Major 2015 Pirates of the Caribbean Refurbishment Watch/Rumor.

[Horizons '83]

4 months is better than 0. I am glad they at least recognize the need..

 

[ILOVEDISNEY]

Cast Members have to sign a five year non disclosure agreement when they come into the company. Meaning I cannot talk about specifics for another four and a half years without fear of legal action. I have to be ambiguous. Scary things have happened with the ride and those things have nothing to do with hands being in the water. I don't care if you don't beleive it because your validation does not make any facts more or less true. There's nothing oddball about my remarks. Every long time insider has commented on how terrible every aspect of the ride currently is.

Aren't you breaking your non-disclosure agreement by disclosing you had to sign one?

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think they're making a big mistake by waiting so long on it. MK will be in trouble for wait times this summer now. They should have closed it yesterday and began the refurb ASAP to get it back up by July

They "can't." The FL mentality is that no more than one E-Ticket in one park can be closed at any one time. Jungle Cruise is already scheduled to close in April thru May 8, so it's no surprise that PotC will close May 10. I assume they have something else on deck for Fall 2015.

 

[Mike S]

They "can't." The FL mentality is that no more than one E-Ticket in one park can be closed at any one time. Jungle Cruise is already scheduled to close in April thru May 8, so it's no surprise that PotC will close May 10. I assume they have something else on deck for Fall 2015.

Meanwhile at Disneyland........

And then Soarin' and Grizzly River Run at DCA. Seems like they keep on top of everything there. While not an E Ticket, Peter Pan is also closed to receive significant upgrades for the 60th anniversary while ours is still stuck in the 70's. So different over there.........

 

[GrumpyFan]

They "can't." The FL mentality is that no more than one E-Ticket in one park can be closed at any one time. Jungle Cruise is already scheduled to close in April thru May 8, so it's no surprise that PotC will close May 10. I assume they have something else on deck for Fall 2015.

IF it's truly as bad or dangerous as some would indicate, then it should be closed now. So, either people are exaggerating about the safety aspect, or Disney's ignoring the safety/danger issues. I find it hard to believe the latter, considering lawsuit, OSHA, and negative publicity implications that might come in the event of an incident related to it's safety being ignored.

Personally, I've ridden it at least 3 times in the last year and a half, and I've witnessed numerous issues with the ride and operation of it, but none that I would consider unsafe or dangerous to guests. I know that's hardly enough of a sampling to determine safety, but I just can't imagine anything as unsafe as some are claiming unless there are electrical issues or load/unload problems endangering guests that I haven't seen. My own observation is that it's in poor operational condition (mostly due to the newer boats) leading to break-downs and stuck boats which requires CMs to take action to resolve or assist guests, sometimes putting them and the guests in potentially unsafe situations.

One other note, IF I'm wrong in my comments, or a CM thinks there are unsafe conditions for themselves or guests being ignored by Disney, I would STRONGLY encourage them to contact their supervisor first, but if that doesn't go anywhere, send an anonymous message to OSHA alerting them.

 

[Monorail_Red_77]

I don't get it. The FLE, Avatar, etc. take years longer than they should and people scream from the rooftops.

Yet, Imagineering (who is known for dragging its heels) asks for an insane amount of time for a refurb and people are fine with it and complain it won't be down for longer.

It's very hard for me to believe, that with the right amount of workers, ANY refurb (not including track replacement) couldn't be done in a month or two if they put the appropriate resources into it. We don't know that the budget hasn't been appropriately increased so that more workers can be present to do the work in less time.

My thoughts on all of the maintenance issues across al of the parks is this. What the heck are the overnight maintenance people doing that they cannot keep up with the daily maintenance of the rides and other attractions? If things were maintained properly rides would be in much better shape. Is it that the overnight ride maintenance people are also cleaning, etc. and they are not dedicated ride maintenance jobs? Or is it that there is just a few people that have to maintain all rides on property and so can only spend 5 minutes per week on a ride and hence nothing gets properly maintained?

If my auto mechanic worked like this, we'd have a major issue.
Me: my motor is making a clanking noise.
Mechanic: Sorry today I only have time to put air in your tires.
Me: What about my motor?
Mechanic: Sorry, try back next week.
Me: What the #$%#@!^

 

[The Mighty Tim]

Oh well, no POTC for me, unless they finish the refurb a couple of weeks early.

 

[GrumpyFan]

My thoughts on all of the maintenance issues across al of the parks is this. What the heck are the overnight maintenance people doing that they cannot keep up with the daily maintenance of the rides and other attractions? If things were maintained properly rides would be in much better shape. Is it that the overnight ride maintenance people are also cleaning, etc. and they are not dedicated ride maintenance jobs? Or is it that there is just a few people that have to maintain all rides on property and so can only spend 5 minutes per week on a ride and hence nothing gets properly maintained?

My understanding is that overnight maintenance has been trimmed numerous times, starting in the Eisner era. What's left is a skeleton crew who handle a few routine daily checks and change out light bulbs, etc. They don't get into any major repairs. Those are left to outside contractors who come in when specifically tasked with a project such as this.

However, the work that's needed on Pirates is in relation to the new boats they put in a couple years ago. It's been discussed around here ad nauseam, but the ride hasn't been the same since and is in need of some major work that can't be performed overnight.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

4.5 months is plenty of time for people to enjoy the new hula hoop attraction located at the former entrance of Pirates.

Trickle down economics at work... can't take attractions offline at the world's busiest theme park because you afford to have that much capacity off the table (and still be able to increase prices). My what a tangled web has been woven in Orlando. Operationally, if the park gets hit this summer with a MM+ outage at the same time some other headliner attractions go down, things will get messy very quickly.

The attraction in late January was in HORRIBLE condition. One circuit was all I could stomach over the nine days on property. I for one would not count on much time for many show quality items to be worked on as there are many more operational items that need to be hammered out and 4.5 months using Disney's current resource management/budgets don't point towards 6 months plus worth of work being crammed into 4.5.

I would implore anyone fan of WDW to heed the advice of many in this thread - use this summer as THE opportunity to go to Disneyland Resort. Not only will you see the real Pirates attraction; but, you will witness what should be in Orlando with both parks on the West Coast shining like a new penny for the 60th. Ask yourself if WDW's 40th anniversary celebration was even close to DLR's 60th plate of what is announced so far (and there is even more coming). WDW has become a sad franchise of a chain that is a pale reflection of the original and is being operated as such. Same brand, different ownership (although technically the same).

"Our" resort in Orlando can barely keep Pirates afloat.

 

[Monorail_Red_77]

My understanding is that overnight maintenance has been trimmed numerous times, starting in the Eisner era. What's left is a skeleton crew who handle a few routine daily checks and change out light bulbs, etc. They don't get into any major repairs.

However, the work that's needed on Pirates is in relation to the new boats they put in a couple years ago. It's been discussed around here ad nauseam, but the ride hasn't been the same since and is in need of some major work that can't be performed overnight.

Yes, I understand the boat part. I have experienced that several times. I get that there are some things that cannot be fixed by a simple overnight maintenance job. Also some issues require the ride to be closed down do do certain repairs. But when you see things like they gutted and upgraded the Magic cruise ship in about 2 months or so, it makes you think they could do so much more. Now granted the ship refurb was done around the clock 24-7, but still. My thoughts were to general maint issues with all rides, and how long it takes to make what seems a simple repair. Like a doll not working or completely missing on IASW or items not working on COP, etc. like a fan or water pump. It just seems like if they had a better nightly maintenance plan, there would be less things constantly broken between refurbs. It seems like now if it is harder than replacing a light bulb or sweeping cob webs they say oh well, that will have to wait for the refurb. When is that again? Ah, who cares, I don't have time for that.

oops. wait. cob webs are hard to fix at times too.

 

[ToTBellHop]

IF it's truly as bad or dangerous as some would indicate, then it should be closed now. So, either people are exaggerating about the safety aspect, or Disney's ignoring the safety/danger issues. I find it hard to believe the latter, considering lawsuit, OSHA, and negative publicity implications that might come in the event of an incident related to it's safety being ignored.

Personally, I've ridden it at least 3 times in the last year and a half, and I've witnessed numerous issues with the ride and operation of it, but none that I would consider unsafe or dangerous to guests. I know that's hardly enough of a sampling to determine safety, but I just can't imagine anything as unsafe as some are claiming unless there are electrical issues or load/unload problems endangering guests that I haven't seen. My own observation is that it's in poor operational condition (mostly due to the newer boats) leading to break-downs and stuck boats which requires CMs to take action to resolve or assist guests, sometimes putting them and the guests in potentially unsafe situations.

One other note, IF I'm wrong in my comments, or a CM thinks there are unsafe conditions for themselves or guests being ignored by Disney, I would STRONGLY encourage them to contact their supervisor first, but if that doesn't go anywhere, send an anonymous message to OSHA alerting them.

Someone who has ridden three times in 18 months would be in a position to know how safe or unsafe a ride is.

This is Disney moving fast. They have pushed this off too long and are forced to announce a closure less than three months away that will occur over the busy summer season. Do you think Disney would do this if it wasn't absolutely necessary? This is a case of "yes, we should close it now, but can't afford to close it during Spring Break or during Jungle Cruise's closure." I seem to recall something similar happening with Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland a while back.......

 

[PREMiERdrum]

IF it's truly as bad or dangerous as some would indicate, then it should be closed now. So, either people are exaggerating about the safety aspect, or Disney's ignoring the safety/danger issues. I find it hard to believe the latter, considering lawsuit, OSHA, and negative publicity implications that might come in the event of an incident related to it's safety being ignored.

I don't claim to have any direct insider info, but the rumblings I've heard have been complaints about worker safety during evac procedures. I can't see how the procedures themselves would have changed with the new boats, but I can imagine that the amount of time each day that cast members have to enter the ride area to assist stuck boats would bring some safety hazards to light.

 

[GrumpyFan]

I don't claim to have any direct insider info, but the rumblings I've heard have been complaints about worker safety during evac procedures. I can't see how the procedures themselves would have changed with the new boats, but I can imagine that the amount of time each day that cast members have to enter the ride area to assist stuck boats would bring some safety hazards to light.

That doesn't surprise me. And, I could see where that might be a safety concern, but it's one that's existed since the ride originally opened. However, with the problems of these boats, it just means the condition is all the more present due to the frequency in which evacs have occurred or CMs were called in to action to get a boat unstuck. I've been a part of an evac on occasion, and it surprised me how little the CMs had to work with to perform them. There are some potentially dangerous conditions that exist (low light, slippery surfaces, unstable boat,etc.), if people get unruly or impatient, or a CM doesn't know what they're doing.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I don't owe you any details or evidence. Take my word or don't, man.

OK, I won't. Have a scary day.

 

[DocMcHulk]

so, what is the reason behind the referb? i read somewhere and had a few people on Facebook say it was for "safety" reasons.

 

[Goofyernmost]

so, what is the reason behind the referb? i read somewhere and had a few people on Facebook say it was for "safety" reasons.

The dam ride in WDW is 40 years old. It has carried thousands and thousands of people. Although a relatively simple design it is still mechanical. The thing hasn't been properly torn apart and upgraded for years and years. The fact that it continues to work at all is a tribute to the engineering that it received originally.

Disney, because they are capable of seeing nothing except today, do not give any thought to tomorrow and what might be giving out. The new boats were, in all probability improperly designed and have caused some problems but it doesn't stop at the boats. They are but one part of the over all ride. Safety, sure, there is always the fact that when it breaks unusual events have to happen to evacuate the riders. That brings elements of danger into play for both the Guests and the CM's. The question is just how high risk are those dangers and what degree of danger do they represent. Enough to know that it shouldn't be happening.

Recent problems that we know of like boats getting stuck and the man losing part of his fingers are because of two things. The first one being poor planning and design coupled with the unstoppable need for Disney to pinch every penny, thus creating a headache of colossal proportions. The second being something that has always been a recognized risk on so many of the rides that you find anyplace, not just Disney, that are now almost constant warnings to keep arms and hands inside the vehicle at all times are being ignored by the higher intellectual groups that are sometimes on board. The reason why it took 40 years for that to become a sharp point is simply because the risk, although there, is a very small one and can be avoid by almost everyone with a working brain cell.

But, the reason is because it needs fixing mostly due to age. Two weeks ago tomorrow I rode Pirates. Everything was working but many things needed tweaking. And those are just the things that we, as a rider can see. If the ride stops they only way that can happen is if the pumps are not working properly because that is what drives them, water current! Those probably need to be rebuilt or replaced.

 

[rct247]

Overnight maintenance, particularly at Magic Kingdom, has gotten bad because park hours keep minimizing the time they have to work on attractions. Years ago, slow seasons had shorter hours to allow time for more refurbishments, even if they occurred only at night. Now the slow seasons hours are later, the bare minimum is done. The other stuff pushed to the side on a wait list, then more critical stuff needs work and the wait list gets pushed back more. Now we have such a back log of things needing attention to the point where our attractions are in poor shape. The more popular the attraction, the more pressure to keep it running with little or no refurbishment and only band aids to keep it going.

To narrow back on pirates, I think it has been mentioned but the drop may be redone and straightened out to avoid the jostling at the bottom of the drop where most of the water is taken on board.

 

[marni1971]

A lot of the boats are damaged. The refurb can't fix that or the water they take on.

 

[Otterhead]

The ride needs lots of polish. The AAs are all functioning, but as of late January the boats were showing lots of wear. They're all riding low in the water; my half-full boat hit the bottom of the 'flume' so hard that the riders in front were drenched. Audio issues are rampant; the voices and background effects are so quiet that they're barely audible. Worst offenders there are the 'dead men tell no tales' at the beginning and Jack Sparrow in the treasure room.

 

[BrerJon]

What is scarier is that they are still letting guests on the ride. It is actually dangerous. Have we ever known Disney to keep running a ride they know is unsafe?

Unfortunately yes.

Disneyland, under Paul Pressler, famously cut maintenance so much that rides started to fall apart, and in 2003 Big Thunder Mountain derailed as a result and one guest was sadly killed, with several more injured.

The investigation found the poor maintenance culture to blame, and it's that exact same culture that we now have at WDW.