Indy Refurb?

[Chelsea524]

It would be my luck if Indie was down during my trip this fall. It was down for chain repair or something like that during my spring trip. That ride and space mountain are the only two rides that I would be heart broken over missing this fall and both are up in the air whether or not they are going to be open when I'm there.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

i wish they would do the woc refurb before oct so say sep right after the huge summer crowds are gone.
come on disney do it and only take two weeks. not long be back open by Halloween start dates lol

 

[chrissiecutie]

As far as I know, there is not another major refurb planned for Indy. Remember Indy received a MAJOR refurb only a few years ago, so it won't be due for one for probably 4-5 years, at least. They will of course do their yearly refurb of up to about 2 weeks.

That being said, I have heard from multiple people that BTRR will go down this fall for an 18-24 month rehab.

Basically, they want to redo all of the track and rework the queue and loading area to make wheelchair loading and unloading safer, as well as either remove the stairs or install an elevator to make the regular and FP queues fully accessible. Right now the procedure is apparently a liability nightmare waiting to happen, imagine if a wheelchair started rolling while a train was coming into the station. The results would definitely not be good.

I don't remember a more recent extended Indy refurb....but based upon what everyone here is saying, it sounds like some work is definately needed!

Based upon personal experience on our recent trip, I would not be surprised if BTMRR had a refurb and soon. DH & DS both LOVE this ride and rode it many, many times on our last trip. They got stuck mid-hill a few times and had to wait at least 20+ minutes. One time DS had to pee and was stuck on the ride...poor kid! They also had the ride completely break down so DH & DS got to walk off it. They loved this! They got to see the ride from a different perspective and got a free, FP type ticket to Space Mtn. Awesome!

As far as the queue for BTMMR and wheelchairs....I just don't see how they would change this much? Right now, wheelchairs line up on the opposite side of where general public lines up at the turnstyle gates. So on the opposite side of the track. The only real problem I see here is that this side is not very wide. So it's difficult to have to wheelchairs side by side AND people. But really, I don't see how BTMRR would be any more of a liability then say, Splash Mtn. Whats to keep wheelchairs from rolling DOWNHILL at Splash and into the water? At least with BTMRR there's no hill. It's always been my experience that the CM's are very careful of people and wheelchairs to make sure no one gets hurt. And if you've ever used a wheelchair- you know how unlikely it is for it to suddenly get a mind of it's own and decide to wander.

 

[mariners1999]

That being said, I have heard from multiple people that BTRR will go down this fall for an 18-24 month rehab.

WOW 18-24 months??? That seems insane to have a ride like that down for 2 years.

 

[cmwade77]

I don't remember a more recent extended Indy refurb....but based upon what everyone here is saying, it sounds like some work is definately needed!

Based upon personal experience on our recent trip, I would not be surprised if BTMRR had a refurb and soon. DH & DS both LOVE this ride and rode it many, many times on our last trip. They got stuck mid-hill a few times and had to wait at least 20+ minutes. One time DS had to pee and was stuck on the ride...poor kid! They also had the ride completely break down so DH & DS got to walk off it. They loved this! They got to see the ride from a different perspective and got a free, FP type ticket to Space Mtn. Awesome!

As far as the queue for BTMMR and wheelchairs....I just don't see how they would change this much? Right now, wheelchairs line up on the opposite side of where general public lines up at the turnstyle gates. So on the opposite side of the track. The only real problem I see here is that this side is not very wide. So it's difficult to have to wheelchairs side by side AND people. But really, I don't see how BTMRR would be any more of a liability then say, Splash Mtn. Whats to keep wheelchairs from rolling DOWNHILL at Splash and into the water? At least with BTMRR there's no hill. It's always been my experience that the CM's are very careful of people and wheelchairs to make sure no one gets hurt. And if you've ever used a wheelchair- you know how unlikely it is for it to suddenly get a mind of it's own and decide to wander.

t was about 3 months, in 2009 as I recall.

And at BTMRR, the rumor is that they would completely redo the queue and widen the loading platform. The problem here is indeed that it is too narrow, which means even a small accidental roll (which is possible) could result in a massive problem. At Splash Mountain, the exit area is a lot wider, which means even if they do roll downhill a little, it won't be an issue. Yes, rented chairs may not roll too easily; however, a personal chair could. In addition, ECVs can malfunction and move when they are not supposed to, etc. Even a 1' movement on BTRR could be an issue, where as on Splash, this would not be an issue.

WOW 18-24 months??? That seems insane to have a ride like that down for 2 years.

That was my reaction when they told me, but remember Space Mountain was down for about that amount of time and the work they want to do is apparently comparable. Basically it will amount to ripping everything but the basic structure out (although some of that will go too) and replacing it.

Again, just what multiple people have told me is a very strong possibility of happening.

 

[chrissiecutie]

t was about 3 months, in 2009 as I recall.

And at BTMRR, the rumor is that they would completely redo the queue and widen the loading platform. The problem here is indeed that it is too narrow, which means even a small accidental roll (which is possible) could result in a massive problem. At Splash Mountain, the exit area is a lot wider, which means even if they do roll downhill a little, it won't be an issue. Yes, rented chairs may not roll too easily; however, a personal chair could. In addition, ECVs can malfunction and move when they are not supposed to, etc. Even a 1' movement on BTRR could be an issue, where as on Splash, this would not be an issue.


That was my reaction when they told me, but remember Space Mountain was down for about that amount of time and the work they want to do is apparently comparable. Basically it will amount to ripping everything but the basic structure out (although some of that will go too) and replacing it.

On our last visit Splash was down for it's refurb. Did they widen the loading area during that time?? The way I remember it, it's not really much bigger then BTMRR. And there is a large, fairly steep hill that levels off just a bit near the actual loading area. However, I do remember the actual area/platform (not the hill portion) as being very uneven. My sister, who is the one in the wheelchair, had some major issues with the uneven ground here. She tripped one time and almost took a faceplant into the logs.

Our problem with BTMRR has been the narrowness of the platform. Since it's also the area where folks exit the ride and as more people in wheelchairs come in the exit to line up...it can get very congested. What the CM's have done to combat this is have the wheelchairs & their party, line up along the back fencing in a straight line. IMO, this has helped but not really solved the problem.

Luckily we've never had an ECV malfunction on us. Of course my sister is super paranoid of running into people or things so she'll usually get close to where we need to line up & then DH or I will talk to the CM and they will give us further instructions. So really...she and her ECV don't get too close to have an accident.

 

[cmwade77]

On our last visit Splash was down for it's refurb. Did they widen the loading area during that time?? The way I remember it, it's not really much bigger then BTMRR. And there is a large, fairly steep hill that levels off just a bit near the actual loading area. However, I do remember the actual area/platform (not the hill portion) as being very uneven. My sister, who is the one in the wheelchair, had some major issues with the uneven ground here. She tripped one time and almost took a faceplant into the logs.

Our problem with BTMRR has been the narrowness of the platform. Since it's also the area where folks exit the ride and as more people in wheelchairs come in the exit to line up...it can get very congested. What the CM's have done to combat this is have the wheelchairs & their party, line up along the back fencing in a straight line. IMO, this has helped but not really solved the problem.

Luckily we've never had an ECV malfunction on us. Of course my sister is super paranoid of running into people or things so she'll usually get close to where we need to line up & then DH or I will talk to the CM and they will give us further instructions. So really...she and her ECV don't get too close to have an accident.

At Splash, you usually wait up at the top of the little hill until your log arrives and is empty. At least that has been the case whenever I have been there with someone in a wheelchair.

ECVs have electronics, so they can malfunction. Ultimately it boils down to something that the lawyers are probably worried about.

 

[DisneytheKid]

WOW 18-24 months??? That seems insane to have a ride like that down for 2 years.

So much for riding BTMR on our next trip

 

[DLR29]

So much for riding BTMR on our next trip

Whoah whoah whoah...nothing has been confirmed! Don't get disappointed already!

 

[DisneytheKid]

Whoah whoah whoah...nothing has been confirmed! Don't get disappointed already!

Lol, sorry I meant to post the winking face

 

[rdailey]

I seem to recall last year that the refurb for POTC and a few others had been announced already. Any ideas how early they typically announce refurbs like these?

 

[HydroGuy]

I seem to recall last year that the refurb for POTC and a few others had been announced already. Any ideas how early they typically announce refurbs like these?

There rumors in June about the POTC refurb. I doubt we will find out much about September refurbs until maybe August 1.

 

[Spassvogel]

Star Tours was a huge improvement. No doubt about it. Space Mountain on the other hand.... I preferred the old version with the moons and galaxies flying around you. I also missed the glowing red orb very much.

A refurbishment is just that: a chance to improve/repair something.

Every time they do a major refurb on a ride, I find I can't fit anymore, hehe. Space Mountain, and now the Matterhorn. (I was able to jam myself into the front seat, but it was painful and not the most fun place to ride. :/