Hydrolators

[disneydata]

The Hydrolators at the Living Seas, contraty to popular belief, are real elevators. They do go up and down and are certified by Otis (hence the OTIS stamp near the doors on the floor). And like any other elevator, the safety "thing" needs to be periodically renewed.

 

[aim]

Are you sure? Because I know at least one of them does not move. At least when you have to get on one to leave. Many times I have been able to see outside through that cracks in the doors.

 

[Maria]

Oh no!! you are killing the magic!!! :lol: :lol:

My ears popped in them!! :lol: :animwink:

 

[guwag]

As far as I know that is wrong (at least as far as guests are concerned) - I have actually seen this for myself. When the Hydrolator was "moving" I opened the other set an inch or so by manually pulling them apart - still at floor level, still "moving" (by watching the sides) and then the outside door opened.

The only reason it is Otis is because they will have made the doors and their safety systems - they are the same as on a real elevator except for the lack of a locking mechanism (as far as I can tell)

If you have proof then I will gladly take back all of this (photo of certificate for example)

 

[BwanaBob]

You are corect.

A load capacity to handle the amount of bodies crammed into those things AND the capability for the floor mechanism to shake while moving would have been a challenge in and of itself.

If you watch the "windows" while your moving in the first set of hydro's, the "rock" formation is actually painted on a conveyor-belt type of system that just rolls upward, giving you the feel that you are going down. At times, you will notice the belt flutter back and forth giving it away.
Plus, look at the lighting that lights it up. It's almost not a smart idea to have put it so close to the belts.

Lastly, no elevator would have been placed that close to a real rock-lined shaft!

If you still don't believe, go out the "emergency exit" at the end! You will dump right out behind the hydro's exit doors on the outside!

 

[disneydata]

I tried not to ruin the magic. Sorry, but you're all wrong.

Disney wins on this technicality.

They are elevators.

They are certified by Otis.

They do go up and down ...

... but only about one to one and a half inches.

Therefore, TECHNICALLY, they are working elevators. They serve their purpose by going up and down, even though they stay at the same level. Ask any cast member if the Hydrolators go up and down. They will say yes and they are right. Yes you can open the doors on the other side and notice that you are stationary, but you're not supposed to. The point of the Hydrolators in the Living Seas is to feel like you're descending to Seabase Alpha, not just some pretty pointless piece of the puzzle. Isin't it kind of cooler when you're a kid to think you're descending down hundreds of feet than just the same place you were 5 minutes ago?


Nick

 

[The_CEO]

:lol:

 

[mikelan6]

I wouldn't say they are elevators. Especially the exit hydrolators since the floor there does not shake.

I think they have the Otis signs in them is because the attration was originally sponsored by United Technologies, which owns Otis elevator company.

 

[BwanaBob]

Forgive me.




I have no idea what came over me!

 

[Creekboy25]

I don't think the floor shakes on the way up because it is going up. The floor shakes on the way down because there is water pushing against it and on the way up there is no pressure on the floor. in simulation of course

 

[Sir Hiss527]

Dang, I never knew that. I could of sworn they went up and down levels. It just seems like they are. I guess Disney covers it up pretty well.

 

[Al]

Yeah, I really used to think we were going down so far when I was young(er)!! :lol:

:hammer:

 

[EvilMortimer]

Okay, first off, they are not elevators. There is no Cert. in them. Second, they use a modified hydraulic shaker table for the bases of the hydrolators. Third, there is only one "water elevator" on Earth, and that is on the island of Maui. Foruth, you are on the exact same level. If you don't believe me, look at the floor. It's continuous. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they aren't elevators. The doors are, in fact, modified elevator doors, but the hydrolators are not elevators. The same effect can be found on the following attractions:

The Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World)
The Haunted Mansion (Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disney Resort)
Caesars Magical Empire (Caesars Palace, Las Vegas)

Any questions?:sohappy:

 

[BwanaBob]

Originally posted by EvilMortimer
Okay, first off, they are not elevators. There is no Cert. in them. Second, they use a modified hydraulic shaker table for the bases of the hydrolators. Third, there is only one "water elevator" on Earth, and that is on the island of Maui. Foruth, you are on the exact same level. If you don't believe me, look at the floor. It's continuous. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they aren't elevators. The doors are, in fact, modified elevator doors, but the hydrolators are not elevators. The same effect can be found on the following attractions:

The Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World)
The Haunted Mansion (Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disney Resort)
Caesars Magical Empire (Caesars Palace, Las Vegas)

Any questions?:sohappy:

Thanks, Evil!

...and I thought it was just me!

 

[O I Sleep]

Originally posted by EvilMortimer
Okay, first off, they are not elevators. There is no Cert. in them. Second, they use a modified hydraulic shaker table for the bases of the hydrolators. Third, there is only one "water elevator" on Earth, and that is on the island of Maui. Foruth, you are on the exact same level. If you don't believe me, look at the floor. It's continuous. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they aren't elevators. The doors are, in fact, modified elevator doors, but the hydrolators are not elevators. The same effect can be found on the following attractions:

The Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World)
The Haunted Mansion (Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disney Resort)
Caesars Magical Empire (Caesars Palace, Las Vegas)

Any questions?:sohappy:

Don't forget the water "ride" at the Atlantic Hotel. :lol:

 

[wild01ride]

Wouldn't it be more of a PITA to make an elevator move 1-1/2" rather than not moving at all??:veryconfu

I can't imagine any motivation for having them move 1-1/2" if they're going to move!

 

[iluvstitch]

I agree that there's no break in the floor-its continuous. When I was little, I remember hoping the windows in the elevator wouldn't break and flood us w/water! -Steph

 

[Roey]

I cought onto this trick my very first time I went into the attraction. I was visiting "EPCOT Center" when it first opened in 1982 when I was a kid and the attraction was not even around then. But when I came back 10 years later and rode the attraction, I knew it was all Disney "magic" fooling us to believe we were actually decending into the void.

The elevators only more about an inch or so and that is only because it needs to have just enough room for the elevator to rock and bouce a bit to give you the feeling of movement. When the elevator stops, it is down about an inch. Then the doors close and the elevator resets itself in about 5 seconds to open the doors back up to more passengers.

The ones at the end of the attraction can be avoided by going out the emergency exit doors net to them and you will see daylight when you open the doors (giving the effect away).

If you think that you are actually going down into the earth, then why do they have such a huge building with an obvious tank recognizable to everyone above the ground? No magic here.

 

[Woody's Roundup]

Hydrolators and others...

No, they don't go under water..and don't always listen to the college program kids, they come down for a few months and think they know everything

 

[HM999thGhost]

Originally posted by EvilMortimer
Okay, first off, they are not elevators. There is no Cert. in them. Second, they use a modified hydraulic shaker table for the bases of the hydrolators. Third, there is only one "water elevator" on Earth, and that is on the island of Maui. Foruth, you are on the exact same level. If you don't believe me, look at the floor. It's continuous. Sorry to burst your bubble, but they aren't elevators. The doors are, in fact, modified elevator doors, but the hydrolators are not elevators. The same effect can be found on the following attractions:

The Haunted Mansion (Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World)
The Haunted Mansion (Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (Tokyo DisneySea, Tokyo Disney Resort)
Caesars Magical Empire (Caesars Palace, Las Vegas)

Any questions?:sohappy:

But don't forget that at the Haunted Mansion in Cali (even though you didn't say this) has a real elevator in the "stretching room" it functions to lower the "volunteers" under the facade, so the Travel Channel show said...Really I think the WDW should have made the HM stretching room the same as the Cali one, but it doesn't really make a difference...it saved money by just making the roof and walls move up and roll out...