Rivers of America Rehab Winter/Spring 2010

TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The Rivers of America is set to be closed, completely drained, and refurbished for about five months beginning January 4th. Since this is going to be a major production with some news in the local paper about it today, I thought it deserved it's own thread.

I'm sure there will be pictures and such coming in of the dry riverbed within a few weeks. In the meantime, the Orange County Register newspaper has posted a nifty little video about the River and the upcoming rehab with some rumors and ideas about what Disneyland will be doing to the river.

Great views of the attractions and major shows that use this integral part of Disneyland in this short video too! Enjoy.

http://video.ocregister.com/m/27819640/the-future-of-disneyland-s-river.htm
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
cdunbar said:
Hmm...someone on micechat was saying they were going today specifically to wath them do this:shrug:
Click to expand...
Draining the river is a very rare thing both at DL and at WDW. For the Disney geek getting to see what lies under that murky water is a rare treat. If I knew they were doing it at WDW I would not hesitate to take the 2-1/2 hour one way drive to take a few thousand pictures of it.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
They drain the Rivers of America every six or seven years at Disneyland.

Last time was the winter of '03 with lots of pictures still available on the Internet, and I remember a draining in the late 1990's. Time before that would have been the winter of '92 when they installed Fantasmic!.

The Jungle Cruise, StorybookLand and Castle Moat waterways, which are all interconnected, get drained every couple of years. But the Rivers of America is the granddaddy of them all and it's draining is much rarer.

If the pattern holds out, we won't see another River draining until 2017 or so.
 
nemofinder22

nemofinder22

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
They drain the Rivers of America every six or seven years at Disneyland.

Last time was the winter of '03 with lots of pictures still available on the Internet, and I remember a draining in the late 1990's. Time before that would have been the winter of '92 when they installed Fantasmic!.

The Jungle Cruise, StorybookLand and Castle Moat waterways, which are all interconnected, get drained every couple of years. But the Rivers of America is the granddaddy of them all and it's draining is much rarer.

If the pattern holds out, we won't see another River draining until 2017 or so.
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And heres some pictures of the previous refurbishments, LOL look at those fountain platforms compared to WOC:D
Pictures from Winter 2003
http://www.laughingplace.com/News-PID506960-506964.asp

Fantasmic! installation Sept 1991- Spring 1992
http://www.bear-ytales.net/Fantasmic_Construction/Fantasmic/Fantasmic1.htm

If I remember Jungle was fully drained and fully refurbished last in 04 or 05(not counting the small refurbishments along the way) just prior to the 50th when the new effects were added, Castle moat was just drained in Oct 2009, Casey/Storybook just came back in Nov from a 10 week refurbishment, the old motor boat lagoon was also drained in 2005 for construction of Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.
 
cdunbar

cdunbar

Active Member
Master Yoda said:
Draining the river is a very rare thing both at DL and at WDW. For the Disney geek getting to see what lies under that murky water is a rare treat. If I knew they were doing it at WDW I would not hesitate to take the 2-1/2 hour one way drive to take a few thousand pictures of it.
Click to expand...
Yeah I could only imagine! People were asking how do I get to see past the fence someone had a one word answer Treehouse...:lol:
 
nemofinder22

nemofinder22

Well-Known Member
Walls are now surrounding the ROA get used to this site till May-
http://micechat.com/forums/disneyla...-work-begins-parking-craziness-continues.html

a small bit on ROA from Al Lutz-
http://miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al010510a.htm
Tony has been focusing on smaller projects over the past few years, polishing up old Disneyland gems like the Castle walkthrough, the impressive new Mr. Lincoln show and Opera House, and the upcoming changes and added animatronics during the Rivers of America refurbishment.
Click to expand...
 
nemofinder22

nemofinder22

Well-Known Member
Disneygeek has a bunch of pictures of the ROA from the walls to the river bed.

ROA pictures start here-
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_update.php?page_id=69&update_dir=2010_01_08

Heres hoping the F! equipment is upgraded to WOC tech or at least something similar.
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_image.php?update_dir=2010_01_08&page_id=71&num_image=3

Kinda weird to see the Columbia out in the drained river.
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_image.php?update_dir=2010_01_08&page_id=75&num_image=1

Pictures from the tree house
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_update.php?page_id=77&update_dir=2010_01_08
 
sponono88

sponono88

Well-Known Member
some additional pictures from Dateline Disneyland's update -


riverssign.jpg


P1017380.jpg


P1017424.jpg


P1017438.jpg


nemofinder22 said:
a small bit on ROA from Al Lutz-
http://miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al010510a.htm

Tony has been focusing on smaller projects over the past few years, polishing up old Disneyland gems like the Castle walkthrough, the impressive new Mr. Lincoln show and Opera House, and the upcoming changes and added animatronics during the Rivers of America refurbishment.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

and he's done a fantastic job. The new Lincoln show is incredible, and the castle walkthrough is equally as impressive. Can't wait to see how the RoA turns out!
 
nemofinder22

nemofinder22

Well-Known Member
Some updates.

http://www.mouseplanet.com/9132/Animation_Abomination
Raining Then Draining

Over at Disneyland, the heavy rains have not only washed away the crowds, they’ve also slowed the extensive rehab of the Rivers of America. In additions to repairs, workmen are also supposed to be replacing the track for the Mark Twain and Sailing Ship Columbia, as well as the docks for the canoes and rafts.

“All the docks will be replaced with concrete fashioned to look like wood,” shared one source. “The excuse is that it is getting too expensive to maintain them. The dock used for the guests on the island looks really bad. In my opinion, it is all the wear and tear from Fantasmic. It seems since the show started, the raft docks have been taking a real beating. That, and a combination of rot from constant exposure from the water.”
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Mark Twain's paddle wheel has been taken off.

Photos by Darkbeer
http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/Theme-Parks/Disneyland-Resort-12010/11005097_rwxKL#769847285_prdmv
769847285_prdmv-M.jpg


After all that draining its refilling itself:ROFLOL:
769847362_oXo5r-M.jpg


769846999_3wVLH-M.jpg
 
nemofinder22

nemofinder22

Well-Known Member
A few new pictures this time all from Disneygeek.com

Frontierland bridge
It looks like the bridge will now be cement with the wood boards on top similar to Paradise Piers wooden walkways and boardwalk in Paradise Park. The whole moat has been ripped up. D23 says the bridge will reopen on Feb 4, so maybe the moat will take longer? I wonder if the Adventureland bridge will be next? Oct was the castle bridge, Nov was the Carnation bridge, Jan is the Frontierland bridge...

http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_update.php?page_id=35&update_dir=2010_01_30

Rivers of America
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_update.php?page_id=36&update_dir=2010_01_30

More track that has been ripped out
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_update.php?page_id=37&update_dir=2010_01_30

A look at the Mark Twain refurbishment
http://www.disneygeek.com/updates/disneyland_image.php?update_dir=2010_01_30&page_id=36&num_image=2
 
nemofinder22

nemofinder22

Well-Known Member
Nothing new here but perhaps a new way to see updates in video form though you dont get to see the details it does give a better overall of how the walls effect the area-
[youtube]e66iGMWxoXU[/youtube]
 
DisneyDreamer08

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Hey guys, not sure if you will be able to answer this for me...

Do you know approximately where the progress of the refurb will be by mid-April? I know all of the Rivers of America attractions will still be closed then but will all the walls still be up? Will it still be drained? I am making my first DL trip then so I'm just wondering what state it will be in.

thanks so much!
 
nemofinder22

nemofinder22

Well-Known Member
DisneyDreamer08 said:
Hey guys, not sure if you will be able to answer this for me...

Do you know approximately where the progress of the refurb will be by mid-April? I know all of the Rivers of America attractions will still be closed then but will all the walls still be up? Will it still be drained? I am making my first DL trip then so I'm just wondering what state it will be in.

thanks so much!
Click to expand...

I think it might still be walled up and drained :( but I think it will depend on how well the track replacement goes, which is going to be interesting how they will replace the sections under the boats right now.


A few pictures from Mintcrocodile-
http://mintcrocodile.blogspot.com/2010/02/cloudy-with-chance-of-fun.html

Looks like their testing some scenery, look closely theres a ply-wood cut out next to the deer, perhaps the river enhacement rumors are true?
781130914_sxHF6-M.jpg


A look at the Fantasmic! area
781135861_qwYRC-M.jpg


Frontierland bridge, which as been replaced as well as a new "flooring" for the moat.
781137172_qqyL7-M.jpg
 
nemofinder22

nemofinder22

Well-Known Member
sponono88

sponono88

Well-Known Member
Disney Parks Blog has a RoA blog entry today. I thought it'd be fitting to add it to this thread

Early morning is my favorite time to explore the Parks, especially when it’s foggy. As a photographer, I appreciate the element of mystery that fog can add to a shot. This photo of the Sailing Ship Columbia was taken around 6 a.m., and the light coming in on the right side is from a video shoot near the Mark Twain. Without this lighting, the right side of the photo would normally be darker and not as interesting.
Click to expand...

A Foggy Morning On the Rivers of America

fra120900LARGE.jpg
 

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