Expedition Everest effects status watch

[Ralphlaw]

Walt settled on many things that were less than great.
We just weren't in on the decision making process.
Now we watch every step of the way

True, but he never allowed an embarrassment to be exposed to the public for a long time. Things happened that he didn't like, but he generally had the power to force a change when bad publicity and/or embarrassment took hold. That's what's so utterly odd about the yeti. It was a huge chunk of publicity that was talked about in Disney "documentaries". The whole attraction from queue to giftshop glorify it. Yet it slumps over broken for nearly a decade.

Coke got rid of New Coke after a couple years. Pontiac dumped the Aztec very quickly. Ford dumped the Edsel after 3 years. John Carter bombed and wasn't pushed beyond the initial release. Good companies make mistakes and move beyond them. The oops gets fixed or replaced. The yeti is an example of complete, embarrassing, avoidable paralysis. No, you can't easily replace the New Imagination pavilion, but some kids like it. Stitch's Great Escape is not good, but replacing it would be expensive, and it still has its share of riders. EE has huge ridership, but they're only getting a shadow of what they're supposed. Sad. Shameful. And sad again.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Does this mean the Yeti is soon to come back to life as prophesied by "bird-on-stick"? 0.o

 

[NormC]

No but as the video in a previous post shows the new lighting scheme works very well to show off the immense although immobile animatronic.

 

[Incomudro]

True, but he never allowed an embarrassment to be exposed to the public for a long time. Things happened that he didn't like, but he generally had the power to force a change when bad publicity and/or embarrassment took hold. That's what's so utterly odd about the yeti. It was a huge chunk of publicity that was talked about in Disney "documentaries". The whole attraction from queue to giftshop glorify it. Yet it slumps over broken for nearly a decade.

Coke got rid of New Coke after a couple years. Pontiac dumped the Aztec very quickly. Ford dumped the Edsel after 3 years. John Carter bombed and wasn't pushed beyond the initial release. Good companies make mistakes and move beyond them. The oops gets fixed or replaced. The yeti is an example of complete, embarrassing, avoidable paralysis. No, you can't easily replace the New Imagination pavilion, but some kids like it. Stitch's Great Escape is not good, but replacing it would be expensive, and it still has its share of riders. EE has huge ridership, but they're only getting a shadow of what they're supposed. Sad. Shameful. And sad again.

Oh, I agree it should be fixed or replaced.
With all the money, Disney's got - even if the original Yeti can't perform in his original way due to some legal and safety issues as has been said - construct another one with a different range of motion.
they could still use the original Yeti skins (certainly the face) and hang them on a new moving skeleton.

 

[SourcererMark79]

It's easy to be an armchair imagineer, but let's face it; yeti won't be fixed. Look at IJ in DL with the ice falling effect. Some things can't be fixed without a huge effort and taking the ride offline for a long time. No way would they do that to an E Ticket that has such a high capacity.

 

[Incomudro]

It's easy to be an armchair imagineer, but let's face it; yeti won't be fixed. Look at IJ in DL with the ice falling effect. Some things can't be fixed without a huge effort and taking the ride offline for a long time. No way would they do that to an E Ticket that has such a high capacity.

I don't consider it armchair engineering to say that a broken effect should be fixed or replaced.

 

[SourcererMark79]

I don't consider it armchair engineering to say that a broken effect should be fixed or replaced.

Trust me I would love for them to do something, I just don't see it happening. There have been so many suggestions on this thread that all would be an improvement!

 

[Coaster Lover]

Look at IJ in DL with the ice falling effect. Some things can't be fixed without a huge effort and taking the ride offline for a long time. No way would they do that to an E Ticket that has such a high capacity.

One could argue that the falling ice effect in Indiana Jones is/was not crucial (or even necessary) in the story telling narrative of the ride. Those who never experienced it (which is probably >99.9999% of the people who have ridden it) would never know it was missing unless you told them. On the other hand, the final encounter with the Yeti is the main narrative of Expedition Everest. The Yeti being broken on Everest is equivalent (in story telling impact at least... in my opinion) to the rolling boulder effect in Indiana Jones being broken.

 

[SourcererMark79]

One could argue that the falling ice effect in Indiana Jones is/was not crucial (or even necessary) in the story telling narrative of the ride. Those who never experienced it (which is probably >99.9999% of the people who have ridden it) would never know it was missing unless you told them. On the other hand, the final encounter with the Yeti is the main narrative of Expedition Everest. The Yeti being broken on Everest is equivalent (in story telling impact at least... in my opinion) to the rolling boulder effect in Indiana Jones being broken.

Very true. A lot has been said too that aside from the minority who saw A-mode, Disco Yeti WAS the final encounter.

 

[Ralphlaw]

It's easy to be an armchair imagineer, but let's face it; yeti won't be fixed. Look at IJ in DL with the ice falling effect. Some things can't be fixed without a huge effort and taking the ride offline for a long time. No way would they do that to an E Ticket that has such a high capacity.

But that's the point of much of the discussion. Many on this thread are asserting that a fix would be relatively easy and would only take the ride offline for a few days. I find that perplexing because if it truly was easy, a good company would have done it already. The only logical conclusion is that the fix would indeed be hard, expensive, and time-consuming OR Disney is an inept company. Given Disney's overall track record, I have a hard time believing the latter. A hard and time-consuming fix scenario would explain why it hasn't happened in nearly a decade. It sounds like you may be agreeing with me on this.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Some things can't be fixed without a huge effort and taking the ride offline for a long time.

That may be true of some rides, but that's not the situation with the Yeti. They need to build a new one. Once it's built, the swap of old and new is relatively easy and quick. But building a new Yeti is neither easy nor quick and it very expensive.

 

[Master Yoda]

But that's the point of much of the discussion. Many on this thread are asserting that a fix would be relatively easy and would only take the ride offline for a few days. I find that perplexing because if it truly was easy, a good company would have done it already. The only logical conclusion is that the fix would indeed be hard, expensive, and time-consuming OR Disney is an inept company. Given Disney's overall track record, I have a hard time believing the latter. A hard and time-consuming fix scenario would explain why it hasn't happened in nearly a decade. It sounds like you may be agreeing with me on this.

I feel like I am going in circles...

Easy, but expensive fix. Disney does not want to shell out 7+ figures to fix a single effect that most guests do not even know is broken.

If your check engine light came on in your car due to a minor evap leak that would not negatively affect your car in any measurable way and it was going to cost $20k to fix it, would you?

 

[Ralphlaw]

To me, "expensive" and "easy" do not belong in the same sentence. Something that is expensive is not easy.

 

[Master Yoda]

To me, "expensive" and "easy" do not belong in the same sentence. Something that is expensive is not easy.

Replacing the Quadro M6000 in my workstation...two thumb screws, one phillips head....time to do...15 minutes....cost $4700 for parts alone.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Building a new Yeti: long, hard, and expensive

Installing a new Yeti: quick, easy, and cheap

 

[SourcererMark79]

But that's the point of much of the discussion. Many on this thread are asserting that a fix would be relatively easy and would only take the ride offline for a few days. I find that perplexing because if it truly was easy, a good company would have done it already. The only logical conclusion is that the fix would indeed be hard, expensive, and time-consuming OR Disney is an inept company. Given Disney's overall track record, I have a hard time believing the latter. A hard and time-consuming fix scenario would explain why it hasn't happened in nearly a decade. It sounds like you may be agreeing with me on this.

I agree. There must be information about the inner workings of the AA and how it is incorporated into structural assembly of the moutain that has not been disclosed, which would make it very expensive and take a long time to do. I can't blame them for holding off.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I agree. There must be information about the inner workings of the AA and how it is incorporated into structural assembly of the moutain that has not been disclosed, which would make it very expensive and take a long time to do. I can't blame them for holding off.

I has been disclosed by our insiders here. The inner workings of the Yeti was unbalanced as it moved and jammed up one of it's important structural actuators. It can't be fixed with a replacement of a new arm or actuator because the unbalanced nature is still present. Plus, fixing it requires bringing it up to higher safety codes. It has nothing to do with the structural element of the mountain's frame.

The solution is a new Yeti. Which takes time and money. And different departments are at war over who has to fix it and whose budget will be used. If they ever do it, switching the old for the new would be easy and would not require any lengthy downtime for the ride.

 

[SourcererMark79]

I has been disclosed by our insiders here. The inner workings of the Yeti was unbalanced as it moved and jammed up one of it's important structural actuators. It can't be fixed with a replacement of a new arm or actuator because the unbalanced nature is still present. Plus, fixing it requires bringing it up to higher safety codes. It has nothing to do with the structural element of the mountain's frame.

The solution is a new Yeti. Which takes time and money. And different departments are at war over who has to fix it and whose budget will be used. If they ever do it, switching the old for the new would be easy and would not require any lengthy downtime for the ride.

Thanks for clearing some of that up. Pardon me for not paging through 161 pages of this thread, as I am new to the boards. How lengthy would you expect @MisterPenguin? Some on here say it can be done on 3rd shift (which I highly doubt)

 

[MisterPenguin]

Thanks for clearing some of that up. Pardon me for not paging through 161 pages of this thread, as I am new to the boards. How lengthy would you expect @MisterPenguin? Some on here say it can be done on 3rd shift (which I highly doubt)

The switching could theoretically be done overnight. Maybe a few days for testing.

Building a new one so that you can make that switch? Months and months and months. After it gets started, which may be never.

 

[Ralphlaw]

Replacing the Quadro M6000 in my workstation...two thumb screws, one phillips head....time to do...15 minutes....cost $4700 for parts alone.

Exactly, so if you include the raising of the $4,700 into the total operation, you have something that is probably not "easy". First, diagnose the problem. Then, raise a bunch of money. Then, take 15 minutes to install this new component. Designing and building a new yeti is apparently very expensive, from what everyone seems to be saying. Raising that money is apparently not "easy" due to departmental squabbling, but that's just the first step. Once it is designed and completely built, many seem to say that it would be "easy" to install. I still think we would have a pretty lengthy shutdown even under that scenario.

Taking out the old one will likely take at least a day under the best of circumstances, and I can't imagine Disney would allow the ride to operate while that is going on. Then, installing a new machine that large will be fraught with potential problems. The moving parts will also have to be connected, which always takes more time than people would like. Testing a huge machine on a fast moving ride that thousands of people are around everyday will take lots of time beyond that.

An apt comparison would be when the two halves of the cruise ships are connected. It's delicate and careful work, but technically the two huge halves can be joined in one day. But then all the electrical, plumbing, ventilation, mechanical, and hydraulic components have to be connected and tested. That process assuredly takes a long time in the shipyard. Replacing the yeti is not like replacing a light bulb; it's more like connecting two halves of a ship. Things will assuredly go wrong. Unseen stuff and complex components will have to be connected by various trades people (plumbers, electricians, etc . . .). Testing will have to done under dozens of different temperatures and other variables. I would hazard to guess that EE would be down for at least a month. If everything went perfectly well, which is highly unlikely, I would hope that it could be done in a week. Again, one wrong move, and your $100,000,000 attraction is out for months. Remember what happened when Miller Park in Milwaukee had a crane collapse? Without excruciating care, that's what could go wrong with the yeti. Being that careful will assuredly take time, and they have to be that careful.

Meanwhile, if it was just a matter of money, Walt, Roy or Eisner would have had the authority to order it done. I think Iger has the authority and personality to force it, but taking down the attraction pre-Pandora would have been economically devastating to the park.