New Boats on Pirates

[Animaniac93-98]

Regardless of how the water gets in the boat, Disney needs to find a better way to get it out than having CMs with towels.

 

[unkadug]

Regardless of how the water gets in the boat, Disney needs to find a better way to get it out than having CMs with towels.

Siphon hoses primed by mouth would be pretty sanitary.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Siphon hoses primed by mouth would be pretty sanitary.

Better yet, why not scoop it out with Dixie cups and sell them for $2.99 a piece?

Taste the Adventure!

 

[unkadug]

Better yet, why not scoop it out with Dixie cups and sell them for $2.99 a piece?

Taste the Adventure!

But they are only good for this trip only...You must buy a new one every time you ride POTC. Have a built in timer that will rot the bottom out of the cup as you leave the exit.

 

[Rob562]

There is an elevator. ECVs can't go in the queue, guests have to transfer to a standard chair which can go through the queue. Once the guests load a nice cast member wheels the chairs, two at a time, out the back door, out to the front of the building, around the front of the building, past the gift shop, around a corner and into an elevator. Down a floor, through a door and right to the unload platform. Then repeats this process. Again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Especially at Christmas time where it becomes apparent that 45% of the park's attendance is wheelchair bound.

I have a vague recollection of a time when the CM on the dock would fold up the wheelchair and put it in the back row of the boats so that it traveled with the Guest that needed it. Am I mis-remembering?

-Rob

 

[The Visionary Soul]

I have a vague recollection of a time when the CM on the dock would fold up the wheelchair and put it in the back row of the boats so that it traveled with the Guest that needed it. Am I mis-remembering?

-Rob

If that was the case, it sounds like it was unsafe for a wheelchair to go over a waterfall in a boat.

 

[unkadug]

If that was the case, it sounds like it was unsafe for a wheelchair to go over a waterfall in a boat.

Why would it ever be a good idea to send a wheelchair in a boat over a waterfall?

 

[Adrian DIxon]

This has sparked a question in my mind....how do immobile guests experience Pirates, or do they? ECV's and wheelchairs can't go up the speedramp at unload, and I don't think there's an elevator. I guess I've never in my life seen someone transferring at PotC. And given these parameters, I don't think a wheelchair boat is even worth addressing, given the inability to unload and leave the building safely on anything but feet.

I was there earlier this year with my wife on our honeymoon. we saw some guests coming up the exit area from an elevator as were were getting off the ride from pirates and saw that the lady was in a wheelchair. we had always wondered this too.

 

[GrumpyFan]

The new boats are horrible! They leak and they get stuck frequently at various points throughout the ride. We were there on the 18th and rode with a full boat, and at least 4 different times our boat stopped when riding. You could hear it grinding on the bottom, and we didn't move until another boat or two came along behind us to push us free. Oh, and like others mentioned, we got quite a bit of water in the boat after the water fall descent.

 

[startraveler]

I have a vague recollection of a time when the CM on the dock would fold up the wheelchair and put it in the back row of the boats so that it traveled with the Guest that needed it. Am I mis-remembering?

-Rob

Nope. They did this when I was little.

 

[startraveler]

This has sparked a question in my mind....how do immobile guests experience Pirates, or do they? ECV's and wheelchairs can't go up the speedramp at unload, and I don't think there's an elevator. I guess I've never in my life seen someone transferring at PotC. And given these parameters, I don't think a wheelchair boat is even worth addressing, given the inability to unload and leave the building safely on anything but feet.

This is one of the many rides I cannot do. My last experience on the ride was about ten years ago. I was a smaller adult then. we were invited by a manager who enlisted his boss and another manager. We took an elevator, loaded from the other side with all of them and my parents, they lifted me and carried me one on each limb and stepped down into the boat. And yes they pushed my wheelchair to the exit and lifted me out. I was elated, because at the time I thought I'd never get to do one of my favorite rides again. When I was little, one parent could hand me off to the other.
It would be nice if there was a boat that could offer an easy sliding in type transfer, but alas, it's probably not happening. As others have said you can't have a wheelchair boat, like small world. Another ride that can't take wheelchairs is haunted mansion. I might get one more ride on this, but I doubt it.
Glad there's still a few things left I can do, even though I have to wait a lot longer than most guests to get the special car or seat.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

Saturday evening a boat two boats ahead of us became stuck just after the treasure map scene. The boat was making this horrible sound. After about 10 minutes a cast member appeared in one of the show scenes and walked up to the ledge. He instructed the guests in the stuck boat to lift their hands up and move them from left to right in unison. Believe it or not, after about half a dozen repititions, the boat actually got back on the track and we were able to finish the voyage. Is this their solution for this, though? Surely there must be a better way than sending a cast member into the attraction to instruct guests to shake the boat?

 

[meyeet]

Where are the old boats now? I don't understand how after the new boats were found to be inferior, the old boats weren't reloaded onto the ride for use.

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Saturday evening a boat two boats ahead of us became stuck just after the treasure map scene. The boat was making this horrible sound. After about 10 minutes a cast member appeared in one of the show scenes and walked up to the ledge. He instructed the guests in the stuck boat to lift their hands up and move them from left to right in unison. Believe it or not, after about half a dozen repititions, the boat actually got back on the track and we were able to fi nish the voyage. Is this their solution for this, though? Surely there must be a better way than sending a cast member into the attraction to instruct guests to shake the boat?

I think Pirates just got some new theme music...Disco Pirates of the Caribbean anyone?

 

[GrumpyFan]

Where are the old boats now? I don't understand how after the new boats were found to be inferior, the old boats weren't reloaded onto the ride for use.

I went on the Keys to the Kingdom tour last week and saw a couple of them outside the building in the back. I would guess the rest are either still inside, or they've been hauled off somewhere for recycling/destruction. I also saw one of the new ones up on blocks that looked like it was being worked on, or they were at least looking at.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Where are the old boats now? I don't understand how after the new boats were found to be inferior, the old boats weren't reloaded onto the ride for use.

They are currently being decorated in a WalMart parking lot for their appearance at Jingle Cruise. Here's what they looked like during a recent test in Rivers of America.

 

[Disney Villain]

Surely there must be a better way than sending a cast member into the attraction to instruct guests to shake the boat?

That is standard procedure and has been for years when boats get stuck. It's an easy, safe and efficient fix, as opposed to evacuating the ride every time a boat get stuck. Boats get stuck several times a day, usually due to larger guests and the way the boats are loaded. Pirates cast members run around the attraction and scenes often to get the boats moving again. The old boats got stuck almost daily and so do the new ones.

The new boats are lighter and made of different materials than the old boats. Several solutions have been underway to deal with the water issue, and so far they're working. Pirates cast members are no longer bailing boats. Depending on the weight of guests in the new boats, they may take on water.

In my opinion the capacity of each boat should be reduced. This would help distribute weight but it is not very efficient. If I had to guess I'd assume guests will soon be seeing signs that say "you may get wet on this ride", as it's the easiest way to deal with the issue. Drilling holes in the new boats have helped tremendously with the water issue. For every one boat that comes in a bit wet, there are several more that come in dry. In Disney's mind, they view this as success and their solution of drilling holes in the new boats has seemed to work.

 

[meyeet]

I had to LOL about drilling holes in the boats as the solution. I'm guessing this is more complicated and placed better than the simple reading of holes in the boats.

 

[JenniferS]

Why would they want people to get wet on Pirates from more than the little bit of splash on the drop...who is making the decisions like that at MK?

I've mentioned this on another thread, but the final time we rode PoC earlier this month, we were seated in the front. I got so wet after the drop that it looked like I was entering a wet t-shirt contest. I was seated front row, right hand side. My nephew in the middle and SIL on the left of the front row only got hit with a sprinkling of water.

My experience riding PoC 7x this trip was that every single boat I rode listed markedly to the right, and there was a significant amount of water pooled on the floor of row 5 on the right hand side; so much so that my right foot was completely submerged when we were seated in the fifth row.

Are they still not loading row 6?

 

[Zummi Gummi]

That is standard procedure and has been for years when boats get stuck. It's an easy, safe and efficient fix, as opposed to evacuating the ride every time a boat get stuck. Boats get stuck several times a day, usually due to larger guests and the way the boats are loaded. Pirates cast members run around the attraction and scenes often to get the boats moving again. The old boats got stuck almost daily and so do the new ones.

Fantastic show.