So many closures and rides down.

[ChrissyLou]

Just back from a few days Tuesday - Friday. Besides the known main attraction refurbishments or closures of the Railroad, Monorail, and Space (I think it opened back up on Friday), we've never experienced so many mechanical disruptions or closures. Rides were up, then down, up again, then down again, and I'm not talking only about Indy. In CA several rides were down at once (including the Swings - I mean besides the canoes there aren't that many moving parts). So many closures seemed to impact other wait times, Soarin was 120 minute wait. And a couple days at DL, you've got the RR, Monorail and Space down, Tiana's (not yet open), Haunted Mansion is a virtual queue only, Fantasmic only running certain days, and yet the canoes and the Columbia were closed. A staff member cryptically mentioned that maybe enough time and money wasn't being put towards maintenance, but we were wondering if staffing is also an issue. We've experienced closures of rides many times, but never to this extent which is why it was very noticeable and different. Yes, we had a great time, but it really did negatively impact the trip.

 

[LKing]

Could it have been the heat? Wasn't it in the 105+ range for most of last week?

Golden Zephyr & Symphony Swings close when there is wind. The canoes was probably too much exertion to ask of guests in that kind of heat.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Been to DLR twice (2013 and 2017) tons of rides were up and down every day both trips so I wouldn't say its new.
I was told it was because they are very touchy and have to be reset often which means everyone gets off and they run the ride with no one and then let people on again.

 

[Howry]

Rides have been up and down forever but it does seem to be much worse then normal. Sometimes I will see 4-5 rides that are scheduled to be up, down throughout there day and many at the same time. Right now that totally sucks because there are lots of attractions unavailable so it really hurts when rides are down right now.

 

[OlliePop27]

I tend to agree that ride downtime has been worse than normal since Covid, but rides have gone down throughout the day for the entire 30 year history I've been visiting DLR. I think about it this way, the parks are often open 8:00 - Midnight essentially every day all year (with some variation in hours). It's very difficult to keep rides operating flawlessly without some downtime over a 16 hour operating day. Some rides like Indy have always broken down frequently ever since it opened.

Couple that with extreme heat, 105+, and that's a recipe for some challenging downtime. I also personally find Sept-Oct to be the worst months of the year to visit DLR. The most extreme heat of the year often happens in Sept (I've been to DLR several times in Sept with 100+ degree temps) and the overall crowds are heavy for Halloween. Also, the early closure of DCA several times per week really throws off crowd flow.

I am not a Disney apologist at all, but ride break downs is one area where I think they deserve a little grace. I certainly hope they can improve the downtime from where it currently is.

 

[LKing]

A staff member cryptically mentioned that maybe enough time and money wasn't being put towards maintenance

What did they say that insinuated maintenance wasn't kept up?

While there can be mechanical issues, many temporary closures are guest related. Examples include personal items dropped on tracks and guest accidents that need to be cleaned.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We were there at the end of July and it was a constant conversation point in our trip. I'd say that 1/4 of the LLs we booked wound up being canceled due to unexpected ride breakdowns. We were there for 3 days, and it felt like a 50/50 on whether a ride would be available for booking when I first went to book the LL. I was constantly having to tell them "sorry, that's apparently down too." The worst was Peter Pan (obviously not a LL). We boarded our ship and then just sat there. After a couple of minutes a CM asked us if the rest of our party was in the ride or behind us. Shortly after that, we started moving just to break down towards the end. Our daughter had been broken down in the ride in the dark nearly that whole time we were waiting. They eventually turned the lights on and started telling us that they were working on getting us down. Several minutes later, we got a really rough ride to the end. I know the ships are spaced so they don't crash into each other, but it's kind of scary when they're not operating at the slower standard ride speed and you see one flying towards you, hoping that the overhead mechanisms keep them from bumping.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Why I think Disneyland is having so many rides closed and not operating as usual is probably because they don't have enough staff to maintain the rides and what I think is causing it is not weather related but the staff is afraid the rides will break down with the guests. I find it shocking that Indiana Jones And The Temple Of The Forbidden Eye is down and Space Mountain is also always down because those two rides are always popular and I think Disneyland should give guests who have Lightning Lanes for those rides Lightning Lanes for alternative rides like It's A Small World Alice In Wonderland Jungle Cruise or Storybook Land Boats or a free Photopass ticket to be used on a next visit with a character meet and greet or a Disney Store gift card. It is surprising that Disneyland is now doing this a lot and also what would help guests know which rides are working Disneyland should have a board with a legend to know what rides will be operation with a W which would mean working an NO meaning no operation and D meaning down and this board would be very helpful for Disneyland visitors to learn and understand which rides are working for that day and which rides aren't working that day and it would be a great invention for Disneyland to consider and do