Pirates of the Caribbean

[zero creativity]

I thought I read somewhere awhile back that iasw boats were bottoming out because of the increased weight of the average guest. Maybe that is why they switched from fiberglass to plastic to help reduce weight in the boats.

 

[roj2323]

I thought I read somewhere awhile back that iasw boats were bottoming out because of the increased weight of the average guest. Maybe that is why they switched from fiberglass to plastic to help reduce weight in the boats.

I've had boats scrape the bottom with a half empty boat and a boat full of kids so No it's not the guest weight.

 

[Phil12]

I've had boats scrape the bottom with a half empty boat and a boat full of kids so No it's not the guest weight.

Obese children?

 

[Victor Kelly]

Boat backup= too many boats in circulation. Effect broken or not working= cheap skates running the show.

Crappy boats= cheap skates running the show. No caller bird or skull and bones= complete blithering idiots running the show.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Can't stand the WDW Pirates anymore. People just do not stop taking flash pictures on the ride. That's very rare at Disneyland, even during peak periods. The only time I've ever seen it happen, a disgruntled cast member made an announcement.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Can't stand the WDW Pirates anymore. People just do not stop taking flash pictures on the ride. That's very rare at Disneyland, even during peak periods. The only time I've ever seen it happen, a disgruntled cast member made an announcement.

I give people one flash photo before I start yelling at them. Disney typically gives them 3-5 before they make an announcement.

 

[GoofGoof]

I thought I read somewhere awhile back that iasw boats were bottoming out because of the increased weight of the average guest. Maybe that is why they switched from fiberglass to plastic to help reduce weight in the boats.

Nah. The average American is heavier than they were 40 years ago, but that's offset by the increase in foreign guests at WDW over the years. It all washes out.

 

[imagineer boy]

I'd say WDW's version has been in crummy shape for a long time now. I remember riding back in 03 and thinking "boy this ride needs some TLC" and I don't think the post Jack Sparrow refurb did much to help. And yes, replacing Davy Jones with Blackbeard was just plain stupid. Not to mention DL's version is far superior to begin with...

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

Well. A few things.

1) Cast have been told that they are not allowed to spiel about flash pictures anymore. A guest service manager made the call. Cast used to be able to give spiels over the queue and over the ride audio at the start of the ride about flash pictures and they have been told that disciplinary action will take place if they do so. It bothers Cast as much as it bothers you guys. But they have been threatened if they spiel at guest about it. The last thing the English safety spiels that plays before the safety gates opens says is, "And no flash pictures!" But the Spanish spiel that directly follows it makes no mention of taking flash pictures. You can thank Management for the flash pictures.

2). The rumor is that imagineering wants 12-18 months. The ride is in horrible shape. It breaks down more than any other attraction on property. It almost needs to be scraped and started over. The other rumor is that Phil said that they could have no more than six.

3). The new boats are boats that Disneyland rejected because they saw the problem they would cause. So they were sent to WDW. They are total pieces of sh**

 

[Slowjack]

trying to up capacity i would think; more boats on the water, more butts not standing in another line...

The hourly capacity is a factor of the rate of dispatch. As long as there are enough boats in the flume that the load station is never waiting on boats, additional boats won't increase capacity. My guess is that the additional boats are intended to create a surplus to cover hiccups at unload or something like that, but I don't know how effective it is.

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

There are actually the same number of boats on the river than there were when the fiberglass boats were in use. There are often less now.

 

[GoofGoof]

Well. A few things.

1) Cast have been told that they are not allowed to spiel about flash pictures anymore. A guest service manager made the call. Cast used to be able to give spiels over the queue and over the ride audio at the start of the ride about flash pictures and they have been told that disciplinary action will take place if they do so. It bothers Cast as much as it bothers you guys. But they have been threatened if they spiel at guest about it. The last thing the English safety spiels that plays before the safety gates opens says is, "And no flash pictures!" But the Spanish spiel that directly follows it makes no mention of taking flash pictures. You can thank Management for the flash pictures.

2). The rumor is that imagineering wants 12-18 months. The ride is in horrible shape. It breaks down more than any other attraction on property. It almost needs to be scraped and started over. The other rumor is that Phil said that they could have no more than six.

3). The new boats are boats that Disneyland rejected because they saw the problem they would cause. So they were sent to WDW. They are total pieces of sh**

How long was Splash down for when it had its big refurb? I would think they need at least that much time. I could see them closing it in January right after the holiday season and having it open by the next holiday season. It would give them a little less than 11 months. That seems to me like enough time to do an extensive refurb.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Boat backup= too many boats in circulation. Effect broken or not working= cheap skates running the show.

Crappy boats= cheap skates running the show. No caller bird or skull and bones= complete blithering idiots running the show.

You know, I have been riding PoC since 1983. I don't remember it not backing up at the end. It always did, but I don't think the line was quite as long. Perhaps they are using more boats or they are unloading a lot slower then they used to unload.

Scraping the bottom? Are they sure its not just riding up on the drive belt that brings it up to dock level? I don't see how that can happen unless the water level is lower then it should be. Not to mention that engineering wise, the ride wouldn't work without the proper flow of water (current that drives the boats).

 

[Slowjack]

1) Cast have been told that they are not allowed to spiel about flash pictures anymore. A guest service manager made the call. ... You can thank Management for the flash pictures.

That's bad, but the blame is still on the people taking the flash pictures; I mean, they ought to know better, without a reminder. Rules and their enforcement are just the backstop of a polite society; we still need people to act with a modicum of common sense and thoughtfulness.

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

They always backed up. The new boats just make a terrible sound when they do it and it becomes more noticeable and unpleasant.

 

[Bairstow]

There are actually the same number of boats on the river than there were when the fiberglass boats were in use. There are often less now.

This surprises me.
What accounts for the increased backup?
I that load/unload is taking longer now, or are the boats being made to move faster through the show scenes?

I don't think it would be the use of a single load trough rather than two- that change was made decades ago.

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

While I'm on a roll:

Pirates at WDW is terrible now.

There have been things added that take away from the nuance of the ride. So many effects that used to add so much to the ride still work but are just not being turned on. Like the projection of the sky on the ceiling in the ride. Or the moon behind the Wicked Wrench. New lighting was installed a few months ago that cast a shadow of the ship on the wall behind it... in effect ruining the entire effect. The mist curtain is off more often than it's own. The ride has been okayed to be running with guest when the mermaids project an error message. Lights have been turned off on the musicians in the burning city so that guest cannot see that the figures don't work properly.

Combine that with the axing of the barker bird and the skull/crossbones and you can really paint a picture of WDW's fall from grace. The ride is in such a characterless and crotchless shape at this point that the ideal situation would be getting rid of the ride and letting DLR have the only classic version of Pirates stateside. Then WDW would get the Shanghai version of a Pirates ride that is currently brewing. But that will never happen. Because it costs money.

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

This surprises me.
What accounts for the increased backup?
I that load/unload is taking longer now, or are the boats being made to move faster through the show scenes?

I don't think it would be the use of a single load trough rather than two- that change was made decades ago.

People taking more time to get in and out of boats, people with disabilities getting in and out of boats, boats moving slower through the ride... a number of things.

 

[TheGhostWithTheMost]

It's not changed to allow pictures. No flash pictures is still the rule. Cast Members are now not allowed to enforce the no picture rule.

 

[Haymarket2008]

Interestingly enough the biggest issue I had with picture taking on my last trip was on Pirates. During the entirety of the rides Brazilian tour group was flashing pictures in a constant paparazzi-like fashion. And most of the time it was them taking pics of themselves or nothing at all. It was a horrible experience. I got off the ride and took flash pictures of the group right in their faces for ruining the experience. It's absurd.