-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Sentinel writes article on broken yeti!
- Thread starter Buried20KLeague
- Start date
Evil Genius
Well-Known Member
It's tough situation WDI is in too.
The Yeti is the most powerful and advanced AA they've ever built. However because of this they failed to take into consideration the Yeti's effect on the mountain structure itself. Plus it's so big and mounted in such a complex way that they've painted themselves into a corner.
It's really a difficult issue.
The Yeti is the most powerful and advanced AA they've ever built. However because of this they failed to take into consideration the Yeti's effect on the mountain structure itself. Plus it's so big and mounted in such a complex way that they've painted themselves into a corner.
It's really a difficult issue.
SOLISIMO
Member
Make a hole in the mountain, take the guy out, fix him, then extend the track through the hole
Evil Genius
Well-Known Member
Make a hole in the mountain, take the guy out, fix him, then extend the track through the hole
You joke, but a hole is just about what it's going to take to remove the big guy!
No offense... But I just think that's the worst excuse that TDO could POSSIBLY try to use for not fixing this. This park existed for quite a number of years without this attraction in its roster, and there were no problems.
The problem isn't that they can't take it down for CAPACITY reasons... The problem is that they can't take it down because they fear they need another "draw" for the park so attendance wouldn't drop if they closed E:E.
The notion that crowds would riot and run rampant through the streets of AK because there would be nowhere for them to go and nothing for them to do if they closed E:E is laughable. Hysterical, even.
It drives me nuts when people look to that as a legit reason for TDO to use.
Those "in the know" have said in the past that that's incorrect.
For what it's worth...
I got an e-mail today from someone saying TDO was not happy about this article, and apparently REALLY wasn't happy with the term "Disco Yeti".
:sohappy:
:drevil:
I got an e-mail today from someone saying TDO was not happy about this article, and apparently REALLY wasn't happy with the term "Disco Yeti".
:sohappy:
:drevil:
Evil Genius
Well-Known Member
Well then it becomes yet another "he said. she said" debate here as I got my information straight from a former Imagineer's mouth sitting eye to eye with him.
I'm not saying one is telling the truth and the other isn't. All I'm saying is this just another example of WDI needing to get their stories straight.
SOLISIMO
Member
who is someone
officeboy
Active Member
Obviously, to me, TDO does not have the resources (read stones?) to fix this problem. Otherwise they likely would have by now, no?
Since it appears TDA or higher was required to instigate the FL expansion perhaps that is to whom some correspondence should be addressed regarding Yeti repair instead of folks in Orlando? It appears to me TDO has made their decision about how to respond to this and thus addressing the local decision makers is pointless.
Since it appears TDA or higher was required to instigate the FL expansion perhaps that is to whom some correspondence should be addressed regarding Yeti repair instead of folks in Orlando? It appears to me TDO has made their decision about how to respond to this and thus addressing the local decision makers is pointless.
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
The Yeti is broken, so what! The coaster itself, and the theming is still better than anything that you would ride at a Six Flags park. I wish they would fix the Yeti as well, but I'm not crying and complaining about it. I agree that it's bad show, and that they should fix it. But, management has to preserve the bottom line or they lose their bonuses and maybe their jobs, and closing EE to fix the Yeti for the maybe 1 or 2 percent who notice has no noticeable return. The part that bothers me most about the article was that Disney didn't really give any kind of hope on the situation. I think they could've spun it a little better if they had said they are looking at a future maintenance window to try and make the needed repairs or something along those lines instead of what they said, which is essentially nothing. Somebody in marketing slipped on this one.
I'll be interested in seeing what happens now that this is out there. Of course, I have to wonder too, if the timing of this article wasn't maybe slightly maliscious, considering that Disney usually raises prices on the first weekend in August.
I'll be interested in seeing what happens now that this is out there. Of course, I have to wonder too, if the timing of this article wasn't maybe slightly maliscious, considering that Disney usually raises prices on the first weekend in August.
Evil Genius
Well-Known Member
While I'll agree with you on the theming argument...I can't on the quality of the coaster itself compared to other parks.
E:E is a relatively exciting ride. But it's on the short side. When you compare it to coasters like Alpinegiest, Millenium Force, Stealth, among others it just doesn't measure up in the actual coaster thrill department. It's a complete experience E:E is supposed to give you and while I still enjoy it, it is hurting a bit wit Mr Yeti being ill.
who is someone
Not someone DIRECTLY with TDO, but one step removed. I probably should have put "take with a grain of salt" on there. That's what I meant by "for what it's worth".
SOLISIMO
Member
Gotcha, but Im sure others wont take it with a grain of salt:ROFLOL:
I realize there are a lot of people out there that have never seen the Yeti in full A-Mode. Those people are kinda lucky. I’m one of the many that have experienced how awesome he was when fully functional. When I first saw him in 2006 I was blown away to say the least.
Now, it’s basically a really expensive statue that most new riders won’t even see unless someone tells them where he is beforehand.
Disney holds itself to such a high standard and it’s hard-coded into their culture. Which makes the yeti being down for so long that much more disturbing.
From a consumer stand-point, as has been mentioned, Disney charges a pretty hefty price for park admission. Now, keep in mind, Disney also has to have one monstrous overhead expense with all the cast members, maintenance, fireworks, food, etc. But the fact is, when I purchase a multi-day park-hopper, I expect a certain level of excellence. Even though we’ve gone to and enjoyed EE, AK and WDW several times since the yeti broke down and have had amazing times, with him being down like this does take a little of the shine off the experience. Especially since we have seen the ride fully functional before and been blown away.
As my wife and I have discussed, this may be a case of poor planning on the part of WDW in that they are kind of in a situation where they may not be able to afford EE being offline for 6 months. Let’s take a look at the other parks. If ToT has to be taken offline for 6 months, you still have RnR to help pick up the slack. When they took SM in MK offline for the better part of a year, they still had Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain to fall back on. If Test Track goes down, they still have Mission Space and Soarin to absorb the spill over. They don’t really have anything commensurate to EE in AK to absorb the spill over if EE has to be taken offline for 6 months for repair. And that’s bad planning on the part of WDW. I know it’s easy to say for me, but IMO they should have designed AK with at least one other headliner coaster/ride in case something like this were to happen. Kilamanjaro Safari is an amazing ride/experience. But it’s a different type of experience than EE. Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids are very fun rides. But they aren’t on the level of EE. Especially when EE was fully functional.
IDK what the solution is. I guess that’s why they pay Rohde and all those imagineers the big bucks to figure out. I just know, as a WDW fan and consumer, it’s kinda disappointing that this is still an issue. Approximately 2-3 years after the issue first began to surface.
Here’s hoping one day the yeti will return to his former glory.
Now, it’s basically a really expensive statue that most new riders won’t even see unless someone tells them where he is beforehand.
Disney holds itself to such a high standard and it’s hard-coded into their culture. Which makes the yeti being down for so long that much more disturbing.
From a consumer stand-point, as has been mentioned, Disney charges a pretty hefty price for park admission. Now, keep in mind, Disney also has to have one monstrous overhead expense with all the cast members, maintenance, fireworks, food, etc. But the fact is, when I purchase a multi-day park-hopper, I expect a certain level of excellence. Even though we’ve gone to and enjoyed EE, AK and WDW several times since the yeti broke down and have had amazing times, with him being down like this does take a little of the shine off the experience. Especially since we have seen the ride fully functional before and been blown away.
As my wife and I have discussed, this may be a case of poor planning on the part of WDW in that they are kind of in a situation where they may not be able to afford EE being offline for 6 months. Let’s take a look at the other parks. If ToT has to be taken offline for 6 months, you still have RnR to help pick up the slack. When they took SM in MK offline for the better part of a year, they still had Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain to fall back on. If Test Track goes down, they still have Mission Space and Soarin to absorb the spill over. They don’t really have anything commensurate to EE in AK to absorb the spill over if EE has to be taken offline for 6 months for repair. And that’s bad planning on the part of WDW. I know it’s easy to say for me, but IMO they should have designed AK with at least one other headliner coaster/ride in case something like this were to happen. Kilamanjaro Safari is an amazing ride/experience. But it’s a different type of experience than EE. Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids are very fun rides. But they aren’t on the level of EE. Especially when EE was fully functional.
IDK what the solution is. I guess that’s why they pay Rohde and all those imagineers the big bucks to figure out. I just know, as a WDW fan and consumer, it’s kinda disappointing that this is still an issue. Approximately 2-3 years after the issue first began to surface.
Here’s hoping one day the yeti will return to his former glory.
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
I agree, but it's minor. For me, the thrill of any coaster comes from the scenery, drops, turns and other unique elements. Mind you, I do think the Yeti is a unique element, but he's just one of several for the ride. In my opinion, these are what makes a coaster fun and make it re-rideable. I liken this to Chris Sawyer's Roller Coaster Tycoon game, where coaster ratings for excitement and intensity are based on how fast the ride goes, how many G-forces are exerted, how painful or enjoyable the ride is, number of unique elements, scenery, etc. On average, I think most Six Flags coasters/attractions use all of these to about 65-75% of their capacity, some rides, even less, Disney on the other hand uses all of these together to more like 85-95%, especially on major attractions.
Evil Genius
Well-Known Member
See...I was with you again until the last statement. Disney wins in theming as a rule...but there's no way you can say the actual coaster quality at WDW park is better than say anything Cedar Point churns out. Or Busch Gardens for that matter.
But other than that...you're absolutely right!
GrumpyFan
Well-Known Member
I think we're getting off topic, but I agree with you there too. The other parks seem to go for high intensity rides, and pushing the physical element to the max, where Disney goes for high excitement based on an overall experience. The difference being, Disney's rides have a lot higher repeatability and can be ridden by a wider range of guests because they're not as physically demanding on the guest. In the end, I think Disney wins because of this wide range of appeal. Their rides may not be as exciting physically, but because of their elaborate theming the rides have a lot longer and wider appeal.
misterID
Well-Known Member
I don't see it as a legit excuse, because at the end of the day that problem is THEIR OWN FAULT, but, and I hate to say this, I do understand the logic and they do have a real point. The whole reason they agreed to build E:E was because of how bad attendance was at AK. No one would riot, but a lot of people would stop coming for sure. AK attendance is doing a lot, lot better since E:E was built and I'm sure they'd hate to see it return to how it was pre E:E, even for however long it would take to fix it. Again, that's their own fault for not adding more since that time and relying so heavily on it.
Oh, I know for a fact they read these types of articles and blogs. And certain people inside TDO have even responded as an anonymous posters to certain articles and blog postings. I wouldn't doubt that they read this very site :lookaroun