28 January 2009

Forward marching

A lot has been said about, and reported on, the upcoming Space Mountain refurbishment, which begins on April 19 and runs until an as yet unannounced date. For a majority of this refurbishment, or perhaps all of it, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority will also be down. The fact that the TTA will be down for the lengthy refubishment period has brought pleas from the community to keep the Transit Authority from being on hiatus for the entire Space Mountain refurbishment. Other members of the Disney community offer reminders that the TTA encircles the perimeter of Space Mountain and its tracks and will of course need to be down for the duration. What has gone relatively unmentioned is that fact the the Tomorrowland Transit Authority is in desperate need of some attention, at least by the high standards that guests have come to expect from Disney.

I offer this photograph I took earlier this month as evidence.True, the Blue Line may not need the entirety of the time that Space Mountain will be closed to reupholster the seats and apply a fresh coat of paint, but the time frame offers a couple of interesting possibilities. While I have no inside insight to what is, or isn't, being worked on during this refurbishment (although if you do have some information, and would like an outlet to share it with, I have been told I have an excellent listening ear), the idea that the Tomorrowland Transit Authority could receive an upgrade to the audio systems, new soundtrack, and/or a new conveyor loading ramp all seem like possibilities. Beyond the basic upgrades and refreshing projects, the more blue sky ideas, such as the return to the WEDway PeopleMover name, are always the thoughts that cause the Disney faithful to hold their breath in anticipation.

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority has long been one of my favorite places to unwind, rest my feet, and take a couple of spins around the promises of tomorrow, and I look forward to seeing what the future of the Blue Line holds.

7 comments:

M.Sedlar said...

I miss the old Disneyland PeopleMover. It gave Tommorowland the feeling of a bustling city of the future. You would look up and see people riding in the cars, and you'd think "Oooh. I want to go on that!" Now, the track sits there unused.

Without the TTA running, the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland is going to feel pretty empty.

Ryan P. Wilson said...

Not only that, but with all the various construction project it may feel less like a city of the future and more like a city of refurbishment.

Anonymous said...

I've been known to spend an hour or two on the TTA, so long as a friendly Cast Member allowed. And if they didn't, I'd just go down the ramp and come back up. It truly is one of the most amazing attractions at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, for so many reasons. I guess I'll just have to while away an hour or two on the WDW RR this next trip. That won't be so bad. Sigh. I wonder if Mr. Tom Morrow will still give his guests from Saturn a ring upon the TTA's return?

Princess Fee said...

I love the TTA - it is one of my favourite attractions in the Magic Kingdom. Something the whole family can enjoy - and I know my mum loves it as she can see Space Mountain that way! And whilst I will be upset that it may be down while Space Mountain is refurbished, I think that - and hope that - only good can come from this.

It doesn't hurt for the TTA to experience some upgrading alongwith SM. I just hope that they keep it true to how and what it is - and I do hope Mr Tom Morrow gets paged!

M.Sedlar said...

The WDW Railroad is a nice alternative. The Skyway was another great attraction you could just relax on.

Anonymous said...

My only concern is that it goes away forever. The TTA or Wedway People Mover (my kids always laugh when "I get it wrong") has ben such a favorite of mine for so long and with it not being in Disneyland anymore I am worried that it will be shut down permanently.

Anonymous said...

When I went to Disney as a kid, TTA was ALWAYS my favorite attraction, hands down. My family couldn't understand why I wanted to endlessly ride it over and over again