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| Ugly Alice in Wonderland Hideous upper railing with tarps draped to cover additional additional unsightliness |
Once upon a time a classic Disneyland Fantasyland attraction benevolently ran for more than 40 years without incident. Then an ogre (and we are not quite sure who the ogre is) said "that won't do at all". Such is the story of Disneyland's Alice In Wonderland.
About 2 years ago, either Disney voluntarily or through strong prodding by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, came to the conclusion that the raised outdoor "vine" section of the ride was unsafe for maintenance workers who could conceivably fall from the exposed concrete platform to the ground below. The decision came almost overnight. The ride was shutdown and over about a 3 week period, a hastily constructed railing was put in place with ugly plastic tarps draped to cover the fastening points. Following what amounted to a patch job, the ride resumed operation just a bit uglier than originally conceived.
Fans have been waiting both patiently and impatiently for quite some time waiting for when Disney was going to make its move and restore the ride to its charming glory. Well the date has been set if you can believe MiceAge's Al Lutz. Alice in Wonderland will be shutdown right after Labor Day on September 4 to begin its transformation. The rumor is that it will take a few months of refurbishment. Alice will get her face lift after all.
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| The original Alice in Wonderland No railing, no tarps |
And yet the ride seems as popular as ever. On my recent trip a few months ago the ride line was 40+ every time I ventured over. First time in my history I haven't ridden it on a trip!
ReplyDeleteYes.... As unsightly as the ride is, its popularity remains constant which is probably why Disney was in no hurry to get it back in a more pristine state. Most of it is inside anyway.
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