Rides always breaking down at Disneyland....

[Twinprincesses]

First let me say I live the atmosphere of DL and CA over WDW. this is the second year in a row that we have had a horrible trip though with ride after ride at DL/CA breaking down on us. My biggest complaint is the communication between staff and guests. They just say the ride is broken sorry. One example is 45 minutes after waiting in line for Indiana Jones the ride breaks, we are in the building and they just say sorry come back later. We were probably 5 minutes from the front. I asked for fast passes and they said no, not unless we actually got stuck on the ride. So we came back later and then the wait was another 45 minutes so 2 hours of our day was spent on that one ride. Take that into consideration with Storybook Ride, Mickeys Magical Show, Pinnochio, Peter Pan, Pooh, Alice, Roger Rabbit, Space Mountain, really takes the happy out of the happiest place on earth.


Is this always an issue there or do we just have bad luck?

 

[allsaintsatx]

I'm so sorry it took away some of your fun at DL. We had a similar experience with GRR, GSS and SM which were broken 8 out of the 10 times we went.

Our remedy? Fast passes.

The SM ride broke down and we had only waited in line about 3 minutes because we were in the fast pass line. Even though we didn't get to go on it at least we didn't have to wait in line for an hour like those other poor patrons had to and we were free to go somewhere else without eating up an hour of our day.

And if you want a make-up fast pass do not ask the CMs who work at the ride. They deflected all of our requests. We looked around and found a nice man wearing a suit that had a Disney name tag on. He must've been some sort of a manager.

We told him about our 8 fast passes and how they were all useless as the rides kept breaking down. Without batting an eye he gave us a free fast pass that was good for 5 guests on any ride, not just the ones we couldn't get on. We saved it until later and used it on IJA after the fast passes for that attraction were long gone and the waits were about an hour.

 

[spellhex]

Either you have bad luck or I have great luck because only once in the past ten visits has a ride broken down while I was in line.

 

[DLR29]

First let me say I live the atmosphere of DL and CA over WDW. this is the second year in a row that we have had a horrible trip though with ride after ride at DL/CA breaking down on us. My biggest complaint is the communication between staff and guests. They just say the ride is broken sorry. One example is 45 minutes after waiting in line for Indiana Jones the ride breaks, we are in the building and they just say sorry come back later. We were probably 5 minutes from the front. I asked for fast passes and they said no, not unless we actually got stuck on the ride. So we came back later and then the wait was another 45 minutes so 2 hours of our day was spent on that one ride. Take that into consideration with Storybook Ride, Mickeys Magical Show, Pinnochio, Peter Pan, Pooh, Alice, Roger Rabbit, Space Mountain, really takes the happy out of the happiest place on earth.

First of all, I'm sorry but that does sound like bad luck. Indiana Jones breaks down probably more than any other ride at the resort.

Second, I don't know what you want the CMs to tell you. The usual spiel is that the ride has broken down (they won't tell you why, for many reasons) and that you can either leave the line or choose to wait it out. In my experience, waiting it out is always the best option, as rides tend to reopen within 15-20 min of the initial breakdown. With rides like Indy, sometimes it's a major breakdown and they'll have to clear the line. Usually, they will supply FPs for people who have waited a long time if this is the case (usually to anyone after the point where they merge FP and stand-by). If they had to clear the line for you and you were that far up and they didn't do this, I would have gone to a higher executive and asked (not complained or expected anything) politely.

Third, some of the other rides that you listed should not have broken down or at least have been down for any significant amount of time. Storybookland? Was it really broken or just closed in the afternoon for the parades? Mickey and the Magical Map? Was it cancelled? If Pooh or Pinocchio broke down I wouldn't be frustrated at all because those lines are 15 minutes max. I would come back later and it'd be fine. And with Peter Pan, Roger Rabbit, and Alice the ride should be back up pretty soon after it breaks down; I'd just wait it out. And Space has a tendency to break down and procedures are similar to Indy's.

 

[HydroGuy]

First let me say I live the atmosphere of DL and CA over WDW. this is the second year in a row that we have had a horrible trip though with ride after ride at DL/CA breaking down on us. My biggest complaint is the communication between staff and guests. They just say the ride is broken sorry. One example is 45 minutes after waiting in line for Indiana Jones the ride breaks, we are in the building and they just say sorry come back later. We were probably 5 minutes from the front. I asked for fast passes and they said no, not unless we actually got stuck on the ride. So we came back later and then the wait was another 45 minutes so 2 hours of our day was spent on that one ride. Take that into consideration with Storybook Ride, Mickeys Magical Show, Pinnochio, Peter Pan, Pooh, Alice, Roger Rabbit, Space Mountain, really takes the happy out of the happiest place on earth.


Is this always an issue there or do we just have bad luck?

I have never noticed that DLR is particularly worse than WDW on ride break downs. There are a lot more rides per park at DLR than at WDW (twice as many) and that may make it seem like rides are breaking down twice as much.

Your Indy experience sounds frustrating and it is always just that in such situations.

My bottom line to you is if you visit WDW and DLR enough times I think these experiences and perceptions will flatten out.

Hope that helps!

 

[Rubygoose]

Monster's inc broke down while we were in line, but they got it going again within 10 minutes. Then it broke down while we were on it and we were walked off the ride. My kids knocked on all the doors! They gave us a pass to return later that day.

I think if you're on a ride with FP and it breaks down during your FP return, they should honor your pass later that day.

We waited for Peter Pan during EE and it broke down. We should have left the line up, but stuck it out. I think we waisted 30-40 minutes of our EE waiting. When we finally got on, I overheard a guest who was very upset that they were stuck on the ride and wasted the majority of their magic morning. I hope they were compinsated in some way, as they couldn't just leave the line up like we could have, and they couldn't be walked off because it's up in the air.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

We've never had too much trouble. We have been countless times and only experienced a handful of ride breakdowns. Once it was Indy. We tries waiting out and then we were told that we would have to go. We were given fast passes for the inconvenience. Once it was TSMWM, we were next in line and it broke down. We did not get a fast pass. I look at it like this: its annoying to deal with things like that when you pay a lot of money to be there, however, I would rather a ride be shut down for whatever reason if it ensures that it will operate properly and safely. They simply can't crank out quick fixes to keep everyone happy. And when you consider the volume of riders and how much time these rides are running, the down time is minimal. Not any less annoying, but it is what it is! I think DLR offers plenty of alternatives to keep busy and entertained in the mean time!

 

[Twinprincesses]

First of all, I'm sorry but that does sound like bad luck. Indiana Jones breaks down probably more than any other ride at the resort.

Second, I don't know what you want the CMs to tell you. The usual spiel is that the ride has broken down (they won't tell you why, for many reasons) and that you can either leave the line or choose to wait it out. In my experience, waiting it out is always the best option, as rides tend to reopen within 15-20 min of the initial breakdown. With rides like Indy, sometimes it's a major breakdown and they'll have to clear the line. Usually, they will supply FPs for people who have waited a long time if this is the case (usually to anyone after the point where they merge FP and stand-by). If they had to clear the line for you and you were that far up and they didn't do this, I would have gone to a higher executive and asked (not complained or expected anything) politely.

Third, some of the other rides that you listed should not have broken down or at least have been down for any significant amount of time. Storybookland? Was it really broken or just closed in the afternoon for the parades? Mickey and the Magical Map? Was it cancelled? If Pooh or Pinocchio broke down I wouldn't be frustrated at all because those lines are 15 minutes max. I would come back later and it'd be fine. And with Peter Pan, Roger Rabbit, and Alice the ride should be back up pretty soon after it breaks down; I'd just wait it out. And Space has a tendency to break down and procedures are similar to Indy's.

Mickeys magical map waited about 15 minutes after the show was supposed to start, they made everyone wait in the standing queue, back up then to,d us it was cancelled. When we asked if the last show would be happening they said they did not know. storybookland was honestly broken down, they said the attractions were not working properly and the ride would be closed for about 30 minutes but not to worry because the ride never has a line, the funny thing about that was the ride had a 30 plus minute wait all day. My issue with all the rides breaking was the lack of communication w CMs and their response when I would ask how long the ride would be down. with Indy I asked the Cm and he said nobody knew I would be waiting in the queue 20 minutes or I could be waiting 2 hours. With all the other ones they never told us they were really broke at all they were just sending empty cars around for about 15 or 20 minutes until we finally got the hint.


Over at CA when the Monster Inc ride broke down they cleared out the entire queue line because they said they could not have people in the building when the ride was broken down.


The only reason I mentioned something is by I have a friend there now and he posted on Facebook how the same thing is happening to him right now.

 

[Disney Dreams]

... Take that into consideration with Storybook Ride, Mickeys Magical Show, Pinnochio, Peter Pan, Pooh, Alice, Roger Rabbit, Space Mountain, really takes the happy out of the happiest place on earth.

Is this always an issue there or do we just have bad luck?

If you had all of those actually breakdown on you, I'd say you just have bad luck. Are you certain they were broken down or did they just need to be stopped temporarily for some reason?

I'm particularly curious how Mickey's Magical Map broke.

- Dreams

 

[Twinprincesses]

If you had all of those actually breakdown on you, I'd say you just have bad luck. Are you certain they were broken down or did they just need to be stopped temporarily for some reason?

I'm particularly curious how Mickey's Magical Map broke.

- Dreams

Idk they did not give us any details on the show, we actually never got in to sit down they just kept making everyone back up until they said the show was not happening. We did not even come back to see if they last show of the day went on. The way they were acting I assumed not.

I guess the correct term would be temporarily stopped, not broke down forever. But again w no communication we had no idea of what was going on, but a couple of the times w the queue lines cleared so we did not have any option I take that as the ride is broken.

 

[BlueBayou]

We go every year and ride a lot of rides. We have had our fair share of rides stopping or breaking down. We have only been walked off four rides (Superstar limo - now monster's inc, Pooh, Indy and Alice).

We were mid-ride during Superstar Limo, after about 10 minutes they came and got us out. It was kind of fun seeing the ride from the walking perspective. My husband and youngest daughter got stuck toward the end of Pooh while my oldest and I were on Splash. They were stuck for about 5 minutes before they were walked off. The only thing bad that time was another family with a baby was in the same car with my DH and our baby. The other baby had a very stinky poo about a minute into the ride stop. And our preschooler did not have a filter and was saying stuff like - 'Oooh - stinky' and 'poopy diaper'.

I wasn't with my DH and oldest for the Indy ride walk off. It was apparently quick and they got a fastpass. They were just past the loading area when the ride stopped. So it wasn't like they got to see backstage or the ride with the lights turned on.

Now Alice was funny. My mom was with us for this trip. She has extreme mobility and breathing issues. She uses a walker or wheelchair when out at home. At Disney we rent a scooter. We had just taken the time to load her onto Alice - I was riding with her in one car and my DH and girls were behind us in another car. We pulled away and my family was loading into the car behind us when the ride stopped. So we only got about 6 or so feet past loading. We were just past the lady operating the ride. It was about a 20 minute stop - somebody from maintenance had to walk the track and make sure everything was clear and then use a key in the control panel restart the ride. The lady let us know how long it would probably take (it was a tripped sensor or something - she seemed to be very forthcoming) and since my mom is so immobile - we figured it would be better to just to stay on the ride rather than off load and reload. Once the ride restarted - some of the effects were not working.

We have been stuck for about 5 minutes on the up hill of GRR - but that was because some idiot teens were changing positions in their boat and ride had to be stopped. In addition to prerecorded delay message - an operator came on specifically scolding and threatening with removal from the park.

My daughter and I got stopped on RSR - at the part where you go into the body shop. We were stuck for about 7 minutes and then the ride restarted. Some of the effects were not working after that. When we got back to the station - they offered us a re-ride - but after waiting in line for 2 hours I needed to use the restroom so badly. My DD12 is still upset with me for not riding again. In retrospect - I should have asked for a fast pass.

 

[DisneyMarvelStarWars]

On my last vacation to DLR, one year ago, it was a nine day stretch and something was down in both parks every day. RSR seemed to be down everyday. Soarin, Indiana Jones, Alice, Buzz Lightyear, and CA Screamin are the ones I can remember being down at some point.

 

[SarafinaPink]

My issue with all the rides breaking was the lack of communication w CMs and their response when I would ask how long the ride would be down. with Indy I asked the Cm and he said nobody knew I would be waiting in the queue 20 minutes or I could be waiting 2 hours. With all the other ones they never told us they were really broke at all they were just sending empty cars around for about 15 or 20 minutes until we finally got the hint.

Sorry you had such an unlucky experience, I know that can be really frustrating. I will say that the front line CMs usually say they don't know how long it will be because they honestly don't. Sometimes it's a simple reset that takes a few minutes, but sometimes it's a safety concern or other honest breakdown and really the only people who know how long that's going to be are the ones fixing it. Sometimes they don't even know (think about if your computer all the sudden starts freezing or something. Most of the time you are diagnosing the problem and only when you figure that out can you get a good estimate of the time). These ride systems are crazy complicated (especially Indy) and the CMs would rather give you an "I don't know" then promise something that they may not be able to deliver on.

I do think the fact that a ride was sending empty cars around and no one said something is a problem for sure. I've never seen them do that, always hear an announcement, but you are totally right that the communication was poor there.

It's tough to run a park 365 days a year and not have issues, and sometimes it's not even a break down, guests can do things they are not supposed to and trigger safety stops. I think you just have to go into it expecting that it may happen at one point and if you do see CM's not communicating enough, you should bring it up to city hall so that they can make sure it's addressed.

 

[Thundergod]

They need to just shut down all Disneyland rides for a solid year and refurbish every ride that hasn't been in the past couple years.

Leave the park open but without the rides. I'd still go and watch parades and enjoy the atmosphere. I may enjoy it more if there weren't snot nosed kids running around!!!

 

[Escape2Disney]

I look at it like this: its annoying to deal with things like that when you pay a lot of money to be there, however, I would rather a ride be shut down for whatever reason if it ensures that it will operate properly and safely.

Agreed. At our local county fair this year, pieces of the zipper ride were flying off, hitting guests in the face. They closed the ride for the last hour of the night, but it was back up and being used in the morning. I much prefer Disney's cautious stance on ride safety to this.

 

[krispin41]

My DH and I have only been stopped on RSR. This was the month after it opened. It was going down quite frequently the day we were there. We were actually on the ride (right near where you see Mater the first time) for about 15 minutes. We weren't walked off, but we just sat there. In the dark. Then the ride started up again, and we were allowed to go through a second time without getting off. It was raining that day (weird summer storms) so I wonder if that had something to do with the sensors on the ride.

 

[Parsa022]

I've had pretty good experience with the attractions in general. About two years ago, Alice in Wonderland went down and we were walked off. Sounds like bad luck, sorry!