Getting to see the main characters anymore is getting to be as difficult as getting a doctor appointment at a time that is convenient for you. So now we have a reservation system for Mickey… so what’s next? Tipping the bouncer to get into Mickey’s VIP Lounge?
(2/23/11) The big news from the Magic Kingdom today was all about a big change in place at the very end of the ride. I’ve been sent several reports about how the final hallway of mirrors where “The ghosts will follow you home” has been changed. From the description, the normal effect has been replaced with a series of visible projectors shooting images of ghosts onto screens. (In fact, you can see yourself in the video clip embedded below posted by Inside the Magic. Click here to see their own update about the new ghost projections.)
Now before everyone grabs the pitchforks and torches, I’m heard several times that this is just a new temporary effect while they work to install something much better for the ride’s finale. More when we find out…
(2/7/11) I’m told that the Tiki Room will reopen on March 27th, once they’ve had time to repair all the damage from the fire back on January 12th.
(1/31/11) According to a reader, Splash Mountain was seen testing empty logs with the new lap bars in place all day long over the weekend to get ready to reopen this week.
Meanwhile MouseSteps has posted pictures from the Magic Kingdom this week, where a new temporary bridge to Adventureland has been put in place while they work on the main bridge. Then it’s over to Fantasyland to look at all the new concept artwork posted to all the walls.
(1/27/11) Orlando Parks News has a huge update from the Magic Kingdom this week, with a look at all the projects around Fantasyland and rehabs in Adventureland and beyond. They have also posted a closer look at the new Lap Bars on Splash Mountain as well, so check it out.
(1/22/11) If you subscribe to the official Screamscape Twitter, you already know this (and if not... what’s a matter with you?). The rumors are 100% true... Splash Mountain is currently adding a large single lap bar to each and every row on the logs. As outraged as I am about the very concept of this, unfortunately we as guests, have only ourselves to blame. Apparently there are a large number of morons out there who think it’s funny / cool / xtreme to either stand-up during portions of the ride, combined with an equal number of stupid tourists who think that at the first time of a ride stoppage, they are free to jump out of the log and go wanderi
ng about inside the mountain. Then the real fun begins as CMs are sent out to search every nook and cranny inside the gigantic structure for these lost guests before they can turn the ride back on. (So maybe we should all agree, as a theme park loving community, that if we’ve in a park and see someone doing something stupid... say something and stop them.)Adding insult to injury, this will cut down on the capacity of the ride as well in two ways. Previous policy allowed for groups of three that could fit (3 kids, 2 adult & 1 small child) to sit in one row, for a maximum of 12 riders per log. Now I know this didn’t happen all the time, but with the new lap bars two riders per row is all that will be allowed. Secondly, the ride’s capacity will be cut again as the dispatch time between logs has been raised from 12.5 seconds to an estimated 15-20 seconds per log to allow for increased loading time to deal with guests loading more slowly due to the lap bars and time for the ride crew to give each bar a quick tug.
Now for the good news... the lap bars are nothing like what Universal put on Ripsaw Falls. Instead they are very similar in style to what is used on Big Thunder Mountain. I’ve also been sent a pictures showing off the new restraints. Thanks to everyone who responded about this... I must have had between 20-25 different people contact me today to confirm this unfortunate news.
(1/21/11) While Splash Mountain is currently undergoing rehab, I was sent a strange rumor today claiming that there are whispers going around the park that when Splash reopens later this month, the cars could have new lap bars installed.
I would certainly hope this is completely false… but after seeing the crazy logs they have on Ripsaw Falls at Universal and what a mess Disney has made the logs over at Disneyland, I’m unsure. Anyone with contacts “in the know” able to clear this up for us?
(1/17/11) FloridaThrills dropped by the Magic Kingdom to get a peek at the new “Let the Memories Begin” promotional decorations that are now covering up the main entrance area. There is also a new Fantasyland photo update below as well.
Speaking of the Magic Kingdom, the Tiki Room is still closed while they work to repair the fire damage. According to a Screamscape source, it could be closed for awhile as the fire is rumored to have caused severe damaged the Iago animatronic figure that comes down from the ceiling. With no replacement figure on hand, the show could be closed until a replacement is made.
(1/15/11) According to the latest passholder mailer, Mickey’s Toontown Fair will close down on February 12th. So visit now, while you can. If not… you can always check out MousePlanet’s final Tribute.
(1/13/11) According to the local news, a small fire started in the attic of the Tiki Room at the Magic Kingdom earlier today, but was quickly put out by the automated sprinkler system. No injuries were reported.
In other news, a nice general photo update of the various rehab projects going on in the park this week has been posted to Orlando Parks News Finally MouseSteps takes one last tour through Mickey’s Toontown Fair before it vanishes forever, as well as dropping by the Haunted Mansion to try and get a peek at what is going on in the Graveyard. The Tomorrowland Speedway is now also down to just 2 of the 4 lanes, as it looks like they are preparing to alter the course of the speedway a bit along with the closure of Toontown Fair..
(1/3/11) Check out the NYE fireworks that took place at the Magic Kingdom over at Amusement Insider this week.
(12/29/10) Take a peek inside the new Disney Operational Command Center bunker, under Cinderella Castle, to see how Disney is now attempting to fine tune and tweak how the park runs and lessen the stress of waiting in line. Inside this giant command center, covered with wall to wall monitors, Disney follows the flow of the crowds around the parks. Too many people in Fantasyland? They’ll dispatch a mini parade style show to draw some of those crowds over towards Tomorrowland. If the lines are too long at Pirates, they may dispatch Captain Jack Sparrow into the queue to entertain the masses. If this all sounds a bit too familiar somehow, then you’ve probably seen the 1973 film Westworld, directed by Michael Crichton. Yes, the same Crichton who went on to create the Jurassic Park novels, based on the similar idea of yet another theme park gone crazy.
In Westworld, the story revolved around an ultra premier theme park experience called Delos, divided into several themed lands such as MedievalWorld, RomanWorld and WestWorld, inhabitated by lifelike robots to simulate the local population. Guests arrive, and are taken down into a Utilidor style network of underground hallways for orientation and to get into costume and then taken to their respective worlds. Pulling all the strings from a deep underground bunker was the Central Control Room. If a guest was having a bad time, they would manipulate the experience (and actions of the bots) to enhance that guests experience. Having a bad time in MedievalWorld? Then next thing you know you’ve just defeated the Black Knight in a duel and gained the attention of the princess, all under the ever watching eyes and ears of the command center crew.
For a great look at the daily start-up of the resort from the Control Room, check out the video clip embedded below, but jump ahead to the 2:45 mark, followed by an early morning wake up call from the resort’s evil gunslinger played by Yul Brynner. If you haven’t seen it before, it’s really worth watching and gives you all kinds of interesting ideas of just what other plans Disney may have up their Next Gen sleeve. Next time you see a child lose a Balloon in a Disney park and see a CM come up and give away a new one to the crying child, it will make you think a little harder about just who was really watching.
Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
Tiki Room - NOW CLOSED through 3/26/11
Toontown Fair – Closes For Good 2/12/11
2011 - Haunted Mansion Queue Rehab - In Progress - (2/14/11) Some all new pictures of the new Haunted Mansion queue section have been posted to MyTravelingMouse this week. You can see a metal frame going around the other edge that I imagine may be for a new covered pathway perhaps. (2/10/11) Want to see what’s new in the Haunted Mansion queue area this week? Make the jump over to JeffLangeDvd.com and scroll down past the football player nonsense to see the latest pictures and even a video.
From the look of things, they are creating a nice little addition into the graveyard area soon to be full of new tombstones, columbarium and crypts… of the interactive nature. There is also a staircase up that goes up into a turnaround that perhaps will head back towards the old entrance doorway into the Mansion’s foyer.
If we take ideas that Disney has been playing with for their test queue events into consideration here (like the one at Rock ‘n Roller Coaster) I have to wonder if groups of guests will be released into this new graveyard area for some free roaming playtime for 5-10 minutes before their groups are called up the steps and into the mansion proper.
(1/27/11) One of our readers sent in a small batch of new pictures showing off the latest changes to
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(1/11/11) Orlando United has posted some new pictures of the former Haunted Mansion queue-side graveyard area. While we don’t have much in the way of new themeing in yet, there is a ton of conduit sticking up out of the ground, which means there may be lots of fun new interactive items coming our way very soon.
(10/20/10) Orlando United has posted a few new pictures showing off the hillside outside the Haunted Mansion where the tombstones used to be. Yes… used to be. Currently it looks like they have all been removed.
(10/16/10) Disney seems to have begun the rumored upgrade work to the Haunted Mansion queue graveyard at the Magic Kingdom. The view of the graveyard is now blocked off by a construction barrier.
(10/8/10) A posting over at Orlando United claims that the queue area for the Haunted Mansion will soon be replaced with a “Next Gen” style interactive queue, which will include the replacement of the tomb stones in the graveyard with new “interactive” tombstones. I’m not so hot on the idea of removing the old tombstones myself, but I wouldn’t mind seeing some fun new ones added, much like the one added a few years ago that has the eyes that look around.
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