Is the Spaceship Eath wand going away?

[doubletrouble_vb]

I loved the original 30 minute Energy film! The music was great.

 

[Plus4206]

Our trip in '97 was only our 2nd trip to WDW ( '95 being the first ) and we didn't mind the Cake Castle, thought it was kinda neat. Obviously I wouldn't want to see it for 5 straight years, but I didn't mind it at the time.

The same could be said for the Wand. It just doesn't bother me. In '97 we bought into DVC and have gone to WDW three times a year since. I've seen the Wand countless times and it still means nothing too me, good or bad. Take it down tomorrow and I'll feel the exact same way about Epcot,SE and the Wand.

Maybe someday 1995 will be my "good ole days" standard for WDW and things that change will bother me. I'd be willing to bet that the majority of people that have visited WDW since the Wand feel very similar to me. I don't hold SE as some sacred icon that can never be tampered with.

 

[sotoalf]

I don't hold SE as some sacred icon that can never be tampered with.

I don't either. The wand just looks hideous. A magic wand on a geosphere...?

There's a certain kind of gaudiness which turns into camp or kitsch if exaggerated: I'd classify the WDW Swan, WDW Dolphin, and SE wand as example.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Maybe they'll steal the big hat from MGM and put it on SE. They could market it as the worlds largest antenna topper.

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

I totally agrre plamtreegirl.

BTW I LOVED the castle cake too, maybe I just love cheesy decor!!

 

[hauntedmansion79]

I might as well add my two cents. I absolutely love a clean, simple Spaceship Earth. I think the wand is cheap, and takes away from the amazing structure in itself. I also do not like that you can see the scaffolding, etc. I would like to see it removed.

As far as the hat at MGM, I really like it. I think it makes a great icon. However, I too do not like the positioning. I feel like the Chinese Theater got dissed. You can't even see it anymore, unless you go around the hat.

Lastly, I loved the Castle Cake. I don't know why everyone gripes about it, it's not like they kept it like that (like they did with Epcot). It was just special for one particular year. Don't get me wrong, I love the classic castle more than anyone, but to see it decked out like that was sort of cool.

Well, that's it for me.

 

[disney junky]

Alas, even I cannot dissent as I, too, hope the wand goes away. It didn't bother me for the celebration (nor did the castle cake) but that doesn't mean I want to look at those things forever. Bring back the original SE.

I hated the castle cake. That was tacky, and gross.

 

[Mimi Q]

I liked the castle cake.

 

[LegoMom3]

Not to be a cynic, but I wonder (fear?) that the wand will be coming down sooner only because the 'new' ride will shake so much that the wand couldn't handle it...

Any new rumors about 'Time Racers'?

Time Racers??!!..."New" ride in SE?!? What is this all about and when is it supposed to happen?! I LOVE the SE ride...

Can someone please fill me in, please please?!?

 

[Peter Pirate]

Come on Bruce, you're not seriously reviving that Time Racers rumor are you? Next you'll be telling us that The Great Movie Ride is becoming Indiana Jones...

 

[NandP]

Hopefully, this rumor is true.

Next, they can get rid of that monstrosity at Disney/MGM Studios!

I think that monstrosity is beautifull... BUT BOY OH BOY is it in the WRONG PLACE !!! I can't believe they blocked Mann's Chinese Theater!! Why not stick in the spot where "Sounds Dangerous" is... That show is pathetic.

Just my humble opinion!

 

[DisneyJules]

Yay! This would be so great. I've always thought it was permanent. Now if something could just be done about the graveyard...

Ain't that the truth, what an eye soar!!! Yikes, I thought that really wrecked the entrance to the park.

 

[WDWHound]

Why not move the hat to the entrance of MGM, then move the wand so it is tapping the top of the hat. That would actually look pretty cool.

 

[Tinkerbell10403]

I Love all of Walt Disney World....including EPCOT. Although the wand does look a tad out of place...I still love it. EPCOT is home to TestTrack,MissionSpace, and the World Showcase...not to mention SpaceShip Earth....which although is not a very exciting ride...is still one of my favorites! It feels cool to know you are up in the 'big ball'!

 

[iloveusa825]

I was at WDW in January and on a bus from DTD to SSR (yes, I'm lazy) and was actually alone on the bus with the driver. We started talking and he told me that his wife works somewhere at Epcot and that she had learned the wand was put up at the request of the city of Orlando. The wand actually had to be put up to be in accordance with the city regs, etc. having to do with being close to the airport. That's why it blinks and lights up; it's an issue with incoming planes. And, as far as he knew, there were no plans of having it come down. It will always be there, just in other forms, etc. So, it may or may not be true...but that's what I heard.

 

[Bstanley]

To all concerned: I have ZIP inside information about WDW.

It just stuck me as odd that WDW management would spend money to take something down without having a good reason. And the first reason that sprang to mind was the old rumor about some sort of thrill ride inside SE - and the potential for vibration.

Old rumors never die, they just get remembered.

 

[rocketriter]

We started talking and he told me that his wife works somewhere at Epcot and that she had learned the wand was put up at the request of the city of Orlando. The wand actually had to be put up to be in accordance with the city regs, etc. having to do with being close to the airport. That's why it blinks and lights up; it's an issue with incoming planes.

No disrespect intended, but I think Disney could have solved that issue with a couple of blinking lights at the top of the sphere, as one might see on an antenna. The wand is much more than necessary--and if you look at the Dolphin Webcam at night (it's pointed at SE) you can see that the wand turns off after hours anyway.

 

[McDisney]

I was at WDW in January and on a bus from DTD to SSR (yes, I'm lazy) and was actually alone on the bus with the driver. We started talking and he told me that his wife works somewhere at Epcot and that she had learned the wand was put up at the request of the city of Orlando. The wand actually had to be put up to be in accordance with the city regs, etc. having to do with being close to the airport. That's why it blinks and lights up; it's an issue with incoming planes. And, as far as he knew, there were no plans of having it come down. It will always be there, just in other forms, etc. So, it may or may not be true...but that's what I heard.

I believe I heard that anything over 200 feet tall had to have a light on top of it for this reason (airplanes), and this is why they built the Tower of Terror at 199'. Just wondering how much truth there is in this.

 

[WDWHound]

I believe I heard that anything over 200 feet tall had to have a light on top of it for this reason (airplanes), and this is why they built the Tower of Terror at 199'. Just wondering how much truth there is in this.

The tower of terror was indeed built one foot short of the heigth limit for aircraft warning lights. I don't think this was ever a factor with Spaceship Earth.

 

[sc9500]

I find the "tombstones" a much bigger eyesore than the wand. The MGM hat should relocate and as far as the Cake Castle -it was cool for the Celebration ... Trade -tombstones and wand for return of millenium parade.