Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Refurb?

[twinnstar]

I just got back from WDW, and I wasnt sure if I just missed it or am going insane - but I didnt notice/hear the vultures at the end - are they gone/broken?!

 

[Jane Doe]

It is ironic that will all of the different sources of information we have at out finger tips, the average consumer seems dumber than ever.:lol:

The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World 2011. A whopping four lines relating to the possibilty of attraction closures in a book with 854 pages.

 

[mp2bill]

It does seem excessive, but I wouldn't complain. I have absolutely zero problems for a ride going down for a refurb, especially the 3 that are rumored, given the shape they are in. Bring out the walls!

lol, same here

 

[20K4ever]

@Steve2wdw. Thank you for the pic's. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World 2011. A whopping four lines relating to the possibilty of attraction closures in a book with 854 pages.

... and the actual descriptions of the attractions in the parks start on page 509 or something like that.

 

[janoimagine]

I've had emails sent to me by Disney, I've seen the vacation planning DVDs, I've had a look through their brochures and nowhere does it mention that if you go in off-season that major attractions will be closed and this is to be expected.

Im not sure what your point is with this, do you seriously think they would advertise this sort of thing in promotional material that is trying to get your vacation dollars??? :lol: ... All I am saying is a little research by the consumer will show the trends for closures, and phone calls to guest relations will also give you a heads up, in addition to that a good travel agent will also warn you if anything is on the horizon.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Im not sure what your point is with this, do you seriously think they would advertise this sort of thing in promotional material that is trying to get your vacation dollars??? :lol: ... All I am saying is a little research by the consumer will show the trends for closures, and phone calls to guest relations will also give you a heads up, in addition to that a good travel agent will also warn you if anything is on the horizon.

Well we are 4 months out and still don't know for sure what is closing. Research wouldn't help much in this case.

 

[janoimagine]

Well we are 4 months out and still don't know for sure what is closing. Research wouldn't help much in this case.

Judgeing from your post count you are not a newbie ... but you know as well as I do that Splash typically goes down for its annual refurb around the beginning of the year, Typhoon lagoon as well, and if it is a major concern then call guest relations and ask if anything is on the horizon ... even any rumors, we do try and plan our trips around refurbs ... however some, like space mountain, are unavoidable, but that didn't ruin our trip.

My point is rehabs don't ruin vacations, and rehabs are essential to keeping things running properly.

 

[RSoxNo1]

The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World 2011. A whopping four lines relating to the possibilty of attraction closures in a book with 854 pages.

... and the actual descriptions of the attractions in the parks start on page 509 or something like that.

Since when it is the responsibility of guide books to have Disney's refurbishment schedule?

Do you happen to have the four lines that they do have in the book? Beyond saying that attractions are refurbished on a regular basis or mentioning the typical annual refurbishment of Splash Mountain what should they add?

 

[Jane Doe]

Since when it is the responsibility of guide books to have Disney's refurbishment schedule?

There is a concensus that it's common knowledge that a lot of attractions are closed down for refurbs during January, well in the Unofficial Guide all it says is that attractions are sometimes subject to closure, (which is understandable) however it doesn't state that it is highly likely that a lot of closures will occur in low season. So that's one of the best selling guides that doesn't mention to avoid the low season as it's a hot bed of refurbs and Disney's various forms of media that fail to mention it too. Also take into account that up to now all that's officially showing for my January/February trip as being closed is Fantasmic. So just how long should people who need to organise flights and days off wait before eventually booking?

I've also stated that you pay the same price for entry in low season as you do in high, and for a park that's open every day of the year, that gives the impression that you can expect the same experience wether you should be there to visit on July 4th or January 19th. For those who say about the smaller queues being a pay off I can throw back the scaled back opening hours.

It's a smug old world for those who are fortunate to live so close to be able to condemn a load of attractions for rehabs saying it's in the park's interest, but for those who can only visit rarely (it'll be my first visit in five years) it's a real pain in the .

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Since when it is the responsibility of guide books to have Disney's refurbishment schedule?

Do you happen to have the four lines that they do have in the book? Beyond saying that attractions are refurbished on a regular basis or mentioning the typical annual refurbishment of Splash Mountain what should they add?

Are you kidding? That book needs less, not more! I really don't have issue with the (supposed as I do not recall myself) way they handle refurbs. I have issues with the layout of the book so I gripe from time to time, but it seems to work for them and I don't expect them to change.

There is a concensus that it's common knowledge that a lot of attractions are closed down for refurbs during January, well in the Unofficial Guide all it says is that attractions are sometimes subject to closure, (which is understandable) however it doesn't state that it is highly likely that a lot of closures will occur in low season. So that's one of the best selling guides that doesn't mention to avoid the low season as it's a hot bed of refurbs and Disney's various forms of media that fail to mention it too. Also take into account that up to now all that's officially showing for my January/February trip as being closed is Fantasmic. So just how long should people who need to organise flights and days off wait before eventually booking?

I've also stated that you pay the same price for entry in low season as you do in high, and for a park that's open every day of the year, that gives the impression that you can expect the same experience wether you should be there to visit on July 4th or January 19th. For those who say about the smaller queues being a pay off I can throw back the scaled back opening hours.

It's a smug old world for those who are fortunate to live so close to be able to condemn a load of attractions for rehabs saying it's in the park's interest, but for those who can only visit rarely (it'll be my first visit in five years) it's a real pain in the .

The Splash Mountain refurb happens every year Januaryish I'm guessing because it's slow and cold, lessening demand for the ride. In a slow time like September, it's still hot and the fewer people in the park will still want to ride Splash a lot. Other than Splash, I feel like the refurbs are pretty evenly distributed throughout the year. HM and Space are the biggest refurbs that come to my mind in recent memory, and they were both closed for all or part of the summer.

I was just at the World at the end of January/beginning of February. Splash reopened during my trip, the Liberty Belle was down for part, Playhouse Disney was down for all but the first day to turn into the new show, and I think that was it. I'd say no matter when you go, something will be closed, but probably no more than one E-ticket in all four parks combined at the same time with the way TDO refurbs.

 

[Jane Doe]

The Splash Mountain refurb happens every year Januaryish I'm guessing because it's slow and cold, lessening demand for the ride. In a slow time like September, it's still hot and the fewer people in the park will still want to ride Splash a lot. Other than Splash, I feel like the refurbs are pretty evenly distributed throughout the year. HM and Space are the biggest refurbs that come to my mind in recent memory, and they were both closed for all or part of the summer.

I was just at the World at the end of January/beginning of February. Splash reopened during my trip, the Liberty Belle was down for part, Playhouse Disney was down for all but the first day to turn into the new show, and I think that was it. I'd say no matter when you go, something will be closed, but probably no more than one E-ticket in all four parks combined at the same time with the way TDO refurbs.

We had Splash Mountain down once in January but we were fortunate that it reopened a few days before we came home. I totally understand the need for maintenance but, like you say, there should be an effort to make sure it is limited to only one e-ticket at a time. What got me a bit riled was posters thinking that essentially shutting Frontierland was perfectly acceptable, especially when Test Track and Fantasmic are down. If Frontierland did go ahead with the two refurbs I think it's a bit on the cheeky side to charge full admission to MK when Toontown Fair's no longer there, it's replacement is not yet open and Frontierland is closed aside from the Country Bear's and a shooting gallery.

 

[bstiles]

And disney wouldn't have this problem if they kept up on maintenance and refurbishments on an anual or bianual schedule.

 

[Jane Doe]

And disney wouldn't have this problem if they kept up on maintenance and refurbishments on an anual or bianual schedule.

Isn't another presumption people might take for granted that all refurbs and maintenance are kept on top of? Like I've stated, it'll be five years since I last visited when January rolls around and in that time the only new attractions to be added are Monsters Inc Laughter Floor, Toy Story Mania and Kim Possible. With such a small return on new things you'd expect the money that's brought in during that time would be spent keeping the rest of the attractions spick and span.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Isn't another presumption people might take for granted that all refurbs and maintenance are kept on top of? Like I've stated, it'll be five years since I last visited when January rolls around and in that time the only new attractions to be added are Monsters Inc Laughter Floor, Toy Story Mania and Kim Possible. With such a small return on new things you'd expect the money that's brought in during that time would be spent keeping the rest of the attractions spick and span.

There have been refurbishments since then. Monster's Inc Laugh Floor opened in 2007, since then the following refurbishments that have resulted in changes (not just maintenance) are as follows:

Magic Kingdom
The Haunted Mansion - Queue and Hitchhiking Ghosts
it's a small world - Queue reconfiguration - not necessarily noteworthy
Winnie the Pooh - Enhanced Queue
Space Mountain - Enhanced/Enclosed queue, off ride audio
Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover - New lighting and narration
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel - The All so important name change
Magic Memories and You Castle Show - Very underrated

Epcot
Spaceship Earth - New scenes, ending and post show
Sum of all Thrills - New attraction
Captain Eo - Return of old attraction
O Canada - New Film, much better than the previous version

Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Midway Mania
The American Idol Experience
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun
Disney Junior - Live on Stage
Lights Motors Action - Cars addition
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Animal Kingdom
Expedition Everest - New exciting pose for the Yeti!
Kilimanjaro Safaris - Addition of new species: Addax and Masai Giraffe
Wild Africa Trek

I may be missing something, and I'm sure that not all of these things affect you, but there have been enhancements done to pretty much every park in the last 4 years (except the Animal Kingdom). They haven't added a major ride since 2008, but there will be new D tickets in both 2012 and 2013/2014. I would also argue that Star Tours is an entirely new attraction. The change (in terms of difference between the two, not in terms of quality) is comparable to Alien Encounter and Stitch's Great Escape.

 

[TubaGeek]

I feel that half the SM AAs need to be REPLACED. Obviously the repairs they're given don't last.
I don't mean replaced with something bigger and better, just with something that won't break down constantly.

 

[Next Big Thing]

@Rsox - You forgot Hall of Presidents.

 

[RSoxNo1]

For those of questioning the possibility of Test Track, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad all closing simultaneously, look no further than Disneyland. Right now Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, California Screamin' and ElecTRONica are closed for refurbishments. There will also be a few days when Space Mountain joins them to switch over to Ghost Galaxy.

I have no knowledge that the refurbishments are all going to happen simultaneously in Florida, but it wouldn't be unprecedented.

 

[britlightyear]

So does anyone know when they would announce a refurb of this magnitude?

 

[Thrill Seeker]

I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say Thunder and Test Track will close in January. This leaves Splash to either not close or close much later in the year. Either way, it won't be pretty for that mountain.