It is being reported that Expedition Everest will go down for a refurbishment several months at the beginning of 2022. While that means a major e-ticket will be down for the 50th Anniversary celebration, you might think there’d be a big payoff with the yeti potentially being repaired. Given the massive animatronic has essentially been set to Disco Mode for decades, you might think that would be an excellent upgrade. However, it turns out the refurbishment is solely for the ride system, not for anything cosmetic.
With the attraction down for months, if Disney does not take the opportunity to fix the yeti during that downtime, it stands to reason that the grand finale technology for Expedition Everest will never be fixed. This is the premier time for that fix to go in. It stretches credulity if one wants to believe Disney would be willing to close such a huge people-pleaser for many months again down the road, if they have the chance right now to spend the money necessary. So maybe the money isn’t going to be spent, period.
Is it bad show? Yes. But Chapek and D’Amaro (who may or may not be in agreement) are bargaining that customers will put up with DLC-style nickel and diming with Genie+, put up with small upgrades like little golden statues all over the parks, and accept refurbishments to major attractions that fail to restore them to their original condition. That’s the play. Don’t be surprised if park expenditures dry up significantly once Tron and Cosmic Rewind are opened… CR is likely to be the most expensive attraction ever build anywhere.
So party on, Disco Yeti. It’s time we accept your strobe light of goodness, and begin asking for appropriate seventies music piped in behind you. After all, there’s a better chance of that than you being repaired under the current team at Disney.
