In a nutshell, what do Seinfeld and the new Tomorrowland have in common? Trying to live up to all the hype. Well folks, Jerry tried and couldn't pull it off for most of his audience - and, sadly, neither could Walt Disney Imagineering [as much as they tried] with the hobbled budgets they got this time around from Disneyland's management.

The slightly psychedelic Jerry Garcia / Grateful Dead / tie-die paint job makeover this redo mainly consists of is a mixed bag that will remind you of the old story about only polishing the front of your shoes, and not the back, because you don't really care about what people think after you leave.

The entrance to Tomorrowland tends to remind people of Las Vegas. In a way it's much better in the dark - you don't see a lot of the unsightly upkeep problems that plague the land now since it was redone.

Look behind all the neon, [there's SO much of it] and you'll see that the old glitter hasn't been even spruced up. The budgets have been so severely slashed that only two new attractions are really being offered this time around, another old one has been relocated, one was shut down [the Subs], along with a corporate exhibit area and an additional eating location. The TOMORROWLAND TERRACE and the DISNEYLAND RAILROAD station basically got new paint. AUTOPIA did get a rather nice redo two years later.

So unlike the past two rehabs of TOMORROWLAND, don't go in with the same huge expectations here on this one. Yes there are some fun things, but this makeover [despite Disney's past ad campaign] shouldn't be the focus of your visit.

This write-up / review will cover what to expect as you enter the redone land, it's all in the order of what you will see coming into it from the hub. [Before we get too far here, I want to thank Rich Koster (a great Disney fan) who posted the first detailed redo information on Fidonet about the new TOMORROWLAND a while back which helped serve as a basis for this page, and has graciously continued to allow it to be used in maintaining it.]

As you walk in off the Hub, over the new brick paving stones, the first thing you will see towering over the entrance is the ASTRO ORBITER. Trees from both sides will hide it from the castle and Main St., as it bobs and spins around just in front of the old PEOPLEMOVER tracks that cross the TOMORROWLAND walkways.

Basically this is a newly-built retread of the old ROCKET JETS ride, [think DUMBO JETS here] which before the rehab used to sit up high in and further inside the land over the old PEOPLEMOVER loading station. With huge brass-looking spinning orbs, and dramatic lighting effects, it does distract from the hub area, especially at night. [Even with recent adjustments on lighting for the rest of the hub, the MATTERHORN, SLEEPING BEAUTY CASTLE, ADVENTURELAND and FRONTIERLAND entrances are way overpowered by it. Think of Las Vegas being plopped into a country club and you'll get a good mental picture of it.]

With fewer ride units than DUMBO, the ORBITOR is a slower loader, so expect longer lines early in the day on this. [Although I'm sure they will shorten as the evening goes on and the smaller kids - who will be the most interested in it - go home.] There are twelve two person rockets, each with a zodiac sign on them, with a trip time of 90 seconds. The queue for it runs directly behind it, under the former PEOPLEMOVER / new ROCKET ROD tracks that run down the center of the TOMORROWLAND walkway.

[In the Disney tradition of recycling everything, the old ROCKET JETS that used to sit right above the old PEOPLEMOVER loading station have been retooled and renovated as the OBSERVATRON. It's now basically a hydraulic sculpture that spins around performing a light show to music to dress up the TOMORROWLAND skyline. It scans the sky sending "transmissions" to try and locate other life in the universe, about every fifteen minutes or so. The list of music used for this is in the DON'T MISS section of this guide. Even with the limited motion the old mechanism offers, it's fun to take a look at, IF it's working.]

On the right of the entrance, as you face it, you'll see that the STAR TOURS outside waiting area has been supplemented by an air conditioned interior one, built behind the wall where the line used to snake next to when it extended outside. The idea was to reduce the lines in the walkways of this area since the ORBITOR line was added here. This new queue, and the dressing up of the outside are the only changes planned for now. But Imagineering folks at the last Annual Passholder's event were talking about working with George Lucas to create a new ride film that would tie into the upcoming pre-equal STAR WARS trilogy - and that would feature some kind of enhanced effects. Maybe 3-D? - which sounds great.

On the right hand side of the entrance, across the way from STAR TOURS where the old CIRCLEVISION theater entrance was, you will now see the queue entrance to the now closed ROCKET RODS attraction, [which replaces the PEOPLEMOVER and reuses its old track].

The actual line for the ride, [if it comes back] actually starts around the TOMORROWLAND entrance. Then it continues to snake up through ARIEL'S GROTTO [where the HOUSE OF THE FUTURE used to sit] before finally entering the building from the left. Inside the line continues through the old CIRCLEVISION building, with minimal changes inside thanks to the loss of a sponsor and again those pesky bean counters, where you'll see a short new three part 360 degree film, since the theater is intact pretty much from before.

You'll then head into a minimally themed tunnel that goes under the walkway outside and then spirals up onto the loading area. When you finish the ride, you'll exit back via this same tunnel, and into the former PREMIERE SHOP. Thanks to a queue with a lack of detail that pales next to the terrific one in STAR TOURS across the way, or INDY across the park, the line will seem much longer than it really is - thanks to the un-impressive black lighting and day-glo paint that seemed to be all they wanted to budget for it. [I don't blame WDI for doing the best they could here - the best thing about the whole attraction is seeing Walt himself hosting each of the three small film segments, and seeing some of the old CIRCLEVISION film sped up to almost double the normal running speed.]

Now for the money question - what was the ride, the hyped centerpiece of this new land like? Well.. it had a rather unusual feel to it, because of the high-speed and un-banked curves it travels on, plus the unique way the cars steer, via the back axle. It was a simple ride, even nice on a sunny day, but in no way did it live up to the hype preceding it, and it was certainly not worth a long wait, ESPECIALLY if your time in the park was limited to one day / visit.

Think of a souped-up golf cart kind of experience - stopping and starting so frequently [due to the lack of banked curves among other things] that you never really felt like you get up to speed. [The cars did pop a very small wheelie occasionally too.] The tunnels the rods went through were minimally themed like the queue was - with just inexpensive light effects, a mirror in one place, a mirrored ball like effect in another, and then a wind machine. The SUPERSPEED TUNNEL / WORLD OF TRON section the old PEOPLEMOVER used to cruise through was more imaginative that this - who'd of thunk they could take a step down here?

A total of 30 rods (up to 28 at one time is the hoped for number), each seating 5 guests, were supposed to run the course at speeds of up to 35 m.p.h., [they claim it is the fastest ride in the park] with trip times of approximately 4 min., but it always ran a little longer as the cars slowed down constantly. [The old PEOPLEMOVER used to take 16 min!]

I guess the key to enjoying the ride was NOT to expect too much - how Disneyland after 40 plus years of almost always delivering more than the audience expects wants visitors to be wowed with this - especially after the expected long waits - I have no idea.

[It's funny that when thinking of this ride I remembered very clearly the DATELINE DISNEYLAND opening day film with Walt hosting, and how chintzy some of the things in TL looked as they showed them - one especially painful segment of the show was a demonstration of an atomic reaction utilizing ping pong balls and mousetraps, obviously done from hunger since that land got the short shrift when it came to his limited budgets. Now that the Disney company is one of the most successful businesses ever - you'd think they could budget a little more than what they had here to at least bring things up to the levels of show quality plainly visible just across the walkway in the STAR TOURS attraction.]

Here was a common sight - a broken down Rocket Rod. The tubes you see being assembled here are the rather unique "push" system they have to get a disabled car back to the maintenance shed. This happened an awful LOT.

The RODS had a 46-inch height restriction attraction, the same as INDY. Now on to other more pleasant thoughts...

In the exit to the ROCKET RODS [the former Premiere Shop] one of the things you can purchase is your own custom CD soundtrack compilation from attractions and park favorites. The following newsgroup posting detailed what is available and how this works:

From: Audiophile < aphile@illogical.com >
Subject: CD stations in New Tomorrowland

OK, folks. I got the straight scoop on the new Audio CD Machines that are going into new Tomorrowland. There will be 8 machines or terminals located in the Premiere Shop at the exit of Rocket Rods. Each terminal has a touch screen and you can select first the land, then the track you want. There are great graphics and video clips. As you select the track, you hear a little clip of it in the speakers overhead.

There are 100-plus tracks installed so far, they plan on 250! Each one is up to 5 minutes long. You can select up to 10 tracks on a CD, and you can pick the order you want them in. They have train station and on-board train audio. There will be complete composites of attractions like Haunted Mansion, America Sings and Adventure thru Inner Space. (you have to be sure to pick all the tracks in the sequence to get them all, i.e. Pirates 1, Pirates 2…)

There is really unusual stuff like the Frito Kid from Casa de Fritos, the Art Corner narration and the Christmas Swisskapolka from The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. The narration from the "Wizard of Bras" lingerie store on Main Street (has ANYONE ever heard that?)

There is area background music from Main Street, Space Mountain Concourse, Disney Gallery and sea shanties from the Columbia. There is audio never before available! Small World Tick Tock! "Permanecer sentados, por favor!" "Welcome, space travelers to Mars 295"! "Avast there! Keep a weather eye open!"

Once you have made your selections and perfected their order, you can designate if the CD is for you or a present for a friend. Touch "print" and a little bar code paper comes out. Take that to the counter and give them your $20. The label is printed onto a full color booklet that includes your track list, name and date. The CD itself is also printed with your name and date.

And they want to keep adding tracks. I can see that the first thing people will want to do is document what is there, then figure out your "perfect" CD. I know I will be first in line on Friday morning to select my favorite tracks!

[For a site that lists all the tracks available right now here in Disneyland, plus a listing of the machines now at Walt Disney World - check the right hand side of the page for a URL to it.]

It's great to see Disneyland take the lead here on this, since Walt Disney Records doesn't seem much interested in releasing park / attraction music. Expect about an hour wait after you make your CD to be able to pick it up once they get the glitches out of the system.

NOW A WARNING: PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THIS AUDIO AVAILABLE AS A BINARY POSTING ONLINE OR FOR DOWNLOAD OFF YOUR WEB SITES. I have been told if people are found doing this - Disney legal will promptly recommend shutting down this wonderful new addition to merchandising. OK?

Getting back to the RODS exit area, here is an official press release on what is now exhibited there:

Walt Disney Company Press Release:

"The American Space Experience Celebrating 40 Years of NASA" Opens in Tomorrowland at Disneyland

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- May 18, 1998 -- Commemorating the past, present and future achievements of NASA's 40 years of space exploration, Disneyland in Southern California will open "The American Space Experience Celebrating 40 Years of NASA,'' a unique opportunity to see extraordinary exhibits, some never before available for public viewing.

The one-of-a-kind exhibition is located near the exit to "Rocket Rods,'' the land's new thrill ride, and features a model of the Pathfinder and the rover, Sojourner, that were used by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to prepare for last year's Mars mission.

Also on display in the 2,500-square-foot exhibit is a large model of NASA's first new spaceship design in 25 years, the X-33 reusable launch vehicle that could replace the current space shuttle. Additional items will include the AX-5 space suit, a prototype of an advanced hard-shell suit currently in development for use on the International Space Station; and a Moon rock retrieved by the crew of Apollo 16 during their April, 1972, mission.

"NASA has been proud to work with Disneyland in offering this updated view not only of where we have been in space exploration over the last 40 years, but of the tremendous vistas of opportunity and new knowledge that await us on the final frontier,'' said Dan Goldin, NASA Administrator.

"The Pathfinder symbolized the excellence of our space program by broadcasting signals back to Earth three times as long as we had anticipated. We are very pleased that it will be part of the new Tomorrowland at Disneyland, where, for the first time, the public will be able to experience many of these unique features,'' noted JPL Director Edward Stone, Ph.D.

Highlighting "The American Space Experience'' are theatrically lit photos from space transmitted by the Hubble Telescope, a live television transmission from NASA, and a NASA Web site, where guests will be able to experience a virtual walkthrough of a space station.

Cool huh? :) NASA has a contract for this location and if all goes well it should be here for a while longer. The park wants to continually update this attraction for visitors that return over and over. Nice to see something educational back in this land.

Also, a MISSION TO MARS prop exhibit was added here this year, to help cross-promote the movie.  Nothing much to see really, but if you ever want to see what movies props look like up-close, it's worth a few moments.

As you exit this exhibit, you'll find yourself near the TOMORROWLAND TERRACE and it's old hydraulic TOMORROWLAND STAGE, which except for a paint job and a new theme sculpture up in the planter / roof have remained pretty much intact from before. There are some slight traffic flow problems with this new layout, the walkway [to Food Services' delight I'm sure] dumps the crowds right into the counter service area for the TERRACE, which is of course full of folks carrying wobbly trays of food to their tables even at non-peak periods. Strollers / Wheelchair / EMVs are a particular headache here - since the walkway design naturally leads to a stairway, rather than to a nearby ramp that would make things easier.

Around here is where you'll see many of the additional planters that have been added all throughout the land, which finally allow for some more trees to provide much needed shade as they grow in. You'll also notice if you look closely, that all the landscaping in the new TOMORROWLAND is actually food stuffs, with oranges and lemons planted over rows of cabbage and herbs all throughout. [Let's hope the park keeps the prices down in the adjacent food locations so people won't get any ideas about bringing in a bottle of salad dressing and plucking their own lunches. ;) ]

Beyond the TERRACE area, the DISNEYLAND RAILROAD got new paint, but the SUBMARINE VOYAGE didn't since it was closed at the end of the summer of '98. AUTOPIA got a major rehab later - and it is detailed HERE by Jason Schultz for you.

At the back of TOMORROWLAND, behind the Terrace stage in the old CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS / AMERICA SINGS circular building INNOVENTIONS is now open. Just like the 50's when Walt first opened the park, corporate exhibits make their return to TOMORROWLAND, and quite frankly your local Best Buy electronics store has more current technology than offered here despite all the hoopla. This one was Eisner's baby which was originally proposed for and built at EPCOT. Oh boy. At least we won't get the endless aisles of Sega games they had there.

Visitors board a "loading pod" on the slowly (6" per second) rotating lower level ring. Tom Morrow (remember him?) welcomes them in a 90-second introduction to the interior of INNOVENTIONS and introduces them to the attraction's five main areas: Transportation, Health / Sports, Home, Work / Entertainment and School [Not all pods will be open.]  Then a CM tries, rather desperately sometimes I think, to try and pitch you some new product, as everyone loses interest fast.

Tom Morrow is easily the highlight of the whole thing - and if you want, you can watch him as he stands around waiting for the next show to see how he gets ready for it. There's more charm here in just that little bit of creative programming than there is in the rest of the building. And yes, that is Robin Williams' face [they reused the WDW Timekeeper animatronic character design] and Nathan Lane's voice. 

So I guess this makes Tom the love child of the couple those two actors portrayed in "The Birdcage?" [The figure itself is a recycled unit that used to be named "Joe Cocker" - since it was a demo set up that was tested with a Joe Cocker song. Looking down in the basement, on the control box for it, you can still see his name on it.]

Once inside, visitors will find two levels of interactive exhibits showcasing new "Innoventions" from such companies as Compaq, Honeywell, Kaiser Permanente, SAP, AT&T, and General Motors, as well as an exhibit on the latest Disney movie. The quite handsome circular stairway takes you up to additional exhibits, even windows where you used to see the ROCKET RODS zipping by, after which you exit down the long sloping outside ramp. A nice thing is that you'll get to walk around on the second floor balcony again, the first time since the building's first incarnation.

(If you ask me, this is where outdoor vending should actually look into putting a specialty coffee cart and a few tables and chairs so as to take in the view of the new land. [See, I don't hate all the carts...] It's also a great spot to see the fireworks too when they run, but don't tell anyone.)

Is this trade show worth a visit? Depends - on a hot day the air conditioning is superb. If it rains it's dry inside. If you have anything else you have not experienced at Disneyland, don't bother. There are better things to see and do. ;)

Next to INNOVENTIONS the MOONLINER (which originally stood in front of ROCKET TO THE MOON attraction from 1955 to 1966, first in TWA colors, then later in Douglas Aircraft colors) reappears at about two thirds its original size in front of the former (last named) MISSION TO MARS building. Coca-Cola is the sponsor, there is a vending stand below that "launches" sodas once purchased about a foot into the attendant's hand. Fun, but certainly not worth featuring in a TV commercial like they have.

In front of the MOONLINER you'll see, if it's working, the COSMIC WAVES, an interactive water fountain. Visitors navigate their way through three concentric circles of 5- to- 6- foot- tall jets of water and a 5- foot ball of granite floating on a high-pressure pool. There is a way to get through to the center without getting wet, but only if you're careful! It's even heated, although the merchandising department seems to have missed an opportunity to sell lots of towels here... the only downside to this new addition is all the wet seats and the strong chlorine smell you are now going to find all over the land - including inside the attractions.

Behind the MOONLINER (inside the old MISSION TO MARS building) is REDD ROCKETT'S PIZZA PORT, a BBQ chicken-type pizza buffeteria. The food is very good, and the service is great, see the MEALS section of this guide as to a review. Look for old attraction posters from Imagineer TONY BAXTER'S collection up on the walls here.

SPACE MT. has a new entrance, located next to the restaurant, using the old ramp inside that was originally built for use with the unused SPACE PLACE eating location. It also now has FASTPASS. The ride has already been upgraded with new seat-back sound systems playing a custom music score in each car - if they are working of course [they've been down more than up lately]. A new sign marks the entrance - and the formerly all-white exterior has changed colors [after resealing the roof] to a tie-dye look to fit in with the new theme.

The old loading ride escalators that used to be out front for SPACE MT. have been removed, and they allow for a newly unobstructed view of the former CAPTAIN EO / MAGIC EYE THEATER, which has been newly remodeled into the IMAGINATION INSTITUTE for HONEY I SHRUNK THE AUDIENCE attraction. This multimedia show, seen first in EPCOT, then later in Disneyland Tokyo, finally opens here, and with its shorter wait, and more entertaining show is hands down the best thing about this redo that people will really enjoy the most.

The movie is intact from the EPCOT edition of this attraction I had seen a few years ago. I can't go into much detail without giving it away - but I can say the new way of doing one of the key effects is an improvement from the Florida version. The pre-show is much better than Orlando's - the EPCOT "True Colors" blatant Kodak ad can't match the new funnier footage shot with Eric Idle [as Nigel Channing, head of the Imagination Institute]. Yes, we still get a product plug, but it fits in better in this very entertaining pre-show that also helps explain the story line a bit better.

It's a kick to see how audience just loves this show - quite a different experience than the quieter crowds EO used to pull in. If you're a regular visitor to the park, once the surprise effects used in the film wear thin, [which trust me, they will] you will probably go back just to enjoy the audience's excited reactions. [I did note some older people not quite understanding what was going on - the show is pretty hectic in some places and assumes for the most part that you have some prior knowledge of the movies it is based on.] You may find this to be the highlight of your visit to the new land.

I found that for myself best seating for HONEY is somewhere in the first seven to eight rows near the screen. I had tried both up close and further back seating, and the greater detail you see up close on screen in those rows makes the show much more entertaining. The number of seats are approximately 500, with a running time of 18:21.

And do return those yellow 3-D glasses at the end of the show won't you?

STAR TRADER [which includes the pretty much untouched STAR TOURS merchandise / exit shop] got a very disappointing inexpensive "flying saucer" theme remodel - basically just using a DISNEY STORE here as a blueprint, with even the character displays inside right out of the local mall outlet of this chain. Somehow this less-than-stellar effort does fit in with the less imaginative, more generic Disney character merchandise that is offered here - only the T-Shirt selection is worthwhile.

The STARCADE back behind the shop didn't even get a coat of paint this time around, the dirt up on the walls and ceiling, along with the untouched Boogie Nights murals and graphics remain due to those pesky budget cuts. Look for the X-Wing fighter from STAR WARS hung up in the ceiling above the speedramps now, instead of where it sat in the STAR TRADER before.

Wanting to end on a brighter note here - both bathroom facilities in the area [one near the STARCADE, the other near the AUTOPIA] have been expanded and remodeled and offer much nicer facilities to get you in and out faster. Both had the women's rooms expanded by reconfiguring the men's rooms into a slightly smaller footprint to help shorten the lines.

Tomorrowland's makeover means the crowds are there in droves - so here are some of the wait times you can expect on busy days. [These numbers will be considerably less on weekdays / off season times.]

NEW ATTRACTIONS:

ROCKET RODS - IF THEY RETURN - 90 min. plus on busy days, due to limited capacity and frequent breakdowns.

Download an MPEG [240kb] of a Rocket Rod zipping nosily along the track.

HONEY, I SHRUNK THE AUDIENCE - 20 min. or less. This one is well worth the minimal waits it has.

ASTRO ORBITOR [the Dumbo-jets people like to call 'em] - 45 min. or less. Worth it ONLY if your child will stop screaming if they ride.

COSMIC WAVES [programmed water jet fountain] - No waiting, just wade in among the overpowering chlorine aromas. Great way to get the sticky snack dribbles off your kids, and since Disney thinks of almost everything, it's even heated!

NASA EXHIBIT - No waiting. to gaze upon a real moon rock. The one educational thing in the new land - but it does suspiciously look like the temporary traveling exhibit it is rumored to be. No matter though - it reminded me of what Tomorrowland used to be about - learning something. How can anyone not delight in finding out how much they weigh on Mars?

INNOVENTIONS - Continuous loading with minimal waiting. I hate calling this an "attraction" - the incredibly powerful air conditioning here will be the real lure. Who the heck wants to listen to an HMO sell you something at the happiest place on earth?

OLD ATTRACTIONS:

SPACE MT. - 1 hr, it's always been popular, but now it's hard to find so the lines are shorter. And yes, even though they claim they "enhanced" the ride -  they are just hyping the Dick Dale surf guitar music that was added a few years ago. Use FastPass to minimize the wait.

STAR TOURS - 90 min beginning of day, decreasing to 20 min. sometimes even a walk-on late evenings. Let's do hope they get around to a new ride film soon.

AUTOPIA - Chevron took over the sponsorship here. Quieter cars, and a combination of both this and the Fantasyland tracks make for a new ride experience. At all costs make sure you use FastPass, this is a very slow standby line.

SUBMARINE VOYAGE - Gone due to budget cutting. Sad huh?

DL MONORAIL - One way only to allow for DCA construction until late Winter 2000, which means long waits. Use the hotel tram outside if time is short for you.

DL RAILROAD - 30 min [peak]. Shortest line for a train ride is still the ToonTown station next to Small World

Keith Johnson has put together THE UNOFFICIAL AND UNAUTHORIZED DISNEY FOREVER CD SITE which spotlights the make your own "Forever" series of Park Music selections available at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

At the site you will find unofficial and unauthorized accurate-as-they-can-be annotated copies of the Disneyland Forever and Walt Disney World Forever kiosk selection lists, revised on a regular basis. They also have information on how to PHONE ORDER the WDW Forever disks (including a faxable form), as well as a trip report about Disneyland Forever.

Notice of updates to the site will be posted to the PARKNOTES and MAGIC MUSIC OF THE MOUSE discussion areas.

Thanks Keith!

Also keep in mind MouseShoppe now offers a track listing and purchasing service for the CDs.