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skimbob
06-22-2011, 07:31 AM
I saw an article from Al Lutz yesterday that said POC will be closed for refurbishment from Labor Day through Thanksgiving. Can anyone on here of authority confirm this to be true. I can't believe they would close this ride during a busy time of year. I planned on going in October but having one of my two favorite rides shut is making me rethink coming for Halloween. Why don't they just shut down HM as well aaaarggh!

olegc
06-22-2011, 08:01 AM
well, unless someone claims to be management here on the board I doubt you'll get an early confirmation. It's always dependent on what Disney officially announces - but - it's probably going to happen. when you do large scale refurbs there is a lot of pre-planning that most likely has to happen, so someone spills the beans..

danyoung
06-22-2011, 08:04 AM
The way the crowds have been coming year round, there just about isn't any time of year that isn't busy at DL. The marketeers have done their job way too well!

currence
06-22-2011, 08:48 AM
The way the crowds have been coming year round, there just about isn't any time of year that isn't busy at DL. The marketeers have done their job way too well!

Agreed. Unplanned closures aside, I think there will be very few time periods in the future when there isn't at least one ride down for major refurbishment. And of course, that one ride will always be somebody's favorite.

Drince88
06-22-2011, 10:15 AM
. I planned on going in October but having one of my two favorite rides shut is making me rethink coming for Halloween. Why don't they just shut down HM as well aaaarggh!
FYI - Haunted Mansion will be closed August 29-Sept 15 to install the HMH overlay.

AVP
06-22-2011, 10:44 AM
I do not claim to be an authority, and Al and I have very different sources. Nothing I've seen or heard mentions this, but that doesn't mean anything. Once or if I hear about this, it will be included in the refurbishment schedule on the Disneyland Resort Update.

AVP

dban3
06-22-2011, 11:54 AM
I think the last major refurbishment of POTC was about 5 years ago - the Jack Sparrow / politically correct version of the attraction. This puts the timing about right for a major refurbishment. But on the other hand, the POTC: On Stranger Tides DVD/Blu-Ray release should be hitting the stores around Sept. and Disney does like to tie things together but I doubt if too many DVD/Blu-Rays are sold in the parks anyway (full retail - too expensive). I think the Pieces of Eight retail store does far bigger business with the Nightmare Before Christmas items once the HM overlay opens mid-September.

familymemories
06-22-2011, 03:12 PM
That would be a huge bummer if it was true.

skimbob
06-22-2011, 04:35 PM
I do not claim to be an authority, and Al and I have very different sources. Nothing I've seen or heard mentions this, but that doesn't mean anything. Once or if I hear about this, it will be included in the refurbishment schedule on the Disneyland Resort Update.

AVP

I hope you are right and Al is wrong. Let's face it POTC is one of the most popular rides if not these most popular. Closing during Halloween would be terrible.

Yes Dan I agree the marketing department has done their job very well with very little slow time. My feeling is with all that is going on at DCA they shouldn't really be closing anything and I am sure I am not alone in the way I feel.

Tinker44
06-23-2011, 01:07 PM
My feeling is with all that is going on at DCA they shouldn't really be closing anything and I am sure I am not alone in the way I feel.

I would hazzard a guess that there's a very good reason for refurb of ANY ride. It's not *just* for a bit of cleaning or a new paint job... it's making sure the whole mechanics of the ride are in correct and SAFE working order. I think the renos in DCA are completely irrelevant to the need for regularly scheduled ride refurbs (big or little) to keep the park a safe, happy and fun place to be.

JMHO

adriennek
06-23-2011, 05:25 PM
My feeling is with all that is going on at DCA they shouldn't really be closing anything and I am sure I am not alone in the way I feel.

You do know that there's still over 50 other attractions at Disneyland, besides POTC. Right?

Drince88
06-23-2011, 05:42 PM
You do know that there's still over 50 other attractions at Disneyland, besides POTC. Right?

Time to break out the flowers?

Teddi
06-23-2011, 05:43 PM
You do know that there's still over 50 other attractions at Disneyland, besides POTC. Right?

I do.. but I can tell you, I could put up with ALL the other closures (don't actually like HM holiday anyway)... but not being able to do Pirates, I may not try to do a Halloween trip if this is the case. And I won't try to justify it, but it is what it is.

One question though- if this is true, and if it's an extensive refurb would Blue Bayou likely be opened? I'd PRESUME so, but then again, if they are working on the bayou portion of the ride, would they potentially block off the interior?

The Mouse Is Back
06-23-2011, 06:45 PM
If it is rehabbed, I hope it's to restore it to its pre-slipstreaming condition (i.e., original ride with possible upgrades). I hate the "movie" version. Maybe if it was a better thought out instead of looking like they just threw in references randomly without defining either storyline.

And please make the original theme song more prominent.


Ally

missm
06-23-2011, 06:58 PM
I do.. but I can tell you, I could put up with ALL the other closures (don't actually like HM holiday anyway)... but not being able to do Pirates, I may not try to do a Halloween trip if this is the case. And I won't try to justify it, but it is what it is.

One question though- if this is true, and if it's an extensive refurb would Blue Bayou likely be opened? I'd PRESUME so, but then again, if they are working on the bayou portion of the ride, would they potentially block off the interior?

I completely agree with you Teddi. We were going to go mid September but that trip is off now. We are trying to find time to go before the alleged POTC closure. I have been to DL once when POTC was closed and it made me sad every time I walked past it. I know that must make me sound spoiled but if I am spending $3000 on a trip I want the rides I want to be open.

cstephens
06-23-2011, 07:05 PM
One question though- if this is true, and if it's an extensive refurb would Blue Bayou likely be opened? I'd PRESUME so, but then again, if they are working on the bayou portion of the ride, would they potentially block off the interior?

As I recall, in the past, when the ride is closed, the restaurant is closed as well.

Malcon10t
06-23-2011, 08:34 PM
You do know that there's still over 50 other attractions at Disneyland, besides POTC. Right?

There's even a ride!

IllusionOfLife
06-23-2011, 09:12 PM
If it is rehabbed, I hope it's to restore it to its pre-slipstreaming condition (i.e., original ride with possible upgrades). I hate the "movie" version. Maybe if it was a better thought out instead of looking like they just threw in references randomly without defining either storyline.

And please make the original theme song more prominent.

Don't get your hopes up. The movies are still popular (On Stranger Tides is currently within spitting distance of joining the $1 Billion club worldwide), the films have collectively earned over $3.5 Billion in box office revenue alone (and much more than that in merchandise/home video sales). The films' presence in the park is not going to be removed any time soon.

As for the music, I have a track of the full original audio from the attraction, and they did not remove any music from the attraction; Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me) is just as prominent in the attraction today as it was 44 years ago, perhaps even more prominent if you count the addition of Jack Sparrow singing it at the end.

The Mouse Is Back
06-23-2011, 10:36 PM
I know the movies are popular (if in danger of death by sequelization). They were "inspired" by the ride, not vice versa, and as I said, the slipstreaming of the movie into the ride was (IMO) done haphazardly. If they had to refer to the film, having Jack Sparrow join the existing crew of pirates and throw out a few witticisms would have sufficed. Maybe the Geoffrey Rush makeover of the pirate captain in the canon-fight room. To me personally, WDI tried too hard to make it look like the ride and film have any relationship to each other aside from the one sparking the original idea and some of the sets for the other. If other people like it, fine. I'm speaking for myself (and presumably others, not everyone could be thrilled by it).

I also know they didn't remove the original music. They just pretty much drowned it out with pieces of the movie soundtrack. I'd like to hear more Yo Ho. I loved the original ride, it was one of the few I'd go on as many times as possible. On slow days I'd walk off and directly back on. :)


Ally

Mom2
06-23-2011, 11:26 PM
I completely agree with you Teddi. We were going to go mid September but that trip is off now. We are trying to find time to go before the alleged POTC closure. I have been to DL once when POTC was closed and it made me sad every time I walked past it. I know that must make me sound spoiled but if I am spending $3000 on a trip I want the rides I want to be open.

I feel exactly the same way. Pirates being closed for a visit is just way too sad for me. We start and end our day at Pirates. Its our tradition. Its just not Disneyland without it. Ditto to the expense. I need my Pirates for that amount of money we spend too.

IllusionOfLife
06-23-2011, 11:48 PM
I'm not in love with the additions to the attraction, but I don't dislike them either. I enjoy the ride just as much as I always have and don't feel the changes have done anything to impact it in any significant way either positive or negative. They're a fun, fairly subtle, tie-in to the movies and I can think of much worse things that Imagineering could have done (*cough* Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management *cough*). So that's not my issue.

My issue is looking back. In my opinion an attraction should not be replaced with an older version unless there's a really darn good reason for it (again, I bring up Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management). Creating new things and looking to the future was one of the core ideals of Walt Disney, Disneyland, and Disney Imagineering, and so I feel any changes that are made should almost always be updates, not reverts. My one caveat is temporary or seasonal additions, for instance, Blackbeard's current presence in the ride to promote On Stranger Tides should be removed by the end of the summer as it was designed as a temporary promotion, not a long-term addition.

The Mouse Is Back
06-24-2011, 02:15 AM
Oh, I'm not suggesting they completely discard the "POTC: The Movie!" makeover, just that it could be smoothed out. For me, "fairly subtle" isn't subtle enough. The good folks at WDI have more than enough talent to make the tie-in (what I call slipstreaming) seem like it was always there, even before the films. It might seem that way to those who've never been on the ride before. I believe the soundtrack-on-soundtrack issue is overcompression.

Hey, the ride is just as popular as ever, so a whole lot of people don't feel the same way as I do!

ETA: Enchanted Tiki Room UNM, yeah, we really dodged a bullet on that one. :::shudder:::


Ally

dban3
06-24-2011, 07:08 AM
I feel exactly the same way. Pirates being closed for a visit is just way too sad for me. We start and end our day at Pirates. Its our tradition. Its just not Disneyland without it. Ditto to the expense. I need my Pirates for that amount of money we spend too.

We were at Disneyland during its 2005 refurbishment. Disneyland just isn't the same without POTC. I get by without any other attraction (other that the Disneyland Railroad of all things) but POTC is a tough call and I wouldn't blame anyone for postponing a trip until the ride was functionining. Still the mechanism that lifts all those boats for days, weeks, month, years, on end probably does need to be rebuilt from time to time.

skimbob
06-24-2011, 10:01 AM
I completely agree with you Teddi. We were going to go mid September but that trip is off now. We are trying to find time to go before the alleged POTC closure. I have been to DL once when POTC was closed and it made me sad every time I walked past it. I know that must make me sound spoiled but if I am spending $3000 on a trip I want the rides I want to be open.

I could not have put it better myself Teddi and Missm.

Lekta
06-30-2011, 09:46 AM
Wow, this news is very troubling. I literally may cancel my trim on November 3rd if this is not running. It is easily my families favorite ride and one that I don't want to spend a tremendous amout of money and planning, to not be able to go on. I truly hope this is just a false rumor, that seems like a large amount of time for the ride to be down particularly during Halloween.