Report from today -- Buzz scoring and POTC FP update

[WonkaKid]

I'm very tired so I'll make this quick:

Several good things happened at the park today. Here are a few (I may update tomorrow -- very sleepy now):

1. I was first on PP. Two CMs in the line were both from Chicago (as am I) and we spoke briefly before I boarded.
2. I was able to help several first-time visitors find attractions and make the most of their time.
3. I met a few cute girls. This is beginning to become a regular occurrence and I, for one, am happy about it ;-).

Now:

• Although not perfect, scoring on Buzz was working markedly better than it has been over the past few weeks. On my last game, I’m pretty sure I broke 2M but that, of course, was one of two scores that didn’t come through out of about eight rides.

• I spoke with a few CMs at POTC today. They both told me that there’s no firm rollout date for Pirates FPs. Perhaps more interesting, though: it’s still possible that FPs for this attraction may be done away with quickly if they're deemed less efficient than the standby system in place now.

And now for a few pics.





Fantasyland as seen from the air (i.e. Dumbo).


Fantasyland from Dumbo.

 

[WonkaKid]

A few more pics.













POTC went down for about an hour in the early afternoon (pic taken from the Mark Twain). I waited around for about 15 minutes and managed to be the first in line once it reopened. I ain't got notin' but good luck at DL ;-).

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Looks super fun!

 

[Angrose]

I think POTC has been going down at least a few times a day lately. I was there Friday and it was down in the early evening, then i tried to ride after fireworks and it went down again around 10:15pm and never came back up. I was one of the first to ride it Sat morning, twice in a row. I’m glad I did because it went down again after lunch. I wonder what’s going on??!!

 

[Xenorye]

Sounds/looks like a good day!

By the way, we got our maps in the mail a few days ago. The kids loved them. Thank you!

 

[AuntieMe3]

I think POTC has been going down at least a few times a day lately. I was there Friday and it was down in the early evening, then i tried to ride after fireworks and it went down again around 10:15pm and never came back up. I was one of the first to ride it Sat morning, twice in a row. I’m glad I did because it went down again after lunch. I wonder what’s going on??!!

And then down again most of the evening too. We never got to ride, which is a bummer.

I went for an hour or two Sunday morning, as well, before we checked out and headed home but didn't go as early, wish I had... looks so nice without the crowds....

 

[WonkaKid]

By the way, we got our maps in the mail a few days ago. The kids loved them. Thank you!

So glad! Hope ya'll have a great time at DL!

 

[Angrose]

And then down again most of the evening too. We never got to ride, which is a bummer.

I went for an hour or two Sunday morning, as well, before we checked out and headed home but didn't go as early, wish I had... looks so nice without the crowds....

Sunday mornings are GOLDEN, my favorite time to go! I'm sorry you didn't get to ride Pirates

 

[azdisneylover]

Great pics! (As usual!) Sounds like you had a great day in the park. Woohoo!!!

 

[chickapin parterre]

Truly amazing...on another site a visitor was saying that he was very pleased with the level of visitors. Then I see your photos....he said nothing of the clouds and chance of rain. Another historical photo essay....thank you for your time.

Greedy Matey Sparrow!!!!

 

[WonkaKid]

Truly amazing...on another site a visitor was saying that he was very pleased with the level of visitors. Then I see your photos....he said nothing of the clouds and chance of rain.

It was perhaps a little cloudy in the morning and throughout the afternoon, but it never felt like there was a chance of rain. At least not to me. Crowds were decent yesterday. They weren't at historical lows or anything but they were OK.

 

[Safari23]

We got on POTC right after it opened as well! We were probably a few boats behind you. We just happened to be walking by and saw it just open. It was a great score!

 

[Peter C]

Well @WonkaKid , my high score on Astro Blasters was only 150,000. You need to make a YouTube video or something and show us rookies how it’s done!

 

[lunasea]

We went on Pirates first thing the Sunday after it opened again as I heard that it went down a good half dozen times on that Saturday. We were on the sixth boat and no issues.

 

[WonkaKid]

Well You need to make a YouTube video or something and show us rookies how it’s done!

I've given a number of tips on the boards. And I'm likely reluctant to give away too many of the strategies I've learned over the months and years ;-). Suddenly it'll be impossible for me to make it on the high-score board.

 

[WonkaKid]

Well @WonkaKid , my high score on Astro Blasters was only 150,000. You need to make a YouTube video or something and show us rookies how it’s done!

I just posted this on a thread I created yesterday with park pics. Hope these tips help .

· Only ever shoot diamonds (5,000 points) and triangles (10,000 points – 50,000 when lit). As I explained to two girls in line behind me yesterday, shooting one triangle is the scoring equivalent to shooting 100 circles. Don’t waste time on circles.

· Shoot targets multiple times, not just once. I often leave the first room with 250,000 – 300,000 points.

· If you’re having trouble hitting targets, take a moment to shoot at a blank wall to determine if your gun is shooting high, low or to one side. Often times that’s the key. Not all guns are created equal ;-).

· Make a note of where the triangle targets are and go for them as much as possible. For example, in the second to last room (where the second Zurg is), there’s one behind you as you near the exit. You have to shoot the circle to make it pop up. That alone -- hitting it ten times -- should earn players at least 100,000 points.

· This won’t be an issue for most players, but be aware that if you exceed approximately 2,096,000, your score will reset and you’ll lose everything. This happens to me regularly and it’s very frustrating. The challenge with this is that once you exceed 1M points, the ride display will read 999999. You’ll need to keep track (or try to) in your head. This has been an issue for the past 18 months or so. I’ve raised it with Disney a few times but I think it unlikely that they’ll ever fix it. I believe this was an intentional change so that lesser-scoring players wouldn’t be discouraged by players that score 2M+.

· On a related note, scores above 1M will only display at the photo kiosks at the ride exit. Lately there have been problems with scores flowing through with pictures. I’ve also raised this issue with Disney and it seems to be improving.

 

[McNs]

Wow there are no people in FL in your Dumbo photos!

 

[cindyland]

Thanks for the Buzz tips -- I would love to get a higher score than my husband!

 

[dina444444]

I just posted this on a thread I created yesterday with park pics. Hope these tips help .

· Only ever shoot diamonds (5,000 points) and triangles (10,000 points – 50,000 when lit). As I explained to two girls in line behind me yesterday, shooting one triangle is the scoring equivalent to shooting 100 circles. Don’t waste time on circles.

· Shoot targets multiple times, not just once. I often leave the first room with 250,000 – 300,000 points.

· If you’re having trouble hitting targets, take a moment to shoot at a blank wall to determine if your gun is shooting high, low or to one side. Often times that’s the key. Not all guns are created equal ;-).

· Make a note of where the triangle targets are and go for them as much as possible. For example, in the second to last room (where the second Zurg is), there’s one behind you as you near the exit. You have to shoot the circle to make it pop up. That alone -- hitting it ten times -- should earn players at least 100,000 points.

· This won’t be an issue for most players, but be aware that if you exceed approximately 2,096,000, your score will reset and you’ll lose everything. This happens to me regularly and it’s very frustrating. The challenge with this is that once you exceed 1M points, the ride display will read 999999. You’ll need to keep track (or try to) in your head. This has been an issue for the past 18 months or so. I’ve raised it with Disney a few times but I think it unlikely that they’ll ever fix it. I believe this was an intentional change so that lesser-scoring players wouldn’t be discouraged by players that score 2M+.

· On a related note, scores above 1M will only display at the photo kiosks at the ride exit. Lately there have been problems with scores flowing through with pictures. I’ve also raised this issue with Disney and it seems to be improving.

Another note if you hit a lit target and hit it again immediately after you get rewarded for the same number of points when it was lit.

 

[Indiana Scott]

Thanks for the post and seriously great pics!