Credit: DisneyIf you are planning on visiting any of the Disney Parks, one thing that you can nearly always count on is that something is being updated, changed, refurbished, or built. Although a majority of the theme park will be operational and in use.
Rides are constantly being refurbished; lands are being added, attractions are being built; facades and storefronts are being touched up, pavement is being replaced, and so much more. Disney has to constantly keep up the appearance that they are brand-new with top-tier finishing and theming, but over time, guests can create wear and tear on the parks, and rides need maintenance. This means that to obtain the look of perfection, the park has to look imperfect for a small amount of time.
Then, there is also always the chance that a ride will shut down without any warning, leaving guests confused as to what is going on. Today, at Walt Disney World Resort in Magic Kingdom, a bear was roaming the theme park and potentially came from Tom Sawyer Island. Although The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did jump on the situation, 10 attractions, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Jungle Crusie, Haunted Mansion, The Hall of Presidents, Walt Disney World Railroad, Swiss Family Tree House, Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid, and Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.
That just goes to show you that anything can truly happen at a Disney park resulting in a shut down.
Typically, when it is just one ride that is out of commission, it could be sad for some guests, but it will not ruin the entire vacation. When guests start to see multiple attractions closed down, scrims covering significant sections of the park, fences up, and hear construction around them, that can be a different story.
Disneyland Paris has been going through a plethora of changes as of late, many of which have left some cause for concern among guests.
Just recently, DLP report shared, “The September 29 Disneyland Pass and AP with be a “Villainous Night”! Ticket sales open August 31 11am CET exclusively at the link below – €55. Open to the holder +1 guest, must enter together. Tickets are nominative.”
The account followed up that post by noting, “it will NOT be possible to meet with the Disney Characters during this event.” This means that guests, and specifically, Annual Passholders, would be paying to attend an event where they cannot meet or take photos with any of the characters. Considering this is a huge part and bonus about attending events like this, it is shocking to see Disneyland Paris entirely cut meet and greets. As one may imagine, guest response has not been favorable to this decision.
Recently, we also reported that Disneyland Paris had new signage asking guests to stay out of the parks between the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day if they want to avoid the large crowds that the theme park boasts.
A ticket to Disneyland Paris starts at $119 euros with transportation, so it is highly unlikely that leaving the park for seven hours is feasible or a good idea for guests who are visiting Paris and do not live there. It also creates panic for tourists who are coming for the first time, expecting to enjoy their day, and immediately seeing that the theme park is advising them to leave for the majority of the day.
On top of this, we are about to see multiple entertainment closures, including the “Disney Jr. Dream Factory”, which will be closing its doors temporarily from September 25 to October 20, 2023. “Dream… and Shine Brighter” and “Disney D-Light” will end permanently on September 30.” Of course, this left many Disneyland Paris guests devastated, as parades are an essential part of the Disney Park experience.
This will not be the only show to experience downtime, as “TOGETHER: a Pixar Musical Adventure” will not be performed from Nov 6 to Dec 15, 2023. On top of this, there will be several hotel pool closures:
– Disney Sequoia Lodge: Nov 6-17, 2023
– Davy Crockett Ranch: Nov 20-Dec 1, 2023
– Disney Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel: Dec 4-8, 2023
– Disney Newport Bay Club: Dec 11-15, 2023
Now, we have to add one of the park’s most popular attractions to the list. The Ratatouille section in Walt Disney Studios Park is now boarded up as Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is shutting down. The ride was added in 2014 to the Disneyland Paris theme park as well as Place de Rémy, the themed section surrounding the ride, placing guests into the French film.
The ride has proven to be so popular that Bistrot Chez Remy was created, a restaurant that let’s you eat food cooked by your favorite rat! Since then, we have seen Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure also open at Walt Disney World in EPCOT within the France Pavilion.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in Walt Disney Studios Park is now officially closed. The ride is now undergoing a refurbishment until September 29.
DLP Report shared the news, stating, Ratatouille is now closed for refurbishment until September 29. I would list the number of things that need fixing in this Attraction, but that would take many tweets.” They did add that “Place de Rémy looks lovely without the queue overflow”.
🔧 Ratatouille is now closed for refurbishment until September 29 included. I would list the number of things that need fixing in this Attraction but that would take many tweets.
Place de Rémy looks lovely without the queue overflow: pic.twitter.com/pWXdA0ky4y— DLP Report (@DLPReport) September 18, 2023
Among many of the things that DLP Report noted should be fixed, they stated, “many of the Ratmobiles have lost most of their onboard motion effects, the floor is still very rocky despite efforts to patch it up, a ton of original effects are often off. List goes on.”
Greengablesgal added to the list, stating, “The heat under the oven was very patchy and the mop/champagne spray rarely worked. Which also reminds me that a lot of the sensory bits in PhilharMagic doesn’t work as well.”
Stephan K noted that this is why having one park in each “land” is an issue, “TBH, this is why I hate the current trend of Disney to only place one attraction in a new land. Now that part is just dead until end of September.”
The shutdown comes along as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril also closes for refurbishment in Disneyland Park until October 6.
What ride would cause you the most upset if shut down on your Disney vacation?