New Buses, A Tall Whip, and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Interactive Queue

Disney will be introducing new buses this summer – some of them are already in service.  You’ll notice the longer windows.

And reflective paint.  The buses are supposed to be easier to see at night.  Hopefully ECV loading will be quicker/easier with the new iteration.

We’ll take a quick break at Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian Resort.  The secret to the make-your-own Dole Whip is a chopstick foundation.

I sampled the Kids’ Picks Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Stir Fry with Pineapple and Seasonal Vegetables – $6.99.  My first thought was that as a seven year old, there would be no way I’d get within 50 feet of thing thing.  It’s full of onions, broccoli, peppers, more onions, pea pods, and other ickies.  My buddies Anthony and Brett both commented that it “looked nasty.”  I wouldn’t disagree.  I’m not sure the camera captured the wilt of the vegetables.  The sauce seemed more soy based than sweet or sour.  Everything tasted like it had been frozen at one time or another.  It was okay, but I can’t imagine many children being into it.  I wouldn’t order it again.

Anthony’s Chicken and Pineapple Skewer – with Salad Greens Tossed in a Citrus Dressing – $6.99.  He thought the chicken had not been properly defrosted, resulting in a mealy texture.  He ended up exchanging it for a Stir Fry.  He enjoyed that more, though he did bite into a still-frozen broccoli floret.

We’ll pop over to Magic Kingdom to check on the interactive queue construction.

Line cutting and chanting are fine though.

The queue is full of funny(?) signs:

Keep your Harry Potter robes at home please.

It’s basically like staying at Disney World on the Dining Plan.

I’d pay for a burial plot with a view before I’d upgrade to a Riverside water view.

It’ll get you to San Francisco in half the time it takes Magical Express to deliver you to the All-Star Sports.

Take three breaths before detonating in the general vicinity of a tour group.

Jaunty Josh.  I know you love those polos.

Be Our Guest Restaurant advertisement.  Classy, Disney.  We both know Walt didn’t want any advertisements in his theme parks!  What’s next, STARBUCKS?

If you know what I mean.

Home of Pork Glop, the Hamburger Steak, Corn Cooked Yesterday, and the “Free Side Salad.”

Regardless of your opinion of the interactive queue, the air-conditioning was at least working along with fans to circulate the cool air.

Everyone loves blowing stuff up and the emphasis at Big Thunder is on just that.

Gold is what we’re after.  It looked like the nuggets will sparkle in the dark.

Rume, Rume, and Bume Dynamite – The Last Name in Explosives.  I think that’s what it says anyway.  The box sits next to Blasting Powder.  Which sits next to fuses.  Which sits next to more dynamite.  Which sits next to gasoline.  Which sits next to blast caps.  What could go wrong?

On to the interactive part.  There are a number of cranks to wind and detonators to detonate once you make it the window that overlooks the mountain.

The various levers aren’t operational yet, but soon you’ll be able to detonate “explosives” that will blast water around the mountain.

Despite looking like a wet attraction, I didn’t get wet during my two rides.

People probably forget, but the geysers aren’t new.  They’ve just been broken forever.

When the attraction reopened after a lengthy refurbishment last May, the geysers were operational for a few days. On one ride, my runaway train momentarily stopped in front of the geysers while another runaway train loaded. I got a little misted, but nothing significant. We’re not talking Kali River Rapids here.

I was originally creeped out by this picture, but that’s an arm reflection.  Once operational, you’ll be able to look down the shaft and watch a clip involving the miners.

The air quality room is up next.

Bird cages line the ceiling.

There’s nothing more interactive than a crank, apparently.

Turn the crank, and ideally, a living canary will appear.  No canary and it’s probably time to hit the ejection button.

Hey little buddy!

Disney explains more about what you’ll see in this video.

Stalactites!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Wait, I can see Space Mountain, Cinderella Castle, Tangled, Haunted Mansion, and the Contemporary from here!  VACATION RUINED!  MEMORIES LOST!

Despite the mountain never looking better, the addition of a thoughtful layer of interactivity to the queue, and air-conditioning, you can be sure WDWMAGIC only cares about the fact that the rocks are gone.

You might want to grab some dinosaur eggs on your way down the mountain.  They’re probably worth more than gold dust.

If you’re headed through the ECV/wheelchair queue, you’ll also have an opportunity to crank up or detonate an explosion outside the main station.

Just light ‘em and hide.

I’m feeling positive about the interactive queue.  While walking through, the only bizarre thing I encountered was a stone-faced cast member yelling, “PLEASE DO NOT STOP! KEEP MOVING!” as people were playing with the levers and checking out their canaries.  I would guess that’s the sort of behavior that will be sorted out as the queue becomes fully operational.  It doesn’t make sense to build an interactive queue that people are rushed through.  There had been some questions as to why Disney didn’t install the interactive elements during the original refurbishment.  That’s probably because the building that houses the queue wasn’t done until about three days before the ride reopened.  Disney has been taking care of this after-hours for the last several months.

I expect the interactive queue to be ready in the coming weeks.  In other news, the Rapunzel bathroom area opening was delayed at least a week.  We’ll keep an eye on it.