What rehab would "ruin your trip"

[Roger321]

Crane and More

If I had already booked the trip and paid for my airfare there is no single attraction that would cause me to cancel. This being said, I would be extremely dissapointed if it ended up that I had everything set and Haunted Mansion or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was closed. Last year the first day of our trip was Sept 8th 2010. According to this site that was supposed to be the very last day of Star Tours before it went down. We checked in and got over to Hollywood ASAP, but when we got there the CMs said we had missed it by 1 day. It was a bummer, but it by no means ruined our visit.

I am in complete agreement with SWEETPEE 1993. Given the castle's iconic nature and the fact that many people are sure to miss the chance to get that perfect castle photo, Disney should make more of an effort to minimize use of the ugly crane during the day. Thanks to this website I learned of the crane while planning last year's trip and we avoided it. This year all the reservations were made and it was reported that the crane would be up while were were there. Luckily those in the know had it one week off and we got all our pictures, but not without seeing the crane and hearing lots of folks complain to eachother. Maybe a little Photopass Photoshop courtesy of the folks at Disney is in order.

Sept 2010 (WL), Sept 2011 ( WL)

 

[kstella]

I just read that BTM will be closed when we go in January. I am very bummed about this because my fiance is not much of a roller coaster rider and I was hoping to break him in on that one. I will have to rethink my plan of attack because my goal is to get him on ToT!!:lol:

 

[Radiorox]

BTMRR. It's the ride that scared the heck out of me as a kid. It made me deathly afraid of roller coasters. Yeah, well... as of late, I'm a BTMRR junkie. I have to ride it at LEAST twice in the daytime and another two times at night (how cool does it all look in the dark, huh?!).

Jackie

 

[kangaand2roos]

I've been to WDW when major attractions were being refurbed and it didn't even dent the overall experience. We're talking TT, SM, Splash lots of times, Pooh, IaSW, HM, JC, Peoplemover, Star Tours, GMR, Backlot Tour more than once, etc. It's hard to even recall. We've been before E:E and TSM were built. Every one of those trips were just as magical as any other. Whenever I'm there and something that we usually really love to do is down for refurb when we walk past the construction walls one of us will say, "It's okay. When we get back it'll be better than ever." I guess the best way to put it is that the mentality is basically a take on the idea that if you love something you should love it enough to want what's best for it even if that means letting it go. Love, to us, is not selfish. So if I don't get to ride my favorite ride because it's being refurbed I'm perfectly happy knowing it's getting some TLC.

I will say, tho, that I do get extremely irked at the use of the crane during the middle of the day to install/uninstall the castle lights every year. I think this is as poor a show as any could be. There is absolutely NO reason this work can't be done during the night under work lights. Disney knows that the castle is one of the most photographed icons in th entire world and they're willing to depict it as a construction site for weeks out of every year. Poor show! When the crane is up it affects the views from all over the park, not just the walk down Main Street. Don't even think about being in the area behind the castle because the revving diesel engines and exhaust make it a miserable place to pass. I know people think it's trivial at best and everyone is entitled to their opinions. I wonder, tho, would these people be satisfied if they spent hundreds or thousands to go to a Broadway show only to see the star of the show hobbling about on crutches? Heck no. They'd be wondering what the heck the director & producers were thinking allowing a substandard performance to go on. This is exactly what I wonder. Who the heck thinks that's acceptable???? I have not yet moved a trip because of the crane but I detest it enough that I could see myself choosing a different vacation destination such as a cruise or a trip to avoid it.

I'm sorry but I have to laugh at your comments about the crane. We were there last week and the crane was out during the day. We talked about the crane and admired it, how hard they were working etc. My sister was making fun of us saying do you know how many people are complaining about the crane being up and they will only have photos of the castle with the crane in them? You are the only family here that would love the crane. I guess I should metion that my husband is a general manager of a heavy construction company and works with cranes and all kinds of heavy equipment everyday. So cranes indirectly pay our mortgage, pay our bills and pay for our Disney trips. So I will continue to admire the crane but I know most won't

As for rides that would make a trip a no go... I would say nothingg but if there were a combination of rides like BTTM and Splash then I might reconsider.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm sorry but I have to laugh at your comments about the crane. We were there last week and the crane was out during the day. We talked about the crane and admired it, how hard they were working etc. My sister was making fun of us saying do you know how many people are complaining about the crane being up and they will only have photos of the castle with the crane in them? You are the only family here that would love the crane. I guess I should metion that my husband is a general manager of a heavy construction company and works with cranes and all kinds of heavy equipment everyday. So cranes indirectly pay our mortgage, pay our bills and pay for our Disney trips. So I will continue to admire the crane but I know most won't

As for rides that would make a trip a no go... I would say nothingg but if there were a combination of rides like BTTM and Splash then I might reconsider.

I get where you're coming from completely. My old man is a sr. piping designer, works in & around all sorts of facilities & refineries on projects involving cranes. A few years ago I worked on a huge site of a LNG terminal being built by ExxonMobil at Sabine Pass. There were probably a dozen very large cranes out there. When we're at WDW we want to be immersed, not back at work. It's simply poor show. It interupts the story. That's what we don't like. We've been to WDW so many times without the crane there. We've got probably hundreds of pictures of the castle without it...including professional family portraits from 2007. I feel for those who can't go back regularly the way we do. My biggest issue with the crane being in use on the castle during the day is that I know whatever work is being done using the cranes during the day can be done during the night when the park is closed. The problem is it'd take better, more skilled planning and a little more spending...neither of which TDO is willing to do because (apparently) story and show doesn't mean enough to justify the extra effort.

And, hey, I totally feel ya with appreciating the cranes because they pay the bills. That's kinda like us when the price of gas goes up. The whole world goes bananas and everyone is mad and complaining. We don't. When the price of gas goes up all the refineries spend more money on more expansions, renovations, and/or improvements. That creates more work, increased demand for senior guys, and it pushes pay rates up.

 

[NewfieFan]

I don't think so. I'm 90% sure we visited when the FoN's was either in refurb or just not on. The sound of the water isn't an in-your-face element but it creates part of white sound that you are accustomed to hearing in that area. The absence of the sound is a noticable disconnect from that usual comfort sound. Does that make sense? Maybe we're just both equally weird... :hammer::lol:

That was it... the area just felt a little empty or something!?! I also missed the fountain shows that happen every 15 mins. I would always pause and watch one if it started while I was walking by!

Either that or we're both weird!

 

[BalooChicago]

We traditionally go in January. I don't remember the last time I got to ride Splash. I'm hoping because of the BTMRR refurb Splash will be open this trip. I missed Small World two trips in a row. Missing one ride on one trip is a bummer, missing the same ride in more than one trip is a major let down.

The only thing which would seriously make me consider rescheduling? Not a ride in the truest sense, but the Monorail.

 

[Thrill]

I deal with it and wait for next time.

I'll take a Haunted Mansion refurb if it means everything will be improved and working next time I go. Without refurbs, it would be in pieces now. Like Big Thunder Mountain.

 

[scoobygirl39541]

We would never be able to reschedule, but the trip would not seem complete without Dinosaur or Fantasmic. And for restaurants, Liberty Tree Tavern :xmas:

 

[CP_alum08]

We were there during the '09 Space Mountain refurb and it wasn't a pretty sight! Another big one for us would be Mansion.

 

[DisneyFan 2000]

TBH, I gotta say no attraction would bum me out. Way back in 03 I was there during BTM's last refurb (which shows how much it really needs this one) I thought it would ruin part of the trip since it's truly one of my favorites - Heck, it was my first coaster ever so it will always be special to me. Anyway, we got to the MK and low and behold, I never even gave it a second thought. I just enjoyed Splash a hell of a lot more! :lol: Now obviously if a handful of attractions were closed (say all the mountains, PotC, HM...All at once) yeah, major issue. Any other situation is acceptable in my eyes. The closest to actually bumming me out nowadays would probably be ToT and Spiderman over at Universal.

 

[Scuttle]

I'm a local so I don't go once a year or anything like that. I go once a month with maybe two or three weekend stays a year at one of the deluxe resorts. If I only could go once a year I would have to say Everest and Tower. The best rides on property IMO and also two of the most creative/impressive attractions at WDW (excluding HM of course).

 

[Susan Savia]

We have missed Splash the last three years because it is always shut when were there. We would certainly miss Toy Story, Spaceship Earth and Test Track tho if they were closed during out trips!

 

[plaz10]

We only get to go to Disney World once a year...so if something was being refurbed I'd certainly miss it. That being said...I wouldn't not go if a beloved attraction was down. If I could miss the refurb by arranging the trip by a week or two then yes. But if it's the ride will be down for 3 months - I'd bite the bullet and just go when I had planned.

Rides that would be really really missed:
Spaceship Earth (all time fav Disney attraction)
Soarin' (I listen to the score all the time...just anticipating being on the actual ride!)
Haunted Mansion (my fiance's fav ride. I know it would bum him out if we missed this one)
Rock n Roller Coaster (what a ruuuush. My DHS time would probs decrease if RnRC was down)