Lengthy Space Mountain Rehab next summer

AKLRULZ · Post by **AKLRULZ** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 3:53 pm

Screamscape is reporting that the planned rehab of Space Mountain is now on schedule to begin in June 2008 and will last until April or May of 2009.

That's a huge amount of downtime so we can only hope the Florida version will be as great as the California rehab.

Cheshire Cat · Post by **Cheshire Cat** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 4:29 pm

Finally!!

I remember thinking last visit that SM better be the next attraction to get a facelift. The ride as an experience was falling way behind the other MK attractions. It would be awesome if they added onboard audio or some mind-blowing special effects, but i'd be happy if they just fixed up the projections so you can see them better.

Maybe they'll even make a story out of the ride using the hologram windows as a sort of preshow and replce the post show dioramas. SM is lightyears behind in its story-telling. The only thing I remember from SM's last story scheme was that it was a futuristic shipping company, but ever since the post-show narration was dropped, people don't really grasp that idea.

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 4:59 pm

The shipping company thing was a painful connection to the FedEx sponsorship. I hope all traces of that are removed.

I'd love it if they used the Dick Dale music, but I fear a Pixar makeover. Or potentially worse..."Jack Sparrow's Space Pirate Adventure Mountain!".

yodiwan1 · Post by **yodiwan1** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 5:20 pm

how is the DL version different than WDW??

Croaker · Post by **Croaker** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 5:38 pm

i hope the link it to a pixar movie! that would be cool and inovative!

ok seriously though....i'm happy and bummed at the same time. looking forward to the new upgrades to the ride, but not looking forward to missing out on the ride because we are going in November-December 2008. oh well...now i have an excuse to visit in 2009.

Post by **spaulo** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 6:51 pm

yodiwan1 wrote:how is the DL version different than WDW??

Besides the seating, which has always been 2x2 instead of single-file at DL, the recent rehab there introduced a lot of new visual effects, smoothed out and sped up the track, and blocked all traces of incoming light into the show buildingg

boilerbabe · Post by **boilerbabe** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 7:14 pm

I'm excited about the much needed face lift! Although, I still like the way SM is now. I'm the one that's not good with change. I hope they don't make it a Pixar attraction though.

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 7:44 pm

Cheshire Cat wrote:The only thing I remember from SM's last story scheme was that it was a futuristic shipping company, but ever since the post-show narration was dropped, people don't really grasp that idea.

I used to love that narration - it's actually the origin of my username here and in other places - but since FedEx is dead and gone from the place, the last vestiges of it definitely need to go. I can understand leaving the sets in place since otherwise it'd just be big blank areas, which you know they wouldn't have paid to do anything with, but it's just confusing now (and depressing to me... I miss the "beeeeams of light!"...).

I actually hope they -don't- put a theme on it other than the whole 'thrilling adventure thru outer space' thing they have now. Space Mountain is classic enough on its own it doesn't need characters crawling all over it - and hasn't had 3 wildly-successful movies made about it that impose new characters upon it.

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 7:46 pm

spaulo wrote:Besides the seating, which has always been 2x2 instead of single-file at DL...

Do you mean the arguing-about-who-sits-in-whose-lap thing? WDW's Space Mountain used to have the lap arrangement, which was nice when you brought your girl or I suppose if you were small and wanted to ride with a parent, but caused grief with other party configurations.

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Oct Fri 19, 2007 8:11 pm

Captain Schnemo wrote:Do you mean the arguing-about-who-sits-in-whose-lap thing? WDW's Space Mountain used to have the lap arrangement, which was nice when you brought your girl or I suppose if you were small and wanted to ride with a parent, but caused grief with other party configurations.

My dad still refers to that as the 'seats where (my brother)'s head used to bash him in the teeth'. He was not sad to see them go.

I don't follow the '2x2 instead of single-file at DL' thing: how are the seats configured at DL now?

HSolo29 · Post by **HSolo29** » Oct Sat 20, 2007 12:26 am

Oh man, I'm happy and disappointed about this at the same time. On one hand, I'm really happy to see it get a long needed facelift. If they turn it into anything like DL's it'll be an awesome experience. However, we're planning a trip in October 2008 and we'll miss out on the attraction. Oh well, there's always next time.

Blackie Pueblo · Post by **Blackie Pueblo** » Oct Sat 20, 2007 10:01 am

I'm one of the ones as well that's happy but sad. It's such a classic and my wife and I love it so much. But perhaps it DOES need it's facelift. But the things they could do! I just hope they don't change it too much where it is a totally different ride.

"I hate to repeat myself."
---Walter Elias Disney

AKLRULZ · Post by **AKLRULZ** » Oct Sat 20, 2007 10:57 am

As long as they keep the Star Tunnel music!

Post by **js3901** » Oct Sat 20, 2007 12:37 pm

AKLRULZ wrote:As long as they keep the Star Tunnel music!

agreed. I hope they smooth out the track a bit. when we were there last December, it seemed a bit bumpier than it was the previous time I went down.

broncoflyer8912 · Post by **broncoflyer8912** » Oct Sun 21, 2007 7:34 am

DisBeamer wrote:I don't follow the '2x2 instead of single-file at DL' thing: how are the seats configured at DL now?

Well the seats have ALWAYS been configured at Dinseyland with the person sitting next to you like on BTM. The train consists of two cars connected to each other that each have three rows, so the maximum capacity on a DL Space Mountain train is 12 people.