Netting structures at AK Tree of Life paths

[RandySavage]

Absolutely nothing in the photos I've seen of the netting and support structure look even remotely permanent to me. Protective temporary measure in my opinion.

I hope & pray those saying it is temporary are right. The paths around the Tree are one of my very favorite things at any theme park on the planet... and one of the most overlooked, peaceful, best kept secrets. I'd be dismayed if they were diminished in perpetuity.

If this is Disney moving quickly to reopen the theater while they sound the tree and then the netting will be removed, I applaud them...

...but I have a terrible, gnawing feeling there are many inside (particularly the lawyers) that are advocating permanence: "Why chance removing the netting... it doesn't really make a difference, and there's not much guest traffic on the paths anyway." Really, really hope my fears are unfounded.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

I'm not trying to be Mr. Pessimistic but this has to be fairly permanent. Do you know how much time and effort refurbing the tree's branches would take? There's no way Disney would go in there and fix that. If something like a large broken Yeti AA can't be fixed, completely refurbing a tree like that would be pure fantasy. Expect to see these nets for a long time...

You are comparing apples and oranges because if the Yetis is left broken (off) it isn't a safety issue, the TOL has a major safety issue (as the nets makes apparent).

The Yeti is turned-off in part because use of the AA could damage its concrete base and it could crash into the track . . . killing guests pontentially, or at least totalling that part of the track.

Refurbing TOL is a necessary safety measure that will probably need to be done to even keep that area of the park open. The Swiss Family Robinson Tree gets regular refurbs/inspections in Disneyland, in part to insure continued safety. You can't build something like TOL and expect it to last 10+ or 15+ years without needing a major refurbishment.

Yes, the Yeti is off, but even it gets a thorough inspection and minimal care to make sure it doesn't start falling apart.

The safety department, if not Disney's lawyers, will HAVE to fix it, which would probably be less than fixing the Yeti as it is a refurbishment of an relatively new structure.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

Absolutely nothing in the photos I've seen of the netting and support structure look even remotely permanent to me. Protective temporary measure in my opinion.

That's correct.

Longtime guests of Disney parks see a lot of stuff that looks like it is slapped together, such as birch tree "twigs" used to make the railing around Pooh in DLR, or the 'wooden' railings around Frontierland, such as on Tom Sawyer Island, which look like nothing more than wood clumsily nailed together. The flimsy looking railing around Pooh's queue in DLR is actually sturdier than most of the residential fences the same size, and was built to hold up to millions of guests touching/leaning on it.

This is all an illusion!

If you look closely, all of this railing is built to last, made out of metal and plastic composites and painted. The real wooden railing in certain parks and in the resorts, such as Polynesian, is made to last as well, and doesn't look like the temporary junk around TOL.

The stuff around TOL looks like a poorly done DIY project where somebody spent a weekend trying to built a ramada for their back porch.

What I think the are going to do is construct a scaffolding around the tree, which would probably take a month, and then work on fixing the tree while guests enter Bug's Life. In that case, the netting would also be to protect guests from construction debris in addition to 5 lbs. branches falling off. So, the netting might be in place for about a year, which looks like about how long it would last, if not less.

A refurb might include connecting steel cables on the tops of the big branches to the smaller 5 lbs-20lbs branches so that when one falls off it just dangles, instead of crashing all the way down. The bigger branches are probably structrally sound, but the only way to find out is to do the inspection, which might include x-raying the branches in question to determine if significant corrosion/stress fracturing has occurred.

So, from a safety standpoint, this needs to be fixed ASAP.

It is outrageous if an inspection wasn't done after the first ten years as with new construction, defects/problems usually become apparent in the first ten years . . .

 

[Etenpenny]

I talked to a CM there a few days ago and he said that it is a temporary solution but no one Ther has any idea just how "temporary" it is.

On worse news, the waterfall in the que to bugs life was coverered with plastic and the line directs into the old emergency exit for the show, it does not allow you to walk around where the majority of the animal sculptures are.

I can post pictures later

 

[KevinYee]

The area covered by nets is pretty large! Here is a pictorial: http://ultimateorlando.blogspot.com/2012/05/tree-of-life-fallen-branch-and-new-net.html

 

[NewfieFan]

This has to be temporary! It just has to be! *fingers crossed*

 

[cooleo]

I do hope it is temporary. I love walking the paths under the TOL.

 

[devoy1701]

This had better be temporary. If not, this will completely ruin the wonderful paths around the Tree of Life.

I hope & pray those saying it is temporary are right. The paths around the Tree are one of my very favorite things at any theme park on the planet... and one of the most overlooked, peaceful, best kept secrets. I'd be dismayed if they were diminished in perpetuity.

If this is Disney moving quickly to reopen the theater while they sound the tree and then the netting will be removed, I applaud them...

...but I have a terrible, gnawing feeling there are many inside (particularly the lawyers) that are advocating permanence: "Why chance removing the netting... it doesn't really make a difference, and there's not much guest traffic on the paths anyway." Really, really hope my fears are unfounded.

according to Kevin Yee, most of the "exploring pathways" around the Tree are still closed.

I really hope this is a temp solution as well...

 

[marni1971]

I think the tree broke and some of it fell into the queue. Happened, I believe, because of a storm. What does that have to do with building or maintaining anything "right?" Storms tear things up sometimes.

It did. It was widely covered.

Your cant blame a windy day. The tree was designed to withstand hurricanes and has done for 14 years. Imagine if there was a structural failure at the castle? Or SSE? Would we walk under metal sheeting around the geosphere?

What's worrying as Kevin says is the netting implies they don't know what happened or it could happen again.

For now it looks like walking through an aviary and TDO should be embarrassed it got this far. If a larger branch were also to fail I doubt a net would help.

 

[KevinYee]

according to Kevin Yee, most of the "exploring pathways" around the Tree are still closed.

I really hope this is a temp solution as well...

Actually, I didn't venture around the front trails - those may be open. What I saw were closed off "alternate routes" through things, probably so they could build fewer net structures and still have "coverage" to get you to the other side of the tree (this was behind the tree, not in front of it).

 

[Communicore]

It looks very perm to me. :lol:

 

[Alektronic]

I talked to a CM there a few days ago and he said that it is a temporary solution but no one Ther has any idea just how "temporary" it is.

On worse news, the waterfall in the que to bugs life was coverered with plastic and the line directs into the old emergency exit for the show, it does not allow you to walk around where the majority of the animal sculptures are.

I can post pictures later

"Temporary" can last a long time, I know things that were meant to be temporary fixes and then they last 10 - 15 years.

Sometimes fixes work and they leave them alone and other times they hope they last as long until the next refurb.

 

[njDizFan]

The greatness of AK is the ability to transport you out of the real world into a place so vividly themed you can actually believe you are in Africa..Asia..etc.

These nets are a slap in the face of reality. No longer are you wondering around The Oasis full of thick foliage and peering up at the beautiful tree of life, instead you know this is just an attraction. It kind of spoils it for me from that perspective.

If a mildly windy day was able to break off a piece of the ToL, its time for it to get some much needed maintenance.

 

[devoy1701]

Actually, I didn't venture around the front trails - those may be open. What I saw were closed off "alternate routes" through things, probably so they could build fewer net structures and still have "coverage" to get you to the other side of the tree (this was behind the tree, not in front of it).

Thanks for clarifying. I read your blog really quick this morning and assumed you were including the explorer paths when you were talking about some of the alternate routes still being blocked off. Our favorite path is the one that takes you right up to the front of the Tree behind the enclosure with the Kangaroos. We actually had only found it recently even though we had been visiting AK regularly for years. I can't imagine having nets over that walkway, it would totally throw off the vibe...not to mention I think they would be visible when approaching the Tree from the entrance.

 

[devoy1701]

"Temporary" can last a long time, I know things that were meant to be temporary fixes and then they last 10 - 15 years.

Sometimes fixes work and they leave them alone and other times they hope they last as long until the next refurb.

The Wand was temporary....so was Mickey's Birthdayland...they definitely use that term "temporary" very loosely!

 

[Etenpenny]

here are a few images of these changes, I think the worst was the white plastic draped over the waterfall with the waterfall falling behind it. Im not sure why this was done.

You can also see the old way into the line to bugs life being closed. This has caused it to back up into the entrance with switchbacks needed.

 

[FRC Team 180]

here are a few images of these changes, I think the worst was the white plastic draped over the waterfall with the waterfall falling behind it. Im not sure why this was done.

You can also see the old way into the line to bugs life being closed. This has caused it to back up into the entrance with switchbacks needed.

They all look terrible!!!

 

[Rob562]

In the waterfall-covered-by-plastic instance, it looks like there's one of the netting posts in close proximity to the waterfall. Perhaps they draped it in plastic to keep it from splashing the post and keeping that constantly wet.

If so, might be another sign that these nets are only temporary.

Of course, I don't know why they wouldn't just turn off that waterfall for the time being. I know some of the waterfalls appear to flow into animal habitat areas around the tree, but I think that they're all separate water systems and the falls around the tree are simply decorative.

-Rob

 

[TheGenXer]

They look fine in person. They blend in with the queue. As has already been said, I'm certain it's a temporary measure put into place to ensure safety while they keep the attraction open. Talked to the poor cast members who have to stand at the queue and tell people the attraction is closed. They were given all kinds of tongue lashings by guests who insisted their vacations were ruined, lives were destroyed and children were scarred, because Tough to be a Bug wasn't operating.

And it wasn't a "windy day." It was a storm. Storms break stuff, especially great big stuff that sticks way up into the air. REAL trees get damaged by storms. Damn nature needs to pay more attention to maintaining its stuff.

Storm causes some damage, people complain.

Close the attraction, people complain.

Put something in place temporarily to open the attraction while still repairing the tree, people complain.

 

[KevinYee]

I'm curious to know the name of the storm that broke the Tree of Life, since countless previous "named" storms failed to do so.

Sorry, but it was a windy day. Not more than that. I've lived here for eight years now, and can tell the difference.