Splash Mountain changes its splash

[Orangelake555]

Like someone else said, is it really so hard to comprehend that YOU WILL GET WET? The signs are everywhere before boarding... :brick:

Not the point.

Agreed. I'm sorry, but IT'S A WATER RIDE!!!! If you don't want to get wet, DON'T RIDE!

Seriously thats not what they are happy about

If memory serves me, the signs actually say "You WILL get wet. You MAY get soaked."

Seems like full and fair warning to me.

its not about the warnin....ugh....read this

I would agree with your point if it were ONLY a water ride. But it is a dark ride/water ride HYBRID. If it were a typical water ride with no scenery, no sets, no characters, no songs, no story, etc. - then I would completely agree with the camp that says, "if you don't like the risk of getting randomly soaked by the cannons, don't ride".

HOWEVER, in Splash, they have built one of the longest, best, happiest, most musical dark rides EVER. A lot of people consider it their favorite Disney DARK ride. For guests looking at it from that perspective, the fact that the dark ride elements are combined with water ride elements could be a deterrent, when the water ride elements included a random drenching. So using the "don't like it, don't ride" option in that scenario would mean missing one of the greatest dark rides Disney has ever built.

If the possibility of a cheap, random, drenching was causing some people to skip the wonderful SHOW inside of the show building (and for some guests, it was a deterrent), than that is probably a factor in why Disney did what they did and why many members here are happy with the changes.

If it was just a log flume like at any Six Flags or Cedar Fair Park then yes, dont ride. But its not, its one of the best darks rides. The point of everyone being happy about this is now they don't have to make the deciscion about getting SOAKED (not just wet but soaked) randomly. Besides that is some really disgusting water your getting covered in.

 

[TalkingHead]

Nothing feels better on a 95 degree day then getting a big splash of chemicals on you.

Fixed it.

 

[TalkingHead]

Like someone else said, is it really so hard to comprehend that YOU WILL GET WET? The signs are everywhere before boarding... :brick:

Possible that some people want to enjoy the ride without getting soaked. I know I've skipped Splash on numerous occasions because I didn't want to walk around the park feeling like I'd just stepped out of the shower.

 

[Mansion Butler]

If memory serves me, the signs actually say "You WILL get wet. You MAY get soaked."

Seems like full and fair warning to me.

I think that's what Kali says, Splash says "you may get wet."

Also, people keep saying it's "everywhere," but I'm not sure it is. Not that whether it is or not is relevant to the greater argument here, just not sure it's really everywhere. Can someone confirm? If not, rest assured I'll go through next chance I get and document it myself. :lol:

 

[Mansion Butler]

Agreed. I'm sorry, but IT'S A WATER RIDE!!!! If you don't want to get wet, DON'T RIDE!

Why would it be in Disney's interests to have an attraction a fair number of people don't want to ride?

Look at it this way: IF the cannon is actually a change, do you think the number of people who won't go on anymore or who will be upset afterwards outnumbers the number of people who will now ride and ride happily?

Whether or not there was fair warning is irrelevant. If enough people didn't like it -- and it's every bit as reasonable for them not to as it is for others to like it -- then it doesn't matter if there was fair warning or if people should expect to get soaked on a water ride.

Further, people may be willing to risk getting quite wet on an attraction that says "you may get wet," but getting shot by a cannon at the start is not quite the same as spending the whole ride wondering how wet you'll get in the big plunge.

Also, it's funny that people being happy about something has been termed being a debbie downer. . .

 

[kashmir]

Can anyone tell me?

I'm not able to tolerate drops on rides, and I wondered if there is any way to see the dark portion of the ride without the drop...is there a chicken exit way or something?
On my last two trips, I just figured I'd never be able to experience it.
But now I'm curious...:shrug:

 

[PurpleRose]

I'm not able to tolerate drops on rides, and I wondered if there is any way to see the dark portion of the ride without the drop...is there a chicken exit way or something?
On my last two trips, I just figured I'd never be able to experience it.
But now I'm curious...:shrug:

YouTube. Once you are on the ride, there is no getting off till its over.

 

[erasure fan1]

Why would it be in Disney's interests to have an attraction a fair number of people don't want to ride?

Last I checked Splash has never had a problem with people not wanting to ride even with the random water canon. Since the ride was built I have never been at the MK during the day and it didnt have a 45 min to an hour wait.

I believe more people dont ride splash because of the final drop, not because they get wet. So why not just bypass chicka-pin-hill altogether and make everyone happy.

 

[BrerFrog]

I am pretty sure it was like that when I was at WDW back in February.

 

[thelookingglass]

Last I checked Splash has never had a problem with people not wanting to ride even with the random water canon. Since the ride was built I have never been at the MK during the day and it didnt have a 45 min to an hour wait.

I believe more people dont ride splash because of the final drop, not because they get wet. So why not just bypass chicka-pin-hill altogether and make everyone happy.

No, if people don't ride, its because they don't want to get wet. Thats why Splash Mountain has long lines in the day time and is usually a walk-on at night when its cooler out.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

No, if people don't ride, its because they don't want to get wet. Thats why Splash Mountain has long lines in the day time and is usually a walk-on at night when its cooler out.

Plenty of people don't ride because of the drop - Splash Mountain comes with the same physical warning as Rock n' Roller Coaster and all the other thrill rides, and there are some people who can't take the risk. People with heart, back, or neck conditions, pregnant women, scared children (and adults), etc. I know far more people who don't ride because they're afraid than who don't ride because they could get wet. And many people buy ponchos if they're worried about being wet. The queue is always full of groups like this.

And I don't see how this change will make Splash Mountain more popular. It's already super busy during the day, and it quiets down when it gets chillier in the evening. Because getting wet is still a possibility, that won't change.

Why would it be in Disney's interests to have an attraction a fair number of people don't want to ride?

Splash Mountain really doesn't have popularity issues. It has very lengthy lines during the day, and the possibility of getting quite wet has always been part of the ride. So this change probably won't improve attendance by much, seeing as the average guest will not be aware of this change and thus it won't affect their decision to ride.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

I think that's what Kali says, Splash says "you may get wet."

Thanks for the correction, Butler.

Clearly my photographic memory has some undeveloped film. (Or would the modern equivalent be a wiped memory card?) :lol:

 

[KaliSplash]

This is an Outrage! One of the great features of this attraction is not knowing if you're going to get blasted by the water cannon!

Also, they no longer use the super cold blasts of air after the Riverboat to 'dry' you off! (that change is several years old and also regrettable.)

One does not go on Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids for the purpose of maintaining or increasing a state of dryness!

Please note these comments come from one whose personal record is 13 straight on Splash and 7 straight on Kali!.

My 'handle' was NOT chosen at random, obviously.

 

[GoofyFan1]

I am happy for it. I do not mind getting a little wet but getting soaked to the core when I am not at a water park is very unappealing to me. I avoid Kali for this very reason.

:sohappy: Me too!:sohappy:

 

[Thrill Seeker]

People, it's a simple solution... If you don't want to get wet, DON'T RIDE! The end...

 

[David S.]

This is an Outrage! One of the great features of this attraction is not knowing if you're going to get blasted by the water cannon!

Also, they no longer use the super cold blasts of air after the Riverboat to 'dry' you off! (that change is several years old and also regrettable.)

One does not go on Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids for the purpose of maintaining or increasing a state of dryness!

Please note these comments come from one whose personal record is 13 straight on Splash and 7 straight on Kali!.

My 'handle' was NOT chosen at random, obviously.

Different strokes for different folks. I ride it SOLELY for the awesome story, songs, and characters, and would love the ride just as much as I do now if there were NO splash or drops. The thrillseeker/coaster fan in me does enjoy the drops, but I can experience similar thrills on log rides at parks all around the country, (and better thrills on coasters), so the main appeal of Splash Mountain for me has always been, and will always be, the critters, songs, and story. Being able to experience these without having to risk getting thoroughly drenched is, for my taste, a MAJOR improvement, and obviously lots of other people in this thread feel the same way!

People, it's a simple solution... If you don't want to get wet, DON'T RIDE! The end...

But we won't have to skip it now that they've toned down the canons. That's the whole point of why there are many people happy with the change on here!

With all due respect, you are both simplifying and missing the point of those happy with the changes. I don't recall anyone saying on here that they "don't want to get wet". People are saying they would prefer not to risk getting SOAKED TO THE CORE by the canons, at random. The canons caused many people who would have LOVED the actual dark ride portions to skip the ride, and the dark ride portions are what is most important to many fans.

There have been people in my party (visiting relatives and friends) who took one look at the canons and passed on the ride. These were people who love Disney dark rides and also would have enjoyed the thrill of going down the drops. But they didn't want to get soaked to the core by the canons with a splash much worse than what you get on the drops.

After their trips, I showed them Martin's excellent video of the INTERIORS of the ride, (http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=101) and they were blown away. One of them said, "It's a shame Disney had to ruin it with the stupid canon, because it would have been my favorite dark ride in all the parks".

So from firsthand experience, I know for a fact that the canons reduced the number of riders when they were more extreme, and therefore prevented people from enjoying the dark ride inside the mountain. Others on here have voiced similar views. Toning down the canons makes the ride more accessible and rideable to a larger number of guests, and that to me is a good thing in tune with Walt's philosophy of creating parks where the entire family can have fun together.

But for those who don't care as much about the colorful songs, characters, and story of the ride, and prefer a cheap soaking, I can see where the other point is coming from.

Also, it's funny that people being happy about something has been termed being a debbie downer. . .

WELL SAID, Mansion Butler! I thought I was being POSITIVE in praising these changes! I try to be fair and balanced, and if I can criticize Disney when they close an attraction I love, I think it's only fair that I praise them when they make a change that I do like.

We could just as easily say that those complaining about those who didn't like the canons are being "Debbie Downers"!

 

[Mansion Butler]

Splash Mountain really doesn't have popularity issues.

No. Does that mean they shouldn't do what they can to make it even more popular and increase rider satisfaction?

Last I checked Splash has never had a problem with people not wanting to ride even with the random water canon. Since the ride was built I have never been at the MK during the day and it didnt have a 45 min to an hour wait.

So? That didn't answer my question.

I believe more people dont ride splash because of the final drop, not because they get wet. So why not just bypass chicka-pin-hill altogether and make everyone happy.

Oh you'd best believe there are people who don't ride because they don't want to get wet and people who complain in surveys about the cannon. If this makes more people happy than it makes people unhappy, what's the problem with it?

I can't say for a fact it will (though I bet it will), or if it's even intentional, but that's not really the point. The point is that it's in Disney's best interests to make as many people happy as possible, not to say "screw you, we put up warnings, that allows us to make the ride uncomfortable for you."

People, it's a simple solution... If you don't want to get wet, DON'T RIDE! The end...

It's a simple solution, if you do want to get wet, jump around in the Leaky Tikis. The end. . .

 

[Minnie1976]

Buy a little rain poncho that can fit in your pocket and wear it on the ride.

 

[EpcotTraveler]

I always dreaded this section of the ride whenever I went up the 2nd lift hill, I'm happy they canned it. Water rides I agree, should get you wet, but I really don't enjoy getting soaked to the point of having squishy shoes all day. There's just no fun in that. It's why I've only been on Kali once, rest of the day was simply awful.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

No. Does that mean they shouldn't do what they can to make it even more popular and increase rider satisfaction?

If Disney really cared about people knowing about this, they would do one of their blog updates. But they haven't, and the average guest won't know, so the move won't actually make many more people want to ride. I didn't realize so many people were unhappy because of this cannon, because everyone who I see on the ride seems very, very happy...and they're soaked.

It's a simple solution, if you do want to get wet, jump around in the Leaky Tikis. The end. . .

That's just ridiculous. Splash Mountain is one of those rides where most riders expect to get wet. Like Kali River Rapids. That's why you see hordes of people wearing ponchos in the line, and Disney is very happy if they can sell those ponchos. There are still numerous opportunities to get wet on the ride, but one of the more fun/random/nerve-inducing/"cheap" opportunities is now gone.

If it makes more people happy, then good. That doesn't mean people should feel comfortable bringing their cell phone on the ride without any protection, or that people can expect to stay completely dry now. And knowing that, there will always be people who are okay getting wet and people who aren't. The ones who don't want to get wet at all...probably still won't ride or will buy a poncho.