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Matterhorn Yodeler
09-25-2009, 12:29 PM
I read somewhere that they are planning to drain the Rivers of America in early 2010 for refurbishing work. First, is this rumor true?

Second, when they drain ROA, where can you view it? Do they put a construction wall around the entire riverside in Frontierland/NOS?

I've enjoyed watching the progress of the installation of World of Color over at DCA. It's fun to know sometimes what's "behind the curtain" and I'd love to get a peek at the underwater workings on the ROA.

dznyphreak
09-25-2009, 05:15 PM
I remember the last time they drained it. I want to say it was about five or six years ago. As I recall, they put up a wall around the entire riverfront, but there were a few little peepholes here and there that you could look through. The upper level of Hungry Bear might let you see over the wall, but they also might block that out too. Maybe the train? I don't know...

oregontraveler
09-25-2009, 05:33 PM
I also recall a trip, Jan. '03, when the river was drained. However, this was
a time when they had more characters onstage. So to appease guests
who were looking forward to visitiing TSI, they would bring out Tom Sawyer & Becky Thatcher out to help 'paint' the fence by the waterfront.
A few 'volunteers' were always needed to finish the job.;)

olegc
09-25-2009, 05:33 PM
they created a fence that looked like it was out of Tom Sawyer - and even had Tom, Becky, and Huck Finn outside letting kids whitewash the fence. Well before the island was hijacked by the Pirates' movies. this was also when they redid the island a little and made the treehouse, and the kids' fort, more interactive. I doubt this year they'll do anything like that but I bet the fence will be themed (similar to the walls in DCA right now - not the same theme but something appropriate for NOS or Frontierland).

Um - there's not much to see in that riverbed - except initially where all of the things folks have dropped to the bottom are visible (and the track for the boats I guess).

Darkbeer
09-25-2009, 06:14 PM
The upper level of the bridge that goes over the POTC queue is one of the best views.

cstephens
09-26-2009, 08:40 AM
The best view used to be from the balcony of the Disney Gallery, but that's not so much available now.

Matterhorn Yodeler
09-26-2009, 09:45 AM
I'm wondering if there may be a view from the treehouse. I'm going to take a look the next time I go.

AVP
09-26-2009, 04:02 PM
I'm wondering if there may be a view from the treehouse. I'm going to take a look the next time I go.There is, but not a fantastic view. When I was shooting construction photos during the last refurbishment, I went up there a few times, but the view is largely obstructed by big trees in the area.

AVP

Rapunzelthorn
09-26-2009, 05:05 PM
they created a fence that looked like it was out of Tom Sawyer - and even had Tom, Becky, and Huck Finn outside letting kids whitewash the fence. Well before the island was hijacked by the Pirates' movies. this was also when they redid the island a little and made the treehouse, and the kids' fort, more interactive. I doubt this year they'll do anything like that but I bet the fence will be themed (similar to the walls in DCA right now - not the same theme but something appropriate for NOS or Frontierland).

Um - there's not much to see in that riverbed - except initially where all of the things folks have dropped to the bottom are visible (and the track for the
boats I guess).



There are tracks for the boats? Those big riverboats?! I wouldn't have guessed that. :confused:

Another Dimension
09-27-2009, 12:31 AM
Without the tracks/guide rails it would be incredibly hard to steer the Mark Twain and the Sailing Ship Columbia at their 'show speeds' during Fantasmic!

nursechrissy32
09-29-2009, 07:04 PM
I know this sounds dumb...but....

Is it dirt on the bottom or concrete?

dznyphreak
09-29-2009, 11:20 PM
Concrete.

Bytebear
09-30-2009, 08:12 AM
I know it was originally clay. Did they refurb it to concrete? and if so, when?

Lehua
09-30-2009, 10:51 AM
How deep is the water?

dznyphreak
09-30-2009, 05:53 PM
I'm pretty sure it's concrete...it looked pretty solid from what I remember (I may be wrong though).

My guess is that the water's no more than 5 or 6 feet deep at the lowest point. Have you ever seen the technicians wading around the Fantasmic! equipment just before showtime?

Darkbeer
10-01-2009, 07:06 AM
As I understand it, the bottom is mud (clay) and during the last refurb, the sides had concrete added to prevent erosion.

And on a technical note, the Mark Twain/Columbia uses a guide rail, not a track. The Guide that is attached to the boat and the guide rail has a minor amount of give to allow the boat to float on the water (aka slack).

sjhanksaz
10-01-2009, 08:11 AM
I think I have a photo taken from Tarzan's tree house from the last time it was drained. If I can find it I'll post it.

If i remeber correctly the portion where fantasmic is shown is all concrete. There were a lot of cables and pipes used for the show. It was sad to see it drained. It looses some of it's magic

AVP
10-01-2009, 08:28 AM
We have a lot of construction photos from the last major refurbishment in the Disneyland Resort Update archives. This article (http://www.mouseplanet.com/6447/Disneyland_Park_Update) has a few good shots - scroll down to the Refurbishments and Attraction Closures section. There are a few shots in this article (http://www.mouseplanet.com/6445/Disneyland_Park_Update). You can browse through old Updates for more - click here for the list. (http://www.mouseplanet.com/search.php?type=c&cid=dl) The construction was Spring, 2003, so most of the updates between January and April of that year have a handful of construction photos.

AVP

Matterhorn Yodeler
10-01-2009, 10:12 AM
Thanks for the links to the 2003 refurbishment photos. I went to DL yesterday and checked out the view from Tarzan's Treehouse. As mentioned in an earlier post, there are many large trees in the way, but you can see several sections of the river from various points.