Wildlife Express Train closing?

[GoofGoof]

I blame the CPs.

Either them or the Brazilian tour groups

 

[englanddg]

Personally, I think this is great news! I can't wait for them to add more deeply themed bathrooms! That train was just taking up space!

 

[doctornick]

I wish they'd build a train track around the perimeter of the entire park that stops at different lands like the Magic Kingdom like parks. I'd love that to happen. Would be a nice long ride, would work fine thematically, and provide a nice quick and relaxing way to get to different parts of the park.

While it's certainly an option, it would probably be easier and more sensible to modify the existing train to make it longer and add stops -- go from Africa [current stop] to Rafiki's [current stop] to the new currently undeveloped area (maybe Australia or South America someday) [future stop] to Asia [future stop]. Going around the entire perimeter of the park would be a big endeavor and would have to be very long if it went around the animal area in Afria.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

While it's certainly an option, it would probably be easier and more sensible to modify the existing train to make it longer and add stops -- go from Africa [current stop] to Rafiki's [current stop] to the new currently undeveloped area (maybe Australia or South America someday) [future stop] to Asia [future stop]. Going around the entire perimeter of the park would be a big endeavor and would have to be very long if it went around the animal area in Afria.

It doesn't have to go around the entire safari area, just through the queue area would be fine.

 

[Sped2424]

They need that space for Beastly Kingdom.

could you imagine if we got avatar and beastly? TDO would die though wayyyyy to much money.

 

[flavious27]

The train is the only way to get to the planet watch, there is no notice of this closing.

 

[drew81]

The road called Conservation Way on Google Maps is the main access road into Asia (it's the only way into the backstage areas of the Yak and Yeti, Flights of Wonder and Maharajah Jungle Trek) plus it provides access to many of the animal barns for the Safari, the shops in Africa and it's the way most of the safari trucks get onto their ride path. Getting rid of the train would free up virtually no land because this road takes up most of the space inside the loop. Rafiki's is going nowhere, it's going to be an important part of the upcoming Wilderness Explorers thing and is in the midst of a slight, gradual remodel. Plus it will be the new home of at least a couple soon-to-be homeless characters. Also, the petting zoo seems to be getting more new animals than the rest of the park combined lately.

What new animals are going there?

 

[MaryJaneP]

Wikipedia says so....it must be true.

BonJour?

 

[themonkeyisthesultan]

What new animals are going there?

They fall into the same basic categories as animals that have already been there (pigs, goats, sheep, cows) just more of them and different breeds. Not sure if more are still coming, but there have been a lot over the past year or so.

 

[#OccupyBeastlyKingdom]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned this, but the largest problem with the WLE is that the train parts were made by a somewhat obscure UK-based company and are very expensive to replace. There is a third engine (Black) that has been backstage for years due to mechanical problems. If there is ever a problem with the Red or Green engine, the attraction can only run one train at a time, resulting in massive wait-times in the busy seasons.

 

[hosewater]

The HUB has no operating hours for this attraction beyond 5/25.

 

[Tim_4]

The HUB has no operating hours for this attraction beyond 5/25.

Curiouser and curiouser.

What about the rest of Rafiki's?

 

[djlaosc]

Curiouser and curiouser.

What about the rest of Rafiki's?

Maybe they're just going to get rid of the train and have us walk up and down the train tracks?

 

[hosewater]

Curiouser and curiouser.

What about the rest of Rafiki's?

Habitat Habit, Affection Section, and Conservation Station have the same thing - no operating hours beyond 5/25.

 

[doctornick]

Habitat Habit, Affection Section, and Conservation Station have the same thing - no operating hours beyond 5/25.

Because what DAK really needs over the summer is less things to do. And this on top of rumors of the parade being stopped.

 

[djlaosc]

Because what DAK really needs over the summer is less things to do. And this on top of rumors of the parade being stopped.

I'm trying to think, since it opened in 1998... (probably forgot some things)

CLOSED/STOPPED/FINISHED WITHOUT REPLACEMENT:
Discovery Island Boats
Pocahontas and her Forest Friends
The Adventures Begin (opening show)
Various Meet and Greets
Various Performers/Musical Acts
(LAND: Camp Minnie-Mickey)

NO OPERATING HOURS AVAILABLE/RUMOURED TO BE CLOSING/STOPPING/FINISHING WITHOUT REPLACEMENT?
Mickey's Jungle Jammin' Parade
Wildlife Express Train
Habitat Habit!
Conservation Station
Affection Section
(LAND: Rafiki's Planet Watch)

ADDED/NOT A REPLACEMENT SINCE 1998:
Kali River Rapids (although in original plans)
Expedition Everest
Primeval Whirl
Triceratop Spin
(LAND: Asia)


How many other parks out there would be open 15 years and potentially have the same/less attractions than when they opened? (even if Rafiki's Planet Watch isn't closing)

Closing Rafiki's Planet Watch (as well as Camp Minnie-Mickey) would leave DAK with 5 lands - are there any other Disney parks apart from Walt Disney Studios Paris that only has 5 lands?

 

[SherlockWayne]

Habitat Habit, Affection Section, and Conservation Station have the same thing - no operating hours beyond 5/25.

Don't read too much into that. I don't know if you've looked before, but all of those places only ever have schedules out one month at a time. I think the trails are the same way. Rafiki's isn't going anywhere anytime soon, like someone on this thread said, the new Wilderness Explorer thing is going to have a big presence there.

 

[doctornick]

Don't read too much into that. I don't know if you've looked before, but all of those places only ever have schedules out one month at a time. I think the trails are the same way. Rafiki's isn't going anywhere anytime soon, like someone on this thread said, the new Wilderness Explorer thing is going to have a big presence there.

Good to hear. There's probably no reason to get too caught up in this unless there's a more official notice of it being closed.

I'm interested to see how the Wilderness Explorer stuff is set up. With having two young ones, I think this will be a cool addition to the park.

 

[Tim_4]

Don't read too much into that. I don't know if you've looked before, but all of those places only ever have schedules out one month at a time. I think the trails are the same way. Rafiki's isn't going anywhere anytime soon, like someone on this thread said, the new Wilderness Explorer thing is going to have a big presence there.

One month at a time but usually to the end of the month, not the 25th.

 

[Figments Friend]

I'm a frequent editor of Wikipedia, and for reasons I don't understand, Disney-related pages are by far some of the most inaccurate and poorly-written pages I come across. Whenever I leave the main "Disneyland" and "Walt Disney World" pages and get into the more obscure Disney subject articles, I always groan when I see the huge task of editing and correcting ahead. Lots of made-up "predictions" like these, false conclusions made from vague announcements, and just plain wrong information all over the place. It's really perplexing and no other subjects I read about are quite like this.

Thank you for taking the time on there to straighten it out !