Intro and "Off Season" question

[curiouser]

Hi everyone! I am so excited to be posting on the DLR boards - you all seem so nice!

I'm sure you've all heard the story before: WDW vet now completely overwhelmed by booking a trip to DLR! That's me!

DBF went to USC and has been wanting to show me around SoCal for some time so with the new Celebrations promo coming up he suggested that we do a combined DLR/SoCal trip for my birthday. That's where my question comes in...

I read HydroGuy's tip thread and now I am so paranoid that if we go in April (18-25, the week after Easter Break) that half the park will be down for refurb. I know refurb schedules aren't posted yet for that time period, but how great are the odds that we will miss out on a lot going at that time of year?

Thanks everyone!! I am sure I'll have a TON more questions!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Welcome to the DL forum - a bunch of us here are WDW vets, too. For instance, I moved here from the Midwest, so we did always did WDW, since it was an easier flight. Now, I've lived here since 2000, but have had an AP to DL since 1999.

DL (for most of us locals on the forum) is like a trip to the zoo or the mall for folks in other cities.

Don't sweat the small stuff about the crowds and refurbs. A lot of stuff has come off of major refurb recently and with DCA being the new focus, I'm not sure how much stuff will really be down for more than general quick maintenance.

Also, the biggest thing to remember is that the biggest thing you will notice with be that the smaller walkways/distances and "local" crowds will give the park a more intimate and sometimes more crowded feel - especially in Adventureland.

You'll definitely want to use your time to wander and appreciate the small details that make DL more unique. Also, try to get in a tour - like Walk in Walt's Footsteps. I think it will really enhance your DL experience - especially since you are WDW vets!

 

[HydroGuy]

Hi I read HydroGuy's tip thread and now I am so paranoid that if we go in April (18-25, the week after Easter Break) that half the park will be down for refurb. I know refurb schedules aren't posted yet for that time period, but how great are the odds that we will miss out on a lot going at that time of year?

Thanks everyone!! I am sure I'll have a TON more questions!

It appears I swung your pendulum too far! My point is not that tons of refurbs occur off-season. There are usually only a handful. What I see around here are threads every month by people who "had no idea" that some of their favorite rides are going to be down for their off-season trip and that they are "devastated" or their trip will be "ruined". After I saw a post like that for the 10th time I wrote my threads to give people some advance notice and hopefully make a more informed decision about when to go.

For other people's info, the OP is referring to these two threads of mine:

"What You Should Know About Off-Season at DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18462889

"HydroGuy's High Season/Off Season Tradeoff Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199852

Obviously no one knows for sure what will happen in 2009 as far as refurbs, but here is what happened the last two Aprils for comparison:

April 2008
http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=dl080407xx

Disneyland

• "it's a small world" – closed for a nine-month refurbishment, and should reopen in late November 2008.
• Mark Twain Riverboat – closed April 21 to 23 for refurbishment.
• Mr. Toad's Wild ride – closed April 21 to 24 for refurbishment.
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – closed April 28 to May 1 for refurbishment.

Disney's California Adventure

• Corn Dog Castle – closed May 5 to 16 for refurbishment.
• It's Tough to be a Bug – closed May 12 to 23 for refurbishment.
• Toy Story / Midway Mania attraction is still under construction and expected to officially open the weekend of June 13-15, 2008.

April 2007
http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=dl070402xx

Disneyland

• Splash Mountain closed January 22 - May 18 for major refurbishment. No major changes are expected but lift mechanics are being replaced.
• Professor Barnaby Owl's Photographic Art Studio closed January 23 - May 18 due to closure of Splash Mountain (store is primarily for sale of Splash Mountain ride photos).
• Mark Twain Riverboat closed through May 25.
• Tom Sawyer Island dark February 5 - May 24 due to add new pirate themed elements to the island.
• Fantasmic! dark February 12 - June 14 due to work on Tom Sawyer Island.
• Tarzan's Treehouse closed indefinitely. The attraction closed unexpectedly the week of March 19 and the reopening date is not known. Rumors suggest it may not be until 2008.
• Aladdin's Oasis dark April 30 - May 4.
• Disneyland Railroad closed May 7 - June 8, likely to allow heavy equipment access to Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride closed May 14 - May 18 and then again June 4 - June 7.
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is currently under construction and will open sometime in June or July, 2007.

Disney's California Adventure

• Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage! closed May 29 - June 7.
• Midway Games closed close June 20 for an unknown duration. The future of the games has been somewhat questionable due to the Toy Story Mania project.
• Toy Story Mania under construction. Opens 2008.

 

[curiouser]

Thanks, Nancy! DBF is easing me into what to expect at DL in contrast to WDW. The DL guide for WDW by HydroGuy was absolutely fabulous as well!!

HyroGuy, don't worry! I am naturally paranoid so it doesn't take much to get my pendulum out of whack! Last years refurb schedule doesn't look too bad. I was just having visions of going in and finding out that there was no Fantasmic, no parades, no Matterhorn, no fireworks and that they had packed up the castle and moved it to Guam!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Guam - no that plan is to move it to the newly planned park on mainland China. They have to start right after Christmas, to get all of the bricks numbered and packed in sequence for reconstruction purposes. There are an awful lot of bricks in that castle, don't cha know!

 

[Marciern22]

I've always wanted to visit Guam.
You are gonna have a great time. No worries.
It seems like everything has been refurbished recently. I hope there won't be much for you to miss.

 

[Hound 109]

I heard they were going to refurb the backside of water in 4/09.

 

[curiouser]

China would be great.. I can hit HKDL and China DL in one trip.

 

[HydroGuy]

I heard they were going to refurb the backside of water in 4/09.

Say it isn't so!