Which attractions became seasonal towards the end of their lifetime? Could this happen again?

MK-fan

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I know attractions such as Mission to Mars and Fantasyland Autopia only operated seasonally when crowds were up and then would close down when it got slow. What other attractions went through this and do you think this could happen to any of the attractions we have currently (excluding the Canoes)?
 

smooch

Well-Known Member
That is more of a Disney World thing to make things seasonal before total closure. Disneyland just leaves it to rot such as Launch Bay, People Mover and Magic eye theater.
I was about to say I don't think modern Disney cares. They'd rather just leave the attractions either running in awful condition to continue to eat up guests (poor show) or they leave them empty and abandoned in plain sight (even poorer show tbh) until they get another popular IP and force it into one of those spots. I would much rather a ride only operated some months out of the year but in excellent condition rather than being open every day in awful shape.
 

Disney Irish

Premium Member
I know attractions such as Mission to Mars and Fantasyland Autopia only operated seasonally when crowds were up and then would close down when it got slow. What other attractions went through this and do you think this could happen to any of the attractions we have currently (excluding the Canoes)?
You're talking about a long past era when Disney Parks had off-seasons and would be closed certain days a week, such as Monday and Tuesday.

The modern era of Disney Parks are opened 365 days a year with no real off-season. So outside of refurb schedules almost all attractions run the entire year.
 

BasiltheBatLord

Well-Known Member
You're talking about a long past era when Disney Parks had off-seasons and would be closed certain days a week, such as Monday and Tuesday.

The modern era of Disney Parks are opened 365 days a year with no real off-season. So outside of refurb schedules almost all attractions run the entire year.
I recall when I was a kid some attractions like Carousel of Progress at WDW would be closed "seasonally" despite the parks being open 365 days.
 

Disney Irish

Premium Member
I recall when I was a kid some attractions like Carousel of Progress at WDW would be closed "seasonally" despite the parks being open 365 days.
As another poster mentioned that is something that WDW would do, this is the Disneyland forum however and the question was put into that context.

Also despite WDW lack of maintenance overall they don’t really have that practice today, everything just run until it’s schedule refurb.
 

Rich T

Well-Known Member
I know attractions such as Mission to Mars and Fantasyland Autopia only operated seasonally when crowds were up and then would close down when it got slow. What other attractions went through this and do you think this could happen to any of the attractions we have currently (excluding the Canoes)?
Keel Boats was another attraction that saw fewer and fewer operating hours toward its end. That was back in the days when DL had “off” seasons of much lighter attendance. Fantasyland Autopia was redundant and rarely needed (though it was always nice to see it in operation) and Mission to Mars simply wasn’t very popular toward its end. They were the exceptions. Columbia Sailing Ship is the only one currently at the park I might put in that category, but, again, it’s a non-typical situation where it’s also a nighttime show element. I can’t think of any other current ride Disney would take offline for non-maintenance/refurb purposes.

But if for some reason they had to cut back, I can imagine poor Casey Jr. (a personal favorite of mine) getting its hours reduced. Again.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Rich T is right.

Keelboats had weekends-only or seasonal appearances before they closed in 1997 (after tipping over, of course). Columbia and Canoes used to rarely operate in the non-summer months of the 1980's and 90's, but surprisingly they operate almost always now, even on off-season weekdays. That may be due to Disneyland being constantly busy now and TDA being able to plan for crowds better with the mandatory reservations. (A silver lining!) The Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island and Mark Twain always ran, and always still run, so the Columbia and Canoes are just another vehicle that takes you around the same path as the Mark Twain. And when the Mark Twain closes for refurbishment for a few weeks, they just run the Columbia full time instead.

Fantasyland Autopia also used to sit dormant for long stretches of time in between September and May, usually springing to life only at Christmas, Spring Break, and busy holiday weekends in winter and spring.

Otherwise, I think that's about it.

But when they are only running a ride on busy weekends, and then this happens, you can kiss it goodbye... 🤣

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