Stitch's Great Escape Goes Seasonal

[wdwfan4ver]

I can't say I'm sad over this. I tried the attraction twice when it was raining outside with the last time being in 2008 or 2009.

It wasn't a fun attraction plan and simple combined with the harness being much worse than the one in Mission: Space-Green team. This is the worst attraction in Magic Kingdom.

Now only if Primeval Whirl goes seasonal or gone, I'll be happy. Prime Whirl is worse than Stitch due to the fact that the ride caused neck pain for rest of a WDW trip years ago.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Well ain't that somethin'.

I rode Alien Encounter as a kid. Boy was that freaky. Scared the absolute day lights out of me, plus I'm a bit claustrophobic so being trapped in the seat wasn't helpful. Never rode Stitch due to some transference and I understand the restraints are the same. I wish they'd put something new here, even if it's just as bad. Hopefully better, but just something new and different PLEASE!!!

 

[raven]

This space will probably be converted to another Meet & Greet area or private party space for separate ticket events....inside of other separate ticket events.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Hmmm, curious. 2 separate closures periods, each about 2 months long. 2 theater spaces (right?). Would it be just refurb/clean-up per theater, one at a time? It's not enough time to shoe-horn WIR in there considering the rumored attraction, nor would this closure schedule make sense if a replacement attraction was being installed.

Nope this isn't just a refurbishment. Disney has a history of making Pavilions/attractions seasonal at WDW before closing it permanently at a later day. I don't think Disney has decided when they are going to close SGE for good yet.

Disney did the same thing for the final years of Wonders of Life Pavilion before being turning a festival center and for the old Sounds Dangerous attraction at DHS. Disney kept Wonders of Life Pavilion and Sounds Dangerous attraction seasonal for multiple years and the same thing is likely to happen to SGE. What Disney did to Wonders of Life Pavilion and Sounds Dangerous is keep it close for months, but just open it during the busiest times of the year. The busiest time of the year being open would be stuff like Thanksgiving weekend, Mid December to the 3rd day of the new, Spring break, Memorial day weekend as examples.

 

[JustInTime]

I have said this before. Seasonal is not good when it comes to WDW standards and it means nothing.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Havent had this amount of applause out of me since Captain EO went bye bye.

 

[aladdin2007]

This space will probably be converted to another Meet & Greet area or private party space for separate ticket events....inside of other separate ticket events.

wouldn't surprise me,,,but sensing another 20,000 leagues scenario, sit and rot for a decade or more till they decide to spend money. we should be use to this by now, sadly. And it just isn't good for the Magic Kingdom, the park is in dire need of all the capacity it can get.

 

[MrHappy]

Nope this isn't just a refurbishment. Disney has a history of making Pavilions/attractions seasonal at WDW before closing it permanently at a later day. I don't think Disney has decided when they are going to close SGE for good yet.

Disney did the same thing for the final years of Wonders of Life Pavilion before being turning a festival center and for the old Sounds Dangerous attraction at DHS. Disney kept Wonders of Life Pavilion and Sounds Dangerous attraction seasonal for multiple years and the same thing is likely to happen to SGE. What Disney did to Wonders of Life Pavilion and Sounds Dangerous is keep it close for months, but just open it during the busiest times of the year. The busiest time of the year being open would be stuff like Thanksgiving weekend, Mid December to the 3rd day of the new, Spring break, Memorial day weekend as examples.

Thanks @wdwfan4ver. I still don't understand the strategy here though. Maybe we're not meant to. WOL is a little different, it had the sponsor pull out and then went all jerky (open/close) and there was the safety concern as well. I don't understand the SGE seasonality - it's either good enough to stay open, or bad enough to close and begin replacement. Is the only benefit of the seasonality to save a few bucks on cast members and electricity? Otherwise, who does it hurt to stay open?

 

[YodaMan]

Thanks @wdwfan4ver. I still don't understand the strategy here though. Maybe we're not meant to. WOL is a little different, it had the sponsor pull out and then went all jerky (open/close) and there was the safety concern as well. I don't understand the SGE seasonality - it's either good enough to stay open, or bad enough to close and begin replacement. Is the only benefit of the seasonality to save a few bucks on cast members and electricity? Otherwise, who does it hurt to stay open?

Maybe they are trying to start the re-theme as some have suggested. Barely anyone goes on Stitch, but MK is always hurting for capacity during the holidays. And there's no way the re theme would be done in time for the holidays this year. And if they want this done in time for Wreck It Ralph 2 they still want to start as soon as they can. So maybe they're going offline for a few months to have access to the whole building for a while to work on one of the two rooms, will board up the one room for a week around Thanksgiving and reopen Stitch to help with capacity, continue work in December, reopen for Christmas, and then go down permanently at the start of 2017 to work on the second room and the preshow and queue, but already be done or close to done with one of the rooms.

 

[zakattack99]

I'll be interested to see if one theater is walled off when it re-opens at Thanksgiving. Could indicate preliminary work toward the rumored replacement.

-Rob

Great minds think alike I posted the same thought in the other thread.

 

[marni1971]

I don't think Disney has decided when they are going to close SGE for good yet..

I think they have.

If you enjoy SGE I'd experience it this year.

 

[Magic Feather]

I think they have.

If you enjoy SGE I'd experience it this year.

Or next year, just very, very quickly next year.

 

[Brian Swan]

Why is everything closing when we finally have a trip booked. We booked last year...yup last year of Osborne lights, looking forward to animal kingdom at night stuff not sure that's going to happen, now the stitch ride. I've never done it but was looking forward to trying it once...I guess that's not going to happen. I'm thinking this is a bad year to go.

I wouldn't be too worried about this one closing. You probably wouldn't have ridden it unless you were on your 7th full day in the MK and your back just couldn't handle a 28th ride on SM...

 

[marni1971]

Or next year, just very, very quickly next year.

Very very very

 

[GhostHost1000]

Or next year, just very, very quickly next year.

there may be a reason the dates are advertised the way they are

 

[HauntedPirate]

I just want whatever replaces SGE to be done well and done right. If it's really a Wreck-It Ralph-themed attraction that's going to replace SGE, please let it be some kind of Tron-bike ride simulator. I know, I know, it's TDO, but I can dream!

I'm apparently in the minority that actually likes the smell of gasoline and exhaust - I like the Speedway for that reason alone. As for the suggestion about making a car in the queue - I like the idea, but you can already do that, it's called Test Track.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Seasonal also means it can sit quietly closed for years before they decide whether or not to replace it.

Based on Disney's recent track record, that's the better option than an immediate, poorly thought out replacement.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I agree... When there is a speedway just across the esplanade that begs for the Sugar Rush treatment... Why can they not get new electric cars and add a ton of props to the layout to actually replicate the Sugar Rush races...The Queue could have a car building game like the movie (because if they actually did this, the lines would be HUGE), and visually it wouls make a fun visible transition between the Wonderland Props of the Teacups, the Circus decor and the transition into Tomorrowland. It could be an amazingly popular attraction based on an ip that would work beautifully in the space available... Put something more sci fi futuristic in the Stitch attraction space...

You're idea is not half bad. I still have issues with thematic placement, but the transition might be able to work in the same loose way MILF is able to through having high tech inter-universal transportation and other worldly creatures.

 

[Bocabear]

I just want whatever replaces SGE to be done well and done right. If it's really a Wreck-It Ralph-themed attraction that's going to replace SGE, please let it be some kind of Tron-bike ride simulator. I know, I know, it's TDO, but I can dream!

I'm apparently in the minority that actually likes the smell of gasoline and exhaust - I like the Speedway for that reason alone. As for the suggestion about making a car in the queue - I like the idea, but you can already do that, it's called Test Track.

But if you made the car using the game from the movie...that would make it pretty darn different from Test Track...And I was thinking if they did a really good job on Sugar Crush Raceway, the lines would be huge...so that would be something to do in line...like the games in Space Mountain....except having a video game in this queue would make more sense.....since it is all based on a video game...

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I may be one of the few people sad to see this ride go. A proper Stitch ride would be nice, but I'm curious what they can do with that small space. The Sugar Rush rumor fits as well into Tomorrowland as Guardians of the Galaxy in Epcot.

This is exactly how I feel. I was a huge Stitch fan growing up so I really enjoyed the ride as a kid. Now, however, I can totally understand why the attraction has been deemed a failure by most. The Stitch theming combined AE's existing ride system was a recipe for a narrow and limited audience. That being said, I, like you, would hate to see Stitch go away entirely. Lilo and Stitch is considered a classic now so they should keep the character (and his awesome AA's) in use, but with an attraction that would appeal to a much broader audience.