Attraction effects Disney installed but doesn't use ( w/pics if possible )

[Buzz Litebeer]

curious how i can do a backstage tour of the rides? i have seen people talk about it and was curious

There are two ways I know of:

1) Become a CM and sign up for a tour when one is offered by the Disney Learning Center.

2) Become a CM and get trained at the HM.

There are several Backstage Tours....One is "Keys to the Kingdom", which takes you backstage in HM.

While KTTK is scheduled to stop at the HM, and some backstage information about the HM is usually shared by the tour guide, Guests are not allowed in backstage areas at the HM. Ever. In fact, unauthorized tours for CMs is a termination offense.

I remember all of the houses and buildings. I have a ton of pics from Flight of the Navigator-are those gone too?!

The Trimaxion Drone Ship "Max" (the name of the vessel from FotN, voiced by Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens under the pseudonym Paul Mall) could still be seen in the "boneyard" portion of the tour the last time I rode (right before it closed for refurbishment).

 

[tatertot107]

I havent read the entire thread yet so i hope no one has said this yet but i highly doubt someone has haha. Has anybody seen the Full House episode where the family goes to wdw and michelle rubs the lamp and becomes princess for the day? Did they really use this back then or did they just make it up for the show??

 

[IndyJammer]

Is this still there? I was there in June and in February and looked all over and NEVER saw it! Maybe I was looking too hard, lol.

It's "usually" there - but it is sometimes hard to see. Although it does not look like it in the pictures, you actually have to be up front by the glass in order to look down & see the floor.

 

[meliss8599]

Several years ago, an idea was put in place to try to take ride photos of guests (for purchase) on Haunted Mansion.

The camera was installed behind the glass where you have a ghost riding with you. The camera was installed with the plans (already created) to eventually build a post-ride store (this has been put on hold due to the budget of the recent refurb).

The camera has never been activated and may have just been removed during the recent refurb.

Wow, that's too bad. We have ALWAYS said how great it would be to have a picture of us with that ghost tagging along--too cute! Oh well, maybe one day it'll happen.

 

[meliss8599]

They have other plans for tom sawyers island more closely related to frontier land.

Oh, no, what are the "other plans"?!

 

[DJ Disney Kid]

Speaking of the stunt show, I once saw them do the the WHOLE show, including the ski jets and water explosion sequence. This was shortly after it first opened, but then they quit doing it.

Wait, so they don't do the water jet ski portion anymore? Was it removed all together or just replaced by something else?

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

is the "big bird" working on top of ee? [ darn it, i know i have a
picture somewhere..but can't find it. ]

 

[topmonkeygirl]

love all the posts, keep em comin'.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

Has anybody seen the Full House episode where the family goes to wdw and michelle rubs the lamp and becomes princess for the day? Did they really use this back then or did they just make it up for the show??

It was just made up for the show.

In terms of accurate depictions of the resort, I rank it right up there with the Roseanne episode where Winnie-the-Pooh hangs out with Darlene all day and throughout multiple parks.

 

[jezebella]

Has anyone mentioned Nemo? In the first half you go around the corner and see the shark staring at you, it used to come out at you. If you listen carefully, you can still hear the air pistons firing and it wiggles a little, but never comes out.

 

[rootbeerkid]

The guns in the fort on Tom Sawyer's Island at WDW used to shoot puffs of air and the small tree branches just outside of the window would move because of the air blast from the guns. If memory serves, at our last visit, the guns were no longer air guns but now emit some other noise.

 

[DJ Disney Kid]

is the "big bird" working on top of ee? [ darn it, i know i have a
picture somewhere..but can't find it. ]

I've heard that he is not going to be working anymore. I always thought it was weird anyways as I've never seen a bird move directly up and down in mid-air. It just looked too much like it was on a stick, which it was.

 

[**Stephanie**]

courtesy of jimhillmedia.com
"Mind you, there are some pieces of this Resort that have slipped away forever. Like the wave machine that was located just off-shore. It used to send ocean-style curls crashing onto the Polynesian's white sandy beach ... Until -- of course -- the beach erosion began. The photo below shows all that now remains of this once-amazing mechanism."

picture by Jeff Lange

This information from http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/WDW/Resorts/Secrets/Polynesian.html
" hear that originally there was a wave machine at the Polynesian resort so that guests could go surfing, but it caused massive errosion of the beach so it was turned off. Aparently it is still under the Seven Seas Lagoon.
REPORTED: Rob Mumford 08 APR 98
There was a wave making machine on the island across from the Poly beach during the 70's. Equipment was later moved. The white sand on Poly beach was being washed out. Actually saw it in operation. Waves were never high enough to surf on.
CONFIRMED: Mike Moyer 26 APR 98
The Wave Machine in the Seven Seas Lagoon was present in the late 1970's. It was then shut down because of erosion. The entire machine and it's components were removed from the lagoon, and the area under water was made into a reef.
CONFIRMED: Ryan Sensenig 14 JUN 98
I was there in May and taking the little boats back over to the resort. Our Skipper told us that the wooded island that is directly across from the Poly housed both the wave machine (which did erode the beach, but was deemed too dangerous to move) and was also the original location for the Polynesian Luau. Guests were originally paddled over in Hawaiian canoes for the show. The Luau Cove has since been built to replace the use of the island
CONFIRMED: Kristin 18 AUG 00"

 

[jkid721133]

AWESOME THREAD...it was one of the first ones i posted on back in 2007....glad to see it resurrected.

 

[La2kw]

I've heard that he is not going to be working anymore. I always thought it was weird anyways as I've never seen a bird move directly up and down in mid-air. It just looked too much like it was on a stick, which it was.

You've never seen a hawk riding thermals? I think that is what they are trying to portray. Birds of prey do often ride the air currents and often appear to just hold steady in the air without flapping wings. They are usually looking for things to eat on the ground.

 

[micknpluto]

The Busby Berkeley scene in the Great Movie Ride (first scene in the attraction) was designed (and briefly used) much more elaborately when the ride first opened.

The "tiers of bathing beauties" rotated and water rained down from above.

It was a maintenance nightmare and has been discontinued.

I havent read through this whole post yet.. I had to stop and say...

Robo, you would make the perfect husband!!! ARe you married? lol

You have such a plethora of Disney knowledge! I always enjoy your posts.

I'm not being sarcastic either

 

[bama4ever]

Wait, so they don't do the water jet ski portion anymore? Was it removed all together or just replaced by something else?

We were at Lights, Motor, Action last week. They did the stunt with the jet ski. It is always a great show.

 

[disneyfan55]

How about this one? This is also at the GMR. The first few years that MGM was open, your cars would split into two parts with your own tour guide. The first two would go through the gangster scene where your car was hijacked by the gangster. The last two cars would stay behind and have that experience. The first two would pass through to the wild west scene where the bank was being robbed and that robber would hijack the car. You can see the fire damage to the bank in the corner around the windows are all scorched because someone shoots or blows up the bank and it catches fire. I remember it very well because the heat from the fire was intense.

Maybe they stopped it because of the heat or they only do it when the crowds get really huge.

If anyone out there knows the reason why they stopped the bank robbery part and/or if anyone out there remembers it like me please be sure to answer.

Every we go we see the bank robbery and cowboy. Sometimes both are not running but we saw it last Sept.

 

[micknpluto]

Ok.. Ive made it through the whole thread....

I'm glad someone else mentioned the Golden Girls house on the Backlot Tour.. Im so mad they dont have it anymore. They needed the room for the stunt show

Where is it now, did they destroy it?? *sad*

also, something that wasnt mentioned.. Last September when we watched Fantasmic... there was no boat with steamboat willie driving the boat I was so excited to show my friend who was visiting for the first time, and NO BOAT =[

All the characters came out, but they were running around/dancing..whatever in front of the mountain. Maybe it was broken thar night

Oh and Davy Jones in POTC wasnt working at all when we were there in september. another disappoinment, I was telling my friend about that part of the ride.. and no Davy Jones.



Maybe we'll have better luck this year.

 

[elleherself]

Oh and Davy Jones in POTC wasnt working at all when we were there in september. another disappoinment, I was telling my friend about that part of the ride.. and no Davy Jones.

That's funny as on my October trip our group had the opposite experience! We were in the Magic Kingdom October 30. The Disney know-it-all in our group (and I use that term with lots of endearment!) swore that Davy Jones USED to appear on the mist, but would not, because it was broken. My sister and I tried to persuade her that we had seen it in May-- no avail. She kept talking about how cool it was and what a shame we would not be able to see it. So we just shut up and waited for the ride-- well, my sister and I won that coin toss. I've never seen it not working since they implemented it-- all twice that I've ridden! But I really do believe those of you who say it doesn't appear sometimes-- I think I do, anyway. What day of April is this, again?