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WDWdriver
05-27-2012, 08:31 AM
As the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad wraps up its refurbishment, it is available to guests today in soft opening mode. The attraction will be operating most of the day, although it may close without notice. FASTPASS will not be available during the soft opening period, and the attraction will not be included in evening Extra Magic Hours for Sunday, May 27.

Crow
05-27-2012, 10:52 AM
so it will be reopened for my arrival tuesday, good. thanks. how much has changed

disneykid99
05-27-2012, 03:26 PM
Exciting. Looking forward to seeing the changes in Sept! :mickey:

DizneyFreak2002
05-27-2012, 05:09 PM
so it will be reopened for my arrival tuesday, good. thanks. how much has changed

Apparently the falling rocks are no longer falling rocks... They are now stationary... Geysers are now working... Other than that, a paint job, some queue work, and some more queue additions that isn't finished... yes, interactive portions...

Melanie
05-27-2012, 06:42 PM
Just got home from the parks. Decided to call it an early day when the first bands of Beryl started coming through.

Anyway, BTMR was in soft opening yesterday as well. I went over first thing this morning, but it didn't open until after 9:30am. I ended up riding twice. I just posted an album of pics on our Facebook page, and am in the process of uploading my very amateur video of my first ride sitting in the second row.

www.facebook.com/INTERCOT

I'm confused on the queue. If you look at the pics, you'll see many 'crates' throughout the queue which are placed strangely and seem like they could contain interactive elements. If that's the case, nothing was working today. The flooring and rails are all new, of course made to look old and rugged. Good job! Have seen a lot of discussion about there now being AC in the queue, and those wondering if it's now enclosed, and it is NOT enclosed. I couldn't feel overwhelming AC, but it definitely wasn't sweltering in there like in the past.

On the actual trains, I think the only thing replaced/cleaned were the coverings on the seat cushions. They look good for now. ;) Within the ride itself, the new geyser section looks great, and it's a great perspective from the queue looking out over the mountain. Got some great pics of that. Indeed the rumbling rocks are gone, as in they look as if they were removed and not really replaced with anything. I definitely miss that element.

DizneyFreak, you had asked earlier if the ride was smoother, and while it's not Everest smooth, it's smoother.

Overall, everything looks really good, but no big surprises. The geyser section is definitely the highlight.

faline
05-27-2012, 07:23 PM
Sorry to hear the rocks are stationary - glad to hear the ride will be up and running again. I really missed riding this on our trip earlier this month - it's such a favorite of ours!!

disneykid99
05-27-2012, 07:39 PM
Thanks for the update and picture, Melanie. It looks great - DS said that it looks new. Looking forward to visiting it in less than 4mnths.

DizneyFreak2002
05-27-2012, 08:08 PM
Thanks Mel... The interactive elements, from what I have read, aren't going to be completed until the fall and are supposed to contain some sort of explosive element, if you catch my drift... That should be interesting...

Glad we got a first person perspective, instead of having to rely on other sites reporting... Other than a fantastic paint job, the refurb seems a little underwhelming... I have a feeling the refurb was needed more for infrastructure issues... And preparing for NextGen stuff...

Crow
05-27-2012, 09:17 PM
interactive..explosive...does this come from the guests waiting in line..:fan:
too bad the rocks are gone..ill check it out tuesday
thanks for the pics

garymacd
05-27-2012, 09:37 PM
What about the possums hanging from the tree? They were gone last time we were there. Probably because people like me try to hit them as they pass by.:D

DizneyFreak2002
05-27-2012, 11:15 PM
interactive..explosive...does this come from the guests waiting in line..:fan:
too bad the rocks are gone..ill check it out tuesday
thanks for the pics

All I know is supposedly there will be some kind of "explosions"... now, whether they are triggered by people in the queue and are visible on the ride, and perhaps enhances the ride a bit, I don't know.. We'll find out supposedly in the fall...

Crow
05-28-2012, 12:45 AM
I meant that maybe they would b coming from the guests expelling gas...:thedolls:

January-2007
05-28-2012, 10:39 AM
Thanks for sharing, I love this ride. I got to ride it the last day it was open before refurb in January.

DizneyFreak2002
05-28-2012, 12:11 PM
I meant that maybe they would b coming from the guests expelling gas...:thedolls:

LOL... then ALL Disney rides already had interactivity... LOL...

LudwigVonDrake
05-29-2012, 10:20 AM
I can't wait to ride it in 49 days!!! :coaster:

SBETigg
05-29-2012, 10:38 AM
Looks good in the pictures. I'll also miss the falling rocks, but overall this looks good.

Ian
05-29-2012, 11:29 AM
I was so annoyed we weren't able to get on on Sunday. There were no Fastpasses available (as originally reported) and the line was just too long for us to wait since we had to get outta Dodge by 2PM.

Guess it will have to wait until I-15 in October, although it sounds pretty underwhelming so maybe I'm not missing that much.

Melanie
05-29-2012, 12:17 PM
although it sounds pretty underwhelming so maybe I'm not missing that much.

Oh yeah, don't sweat it. Not that big of a difference.