NOOO!!! the rumours are true about indy :(

[debbiedoo]

I love Dionosaur at AK and was looking forward to riding this! This is my first trip to DL and probably won't go again for many years

IMHO. Psssttt.... Dinosaur is much better.

 

[HydroGuy]

IMHO. Psssttt.... Dinosaur is much better.

I think Dinosaur is one of the most if not the most underrated attraction at all of WDW. But better than Indy? Really? Deferring to the masses has Indy preferred over Dinosaur by about...oh.....99.9% of the population. Even so, there are some stray votes for Dino out there. Like there are for POTC and Space Mtn at MK being better than their counterparts at DL. Some, but not many.

 

[princesscinderella]

I'm a WDW vet and there is no way dinosaur is better than indy. The theming on Indy is better even though the vehicles and format are the same. I find dinosaur to be a little more intense and scarier than Indy for the younger ones just tall enough to ride.

 

[damo]

IMHO. Psssttt.... Dinosaur is much better.

no

 

[cyclenut]

I find the concept of charging less for the offseason to be interesting. There are so many factors that go into pricing. I have zero insight into Disney pricing, but i can speculate. I believe that Disney averages their expenses over the year and sets prices accordingly. They are not like an airline or cruise line where admission prices fluctuate as the demand changes. I would not be surprised if the offseason tickets don't help subsidize lower summer ticket prices to some degree.

Also, If Disney dropped prices during the offseason it would likely increase attendance, making it less of an offseason. Disney reduces staff during offseason, often running rides at half capacity (fewer trains, fewer ride cars, etc.). Larger crowds would defeat the purpose. Expenses would not be enough lower to justify the lower admission cost. Not to mention that ride refurbishments are not cheap.

Someone else also posted about lower costs in other areas such as hotel during offseason. The overall cost for the vacation is lower, just not park admission. So there is some value there to consider. Also, crowds are definitely lower and even though rides are running at lower capacity, there is a much better chance that you actually get to ride MORE rides during the offseason due to the lower crowds and shorter lines. Sure, some rides are off line, but the ones that remain still provide a Disney experience and you get more of them for your trip. What might take you 6 days to cover in the summer could be done in 5 (or maybe 4) during offseason.

All of the above make it tough to argue that the Disney experience is actually less during offseason. Definitely a different experience, but I don't see a lesser experience.

 

[jacs1234]

Click on "Park Hours", then you can view the refurbishments by day, on the daily calendar.

Thank you.

 

[ManusDei]

I have to express my bittersweet lament at this fact. I'm a huge Indy fan, in fact being a Disneyland nut and riding Indy eventually led me to become a huge Indiana Jones fan in general (I had seen and loved the movies before, but now I know much more about the universe). It even inspired me to create an awesome Indy costume, which I used at last year's MHP (lots of random people were yelling "INDY!" at me ). So needless to say, Indy the ride is my favorite attraction in DL, and I will be really sad that it's going down . However, as other posters have state, boy does Indy really need some TLC, and I look forward to my favorite ride being at it's best after the refurb .

Lol the Indiana Jones theme music is totally playing in my head now, and now it's playing in yours too

 

[madmaxx]

We've only ever been to DL in the offseason and have found it great value and loads of fun, despite a closures and reduced hours (even when half of DCA was under construction). The difference is that the crowds are much lighter, based on wait times, and it's much cooler (which is nice for us northerners). There is still so much to see and do that we never get bored.

 

[quantumottle]

Couldn't agree more. Just got back and we rode Indy 6 or 8 times. The ball isn't rolling, half the time there's no fire when you stop on the bridge, ride broke down constantly the last two weeks, etc. It REALLY needs a refurb...

Good find. As much as Indy is my favorite attraction and I will miss it while it's down, I'm excited for some good, long work to be done to it. Hopefullly we'll see some new effects and improve the reliability of the ride.

Here's the link: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/indiana-jones-adventure/

 

[philliplc]

I think Dinosaur is one of the most if not the most underrated attraction at all of WDW.

i think the dinosaur experience suffers greatly from the mandatory tedious preshow, while going through the queue at indy is almost better than the ride.

 

[rokstedy]

It's really a shame. The ride is so epic and full awesome. There is so much to keep up. Between all the moving parts (ball, bridge, snake) and the ride mechanics of the car itself, it's a difficult ride to keep going all the time.

Unfortunately, I don't believe this refurb will solve the problem permanently. They've had decades to figure this thing out and haven't. It's just a handful I'm afraid. At least that's my opinion.

 

[Ragnrok23]

IMHO. Psssttt.... Dinosaur is much better.

I think Dinosaur is one of the most if not the most underrated attraction at all of WDW. But better than Indy? Really? Deferring to the masses has Indy preferred over Dinosaur by about...oh.....99.9% of the population. Even so, there are some stray votes for Dino out there. Like there are for POTC and Space Mtn at MK being better than their counterparts at DL. Some, but not many.

I'm a WDW vet and there is no way dinosaur is better than indy. The theming on Indy is better even though the vehicles and format are the same. I find dinosaur to be a little more intense and scarier than Indy for the younger ones just tall enough to ride.

i think the dinosaur experience suffers greatly from the mandatory tedious preshow, while going through the queue at indy is almost better than the ride.

I do LOVE Dinosaur at WDW, probably top 5 ride for me, thats why I was looking so forward to Indy. And almost everyone I've talked to has said Indy is better

I do not have any children yet, so I can still enjoy the attraction with my fiance

I do agree that the pre-show is definatly boring, I find myself looking at my phone to see wait times for our next ride-lol

At least POC will be open (fingers crossed!) That was probably the #1 thing I wanted to compare to the WDW version

 

[nemofanatic]

This is very bad news if true. First, because it means the ride is STILL not functioning like it should, and is nearing Expedition Everest territory of futility. Secondly, because Big Thunder is also going to be down starting in September and for nearly a year. Pirates and Haunted will be incredibly busy as a result

I was looking at the refurbs. It shows the Thunder Ranch is closed, not the big thunder rr. Maybe the ride is still open, and the ranch is closed. That's how I read it.

 

[mummabear]

I find the concept of charging less for the offseason to be interesting. There are so many factors that go into pricing. I have zero insight into Disney pricing, but i can speculate. I believe that Disney averages their expenses over the year and sets prices accordingly. They are not like an airline or cruise line where admission prices fluctuate as the demand changes. I would not be surprised if the offseason tickets don't help subsidize lower summer ticket prices to some degree.

Also, If Disney dropped prices during the offseason it would likely increase attendance, making it less of an offseason. Disney reduces staff during offseason, often running rides at half capacity (fewer trains, fewer ride cars, etc.). Larger crowds would defeat the purpose. Expenses would not be enough lower to justify the lower admission cost. Not to mention that ride refurbishments are not cheap.

Someone else also posted about lower costs in other areas such as hotel during offseason. The overall cost for the vacation is lower, just not park admission. So there is some value there to consider. Also, crowds are definitely lower and even though rides are running at lower capacity, there is a much better chance that you actually get to ride MORE rides during the offseason due to the lower crowds and shorter lines. Sure, some rides are off line, but the ones that remain still provide a Disney experience and you get more of them for your trip. What might take you 6 days to cover in the summer could be done in 5 (or maybe 4) during offseason.

All of the above make it tough to argue that the Disney experience is actually less during offseason. Definitely a different experience, but I don't see a lesser experience.

I agree off season is subsidising peak season but don't think it should, do you think someone getting the park 9-12, fireworks, F!, 2 parades, full rides (no reduced capacity/no non emergency closures) should pay the same as someone getting 10-8, no fireworks/F!, 1 parade, more ride closures/reduced capacity-personally I just don't think they should flucuate their offering so much and charge the same rather than treating off season visitors as less important than peak. I have no issue with Indy being refurbed these things need to happen BUT I think they should be waiting until after SM reopens, I think they should be doing fireworks/F! more than just the weekends and I don't think it should close so early.

 

[damo]

i think the dinosaur experience suffers greatly from the mandatory tedious preshow

That and all the dark areas where there is nothing. They just need to add more stuff to the ride. Fill in the blackness!!!

 

[DLR29]

I agree off season is subsidising peak season but don't think it should, do you think someone getting the park 9-12, fireworks, F!, 2 parades, full rides (no reduced capacity/no non emergency closures) should pay the same as someone getting 10-8, no fireworks/F!, 1 parade, more ride closures/reduced capacity-personally I just don't think they should flucuate their offering so much and charge the same rather than treating off season visitors as less important than peak. I have no issue with Indy being refurbed these things need to happen BUT I think they should be waiting until after SM reopens, I think they should be doing fireworks/F! more than just the weekends and I don't think it should close so early.

You could look at admission as a cost that should fluctuate with season, but IMO it should stay constant. An off-season vacationer already has the benefit of (usually) less expensive travel and accommodation costs. It's also not like Disney is the only company that does this. Should my local Six Flags charge the same amount for a ticket on a Saturday open from 10-9 vs. a Sunday open from 10-8? Those Saturday guests have a whole extra hour! And actually, Disney has done several promotions in the past to lower admission costs during lower crowd seasons (the "Everybody plays for the kid's price" comes to my mind).

Also you seem to be wanting Disney to accommodate to your personal desires. There are several aspects that prevent what you want from happening.

1. I'm pretty sure the residential area or the city has an agreement with DLR not to do fireworks during the middle of the week because of noise complaints. Even if there's not a formal document, I'm sure a part of it is courtesy to locals.

2. There's simply less demand for nighttime shows during off season. During the times that fireworks and Fantasmic are shown nightly, it's guaranteed that these shows will be packed and tons of people will still be in the parks when they're shown. Same goes for the attractions. How many people are actually still in DL on a September wednesday at 8PM? How many people are in line for Splash Mountain at 8PM on a cold December night? Enough to keep the attraction open for a couple more hours? Probably not.

3. There are fewer seasonal workers during the offseason weekdays, so they can't properly run all the attractions at max capacity. They can't offer as many entertainment options. They can't be open later because they don't have as many CMs running the place.

4. Disney has been doing parks for a while. They know how long they want a refurbishment to take and when they want a particular attraction open by. Thus, the dates are set for the Indy refurb. They probably didn't really take into consider the Space makeover because that happens every year now and it only lasts 4 days. That means the only people affected by the Space/Indy overlap are those guests who are there for only those 4 days...a VERY small percentage of the attendance.

5. Where do you draw the line for changing admission costs? Do you make weekend visitors pay more than weekday guests because they get extra hours and entertainment? What about a weekend during offseason vs. a weekend during Spring Break? What about a weekday with 3 attractions closed vs. 1 attraction? What about guests with multi-day tickets? There are way too many factors that make this process very complicated.

6. Disney is still in the business of making money. They charge the amount that they do because people still pay for it.

Solution? Go during summer! I honestly can't recommend it enough. Crowds are not as bad as some people think, especially with a little planning and preparation.

 

[Lizzim]

You could look at admission as a cost that should fluctuate with season, but IMO it should stay constant. An off-season vacationer already has the benefit of (usually) less expensive travel and accommodation costs. It's also not like Disney is the only company that does this. Should my local Six Flags charge the same amount for a ticket on a Saturday open from 10-9 vs. a Sunday open from 10-8? Those Saturday guests have a whole extra hour! And actually, Disney has done several promotions in the past to lower admission costs during lower crowd seasons (the "Everybody plays for the kid's price" comes to my mind).

Also you seem to be wanting Disney to accommodate to your personal desires. There are several aspects that prevent what you want from happening.

1. I'm pretty sure the residential area or the city has an agreement with DLR not to do fireworks during the middle of the week because of noise complaints. Even if there's not a formal document, I'm sure a part of it is courtesy to locals.

2. There's simply less demand for nighttime shows during off season. During the times that fireworks and Fantasmic are shown nightly, it's guaranteed that these shows will be packed and tons of people will still be in the parks when they're shown. Same goes for the attractions. How many people are actually still in DL on a September wednesday at 8PM? How many people are in line for Splash Mountain at 8PM on a cold December night? Enough to keep the attraction open for a couple more hours? Probably not.

3. There are fewer seasonal workers during the offseason weekdays, so they can't properly run all the attractions at max capacity. They can't offer as many entertainment options. They can't be open later because they don't have as many CMs running the place.

4. Disney has been doing parks for a while. They know how long they want a refurbishment to take and when they want a particular attraction open by. Thus, the dates are set for the Indy refurb. They probably didn't really take into consider the Space makeover because that happens every year now and it only lasts 4 days. That means the only people affected by the Space/Indy overlap are those guests who are there for only those 4 days...a VERY small percentage of the attendance.

5. Where do you draw the line for changing admission costs? Do you make weekend visitors pay more than weekday guests because they get extra hours and entertainment? What about a weekend during offseason vs. a weekend during Spring Break? What about a weekday with 3 attractions closed vs. 1 attraction? What about guests with multi-day tickets? There are way too many factors that make this process very complicated.

6. Disney is still in the business of making money. They charge the amount that they do because people still pay for it.

Solution? Go during summer! I honestly can't recommend it enough. Crowds are not as bad as some people think, especially with a little planning and preparation.

Wow, thanks for your insight....

As I stated in the thread earlier I will be on my first trip to Disneyland in 5 weeks time...and unless something surprising happens it will probably be my only trip....because I can travel to Disneyworld in Florida for less (I live in the UK) and get fireworks and nightime entertainment almost year-round.

These things are a big part of a Disney trip for me and the fact that they are restricted at some Disney parks (Disneyland Paris does a similar thing) is disappointing

 

[DisneyMommy403]

Lol the Indiana Jones theme music is totally playing in my head now, and now it's playing in yours too

Yup.

 

[HydroGuy]

Wow, thanks for your insight....

As I stated in the thread earlier I will be on my first trip to Disneyland in 5 weeks time...and unless something surprising happens it will probably be my only trip....because I can travel to Disneyworld in Florida for less (I live in the UK) and get fireworks and nightime entertainment almost year-round.

These things are a big part of a Disney trip for me and the fact that they are restricted at some Disney parks (Disneyland Paris does a similar thing) is disappointing

As you know, WDW does not run entertainment daily all year round either. The only thing I can think of that does run every day is Illuminations. Fantasmic showings are particularly frustrating at lower times of year and only show twice a week, while DL shows F! generally three nights a week even in low season.

The way many folks get around this is they plan 7-8 day trips to WDW and typically are able to catch whatever entertainment they want if they plan their days out properly.

If one plans a DLR trip for a 7-8 days (or even 5-6 days) they can do something similar.

I agree with DLR29 that anyone planning a once-in-a-lifetime type trip should really look at visiting DLR in the summer. This advise is consistently given on this forum by many including me. I understand not everyone can follow that advise, but for those who have that option it is the way to go.

Hope your trip otherwise works out wonderfully!

 

[starshine514]

I agree off season is subsidising peak season but don't think it should, do you think someone getting the park 9-12, fireworks, F!, 2 parades, full rides (no reduced capacity/no non emergency closures) should pay the same as someone getting 10-8, no fireworks/F!, 1 parade, more ride closures/reduced capacity-personally I just don't think they should flucuate their offering so much and charge the same rather than treating off season visitors as less important than peak. I have no issue with Indy being refurbed these things need to happen BUT I think they should be waiting until after SM reopens, I think they should be doing fireworks/F! more than just the weekends and I don't think it should close so early.

I love the 10:00 - 8:00 days, you can get so much more done because of the lower crowds (and still get some rest instead of staying until midnight and still being there for park opening the next morning). Most of our trips run Sunday - Thursday (or sometimes Saturday - Wednesday) so that we get to see fireworks (and occassionally F!). For us, it's a good tradeoff (and since we have APs, if something is down this trip, it will likely be running again next trip). However, if I really didn't want refurbs and I wanted long hours, I'd go during the summer or at Christmastime to take advantage of the longer hours and fewer refurbs).

DLR29 is right about getting cheaper prices on things like hotel during the offseason (prices can be double or more during high season vs low season). However, DL has been known to run ticket promotions during the offseason (reduced prices for certain dates, 5 days for the price of 3, park hoppers for the price of single park tickets, etc), so they do vary their cost to some extent when they think they need to, but not all 10 - 8 days are discounted.