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View Full Version : Disneyland Trip 3/5- Buzz Impressions- Semi-Critical



SoCalDisneyLover
03-06-2005, 01:18 AM
This is going to be Long, Long, Long. Got carried away a bit with my thoughts, so I truly hope I don't bore anyone.

Today, I went to the parks and got in line for the purple monorail at 3:30. After it finally arrived, and we loaded, the driver made the announcement..."They are bringing monorail red onto the track, so there will be a delay, but we should be leaving in a few moments. Those moments turned into about 10 minutes, as we sat, doors closed, in the DD station. I should have known then, it was going to be one of those days. Finally got moving around 3:55. I wish at least they would be more forthright about how long the delay would be. He definitely said "a few moments," and I thought to myself, it's going to be 5-10 for sure, and it was. No real biggie, and we finally got moving at around 3:55.

Over the Autopia in Tomorrowland, prior to the train depot part, the pre-recorded announcer goes...."And now, your driver with some programming information"...or whatever they say. Just as the recording finished, the monorail slows to a stop. We sat another few minutes, and finally the driver comes on and says, "As soon as my computer reboots, we'll be going again." Shortly, we were moving.

Got to Buzz a little after 4, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were not only open, but also Fast Passes were being given out. Further good news, that the return time was only 5:20. I picked one up, and headed over to CA Adventure. Figured I'd get a Fast Pass for Tower, but not only was it a 70 minute wait, but FP's were completely gone, machines covered. Both parks seemed quite crowded, and I think there was a cheerleader convention, as there were lots of 13-18 females it seemed like. So, next was going to Screamin' single rider. I get there at 4:30, and find out that they have suspended single riders for another 1/2 hour. Hoping that they were not fibbing, I decided to kick back and wait. I went back up at 4:50, and get there just as FP's sold out. I ask a different CM, and they tell me where to go for the single rider. Got to do that on Screamin' for the first time. Not quite as enjoyable as SR for Splash, but what is? I sincerely hope they don't lose that due to the new logs.

I went back to DL, getting to Buzz at 5:25, five minutes into my FP time. I arrive to find a line for FP holders, which extended outside, and also blocked the Stand-By line entrance, so that there was a little confusion amongst people as to which line was which. Not that it was overly complicated, but I will be honest in that my first reaction was, there could be major traffic issues with this ride, and the lines generated outside. I waited in line for a full 25 minutes Outside. I believe the Stand-By wait was definitely more than the advertised 70 minutes indicted on the sign, and the wait with a FP, ended up being a full 35 minutes from when I got in line. And only about 5 of those minutes spent inside the queue. I did not see the end of it, but they say the Stand-By line wrapped around the other side of the building, and it zig-zagged at least once that I could tell.

SoCalDisneyLover
03-06-2005, 01:19 AM
Before I get to my thoughts on the ride, I would like to be critical. This period is certainly meant to work out the bugs in the system, so hopefully things will move smoothly when it officially opens. The FP line outside did not seem overly long, but it did exist. I stood in it for awhile. The bigger problem was how slowly it moved. There were long periods of just stagnation. Another important issue is how the FP line extended out, and ended up blocking the Stand-By sign entrance. There are 3 lines at this choke point. On the right to go get FP's, in the middle to use FP's. And on Left to go in Stand-By line. A couple of CM's were there working, so I assume they were controlling things. Funny comment I heard by a woman in the FP line ahead of me to the CM...."this is a ride and not a show, right?" I was relieved, as she must have been, that we hadn't spent all that time waiting to see Circlevision.

Got inside the building itself at about 5:50. This is where I saw the situation as it existed. You need to visualize it to realize the potential problem. The amount of time between when you enter the building, to when you hand your FP over to the CM, is quite short. At the same time, the Stand-By line is entering the same building, but through a different entrance, a few feet to your left. The FP line does a couple of quick turns, and then you are at the CM taking passes. The CM is also regulating the traffic flow. This is the "heart" of the problem. Since the gap between the CM, and the outside is not that great for FP's, there exists IMO, the potential for the FP line to backup outside, and block the Stand-By line entrance. The best way I can describe it, is similar to Indy, in that you wait and wait outside, until finally you get in and it's suddenly light traffic. Which brings me to the interior.

The other thing is this, and I'm not sure if they thought it out completely. The Queue itself is not very big. Perhaps I was not paying close enough attention, but there was not a long time between when I entered the building, and gave over my FP, to when I got to the vehicles. Imagining the Haunted Mansion, which is a very similar comparison since the ride structure is identical. There are gaps and holding areas throughout the interior prior to boarding the Buggies. The Lobby room....the Elevator room....and finally the Hallway. Buzz does not have that luxury. I take nothing away from the queue and the mini-show which takes place there, but it really did not look that long.

I would like to go on record as saying there is a potential problem with the integration of FP, Stand-By and the Queue itself on this attraction. Further, the issues it could create since it exists at the entrance to Tommorowland itself, could be significant. Because some bonehead named pressler, decided to move this giant rocket ride to the TL entrance, the traffic generated from Buzz, will cause further complications. Need a match for that dynamite? I've got 2 words for you....Space Mountain. Not that the lines for Space will have an impact. Just that all the people Going to Space, will be entering through that crowded gap. Can you say, "Adventureland Fantasmic Part Deux?" If this ride generates the Positive "Buzz" that I expect it will, it could be directly impacted by it's own success.

SoCalDisneyLover
03-06-2005, 01:19 AM
When I got to the ride loading area, which as I said, is not seemingly very far into the building, the ride stopped for about 3 minutes or so. It was again at that moment, my mind thought about the fact we were completely stopped, and the line outside was probably backing up even further. I'm probably overreacting, but just concerned I guess.

The ride itself is Great! I had been on the one in Florida once, not long after it opened actually. I wouldn't call it my favorite ride there, but I did think it was kind of cool. The video game aspect is something any kid at heart can enjoy. Nothing like Zapping the "bad guys." Or in this case, the evil "Z's." As someone mentioned, the trickiest part is figuring out which red light is yours, as there is not much space between vehicles, and sometimes you're shooting the same object as the people in front and/or behind you. I can't remember, but I think the Florida version suffers from this too. Nothing you can really do I guess about that, but over time it can be worked around. I didn't get much chance to use the spinner, as I was concentrating on using the ray gun, but it is smooth, and even easier than the easy Roger Rabbit spinner. Might even be faster.

I definitely think from what I saw, that the ride classifies as a solid D ticket. In comparison to the other recent "DL" addition, you sense more bang for the buck with this one. I mean, you got all the stuff going on inside, then you have this cool vehicle that can spin, and these guns you can shoot. An actual scoreboard on your vehicle. But they take it a step farther. I didn't want to wait in line for the e-mails, but that is the coolest thing. You can send a picture from the ride via e-mail. I tell you, that is going to be one of the most popular things with this ride. Everyone....and I mean Everyone....is going to want to e-mail their ride picture. I hope there is not a problem once this ride officially opens, because I did again see a potential, as there were lines a few people deep, trying to get to the computers and monitors. Take the good with the bad, right? It was an Amazing idea, but if you think people have trouble using the touch screens at Taste Pilots, Look Out! Imagine someone trying to type in their extended e-mail address, using the hunt and peck method.

But ironically, the exit was designed so that you can bypass the computer area AND the gift shop Completely. I went through it, and was let out right into TL, nowhere near the Green Men shop. They'll need it, as people want to bypass the crowd using the computers. I'll need another run to get a real feel of any other drawbacks, but the ride itself is worthwhile, and Disney did a good job from what I can tell. My only concern is that you can test the ride to infinity and beyond, and do everything right with an attraction. Yet, you can't test line issues until the ride opens, and it is facing a full workload. I 100% expect this ride to be as popular as Roger Rabbit, and very well more so, because of the interactive nature of the whole experience.

ChipmunkStar
03-06-2005, 07:36 AM
I don't knwo if you noticed, but there is a LOT of extra unused Standby Queue space on the side of the building. It goes all the way up to Ariel's meet and greet area, loops back down to Tomorrowland, and does that about 2 or 3 times. They've used a bit of it this weekend, but not all of it. So I think they should be OK on standby queue space so it doesn't drift into the middle of Tomorrowland (like the standby lines have already done a few times this weekend, they just haven't used all of the expanded queue).

Besides, the point of having a FP merge CM is so that they know how many people to let into the immediate queue so that it doesn't get all backed up. I really think they won't have too much of a problem with the things that you mentioned.

SoCalDisneyLover
03-06-2005, 08:24 AM
That's good to know. I won't say I was as excited to see this open as say TOT, or as I will be to ride Space again. But they did a good job with it, and I left with a much greater feeling of sensory overload, than I did with Pooh. This ride is going to be popular, and will see wait times of 30-60 minutes minimum during standard busy periods. Probably similar to Roger Rabbit, but perhaps worse due to it's location and easy accessibility.

Sorry guys...it's now officially too late to take a picture of the relatively desolate and uncrowded Tommorowland. Between this, and the impending Space opening, it is about to become as busy as Adventureland & New Orleans Square.

Opus1guy
03-06-2005, 08:11 PM
As they used to say back in the days when Dick Nunis was in charge of Disney theme parks:

"Everything will be fine, once the Nunis wears off."

;)