Disney Thought:Edition 3: The Sad Disney Attractions that close and sit in silence..

[sunkissed212]

I just checked out those links that were posted too...very sad!

Hey, who remembers Mission to Mars? I loved that ride!!!

 

[JJsmama]

Why did they close the sky buckets anyway? Did someone get hurt?

 

[Kaitysmom]

A maintenance person was killed. Another worker started up the ride and this person was left hanging onto the side of the bucket. He couldn't get himself into it and fell.

I think that that incident, combined with a really slow loading time, did the Skyway in.

 

[Disney Fool]

Something else I miss terribly is the Main Street Electrical Parade. When the music started (which I was listening to recently on a CD) everyone on Main Street would begin clapping to the beat. It was a great nighttime parade. I understand that it was shipped off to either Euro Disney or Tokyo Disney. I like SpectroMagic, but I miss that audience participation and sense of fun the other one had.

 

[kathyseb]

BUMP

 

[dizprincess717]

I love SpectroMagic, a lot more than the Main Street Electrical Parade. To me all the floats seem just, I don't know how to put it, but better I guess.

And I thought I was going crazy at one point - I knew that there were those cable-car things that take you from FantasyLand to TomorrowLand! I always thought it was just something I made up, but then I saw the one station in FantasyLand. And 20,000 Leagues, too. I remember just seeing the little lagoon with nothing going on - it kinda freaked me out to think that those submarine-type things went under there!

Two words - River Country.

 

[civileng68]

I think you're speaking of the "Odyssey" restaurant. I think the same thing every time I go to Epcot. I've been going there since I was a baby and I can't even remember the last time it was open. I can tell you has been closed for at least 15 years!! You would think they'd do something with it other than making it into a restroom and baby care station. It's an eyesore if you ask me.

This is a PRIME example of the poor management of Disney over the last years. This building from what I heard has been used for special functions that happen something in the neighborhood of once per year, and it's for executive functions, not general public. So basically we have to sit and waste very good space, and look at something closed down like that,, simply because they want to use it once per year. It's just rediculous.

If a new guest comes to the park and sees that, they think negatively of seeing something like that, that stands out so much, sitting there closed up, and trust me, you dont have to be a Disney nut like us to know it's been closed that long, even a first time visitor could probably tell because it just looks like it's been closed forever.

I just dont understand why Disney doesn't take these older attractions and use the space for something else, even if for just great theming.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I miss the skycabs and everytime I look at the lonely stations it looks like something's just missing. I also have started going to WDW at the slowest times and last time we were there, COP, Timekeeper, Wonders of Life Pavilion, Universe of Energy, and Dinosaur (<--for repairs) were closed Also, while they were constructing the new Journey into the Imagination it was sad to see that building just sit there unused. I think it would be devastating to see rides like TTA if they were shut down.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

About ten years ago I remember a continuosly moving ride that had like the history of aviation or had a lot of airplanes in it. Was I dreaming or is this an actual ride? My parents think I'm crazy.

 

[DVC Jen]

I agree it is very very sad.. but thinking of them is a nice trip down memory lane.

One ride I really miss (although there isn't an empty shell thank goodness) is Horizons.

 

[civileng68]

I miss the skycabs and everytime I look at the lonely stations it looks like something's just missing. I also have started going to WDW at the slowest times and last time we were there, COP, Timekeeper, Wonders of Life Pavilion, Universe of Energy, and Dinosaur (<--for repairs) were closed Also, while they were constructing the new Journey into the Imagination it was sad to see that building just sit there unused. I think it would be devastating to see rides like TTA if they were shut down.

I agree with you complete. I think unfortunately the only reason that COP hasn't been demolished is because people like us would go nuts! It's a classic and actually was designed and used in a fair, before Disney World existed. That was one of Walt's "babies".

Also, I agree that if they shut down TTA, that would be sad, especially because you know with the way the attraction is designed, they wouldn't tear it down........they'd just let it sit forever.

The thing I dont get is that Disney (namely the people approving the decisions, and you know who they are) dont want to run COP supposedly because as it gets older and the technology gets further and further behind, it is more and more expensive to run. I worry that one day they'll say the same for TTA, but they dont put the big bucks into it and do something like a trackless system, like they use in Disney Tokyo Winnie The Pooh Ride. Sure it's alot of money now, but the track maintenance is much less.

One thing I see as a bother is that Disney is putting alot of money into NEW attractions and letting others nearly rot, and letting closed attractions rot. Other than IASW, why are some rides not getting MAJOR OVERHAULS, and I dont mean so much "changing" the whole theme of the ride but doing major upgrades, even if financially, because they save in the long run.

Example: Disney used to be the king of technology. However, in the other international parks, they are surpassing Disney. Why do some of these rides not all have trackless systems? Such as HM, TTA, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh? It's so much smoother, and doesn't jerk you around like the track systems? I just dont understand. Also in doing new future dark rides, you can do so much more with a trackless system.

Example. A track system can only cross a point one time. A trackless system can go anywhere and cross multiple points, multiple times, as the trackless Pooh ride does in Tokyo. There's just so much that can be done and I'd love to see more money going back into OLDER rides than current new rides. I love new rides but I love my classics.

 

[Disney Fool]

About ten years ago I remember a continuosly moving ride that had like the history of aviation or had a lot of airplanes in it. Was I dreaming or is this an actual ride? My parents think I'm crazy.

I think you're thinking of "World of Motion" where TestTrack is now.

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

I really think thet should recevelop old shells or at least remove them and theme the area. I hate the way they just leave stuff. My DH who is into finance is always telling me how Disney don't make a lot because they have so many overheads. I think we need some totally new rides - and not all thrill rides either. Come on imagineers, use a little imagiantion.

 

[civileng68]

I really think thet should recevelop old shells or at least remove them and theme the area. I hate the way they just leave stuff. My DH who is into finance is always telling me how Disney don't make a lot because they have so many overheads. I think we need some totally new rides - and not all thrill rides either. Come on imagineers, use a little imagiantion.

Well while I see what your DH is saying about not making much due to overhead, I have to disagree simply because, while on the outside your DH is rigth, the Disney Corp. these days consists of so many entities and the money is literally taken from the parks and put to other projects in other entities, like ABC and ESPN and things of that nature.

Disney stock is pretty good and the volume is high so I know the money is there. Remember also that Eisner was paying himself BONUSES of over $60M.

I know there is alot of overhead but the money is there because just as Disney money is thrown into things that Walt would NEVER be affiliated with, the money within those projects is there to come back to the parks. The only difference is that Eisner only pushes the money one way.

I want a day when Disney can become more indepent. At first glance many will say that it will hurt the company financially, but really it wont because the money that Disney makes is in many cases going to fund the other entities while the money rarely if ever returns.

I just hate that what Walt stood for is no longer in the interest of current management. I dont agree with pornography and in my opinion the crap that ABC has been showing is a disgrace to say that Disney is affiliated with that.

 

[LibertyLover]

No, Neverlandclub33 is correct. There was a ride, where Buzz Lightyear is today I believe, that showed the history of aviation. It was sponsored by Eastern Airlines, which at the time was the Official Airline of WDW. It was mildly amusing, but not great. My first trip to WDW was in 1985, when I took my 3 godchildren there. And I remember we rode it.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I think you're thinking of "World of Motion" where TestTrack is now.

I'm not crazy! That's exactly what it is. Thank you!!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

No, Neverlandclub33 is correct. There was a ride, where Buzz Lightyear is today I believe, that showed the history of aviation. It was sponsored by Eastern Airlines, which at the time was the Official Airline of WDW. It was mildly amusing, but not great. My first trip to WDW was in 1985, when I took my 3 godchildren there. And I remember we rode it.

Or maybe it is this? I don't know. I could've sworn it was in MK.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

There definitely wasn't anything exciting about it

 

[BostonRob]

No, Neverlandclub33 is correct. There was a ride, where Buzz Lightyear is today I believe, that showed the history of aviation. It was sponsored by Eastern Airlines, which at the time was the Official Airline of WDW. It was mildly amusing, but not great. My first trip to WDW was in 1985, when I took my 3 godchildren there. And I remember we rode it.

I think you guys are thinking of "If you had Wings"?
I rode it as a kid and remember enjoying it, probably because it was continuously moving, so there were no lines. But it had a really annoying song that just repeated and repeated. Of course, now that I think about it, I miss it too.

 

[ContempRocksmySocks]

There was an aviation ride where Buzz Lightyear is now. It was called dream flight and it was sponsored by Delta airlines. When you first walked into the ride you walked up into the shell of an airplane. This was a great ride that was very relaxing and rarely had a line. I do like buzz , but dream flight will always be missed!