News Round Up 2016

[LSUlakes]

All Disney main buildings were built to withstand cat 3 force winds and damage since the 60's...I imagine that castaway has some structures with at least the same capability.

I believe that Disney builds to cat 5 conditions now if rumors are correct...after the 2004/2005 seasons in Florida and the gulf

Just found this on twitter:

Stuart Flint ‏@StuartFlint5 20h20 hours ago
@TheDCLBlog Hi, My daughter is currently working on the Dream and she's told me that they evacuated Castaway Cay when they left yesterday

 

[luisov]

1500 per hour is not bat at all. Compared to any omnimover/boat system it's nothing to rave about, but compared to most other rides out there it's not that bad. And I agree with lockedout, their top priority for these rides shouldn't be capacity to begin with. It will be very busy at the beginning, that's for sure, but this is still the first time a land has opened almost simultaneously at both coasts, which should help to deal with the massive fan processions. Also, it could be more of a problem at DHS where the number of E-ticket rides is already limited, but I imagine it will be a bit more manageable at Disneyland, which can hold a much higher capacity.

 

[Travis B]

To add to the micechat rumors, Martin on wdwmagic says this is the first he's heard of any sort of getting off and getting back on the trackless vehicles in Alcatraz. Many have noted that would be a logistical nightmare and handicap riders might not be able to do that. My guess is that part of the rumor isn't true. I would still be happy with a trackless ride system and over 150 animatronics though.

A lot of that seems really implausible to me. it seems as if these rumor are from a VERY blue-sky POV, if they're genuine.

Logistical nightmare is exactly what I was thinking about as I read the article. There's no way in heck they're going to have being loading and unloading inside an attraction. I just can't see it. You've got people with children, people with handicaps, heavier people, older people, people carrying bags. It looks bad through so many lenses - logistics, safety, ride flow, capacity, bottlenecks. The article mentions some sort of elevator system IIRC, if vehicles are moved between floors perhaps this is the mechanism they're using to do so.

The numbers @TheMaxRebo posted help put the capacity talk in context. I believe they will be on the higher end. They're building their newest, biggest and best in what will be an insanely popular land installation - how could they not consider capacity to some degree.

A prediction regarding Big Bird - the option of failing your mission, or not getting a happy ending like the article suggests, will not make it to final stages OR will be removed/made optional due to guest dissatisfaction. Regardless of how simple the tasks you have to complete are, people will mess them up. This is still Disney - happy endings are the pretty much the whole point. "Oh sorry little Timmy, your failure destroyed the galaxy. Have a magical day!"

A lot of these things sound like ideas that could have initiated the WDI shake-up that happened a while back. Just speculating obviously.

All that being said, getting these little tidbits is incredibly exciting, and overall I can see a lot of potential with these attractions.

 

[skier_pete]

1500 per hour is not bat at all. Compared to any omnimover/boat system it's nothing to rave about, but compared to most other rides out there it's not that bad. And I agree with lockedout, their top priority for these rides shouldn't be capacity to begin with. It will be very busy at the beginning, that's for sure, but this is still the first time a land has opened almost simultaneously at both coasts, which should help to deal with the massive fan processions. Also, it could be more of a problem at DHS where the number of E-ticket rides is already limited, but I imagine it will be a bit more manageable at Disneyland, which can hold a much higher capacity.

DLR's will likely open at least 6 months earlier - but you are right that the capacity of the park overall is more likely to be able to absorb the crowds - at least after the initial few weeks of 6-7 hour wait lines.

DHS is more likely to have problems - but they are also more likely to handle them within the FP system. I could very easily see them starting these rides as 100% Fastpass booked, with leaving a small percentage of those bookings available to "day of" guests. (Expect also some sort of premium early-entry / late entry packages around Star Wars land - though admittedly these may actually be worth the $150 likely price tag for the first year or so.)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

To add to the micechat rumors, Martin on wdwmagic says this is the first he's heard of any sort of getting off and getting back on the trackless vehicles in Alcatraz. Many have noted that would be a logistical nightmare and handicap riders might not be able to do that. My guess is that part of the rumor isn't true. I would still be happy with a trackless ride system and over 150 animatronics though.

if it was a standalone destination - like say, they turned all of Disneyquest into one giant Star Wars experience, then I could see something like that. But as an attraction within a park, I just don't see it working out.

Didn't they already realize in the planning for the Haunted Mansion decades ago the logistic issues and thus changed it from a walk-through to a ride-through attraction?

 

[DBDiz]

When the Mad Hatter started meeting, he replaced the White Rabbit. New news on if that's happening or if we will just be down.

But overall, we should be netting about 0 change which is pretty normal:
Lose (this weekend) - Woody/Jessie, Rafiki, Hatter
Gain (this weekend) - Muppets show (puppeteers and performer)
Gain (eventually) - Elena, Moana [though these additions could create changes later in the year]

This is pretty similar to how character changes have happened in the last year

We were hoping it wouldn't be true, but Woody and Jessie disappeared from the list of characters available for meet and greet on MDE and Disney's main site. We didn't get a chance to see them earlier in our trip (here now) and they no longer appear to be available.

While it didn't cure the disappointment, the new Muppets show is quite entertaining. I thought they would be animatronics, but they're actual live puppets.

 

[rteetz]

A lot of that seems really implausible to me. it seems as if these rumor are from a VERY blue-sky POV, if they're genuine.

Logistical nightmare is exactly what I was thinking about as I read the article. There's no way in heck they're going to have being loading and unloading inside an attraction. I just can't see it. You've got people with children, people with handicaps, heavier people, older people, people carrying bags. It looks bad through so many lenses - logistics, safety, ride flow, capacity, bottlenecks. The article mentions some sort of elevator system IIRC, if vehicles are moved between floors perhaps this is the mechanism they're using to do so.

The numbers @TheMaxRebo posted help put the capacity talk in context. I believe they will be on the higher end. They're building their newest, biggest and best in what will be an insanely popular land installation - how could they not consider capacity to some degree.

A prediction regarding Big Bird - the option of failing your mission, or not getting a happy ending like the article suggests, will not make it to final stages OR will be removed/made optional due to guest dissatisfaction. Regardless of how simple the tasks you have to complete are, people will mess them up. This is still Disney - happy endings are the pretty much the whole point. "Oh sorry little Timmy, your failure destroyed the galaxy. Have a magical day!"

A lot of these things sound like ideas that could have initiated the WDI shake-up that happened a while back. Just speculating obviously.

All that being said, getting these little tidbits is incredibly exciting, and overall I can see a lot of potential with these attractions.

I agree but I think they can and should have you fail your mission if you don't do what you're supposed to. Mission Space did open with features similar to that but of course it was removed quickly. I'm sure there would be some leniency but if you fail you fail.

 

[rteetz]

News

Funko Pop Indiana Jones figures coming

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...ng-to-disney-parks-online-store-on-october-7/

 

[rteetz]

News

Weather update for those in or going to the Orlando area

https://weather.com/weather/alerts/...ificance=S&areaid=FLZ045&office=KMLB&etn=0000

 

[eXo]

We were hoping it wouldn't be true, but Woody and Jessie disappeared from the list of characters available for meet and greet on MDE and Disney's main site. We didn't get a chance to see them earlier in our trip (here now) and they no longer appear to be available.

While it didn't cure the disappointment, the new Muppets show is quite entertaining. I thought they would be animatronics, but they're actual live puppets.

:/

So glad my little boy got to meet Woody when we were there last December. He was 2 at the time and absolutely obsessed with Woody & Buzz, but Woody is his favorite. He had fallen asleep when we came around to the M&G line, so we just got in line while he slept on my shoulder. He woke up with only one person left in front of us. When he turned and saw Woody & Jessie he just lost it. He was half dancing, half wiggling, and all bug eyed. It was one of my favorite moments of our trip.

So it is definitely somewhat disappointing to hear they have been taken out. However I understand Woody still meets at DHS? So I suppose that is a bit of a consolation.

He seems like a fairly popular character to remove though. Toy story is multigenerational in a way that not all of their other movies are. Not to mention it felt like a majority of the MK M&G's were aimed at girls. Woody, Buzz, & Mickey were the only characters that I can remember my little guy being excited about. Gaston is fun, but he seems more geared towards adults than the kiddies. On the other hand, your are practically tripping over princesses in the rest of the park.

Either way, it's an odd choice to me.

 

[SureAsLiz]

So it is definitely somewhat disappointing to hear they have been taken out. However I understand Woody still meets at DHS? So I suppose that is a bit of a consolation.

Yes, Woody still meets with Buzz in DHS (and Buzz still meets alone in MK)

Woody is also still in Move it Shake it, and my guess is that Jessie is as well, though I can't confirm until Saturday

 

[DBDiz]

:/

So glad my little boy got to meet Woody when we were there last December. He was 2 at the time and absolutely obsessed with Woody & Buzz, but Woody is his favorite. He had fallen asleep when we came around to the M&G line, so we just got in line while he slept on my shoulder. He woke up with only one person left in front of us. When he turned and saw Woody & Jessie he just lost it. He was half dancing, half wiggling, and all bug eyed. It was one of my favorite moments of our trip.

So it is definitely somewhat disappointing to hear they have been taken out. However I understand Woody still meets at DHS? So I suppose that is a bit of a consolation.

He seems like a fairly popular character to remove though. Toy story is multigenerational in a way that not all of their other movies are. Not to mention it felt like a majority of the MK M&G's were aimed at girls. Woody, Buzz, & Mickey were the only characters that I can remember my little guy being excited about. Gaston is fun, but he seems more geared towards adults than the kiddies. On the other hand, your are practically tripping over princesses in the rest of the park.

Either way, it's an odd choice to me.

Buzz is still available in Tomorrowland, and Woody and Buzz are available at Pixar Place in Studios. We did manage to see the two of them there. Down the line once Toy Story Land opens it makes sense for them all to be at Studios, but there's still a significant amount of time until then.

 

[rteetz]

News

The Chew tapings moved up due to weather

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/sever...to-impact-the-theme-parks-later-this-week.htm

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I agree but I think they can and should have you fail your mission if you don't do what you're supposed to. Mission Space did open with features similar to that but of course it was removed quickly. I'm sure there would be some leniency but if you fail you fail.

hopefully that won't negatively impact other guests though - would be annoying if someone was trying to purposely fail to mess up other people

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Just found this on twitter:

Stuart Flint ‏@StuartFlint5 20h20 hours ago
@TheDCLBlog Hi, My daughter is currently working on the Dream and she's told me that they evacuated Castaway Cay when they left yesterday

Makes sense...that's how they rotate them in/out

 

[ejgonz2]

? It's not in Starbucks.

My question is really how is an Avengers character in WDW?

 

[rteetz]

My question is really how is an Avengers character in WDW?

They aren't in the parks unless in some sort of merchandise way which is allowed. They usually have to be branded a certain way though like no Marvel name on the packaging which is part of the discussion since Disney has started using the Marvel name now.

 

[HuskieJohn]

Disney unveils sneak peek at Guardians of the Galaxy ride

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/10/03/guardians-galaxy-disney-ride-sneak-peek


Sorry for the text size...I just cut and pasted the title and link.

 

[skier_pete]

hopefully that won't negatively impact other guests though - would be annoying if someone was trying to purposely fail to mess up other people

I don't it's going to be a "your dead" type failure anyways - my guess is you could have several different outcomes based on how the group of riders does. Maybe in one case you get rescued by another team of rebels because you are doing poorly, in another you save the day completely.

I was surprised to see at one point mission space had a second option of some sort. Whenever I ride that I think it would be so much better if there was SOME cause and effect with all the useless button pushing. (I always intentional push the wrong buttons - so yeah I'll probably be that guy that messes up the Star Wars game on purpose.)

 

[Reddog1134]

They aren't in the parks unless in some sort of merchandise way which is allowed. They usually have to be branded a certain way though like no Marvel name on the packaging which is part of the discussion since Disney has started using the Marvel name now.

But it sounds like Budshark was saying Marvel characters were doing meet and greets in DHS.

Marvel in theme parks:

Wandering around DHS and I walked into the store that is opposite corner from Starbucks and inside were Thor, Loki and other Marvel characters. I did not see Iron Man, Spider-Man or overlap but the movie versions of Thor and Loki were there. If someone is there tomorrow or if I get over there I will take pictures and see if there is Marvel signage.