Official Fantasyland Expansion Q & A (Mickey gets evicted) PART II

[Berlioz70]

The video is linked in the first post, as well as post 288 (just above).

Here it is as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cLAQnlKehQ

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Thanks for that info, looks like we'll be riding SWSA in a few weeks!

Glad to hear too. Looks like we'll get a few more rides in in December!!! Yay! I was afraid we were going to miss it.

Being that we were there last September, I can't WAIT to see how much has been changed over the last year!

 

[Berlioz70]

Glad to hear too. Looks like we'll get a few more rides in in December!!! Yay! I was afraid we were going to miss it.

Being that we were there last September, I can't WAIT to see how much has been changed over the last year!

The wall is bigger now, with fancier posters on it!!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

it was pretty bare back there, the outer walls for Little Mermaid and Belle's area had JUST gone up.about 2 weeks after our trip, the trees went up.

It will be bittersweet to see the wall around the Toontown station, but it will be worth it. I'm just so damn mad the demolished the houses... loads could have been done with those!

 

[Berlioz70]

I was backstage at MK today and tried to get a peak of the houses and their areas... but it was all a hard hat area. But gosh darn, those tents are still up!! I know they're included in the expansion images, but I think many of us were hoping they'd be torn down and permenant structures put into their place. Time will tell!

 

[hollisterluva92]

I commented on a video on youtube and someone commented back saying that the houses were put in storage?? Any truth to this statement?

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I was backstage at MK today and tried to get a peak of the houses and their areas... but it was all a hard hat area. But gosh darn, those tents are still up!! I know they're included in the expansion images, but I think many of us were hoping they'd be torn down and permenant structures put into their place. Time will tell!

I hope so... they were quite faded in 2009 - in much need of some TLC!

Any word on the aerial photography guy? He didn't go up in February!

 

[DanBoris]

I commented on a video on youtube and someone commented back saying that the houses were put in storage?? Any truth to this statement?

Ever since the announcement that Toon Town would close there has been speculation that the houses may be saved, but it appears that that was never more then fan speculation. There has never been any official indication that they would be saved. You can definitly see something being demolished in the Youtube video but it's hard to tell exactly what it is.

If they were going to save them I highly doubt they would have made it to storage already. It hasn't even been three weeks since the closing and I would think it would take a lot longer then that to do the move.

Dan

 

[Berlioz70]

Any word on the aerial photography guy? He didn't go up in February!

No idea I've been checking every two to three days for something, but alas, nothing. That would definately answer our house questions!

 

[mj23cj]

Can anyone tell me if the Dumbo ride is going to be not working during any of this construction? We are going mid May and we were really hoping to ride it. Also what other rides for little kids are gone? Is the barnstormer gone/not working now? Thanks!!

 

[DCTooTall]

Can anyone tell me if the Dumbo ride is going to be not working during any of this construction? We are going mid May and we were really hoping to ride it. Also what other rides for little kids are gone? Is the barnstormer gone/not working now? Thanks!!

I would suspect Dumbo would still be functioning in May. I would almost expect at least some downtime for it while they move it, but i've heard indications that the move wouldn't happen until sometime in 2012. At the very least, I'd expect them to not shutter the existing dumbo until at the very least they've completed the ToonTown demolition and built the new foundations for Dumbo.

Barnstormer is currently closed since it was located in ToonTown. It will return however when the new circus land opens.

As for other little kid rides closed, Obviously Toontown is closed, so that includes the play area there. Pooh's Playful Spot was also closed last year to make room for the expansion. Pooh's Tree however has been moved over in front of the Pooh ride as part of it's new interactive queue.

Beyond that, I don't expect any further closures as part of the Fantasyland Expansion project between now and May. The only other stuff that may be closed would be the usual shortterm refurb closures you can find listed in various places.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I would suspect Dumbo would still be functioning in May. I would almost expect at least some downtime for it while they move it, but i've heard indications that the move wouldn't happen until sometime in 2012. At the very least, I'd expect them to not shutter the existing dumbo until at the very least they've completed the ToonTown demolition and built the new foundations for Dumbo.

Barnstormer is currently closed since it was located in ToonTown. It will return however when the new circus land opens.

As for other little kid rides closed, Obviously Toontown is closed, so that includes the play area there. Pooh's Playful Spot was also closed last year to make room for the expansion. Pooh's Tree however has been moved over in front of the Pooh ride as part of it's new interactive queue.

Beyond that, I don't expect any further closures as part of the Fantasyland Expansion project between now and May. The only other stuff that may be closed would be the usual shortterm refurb closures you can find listed in various places.

ITA - I think it's safe to assume that we won't see too many more closures until the very last possible minute. Heck, I saw somewhere (was it in here?) that they're not shutting down Snow White until early 2012. I think since Toontown closed, the bulk of the changes are all behind the Great Wall of Disney now.

I will be following up for May too. My friend is going down with her family and she relies on me for Disney news!

 

[Thumper_ehhhhh]

I'm wondering if dumbo will be down at all. They can start one half of the new ride before they shut the old one down and move it. Then there would be no disruption at all. Just a location move.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

It doesn't seem like that would work... they'd still have to have some transport of the existing ride... I can't imagine they'd let people that close to the construction area for a move... that, and they workers would be very restricted by that space. The drawings have the dual spinners very close together!

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm wondering if dumbo will be down at all. They can start one half of the new ride before they shut the old one down and move it. Then there would be no disruption at all. Just a location move.

I wondered the same thing. But I bet they are going to need to clear that space to start building the Dwarf coaster before the new Dumbo is open.

 

[DanBoris]

I'm wondering if dumbo will be down at all. They can start one half of the new ride before they shut the old one down and move it. Then there would be no disruption at all. Just a location move.

There is also the possibility, and I have heard rumors of this, that they are building two entirely new Dumbo spinners, which would allow for zero down time. Since Dumbo is a pretty old ride and they have to build one new one, that they might make more sense just to build two new ones.

 

[mat5]

I was wondering about the Little mermaid ride. Are they going to use the same type of video images as the Nemo ride? I could not get in too the new nemo ride, I don't know if I am used to the old dark rides, and I am not that hi tech yet. Will it be a mix on the new ride? any thoughts?

 

[mm522]

The Little Mermaid attraction is going to be on the scale of Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribean. It will feature elaborate audio anamatrionics and sets and will be about 6 minutes. It's definitely more elaborate than the FL dark rides and doesn't use the video screens like Nemo, its a full fledged Disney style and quality attraction all the way.

 

[AliceinMaryland]

The Little Mermaid attraction is going to be on the scale of Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribean. It will feature elaborate audio anamatrionics and sets and will be about 6 minutes. It's definitely more elaborate than the FL dark rides and doesn't use the video screens like Nemo, its a full fledged Disney style and quality attraction all the way.

I can't wait, that sounds awesome!!! But I hadn't heard any of that, just that it was going to be similar to Nemo. Where did you get your info cause I'd like to read the article? Did it say anything else interesting?

 

[DCTooTall]

I wondered the same thing. But I bet they are going to need to clear that space to start building the Dwarf coaster before the new Dumbo is open.

I think the Dwarf coast is pretty much going to be behind the wall's current location. True, It'll butt up right against the wall, but I don't think Dumbo is in the way for the dwarf coaster. (except maybe to give them more room to build).

What Dumbo IS in the way for is the Castle Wall.

There is also the possibility, and I have heard rumors of this, that they are building two entirely new Dumbo spinners, which would allow for zero down time. Since Dumbo is a pretty old ride and they have to build one new one, that they might make more sense just to build two new ones.

The Currently incarnation of Dumbo isn't THAT old. I think I recall sometime in the past 10-15years Dumbo received a complete overhaul which included a new ride system. There were even a couple elephants added. You can see the difference between the old and new ride system when you compare old pictures with the current pictures of Dumbo. The BIGGEST tell is the center hub.

I can't wait, that sounds awesome!!! But I hadn't heard any of that, just that it was going to be similar to Nemo. Where did you get your info cause I'd like to read the article? Did it say anything else interesting?

The ONLY similarity between Nemo (at the Seas in EPCOT) and Little Mermaid is the omnimovers are styled in the shape of Clams. That's actually where many of the rumors of the rides being identical/similar started. People see Clam shaped Omnimover and started complaining about it being another Nemo ride.

You can actually see some pictures of the ride in California being built on the Disney blog. (think some previous posts on this thread linked it). The only differences I've heard about between the east and west coast buildings is the show building. the ride itself is identical.