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Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Discussion Thread

p. 148 - Magic Kingdom Destination D23 news roundup!

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I've enjoyed all the puns. Unfortunately we didn't know about Push until after our trip so we never got to experience him. Oh well, it sounds like it was a waste of time but I certainly don't want to trash his existence.

 

Seven Dwarfs does look amazing! Since I'm not well traveled, perhaps someone more educated on the matter can answer. Is this the first time tilting train cars has been attempted on a coaster? I'm really looking forward to trying them out.

Well, don't the Arrow suspended coasters have swinging gondolas? But I think it is the first time they have been put on a sitting coaster. Hopefully they are smooth and fun.

 

Yes, you are correct. The Arrow suspended coasters didn't even occur to me. So my question really is whether or not this is the first time a tilting car has been on a sitting coaster.

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I think its the first time one will open at least. The Orphan Rocker in Australia had the same concept back in 1988 when it was built, but it never opened to the public. Orphan Rocker

I knew about the Orphan Rocker but didn't know it was going to utilize swinging cars. Find it amusing that it is still listed as "Under Construction".

 

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is looking amazing. I love the little details they are putting on everything, including the trains.

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Every night around 15 minutes before the fireworks shoot off, guests walking through the pathways of New Fantasyland “may get wet.” That phrase sounds familiar to guests who’ve seen Fantasmic!, but why would it happen in New Fantasyland? Well, because the area is significantly closer to the fireworks launching pad than theme park buildings have ever been.. So Disney built in a sprinkler system that would wet down the roof of the buildings to prevent them from catching fire.

 

Tonight, something went wrong with that system. The roof of the Journey of The Little Mermaid attraction was briefly lit on fire by falling debris from the fireworks and then relatively quickly extinguished with a fire extinguisher. Small spot fires are actually not that unusual in the brush area behind Fantasyland. You can see them from the train when you ride around. There was even a time in 2001 when one of the spires of Cinderella castle had a post-fireworks burn. But this very visible flame was a first for New Fantasyland, perhaps that dragon from the opening of the land finally came back.

 

Here’s some YouTube footage courtesy of R.A. Pedersen (aka @Epcyclopedia on Twitter).

 

[youtu_be]http://youtu.be/ZhTmBpZtExk[/youtu_be]

 

Pederson says the fire started small but grew to include some of the rockwork before it was put out. The area and attraction was evacuated while things were checked out and then it was re-opened before the park closed. No reports of any injuries either according to Disney’s statement to the press.

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I think its the first time one will open at least. The Orphan Rocker in Australia had the same concept back in 1988 when it was built, but it never opened to the public. Orphan Rocker

 

Thanks! It's interesting that nobody else has tried this interesting concept for a coaster train. If anybody can pull it off, it will be Disney.

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^Isn't this a "Vekoma"?

 

From what I recall, yes. The manufactures make what the parks pay them to make, though, is what I was referring to. While Premier made Revenge of the Mummy, and Universal keeps up with it well, there are other parks that couldn't pull it off. I'm assuming there is going to be extra work maintaining this ride but Disney can pull it off.

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http://www.attinnovationspace.com/innovation/story/a7794558

 

 

Disney is known for its ability to spark wonder in all of us. In that spirit, we at AT&T imagined a network blueprint to provide connectivity for Disney Cast Members and Guests at Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort.

 

Throughout 2013 we talked about the variety of tools we use to provide an unparalleled network experience for our customers. As part of our new role as The Official Wireless Sponsor for Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort, we made the magic happen by activating a combination of 3G and 4G LTE technologies.

 

For the first time ever, we deployed outdoor Distributed Antenna Systems (oDAS) and indoor DAS (iDAS), repeaters and small cells on a large scale at one location. Both small cells and DAS are part of our Project Velocity IP (VIP), which is geared to help densify our network coverage.

 

We have completed the successful deployment of more than 350 small cells, 25 DAS systems and 40 repeaters at Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort properties. We’ve deployed specialty network solutions at the Magic Kingdom® Park, Epcot®, Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park and Downtown Disney® Area at Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando; at Disneyland® Resort in Anaheim; and at Disney Resort Hotels in Hawaii, California, Florida and Hilton Head, South Carolina.

 

While these solutions are designed to go unnoticed, blending seamlessly into the aesthetics of the Disney Parks and Resorts, their impact has been easy to see. Small cells have provided coverage boosts in areas with geographic cellular challenges and are mostly located in offices, administrative areas and tunnels used by cast members. In both Orlando and Anaheim, our engineers have found the areas with small cells have experienced a more than 10x increase in mobile voice and data traffic on our network. And at the Magic Kingdom® Park at Walt Disney World® Resort, our monitoring has shown the DAS technology has consistently received high marks for network voice and data reliability.

 

While early marks show solid performance, our work is not yet finished. We plan to participate in the deployment of additional cell sites across the Walt Disney World® Resort property, and as this world-renown destination continues to build and expand, we will be there to bring wireless connectivity to each new area.

- See more at: http://www.attinnovationspace.com/innovation/story/a7794558#sthash.q8mZoPAO.dpuf

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-disney-tickets-price-hike-20140223,0,4181646.story

 

Starting today, Disney's Magic Kingdom guests will have to fork over a few extra dollars for single-day park admission.

 

The tickets will cost $99 for adults and children 10 and up.

 

This $4 price hike keeps Magic Kingdom the most expensive Disney park.

 

A one-day ticket for Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios will go from $90 to $94.

 

"Our pricing reflects the high quality and breadth of experiences we offer and our ongoing commitment to investing in our parks," Disney spokesman Bryan Malenius said Saturday. "We offer a variety of ticket options that provide a great value, and find that most guests select multi-day tickets that offer additional savings."

 

This is the second price hike in less than a year.

 

Universal Orlando also raised its prices last summer. A one-day, one-park ticket is $92.

 

For a full listing of Disney ticket prices go to disneyworld.com/tickets. New ticket prices will be reflected on Sunday.

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^Exactly. For the majority of visitors this isn't really a big deal. It more so just punishes random people that come down to go to only ONE Disney park and choose the flagship. Ever since they did the switch to the 'Magic Your Way' Tickets it's been about keeping people on property and rewarding those who stay longer.

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http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/02/walt-disney-imagineering-shares-first-ride-through-video-of-seven-dwarfs-mine-train-at-magic-kingdom-park/

 

Just minutes ago, Walt Disney Imagineering released a new video of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train during our live chat with Imagineer Dave Minichiello – and we wanted to be sure you didn’t miss it.

 

In the video, we compare footage of a full onboard of the attraction side-by-side with an original CGI onboard that was created early on in the attraction’s development.

 

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/02/live-chat-talk-seven-dwarfs-mine-train-today-at-230-p-m-edt/

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Good afternoon and welcome to our latest New Fantasyland live chat. Today we’ll take a look behind the construction of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with Walt Disney Imagineer Dave Minichiello.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: We look forward to all your questions, but please realize we won't have time to answer all of them in today's chat. As you submit questions, they’ll be put into a queue and will not appear at first in the live-chat window. Please also remember to keep your questions family-friendly.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Welcome to our live chat, Dave. Thanks for joining us again to talk Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

 

Dave Minichiello: Hello. We’re really excited about Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - it’s that final gem in the overall New Fantasyland project and we’re excited to share it with our guests. Thank you for following us along on this final piece.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: First of all, can you give us an idea of how you’re involved with the construction of Mine Train? How long have you been on the project?

 

Dave Minichiello: I’ve been on this project for over two years. I started as an art director on the Mermaid attraction and will be taking Mine Train all the way through opening as creative director.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: How is Mine Train coming along? Any recent milestones?

 

Dave Minichiello: It has come along amazingly well. Pretty much every day is a milestone and some major ones that I’d like to mention are the Dwarfs Cottage, which is going quickly and looking amazing. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train being a part of the forest - we’re starting to see it as a part of the forest with the tree planting. We’re finally starting to see it all come together.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Just judging from the last time I walked by the attraction in New Fantasyland, a lot of progress seems to have been made recently on the exterior. What’s the latest on that?

 

Dave Minichiello: Again, the top of the mountain is being planted with trees, the final rockwork is being completed as well as thematic painting of the rockwork. Ride testing continues daily. Now what’s really nice is the propping the attraction both inside and outside.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Let’s back up to the start of the project for a minute. We have a question from Disney Parks Blog reader Viveen, who asks, ‘Why was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride idea chosen?

 

Dave Minichiello: I think when we were looking at New Fantasyland and trying to create a mix of attractions that would offer a broad variety of experiences for our guests, we were looking for a family coaster type of experience. That led us to Snow White and a Mine Train type of vehicle. As a centerpiece of the New Fantasyland expansion, we also thought that this type of experience would create kinetic energy throughout the land.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: So once you decide to base an attraction on a specific film, how do you decide what kind of attraction you want to build?

 

Dave Minichiello: Generally, our ride systems are based on the kind of experience we want to create. We thought the Mine Train would be the best. We try to develop our stories first, and then create a ride vehicle that helps us tell the story.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: We’ve heard Imagineers say before that Mine Train focuses on the story of ‘Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs’ from the Dwarfs perspective. What is it about the Dwarfs that give them a unique perspective on the story of ‘Snow White’?

 

Dave Minichiello: The Dwarfs are really fun and lovable characters and I think that after seeing the classic film of Snow White, how many of our guests wouldn’t want to go into the film? This attraction gave us an opportunity to go in depth with other story lines in the movie.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: This brings us to another question. Reader Michael asks, ‘Will all major characters make an appearance in the ride? The Prince, Evil Queen, Snow White, etc.?’

 

Dave Minichiello: You’ll be able to experience many of your favorite characters from the film.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Let’s talk about the type of attraction for a second. Elizabeth from FL asks, ‘I am really excited about this ride! I am just wondering how it will compare - speed and dropwise - to other coasters such as Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain’?

 

Dave Minichiello: It’s a family coaster and it’s a unique experience unlike anything else in our parks. This attraction is more innovative in its ride system and vehicle. It is for the entire family. It gives the guests a new sensation they’ve never had before. And we felt that uniqueness was the best way to tell our story.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: It has been described as a combination of a family coaster and a dark ride. How does that work?

 

Dave Minichiello: What’s special about Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is the journey. You travel through the forest and explore the mine where the dwarfs are working, but we’re seeing the mine in a grander scale in a way we’ve never told the story before.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: We have a pretty good video to share today, too. Can you set up what we’re about to see? Also, just a note to readers who are following along live - our video will auto-play, so you may wish to adjust your audio now.

 

Dave Minichiello: What’s interesting about the video is that there’s a CGI model, which was the first concept model that we developed for this show. What’s amazing is seeing how accurate it was to our initial concept and vision. What’s amazing is how accurate the sight lines are, the staging, the scaling, the variable speeds. We’re fortunate to use innovative technologies during the development of our attraction.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: I love it! It looks like the Mine Train will offer an amazing view at night - especially of some of the bigger Magic Kingdom landmarks. What all can you see from up there?

 

Dave Minichiello: Yes, this is an attraction that has as many amazing views on board as off. From the very beginning, we wanted to showcase those sightlines and see Storybook Circus, a little bit of Mermaid, then we head inside the mine to see the Dwarfs, you come out and see Prince Eric’s Castle, and an amazing view of Cinderella Castle. At our highest lift, you see Prince Eric’s Castle, Beast Castle and Cinderella Castle, so the views are spectacular.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Seeing this video reminds me of one of the bigger elements we’ve discussed in the past about Mine Train - the ride vehicles. They are something WDI designed to be unique to this attraction, correct?

 

Dave Minichiello: Based on the type of vehicle we wanted to use to tell the story, we started looking at a mine vehicle and thought that it would be a fun guest experience to sit in a mine car.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Now that some of the trains have been on the track for testing, how has that new design worked out? What does this type of ride vehicle add to the storytelling of the attraction?

 

Dave Minichiello: It has proven to be pretty amazing and a very smooth attraction. It’s a completely new experience - not only having the sensation of pivoting back and forth and it varies throughout the attraction. You feel differences in the various terrain around the mountain.

 

Dave Minichiello: It has proven to be pretty amazing and a very smooth attraction. It’s a completely new experience - not only having the sensation of pivoting back and forth and it varies throughout the attraction. You feel differences in the various terrain around the mountain.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: And of course, we have to mention the detail that went into designing these cars, which were individually handpainted and aged. We shared a behind-the-scenes video on the making of the Mine Cars a few weeks ago. Here’s a look at the work that goes into something like that.

 

Dave Minichiello: Things are going very well and we’re excited to see all of the layers coming together. Each week brings a new and exciting level.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: The train seems to slow when it hits that “dark ride” point - anything specific we should look for in there?

 

Dave Minichiello: The reason the train slows is to allow the guests to enjoy the details of the scene. We wanted to let our guests discover their favorite dwarf. All seven are hard at work in the mine scene - and we do have some hidden stuff in there.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: From the Disney Parks Blog, Jeff asked, ‘How many diamonds will there be throughout the mine?’

 

Dave Minichiello: Well, as the song goes, it’s ‘the mine where a million diamonds shine!’

 

Comment From Guest

What will the music in and surrounding the ride be like?

 

Dave Minichiello: The queue has a surprise song in it that was originally written for the film called ‘Music In Your Soup,’ which we’ve recorded in instrumental version and added to our queue area. All of the music in the queue area is all instrumental, and we wanted to give it a feel that it was played by the Seven Dwarfs.

 

Comment From Keith

Will there be an interactive queue? if so are there any details you can share?

 

Dave Minichiello: Yes, we do have some interactive elements in the queue. Part of the “scene one” in the queue area helps us start to tell the story. We have an area where guests can sort and wash jewels, and for the first time, we’re taking guests into the vault as seen in the classic film ‘Snow White.'

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: And from Caitlin, ‘What are some special Hidden Mickeys or little details that we should look for?’"

 

Dave Minichiello: Well, each mine train is very unique and we wanted to make them look like they were used in different times. When you see the vehicles themselves, there’s a lot of layering to them. While you go to the mine and there’s a lot of rustic wood and wood graining throughout the attraction, some of the wood carving is something you seen in the film and we’ve picked that up. The scale and the character of everything around you starts to go into the dwarfs’ world.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: We have time for just a few more questions - and are getting some specifically about accessing the ride. For example, what is the height requirement, and Disney Parks Blog reader Teresa asks if it will be available as a part of FastPass+?

 

Dave Minichiello: Yes, it will be a part of that offering.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Another question from Cassandra asks “What is the height restriction w/this ride?”

 

Dave Minichiello: It’s 38 inches.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: We’ve received a lot of questions about opening date.

 

Dave Minichiello: We’re on schedule for spring.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Obviously when Mine Train opens it will not only be the debut of a new attraction, but it will mark the completion of the entire New Fantasyland expansion. In your opinion, how successful has this project been? Better than expected?

 

Dave Minichiello: For myself and all of our team members, it has been really special to bring all of these stories into Magic Kingdom for our guests to experience.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Have you given a thought yet to how you’ll celebrate that opening moment?

 

Dave Minichiello: After having worked on this for a number of years, it’s always quite an exciting moment to see the first guests and families experience the attraction. We’re really looking forward to it. I’ll probably spend the day out there watching guests enjoy it. For us, it’s fun to see the end goal and how the guests will experience it. It’s kind of why we do what we do - for me anyway.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Thanks so much, Dave.

 

Jenn Fickley-Baker: Thanks everybody for joining us for our live-chat with Dave. As a reminder you can revisit this chat at any time and click 'Replay' to review all the questions and answers.

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Edited by jedimaster1227
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I'm still curious where The Wicked Witch shows up, here.

I suspect it's at the top of the first lift hill. Where those buzzards are perching?

But who knows? It'll be great if she shows up at least twice.

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http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/02/disney-festival-of-fantasy-parade-debuts-march-9-at-magic-kingdom-park/

 

It’s almost parade time!

 

Today, we’re excited to share with you that the incredible, new daytime spectacular, “Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade,” will make its grand debut at Magic Kingdom Park on Sunday, March 9.

 

All the enormous, colorful floats have been constructed. Costumes have been designed and created. The original musical score has been recorded, and now the Cast of the “Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade” is busy rehearsing for the premiere performance!

 

Before rehearsals could begin, Show Director Randy Wojcik and Choreographer Stephen Di Schiavi held a choreography workshop to further develop their initial ideas about staging and movement. They recently gave us a peek into that workshop, for a taste of what we can expect to see when the performers bring the stories of “Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade” to life on the parade route.

 

So who else is ready to join the celebration, once the “Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade” debuts March 9?

 

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Tickets are now going to be $99 to get in. I am now wondering when the raising prices will ever stop. I mean, 10 years ago, the price was roughly 50-52 bucks. But, ever since the economy went south, inflation occurred and it just plain sucks. When will people get to the point when they say it is too much?

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Tickets are now going to be $99 to get in. I am now wondering when the raising prices will ever stop. I mean, 10 years ago, the price was roughly 50-52 bucks. But, ever since the economy went south, inflation occurred and it just plain sucks. When will people get to the point when they say it is too much?

 

Tickets are still $50 - $52 if you buy multi-day tickets!

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^This is why I will continue to purchase the 10-day park tickets with the no expiration option added on, and get into the parks for much cheaper. My last one was purchased back in 2012 and I still have 7 days left on it. It may seem like a lot of money upfront, but it is totally worth it in the long run.

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