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Doodle Duck
09-17-2003, 11:09 PM
This afternoon, 9/17/03, we heard ALOT of grumbling from the paying customers...just sitting along side any path...you would hear... "that's closed too! QZX%$!"..."Where we we gonna eat...everything is freakin' closed!".."Splash Mountain is closed! X%$##@!"

When we got there, not only the 3 Mountains were down as well as many restaurants...the Mansion etc. etc. that we all know about...but PIRATES was 101...walking over to Matterhorn...it was 101 too!

I couldn't imagine being a paying non AP customer coming in from Armpit New Mexico and finding the Subs down... still a surprise to many...and darn near everything else but the kiddy rides.

One would think a 24 hour shift might get Splash back up sooner...or some other minor scheduled rehash be rescheduled so the GUESTS have something to do!
Put in some shows...Bands...Jugglers...shoot off a firework...anything!

Being APs...we just went on a few Fantasyland Dark Rides...went out to Hagendaz and did a couple of Bailey's Shakes.

But I can't really inmagine what I would have said to City Hall if I had blown FULL POP for a family. OUCH! The Diz has some soul searching to do.

Darkbeer
09-17-2003, 11:40 PM
Heck, you could have gone to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Innoventions... Oh, yeah, parts of Innoventions are closed off...

Maybe go off to Toontown and ride the Jolly Trolley (Oh, yeah, even though they don't list the attraction on the refurb schedule, it isn't offered)... But you can look at the newly erected scaffolding.... Or see the show in the Fantasyland Theater, oh yeah, that's closed too....

Ride the trains, oh, they were closed today for track repair.... Well, walk from Fantasyland to Critter Country, but don't try and take the shortest route, since the trail is closed....

Go to Critter Country and see the Closed sign, but realize it is just for one ride, and not the entire area, stand in line for a picture with Pooh, and handed a ticket to pay $20 for the right to buy it (by standing in another line on Main Street later)...

Grab a bite to eat at the Hungry Bear Restuarant, sorry, you got there too late, and it is closed...

Well, you can always end your day with some great fireworks, oops, Beleive! is on Hiatus, well, then, there is always Fantasmic!, oops, that is only on weekends....

Well, you can always go to your hotel room and watch Big Brother 4... but, heck, you could have done that at home!:eek:

3894
09-18-2003, 06:42 AM
Originally posted by Doodle Duck


I couldn't imagine being a paying non AP customer coming in from Armpit New Mexico and finding the Subs down... still a surprise to many...and darn near everything else but the kiddy rides.


As one who lives in Cow's Udder, Wisconsin, I don't have to imagine anything. It costs big-time money to get the four of us to John Wayne, to the Disneyland Hotel, and into the parks. We had firm plans to go in early November of this year. After the recent Thunder Mtn. incident, we cancelled. Enough already.

jrad32
09-18-2003, 07:14 AM
We've also canceled any future trips at this point. It's just not worth it.

Main Street Magic
09-18-2003, 07:26 AM
This is a little off topic, but I'd love to see someone from one of these towns mentioned in previous posts working at WDW. To se their name on their name tag with the city below it (Arm Pit, Arizona) - :p

SacTown Chronic
09-18-2003, 07:49 AM
Just this morning the family was discussing next summer's vacation - this is what we do, we go on vacation then spend 11.5 months planning the next one. My 5 year old, finding out that Big Thunder was "broken", said "Let's go to Great America and see Spongebob and Dora". Now, all this kid talks about is Disneyland and Mickey Mouse. For a 5 year old to perceive that there isn't enough to do at DLR says a lot about the state of the park.

So consider this TDA: STRAIGHTEN THE HELL UP OR YOU WILL NEVER SEE ANOTHER DOLLAR FROM THE CHRONIC FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!

Walts Buddy
09-18-2003, 07:58 AM
We've planned a trip for mid October for an anniversary trip ...NO kids this trip). We haven't been since DCA has been open.
The dilemma is, do we still go in light of all that's shut down or wait awhile until things start an upswing?

Not Afraid
09-18-2003, 08:12 AM
Originally posted by Walts Buddy
We've planned a trip for mid October for an anniversary trip ...NO kids this trip). We haven't been since DCA has been open.
The dilemma is, do we still go in light of all that's shut down or wait awhile until things start an upswing?

Mansion will be back up my then, and that is a MUST SEE. DCA is still (mostly) fully operational. There is still so much to see and do. The advantage of the October time frame as opposed to waiting until next summer's upswing, is that you're going to get crowds. It's really six to one, half a dozen to another.

Nephythys
09-18-2003, 08:18 AM
I agree that October is a great month to go- and Haunted Mansion Holiday is FABULOUS! My favorite DL ride combined with one of my most beloved movies- it is SO well done- well worth it IMO-

Personally I have no trips planned until ToT is running and things are back to "normal"- I will deal with the crowds if I have to- so this will be next year for me- then a trip in 2005 to be there for the 50th anniversary-

MammaSilva
09-18-2003, 08:18 AM
While it's true that the number of attractions 'down' blows chunks.... we're going in October and then again in December just the same. For us, it's not just about how many 'rides' we can go on, it's the whole atmosphere .. magic & Mickey....of course it does help that we love all the attractions (ok maybe NOT teacups ... yammy issues or innoventions .. boredom issues) but we can always find something we just 'have' to do while we're at the parks.

SacTown Chronic
09-18-2003, 08:27 AM
For us it's not just the rides (OK for the kids it is). It's the fact that an attraction like Big Thunder usually has a pretty crowded queue that soaks up a lot of people. If too many e-ticket attractions are down, then the walkways are packed and the less popular attractions have lines that are way too long. I don't mind standing in line but I get pretty cranky when I don't have room to stroll around the park.

Doodle Duck
09-18-2003, 08:29 AM
I had forgotten about the Train being down! Many of us might take it for granted, but the Steam Train is a big deal and a true signature for lots of folks.
There was so much down yesterday...folks seemed to be just milling around...heading for a specific area/restaurant/ride/ etc. and finding it closed...just milling around there...pretty pathetic. One funny one...there was a family meeting up by Haunted mansion, finding it closed , were trying to decide what to do next...Matterhorn was mention..."No...NO...that's closed too...and Pirates was closed too"
"Well, I'm going on Splash Mountain..."
Evesdropping I piped in "Sorry...it's closed..."
The dad say's..."well, let's take the train over to Tomorrowland.."
Me again..."Sorry guys..the Train is down today..."
It was then I sugested they go to the Big Ride Times board near the Hub...and it was there I'm SURE, they headed for City Hall.
They wouldn't have gotten Freebies for DCA though, because it would CLOSE EARLY (6pm) in about two hours. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
I would not have liked to been at City Hall yeaterday.

BY the way, didn't mean to use the term 'Arm Pit New Mexico'...even though no one complained...it's a silly term I used to use on the air for a fake Weather Forcast and it just slipped in there.
No aim to cast aspersions on
1. Small Towns (which I prefer)
2. New Mexico (which is one good lookin' state I might move to someday!)

I'll come up with some other fictional town names in the future.
Maybe Flap Jack Mississippi or Paris France.

Not Afraid
09-18-2003, 08:30 AM
Originally posted by SacTown Chronic
For us it's not just the rides (OK for the kids it is). It's the fact that an attraction like Big Thunder usually has a pretty crowded queue that soaks up a lot of people. If too many e-ticket attractions are down, then the walkways are packed and the less popular attractions have lines that are way too long. I don't mind standing in line but I get pretty cranky when I don't have room to stroll around the park.

I really doubt that will be the case now that Summer is over. The last 2 weeks of December, maybe, but, now, it's dead.

SacTown Chronic
09-18-2003, 08:46 AM
Originally posted by Not Afraid
I really doubt that will be the case now that Summer is over. The last 2 weeks of December, maybe, but, now, it's dead.


Good point - let me clarify a bit.

I shoulda mentioned that I was talking about summer crowds. We take our trips in the summer because of my kids' stubborn insistence that they get an education. They go to different schools and they never seem to be out at the same time except for a 6 week window in the summer. Besides, we prefer the longer hours that DLR has in the summertime.

dshimel
09-18-2003, 09:01 AM
I'm coming to DL tomorrow from Scottsdale AZ. I have an AP, but the friend coming with me does not. Which park to choose?

Soarin', Screamin', Boomer, Annimaton, Aladdin, Tough to be a Bug....

Indianna, Pirates, Matterhorn, Star Tours, dark rides.... Fantasmic!

We were just out a DL in August for Bats Day. You know, I NEVER thught I'd say this, but DCA isn't looking so bad. I hope a certain person is able to come up with that 1-day Hopper we talked about.

Doodle Duck
09-18-2003, 09:19 AM
Well...since Pirates AND Matterhorn were down yesterday for a good chunk....hmmm let's see...

What would it have been like for a Family IF Indiana had gone 101 too! (maybe it did...didn't go by that one)

It doesn't take a full day of outages to screw up a visit. All they need to do (when a surprise 101 hits) is be OUT at the time you are walking by them or TO them from another one that is out....you could cruize the park and be really screaming by a full circuit. Och.

Disneyphile
09-18-2003, 10:00 AM
Maybe they can list MouseAdventure as a temporary attraction? ;) Hey, we can be mighty entertaining when running around with clipboards.;)

outlaw8
09-18-2003, 10:10 AM
Just think though with ALL the closures you could be truly "WALKING IN WALT's FOOTSTEPS"....
So what would a tour guide say when everything is Closed?
What E-tickets would you get "back-doored" in if none of them are open?

Pat-n-Eil
09-18-2003, 10:21 AM
It is a catch 22 situation.

We never want the rides to be closed, yet we never want the rides to be unsafe.

As mechanical devices, maintenance is required on rides and not just overnight 8 hour kinds of surface dressing.

I'm sure it is difficult to plan scheduled downtime - let alone deal withg emergency closures like Thunder Mountain.

It's all a game of numbers. If you plan your vacation during "post peak" times and before the Holiday version, you must anticipate ride closures.

We posters here on the Mousepad are obviously internet users. We can easily get to the information we want to know about refurbs and ride closures because we are tuned into it. On the other hand, if I were not computer savvy and didn't check out the Disneyland sites, I would still call ahead of time to find out what would be closed - especially if that was very important to me.

But I also understand that people going to Disneyland just assume all of the famous things they've heard about will be available to them. What a huge disappointment it could be. So, part of this is Disney's fault, but it is a shared responsibility. If they make this information available (and they do) it is really up to you do some homework. I wouldn't plan a trip to Arizona in August because I know it is hot. I wouldn't count on wearing a swimsuit and enjoying the pool in North Carolina during hurricane season and I wouldn't go to Disneyland off-season without checking the refurb schedule.

This is a case where a little knowledge (or a travel agent) goes a long way.

AVP
09-18-2003, 10:39 AM
Originally posted by Pat&Eil
I'm sure it is difficult to plan scheduled downtime - let alone deal withg emergency closures like Thunder Mountain.

It's all a game of numbers. If you plan your vacation during "post peak" times and before the Holiday version, you must anticipate ride closures. Well, yes, but look at WDW.

WDW has 4 parks. Between them, there are less rehabs currently running in the off-season that the Disneyland Resort had going over the summer. Because Disneyland is an older park, the rehabs take longer - we're looking at a year for the Carrousel, how many months for the Matterhorn, 18 months for Space Mountain? We're on the second of two lengthy Splash Mountain rehabs.

And our remaining rides tend to break down more often. I have a great photo from the info board, taken last week, where almost nothing was open. ALL four mountains plus Pirates and Mansion were on rehab or 101. (Pirates and the Matterhorn are just getting hammered right now - one of the two is 101 almost evey time I walk past the info board)

In my not-so-humble opinion, this all points to a lack of long-term planning. Let's be realistic here, something had to happen to make them close Space Mountain unannounced the day before a major press event. There is no way they planned to do that, with international media on the way. I don't think that the Powers that Be are looking at a 10-20 year schedule of maintenence, rebuilds and replacement. I think they are looking at the next fiscal year, and now we have 1/2 of the park closed as a result.

When the peak season starts up again after Thanksgiving, Space and Thunder will *still* be closed, Fantasmic will be on "hiatus", there *still* won't be a show in the Fantasyland theater, etc, etc, etc.

And WDW will have a new ride, a new show, and new fireworks. Something's not right here.

AVP

fairytalelover
09-18-2003, 10:58 AM
I still think that they should give day ticket people discounts on the price for a while till they get their act together and start opening up the rides. $47 is not worth it.

Doodle Duck
09-18-2003, 11:50 AM
SHOULD be $24.95 OR 2 for One (at $47) regardless of your zip code.


Knott's does sales...6 Flags does sales, MANY Parks do sales and most ALL of their attractions ARE OPEN even so.

In a park the size and so called prestige of DL no more than 2 should be scheduled down at any one time.

Legoland keeps ALL it's shows going even on an off day mid week. (closed tues. & wed.)You don't miss anything just because you're not there on Sat & Sun.

You never get SCREWED at Sea World...they don't close shows just because there are less people on a Tuesday.

They take care of the GUESTS that DO showup, no matter how few, and give those few WHAT THEY PAID FOR.

DL right now is a RIP OFF. Period. IMHO of course.

Freerider127
09-18-2003, 12:35 PM
I agree that 47$ is just way to much for admission they should do a 2 for 1 deal or come up with something to make it cheaper or more attractible. If your going with your family for example you probably will spend 250-300 dollars for that day and thats just outragous considering basically no E-Ticket rides are open.

sleepyjeff
09-18-2003, 01:04 PM
My family and I visit Southern California for a weeks vacation every 10-15 months. We always make a Hotel near Disneyland our "base of operations" . We generally take 3-4 days to visit the two parks there( even before DCA we would sometimes buy a five day passport ). The last couple of trips I had to convince everybody that we should continue to stay at Disneyland instead of making San Diego our "Base", and just coming up to DL for the Day.

If there are no big changes soon, I am sure to lose the next debate on where to stay:crying:

SacTown Chronic
09-18-2003, 01:31 PM
Originally posted by sleepyjeff
My family and I visit Southern California for a weeks vacation every 10-15 months. We always make a Hotel near Disneyland our "base of operations" . We generally take 3-4 days to visit the two parks there( even before DCA we would sometimes buy a five day passport ). The last couple of trips I had to convince everybody that we should continue to stay at Disneyland instead of making San Diego our "Base", and just coming up to DL for the Day.

If there are no big changes soon, I am sure to lose the next debate on where to stay:crying:


sleepyjeff, if there are no big changes soon, not only will you lose the debate but you'll probably feel stupid for defending Disneyland.

I hope there is a wake-up call for Disney and soon. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, if Big Thunder is not up next summer we won't be going. Due to the fact that we want to stay on-site at either GCH or Disneyland Hotel, I have budgeted $6000 for the vacation with about 80% of that earmarked for Disney's coffers. I'm not giving them that kind of money for a sub-standard DLR.

Anyone got an address where I can mail them a letter stating this?