Frustrating Day at Epcot Yesterday

[NemoRocks78]

UOE is down for rehab 'til April. So don't expect it to open anytime soon.

Totally forgot. It did say 'Closed' on the times board so I figured it was down, but now I remember SSE/TT saying 'Down' so it all makes sense now. :hammer: :lol:

 

[Tom]

I would like to see that system. Those are a lot of car, and a long lift hill. I cant imagine the weight, torque and force that is needed.

*note: dont get a physics on me. Im sure i missused those forces of nature in above description*

I'm not starting an argument here, I'm just using your post to tangent on my own

Marni, or someone else, can probably explain better (or flat out prove me wrong :lol, but as I look at the ride system when I ride SSE (most recently 2 weeks ago) I hypothesize that there probably isn't a lot of work required by the motors that drive the omni - relatively speaking.

Since the ride is an Omni, it would - in theory - be self balancing. Sort of like an elevator's counterbalance system. The work to pull the ride up the hill would be countered by the weight of the other half of the omni going back down.

The motors are there merely to just propel the entire omni system, as a whole. In the proverbial physics vacuum, you should be able to push on any one ride vehicle and move the entire omni with ease.

Sorry for the tangent, but it seems like a good place to work in the thought I've had for a while Thoughts?

 

[spacemt09]

I hypothesize that there probably isn't a lot of work required by the motors that drive the omni - relatively speaking.

Since the ride is an Omni, it would - in theory - be self balancing. Sort of like an elevator's counterbalance system. The work to pull the ride up the hill would be countered by the weight of the other half of the omni going back down.

The motors are there merely to just propel the entire omni system, as a whole. In the proverbial physics vacuum, you should be able to push on any one ride vehicle and move the entire omni with ease.

That would be correct for the most part, albeit a simple way of putting it. I can say from experience (and thinking) it is not possible to start moving SSE by hand... heh. Lots of motors moving in the same direction (some of them at different speeds!) add together and get that long, slow moving time vehicle moving.

 

[IROC it]

TT either broke down while I was in queue or was down and the queue not open so often during my 6-day Dec trip, I never got to ride it. Does anyone know possible causes behind all of the TT issues?

If you've got TT issues, you may need a restroom.




Sorry... couldn't resist.:goodnevil

 

[Susan Savia]

We were in the World 1/10 thru the 17th and in Epcot 5 days (or most of) during that time and rode SE and TT many many times and had no problems any of the times we rode either ride We expected SE to breakdown/stop at least once during this time, but it did not. One year we rode SE and it completely stopped during our ride 4 times. I guess this year we just got lucky.

 

[Fade_to_Blah]

We had SSE get stopped a few times during our trip in november. It happens. I like it personally, gives me more time to look around

And Test Track stopped for a while as well. They came over the speakers and announced it...but it seemed like something minor as it was fixed probably in 15 mins. ON a side note, that music in Test Track drives me insane

 

[Figment632]

I am so tiered of TT every time I'm in Epcot it is down it is the most inefficient ride in WDW and I'm ready for them to tear it down.

 

[GothMickey]

I am so tiered of TT every time I'm in Epcot it is down it is the most inefficient ride in WDW and I'm ready for them to tear it down.

I have had TT go down on my trips before. I just say oh well and move on. Guess maybe I become used to it. Could be time to look into update or replacing TT.

 

[TakeMeThere81]

I understand your frustration thecompman! We had a similar day at DHS last week. I wrote about it in my trip report...

"My camera battery died at LMA, but after the show we went back over to do RnR and ToT again, and see when Fantasmic! was playing. Unfortunately, RnR was broken down and the Fantasmic! show had been canceled. We were so disappointed at the amount of attractions that were down or canceled that day. But we still had a lot of fun. At the end of the day, we watched more dance team competition then went home ad got a really good nights rest.

Attractions closed or canceled:
Sorcerer's Hat
Backlot Tour
Indiana Jones Stunt show (due to dance competition)
Fantasmic!
Rock n Rollercoaster (late in the day)"

At least at EPCOT there are plenty of other things to do...at DHS when there are that many things down, you can easily find yourself wandering aimlessly before you decide to just leave...and it also makes the other attraction queues super long!!

 

[Phonedave]

Wanna bet? SSE is the most complicated Omni - and with an Omni if one car has to slow or stop at load/unload they all do. This is made worse by those having difficult at load and unload by the circular turntables. On top of that, mods that should have been made years ago to the ride system wern`t, thus mechanical triggers for a 101 are more than there should be. Plus of course the drive system was modified even before the park opened. And finally, the bane of all dark rides and Omnis, idiots trying to get out the ride vehicle.

That has happend to me. I had just loaded on SSE, and they stopped the ride so they could help a person who needed assistance loading. It took maybe a minute, if that. In that time frame, somone up at the very top (I was right next to the operation station and could hear what was going on) decided that since the ride was stopped, they should go walk around. They had to shut down, lock out / tag out the attraction, search the entire ride to make sure that nobody was wandering around in there. Escort the people they did find out. All CM's then had to come back to remove their lock out locks. Then they could re-start. What would have been a minute - tops - pause, turned into about 20 because a guest acted like an idiot.

-dave

 

[burninup4nick]

well hopefully you get to ride when you go back

 

[Phonedave]

That would be correct for the most part, albeit a simple way of putting it. I can say from experience (and thinking) it is not possible to start moving SSE by hand... heh. Lots of motors moving in the same direction (some of them at different speeds!) add together and get that long, slow moving time vehicle moving.

Yeah, in the "physics vaccum" it is balanced, but think of all the frictional resistance that must be on that ride.

How many cars with how many wheels with how many wheel bearings.

-dave

 

[kadesha]

I'm sorry that happened to you. We waited until our last day at MK in November to let our DD ride Haunted Mansion. She was looking so forward to it. But it was down all almost all day. It opened back up that night but she had already fell asleep. It's so frustrating!

 

[hokielutz]

I was also at EPCOT Center yesterday... SSE, Test Track, and Energy were all down just before 4:30. I was also in line for Soarin' before 8 near the end of the hallway before the preshow area when that went down. Waited about 40 min. before they decided to dump the queue. No re-admits were given out, unfortunately.

Energy is in a scheduled refurb, so it doesn't count as down. It just ads more inconvenience to that side of the park

 

[hokielutz]

I was at Epcot all day yesterday as well. SSE was down until the evening. Don't know why but at least it opened.

TT is a hit or miss. It's a very technically advanced ride and it happens.

My suggestion would be to just not worry and relax. January crowds are low compared to other times of the year and you can do many more things in one day than you could visiting at other times.

With some major exceptions..

The Disney Marathon weekend and the days before and after it.
The MLK Holiday weekend crowds, coupled with College Dance/Cheer competitions.
And the Invasion of Central Florida by every teenager from Brazil. (yes this happened last week, and may still be happening this week. Look for those coordinating outfits and backpack with little tour-group flags bobbing along the sea of humanity up Main Street.

Yes... I was there...And Yes all these things happened in a one week time frame... and sometimes it got a little bit insane. If you wanted in or out of the Magic Kingdom last Saturday before and after the fireworks. Main Street was absolute gridlock, shoulder to shoulder... and CM's could do nothing about it.

 

[Foolish1]

With some major exceptions..

The Disney Marathon weekend and the days before and after it.
The MLK Holiday weekend crowds, coupled with College Dance/Cheer competitions.
And the Invasion of Central Florida by every teenager from Brazil. (yes this happened last week, and may still be happening this week. Look for those coordinating outfits and backpack with little tour-group flags bobbing along the sea of humanity up Main Street.

Yes... I was there...And Yes all these things happened in a one week time frame... and sometimes it got a little bit insane. If you wanted in or out of the Magic Kingdom last Saturday before and after the fireworks. Main Street was absolute gridlock, shoulder to shoulder... and CM's could do nothing about it.

This sounds familiar. I remember a number of years ago when they were giving the last weekend of performances of Main Street Electrical Parade. I was standing in the middle of Main Street, and it took almost 90 minutes to get out of the park. Many people had fainted. Lots of paramedics taking people out with stretchers. Every spot in the parking lots were full, and people were being directed to park on the grass.

While is was a neat experience, I don't think I would ever do anything like that again.

 

[chels26]

test track is always down, its the most expensive piece of crap ever built.
sse isn't that bad. if you're stopped for like two seconds its because of a wheel chair transfer.
and space has longer waits because upper management only wants one bay opened on each side.

 

[NPHC]

crazy day!

I was at Epcot yesterday as well, and it was bad for me also. THREE rides broke down while I was on them! First, it was on The Seas with Nemo. The ride got slower and slower and then just stopped. After about 5 minutes, it got going again. Then, on SSE, it was goingvery slow at first, then faster, then it stopped for about 3 minutes. We got going again, but then it stopped for 3 minutes again! Once my family and I got off that, we went onto Maelstrom. We got into our boat, and we got to the top of the hill at the beginning and stopped for 5 minutes. I don't know what was going on all day, but it was pretty crazy.