February question

[ClaraOswald]

Looks like February 2017 is shaping up to have a lot of closures and limited entertainment. I know when we went in February 2015, ALL of Critter Country was closed. And all of Condor Flats. Peter Pan was closed. The Railroad was closed. A bunch of other closures as well. And limited entertainment, if I'm remembering correctly. Plus the castle was under a tarp.

I was just wondering if February 2016 was bad as well? I mean, I know the "off season" always sees more closures. But I felt like 2015 was a bit more than in the past. I assumed this was due to the 60th anniversary.

What were closures like in February 2016?

I expect some during February 2017. But now I am worried it will be a repeat of 2015. It looks like the railroad will still be closed. And Pirates will probably be down. Plus no parade at DCA. No Fantasmic. Not sure about fireworks or a parade at Disneyland.

Any thoughts?

As dumb as it sounds...my main concern is Winnie the Pooh being closed. Those are the only characters my son knows. And he loves watching the ride on youtube (he still hasn't been on it yet.) So I am worried they are going to end up closing all of Critter Country again. I think I could deal with ANY other closing. But not that one.

 

[mamapenguin]

February 2016 was not bad. Closures hmmm....Autotopia, ROA, canoes, Tom Sawyer Island, Riverboat, Railroad, I don't think the new Cars Roadster ride was open yet and Jungle Cruise. I think that's it, still plenty to do. Going again this year.

 

[hanna-nana]

February 2016 was not bad. Closures hmmm....Autotopia, ROA, canoes, Tom Sawyer Island, Riverboat, Railroad, I don't think the new Cars Roadster ride was open yet and Jungle Cruise. I think that's it, still plenty to do. Going again this year.

We went first week in March and this was our experience too, with the exception of the new Luigi ride. It was open. I know it's not February but it wasn't quite spring break season and it didn't seem bad at all.

 

[smartlabelprint]

2/16 wasn't bad because its in the middle of 60th. I'd expect more closures coming up. But maybe not as many as you experienced since so many are down with the current renovation.

 

[GatorChris]

Yeah, we hit late Feb '15 and it was pretty rough will all the closures. Of course, we didn't have APs for this year so this February was AWESOME! But we're planning late Feb/early March and I'm wondering myself. Obviously all the Rivers of America attractions are down. Tower of Terror will be down as well....BOOOOooooo. I'm hoping that with Splash going down for a month in October, it'll be open in 2017 rather than it's regular down period. I've not heard anything about Pirates - that would be a bummer.

One of the biggest problems with DL is that they announce refurbs a max of 6 weeks out. And in some cases only 2 weeks...which burned me pretty good in 2015. A 3 month announcement would be great! But then again, they can't even get calendar hours out more than 6 weeks. LegoLand and Knott's Berry Farm can schedule through the end of the year, but not Disneyland. This is something I just don't get at all.

 

[figment_jii]

The latest rumors have PtN closing after the holidays and MSEP returning, but they have not yet announced a schedule. It's very possible that nighttime entertainment will be limited to only the weekends (Fri-Sun) and President's Day in February. That would generally fit with what they've done historically (the 60th Celebration was an anomaly).

No one at this point can say whether there will additional closures in Critter Country as they continue work on Star Wars Land and finish up the re-routing of the Railroad and modifications of TSI. While I don't necessarily think another full closure of Critter Country is likely in the very near future, it's always a possibility as they work in the area that select locations will be closed. Frankly, if missing out on Winnie the Pooh is going to ruin your trip, I would probably hold off on making any plans until there is more firm information about when the ROA and train are re-opening or be willing to plan a very short notice trip when the schedule is less likely to change (e.g., less than a month out).

 

[ClaraOswald]

Planning a short notice trip isn't an option for us. Right now we're still planning on February. But I have some back up dates booked at our hotel in June. So I guess we'll see. I am going to keep my fingers crossed, for sure!

As for Pirates, a recent Micechat update talked about it possibly closing. I'll see if I can find the link.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Here is the link...it's all rumor, of course. So take it for what it's worth....

http://micechat.com/136176-miceage-disneyland-rumor-update-monorail/

"This winter will also feature a nice six week refurbishment to freshen up Pirates of the Caribbean, reopening just a few days before the iconic rides 50th Anniversary on March 17th that will be celebrated with some new merchandise and a party in New Orleans Square that weekend."

I don't think my son would enjoy pirates so I'm not too bothered. We didn't ride it last time either.

 

[idle]

No pirates in Feb. 2017? Nooooooo!

 

[ClaraOswald]

Well, so far it's still a rumor and no dates have been released so I guess we'll see. But because of the 50th anniversary, it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[drea21]

Ugh! This is a big concern of mine as well!!

I just convinced my family to cancel our 7 day Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean cruise in favor of DL and SoCal. Our trip is the second week of Feb. I changed our flights from MCO to LAX, but haven't cancelled the cruise yet. Now I'm thinking I made a huge mistake. I thought weather was going to be my concern, but now I'm seeing no parades/shows/Fantasmic, no POC, no train, no monorail, etc. etc. etc. and I think my family is going to fire me from all travel planning. CRAPPPPPPP!

 

[idle]

Ugh! This is a big concern of mine as well!!

I just convinced my family to cancel our 7 day Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean cruise in favor of DL and SoCal. Our trip is the second week of Feb. I changed our flights from MCO to LAX, but haven't cancelled the cruise yet. Now I'm thinking I made a huge mistake. I thought weather was going to be my concern, but now I'm seeing no parades/shows/Fantasmic, no POC, no train, no monorail, etc. etc. etc. and I think my family is going to fire me from all travel planning. CRAPPPPPPP!

The monorail should still be up in February if the micechat update is to be believed. They said April 17th 2017. Of course, it's subject to change at any point.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I think the Electrical Parade might be back for Friday/Saturday/Sunday in February. And maybe a fireworks show of some sort on those nights.

But I did read Pixar Play Parade (or whatever it's called) at DCA would be gone due to Tower of Terror construction.

I wonder if there will be a day time parade at Disneyland or not.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Ugh! This is a big concern of mine as well!!

I just convinced my family to cancel our 7 day Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean cruise in favor of DL and SoCal. Our trip is the second week of Feb. I changed our flights from MCO to LAX, but haven't cancelled the cruise yet. Now I'm thinking I made a huge mistake. I thought weather was going to be my concern, but now I'm seeing no parades/shows/Fantasmic, no POC, no train, no monorail, etc. etc. etc. and I think my family is going to fire me from all travel planning. CRAPPPPPPP!

Was this to be your first Disneyland trip? If so, the "off season" is definitely not the best time to go. Very often, many rides are down. In 2015, TONS of things were closed. We've been a lot so it wasn't a huge deal for us. But I know some people traveled from other countries at that time and were pretty disappointed.

 

[drea21]

Was this to be your first Disneyland trip? If so, the "off season" is definitely not the best time to go. Very often, many rides are down. In 2015, TONS of things were closed. We've been a lot so it wasn't a huge deal for us. But I know some people traveled from other countries at that time and were pretty disappointed.

It is going to be our first trip

We've been to WDW many times, and had AP there last year even though we have to fly to get there, so I think we will be okay missing things, it's just disappointing. We always do WDW in the off season, and usually a few things are closed, but this seems excessive. If I'm understanding correctly the old MSEP from WDW is what DL's new parade will be? And no Fantasmic, and the World of Color show is changing? (Sounds like that one is for the better though).

Oh well, it is what it is. We just got non-stop Southwest flights to LAX from our airport, so now that flights are cheaper and more accessible I'm guessing if we like DL it won't necessarily be a once in a lifetime trip.

 

[Wahlee]

There's always stuff closed in the off-season, and yes, 2015 and 2017 will probably be worse than usual. More stuff was closed in the off-season before the 60th, and more stuff will be closed in the off-season after the 60th, because so many things DIDN'T close during the 60th. So maintenance that usually would have happened in Feb 2016 had to be postponed until Feb 2017. Lots of rides need some TLC after being operated nearly continuously for the last 12-18 months. I'd expect pretty much every ride in the park to go down for a multi-week refurb in the next year (although obviously not all at once). When you visit in the off-season, you take a gamble. If your trip will be ruined unless you get to experience a certain attraction, then you'd better go in July. I'm bummed about Pirates, as it's one of my favorites, but them's the breaks when you go in February.

 

[ClaraOswald]

July isn't an option for us but mid/late June would be. Though I dread the idea of heat and crowds.

It's just so tricky because our son who is about to turn three only really knows Winnie the Pooh. He is obsessed. We've shown him other Disney movies and characters but he doesn't really care about those. He loves to watch the Pooh ride on youtube. It's actually our go-to for things like haircuts and dentist appointments to keep him happy. We were pretty disappointed that it was closed during our last trip when he was 1.5 years old. We will be going either in February or June next year. But then we won't be back to Disneyland until probably 2021 or so...when he'll be almost 8. So yeah...seeing the Pooh ride (and hopefully there will be a meet and greet) for our last "toddler" trip is a pretty big deal. I know many people don't understand that but whatever.

I really could not care less about which of my favorite rides are open. I am an adult and I've been there many times. Plus going on a ride at age 35 or 40 doesn't make a difference.

I didn't think I'd ever have any children so I am so excited to finally have a child to share the joy of Disneyland with. I really want to make the most of it. He's only going to be young once and time really goes fast.

 

[my*gracie*girl]

We got to see Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore at Minnie's Plaza Inn character breakfast. If you stick with February and 'worst case' happens, perhaps that would be an option for the meet and greet part at least?? I really hope your little one gets to ride Pooh and meet his favorite characters. I totally get experiencing the joy with a much awaited child...it is magical!