How often do rides go "down"?

[mickeyluv'r]

if the ride is taken offline to be fixed, there's an uproar about how horrible it is that they take it down, etc...

Please don't blame Disney's customers for Disney's unreliability. Otherwise I agree with your post. We're the victims, not the cause.

If a ride goes down, WDW actually has a great deal of potential options to mitigate the situation:

* WDW's customers get free hopping or a $25 gift card.
* Monorail down = automatic 10% discount for guests at GF/Poly and CR.
* ride closure= a dozen unscheduled extra rare-character meet and greets.
* free food and beverage vouchers, to anyone with a FP for the attraction that overlaps with the closure.

I could add more...

What should they offer us when they don't deliver services as advertised?

 

[turtlechick6]

Please don't blame Disney's customers for Disney's unreliability. Otherwise I agree with your post. We're the victims, not the cause.

If a ride goes down, WDW actually has a great deal of potential options to mitigate the situation:

* WDW's customers get free hopping or a $25 gift card.
* Monorail down = automatic 10% discount for guests at GF/Poly and CR.
* ride closure= a dozen unscheduled extra rare-character meet and greets.
* free food and beverage vouchers, to anyone with a FP for the attraction that overlaps with the closure.

I could add more...

What should they offer us when they don't deliver services as advertised?

this is what they should be doing. I was just telling DH that if I was like PP where every ride in HS was shut down I would have marched straight to GR and asked for a hopper option free of charge so we could at least go over to another park and not everything be a total waste. And I would expect them to grant it. In a park with 5 rides to have 3 of those 5 rides down is just not acceptable. Period.

 

[TulipMom]

First, I want to clarify that I don't think of a momentary stop or brief interruption as a ride being "down." I'm only referring to times where rides were down for an hour or more. Or, in the case of ToT, when half of the ride capacity is down.

Please don't blame Disney's customers for Disney's unreliability. Otherwise I agree with your post. We're the victims, not the cause.

If a ride goes down, WDW actually has a great deal of potential options to mitigate the situation:

* WDW's customers get free hopping or a $25 gift card.
* Monorail down = automatic 10% discount for guests at GF/Poly and CR.
* ride closure= a dozen unscheduled extra rare-character meet and greets.
* free food and beverage vouchers, to anyone with a FP for the attraction that overlaps with the closure.

I could add more...

What should they offer us when they don't deliver services as advertised?

Yes. This is what started to really bug me after I came home and was no longer drinking the WDW Kool-aid. We paid an insane amount of money to fly to Orlando, stay at a deluxe resort and have access to the parks. We were expected to keep up our end of the purchase contract by paying for our trip 30 days in advance and showing up for all ADRs unless canceling at least 24 hours in advance. In return, it's reasonable to expect Disney is keeping their rides in working order. They have all the resources one can imagine to make that happen. For our last trip, POTC was closed for refurbishment and this time Splash. While we were a tad heartbroken to miss those rides during each trip, we understood that maintenance must be done.

But, what doesn't feel "fair" is walking up to a number of ride closures, to the point that it seems like a normal part of visiting WDW, with no compensation. We, as customers, are the only ones taking the hit for the downed rides. When Space Mountain was down for a couple of hours one morning, the waits were backing up at other Tomorrowland rides. We were at Tom Speedway where they had only SIX cars running while the other cars and tracks sat empty. We waited 25 minutes at 8:15am. How about moving some CMs to the surrounding rides to increase capacity? The intentional lowering of capacity to apparently reduce the amount of park resources each guest uses is something else that got to me over the trip, but that's another topic for another day.

I truly don't mean to be a Debbie Downer. Like I said, we had a fabulous trip! But, we are "cup half full" people and were there to have a good time and roll with the punches. If you look around too much or think too much it's easy to feel a bit taken by a number of the things that WDW does or doesn't do. Business is booming for WDW, though, so I guess what they're doing is working for them.

 

[malissa99]

Currently sitting at MCO. Waiting on a delayed flight home. We had 4 days in Parks. Every day we saw a major ride go down, sometimes stay down.

10/27 DHS: TOT was operating at half capacity. Before we even left for the park at 9:00am we had an email that the ride was down, hey here’s an anytime FP. Well long story short the FP line was 30 minutes. The standby was over 3 hours. It was not going to be coming back online so after we rode the 3 rides (TOT, RNR and star tours) we left by1pm. Waste of a day and $300 in tickets for us. We’re not show people, we go for rides.

Test track similar story.

So frustrating.

 

[dreiwhit]

Problem is that some of these attractions that go down daily are in need of an actual closure to refurb and actually fix some issues but guests protest that they are not getting their money's worth when rides are closed for refurb and maintenance.

On the flip side, when you consider what the cost of tickets is, folks don't feel like they are getting their money's worth when rides go down constantly. Its really a lose/lose situation for Disney.

It does look bad for them when you have rides breaking down constantly. But, IMHO, they had to have known they'd run into issues with rides when they decided to do things like "Free Dining", all the festivals, Candlelight Processional, etc, in order to bring more people into the parks.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Perhaps WDW should allocate less to their advertising budget and more to their ride engineer salaries department.

 

[turtlechick6]

First, I want to clarify that I don't think of a momentary stop or brief interruption as a ride being "down." I'm only referring to times where rides were down for an hour or more. Or, in the case of ToT, when half of the ride capacity is down.


Yes. This is what started to really bug me after I came home and was no longer drinking the WDW Kool-aid. We paid an insane amount of money to fly to Orlando, stay at a deluxe resort and have access to the parks. We were expected to keep up our end of the purchase contract by paying for our trip 30 days in advance and showing up for all ADRs unless canceling at least 24 hours in advance. In return, it's reasonable to expect Disney is keeping their rides in working order. They have all the resources one can imagine to make that happen. For our last trip, POTC was closed for refurbishment and this time Splash. While we were a tad heartbroken to miss those rides during each trip, we understood that maintenance must be done.

But, what doesn't feel "fair" is walking up to a number of ride closures, to the point that it seems like a normal part of visiting WDW, with no compensation. We, as customers, are the only ones taking the hit for the downed rides. When Space Mountain was down for a couple of hours one morning, the waits were backing up at other Tomorrowland rides. We were at Tom Speedway where they had only SIX cars running while the other cars and tracks sat empty. We waited 25 minutes at 8:15am. How about moving some CMs to the surrounding rides to increase capacity? The intentional lowering of capacity to apparently reduce the amount of park resources each guest uses is something else that got to me over the trip, but that's another topic for another day.

I truly don't mean to be a Debbie Downer. Like I said, we had a fabulous trip! But, we are "cup half full" people and were there to have a good time and roll with the punches. If you look around too much or think too much it's easy to feel a bit taken by a number of the things that WDW does or doesn't do. Business is booming for WDW, though, so I guess what they're doing is working for them.

you are not a Debbie Downer. You make perfect sense to me. Honestly I am not as excited about our trip next week as I was reading all this about rides always being broken and stuff. And the parks not being as clean and being more crowded and CMs being ruder. It really is making me wish we did not even try to do this and I am worried we are going to have an awful time.

I hope I am pleasantly surprised at this point. Nothing makes me more frustrated than parks not utilizing all cars/trains/sides to make wait times shorter. That is just laziness and greed on their part. I don't approve.

 

[TulipMom]

you are not a Debbie Downer. You make perfect sense to me. Honestly I am not as excited about our trip next week as I was reading all this about rides always being broken and stuff. And the parks not being as clean and being more crowded and CMs being ruder. It really is making me wish we did not even try to do this and I am worried we are going to have an awful time.

I hope I am pleasantly surprised at this point. Nothing makes me more frustrated than parks not utilizing all cars/trains/sides to make wait times shorter. That is just laziness and greed on their part. I don't approve.

First, yes, I thoroughly agree that the operating under capacity while lines are backing up is greedy and tough to stomach!

But, please don’t be discouraged for your upcoming trip. We still had a fantastic trip! There are many more things that went right than went wrong. The problem is that some of the wrong things could & should be better managed by WDW.

We encountered WONDERFUL CMs. Repeatedly wonderful CMs who made our visit more magical. We took the time to chat to them &/or ask questions in a calm way and they really helped us have a better time. I don’t think we had a single bad experience with a CM.

 

[Magpie]

you are not a Debbie Downer. You make perfect sense to me. Honestly I am not as excited about our trip next week as I was reading all this about rides always being broken and stuff. And the parks not being as clean and being more crowded and CMs being ruder. It really is making me wish we did not even try to do this and I am worried we are going to have an awful time.

I hope I am pleasantly surprised at this point. Nothing makes me more frustrated than parks not utilizing all cars/trains/sides to make wait times shorter. That is just laziness and greed on their part. I don't approve.

I am very careful how much I let the things I read on the DisBoards influence my expectations, for this very reason.

If you've been to Disney World before, trust your memories and your reasons for returning. If you've never been, keep an open mind about what you'll encounter there.

Reading the Disboards can sometimes leave you with the impression that the parks have decayed into the most wretched hive of scum and villainy imaginable. The resorts are overpriced and the rooms are crawling with bugs. The parks are dirty. The rides are broken. Castmembers are rude. Drunken guests are staggering around everywhere, peeing in front of your children and vomiting on your shoes. Mickey is a greedy, corporate rat whose only motivation is to steal all your money and ruin your precious childhood memories.

The reality is, there's a reason most of us keep going back. There's a reason many of us invest in annual passes, and some even buy into the vacation club. And that reason is, we actually have a really good time when we're there.

Most cast members are delightful. Most of the time, the parks are clean. The rides are fun. Disney is constantly building new attractions. We feel like we're getting value for our money, most of the time. If something bad happens, we may write about it, but odds are good that really was the only bad thing about an otherwise excellent vacation. Very few people encounter everything every other person has ever complained about.

Yes, there are some rare individuals who've decided the parks are awful, but who still remain on these boards to vent their disappointment. However most of us are here because we love our Disney vacations and are eagerly anticipating the next one.

For me, I don't go expecting the worst and hoping to be "pleasantly surprised". Because I know, personally, that attitude would simply guarantee that I'd spot every bit of refuse on every bathroom floor, I'd notice every cast member who failed to wish me a magical day, every ride that's out of service, and that worn spot on my hotel room floor rug would negatively impact my impression of the entire room. So when I hear these stories, I think instead, "Oh, that's too bad that happened to them," and then I put it out of my mind. If I encounter these things, hopefully, I won't ascribe much importance to them, because there will be so many other wonderful things to distract me. And if the time ever comes when Disney stops being a fun vacation... then I just won't go back. And I'll quit the Disboards (because I'll be on some other vacation board, eagerly anticipating my vacation to some other wonderful place).

 

[DisneyFive]

OP, that does seem like a lot of down rides for you. Could just be the odds...

I would guess that we've typically experienced 3 or so rides down, when we've wanted to ride them, during an 8-9 night stay. A small enough number that it didn't have a significant impact on our stay.

Dan

 

[turtlechick6]

I am very careful how much I let the things I read on the DisBoards influence my expectations, for this very reason.

If you've been to Disney World before, trust your memories and your reasons for returning. If you've never been, keep an open mind about what you'll encounter there.

Reading the Disboards can sometimes leave you with the impression that the parks have decayed into the most wretched hive of scum and villainy imaginable. The resorts are overpriced and the rooms are crawling with bugs. The parks are dirty. The rides are broken. Castmembers are rude. Drunken guests are staggering around everywhere, peeing in front of your children and vomiting on your shoes. Mickey is a greedy, corporate rat whose only motivation is to steal all your money and ruin your precious childhood memories.

The reality is, there's a reason most of us keep going back. There's a reason many of us invest in annual passes, and some even buy into the vacation club. And that reason is, we actually have a really good time when we're there.

Most cast members are delightful. Most of the time, the parks are clean. The rides are fun. Disney is constantly building new attractions. We feel like we're getting value for our money, most of the time. If something bad happens, we may write about it, but odds are good that really was the only bad thing about an otherwise excellent vacation. Very few people encounter everything every other person has ever complained about.

Yes, there are some rare individuals who've decided the parks are awful, but who still remain on these boards to vent their disappointment. However most of us are here because we love our Disney vacations and are eagerly anticipating the next one.

For me, I don't go expecting the worst and hoping to be "pleasantly surprised". Because I know, personally, that attitude would simply guarantee that I'd spot every bit of refuse on every bathroom floor, I'd notice every cast member who failed to wish me a magical day, every ride that's out of service, and that worn spot on my hotel room floor rug would negatively impact my impression of the entire room. So when I hear these stories, I think instead, "Oh, that's too bad that happened to them," and then I put it out of my mind. If I encounter these things, hopefully, I won't ascribe much importance to them, because there will be so many other wonderful things to distract me. And if the time ever comes when Disney stops being a fun vacation... then I just won't go back. And I'll quit the Disboards (because I'll be on some other vacation board, eagerly anticipating my vacation to some other wonderful place).

I have had a great time every other time I went so I am still looking forward to it. Its been 5 years since I went though so I just hope it has not changed

 

[mousehouse23]

Our family went to Disneyland for the first time this past May, and it was far worse for rides going down compared to our past trips to WDW. We loved the park, and were glad we went, but it was definitely the worst part of our vacation. One morning, we experienced three rides being down in a row. Pirates, Indy, BTMRR. It was a constant refrain throughout the week.

I hope it won't become as ubiquitous at WDW.

 

[Magpie]

I have had a great time every other time I went so I am still looking forward to it. Its been 5 years since I went though so I just hope it has not changed

When I first joined this board, ten years ago, people were already complaining how much the parks had changed compared to how they were back when they first started going. Sometimes, reading these boards, you'd think Disney has been on a steady downward slide since it opened in 1971.

And I'm as prone as anyone else to nostalgia, wherein everything in my past was so much better than it is today.

But the nice thing about Disney is that there's always something new to experience and discover. If you haven't been in 5 years, there's going to be a lot for you to see! New shows, new rides...

I've been away for almost a year and a half now, and my next trip is booked for January. I am SO anticipating the new Soarin' ride. And to walk through Avatar land, and try the new rides. And to check out the Rivers of Light, and the tree awakening, and the night Safari. The Muppet show outside the Hall of Presidents. The Frozen Ever After Ride. And the Arts Festival in Epcot! Sure, I might come away thinking one or the other of these things is over-rated (even though undoubtedly someone else thinks they're the best thing ever), but they're all stuff I haven't seen before. And that, by itself, is exciting.

And many of my old favourites will still be there, too.

Disney World HAS changed, and that's a good thing, I think. But, at the same time, the things I've loved most about Disney, and which keep me coming back time after time (such as the friendly cast members), haven't changed at all over the 12 years I've been visiting the parks. So, I'm not worried.

Maybe in another 10 years I'll feel differently.

 

[sponica]

I am very careful how much I let the things I read on the DisBoards influence my expectations, for this very reason.

If you've been to Disney World before, trust your memories and your reasons for returning. If you've never been, keep an open mind about what you'll encounter there.

Reading the Disboards can sometimes leave you with the impression that the parks have decayed into the most wretched hive of scum and villainy imaginable. The resorts are overpriced and the rooms are crawling with bugs. The parks are dirty. The rides are broken. Castmembers are rude. Drunken guests are staggering around everywhere, peeing in front of your children and vomiting on your shoes. Mickey is a greedy, corporate rat whose only motivation is to steal all your money and ruin your precious childhood memories.

You practically made me spit out my water in laughter!

But I think your wisdom applies to any internet forum, complainers complain a lot louder than the people who are happy.

 

[Anabelletoronto]

Something is usually down somewhere. This is why I always recommend to new visitors to stay for at least one week and use park hoppers.

But parkhoppers are expensive. If I'm there for 5 days and plan to spend one day in each park, I shouldn't have to have hoppers as insurance in case rides are down.
Would they ever offer a free hopper if your fave ride is down all day so you can come back another day? I'm thinking FEA

 

[Mitzicat]

I believe I can post this link because it provides some background to why some of these rides "go down." https://www.bettercloud.com/monitor/engineering-magic-the-tech-secrets-behind-theme-parks/

I understand the frustration of planning a trip out a year in advance only to find out your favorite ride is down for a few hours, but it does happen. Not saying anyone on here, but most folks don't understand what goes into creating these attractions. Any number of actions could result in the ride going down. Some of those could be: "Junior tosses his cookies on RNRC...someone has to clean it up." "Sally's hat flies off on TOT and triggers a safety warning and the whole ride stops." While the first incident is pretty easy to get back up and running, the second could take hours. From emptying all the cars, to restarting the whole system.

I once attended a Halloween party during a thunderstorm. The entire Magic Kingdom took a power hit and sent every attraction from the Haunted Mansion to Splash Mountain to Pirates into complete darkness. It was a good hour before they got them up and running again. Pretty much they had to properly power them off. Wait for the systems to reset and then power back up.

I'm not trying to say that anyone shouldn't be frustrated or upset - I've felt it before...but when you stop and look at what it really takes to run an attraction it kind of lessens the blow a little. The only attraction without such issues would be the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House! lol

 

[stinkpickle]

But parkhoppers are expensive. If I'm there for 5 days and plan to spend one day in each park, I shouldn't have to have hoppers as insurance in case rides are down.
Would they ever offer a free hopper if your fave ride is down all day so you can come back another day? I'm thinking FEA

It could happen. I have some friends who got an extra day added on to their tickets. I can't remember what she complained about, though...

 

[deide71]

Sunday October 22...Space Mountain down at rope drop 0800 and stayed down until 10-11 am. Seven Dwarfs went down at 0945 and Splash was down for refurb. At one point 3 of 4 headliners were out of commission.

I am sorry but that is just ridiculous

 

[TulipMom]

Sunday October 22...Space Mountain down at rope drop 0800 and stayed down until 10-11 am. Seven Dwarfs went down at 0945 and Splash was down for refurb. At one point 3 of 4 headliners were out of commission.

I am sorry but that is just ridiculous

Yep! That was our MK day.

 

[TulipMom]

I'm not trying to say that anyone shouldn't be frustrated or upset - I've felt it before...but when you stop and look at what it really takes to run an attraction it kind of lessens the blow a little. The only attraction without such issues would be the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House! lol

Thanks for sharing the link!

And, I get it. It takes a lot to keep WDW running. But, they're getting a lot from all of us to keep it running well. They're doing okay. And when unexpected, unplanned things do happen, they can choose to make it right for the guests. As we've discussed above, there are many options available.

I can experience a great vacation AND have respect for all that goes into maintaining WDW AND still come back to say, "They should do better in this way." All of those things can be true at the same time.