Any Updates on Test Track Redo?

[Captain Chaos]

Schedules have come out and it has been announced to us in Operations that the building will be locked down starting on the 16th, so yes, its finally official that April 15th will be the last day.

For the next month, especially in the first week, take pity to those in Guest Relations and the CMs that will be outside telling guests its closed.

WWIII is about to break out.

Thanks for the update....

 

[NewfieFan]

Schedules have come out and it has been announced to us in Operations that the building will be locked down starting on the 16th, so yes, its finally official that April 15th will be the last day.

For the next month, especially in the first week, take pity to those in Guest Relations and the CMs that will be outside telling guests its closed.

WWIII is about to break out.

Well, that's sad! Not that I mind refurbs... I just don't want them on my vacation! No seriously I don't mind refurbs and I was prepared for this one b/c I heard about it well into the early stages of my planning. But the fact that they didn't release a date I kind of got my hopes up again that this would be open (even if it was delayed only for a day or two) - I arrive the night of the 15th!

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

Schedules have come out and it has been announced to us in Operations that the building will be locked down starting on the 16th, so yes, its finally official that April 15th will be the last day.

For the next month, especially in the first week, take pity to those in Guest Relations and the CMs that will be outside telling guests its closed.

WWIII is about to break out.

Thanks for the update. my dining plans meant I wasn't going to hit Epcot until the 16th but now I will adjust my schedule and go there a day or 2 earlier.

I really appreciate this...I know my two friends were looking forward to Test Track. I'm trying to make their first Disney trip as magical as possible and a refurb might disappoint them for all of two minutes until I show them something else to take their minds off it...ohhh...look a big shiny pyramid with a backwards waterfall!

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

Well, that's sad! Not that I mind refurbs... I just don't want them on my vacation! No seriously I don't mind refurbs and I was prepared for this one b/c I heard about it well into the early stages of my planning. But the fact that they didn't release a date I kind of got my hopes up again that this would be open (even if it was delayed only for a day or two) - I arrive the night of the 15th!

Hey Newfiefan. I'll be there on the 12th. If you see 3 brunette girls with Nova Scotian accents (and probably a drink or two in their hands) feel free to join us. Maybe you could set up a stand in the Canadian Pavilion and screech everyone in :lol:

 

[xdan0920]

Your intent was not clear at all. You could have just as easily been agreeing with him that the experience would be that negative, which is still a joke. The one who wants to make this into a flame war is you, since you don't like being contradicted in anyway at all. Not a great way for a "dad" to act I think. LOL.

You seem vaguely familiar...

 

[NewfieFan]

Hey Newfiefan. I'll be there on the 12th. If you see 3 brunette girls with Nova Scotian accents (and probably a drink or two in their hands) feel free to join us. Maybe you could set up a stand in the Canadian Pavilion and screech everyone in :lol:

Awesome stuff! I'm doing a girls trip in May too (some life, 'by! :animwink! If you see me and my family by all means say hi!

I'm not sure I'll be able to get the cod fish through security!

 

[katarn112]

WWIII is about to break out.

Yeah, and Disney brought it on themselves. I think it's pretty obvious that they did this on purpose so people wouldn't reschedule their trips. I think it's a dirty tactic to do. People in here have tried to defend Disney, saying that "back in the day", you wouldn't know about a ride closure until you got there. But this isn't 1980 anymore, this is 2012, and people have become accustomed to checking Disney's schedules for things like this.

 

[celluloid]

Yeah, and Disney brought it on themselves. I think it's pretty obvious that they did this on purpose so people wouldn't reschedule their trips. I think it's a dirty tactic to do. People in here have tried to defend Disney, saying that "back in the day", you wouldn't know about a ride closure until you got there. But this isn't 1980 anymore, this is 2012, and people have become accustomed to checking Disney's schedules for things like this.

Very well said and I fully agree.

Also likewise and irony, they would of found a way to inform to the best of their ability.

Before the internet. Disney did have its own phone lines and radio stations on the AM you could listen to while on resort grounds. My family could know what rides were going to be down or what hours were going to be before we pulled into the parking lot. Just as they did then. The parks can do that now with the internet. Hiding it under a rug is no excuse.

 

[Tom Morrow]

True, but... Test Track being closed should never be a reason to cancel a WDW vacation.

 

[katarn112]

True, but... Test Track being closed should never be a reason to cancel a WDW vacation.

It could be for a family that doesn't get to go that often. Luckily most of us on this forum get to go more than enough so it doesn't really matter that much.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Still... it sucks, but one major E-ticket being closed will not ruin a vacation.

The thing is, on here everyone complains that TDO doesn't shut down the rides to refurbish/update them.

And then when they DO do it, everyone complains about the ride being closed.

You can't have it both ways.

 

[HMF]

Still... it sucks, but one major E-ticket being closed will not ruin a vacation.

The thing is, on here everyone complains that TDO doesn't shut down the rides to refurbish/update them.

And then when they DO do it, everyone complains about the ride being closed.

You can't have it both ways.

^
This

 

[katarn112]

Still... it sucks, but one major E-ticket being closed will not ruin a vacation.

The thing is, on here everyone complains that TDO doesn't shut down the rides to refurbish/update them.

And then when they DO do it, everyone complains about the ride being closed.

You can't have it both ways.

No one here is upset (to my knowledge) that the ride is closing. It's just the way TDO wasn't very open about Test Track's closure to the public that I find shady. Unless you're in-the-know on WDW forums like we are, you'd end up being surprised at the park.

 

[celluloid]

Still... it sucks, but one major E-ticket being closed will not ruin a vacation.

The thing is, on here everyone complains that TDO doesn't shut down the rides to refurbish/update them.

And then when they DO do it, everyone complains about the ride being closed.

You can't have it both ways.

I think it is more of a mix of the lack of inforamtion to the general public and guests that has people wondering what is wrong with the company, but more so the bigger picture of if the parks actually added rides on a regular basis and kept them up on a responsible one it would not be a big deal for a ride to get a refurbishment.

Now when they do get their problems fixed, or said problems are so bad a redo is in order it must go down for half a year.

 

[misterID]

Still... it sucks, but one major E-ticket being closed will not ruin a vacation.

The thing is, on here everyone complains that TDO doesn't shut down the rides to refurbish/update them.

And then when they DO do it, everyone complains about the ride being closed.

You can't have it both ways.

tbh, I understand being upset with an E ticket going down in EPCOT. For me, the only real reason to go is SSE and Maelstrom. But if you're planning a trip in a park with slim pickings in attractions as it is, it doesn't even really seem worth the effort to go to the park.

That's TDO's fault for not having another attraction good enough to pick up the slack. But I agree, it's needed. The way they did it and the scope of the problem, which the lack of good rides at EPCOT really does put TDO between a rock and a hard place, when you get down to it, is understandable.

 

[marni1971]

By all Accounts it's been a shambles. The date has been known on circles
Since December-ish but ops and 3rd shift only found out 2 weeks ago. TT CMs only yesterday, despite unofficial knowing April 15th.

 

[Annielkd]

Still... it sucks, but one major E-ticket being closed will not ruin a vacation.

The thing is, on here everyone complains that TDO doesn't shut down the rides to refurbish/update them.

And then when they DO do it, everyone complains about the ride being closed.

You can't have it both ways.

it's not one.. it's two... and those two directly effect two others... so in reality, it's going to be difficult getting on those other two. To me, it's like four are down.

 

[DaveCummings]

Me, I'm not sure why people are freaking out and threatening to cancel their vacation over Test Track's refurb. I mean, the majority of the time I've visited Epcot, I wasn't able to do Test Track because it ended up breaking down. We're talking about a ride that has the worst track record when it comes to breaking down. If the refurb does anything to cut down on the tendency to break down, I'm all for it.

 

[Annielkd]

It's not that... it's that they knew.... they didn't want to let anyone know. It STILL isn't on their operational updates. Disney requires significant planning for everything (reservations for lunch, even reservations for their resorts) it's not like you can plan this last minute. Some people might have booked a different trip knowing that two major rides are down and with that, two other rides will be significantly inpacted. I know someone who is going on her first trip next week... she has no idea it's closed. I'm sure many are in that boat. I do think that when they KNOW it's going to be down, they should let people know so they can plan accordingly. I had dining reservations for the 17th because it was early morning at Epcot. I'm not going there anymore. Do you think it's possible to get dining somewhere else at this point? No... it's not. It just shows a lack of consideration.

 

[wm49rs]

It's not that... it's that they knew.... they didn't want to let anyone know. It STILL isn't on their operational updates. Disney requires significant planning for everything (reservations for lunch, even reservations for their resorts) it's not like you can plan this last minute. Some people might have booked a different trip knowing that two major rides are down and with that, two other rides will be significantly inpacted. I know someone who is going on her first trip next week... she has no idea it's closed. I'm sure many are in that boat. I do think that when they KNOW it's going to be down, they should let people know so they can plan accordingly. I had dining reservations for the 17th because it was early morning at Epcot. I'm not going there anymore. Do you think it's possible to get dining somewhere else at this point? No... it's not. It just shows a lack of consideration.

There's been rumors of this refurb being tossed about since last year, from what I remember. I know at least one other site had mention of it last fall, and in January there was more discussion of the ride going down. Perhaps Disney did not make it "official" until more recently due to questions with their own scheduling and implementation, but if you were looking for potential rides being down, finding TT as a candidate was not too difficult.

And as for reservations, it appears there are a number of (dinner) options still open for the 17th. I'm sure you could find one or two....:wave: