Dissapointed w/all the ride breakdowns at DL

[melbatoast]

Just back from our Christmas trip, and I have to say I was tempted to demand my money back! Just about every ride we tried to go on was broken down - Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones and Matterhorn! What in the world is the problem there? It meant a lot of milling around and the crowds were terrible! We were there Christmas Eve. It was definately a bummer! We ended up getting on everything, after walking around the park a bunch of times through the massive crowds!

 

[mrswh]

This thread might help:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2852393

 

[HydroGuy]

Just back from our Christmas trip, and I have to say I was tempted to demand my money back! Just about every ride we tried to go on was broken down - Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones and Matterhorn! What in the world is the problem there? It meant a lot of milling around and the crowds were terrible! We were there Christmas Eve. It was definately a bummer! We ended up getting on everything, after walking around the park a bunch of times through the massive crowds!

Rides breaking down is very frustrating. Since I got my smartphone it really helps to be able to see this before taking time to walk to a ride only to find it closed.

It is not that uncommon to find rides breaking down at higher frequencies when the end of a high season nears it end. So late summer and late December. The rides have been operated at high capacity since early November. That is also why so many refurbs get scheduled for January and September.

It does not remove the disappointment though...

Just a reminder for all others on the forum. Back in Sept/Oct Disney had a large number of refurbs scheduled and it caused quite a lot of complaining around here by folks visiting during that time. Disney has to refurb rides at some point to avoid unscheduled breakdowns as much as possible.

 

[emacat]

Well, I'll try to respond for the third time, since my computer is being mean...

I'm sorry to hear that you had such a tough time with the rides.

We were there Dec 15-20th, and I knew going in that during the busier times, there are more ride closures. We had numerous problems with SM and BTMRR while we were there. The only thing I can say about it is, as a cast member told my dd during an intersting talk while BTMRR was closed, they only have the standard line for when a ride is down. Unfortunately, they don't detail the issue. So, during the busier times of the year, more people may throw up on a ride, which will mean most likely shutting it down to clean the seats, the floors, and even the track. Think how big of a mess (gross, I know) you'll make being sick on SM as you're flying around on the tracks. While there certainly are technical issues as well, this seems to be a big part of what happens during shutdown.

On the plus side, I like knowing that whether it's a technical issue or vomit, Disney chooses the "safe than sorry" approach, which is part of what makes me feel safe on their rides.

 

[cmwade77]

I suggest that you write Disney about it, since you didn't say anything while you were there, that is now the only way that they can know that it affected you so much.

As others have said, breakdowns are more common at the end of busy seasons, especially on busier days like Christmas Eve must have been this year since it was also a Saturday.

 

[keishashadow]

I expect rides to go out of service but was very disappointed when Indiana Jones went down our last trip right when we were close to boarding.

I asked a CM for a FP (as I've done @ WDW) and was told no, it's not their policy.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

I expect rides to go out of service but was very disappointed when Indiana Jones went down our last trip right when we were close to boarding.

I asked a CM for a FP (as I've done @ WDW) and was told no, it's not their policy.

I would guess how close you were to boarding and the individual judgement of the CM comes into play here. I wonder too if crowds can affect the decision. My parents were about to board Indy once when it broke down, and the CM distributed return fastpasses to them and the others waiting to board without my parents or anyone else even asking. This was about 1 1/2 years ago.

 

[keishashadow]

I would guess how close you were to boarding and the individual judgement of the CM comes into play here. I wonder too if crowds can affect the decision. My parents were about to board Indy once when it broke down, and the CM distributed return fastpasses to them and the others waiting to board without my parents or anyone else even asking. This was about 1 1/2 years ago.

good to know, on the off-chance the situation repeats itself I guess it won't hurt to ask

 

[cmwade77]

I expect rides to go out of service but was very disappointed when Indiana Jones went down our last trip right when we were close to boarding.

I asked a CM for a FP (as I've done @ WDW) and was told no, it's not their policy.

If you made it past where they collect the FP, you should at least be given one for a return to the same attraction.

If they are not wanting to do it, point out how long you have been waiting and/or that you had a FP and that without giving you a FP, you cannot enjoy as many attractions, which means that this is now costing you time, which equals money. Do this politely, but firmly and ask for a lead if necessary, but it works everytime that an attraction breaks down or at least it has for everyone that I know. This can also work when you are stuck on an attraction for an extended period of time. (In one case, it was over an hour that we were stuck sitting in the sun on Grizzly River Run, but I did insist on a bit more than a FP, since it was over 100 that day). The point is know what you want in compensation, be polite, but firm and you should get it.

Remember every minute of time that is wasted by something like a ride breaking down is like burning money. How much depends on how much your vacation cost you, but don't let other people waste your money. If you choose to sit and do nothing, that is your choice, but if a ride breaks down and causes you to loose time, then that needs to be made up for in some other way.

 

[ArchOwl]

This thread just shows how different people's experiences can be. I have been here since NYE and haven't encountered one closure. I have heard that other people have run into problems, but we tend to go first thing in the morning, take an afternnon break (when many problems seem ro surface), and come back for the evening. The parks are VERY busy, but we have had a great time mostly because we do things at opposite times from the crowds.

I also have encountered a reluctance on the part of Indy CMs to give a FP when the ride goes down. Over summer my friend and I used our FP and were on the ride when it broke down. We not only experienced a long wait time, but went through the ride with no special effects, were told we would ride again only to have the ride break down. We were not offered a FP and I had to politely ask a lead, who finally gave us a rider switch pass. No one else got anything that we observed. This was completely different than my experience on Alice and Space where we were given re-admit passes without asking. So I wonder if Indy has a different policy?

 

[LisaT91403]

This thread just shows how different people's experiences can be. I have been here since NYE and haven't encountered one closure. I have heard that other people have run into problems, but we tend to go first thing in the morning, take an afternnon break (when many problems seem ro surface), and come back for the evening. The parks are VERY busy, but we have had a great time mostly because we do things at opposite times from the crowds.

I also have encountered a reluctance on the part of Indy CMs to give a FP when the ride goes down. Over summer my friend and I used our FP and were on the ride when it broke down. We not only experienced a long wait time, but went through the ride with no special effects, were told we would ride again only to have the ride break down. We were not offered a FP and I had to politely ask a lead, who finally gave us a rider switch pass. No one else got anything that we observed. This was completely different than my experience on Alice and Space where we were given re-admit passes without asking. So I wonder if Indy has a different policy?

I wonder if they do have different policies for different rides. Casey Jr. broke down after we had boarded, but before we left the station. The CM's did not offer a return/front of the line pass for anyone (maybe because it was only about a 15 minute wait?)...but they did say just to come back later, go up the exit ramp, and tell the CM that we had gotten kicked off earlier in the day. I went back to talk to a different CM about getting a return pass, and he was happy to write one up for me. So...it might depend on both which ride it is as well as what kind of mood a particular CM is in.