Sleeping Beauty Castle under refurbishment

[Anthony]

No, don't get your hopes up.

Looking around for old pictures on Flickr, and what do I stumble on?

 :arrow: http://www.flickr.com/photos/klvinci/32 ... 873899022/

The picture was taken in 1998, so presumably right after the 5th Anniversary decorations were taken down they got to work. So is this the only time the Castle has been properly refurbished in its lifetime so far?

It's interesting to see what such an event might look like. Notice the scaffolding decorated with the fairies.

[bigrossco]

this dont even bare thinking about, but as long as it dont turn into another Studio 1 Refurbush(never)ment programe

[pussinboots]

Yes, it was pretty much its only substantial refurbishment. It's when they changed the color scheme (brighter pink and two-tone roofs.)

In Walt Disney World, they repaint Cinderella Castle from a cherry picker. But all that intricate aging and shading on the Chateau requires scaffolding, apparently, and besides, at this point in its decay they'd need to Bondo half of it. It will (would?) be interesting to see if they decide to change anything again during the next refurbishment. I presume a date still hasn't been set, no vague and half-hearted promise been made?

[Anthony]

Haven't heard a thing. But as Ross says, maybe best not to tempt another Studio 1 farce right now....

As for changes, I wouldn't mind the golden spire to become golden again (what happened to that?) and something done to the roof above the main window. And a security gate to stop Entertainment getting near it.

[Aveen2008]

I have to say I would hate to visit whilst they were refurbing the castle, i think I would cry if I went and it was covered in scaffolding...even though it would mean a good thing (well hopefully) i still would hate it on my visit if it ever happened!

[The Butlin Boy]

I have to say I would hate to visit whilst they were refurbing the castle, i think I would cry if I went and it was covered in scaffolding...even though it would mean a good thing (well hopefully) i still would hate it on my visit if it ever happened!

And that's exactly the problem; whenever they decide to refurbish the castle they are always going to be guaranteed to disappoint thousands of people!

[Aveen2008]

I have to say I would hate to visit whilst they were refurbing the castle, i think I would cry if I went and it was covered in scaffolding...even though it would mean a good thing (well hopefully) i still would hate it on my visit if it ever happened!

And that's exactly the problem; whenever they decide to refurbish the castle they are always going to be guaranteed to disappoint thousands of people!

I would rather they closed the park..which they are not going to do as that would loose them so much money. pity it couldnt be done all in one night when the parks closed lol!

[Willow]

I've been when the castle has had scaffolding around it, as a child.

I believe it was just before/after the Hunchback on Notre Dame event, when they had Jester Hats on the turrets but they had not be unveiled yet. (So basically the castle was covered in scaffolding)

I wasn't all that gutted, I even seem to remember the faries which where printed on the castle.

It just needs doing in the off-season, if guests don't like it - tough luck.

[Aveen2008]

I've been when the castle has had scaffolding around it, as a child.

I believe it was just before/after the Hunchback on Notre Dame event, when they had Jester Hats on the turrets but they had not be unveiled yet. (So basically the castle was covered in scaffolding)

I wasn't all that gutted, I even seem to remember the faries which where printed on the castle.

It just needs doing in the off-season, if guests don't like it - tough luck.

Its a bit different when your a child..your not the one who forked out the money to be  there and just cus its off season doesn't mean that whatever you get is good enough!! Some people scrimp and save to go...or imagine you wait a year for the holiday and when you go the castle is covered in boards! I know it has to be done sometime and its going to happen but i don't think "tough luck" is the right attitude!

[Anthony]

The best way to get around it would be to offer something to distract people from the refurbishment. Send out a load of extra characters on Central Plaza, put some proper streetmosphere on Main Street, hold a mini-season like the old Carnival and Easter events. In Tokyo didn't they tie it into a Stitch event, making out he'd wrecked it?

It doesn't help that the Castle is the only part of the park they use in advertisements these days, not to mention all these events like the Central Plaza shows forced in front of it. You'd think the rest of the park didn't exist. Beautiful and central to Disneyland though it is, it's focused upon far too much.

[Aveen2008]

In Tokyo didn't they tie it into a Stitch event, making out he'd wrecked it?

 =D>  very smart! down paris will come up with anything that clever!

At the end of the day the castle is the wow factor for most people, when you go to a disney park you want to see one. I don't disagree with it being used in adverts but i agree they should show off a lot more.

[Willow]

I'd rather it was closed for a month and have it looking like April 1992 again, and I wouldn't be all that bothered if it was covered in scaffolding during my visit.

If it was published months in advance that the castle would be under refurbishment people would be able to plan around it.

When I visited in 2007 Space Mountain was down for a few days, one of the main reasons why I visited the park and I just dealt with it.

C'est la vie.

[dagobert]

I'm sure that Disney would announce the refurbishment of the castle on the official website and then you are able to plan your trip accordingly.

Disney should offer a discount to the guest during the refurbishment.

[littlemermaid83]

I must admit i would be pretty annoyed if i went and the Castle was all boarded up.

Also to say a child wouldn't notice is pretty silly, my DD loves that castle and she would be devasted if i booked a trip it was hidden behind a bunce of fences.

I think when they decide (if ever) to refurb I would hope they advertise so everyone could plan there trips accordingly.

[Owain]

A way around it could be using printed tarps ?
Tokyo disney did it well, although i know they havnt covered the top half of thier castle;



offtopic; while searching i found this;



How did he get there ! ?

Answer; [spoiler:j4kqath1]

Once we'd seen our pals ride into the sunset for the fifth time, the thrill was gone and Zapppop and I wandered off around the side of the Castle. Back near the hub, we could see that people had already started to trespass on the grass in preparation for the parade later that evening. Once again, Zapp witnessed the taunting lack of boundaries, the mockery of barriers, borders unenforced. And so was hatched the plan to see how far he could go. Zapppop figured that the ultimate walk on the grass would be to jump the fence, leaving mere Disneyland behind and plunging straight into the story of Sleeping Beauty — to mount the grassy hill, high above the cube-cut trees, and scale the craggy mountain peak that thrusts straight into the side of the Castle! Could it be possible? Would you get away with simply having the audacity to climb the hill up to the Castle? Well, if anybody has that audacity — it would be zapppop, wouldn't it? And so, over he goes — fence?-what fence? — and up he climbed, quick as you please, to the top of the hill at the side of the Castle. And there he stood, casually leaning against the forbidden walls of Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant. And — as I learned for myself when I joined zapp up there a moment later — this was not anything like touching the Chateau at drawbridge level. This was way above the battlements, high atop the stonework keep and deep into the palatial, pink, storybook chateau beyond. The hub and the crowds were far below us; just above, turrets and clouds.

It was amazing. This was decidedly off-limits, absolutely out-of-bounds — yet in full view. This was unlike any of our previous, um, backstage excursions to remote or unguarded Disneyland territories — this was appallingly obvious, in the middle of the park — ON the Castle, of all things!

No one yelling at us. No one paying us any mind whatsoever. We could just sit there. And we did.

It was a very pretty place.

But it was not likely to be a place that G.C. and Ralphie looked for us when they got off the Carousel. So Zapp and I descended the hill, back over the fence, back down into Disneyland.

http://http://www.mouseplanet.com/dtp/trip.rpt/report_files/dlparis.rpt/zlick03jy.htm

[/spoiler:j4kqath1]