Large Piece Falls off Monorail - Being Evacuated

[Figment2005]

I've heard a rumor that instead of repainting the lines they're going to use the "wrap" material for the stripes.

They tested that with Orange, but it failed miserably. I don't see that happening anymore.

 

[prberk]

No, that's not always true.

Here's an example-
This drives me absolutely nuts, why they chose to paint a wooden floor outside, I have no idea. Seriously drives me crazy. It's the only attraction that has this issue. This ride has been continuously running since 1972.

View attachment 211322

Funny I looked at that picture and immediately thought it was the line to the Rebel Yell at King's Island's sister park, King's Dominion, in Virginia. That coaster has also been running continuously since the early '70s.

So, while don't know for sure, I wonder if it isn't essentially the same ride. For us it is iconic. The classic white wooden rollercoaster.

 

[nace888]

They tested that with Orange, but it failed miserably. I don't see that happening anymore.

So we're looking at a full head to toe nose to tail repaint? Skirts and all?

 

[s8film40]

Doing a 'wrap' would be more cost effective and 'greener' than repaint

It would never last. Once it gets a scratch that whole section would need to be replaced.

 

[natatomic]

It would never last. Once it gets a scratch that whole section would need to be replaced.

Did the full, themed wraps get damaged? Those seemed to last the length of time they planned to use them at least, though I also didn't look that close either.

 

[21stamps]

Funny I looked at that picture and immediately thought it was the line to the Rebel Yell at King's Island's sister park, King's Dominion, in Virginia. That coaster has also been running continuously since the early '70s.

So, while don't know for sure, I wonder if it isn't essentially the same ride. For us it is iconic. The classic white wooden rollercoaster.

Yes! They're very similar! I've been to Kings Dominion.. I think The Racers were the inspiration for Rebel Yell.
Goal is to hit every Cedar Fair park..so far I've only been to 3.lol. And I've been going to Kings Island and Kings Dominion long before they were part of Cedar Fair..so those two are by default.

Just so I'm clear- I love the white on the coaster itself, just not the floorboards on the walking ramps...or at least not when the paint is peeling off. Lol The upkeep is too impossible.

 

[s8film40]

Did the full, themed wraps get damaged? Those seemed to last the length of time they planned to use them at least, though I also didn't look that close either.

Yeah the themed ones were only for a limited time. Once they get small rips it just spreads.

 

[Figment2005]

So we're looking at a full head to toe nose to tail repaint? Skirts and all?

Exactly

 

[nace888]

Exactly

Oh that's going to be lovely, they'll look like a proper fleet again!!

 

[Brad Bishop]

Just repeating...because it is something that most forget. Can't imagine you get bonuses for killing or maiming people, so the whole thought process falls apart.

I think that's an over simplistic way of putting how managers talk and I saw another reference to it earlier in a thread.

The orders handed down aren't, "Go kill some people and save money." That's a bit idiotic. The same goes with pretending that statements like, "I can cut 10% off of the budget by killing 7 guests," are at all real, what's talked about, or even what's thought about.

The orders handed down are along the lines of, "We need to increase our profits by 10%. As such, we need to reduce spending across the board and look for anything that may be valuable which we can upcharge for. There are bonuses in it if you can do it."

That's the kind of edict that is handed down.

What comes back is:
- We can set up premium cabanas.
- We can hold more ice cream parties.
- We can have premium after hours parties.
- I've reduced maintenance staff costs by 10%.

From an operations standpoint the thought process is, "What can I get away with?," and not, "How many people can I kill?"

As such, if a fountain breaks, it's not going to reduce ticket sales. If some animatronic doesn't work, it's not going to affect the turnstiles. Little things can be overlooked and never addressed so that costs are reduced and bonuses are made.

Disney has a history of this with Disneyland. "Run the rides until they fail." That's not "let's do proper maintenance to stay ahead of the game," nor is it, "Let's go on a killing spree." It's, "Do as little as possible to keep costs down." For every time a coaster completes a circuit you have, in effect, a win. See! You didn't need that costly maintenance! Where's my bonus??

It makes sense on some level. The idea isn't "killing people" but what your risk/reward structure is. If you only do maintenance every other day are things going to fall apart in a week? Probably not. You've probably just reduced your perceived costs by 50% while, at the same time, ignoring your long term costs and profitability (if everything is crap people will stop going). At the same time, maybe your staff has grown to be really much larger than it needs to be. Maybe you have 20 guys when you really only need 10 (realistically, quality of service staying up and keeping on top of maintenance). The problem lies in dialing in that magic "most efficient" number and in the bonuses which are handed out to higher ups. The maintenance manager may say, "No, I really need these guys to keep things running," but if his higher up says, "You have to cut costs," then it doesn't change the fact that his budget has been cut.

All of those little things you've ignored, because you're reducing costs and the turnstiles continue to click, do add up to where you're just fixing the immediate problem of the day (well, you're not - you're enjoying your bonus. Your team is scrambling to keep up).

Most of what this thread has argued about is one side with:
"The quality of service isn't what it used to be at Disney."
and the other side largely making excuses for Disney with things like:
"Look, they handle a lot of people and if the monorail makes the circuit then it's a win!"

Right now the only argument against "the monorails are crappy" are really just excuses.

You can point to, what, 1984 when there was the fire and say, "See! See! Trouble happened back then, too!" Yeah, odd stuff does happen. With the current downtime and unreliable service of the monorails a shoe falling off the train is more indicative of the overall problem which is plainly obvious with the upkeep of the trains/cabins. In 1984 you would have had no such argument because they had a higher level of standards they they do now. The 1984 fire was, indeed, an oddity. The shoe falling off is more "par for the course" with the current operations. (only fix it if it needs fixin')

The argument of "Well, the number of people is greater!" doesn't hold water to me. If your system can't handle the load then it's time to expand your system with more service bays, staff, and trains so that you can have a constant rotation and keep the expectations of your guests high for which you charge a premium. You also shouldn't have policies which require the entire system to be shut down because there's an issue somewhere else or a train is swapping beams. That's overzealous carefulness which serves no one and has more to do with theater than safety. It also shows that you don't trust your staff to make reasonable decisions and it adversely impacts guests for no good reason.

 

[peter11435]

torn off by what? king kong?

A bent bus bar, a tree branch lodged between the shoe and the track...

 

[larryz]

Funny I looked at that picture and immediately thought it was the line to the Rebel Yell at King's Island's sister park, King's Dominion, in Virginia. That coaster has also been running continuously since the early '70s.

So, while don't know for sure, I wonder if it isn't essentially the same ride. For us it is iconic. The classic white wooden rollercoaster.

They're very similar -- classic out and back racing coasters.

 

[flynnibus]

Yeah the themed ones were only for a limited time. Once they get small rips it just spreads.

Nah.. think of it like the racing stripes on cars. Vinyl wraps take a lot to tear them

 

[Goofyernmost]

LOL....just that if I lived to 112, I probably wouldn't be able to get OUT of bed!!

I'm in agreement with the age... but, I prefer it be at the hands of a jealous husband.

 

[s8film40]

Nah.. think of it like the racing stripes on cars. Vinyl wraps take a lot to tear them

Wheelchair ramps, ladders, tree branches, etc. will all get the job done. Trust me I've seen it done, and maybe even been responsible for a few.

 

[21stamps]

They're very similar -- classic out and back racing coasters.

I just want one to go backwards again. I think that's why I like Expedition Everest so much, for a brief moment I can close my eyes and pretend like I'm a child on the racers or rebel yell again.

I was incredibly stupid back then though. We always rode in the very last seat, on the backwards train.. and would stand up just before going over the hill. Our thighs would slam into the bar, and then we'd get flung back into our seat.. screaming and laughing.

So glad that restraints are different now and that my own child won't be able to carry out such stupidity.

 

[Nubs70]

Well, "Don" is obviously a wdwmagic member.lol.

Worn carpet = lack of safety maintenance.
That makes perfect sense.

Worn carpet is an indicator of quality. If scored for OEE, this an indicator of the how efficient the current maintenance state.

 

[Uncle Lupe]

Maybe, but I disagree. Our park is extremely clean, great landscaping, rarely will you even see trash, I have a ton of respect for Matt Ouimet and believe that he cares about each and every one of his parks. You can see his Disney influence on even the employees.. most of them go out of their way to help the customers, always smiling and friendly. The GM of KI is wonderful as well. He takes great pride in his park.
The photo I posted is the oddball.. which is why it drives me so crazy.

I don't think parks, not even Disney, can do all cosmetic maintenance at once.. eventually it does get done, but the sheer number of people will create wear on a consistent basis. If there was trash everywhere- then yes, I would say the execs are lacking..and it shows that they don't really care, but a little paint, worn doors? Not indicative of a larger problem in my eyes.



The Vortex turned 30 this year.. I remember riding it on it's opening day. Makes me feel so old.lol. The Racers, Beast, and Vortex were extremely rough last year to the point where I needed to have Advil on hand.. I don't know if that's my age showing, or if they just became a little more rough over the years.. I noticed that they didn't feel that way this year though, maybe I'm numb now?lol

I was too scared for those rides. You could find me in Hannah Barbera land, Smurf ride and the animal tram. The Beastie was as crazy as I got. Now I am ready to return and conquer some rides.

 

[21stamps]

I was too scared for those rides. You could find me in Hannah Barbera land, Smurf ride and the animal tram. The Beastie was as crazy as I got. Now I am ready to return and conquer some rides.

Rip smurf ride . I loved Hannah Barbera land! It's Peanuts now, and the smurf ride is a dark shooting ride where the cars turn you from side to side.
If you have a chance to go back then definitely do! Diamond Back and Banshee are incredible and very smooth! Flight of Fear and Firehawk are also amazing. I think The Beast at night is still my favorite though.

We're leaving in 5 minutes to head to "Mystic Timbers Tuesday". Park is open from 10-11 for gold and platinum only- and only that ride. I'm hoping we get to go on it more than once! We've been on it 3 times so far ranging from 204 minute wait to our shortest of 65 minutes.
Wish us luck for no lines tonight!!

 

[Goofyernmost]

@Lift Blog mentioned a while back that gondola have backup systems that allow them to get guests back to a station even if there is a power failure.

The system of backup is that all guest must travel hand over hand on the cables until they reach the station.

Two words that TDO has never heard of.....preventive maintenance. Sadly instead of following those two words and actually spending a little cash they'll surely put nets up over the high volume places.

That is more BS then is generated in 10 minutes in Washington. There is no money saving when your pockets are as deep as Disney's. They don't employ a room full of Lawyers trying to prevent lawsuits and then get reckless with safety. It would wipe out of decade of savings with just one legitimate lawsuit. They may be money mad, but, they are very aware that it would only take one big disaster to completely use up all the savings and that it is likely to happen if they don't make it work. This is business 101... yes, you save money wherever you can safely do it, but, the bigger the risk the more likely it will be that the legal contingency will out power TDO. Also those machines would not be still running without a lot of preventive maintenance.

It is crashing down! Didn't you see the picture!

I agree! I just saw a picture of the brand new SWL and the buildings have already collapsed into nothing but pieces of steel sticking upwards towards the sky. It's fallen apart already. Damn you TDO.

Preventative maintenance is the FIRST thing corporate america cuts when they need better margin as it's 'expensive' and does not give an immediate boost to the bottom line. It's for all intents and purposes invisible UNTIL something breaks.

I don't argue with that in relation to and toward employees because of smaller numbers and needed employment, however, when you are talking about exposing a large group of the general public to unnecessary dangers you are not only irresponsible to take that risk, but, just plain stupid. That will bite one on the butt in nano-seconds. Another mistaken belief is that preventive maintenance means replacing parts before anything happens. That is not preventive maintenance. PM is checking, greasing, testing, inspecting and many other checklist type functions. That will not always identify a part that is about to break because just like people, they are alive until they are dead. And you can go to the Doctors today, get a clean bill of health and be dead tomorrow. Ones heart beats until it stops. Machines are not exception. If they cut back on "expenses" what it usually means is that they no longer through money away on things that aren't yet broken. That is just foolishness.