splash mountain refurb date?

[mrs705]

Is there any news on when they will close Splash mountain for the Princess and the Frog update? Going in April and hoping it will be open to ride for the last time.

 

[gharter]

I suspect it is on hold as most every other project that hasn't been started yet.
I don't expect to see it go down until their revenue improves and probably not until Tron opens.

 

[Escape Artist]

April should be no problem. It may still be the old theme for the trip after that, too!

 

[WawaCoffee]

No word yet.. you should be fine in April.

 

[Brett Wyman]

My gut feeling is it stays as it is until the 50th celebrations are over. Disney certainly cant have it shut down for the 50th and theres no way they can start now and have it done by then. They announced it early to fend off those that were complaining about it online, all the while knowing there was no real plan in place or date set at that time. Disney will take their sweet time to start the project I feel. They've accomplished what they wanted simply by announcing their intentions.

 

[stinkpickle]

My gut feeling is it stays as it is until the 50th celebrations are over. Disney certainly cant have it shut down for the 50th and theres no way they can start now and have it done by then. They announced it early to fend off those that were complaining about it online, all the while knowing there was no real plan in place or date set at that time. Disney will take their sweet time to start the project I feel. They've accomplished what they wanted simply by announcing their intentions.

Agreed.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I suspect it is on hold as most every other project that hasn't been started yet.
I don't expect to see it go down until their revenue improves and probably not until Tron opens.

TBH I can't even figure out WHY they announced it when they did. It made no sense to announce it in the middle of a pandemic when they had no revenue stream and projects were being cancelled left and right, with so many things already in the hopper. The chance of kicking it off anytime in the very near future was near zero and as is often the case, plans change in a year or so at Disney.

 

[figmentfinesse]

TBH I can't even figure out WHY they announced it when they did. It made no sense to announce it in the middle of a pandemic when they had no revenue stream and projects were being cancelled left and right, with so many things already in the hopper. The chance of kicking it off anytime in the very near future was near zero and as is often the case, plans change in a year or so at Disney.

Because Disney was catching a lot of hear about the racist source material and this is how they stopped that even though it won’t be changed for years. Most of the people who cared weren’t park goers so as soon it was announced the outcry stopped.

With a late January trip I have been wondering about if they are going to take it down for its standard, seasonal refurb. Every time I ask online what people think about that they think I’m asking about the PatF overhaul!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Because Disney was catching a lot of hear about the racist source material and this is how they stopped that even though it won’t be changed for years. Most of the people who cared weren’t park goers so as soon it was announced the outcry stopped.

Eh. I get what you are saying. I go there often enough that to me, it's more like "they said they were going to do it, but it's been 2 years since the announcement". Better not to say anything until you are sure it's going to happen, then show action once you say it. I.E. don't show your cards too early.

but that's just me.

 

[Trackmaster]

TBH I can't even figure out WHY they announced it when they did. It made no sense to announce it in the middle of a pandemic when they had no revenue stream and projects were being cancelled left and right, with so many things already in the hopper. The chance of kicking it off anytime in the very near future was near zero and as is often the case, plans change in a year or so at Disney.

Not to mention the timing (middle of the protests and civil unrest). Half the country was going to tar and feather them for it and not even hear their side of it, and the other half would see right through it as corporate virtue signaling and pandering and not what they wanted to see in the middle of what was going on. The NFL and NBA didn't really have a choice but to pick a side, but Disney always had the chance to stay neutral and stay out of it.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Not to mention the timing (middle of the protests and civil unrest). Half the country was going to tar and feather them for it and not even hear their side of it, and the other half would see right through it as corporate virtue signaling and pandering and not what they wanted to see in the middle of what was going on. The NFL and NBA didn't really have a choice but to pick a side, but Disney always had the chance to stay neutral and stay out of it.

And my issues was still....
If you say something and act on it immediately, you're going to be faced with "wait... with half the park under construction, you are going to close down ANOTHER ride for an unforeseeable amount of time when you are already bleeding money and can't handle the crowd levels?"

If you say something and don't act on it for a significant amount of time but eventually do it, it will be seen as too little, too late and corporate me-too.

If you say something and don't act immediately and it gets cancelled because profits don't come back / other construction / other priorities, you lose all credibility not to mention anger a large number of people who were expecting you to do it.

In other words, there really is no win for promising to skin the ride unless you had a cheap overlay ready-made for the situation and expected it to be done before the parks reopened.

 

[Trackmaster]

And my issues was still....
If you say something and act on it immediately, you're going to be faced with "wait... with half the park under construction, you are going to close down ANOTHER ride for an unforeseeable amount of time when you are already bleeding money and can't handle the crowd levels?"

If you say something and don't act on it for a significant amount of time but eventually do it, it will be seen as too little, too late and corporate me-too.

If you say something and don't act immediately and it gets cancelled because profits don't come back / other construction / other priorities, you lose all credibility not to mention anger a large number of people who were expecting you to do it.

In other words, there really is no win for promising to skin the ride unless you had a cheap overlay ready-made for the situation and expected it to be done before the parks reopened.

Yeah, I ultimately think that they should have just always kept the Splash Mountain name, but updated the theming and animatronics slowly over time. Maybe they'll compromise at least, and keep the name "Splash Mountain" with the more focused Princess and the Frog theme.

 

[DVCKing]

At least the theming will be accurate. Lots of mountains in Louisiana. (Please note the sarcasm). Please Disney, don’t ruin the theme of your parks by mismatching your attractions and lands! So much work put into line of sight to toss it out the window to appease the whiners!

 

[Quicklabs]

I just heard on a You Tube video that they are fast-tracking this.

 

[figmentfinesse]

I just heard on a You Tube video that they are fast-tracking this.

What video?

 

[Quicklabs]

What video?

Another Disney vlogger. Done today.

 

[bakenatj]

Another Disney vlogger. Done today.

I did a quick search on Youtube and didn't see anything. Matter of fact the opposite. There are a lot of people that believe it won't even happen, or not for a long time.

 

[kevgraub]

I have no idea of the reliability of this report, but here is a quote from an article I saw earlier this week:

During today’s IAAPA virtual expo, Chairman of Disney Parks, Products, and Experiences Josh D’Amaro addressed the timeline on when Guests will be able to begin enjoying the “Princess and the Frog” overlay on Splash Mountain. While an exact opening date was not given, D’Amaro stated that reimaginaging will be expedited “to ensure that all who visit the company’s Parks do feel welcome as well.” He went on to say, “In the world that we find ourselves in today, optimism, innovation, and courage, they will ultimately win the day.”

 

[figmentfinesse]

I did a quick search on Youtube and didn't see anything. Matter of fact the opposite. There are a lot of people that believe it won't even happen, or not for a long time.

I actually stumbled across it by chance, it was a Disney Food Blog video referencing what Josh said. I’m kind of taking it with a grain of salt. Didn’t they say this was just “moved up” and had always been planned? So if Splash is open another year or 2 but was supposed to be open another 5-10, that’s still expedited IMO. Of course I am saying this as someone who is desperately hoping to ride it in January and August, but I feel like my theory makes sense lol.

 

[bakenatj]

I actually stumbled across it by chance, it was a Disney Food Blog video referencing what Josh said. I’m kind of taking it with a grain of salt. Didn’t they say this was just “moved up” and had always been planned? So if Splash is open another year or 2 but was supposed to be open another 5-10, that’s still expedited IMO. Of course, I am saying this as someone who is desperately hoping to ride it in January and August, but I feel like my theory makes sense lol.

I think with all that is going on with the financial crisis in Disney, this will be put on the back burner. I do think it will eventually happen, but if Disney is borrowing money to pay debt that is never a good thing for a business. There are enough "irons in the fire" that this project will take a back seat. If not, Disney is not making good business decisions, IMO.