jedimaster1227

On April 15th, 2012 at 9:00 pm Test Track closed its doors for the final time to make way for a major overhaul of the popular attraction at Epcot. I was fortunate enough to be there for the attraction's last run, riding in one of the last cars that sent guests around the Track that night. And of course, I took plenty of photos (and video) to document it. The video should be ready soon, but in meantime, here are some photos from the attraction's last few hours of operation, including what the closure of the attraction looked like from inside of the queue. It's time to see this area open as-is one last time... No more than a few days later was this sign removed from the entrance of the attraction. The Test Track Pizza truck has been removed from the side area near the Cool Wash. No word on if the Cool Wash will stay, be rethemed or removed altogether. I'm guessing that if the Cool Wash is kept, it will at least receive a new color scheme to match the new ride. It seems the last of the Fastpass were distributed for the night. Guess I'm lucky to have gotten one! This logo is definitely retired... Cast members were offered a reception in the GM Corporate Lounge to commemorate the closure of Test Track. As such, the lights upstairs lit up the whole floor more than normal. Say goodbye to the Test Track dummies! One more for Larry! Though Test Track didn't open in 1997, it was supposed to. The Knee Calibration test in motion... New Hotness! Another newly skinned car was on the track for the last day of operation. This one was just the solid blue color found on the other cars, just without any of the futuristic white streaks. Old and busted hotness? One more time! So familiar... I wonder if we'll have something similar in the new version of the attraction. Sadly, we never got it up to 88 mph. The Photopass location at the exit of the ride had already been shut down for good... I took the time to explore the GM Assembly Experience for a few minutes (since I never really had before) and found this TV screen showing off a POV of the attraction, presumably there for guests that were not able to ride the attraction themselves. There were some neat displays in the GM Assembly Experience. Can't hurt to look for hidden details before they're removed, right? The assembly line video in the background had been out for a while, so it was no surprise to see it down for the last night. I found something! Reminds me of the old Star Tours Droid Room. The future of Test Track rides with Chevrolet. Inside Track won't likely return with the revamped attraction. Woosh! Time for one more ride--the last one ever! Test Track had some neat nighttime lighting. Another look at the GM VIP Lounge lit up at night. In case you forgot what we were focusing on tonight... Time to shut the doors one last time! And we're... Closed! One last look at the "Early Test Vehicle" retained from World of Motion. I never really stopped to look at all of the different "tests" in the queue. That is, until now. I honestly think I spent most of my time queuing for Test Track in the Single Riders or Fastpass lines. A neat little detail I never noticed before... It always amazed me how many moving demos they had set up in the queue. Just about empty. Never noticed him before either. I had Larry on the brain. That's it folks. The queue is officially emptied... Time to ride one last time (and take video)! Inside Track is also likely to not return with the new attraction. By the time we got off of the ride, the outdoor queues had already been removed. Farewell Test Track! We look forward to seeing your new model next Fall!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/new-chef-new-tastes-on-the-menu-at-mama-melroses-ristorante-italiano-in-disneys-hollywood-studios/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/the-magic-the-memories-and-you-summer-show-begins-may-25-at-magic-kingdom-park/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/first-look-cars-land-through-a-photographers-lens-at-disney-california-adventure-park/

Canobie Lake Park has sent us a press release regarding their 110th season starting this weekend.

Hersheypark has sent us two new photos from Skyrush, which is scheduled to open on Saturday, May 26th.

http://www.insideseaworld.com/fresh-new-logo-seaworld-san-diego-skytower-how-d-they-do

http://www.insideseaworld.com/seaworld-orlandos-turtletrek-webisode-no-4-movie-creation http://www.insideseaworld.com/dive-deeper-animals-turtletrek http://www.insideseaworld.com/seaworld-orlandos-turtletrek-webisode-no-5-turtle-conservation SeaWorld Orlando has sent us a press release regarding today's announcement of new details surrounding Antarctica - Empire of the Penguin at the Pow Wow in Los Angeles. SeaWorld Orlando has also sent us a press release announcing the branding formation of SeaWorld Parks & Resorts Orlando, encompassing SeaWorld's three Orlando parks, seven nearby hotels and much more!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/american-institute-of-architects-honors-cinderella-castle-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/starbucks-coming-to-disney-parks/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/starbucks-coming-to-disney-parks/

http://news.yahoo.com/ksl-raises-bid-great-wolf-topping-apollo-131503156--finance.html

http://gulfnews.com/business/investment/freij-to-build-highest-ferris-wheel-1.1009870

http://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2012/04/16/dippin’-dots-hopes-to-avoid-meltdown-with-sale/

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120418/NEWS0202/304180130/Water-snow-park-by-Gaylord-Dollywood-will-get-property-tax-break?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CBusiness

Looks like somebody's a supporter of New Coke.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/a-reimagined-basin-reopens-at-downtown-disney-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/breaking-historic-orange-bird-returns-to-adventureland-at-magic-kingdom-park/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/happy-little-orange-bird-lands-on-new-merchandise-at-walt-disney-world-resort/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/citrus-swirl-is-back-at-walt-disney-world-resort/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/time-lapse-video-new-fantasyland-springs-to-life/ http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/04/mystery-photo-minotaurs-added-to-new-fantasyland-at-magic-kingdom-park/

Here's another one of those "only on Carnival could this happen" stories... Looks like the Carnival Glory (Gory?) will be hosting a horror cruise themed around the SAW franchise. Basically a SAW convention at sea... On a Carnival ship. http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/166881-saw-at-sea-can-you-survive-the-saw-boat-cruise For more information on the cruise visit the following link: http://www.bocaratontravelgroups.com/images/SawatSea.pdf

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/test-track/

Holiday World has sent us a press release regarding a new Travel Channel show filming on location to highlight Mammoth.

Heide Park has sent us a press release regarding some new artwork teasing the theme and type of attraction which will be added in 2014. Here is the rough translation: And the original release:

Universal Studios Hollywood has sent us a press release regarding a free concert taking place tomorrow in CityWalk.

^Just build two more Twister preshows where Rockit is and that sounds like a solid business model for success. "Fhew chave vitnessed an Eff-Five and livved to tale the tale... I'm Bill Paxxxton."