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News Rafiki's Planet Watch is closing Oct. 21st will reopen in Summer 2019
- Thread starter Rteetz
- Start date
Missing20K
Well-Known Member
So seasonal.....what seasons will it be operating? I wanted to take my daughter here.
Also, so this means no operating trains at WDW until Tron is completed?
Also, so this means no operating trains at WDW until Tron is completed?
Disney Maddux
Well-Known Member
I’ve got 5000 MVMCP tickets on Tom Sawyer going seasonal, who wants to go up againdt me on this one?
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I thought the MK railway is only being closed for a bit while they reroute or something. Not like the whole construction. I could be wrong thoughSo seasonal.....what seasons will it be operating? I wanted to take my daughter here.
Also, so this means no operating trains at WDW until Tron is completed?
Kman101
Well-Known Member
How soon before they're charging guests to take a tour of the facility and see what used to be included in park admission?
Too soon?
This is a shame for many reasons. But truthfully, to me, it's felt on borrowed time for years now. (I know this is just budget cutting and not a sign of "what's to come", personally they probably just started a few years early by making it "seasonal" - basically I wouldn't be surprised if they figured out a way to have this "seasonal closure" serve multiple purposes)
Too soon?
This is a shame for many reasons. But truthfully, to me, it's felt on borrowed time for years now. (I know this is just budget cutting and not a sign of "what's to come", personally they probably just started a few years early by making it "seasonal" - basically I wouldn't be surprised if they figured out a way to have this "seasonal closure" serve multiple purposes)
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Have a friend who used to work at DAK. She said Rafiki was destined to go since she worked there in her opinion. More people leaving there unhappy than people leaving there happy. It just kinda took too much time out of the day for not enough reward. The only people that ever really got into it were very young kids who couldn't ride anything and enjoyed the petting zoo and people who come to the parks rather often (atleast once or twice a year) and therefore have no problem taking a stupidly long time to do it.
Don't get me wrong, this is definitely a budget cut. And it is a shame when things are cut without plans for a replacement. But Rafiki was (based on anecdotal evidence at least) making people's days worse for most people.
Don't get me wrong, this is definitely a budget cut. And it is a shame when things are cut without plans for a replacement. But Rafiki was (based on anecdotal evidence at least) making people's days worse for most people.
Missing20K
Well-Known Member
For a 30 year strategic planning of AK, I wouldn't be surprised if they perhaps always intended the train and RPW to be "temporary" in a 20 year type time frame. The out-and-back design of the train, the small number of "attractions" at the destination, and the large portion of land it occupies, always seemed to doom it to being reallocated for a new purpose, or demolished.
Disney Maddux
Well-Known Member
Same here. I think this is both for budget cuts, but also due to plans for this area to be going in the very near future (I won’t be surprised if they announce at D23 that it’ll open one last time at the end of the year then close).How soon before they're charging guests to take a tour of the facility and see what used to be included in park admission?
Too soon?
This is a shame for many reasons. But truthfully, to me, it's felt on borrowed time for years now. (I know this is just budget cutting and not a sign of "what's to come", personally they probably just started a few years early by making it "seasonal" - basically I wouldn't be surprised if they figured out a way to have this "seasonal closure" serve multiple purposes)
You know what else squashed those rumors?
1. the absurdity of the rumor
2. the lack of real insiders giving credence
Princess Leia
Well-Known Member
I’m curious- is there enough train track to move the train to the AK resorts to create a new mode of transportation to AK?
PorterRedkey
Well-Known Member
Disney is a cheap play on an unwanted love
danlb_2000
Premium Member
Really wouldn't matter, the components of the track aren't that expensive, the cost is in the installation, so not having enough track wouldn't prevent them from doing this if they wanted to... not that I think they will.
Should've kept and promoted the free tours. They were fantastic.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
There's roughly $7K in materials for Heimlich's. It cost Imagineering $131 million.
Interesting. The distance from DAK entrance to DAK Lodge is nearly equal to the distance from Raffiki's to Coronado judging from a quick glimpse at an aerial map. With a wee bit of imagination and some basic "Rollercoaster Tycoon's School of Theme Park Planning" one could theoretically turn Raffiki's into a secondary DAK entrance that connects to Coronado, and of course have train travel to DAK Lodge.. It'd be a full train route, I think.
Enough track to move the train to an AK resort and back, maybe? Enough track for a train to travel continuously station to station to both resorts, No. But the idea of making a second DAK entrance and train transportation to and from resorts sounds like a good idea to me.
(I'm almost certain half of what I typed makes no sense. Eh, it's late. I'm tired)
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Biff215
Well-Known Member
Look, I get that RPW isn’t everyone’s favorite attraction. I don’t think it was ever designed to be that, it was just a nice addition to a new park needing options. Twenty years later the park has more to offer, yet IMO it’s still a nice diversion that provides still needed capacity.
I just don’t understand why anyone would see this as a good thing. I would love to see expansion back there as much as anyone, but this is a cut. Not much different than closing 20k and then letting it sit for years before considering a replacement. I’m no fan of Imagination, but I’d still rather it remain open than end up like WoL. It’s easily avoided if so desired yet gives guests another option. RPW falls into this category for me.
I just think there’s danger in applauding Disney for closing something we don’t personally care for. I think that’s exactly the attitude they’re hoping for as it allows them to make the cut permanent. Just my thoughts for what they’re worth.
I just don’t understand why anyone would see this as a good thing. I would love to see expansion back there as much as anyone, but this is a cut. Not much different than closing 20k and then letting it sit for years before considering a replacement. I’m no fan of Imagination, but I’d still rather it remain open than end up like WoL. It’s easily avoided if so desired yet gives guests another option. RPW falls into this category for me.
I just think there’s danger in applauding Disney for closing something we don’t personally care for. I think that’s exactly the attitude they’re hoping for as it allows them to make the cut permanent. Just my thoughts for what they’re worth.
cjkeating
Well-Known Member
If they don't want to pay for it to run from 1000-1600 in a theme park they aren't going to pay for it to run 0700-2100 for guests for one hotel. It would run empty for 75% of the day.