Splash mountain, Tom sawyer’s island, liberty belle riverboat, ITTBAB, dinosaur land, Starcruiser, Muppets, etc all have closed or will close in the near future.
And I am definitely over here having regrets/FOMO-realized over missing some of them while they were open.
I know no one has a crystal ball, but what are the attractions you suspect would be on the chopping block in the near future? Like, “if you only go every three years, better do these on your next trip or else”
Hall of Presidents, Buzz, Figment, 3 Cab, maybe Nemo show would all be my best guesses. I will be sad about HoP and nothing has been announced but Len thinks it’s imminent. The rest really need a major refurb. And I can see Disney doing a reimagine at that time.
With such a huge investment having been made in this attraction and Disney’s heavy involvement in preservation, I’m a bit taken back by your projection … what are your reasons?
I would be surprised if they get rid of the pavilion, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they get rid of the ride or retheme it or something. It’s sort of lackluster.
We have been seeing fewer and fewer animals and lack of maintenance. It is like they don’t want to invest. I don’t think Disney wants to be in the business of caring for the animals as they once did. (Not at Epcot at least.) If nothing else, the Nemo ride itself is long overdue to be replaced entirely. Not just a retheme, but outright replaced.
So, yeah…I think its days are numbered.
I hope I am wrong…but then, I would like to see Disney investing dollars in there to convince me otherwise.
Yes - they moved the longer term residents and are going to focus on shorter term more critical care. I think one of the new ones is baby (or at least younger)
Well, this heartens me to think perhaps I’m wrong about their intentions with The Seas pavilion.
On the other hand, if they are switching to “short term” care…it means they can be ready to close down the pavilion at any time…“fix up” (as it were) whatever current manatee is in the exhibit, send them off, and then not bring anything new in.
In either case, I’ll amend my previous statement to be that I think that EVENTUALLY Disney will want to redo the entire pavilion, but in the shorter term, perhaps just retheme the existing Nemo ride (as opposed to replace it entirely). But the ride mechanism itself is in serious need of TLC.
I don’t know that Disney makes the ultimate decisions in regards to manatees. I believe the State of Florida (Fish and Wildlife) has governance over the manatees and decides where they go. Also, they are or were rehabilitating manatees behind the scenes at Epcot all along. Most of whom are/were short-term rehabs and then released back into the wild. This is from the AK show on Disney+. I think the manatee situation is more complex than just Disney deciding they didn’t want manatees.
@heathernoel not sure what this means? But I didn’t like seeing the dolphins in there. I do enjoy the other sea life.
@Broph1988 I don’t know what will be closed, but I can tell you what I think ought to be closed and replaced! Figment definitely tops the list. Buzz in MK is second.
I am going to throw it out here again for the Disney execs who are reading! Please give us a Wall-E dark ride in Tomorrowland! Or it can be a shooting ride (pick up the garbage?) in place of Buzz. Please and thank you!
I completely agree about the Nemo ride. It is really in need of some TLC.
I am hoping that they have taken on this role as a part of their work within the aquarium network. Not many places are equipped with the same equipment apparently. Manatees are very heavy!
I would like more Finding Dory in it. Maybe some updated lighting and screens. Make it 3D. If they really want to make it authentic, have it do like Pirates and jump to a water ride. But I hope they never get rid of Nemo