News Runoff Rapids water slides at Blizzard Beach closed for refurbishment

[threvester]

Wrong.

"The tickets* listed below provide 1-day admission. If both water parks are open, you may come and go between them, as you please!"

See https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tickets/water-parks/

It's $62 for both parks including blockout dates. (The AP offer for $45 for both parks ended October 1.) Since we're past the blockout dates, if you purchase your ticket at the gate on arrival or your trip is planned outside blockout dates (counter intuitively called "with blockout dates" meaning you can't visit on blockout dates), then it would be $57 instead.

Interesting. We had a lightning storm while at Typhoon Lagoon where they closed all the slides for a bit. We decided to head across the street for lunch waiting for the storm to clear. on the way out I asked guest relations if I needed a hand stamp like the announcement was saying, and she said no I can come and go to Typhoon as often as I liked that day but could not go to Blizzard without being charged a second waterpark admission...guess I got another well informed cm!

 

[sedati]

Really sad to see this. These three are my favorites in the park. The rest are very boring. Shameful to see it rotting like that out in the open.

From within the park they are very hard to spot.

 

[THE Monorail Lime]

From within the park they are very hard to spot.

You have to go on the race slides to see them or the river

 

[JohnD]

Interesting. We had a lightning storm while at Typhoon Lagoon where they closed all the slides for a bit. We decided to head across the street for lunch waiting for the storm to clear. on the way out I asked guest relations if I needed a hand stamp like the announcement was saying, and she said no I can come and go to Typhoon as often as I liked that day but could not go to Blizzard without being charged a second waterpark admission...guess I got another well informed cm!

I was issued a pass card for the day. All I needed to do was tap it to the scanner as you would an MB.

 

[dreamfinder]

Interesting. We had a lightning storm while at Typhoon Lagoon where they closed all the slides for a bit. We decided to head across the street for lunch waiting for the storm to clear. on the way out I asked guest relations if I needed a hand stamp like the announcement was saying, and she said no I can come and go to Typhoon as often as I liked that day but could not go to Blizzard without being charged a second waterpark admission...guess I got another well informed cm!

Did you have a MYWHopper+? If so, then yes, the plus would require a second plus usage to go to the other park. Even though you had a MYWH+ the hopper applies to the main parks only. Any of the plus usages are not hoppable, and would use two entitlements. So if you went to MK and DHS in the same day, thats 1 main park admission used. If you went MK to BB that would be 1 main park and 1 plus entitlement. If you went to MK, BB, TL and WWoS that would be 1 main park, and 3 entitlements. I'd suspect that many of the water park guests have + entitlements, and not standalone water park tickets. It's only $15 to add the plus to a hopper ticket, vs almost $60 for the single day.

 

[threvester]

Did you have a MYWHopper+? If so, then yes, the plus would require a second plus usage to go to the other park. Even though you had a MYWH+ the hopper applies to the main parks only. Any of the plus usages are not hoppable, and would use two entitlements. So if you went to MK and DHS in the same day, thats 1 main park admission used. If you went MK to BB that would be 1 main park and 1 plus entitlement. If you went to MK, BB, TL and WWoS that would be 1 main park, and 3 entitlements. I'd suspect that many of the water park guests have + entitlements, and not standalone water park tickets. It's only $15 to add the plus to a hopper ticket, vs almost $60 for the single day.

Yes, I had the MMYW+ ticket...so I guess she was right.

 

[Biff215]

I guess we can hope this gets addressed during this year’s refurb, but it didn’t last winter, so who knows. If Disney feels it’s not affecting attendance, then they might just tear it out instead of replacing or repairing it.

We still had a great day at Blizzard in August, as my kids loved Ski Patrol which is something Typhoon lacks. The slide lines were crazy long though, so Runoff really is needed.

 

[JohnD]

I guess we can hope this gets addressed during this year’s refurb, but it didn’t last winter, so who knows. If Disney feels it’s not affecting attendance, then they might just tear it out instead of replacing or repairing it.

We still had a great day at Blizzard in August, as my kids loved Ski Patrol which is something Typhoon lacks. The slide lines were crazy long though, so Runoff really is needed.

That's twisted logic. I just visited and realized I didn't want to come back unless those slides were open. So if they tear out the slides because of reduced attendance it's because of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

 

[Biff215]

That's twisted logic. I just visited and realized I didn't want to come back unless those slides were open. So if they tear out the slides because of reduced attendance it's because of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

I agree. I’m not saying reduced attendance, I’m wondering if it actually stayed the same or increased, allowing Disney to believe the slides aren’t needed or worth fixing. Even if that were the case, I’m sure there are plenty of guests who won’t return in the future like yourself now that they experienced the park without them. We’ll see if Disney really cares.

 

[Gabe1]

Finally made it to Blizzard Beach for the first time ever this September. A fun, well-realized theme and a well laid out park with some very different slide experiences from those at Typhoon Lagoon. Saw the Runoff Rapid slides from the lazy river and they really were needed to round out this park's attraction list which was noticeably thin. That whole back side of the mountain seems prime for expansion so I have hope.
I will say that of anything on Disney property this park is most in need of a refurb. From a distance all looked great, but wear and tear was noticeable up close (though this was also a week after the hurricane.) Typhoon Lagoon still reigns supreme for me though I've still not yet experienced Aquatica which I'm told is nice.
I've put up a lengthy post about my day at Volcano Bay over at it's thread, so please check it out if you're interested.

I have been taking my family to both waterparks since they opened 22 and 28 years ago. Swimming Pools and Water Parks have a life expectancy of 25-30 years before major fails start to happen frequently. The infrastructure just starts to fail, pumps fail, concrete begins to give etc. Both parks have seen more then their fair share of major attraction closures. Remember Blizzard just came out of its long early fall/early winter rehab and shortly there after major things kept going wrong with Slusher and Plummet. Quickly followed by Rapids. Typhoon has had its own set of attraction issues and the sand doesn't help the infrastructure, a mistake not repeated at Blizzard.

My adult kids have/had been employed by a large waterpark up here between them for about 15 years. 10 years ago they flattened the park and rebuilt it, it was almost 30 years old. At a certain point trying to fix these aging water attractions is like putting gum to plug a hole in a boat. My oldest was a parks and rec major and just opened 2 years ago another aquatics based facility for pretty much the same reason, the costs of keeping it going far exceed the capitol outlay to keep trying to keep the various attractions operational.
And in Disney's case, those parks went through the era where Disney was putting very little funds into operations at any of the Disney Parks let along the waterparks. We see the same type of continual problems happening with the infrastructure of Splash Mountain. Neglected too long it was leaking everywhere until chunks started falling out. The lifts needed repair again. These attractions that require water pumps and lifts are just on borrowed time now. Ignoring their age is coming back to bite them.

 

[JohnD]

I agree. I’m not saying reduced attendance, I’m wondering if it actually stayed the same or increased, allowing Disney to believe the slides aren’t needed or worth fixing. Even if that were the case, I’m sure there are plenty of guests who won’t return in the future like yourself now that they experienced the park without them. We’ll see if Disney really cares.

Having visited both parks on the same day, BB is missing the body slides (Runoff Rapids down for refurb) compared to TL. They need those to round out the park. So I hope they re-open at some point.

 

[Biff215]

Having visited both parks on the same day, BB is missing the body slides (Runoff Rapids down for refurb) compared to TL. They need those to round out the park. So I hope they re-open at some point.

I completely agree that BB needs Runoff to add some variety (and capacity), although they’re tube slides not body slides. Guests who don’t enjoy Summit Plummet or Slush Gusher will find BB lacking body slides like TL.

As much as I like the body slides so many at Disney haven’t aged well and have become extremely rough on my back. Do others find that as well, or is it just me aging?

 

[erider]

While at BB yesterday I was in line for Downhill Double Dipper and noticed some trucks with people looking at what looked like building plans. This was behind the wall right next to the lazy river. I couldn't take pics. Hopefully they are planning to do something during the refurbishment.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

Looks like these are finally being worked on. From Bioreconstruct:

 

[Incomudro]

Are they being repaired or removed?

 

[MonorailMan]

Are they being repaired or removed?

My exact question... Is Runoff Rapids being removed or are the just replacing the fiberglass? Normal maintenance doesn’t require dismantling the slide so this is interesting... There also appears to be extensive work going on around/with the pipes between Runoff Rapids and Downhill DD. Removing the pipes or replacing them? That is the question....

 

[Bolt]

My exact question... Is Runoff Rapids being removed or are the just replacing the fiberglass? Normal maintenance doesn’t require dismantling the slide so this is interesting...

Well the issue was plumbing so they might need to remove sections for access?

 

[Incomudro]

I really hope they are being refurbed, and hope even more that there may even be some enhancement given the competition at Universal.
That's my hope.

 

[jmuboy]

My guess:

They have CLEARLY removed trees and slide sections in specific areas. There are clear segments of trees and slide segments left undisturbed. They are clearly doing repair to the underground plumbing (as we have heard is an issue) based on the extensive plumbing parts at the staging site and what looks like holes/trenches dug in parts of the work zone. So I am guessing we will just see the slide restored to normal. The queue and lots of landscaping will be different based on the work being done. Too bad a new slide, even if a small one, could not be added into the work area to enhance the park.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

From what I've seen they are removing and replacing sections of other slides in the park as well.