This. Exactly this. Marie
Ridership shouldn't be the issue.
It should be an issue. It is of course an important part of the show in Frontierland and Liberty Square, but if something costs a ton to mechanically maintain as a functioning ride, there should also be an ops-related reason to maintain it. That doesn't mean you have to nix it, but you need to start considering options like having it transport you somewhere more desirable, permanently mooring it, or, yes, even replacing it.
Could be concerns they wouldn't be able to staff up more attractions by expanding the parks? Especially with Epic Universe, there will be more competition than ever for theme park workers.
Apparently the Liberty Belle’s ridership was strong enough to justify replacing the boiler just a few years ago, along with a myriad of new pumps and other mechanical upgrades and deck work.
When the boat and trains survived that decision I thought we were safe for a bit. :-(
I want to believe that but they spend money on stuff all the time then change their mind quickly, see Harmonious, see the Star cruiser.
And that's fine, because these upgrades may pale in comparison to additional and ongoing maintenance work required beyond what was done. And may further pale in comparison to the opportunity cost of using the space for something else
You would think after they have spent millions of dollars refurbishing each of their 4 locomotives since 2016 and replacing much of the track with more permanent synthetic ties, that the WDWRR would be safe. But, given that they are prone to wasting money and knee jerk half baked decisions, nothing is safe anymore.
They are fixing it up before they ship to France
The boiler is good for decades, they just replaced much of the track. There is not much additional maintenance work that needs to be done. The Liberty Belle is well maintained and in good working order. They clearly (erroneously) see it as an underutilized space.
Maintenance generally occurs as scheduled regardless of what projects may or may not be coming down the pipeline. We have seen new carpets installed in buildings that were torn down a few months later.
This was more than standard maintenance- the Steamboat and Steam Trains were evaluated at the time with lots of really unfortunate options put on the table.
The point is that they wouldn’t invest in maintaining an attraction if its ridership didn’t justify it.
Lilly was truly a rare sight between the mid-late 2000’s - 2016. It’s such a treat having her back!
