Disneyland has made three small but significant changes to Indiana Jones Adventure that will reduce downtime, increase capacity and let thousands more riders journey into the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
The Indiana Jones Adventure motion-based platform dark ride in Adventureland reopened on Friday, Oct. 23 after a six-week refurbishment that helped boost throughput capacity by 1,000 riders per day.
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The thrill ride takes daring passengers in a rugged troop transport over rough terrain as they race through a cursed temple filled with slithering snakes, screaming mummies and collapsing bridges.
Disneyland Attractions Engineering Services Manager Nicholas DiBernardo told the Los Angeles Times that modifications over the past year and during the recent refurbishment have boosted capacity on Indiana Jones Adventure by about 125 riders per hour.
The throughput boost allows 1,000 more riders per day to get on the ride, DiBernardo told the Times.
That works out to about 320,000 riders per year if you account for the 45-day downtime for routine annual maintenance.
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DiBernardo’s modest estimate accounts for an 8-hour operating day. Disneyland is typically open 14 to 16 hours per day.
That means the latest Indiana Jones Adventure improvements could increase capacity by roughly 600,000 riders per year.
Disneyland made three key changes to reduce downtime and increase capacity on the popular Indy attraction.
The Indiana Jones Adventure attraction at Disneyland. (Disneyland)
1) Faster Dispatch Times
The temple doors that Indy tries to keep closed in one of the key show scenes near the beginning of the ride are now electronically controlled.
In the past, malfunctioning hydraulic doors slowed down the ride, causing fewer cars to be dispatched.
The new electronic doors will speed up dispatch times and increase ride capacity.
2) Improved Loading Process
The troop transport ride vehicles got hardware and software upgrades that let them park more accurately at the loading station.
In the past, ride operators would send empty vehicles into the attraction whenever parking mishaps occurred.
More full ride vehicles mean more throughput and capacity per hour.
3) Fewer Dropped Items
Riders who drop personal items during the ride are the biggest “downtime driver” on Indiana Jones Adventure — and any Disneyland attraction.
Disneyland needs to stop the ride every time a water bottle, hat, Minnie ears, sunglasses or backpack falls out of a vehicle.
Larger storage pouches installed at every seat in the troop transport vehicles should help reduce the number of lost items and improve downtime.