I didn't talk to anyone on board, but I SAW Mickey there in late October. The statue was damaged and the wheel was laying on the ground a little ways from the rest of the statue. I didn't take a camera out with me, so I don't have a picture - but I definitely saw it there then and that was after the hurricanes.
I guess I tend to believe the 'out for repairs' story just because there was a damaged statue there then that could have been pulled out and sent to be fixed.
pdarrah