Want to start off by saying that I visited the parks yesterday and the crowds were not as bad as I thought they would be. There were some long lines (80 minutes of Soarin standby & 90 minutes for Test Track) but most of the lines were 30 and under.
The theme of the day seemed to be ride breakdowns.
The first stop was Expedition Everest. I rode it three times during the cast preview and four more times yesterday. I noticed some differences and wondered if anyone else has noticed them or was it just an issue that day?
First, Everest was down when I got there. I waited a short while and then it was back up and running. At the load area, none of the trains let out a puff of steam when we left the load area. I really liked that touch in the Cast preview and was sad to not see it.
Also at the top of the mountain, the mist is gone as you round the first turn before stopping. Another shame since it added a nice touch.
Also, they changed the lighting on the yeti so you can barely see him. They added a strobe light behind him. The only positive thing to the lighting change is that you can see his eyes glowing red, when you could barely make it out in the past.
There were some CM's taking surveys at the exit of the ride for feedback, I waited and waited but they took too long and I moved on. Oh I didn't mention... someone typed 8008 on the calculator in the beginning of the que ( for those of you who don't know-gotta love maturity)
On other fronts...
Big rip of soundproofing in the doorway of Soarin' heading into the theater that looked like crap.
Spaceship Earth seemed cleaner and brighter.
Mission:Space broke down for a good 10 minutes while we were waiting in line. When it was up an running I only saw two of the four centerfuges running.
Living with the Land was down when we stopped by.
I just seemed like either we had bad luck or everything was breaking down.
The other thing was the CM's almost every one of them that had to give a spiel or presentation was stumbling or stuttering. It was pretty poor. Some of them would say something and then less than a secong later, would say it again, cut themselves off when they realized their mistake.I used to give tours at EPCOT so I know how it can be, but it was just a reoccuring theme of bad delivery.
Had a great time though. Don't want anyone to think otherwise. These are just some observations I want to share.
Let me share one bright spot. Julie at the Magic Kingdom turnstiles was probably one of the best CM's I've ever seen. She was so friendly and positive. She was a ray of light! I watched as she smiled as guests were rude to her. We went to city hall to comment on her, so if ever at the Magic Kingdom, look for Julie and get a hug.
The theme of the day seemed to be ride breakdowns.
The first stop was Expedition Everest. I rode it three times during the cast preview and four more times yesterday. I noticed some differences and wondered if anyone else has noticed them or was it just an issue that day?
First, Everest was down when I got there. I waited a short while and then it was back up and running. At the load area, none of the trains let out a puff of steam when we left the load area. I really liked that touch in the Cast preview and was sad to not see it.
Also at the top of the mountain, the mist is gone as you round the first turn before stopping. Another shame since it added a nice touch.
Also, they changed the lighting on the yeti so you can barely see him. They added a strobe light behind him. The only positive thing to the lighting change is that you can see his eyes glowing red, when you could barely make it out in the past.
There were some CM's taking surveys at the exit of the ride for feedback, I waited and waited but they took too long and I moved on. Oh I didn't mention... someone typed 8008 on the calculator in the beginning of the que ( for those of you who don't know-gotta love maturity)
On other fronts...
Big rip of soundproofing in the doorway of Soarin' heading into the theater that looked like crap.
Spaceship Earth seemed cleaner and brighter.
Mission:Space broke down for a good 10 minutes while we were waiting in line. When it was up an running I only saw two of the four centerfuges running.
Living with the Land was down when we stopped by.
I just seemed like either we had bad luck or everything was breaking down.
The other thing was the CM's almost every one of them that had to give a spiel or presentation was stumbling or stuttering. It was pretty poor. Some of them would say something and then less than a secong later, would say it again, cut themselves off when they realized their mistake.I used to give tours at EPCOT so I know how it can be, but it was just a reoccuring theme of bad delivery.
Had a great time though. Don't want anyone to think otherwise. These are just some observations I want to share.
Let me share one bright spot. Julie at the Magic Kingdom turnstiles was probably one of the best CM's I've ever seen. She was so friendly and positive. She was a ray of light! I watched as she smiled as guests were rude to her. We went to city hall to comment on her, so if ever at the Magic Kingdom, look for Julie and get a hug.
