-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Walls down - Fantasyland soft opening status
- Thread starter marni1971
- Start date
wilkeliza
Well-Known Member
Long time lurker that doesnt post that much but love the site and know there are plenty of you that are somewhat in the know here.
With that said its being reported elsewhere that the Enchanted Forest will start soft openings this Friday. Another thread about walls being down and replaced by moveable planters seems to support this. Also noticed LM now appears on the mobile magic app without times listed as of yet.
Sooooo anyone have anything to add
Expect Soft Openings to be very limited and short. If they are indeed opening it earlier than announced they will immediately have to stop beginning on the 22nd because that is when CM previews begin and last until AP and D23 previews begin.
phi2134
Well-Known Member
weedles
Member
I know AP/D23 dates are 11/3-4 and 11/10-11. Do you know the CM dates?? Also no DVC dates have been announced have they?
jugglingfanatic
Member
Don't think I'm trying to be argumentative with my replies to everyone.
-----
I have absolutely no 'insider' info, but as a guest that will arrive in 10 days, I almost have to stay optimistic that this means soft openings. Will it be disappointing if the area isn't open, a little, but I'm not going to let it ruin my trip, plenty more to see. I just hope more information comes out quick, either with the OP spilling his 'rumors' or someone else hearing and sharing something. Thanks for your time.
Doesn't it seem odd that the CM previews are still 10 days away at this point, but the walls are already down? For the amount of walls that were replaced by the shrubs (only the width of a walkway?) wouldn't it be easy to do that the night before the CM previews? Then when guests saw it, they would think 'oh yeah, CM previews start today' and not 'hey, this isn't something that is planned, what is up with that?'
Not only does the above make sense for this as well (wait to remove walls), but I don't think there is any issue with leaving the walls up and having 2 doors in that wall to enter. Sure, there will be thousands of people, BUT it will be during certain times and only a certain amount of people per time slot (possibly less than one thousand per slot?) Leaving the walls up will give the preview of the area a more 'exclusive' effect if you can't be seen by the 'common folk.'
Not sure if he is actually an Imagineer as his profile says, but this whole post seems sarcastic to the point of teasing a soft opening, as well as the last line to me says 'will it open in the next 11 days? it won't even take that long.'
-----
I have absolutely no 'insider' info, but as a guest that will arrive in 10 days, I almost have to stay optimistic that this means soft openings. Will it be disappointing if the area isn't open, a little, but I'm not going to let it ruin my trip, plenty more to see. I just hope more information comes out quick, either with the OP spilling his 'rumors' or someone else hearing and sharing something. Thanks for your time.
First CM dates are Oct 20
Mawg
Well-Known Member
Well, I hope it opens for you. But if not don't get too close to the planters, the cast members might start saying "Nana Nana Boo Boo, you can't come over here" or maybe a cast member might sneak out with an Ice Cold Beer and look at you and say "I have Ice Cold beer and you can't have none" But, I hope thay they have a soft opening and you get to go in.
Here are photos of the area with the walls down
http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...e-enchanted-forest-in-the-new-fantasyland.htm
http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...e-enchanted-forest-in-the-new-fantasyland.htm
maxairmike
Well-Known Member
I've gotten some pretty reliable info that they may soft open Mermaid in an extremely limited fashion this weekend. The CMs that were available to start with the attraction immediately are done with their training. Also with that tidbit came the word that managers and other upper level types were in and out of the Mermaid area and Be Our Guest in rather large numbers throughout the day yesterday.
How that would work with the CM previews starting in 10 days I do not know, but I would trust this info considering where it came from.
How that would work with the CM previews starting in 10 days I do not know, but I would trust this info considering where it came from.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
The "trailer trees" make a much prettier view through the walls than the construction barriers did. Now I'm hoping they'll reveal the second part of the castle wall soon, to complete the picture. (I don't suppose anyone else saw the mobile shrubberies beyond the Castle walls and was reminded of Macbeth's "when Birnam Forest comes to Dunsinane," eh? Nobody? Ah, well. Moving on...)
jugglingfanatic
Member
Thanks for the info. Do you believe this will continue into the future, or will regular guest previews end when CM previews start October 20? I know they won't do regular guests and CM at the exact same physical time slot, but do you think soft openings will still happen here and there when CM previews start? Also, think 'extremely limited' may widen to allow more at a time eventually?
danv3
Well-Known Member
As somone who arrives at WDW this Saturday (!!!!) I choose to believe this.
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
We arrive on Saturday, as well! We'll be that other family peeping anxiously through the shrubs nearby!
jugglingfanatic
Member
Looks like you may have gotten your wish after all. I hope you get a shot at seeing the new area without having to have your own 'top-secret soft opening' but having to jump over the walls in a ninja outfit (from another thread you have posted on).We arrive on Saturday, as well! We'll be that other family peeping anxiously through the shrubs nearby!
maxairmike
Well-Known Member
I suppose I should add the typical disclaimer: As with all soft opening rumors (even one I trust as much as the info I've received), take it with a grain of salt. Something like this is entirely dependent on mechanical and operational issues that may or may not cooperate. There are cast that are fully trained at the attraction and have been told to be prepared as early as this weekend (outlook; very likely). I suspect if it does happen, guest previews could continue if they have the scheduling to support operation beyond the CM preview time slots on those days. If I may draw an example from soft openings of Wizarding World at Harry Potter, there were many hours spent in the park hoping for a preview only to find out that Forbidden Journey encountered an issue during team member and resort early ride time and would not open up that day, but sometimes it would open for an hour or two. Sometimes they just decided they weren't going to preview at all that day.
Things like this are fragile/fickle/unpredictable. While they may have every intent to start soft openings this weekend, it very well may not happen.
Things like this are fragile/fickle/unpredictable. While they may have every intent to start soft openings this weekend, it very well may not happen.
jugglingfanatic
Member
I completely understand what you are saying and coming from. Arriving in 10 days (and staying for 8 days) I MAY have a better shot of a soft opening (if they continue past CM soft openings) in that the ride has been in soft opening for a short time (at least 7 days if they start this weekend).
Yep absolutely true and well said. The fact is, testing is not done for guest convenience, it is done for operational reasons. This means that it is completely up to them when and what is done, and they will only do it if it helps the project.
peterpanic74
Well-Known Member
Apparently, Enchanted Tales with Belle is open today.
Yes I believe that has largely been in on/off testing for a while now, including the last few days. Looks like they are ramping that up to nearly full operation.
weedles
Member
You read my mind lol..was dying to have a visual of the planters Thank You!
The area looks awseome