Did I miss this being posted in another thread? Rumored to be an 18 month downtime. This is a big loss for MK for those 18 months. My kids will be bummed when they learn about this.
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Sad! But also good news that the ride is getting some much needed TLC so it can be ready to keep visitors happy as they watch the “Beyond Big Thunder” project rise behind the walls over the following 3-5 years.
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So this pretty much means that I won’t get DS son to visit for 18 months. He tags along mostly for 3 rides: BTMRR, Test Track, and SDD. With two out three going into refurb I think the July trip (when his fave TT is already down) will be the last for a little while.
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Yes, but the 3-5 years (while probably accurate) bothers me too. It will be too many years between the opening of Tron and the next new major attraction. I don’t count TBA as a new major attraction because it is replacing a major attraction.
These three along with GotG are DS6 favorites so he will miss 2 of 4 for our fall trip.
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Please help me understand in what way this ride is demonstrating need for “much needed TLC.”
To my knowledge it rarely has down time, and it does not seem in any way dilapidated or failing.
I’m honestly shocked that this ride is going down for that duration for refurb.
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I read it’s getting new track.
There are also some rumors that there may be some work for access to the new area to be used for Beyond Big Thunder, but that’s just rumor so….
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I feel like the ride has been rougher lately. And if that is the original track, I can imagine it might need replacing!
Plus the access thing.
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In my dreams they add in some of the goat storyline from DL!
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Aww biscuits! We are coming in October and I think DS5 might be finally willing to give it a try.
I appreciate ride maintenance (looking at you ROTR) but this feels a little extreme! Like isn’t WDW doing something wrong when they need a YEAR AND A HALF to fix a ride that has nothing known wrong with it and Universal can basically build new rides in that time??
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Agreed. In February I rode it for the first time in 4+ years and was shocked at how much rougher it felt than I remembered. I had been on the DLR version a bunch of times during that time period and loved it.
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Which is fair. That seems more like routine maintenance than “much needed TLC”
I think of “much needed TLC” as something that shows some neglect of maintenance, frequent breakdowns, things looking shabby.
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Ok, just checked wikipedia…
DLR’s version was down for refurb from Jan 2013 to March 2014. New track, trains, scenery, and new effects on the third lift hill.
So I’d say try to be patient, because this will be worth it in the long run. The ride will be better and ready for hopefully another 40+ years.
(whispers: now do the same thing with Space)
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This is great news! And I agree with everything you said!
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This article that starts by saying this is rumor mentions towards the end that they reached out to D for confirmation and haven’t heard back.
To me that could mean it won’t actually be that long but D applied for a permit to cover a much longer timeframe so they have wiggle room on when to start. 
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My guess is they will say an extra long timeframe in hopes that they can “open early.” No need to be the next Tron/CakeBake Shop.
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Do you think that Disney ever responds to BlogMickey?
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Yes. He is really good about marking stories as rumor if he hasn’t been given the information from Disney.
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This! I also hadn’t ridden in years, and made the mistake of agreeing to ride it twice within a 90 min period over our Christmas 2022 visit because my kids were dying for another ride. I already found it very jerky and uncomfortable the first time, but I walked off that second ride badly nauseated and with a massive headache that required a visit to the First Aid station. It took me around 2hrs to recover and I barely managed to eat lunch at Skipper Canteen 
Fast forward to Christmas 2023 when we visited DL Paris, where I was delighted to discover that the French version of BTMRR is MUCH smoother (also longer and more fun, with the train going underwater onto an island), and my kids were delighted that I agreed to join them for more than one ride per day, even without meclizine.
So while 18 month does seem like a long time, I will be among those looking forward to a smoother track that’s kinder on my ageing body after the refurb!
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