The AP Carsland preview was wonderful!

[LisainCalifornia]

Hi guys,
we are here right now. Yesterday was our Annual Passholder Carsland Preview, and it was so much fun! It totally exceeded my expectations. It was held from 6-midnight with a World of Color show.

Carsland is so much better than I expected it to be. The stores and theming of the street areas are classic Main Street Disney style. Beautiful attention to detail. I loved the old fashioned style of Beuna Vista Street--they really thought of everything. The Characters were out in their old fashioned costumes (I think it is suppose to be from the 1940's--someone correct me if I am wrong)--and there were even cast members riding old time bicycles. We got lots of great character interaction with Mickey, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie--all in period costumes. There was so much room to walk around and look at things in the stores and on the street--it really wasn't that crowded at all.

After that we went on Radiator Springs Racers--and that blew us away! What a great ride. It is pretty long, and has a dark ride portion and then moves on to the mountain racing portion--which is thrilling, fast and so much fun! We went on that ride 4 times. My girls just loved it.

Next, we went on Luigi's tires--and I have to say that sadly this ride is a dudd! This is the only ride we had to wait a significant amount of time for (we waited a full hour) and it was riddled with waits and slow loading. I overheard a castmember telling a guest that the imagineers tested it before the opening, and felt like it was missing something, so they added in these big beach balls to toss while you are in the tires. Cute idea, but the ride is still terrible! It is really short, and it is easy to get "stuck" on the ride--where you just stick in one spot. Even when you do move, it just isn't that fun. Hopefully they can fix this ride.

The final ride is Mater's Junkyard Jamboree--which was cute and peppy. It wasn't great, but definitely a must try.

Today we were mostly in DL, and the crowds have picked up a bit over yesterday. Still, it is lovely and we are having a super time. Met Meirida today, she is a cutie.

We are staying in the Double Tree Suites in Anaheim (on Harbor) for the first time. It is a great hotel if anyone is looking. Taking ART for the first time, and it can be annoying (waited this morning for 40 minutes for the bus!)--but other than that it has been fine.

Talk to you all later!
Lisa

 

[mvf-m11c]

Glad to hear that you had a great time at the CL & BVS preview last night. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a 11:15pm WoC show that was advertised. They said our WoC performance was at 10:15pm. There was no way i would spend part of my time at CL and BVS to see WoC when we should have watched it at 11:15pm. So I didn't spend time at WoC that night and used just to take videos and pictures. It was amazing a 8pm when the buildings were all light up and used the same music in the movie Cars.

 

[fctiger]

Yeah I been hearing SO many great things about these two areas! It sounds like BVS is an out and out hit. I have not heard one negative thing about it yet. CL also seems to be a huge hit other than LFT and I know people have complained about the line issues for Cozy Cones, but everything else a hit!

And I remember your other posts LisainCalifornia and I asked you if you could see the fireworks from CL? So now that you been, could you?

Also I guess the Brave sequence in WOC isnt there yet. Not a peep about it anywhere.

 

[Vexorg]

I got to attend the AP preview yesterday, and was quite impressed. I'm planning to do a post on my Blog this evening with more detailed impressions, but here's a few quick thoughts:

-On going back and looking at the photos I took of the Ornament Valley, it's amazing how well they've pulled off the effect. It would be nice if the Tower of terror wasn't sitting right behind it, but that's not too big a deal. I know one of the big issues with DCA has been that they haven't been able to block out the surrounding city the way they would like to, so this is a big step in that direction.
-I didn't have the patience to wait through the queue to ride Luigi's Flying Tires, but the queue was very well done. One interesting I saw was that the Cars Land attractions have roaming snack vendors in the queues (stuff like popcorn, cotton candy and drinks.) This is the first time I've seen this anywhere in the parks.
-Mater's Junkyard Jamboree: The queue was fairly well themed on this one, but I suspect that for most people this will be a "ride it once" ride. I suspect younger kids will probably enjoy this one more than the grown-ups will though.
-Flo's V8 Cafe: I had lunch here, and although the food is nothing fancy, it does do a mostly believable job of pulling off the Route 66 diner theme. Admittedly I was a bit skeptical of the food choices when I first saw them (I was expecting more of a burger-and-fries type place) but they do work with the theme. The view of Radiator Springs Racers from the side seating area is also quite nice.
-Radiator Springs Racers: This one's obviously the star of the show, and it may be the most advanced ride in the park. The animatronics are top-notch, and even though the race part falls just a bit short of being what I'd consider a thrill ride (California Screamin' and ToT still hold the crown for that) I don't think anyone will be complaining.
-Buena Vista Street: It was hard to get too much of a feel for the place since nothing was open yet, but the theme works pretty well. It's a bit hard to judge the overall impact while the walls are still up though.

All in all, I think this will be a great addition to the park, although whether or not it (along with the rest of the overhaul) is enough to make DCA a destination park on its own remains to be seen.

 

[mrsmith9]

Next, we went on Luigi's tires--and I have to say that sadly this ride is a dudd! This is the only ride we had to wait a significant amount of time for (we waited a full hour) and it was riddled with waits and slow loading. I overheard a castmember telling a guest that the imagineers tested it before the opening, and felt like it was missing something, so they added in these big beach balls to toss while you are in the tires. Cute idea, but the ride is still terrible! It is really short, and it is easy to get "stuck" on the ride--where you just stick in one spot. Even when you do move, it just isn't that fun. Hopefully they can fix this ride.

Lisa

This ride failed miserably the first time they built it in Tomorrowland, I don’t know why they thought it would be different this time?

 

[fctiger]

I got to attend the AP preview yesterday, and was quite impressed. I'm planning to do a post on my Blog this evening with more detailed impressions, but here's a few quick thoughts:

-On going back and looking at the photos I took of the Ornament Valley, it's amazing how well they've pulled off the effect. It would be nice if the Tower of terror wasn't sitting right behind it, but that's not too big a deal. I know one of the big issues with DCA has been that they haven't been able to block out the surrounding city the way they would like to, so this is a big step in that direction.
-I didn't have the patience to wait through the queue to ride Luigi's Flying Tires, but the queue was very well done. One interesting I saw was that the Cars Land attractions have roaming snack vendors in the queues (stuff like popcorn, cotton candy and drinks.) This is the first time I've seen this anywhere in the parks.
-Mater's Junkyard Jamboree: The queue was fairly well themed on this one, but I suspect that for most people this will be a "ride it once" ride. I suspect younger kids will probably enjoy this one more than the grown-ups will though.
-Flo's V8 Cafe: I had lunch here, and although the food is nothing fancy, it does do a mostly believable job of pulling off the Route 66 diner theme. Admittedly I was a bit skeptical of the food choices when I first saw them (I was expecting more of a burger-and-fries type place) but they do work with the theme. The view of Radiator Springs Racers from the side seating area is also quite nice.
-Radiator Springs Racers: This one's obviously the star of the show, and it may be the most advanced ride in the park. The animatronics are top-notch, and even though the race part falls just a bit short of being what I'd consider a thrill ride (California Screamin' and ToT still hold the crown for that) I don't think anyone will be complaining.
-Buena Vista Street: It was hard to get too much of a feel for the place since nothing was open yet, but the theme works pretty well. It's a bit hard to judge the overall impact while the walls are still up though.

All in all, I think this will be a great addition to the park, although whether or not it (along with the rest of the overhaul) is enough to make DCA a destination park on its own remains to be seen.

Wait, you mean BVS stores werent open? You could only walk the street? I guess thats why I seen more exterior shots than anything.

As for as the walking vendors in CL, that was lasseters doing. He didnt want the vendors sitting everywhere and kill the theme of the place, so the compromise was to have walking vendors instead. Who knows if really sucessfull, it may come to other areas of the parks as well.

 

[Minnie Loves Mickey]

My husbandandI had a great time! BVS was open and yes you could shop! We loved it! Especially the Starbucks. We were disappointed that they had NO Starbucks/DL logo merchandise. We asked about this and they said it wouldbe coming later in the summer.

RSR was Great!But it was broken down for well over an hour when we first arrived and since we were at the front of the line we waited,,,we met some very nice people and cast members while waiting.

LFT not so Good .. Not much to say.

MJJ ... We liked it, there was no wait and it really made us laugh...getting thrown from side to side...silly I know.

Shops and food selections were nice, we walked around and took everything in befor we jumped in our car to get back to the Bay Area as my husband had to bee at a meeting this morning for work.

I am excited to be going back in a couple of weeks to see it all lit up at night.

We did get our tickets for the special WOC showing so more to look forward to.

 

[ImDMous]

Wait, you mean BVS stores werent open? You could only walk the street? I guess thats why I seen more exterior shots than anything.

All the stores were definitely open yesterday, ask my wallet. They are really cool, themed like department stores (children's, menswear, jewelry, housewares). From the outside, what looks like 5 different shops are all connected on the inside, similar to Emporium. One is on each side of the street. We had our Cars Land preview from 1-5 and went to BVS before (around noon) and after (about 6:30) and everything was open.

 

[Kathymford]

I seem to be alone in this, but I was surprised at how fun LFT was for me. My DBF and I working together picking a direction to go and then go flying by. It was a lot of fun once you got the hang of it. Now, there is a lot of set up for the ride to get going, so the line is long and slow, but hopefully they will figure out a quicker way to get everything set up!

I think the walking vendors are going to be a great thing for RSR when the line hits the 2 hour mark. Also, I was able to get my cozy cone sipper without waiting in line at the cones! Win-win if you ask me!

I'm with everyone else on everything else. I absolutely adored everything and was so impressed with the look. Walking into Cars Land the first time, my jaw literally dropped. Enjoy everyone!

 

[nunzia]

Yeah I been hearing SO many great things about these two areas! It sounds like BVS is an out and out hit. I have not heard one negative thing about it yet. CL also seems to be a huge hit other than LFT and I know people have complained about the line issues for Cozy Cones, but everything else a hit!

And I remember your other posts LisainCalifornia and I asked you if you could see the fireworks from CL? So now that you been, could you?

Also I guess the Brave sequence in WOC isnt there yet. Not a peep about it anywhere.

Nope..we weren't sure if Carsland closed at 10 or 11, so we went over to catch the 10:15 WOC..the dinner people had benches to sit on set up by a railing down aways from Mermaid. Holy cow...this is the best view I've ever had of WOC..seeing the entire expanse of the show really added alot..much better than by the rail in dining section. I kept hoping for the Brave sequence, but nope

 

[Huff]

How does the race portion of Racers compare with the outside portion of Test Track at Epcot for those that have ridden both?

 

[Vexorg]

It's been quite a while since I rode on Test Track, but by comparison, there are some hills (not quite fast enough to create airtime, but pretty close) on the speed portion of RSR that Test track doesn't have, and it seemed to me that the banks might have been steeper too.

 

[elaw]

How does the race portion of Racers compare with the outside portion of Test Track at Epcot for those that have ridden both?

It feels not nearly as fast to me .... there are short bursts of speed on RSR whereas TT really opens up for quite a stretch. I would rank RSR higher overall than TT though .... it's pretty amazing.

 

[Hoku]

I seem to be alone in this, but I was surprised at how fun LFT was for me. My DBF and I working together picking a direction to go and then go flying by. It was a lot of fun once you got the hang of it. Now, there is a lot of set up for the ride to get going, so the line is long and slow, but hopefully they will figure out a quicker way to get everything set up!

Nice to hear something positive about it. Looks like it could be fun if you're willing to "get the hang of it" . People might feel a little better about it, too, if they can speed the line up.

 

[aan1701]

Count me in as someone who really loved LFT. Yes, the unload/load time really needs to be worked on, but my wife and I took the two tips we got from a CM and boy I am glad we listened as it was a blast. My wife liked LFT more than RSR. The two tips we got were to sit all the way back in the seat, and give it a second to figure out what way the tire wants to move naturally and lean in that direction. As for RSR. I was disapointed it only goes, according to more than one CM, 45 MPH as opposed to Test Track that goes 65. Still all in all a great ride and I will not knock it.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

I seem to be alone in this, but I was surprised at how fun LFT was for me. My DBF and I working together picking a direction to go and then go flying by. It was a lot of fun once you got the hang of it. Now, there is a lot of set up for the ride to get going, so the line is long and slow, but hopefully they will figure out a quicker way to get everything set up!

I think the walking vendors are going to be a great thing for RSR when the line hits the 2 hour mark. Also, I was able to get my cozy cone sipper without waiting in line at the cones! Win-win if you ask me!

I'm with everyone else on everything else. I absolutely adored everything and was so impressed with the look. Walking into Cars Land the first time, my jaw literally dropped. Enjoy everyone!

You are not alone. DD and I loved LFT!! We had so much fun.

How does the race portion of Racers compare with the outside portion of Test Track at Epcot for those that have ridden both?

It seemed to me that Test Track goes faster than RSR. RSR has hills and curves whereas TT has just that fast loop. The views on RSR are truly amazing!! We rode it several times at night and couldn't get over how awesome it looked.

Disney did an amazing job in this area.

 

[fctiger]

All the stores were definitely open yesterday, ask my wallet. They are really cool, themed like department stores (children's, menswear, jewelry, housewares). From the outside, what looks like 5 different shops are all connected on the inside, similar to Emporium. One is on each side of the street. We had our Cars Land preview from 1-5 and went to BVS before (around noon) and after (about 6:30) and everything was open.

Ok, good to know! Yeah I remember hearing it would be designed like MS, ie, all the shops connected through corridoors. And with the smaller shops like under the bridge, it would make sense. The stores would be too small and claustophobic. But I love the fact it will look and feel like old department stores.

Nope..we weren't sure if Carsland closed at 10 or 11, so we went over to catch the 10:15 WOC..the dinner people had benches to sit on set up by a railing down aways from Mermaid. Holy cow...this is the best view I've ever had of WOC..seeing the entire expanse of the show really added alot..much better than by the rail in dining section. I kept hoping for the Brave sequence, but nope

I guess they want to have some surprises although I was told a week ago Brave WAS going to be included in the AP previews. I guess that got changed somewhere. And yeah that is an amazing view. WOC is great, but its REALLY great when you get views like that and sadly majority of people in the viewing area doesnt get that view, but thats for another thread!

 

[wingednike]

Nice to hear something positive about it. Looks like it could be fun if you're willing to "get the hang of it" . People might feel a little better about it, too, if they can speed the line up.

I really had fun on LFT, too! It was also a good abdominal workout

 

[ImDMous]

I really had fun on LFT, too! It was also a good abdominal workout

We had a great time on it too. You just have to take a minute or two at the beginning to find your center of gravity. If you lean too far one way, you'll bottom out on that side and won't go anywhere. It's all about subtlety. We were getting some good speed once we got the hang of it.

 

[CenterLine]

Here's a shot of the Cozy Cone Motel ...


The Cozy Cone Motel by Curtis Lannom, on Flickr