped. Sure, the Little Mermaid is great, and I popped through the shops and restaurants. Saw the 90+ minute wait for Belle's enchanted stories, then, I went on with my day. I know it looks amazing and everything...but I cant' help but feel that there should be more there. I don't know, maybe a B or C-ticket ride? Even a 3D film or something. It is this GIANT space with very little to do after you are over the initial "wow, this looks great." I might get torched for this, but I felt like it was kind of a big waste of space the way it was laid-out. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that MK has been expanded, first time in a long time that I experienced something NEW at MK...but I couldn't shake that feeling of, "Well, this is nice, but I wish there was more to do or see." Am I wrong here?
Also I want to mention how freaking bad Fantasmic!'s stage looks at DHS. Those torn up curtains that border the entire set were blowing in the wind before it got dark and it looked like neglected pieces-of-trash hanging all around the stage. How hard could it be to stitch them up or replace them? Oh right, this is TDO we're talking about...The show itself looked pretty good on Saturday, and looked GREAT on Sunday night. Lots more pyro it seemed, on Sunday, the way it should always be, if you ask me.
Overall the good and the bad are sort of 50/50 for me. I'm not a giant nay-sayer by any stretch of the imagination, but there are certainly things slipping that shouldn't be at all. The Disney Difference is a thin line these days...I can surely still enjoy myself at the parks, but I sure would like to see a little more effort in keeping things up and tidy at MK.
