News Disney World's Splash Mountain closing in January 2022 for refurbishment

Midwest Elitist

Well-Known Member
Do we feel safe saying that WDWs Splash will at least be open until the end of the 50th anni in Spring 2023? Disneyland guy here that would like the chance to ride WDWs once before it closes. We were thinking about a trip in Spring 23.
If they were to close before Tron is open, they would be incredibly stupid. The thing with Magic Kingdom is that there are 50% LESS rides than Disneyland, so a capacity hit would be felt pretty hard. I think you should be good, unless Disney is content with accelerating faster into the ground.
 

EagleScout610

Always causin' some kind of commotion downstream
Premium Member
Have you ridden recently? It has been in awful shape since the parks reopened last year. Did it get a 2021 refurb? I feel like it had an early 2020 closure and has limped on since then.
Based on vids I've seen of Splash over the past month it's definitely time to pull it for it's annual TLC. Seems the audio has been worse than usual, especially character dialog
 

mickEblu

Well-Known Member
Really worries me that they re talking about basing the retheme on events after the movie. Losing Splash is a huge blow for me but getting on a PatF ride with with no recognizable songs and no Dr Facilier/ voodoo ghouls before and on the lift hill (to keep things from being too vanilla like Tokyo’s BATB ride) would be adding insult to injury.
 

Brer Panther

Well-Known Member
If they didn't maintain the ride the first time, what makes you think they'll maintain it again?
If the retheme really does strip the ride of most of its animatronics and replaces them with screens and entire stretches of nothing, it'll probably be easier to maintain.
 

ImperfectPixie

Well-Known Member
If the retheme really does strip the ride of most of its animatronics and replaces them with screens and entire stretches of nothing, it'll probably be easier to maintain.
I'm thinking the exact opposite. Every screen will have multiple boards inside that are sensitive to humidity. Actual animatronics are primarily hydraulics, with behind-stage computer controls, correct?
 

DisneyDodo

Well-Known Member
Really worries me that they re talking about basing the retheme on events after the movie. Losing Splash is a huge blow for me but getting on a PatF ride with with no recognizable songs and no Dr Facilier/ voodoo ghouls before and on the lift hill (to keep things from being too vanilla like Tokyo’s BATB ride) would be adding insult to injury.
They will use the songs from the movie, potentially with some words reworked, the same way they do on FEA. I can also see them conjuring up a way to incorporate Dr. Facilier and Ray (and I wouldn’t even put it past them to just include the characters without addressing the inconsistency at all).
 

Kirby86

Well-Known Member
Yeah the ride needs some time In the shop.When I went in August most of Brer rabbits dialog outside of his verse in how do you do? And Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah was missing. Brer Frog had a lazy eye on the lift hill and the the Goose who hooks another Geese hat on his fishing pole well his head wouldn't turn at all. None of the show scenes lights were dimmed out though.
 

Kirby86

Well-Known Member
They will use the songs from the movie, potentially with some words reworked, the same way they do on FEA. I can also see them conjuring up a way to incorporate Dr. Facilier and Ray (and I wouldn’t even put it past them to just include the characters without addressing the inconsistency at all).
That's probably what they will do rework the existing songs from the movie to the ride. That's what they did with Splash Mountain. The biggest example is Laughing Place. In Song of the South Laughing Place is a 30 to 40 second song by Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear. They also added another verse to Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah for the ride.
 

EagleScout610

Always causin' some kind of commotion downstream
Premium Member
Yeah the ride needs some time In the shop.When I went in August most of Brer rabbits dialog outside of his verse in how do you do? And Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah was missing. Brer Frog had a lazy eye on the lift hill and the the Goose who hooks another Geese hat on his fishing pole well his head wouldn't turn at all. None of the show scenes lights were dimmed out though.
Also the scene with Brer Bear sticking out of the tree before the dip drop with Brer Fox has had audio issues for a while. Brer Bear is wayy too loud next to the background music while Brer Fox's speakers are blown. The scene at the bottom isn't much better with Brer Bear having no audio
 

TikibirdLand

Well-Known Member
I'm thinking the exact opposite. Every screen will have multiple boards inside that are sensitive to humidity. Actual animatronics are primarily hydraulics, with behind-stage computer controls, correct?
Interesting to think about. Of course, I want all animatronics. But, they make the outdoor displays used near pool areas today without issue. So, there are some outdoor rated monitors. But hydraulic / pneumatics are pretty rugged. The problem is that anything used will need maintenance. That's a lot boring than building/painting rocks over in GE. So, neither get the attention they deserve!
 

JTT

Well-Known Member
My only issue with this is that they made the announcement 1 month ahead of time. Back in the old days, scheduled maintenance would be announced 6 months ahead of time, so you could plan your trips better.

I have a January trip and my favorite ride will be closed. If I had known earlier, I could have planned better.
 

Kirby86

Well-Known Member
My only issue with this is that they made the announcement 1 month ahead of time. Back in the old days, scheduled maintenance would be announced 6 months ahead of time, so you could plan your trips better.

I have a January trip and my favorite ride will be closed. If I had known earlier, I could have planned better.
Yeah a little more of a heads up would have been nice.I mean I had a feeling it would go down for refurbishment around this time since it's the slow season, it didn't have one in 2021,and other rides were going down for refurbishments. However if they announced Splash was going to be refurbished in the same announcement as Expedition Everest people could plan accordingly.
 

Djsfantasi

Well-Known Member
If you have a January vacation this is pretty disheartening to have Everest and Splash down at the same time.
We got lucky in 2020 with no Splash refurb so i guess it needs to happen.
Fortunately, both are rides we wouldn’t have done anyway. Don’t feel like getting wet - at any time. And my gf had neck issues that prevent her from going on the wilder roller coasters. Which is most, except SDD.
 

EagleScout610

Always causin' some kind of commotion downstream
Premium Member


Found this fairly recent vid. Definitely getting to 2012 levels of broken again.
HDYD:
  • First two frogs frozen
  • Farthest left goose barely moving
  • Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear both looking very dirty
  • Br'er Fox barely moving
  • Br'er Rabbit moving slower than usual
  • Raccoon scene very dark
  • Br'er Raccoon not moving
  • Br'er Fox's jaw stuck shut
  • Br'er Bear not moving up and down
  • No hopping Br'er Rabbit (No surprise)
  • Br'er Fox speaker blown (Wayyy to quiet and very staticy)
  • Br'er Fox barely moving
  • Dialouge seems to be playing more than usual
LP/Big Drop:
  • Br'er Bear audio out (Can barely hear it)
  • Laughing Br'er Rabbit missing
  • No jumping water
  • Neither turtle working
  • Br'er Fox jaw very stiff, not fluid at all
  • Lights off on vultures
  • Audio missing at top scene
  • Br'er Fox shadow off
ZADD:
  • 3rd gator missing
  • Other two gators moving slower than usual
  • Captain goose on showboat slumped over
  • Showboat not rocking back and forth
  • Br'er Toad with bass barely moving
  • Br'er Turkey stuck with his headed tilted up
  • Audio for Br'er Fox very quiet, can barely hear it.
  • Br'er Fox only tilting head back and forth
  • No gator movement
 
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Kirby86

Well-Known Member
I just want to point out that the ride hasn't gone down for a refurbishment since probably early 2020 at the latest. Honestly it was probably earlier then that. Best case scenario it went through the rest of 2020 after the park was reopened after shutdown and all of 2021 with its last refurbishment being done before the pandemic was a thing. Worst case it's last refurbishment was the 2019 one. Disney pretty much drove this ride into the ground.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
I just want to point out that the ride hasn't gone down for a refurbishment since probably early 2020 at the latest. Honestly it was probably earlier then that. Best case scenario it went through the rest of 2020 after the park was reopened after shutdown and all of 2021 with its last refurbishment being done before the pandemic was a thing. Worst case it's last refurbishment was the 2019 one. Disney pretty much drove this ride into the ground.
Its last closure was right before the pandemic closure in January/February 2020. Definitely necessary.
 

celluloid

Well-Known Member
I just want to point out that the ride hasn't gone down for a refurbishment since probably early 2020 at the latest. Honestly it was probably earlier then that. Best case scenario it went through the rest of 2020 after the park was reopened after shutdown and all of 2021 with its last refurbishment being done before the pandemic was a thing. Worst case it's last refurbishment was the 2019 one. Disney pretty much drove this ride into the ground.

Good points. Mechanics sitting is often worse than running them half as well.
 

THEMEPARKPIONEER

Well-Known Member
I’m thinking and hoping that there hoping we forget about the purposes changes and they can get away with keeping it the way it is. Anything not to spend money on their end
 

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