Disney's California Adventure Project Tracker IX

[Macro]

I figured that was you Macro, I was the guy who walked up to you and asked you if you got anything good yet. XD!

Oh hi. Nice to meet you (briefly). So, were you out taking pictures of light reflections on shiny surfaces? Those pictures are lots of fun. (Just kidding!)

Those are speakers for ambient music. Judging that they're green, they will be hidden in some form of shrubbery and won't stick out like a sore thumb.
I've seen these speakers before in Disneyland, can't remember exactly where though.

Oh, now I see it. I considered speakers but it looked like a solid door on one side. It must be mesh which is too far away to see. And I can see they're actually on both sides. I've got to pay more attention.

[k_peek_2000]

Oh hi. Nice to meet you (briefly). So, were you out taking pictures of light reflections on shiny surfaces? Those pictures are lots of fun. (Just kidding!)

I have more of them if you'd like to see them. lmao

[flynnibus]

the tensioned cables are quite an interesting twist to the story. That certainly is not a good sign of the problems having been solved previously by the added cross members alone.

It seems like most of the earlier posted concerns about the platform are coming true... 2 months to figure it out and or make adjustments to the show still.

I had not even considered the 'wet area' that big of a deal.. I would have thought that would have been real predictable for them to take into account and design for right from the start (heck.. just put a fountain in a parking lot and play!) but the comments of late about the viewing area getting soaked really are worrisome. How much are they going to have to tune the show back possibly from earlier concepts to actually get it to acceptable levels of wet in the Viewing Area?

Everyone knows how much of a negative affect the wind has on customer relations with the fireworks... imagine now another show that could be significantly impacted by wind conditions? Yikes!

[Macro]

I had not even considered the 'wet area' that big of a deal.. I would have thought that would have been real predictable for them to take into account and design for right from the start (heck.. just put a fountain in a parking lot and play!) but the comments of late about the viewing area getting soaked really are worrisome. How much are they going to have to tune the show back possibly from earlier concepts to actually get it to acceptable levels of wet in the Viewing Area?

Everyone knows how much of a negative affect the wind has on customer relations with the fireworks... imagine now another show that could be significantly impacted by wind conditions? Yikes!

Short of a water whip going haywire, all that will happen is people getting a little mist on them. And that would normally only happen during storms or Santa Anas (a local wind condition we get here from time to time). The wind is normally pretty dead after sunset in the area. It would probably have to be blowing like crazy before they'd consider cancelling the show. I'd expect it to be way less common than with the fireworks. And they might never cancel it. I'm not sure if they cancel Fantasmic due to winds. And they've got live actors and pyro so they have safety issues that wouldn't affect WoC. I've definitely gotten damp watching Fantasmic from the seated area on the river's edge. They just warn you that you might get a little wet in the announcement.

Santa Ana winds might be a problem but probably not for the people in the viewing area. They're blowing like crazy at night sometimes. I'm not sure of the wind direction in Anaheim but in San Diego they pretty consistently blow towards the coast mostly West and a little South. If it's the same in Anaheim then that would blow a little away from the viewing area towards Silly Symphony Swings and Mickey's Fun Wheel. Locals would know more about the exact direction but they're always offshore winds.

I've only gotten damp once shooting test videos from near Ariel's Grotto and from near Screamin's launch. It was just a little mist and only because the storms keep showing up right after I'm there so there's some breeze. Granted, the closer parts of the viewing area are probably about half as far away from the fountains as I've been. But it's just mist. I wouldn't cancel the show over that. I'd just add an extra announcement.

And if the viewing area fountains are a problem, they could just disable them or reduce their pressure.

[flynnibus]

Short of a water whip going haywire, all that will happen is people getting a little mist on them. And that would normally only happen during storms or Santa Anas (a local wind condition we get here from time to time).

But there are already lots of observations about the VA getting soaked now - without storms or the santa anas...

I'm not sure if they cancel Fantasmic due to winds. And they've got live actors and pyro so they have safety issues that wouldn't affect WoC. I've definitely gotten damp watching Fantasmic from the seated area on the river's edge. They just warn you that you might get a little wet in the announcement.

They have show reduction steps - like some of the actors up in the rigging not showing. But with only the mist screens and low alt pyro.. wind doesn't affect the main show elements much. Here, the scales are very different.. as well as the proximity of the audience.

But it's just mist. I wouldn't cancel the show over that. I'd just add an extra announcement.

Apparently guests don't like the wet.. just look at all the threads about the parade and that has plenty of warnings.

I'm just worried about the steady mist... its going to be way more then just an atomizer mist and probably lots more of it. I mean, the show is all water

[BassBone]

Hey Macro, thanks for the update.

Those are speakers for ambient music. Judging that they're green, they will be hidden in some form of shrubbery and won't stick out like a sore thumb.
I've seen these speakers before in Disneyland, can't remember exactly where though.

I've seen them at Downtown Disney.

[Let's Enunciate]

So I went to Disneyland today, as I am known to do sometimes, and I thought I would share with you some of the things I came across.

First of all the sign, which I'm sure all of you are quite aware of.


I decided to head in the direction of Paradise Pier, because that's where all the action is right? On my way I stopped to glance at the PoM and the lovely floral beds that have been planted by it.




A particularly yellow flower.



Paradise Park. They had those lights up. It's amazing how huge those spotlights in those plastic balls are!




And now, taking the DCA motor boat Cruise to the WoC platform.



They had something covering the projectors on the platform. Some kind of wood it looks like, your guess is as good as mine... Also you can see a couple of the flame throwers in this picture.



This kinda gives a scale of how huge this thing is.


This was interesting. I got a couple shots of a projection dome naked.







The Golden Zephyr is still all bundled up for the winter. Gotta stay warm.



And lastly, a cat and his pad.




Anyways, that's about it, so have a nice day, and I hope you enjoyed my presentation. Thank you.

[Coolspike9]

^ Great report!
I didnt know they had cat feeders :|...

[HMF]

I've added a new entry for Toy Story Midway Mania's new games that Blue Sky Disney is reporting on today.

New games for Toy Story Midway Mania!, based on Toy Story 3

Details: Blue Sky Disney reported on March 8 that Toy Story Midway Mania! would receive a new lineup of games themed after the upcoming Toy Story 3 film.
Project Status: The attraction will likely close briefly as the new game software is loaded and tested prior to opening.
Open Date: Toy Story 3 opens in theaters June 18; the new games will likely open on or around that date.

Blue Sky Buzz: Toy Story Four...

When Toy Story 3 opens up later this summer, DCA is going to be in the middle of its expansion, the World of Color water show will be dazzling throngs of fans coming through the gate and you will be barraged by everything Toy Story.

In addition to all the merchandise the Mouse will have for you to spend on there is going to be something more for you to do. Midway Mania has been a huge success for Imagineering, but believe it or not, there has always been more planned for the attraction. Its design has allowed for short down times where the software is updated so that new/different games can be played. Unlike the Haunted Mansion, this ride could literally be down for days, not weeks and then back up again with completely new fun for guest to enjoy.

It's been know that WDI had plans for a Halloween theme and a Christmas theme for the attraction since it's conception. One thing you may not know, but when all the dialog was recorded for Mr. Potato Head, there were tons of tracks put down for thing for him to say. Contrary to the small amount of conversation he has with the guest, there is treasure trove of punchlines, one liners and corny jokes that will/could keep him going for a decade. Like what? Did you know there were Christmas songs recorded for the spud to bout out to guest in line during the holidays? And although there was no holiday layover for the last two year, there are plans for one in the coming future.

Come this summer, there will be something else though. When a new Toy Story film comes out on June 18th there will be an exciting surprise waiting for those in line to ride the attraction. New games. That's right, when you go inside to ride Mania after TS3 opens there will be whole new games to enjoy. The Imagineers have created a whole new collection of things to shoot with those pull string cannons for you to enjoy. It's also a way for Disney to test the strength's of the old games and see which ones fans like and which ones could just go away. There are no plans yet as to when they'll go away. It depends on how long those lines grow and how much time guest have to wait before a decision will be made to return the attraction to its original games. Should they prove popular, it could be quite sometime before you see them return.

As for a decision on the Christmas/Holiday overlay, that hasn't happened yet. It's unclear if there will be one starting this year or if they'll hold off through the expansion until next year, but it is coming.

Wouldn't this mess up the supposed "story" that the Attraction is suuposed to take place between 2 and 3?

[Coolspike9]

Was just searching around the internet and found this video, pretty cool.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQDUeVg_418&feature=related]YouTube - Water Fountain Displays...How Do They Work?[/ame]

[Let's Enunciate]

Was just searching around the internet and found this video, pretty cool.
YouTube - Water Fountain Displays...How Do They Work?

Interesting stuff in that video. You can really see how the laminar streams when lighted look like solid plastic. Really cool effect. Also good to note that at the Bellagio they scale back the show at 5 mph and cancel at 20 mph. I would think something similar would apply to WoC.

[JonasClark]

Great shots, everyone! Amazing stuff. And congrats, Macro - the workers have been watching you for a while, and leaving some oddities, too. I'm betting the yellow rubber duckie I saw on one of the nozzles a while back was aimed at Darkbeer, though. That was spiffy, though, their little photo opportunity!

Macro, one of yours shows that they've done away with the mist screens' on-platform hoses. Now, the connection from underwater hose to nozzle is run by pipe, and large-diameter pipe at that, perhaps to give more flow and less turbulence. The hoses, I assume, wore out quickly as people worked around them.

The nozzles in the planting areas are definitely smooth-bores. Each has its own electric valve, and I can only guess that the pipes they're being placed into are plumbed like a sewer, all together and back into the bay, or to a central location. The dyed water shouldn't matter much on this scale when illuminated. Around each nozzle is a short perimeter border, some of them have an open section on the downhill side. Erosion control, maybe? Not all of the fallback will stay in the grid and fall back into the pipe. Maybe they'll fill these borders with rocks?

Some of these zones - maybe all? - have a pink conduit or pipe sticking up a foot or so. It doesn't seem to be water OR light; lights have thin black cables, valves too, and water has thick black hoses. What does pink mean in the pipe color code? Anyone? They don't have valves on top...yet.

[JonasClark]

And yes, at Bellagio, shows are scaled back, but they don't (as was posted a while back) tilt the nozzles in a different way for that. A few mph wind, and the XTreme Shooters don't fire, though not all shows use them (I think "Fly Me To The Moon", "Luck Be A Lady" and "Con Te" use them the most) and a bit higher kills the HyperShooters. Their wind sensors are in four zones: left, right and center atop the hotel tower, and one more on the Campanile. Incidentally, has anyone else spotted the control tower window yet? Took me a while - I saw some video footage shot from it, and that finally cemented it.

[MasterGracey]

Wouldn't this mess up the supposed "story" that the Attraction is suuposed to take place between 2 and 3?

Does the attraction really even have a coherent story? Since when is Andy's bedroom on a So Cal pier, anyway?

[HMF]

Does the attraction really even have a coherent story? Since when is Andy's bedroom on a So Cal pier, anyway?

I didn't write it.