BeemerBoy

First off, that area really looks great! I've seen this term/thought tossed around a lot, and to be honest, I just don't get it. Realistically speaking, I could turn ANY Disney park into a full day experience. From food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to rides, to shows, to people watching, to whatever nighttime extravaganza they're promoting, there is plenty to keep anyone occupied for a full day at any WDW park.....if you just allow yourself to take it all in. Granted, not everyone (especially certain enthusiasts on a mission) intends to experience everything each park has to offer. But to imply that it's impossible for AK or MGM to hold your attention for a full day is selling the parks short, in my humble opinion. And "WDW never gets anything this nice"? Just because the Tokyo Resort is mindblowingly chock full of awesome, doesn't exactly mean WDW gets sold short. I think people tend to forget just how much the initials "WDW" encompass. The property has the word "World" in it for a reason. I'm going out on a limb here, but the WDW resort may be slightly tougher to continually update and keep "fresh" than, say, any of their other properties. I'll also give 'em a call and let 'em know they may want to up the budget on the whole Avatar thing planned for AK. I guess a half billion dollars won't cover any "nice" upgrades to what many feel is an "unfinished" park.

I guess I'm the only one wishes they'd just build it without any announcement whatsoever, and then say, "Hey, look what we built."

Then I guess it's only a matter of time before Carthay Circle gets harsh reviews....

^ Two questions: I know you said there's no padding, but is it all hard molded plastic with literally no give at all? And secondly, do the trains remain outside in the elements year-round, or is there any real shelter in the off hours? I mean, it's not like SoCal has much rain to deal with, but still, a lack of any soft padding definitely helps with maintenance. Just a thought.

Slow news day.

Would it help any if they incorporated The Final Countdown into the ride instead?

Honestly, my answer to that is simple. Oh hell no.....PLEASE NO. It's a toss up who's the most overrated player in the NBA- Griffin or Howard. Seriously, those two are so one dimensional it's not even funny. Now we're talking. I'll gladly sign off on this!

Nobody will win with Dwight Howard. That guy's value is so incredibly overrated, and it has nothing to do with his off-the-court nonsense. You could ironically say he's "Championship Kryptonite."

^ Nice. $895, delivered to the dealer of your choice. Same price as any car that you buy here. The pros for European Delivery are that you save 7% on the car and you get to drive your own car all around Europe. There are 12 differant drop off locations, doesn't have to be Munich. I'm going to return to Munich because Oktoberfest starts the weekend after I get there. The only con is that I won't get my car to California for 8 to 10 weeks. The timing depends on how soon the truck comes to take it to port at Bremerhaven, then how soon the ship leaves for the states. I assume it lands on the East coast then is trucked across the country. Yeah, that is a great deal. Pickup plus Oktoberfest is definitely a win win situation! Sucks to have to wait 8 to 10 weeks though. I'd be happy to personally deliver it once it reaches our shore though.....even to Fresno...I think.

Great work, you two! And thanks for the side story of the Red Car Trolley creation. Great touch.

^ Lovin' that Red Car Trolley poster!

Don't be. Your review was valid and appreciated. Bingo! I agree with you that the park is far from complete at this point. Like I mentioned before though (along with the implied stupidity for thinking so), the investment that was made has certainly transformed it into something I'd now be willing to visit in combination with the obvious DL visit(s). I also really like the idea of it becoming the "food park" of that resort, much like Epcot is to WDW. Therefore, money well spent....in my opinion.

^ Cool. Bob, if you don't mind me asking, what is the cost to ship it?

But this does not apply to RSR. One person who watched the POV has clearly stated that it is NOT worthy of its price tag or an "E Ticket" designation, and that some show elements may be a bit off. Whatever you do, do NOT plan a whole trip around this ride....or the rest of the updated park for that matter. Pave DCA.

Well, now we know who to blame. Nice report thus far! Looking forward to more.

Maybe their next investment should be a $100 million animatronic of you standing at the gate telling each guest how idiotic they are for liking the improvements made to the park? Scott "has little economic sense" B.

Really? Yes, really. In frequenting this site, generally every construction project "catches my eye," but that wasn't the point being made. Seriously, you're comparing the DCA makeover to Millennium Force and Son of Beast? With all due respect, remind me never to hire your engineering services. We're clearly not on the same page. So redoing big areas of the park doesn't add to the overall value? Interesting.

Great report, guys! Chip Foose has always seemed like one of the most genuine, nicest guys in the industry. That was really cool and refreshing to see a celebrity react that way in public. I really dig the look and feel of The Carthay Circle Theater party. The Disney "rave"? Eh, not so much. Either way, awesome shots of everything!

I'll just put it this way. Before the billion dollar investment, I had little to no interest in visiting the park. Now I do. Money well spent.

I love Cars! Soooo, this makes me under 10 years old again? I guess that means I get to pretty much start life over? This day just got a whole lot more interesting! Anyway, I still can't get over how good this "land" looks. If Cars Land is any indication of the future of U.S. Disney "land" design based on popular franchises, then I'm pretty interested to see what the Imagineers and James Cameron drum up for Avatar....even though I have zero interest in the movie itself.

^ I just got a look at it and yeah, Navitat's was similar in size. The one thing that just occurred to me though was the cost of the land in use, depending on what arrangements are made with each company. To answer Reed's question though, I'd say there's definitely a huge demand for this type of experience these days.

^ Yeah, I imagine it's a bit of both. For instance, the canopy tour we just took in Asheville gets 20,000+ visitors a year. Just doing some rudimentary math, for what they charge per tour, that's in the neighborhood of $1,800,000 a year gross (8 months), give or take before local discounts, etc. etc. Not too bad for what appeared to be a pretty bare bones operation, albiet a quality one.

^ Awesome! Thanks for all you do there, Kara, plus all of the great updates you gave us throughout the fundraiser!

Love the look of that!