Rivers of Light --- Almost Ready for Prime Time

[Geoff_M]

I would imagine they have thought about that and wind wouldn't be too much a factor in that aspect.

That being said, I still suspect that there's an upper limit for wind gusts over which a given show would be dumped. Not only might it be challenging for the floats to remain in position with high gusts, but the water "screens" would likely be pretty useless in those same conditions. But on the flip side, I'm sure that the design parameters for the technology used in the show would have stated that they should be able to function normally below a reasonable amount of wind load and gusts that would be encountered in Central Florida.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) More review to come.
. . . last night review is basically "OK, now what"
. . . for the most part, "Why did I waste the time?"
. . . no real "Holy, Moly:" moments
. . . more like, "Hmmm, what bars are open this late?"
2) We are going, AGAIN, to the Monday performance for the (approx) 20-minute show.
. . . if I am lucky Security will allow my flask filled with Scotch
. . . I might need a boost to get me through the show
3) We snuck into the Sunday review.
4) FAULURE, FALURE, FAILURE, FAILURE, FAILURE, FAILURE.
5) The program/parade was stopped due to collision alarms !
6) REALLY, REALLY, REALLY bad !
7) Let's see if they get it fixed tonight.
8) And, we will take a "stadium seat" with us, otherwise you sit on BARE CONCRETE bleachers.

9) ARE YOU KIDDING ME ?
10) Disney couldn't afford a plastic bleacher runner for people to sit upon?
11) Some folks complained of getting "concrete rash" on their behinds.
12) No designer thought of cold-concrete rashes ?????

NOTE1:
With all the SUPER-DUPER brains people like Rohde are "supposed" to have, they would have anticipated such breakdowns.
Nope.
So, the SAFETY system worked and stopped the performance.
I am sorry, but I have A LOT of system design experience.
I would think this would not happen - especially at a Cast Preview performance.
Looks like ANOTHER boondoggle for AK and Imagineering !
I am sorry, but I have little respect for Rohde and his "alleged" Imagineering crew.
Of course, Disney laid off the vast majority of the Imagineering Dept to outsource ride design work.
Hey Ogre (I mean Iger), how is that working for you ???????
. . . terrible nighttime AK Safari Ride
. . . mediocre MK Seven-Dwarfs ride

NOTE2: I once said, I was only assuming the problems with the RoL ride. After talking last night (Sunday) with some of the engineers, I can PLAINLY see the issues, as my design guys/gals had to overcome the same basic situations/circumstances in Over-the-Road Big Trucks. Pardon me, but this was ill-conceived by design staff and Rohde. Sometimes, one must expend the bucks to make things work, instead of skimping like they did on this attraction.

NOTE:3 AK Scoreboard
New AK attractions:
. . . nighttime safari - terrible implementation
. . . rivers of light - good show, but with lots of failure modes
. . . nighttime tree of life - nicely done and very clever
One out of three is not a good percentage for anyone, let alone Disney !!!!!!!!

 

[rteetz]

1) More review to come.
2) We are going, AGAIN, to the Monday performance for the (approx) 20-minute show.
3) We got/snuck into the Sunday review.
4) FAULURE, FALURE, FAILURE, FAILURE, FAILURE, FAILURE.
5) The program/parade was stopped due to collision alarms !
6) REALLY, REALLY, REALLY bad !
7) Let's see if they get it fixed tonight.
8) And, we will take a "stadium seat" with us, otherwise you sit on BARE CONCRETE bleachers.

9) ARE YOU KIDDING ME ?
10) Disney couldn't afford a plastic bleacher runner for people to sit upon?
11) Some folks complained of getting "concrete rash" on their behinds.
12) No designer thought of cold-concrete rashes ?????

NOTE1:
With all the SUPER-DUPER brainy people like Rohde are "supposed" to have, they would have anticipated such breakdowns.
Nope.
So, the SAFETY system worked and stopped the performance.
I am sorry, but I have A LOT of system design experience.
I would think this would not happen - especially at a Cast Preview performance.
Looks like ANOTHER boondoggle for AK and Imagineering !
I am sorry, but I have little respect for Rohde and his "alleged" Imagineering crew.
Of course, Disney laid off the vast majority of the Imagineering Dept to outsource ride design work.
Hey Ogre (I mean Iger), how is that working for you ???????
. . . terrible nighttime AK Safari Ride
. . . mediocre MK Seven-Dwarfs ride

NOTE2: I once said, I was only assuming the problems with the RoL ride. After talking last night (Sunday) with some of the engineers, I can PLAINLY see the issues, as my design guys/gals had to overcome the same basic questions/circumstances in Big Trucks. Pardon me, but this was ill-conceived by design staff and Rohde. Sometimes, one must expend the bucks to make things work, instead of skimping like they did on this attraction.

NOTE:3 AK Scoreboard
New AK attractions:
. . . nighttime safari - terrible implementation
. . . rivers of light - good show, but with lots of failure modes
. . . nighttime tree of life - nicely done and very clever
One out of three is not a good percentage for anyone, let alone Disney !!!!!!!!

You of all people should know its a preview and it could have had issues during said preview.

I have been to hundreds of high school basketball games, plastic isn't a lot better than concrete to sit on.

Rohde isn't directly working on this project.

I love how you keep blaming this all on Rohde...

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I hope they take this preview back from the cast members who are mostly Disney cheerleaders and implement changes if it indeed is boring.

 

[beer dave]

You of all people should know its a preview and it could have had issues during said preview.

I have been to hundreds of high school basketball games, plastic isn't a lot better than concrete to sit on.

Rohde isn't directly working on this project.

I love how you keep blaming this all on Rohde...

And they can fit more people into the audience with non molded seating-- by asking everyone to move all the way down leaving no open spaces--- heard that one before? Kids take up kid sized spaces, and well, others take up other sized spaces......

 

[rteetz]

Not all of the effects were in the previews last night or tonight. Fire for example is still going to happen but hasn't happened yet.

 

[rteetz]

No stops tonight.

Reports from Twitter

"I don't know why people thought this was boring... its so beautiful."

"Fantastic show, incredible use of technology, needs stronger ending"

"Rivers of light was amazing"

"I'm in love"

"literally brought me to tears"

 

[MouseMomx2]

I was at the preview tonight and absolutely loved the show. I agree that the ending could be a little stronger but everything else was amazing.

(For the record, I found the benches no less comfortable than the metal versions at FOtLK and Fantasmic.)

 

[jade1]

You joke - but there's a good chance that that'll be one of the biggest customer complaints. "My kids are bored - Why aren't there any characters?"

Kind of a half joke. I think most guests are at WDW because of its IP exposure actually. They indeed want that IMO. But many seem to not want IP exposure. I'm ok either way, if it's good like illuminations. But do prefer Wishes, Fantasmic, Star Wars and WOC actually.

And sure enough, the IP filled TOL short is by far our favorite already.

Can't wait to see ROL anyway, and agree it will be a big complaint.

The new projection show Once upon a dream is really good.

If it were about just general people and animals we wouldn't have liked it as much I don't think.

 

[rteetz]

Wishes

Wishes really doesn't have a big IP component. It has Jiminy Cricket as a narrator and flying think but it doesn't have any others.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

OUR REVIEW: Nov-28, Second Preview of RoL . . .

1) There were no boat/float crashes tonight, so there was no stoppage of the show.
2) I took two business couples with us and the consensus of the six of us was:
. . . no discernible story, but a good use of various projections of animals
. . . pretty lights and a great use of color - which we would demand from Disney
. . . nice water fountain effects
. . . mediocre music, but, NO ONE went out humming or singing a tune, like you would expect from a Disney presentation
. . . nice show for free, but wouldn't pay to see it (such as an add-on to a dining package)
. . . an ending that was, "Hmmm. It is over. OK, time to stand up and leave."
. . . No Ta-Da feeling of WE WANT MORE or ENCORE as we walked out.
. . . longest applause we could "clock" was approx 17-seconds and several less than 10-seconds, NOT a good sign
. . . we sat ABOVE the 8th-row, so we had wooden benches and not the concrete benches in the first 8-rows
3) WDW people went around getting folks to sign-up to give an email review - yes we entered our names into the hand-held computers.
4) We heard much of the same comments from the other Cast Members as they left the amphitheater.

NOTE1: We still wanted that "WOW" factor from Disney. One of our guests said, "This is Animal Kingdom, so it should be an AH-factor." OK, it was definitely and "AH" factor, but no where close to a "WOW" factor or anywhere near the build-up it has been given.

NOTE2: This was the second night of the AK Cast Member preview. Tickets were only supposed to be available to AK Cast Members and guests listed on their Main Gate Pass (3-minimum and more if they had more dependents). I had several CM's who "owed me a favor", so I was able to easily scrounge tickets.

NOTE3: Some people think I am blaming Rohde. Yes, I am - or at least holding him responsible for the delays and ill-designed features. He really is in charge. All releases and announcements come from or through him (check several Orlando Sentinel articles, such as on Nov-23), except we did hear public address system welcoming announcements from Djuan (VP of AK). BTW, met him and Djuan Rivers is truly a nice guy!

 

[rteetz]

OUR REVIEW: Nov-28, Second Preview of RoL . . .

1) There were no boat/float crashes tonight, so there was no stoppage of the show.
2) I took two business couples with us and the consensus of the six of us was:
. . . no discernible story, but a good use of various projections of animals
. . . pretty lights and a great use of color - which we would demand from Disney
. . . nice water fountain effects
. . . mediocre music, but, NO ONE went out humming or singing a tune, like you would expect from a Disney presentation
. . . nice show for free, but wouldn't pay to see it (such as an add-on to a dining package)
. . . an ending that was, "Hmmm. It is over. OK, time to stand up and leave."
. . . No Ta-Da feeling of WE WANT MORE or ENCORE as we walked out.
. . . longest applause we could "clock" was approx 17-seconds and several less than 10-seconds, NOT a good sign
. . . we sat ABOVE the 8th-row, so we had wooden benches and not the concrete benches in the first 8-rows
3) WDW people went around getting folks to sign-up to give an email review - yes we entered our names into the hand-held computers.
4) We heard much of the same comments from the other Cast Members as they left the amphitheater.

NOTE1: We still wanted that "WOW" factor from Disney. One of our guests said, "This is Animal Kingdom, so it should be an AH-factor." OK, it was definitely and "AH" factor, but no where close to a "WOW" factor or anywhere near the build-up it has been given.

NOTE2: This was the second night of the AK Cast Member preview. Tickets were only supposed to be available to AK Cast Members and guests listed on their Main Gate Pass (3-minimum and more if they had more dependents). I had several CM's who "owed me a favor", so I was able to easily scrounge tickets.

NOTE3: Some people think I am blaming Rohde. Yes, I am - or at least holding him responsible for the delays and ill-designed features. He really is in charge. All releases and announcements come from or through him (check several Orlando Sentinel articles, such as on Nov-23), except we did hear public address system welcoming announcements from Djuan (VP of AK). BTW, met him and Djuan Rivers is truly a nice guy!

Honestly you're the first I've seen say mediocre music. Pretty much everyone is saying they loved the music.

Note 3 is directed at me of course, still don't see how you can blame rohde for this. Sure he overseas the project but he didn't design it. You as far as I know aren't involved in this show in any fashion so I don't see how you can blame it all on him when you don't know his involvement.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . still don't see how you can blame rohde for this. Sure he overseas the project but he didn't design it.

1) Joe Rohde's title is Executive Designer and Vice President, Creative.
2) He oversees the project and that makes him responsible.
3) The Buck Stops somewhere . . . or, at least, is supposed to.
4) If it doesn't work or is late, it is his job to get it corrected in an appropriate manner and fashion.
5) I have never blamed him for actually designing it incorrectly, just not completing the project.

NOTE: I ran manufacturing plants and companies, and when projects went wrong or we had customer quality problems, it was MY fault, even if some engineer or factory worker made the error. Same applies here. But, the problem is that Disney never holds anyone responsible or accountable. If things are wrong or late, they give it to the PR Department and have them make some excuse.

 

[writerguyfl]

We did hear public address system welcoming announcements from Djuan (VP of AK). BTW, met him and Djuan Rivers is truly a nice guy!

Djuan was my boss' boss at one point when I worked at Disney World. He was both extremely competent and a nice guy. (Sadly, that's a tough combination to find in many upper level managers.)

 

[jade1]

Wishes really doesn't have a big IP component. It has Jiminy Cricket as a narrator and flying think but it doesn't have any others.

It doesn't have any others?

What about Pinocchio,
Aladdin,
Genie,
Cinderella,
Peter Pan,
Beauty and the Beast,
Little Mermaid,
Ariel,
Snow White,
Hercules,
Fantasia
and Sleeping Beauty?

 

[MJ6987]

Given the lukewarm media reception on the Previews is it now likely that official launch will be delayed whilst they make adjustments?

 

[rteetz]

It doesn't have any others?

What about Pinocchio,
Aladdin,
Genie,
Cinderella,
Peter Pan,
Beauty and the Beast,
Little Mermaid,
Ariel,
Snow White,
Hercules,
Fantasia
and Sleeping Beauty?

Sorry mind fart. I was just thinking of the song wishes where the kids sing. That part doesn't have IP.

 

[rteetz]

Given the lukewarm media reception on the Previews is it now likely that official launch will be delayed whilst they make adjustments?

We don't know.

 

[tstidm1]

We don't know.

I get this feeling that it ends up being May or June 2017 to just put in Ip (Lion king, zootopia and Jungle Book). My favorite show is Illuminations because of its message and originality. I'm probably in the less than 10% of attendance at Wdw anymore.

 

[rteetz]

I get this feeling that it ends up being May or June 2017 to just put in Ip (Lion king, zootopia and Jungle Book). My favorite show is Illuminations because of its message and originality. I'm probably in the less than 10% of attendance at Wdw anymore.

I sure hope they don't put IP in.