Tomorrowland, We Have a Problem

Rocket Rods, a glitch-ridden new speed ride designed as one of the main attractions at Disneyland’s revamped Tomorrowland, has been grounded for up to five weeks.

The closure of this year’s most heavily promoted ride at the height of the summer season could hurt not only the Walt Disney Co. amusement park but the tourist businesses in Anaheim that depend upon it.

Many hotels and motels nearby already have reported fewer visitors this year, despite a strong U.S. economy.

Economic woes have cut travel from some Asian countries. And Anaheim itself is a construction zone, with a second Disney park being built at the same time as monumental upgrade work is performed on streets, freeways and the convention center.

The shutdown of Rocket Rods “is very unfortunate,” said Bill O’Connell, general manager of four Best Western Stovall’s Inns in Anaheim. “It may well have an impact on us this summer.”

O’Connell said his bookings already were down 7% this year, although he did well last year and considers the current level “a pretty good year.”

Disneyland officials believe Tomorrowland’s other new attractions are strong enough to lure visitors, spokesman Ray Gomez said.

He mentioned Innoventions (an interactive display of new products from Compaq Computer Corp. and other companies), the new Dick Dale soundtrack on the Space Mountain roller coaster, and the remodeled Astro Orbitor spinning ride. Another new attraction is “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience,” a 3-D movie.

“We’ve opened an entirely new Tomorrowland, and there’s a lot more to do there besides Rocket Rods,” Gomez said.

Rocket Rods opened May 22, part of a Tomorrowland refurbished in earth tones, with Jules Verne-style decorations and edible plantings. The rods, looking like five-seater dragsters, ran on the same overhead track as the slow-moving People Movers they replaced.

But many park-goers said the ride, featuring modest wheelies and speeds of up to 35 mph, was overly tame--especially given the wait of an hour or more that was common.

And like such earlier rides as Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain when they initially were introduced, Rocket Rods was frequently knocked out of action for repairs.

Last week, Disney grounded the ride entirely, amid reports of axle problems and overheated motors. Spokesman Gomez said the safety of park visitors had never been endangered.

Estimating the ride will be closed for three to five weeks, Gomez said mechanical problems were being corrected. He would not reveal more details.

But the reaction among Disneyland fans was loud. One wrote on an Internet chat site that he was “MASSIVELY” disappointed.

“I haven’t been to the parks since the end of March and I was finally supposed to go in two or three weeks,” he wrote, saying Rocket Rods had been the chief draw for him.

“Universal here I come!” he said, a reference to the Hollywood Hills studio-themed park operated by Disney rival Seagram Co. Ltd.