Splash Mountain falling apart (literally?)

[flynnibus]

I don't want to rag on someone about water - walking in soggy shoes is horrible. But some people take the extremes. It does take a little planning, but then you can truely enjoy the rides for what they are.. instead of being worried about what they will do. The water rides at USF are unlike any other ride I've ridden.. not wet, not soaked, but threw you in the pool wet. I would be hating life if I got on not knowing that and unprepared. But pack ahead and they are some of the best rides in the park

 

[bubbles1812]

Not all water rides have to get you soaking wet to be fun. There's a big difference between Splash Mountain, which hopefully just splashes your upper body, and something like Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, where your shoes, socks and underwear are soaked to such an extent that you may as well have just jumped into the water off the loading dock. Where's the fun if you're likely to wind up with chafing and/or blisters if you walk around the rest of the day like that?

Also, having to pack a change of clothes (and especially shoes) is a colossal hassle, especially if you weren't planning on bringing a bag into the park (I never do).

There's wet and then there's too-wet-to-have-fun and Splash is thankfully on the fun side right now.
Too bad nothing works.

Guess we have to agree to disagree here. I wouldn't say bringing a change of clothes is a "colossal hassle," unless you are planning to bring your closet with you. Like I said, it's not hard to pack light weight things. And that's your choice not to bring a bag (heck you don't even have to carry it around...there are lockers aren't there), so I'd say you choose to make it a colossal hassle. As others have already said, there are cheap thin light weight sandles you can throw on for a water ride... and if you are so bent out of shape about carrying a bag, you can find ones that are so el cheapo, it'd be fine to throw them away. Yes, I do suppose the chafing can happen with being soaked like you are at the Uni rides but I wouldn't claim it's "likely"... everyone is different so I find that a bit presumptive on your part. It would seem most people get by just fine after going on the Uni rides...they haven't exactly been closed down for lack of riders have they? But no, I will give you that water rides don't have to cause you to be soaking wet for them to be fun. I never even said that. I like Splash a lot. I just think in terms of "Water ride" (not talking about theming or anything), those at Uni is designed better and are fantastically fun.

But again, my main point was speaking to your last sentence... Splash is on the side of "you may get wet but really probably not," so it astounds me someone would want more of the water features off, or permanently off. The ride is meek in terms of your risk of getting wet.

 

[donaldtoo]

WDW has plenty of water rides that don't get you (not at all, or, at least, not even close to soaking) wet. PotC, Gran Fiesta Tour, IaSW, Maelstrom (although, I know Maelstrom means "powerful/violent whirlpool" ), etc.
So, if your goin' on attractions that have the words "Splash", or "Rapids", or "Maelstrom", or the like in their title, which by the sound of the title you think you might get wet, just ask and prepare accordingly for the ride or, accordingly, not go at all.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

I just really don't understand this attitude. Sorry. Why go on water rides at all if you are so worried about getting wet? It's not that hard to bring a change of clothes if someone is that concerned about it. Wear light weight easily arrerated things onto the ride, have a change of underwear and socks at least and you are fine. I would be so disappointed if they changed aspects of the ride so that it's a water rode with no risk of wetness...what's the point then? Its like saying they should have just built a slow moving coaster thru the mountain if that's the attitude people are going to have..would have saved money and then no risk of wetness (oh the horror!) at all. And the chances of getting truly soaked on Splash are pretty minimal. Heck, even on Kali River Rapids, there isn't all that much of a chance (I've ridden it more times than I can count and I've only gotten soaked thru once unlike at Universal where it's just about every time...which indicates some well designed water rides)

I don't mind the amount you get wet from the splash at the bottom of the hill... THAT, to me, is what a flume ride is about. Not water cannons along the way.

Personally, I ride Splash for the story, the music, and the drop. If I get soaked, I deal with it... But I don't like it.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

With the exception of the water canons after the first lift hill, I've actually found that it's fairly easy to avoid getting very wet at all on Splash by simply riding in the back. The water canons are of course a gamble. I've never really cared for getting wet before I even go over a drop.

 

[Alektronic]

WDW has plenty of water rides that don't get you (not at all, or, at least, not even close to soaking) wet. PotC, Gran Fiesta Tour, IaSW, Maelstrom (although, I know Maelstrom means "powerful/violent whirlpool" ), etc.
So, if your goin' on attractions that have the words "Splash", or "Rapids", or "Maelstrom", or the like in their title, which by the sound of the title you think you might get wet, just ask and prepare accordingly for the ride or, accordingly, not go at all.

At Maelstrom, the wave cannons are turned off.

 

[articos]

At Maelstrom, the wave cannons are turned off.

I don't even remember Maelstrom ever having any. At the bottom of the hill?

 

[Nick O]

This whole things make me really sad, I spent my whole work day reading this thread. I did notice these things plus other things around WDW being run down in April 2012 but kind of disregarded it due to my my love for WDW.

 

[marni1971]

I don't even remember Maelstrom ever having any. At the bottom of the hill?

In the ocean, yes. Along with the wind machines and misters.

 

[articos]

In the ocean, yes. Along with the wind machines and misters.

Thanks. Been a while since I've been through Maelstrom. I remember the wind/mist in the trough. Don't remember any cannons in there, though. Must have never worked for me.

 

[donaldtoo]

At Maelstrom, the wave cannons are turned off.

Yes, but I still don't ever remember getting wet on that attraction (at least not memorably, anyway ), and we first went on it back in '88 when it was new, and have been on it many times since.

 

[Bairstow]

I don't remember there being more special effects in Malestrom. I also would have first ridden it in 1988, though I would have been a small child then.
Found some vintage video, though:

 

[Clocker84]

At Maelstrom, the wave cannons are turned off.

Turned off or broken?

 

[dreamscometrue]

In the ocean, yes. Along with the wind machines and misters.

Who is it who actually decides which effects are to be on/off? (This is a serious question) Is it a management type person for each attraction? Park? Is it Meg? Iger? I've watched enough of your (awesome) videos to know that sometimes effects are simply disabled, when not broken. Who, and why?

 

[articos]

Who is it who actually decides which effects are to be on/off? (This is a serious question) Is it a management type person for each attraction? Park? Is it Meg? Iger? I've watched enough of your (awesome) videos to know that sometimes effects are simply disabled, when not broken. Who, and why?

It's usually maintenance who decides to turn an effect off, because they've either had issues keeping it working properly or they can't get a part. Or, it could be safety who makes the call. Usually, show quality will weigh in, but that might be a bit down the road. There's not a management person for each attraction in the sense I think you're talking about - there's operations folks who deal with the individual attractions day to day but they aren't in a position to tell other departments what to do. (I'm using maintenance generically, because there's multiple departments with specialized names that handle maintenance of the attractions/shows.) Meg is way too high up the food chain to have any knowledge of the individual attractions or show quality, and Iger's above the parks in the corporate suite. The decision to take an effect out of show is going to be made at a technician/management level within the parks, but most of the time it's not a big decision. It's simply something isn't working right, or the parts aren't avail, or ops or safety made a request to take it out for some reason, and that's all there is to it.

 

[articos]

I don't remember there being more special effects in Malestrom. I also would have first ridden it in 1988, though I would have been a small child then.
Found some vintage video, though:

I remember now that I see it - at the bottom of the drop, when you hit there were a couple splash cannons that were for the water, as opposed to getting you wet. It hit the leg of the oil platform.

 

[pumpkin7]

I rode Splash yesterday for the first time in at least 3 1/2 years. I was riding with a first-time rider. While he enjoyed it, it was very disheartening to see the poor state that the mountain is in.
...........

-Rob

That's one heck of a nasty list. Very sad indeed.

 

[dreamscometrue]

I rode Splash yesterday for the first time in at least 3 1/2 years. I was riding with a first-time rider. While he enjoyed it, it was very disheartening to see the poor state that the mountain is in.

-Only half of the drop splash cannons were working, though that might just be because the temps have been fluctuating up and down so much lately, since it was the one that splashed over on the logs before Lift 2 that wasn't working.

-Multiple figures missing, including one of the first geese, the sweeping girl rabbit, fishing frog and I believe at least one figure from the Riverboat.

-Frog projection in the queue is digital, but it's so obviously a projection because the colors and brightness doesn't match the surrounding lights.

-Frogs in the first scene didn't move their mouths, and only one swiveled.

-First Bear and Fox were entirely motionless.

-Chase projection didn't play, though the girl rabbit was missing, so it might have been turned off.

-Fox at Bear in trap didn't speak.

-Hopping Rabbit didn't appear.

-No fish in the water, but since the fishing frog wasn't there, might've been turned off.

-Dialog before the drop into the Bee Cave didn't play.

-Most bees were either not spinning or not blacklit.

-No water effects at all in Laughing Place, leaving the turtle on his back with a clearly-visible support post under him.

-Raining on the final lifthill. (Is this just going to let loose someday and flood out the Laughing Place for good?)

-Something about the Bear/Fox/Gator trio wasn't working but I don't recall which.

And that's not to even mention the tarps in the loading area. Very sad indeed. As much as I hope they address everything in the upcoming refurb, I'm thinking they'll focus on the structural and infrastructure issues, and show elements will get pushed off.

-Rob

Can/will many of these issues be addressed in the upcoming 11 week refurb?

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

Can/will many of these issues be addressed in the upcoming 11 week refurb?

I doubt anyone really knows. Especially considering the ride is apparently supposed to be getting an external repainting as well as probably some infrastructure work done to the mountain and the track. When Big Thunder went down they apparently ended up finding a lot more wrong with the mountain structure than they expected, which ate up a lot of the time and budget. With Splash in the state it's in, it would not surprise me at all if similar issues are found in its own structure. With rockwork threatening to hit guests, it's probable there's a lot of underlying safety issues that aren't even publicly known that would need addressing before anything else. Safety and operating efficiency (as few breakdowns as possible) are likely far higher on the list of priorities than broken animatronics and other show elements.

I doubt they'll fix all of the issues, or even most of them. That's my personal opinion on the matter, i'm not an insider. Just my opinion as a fan who has seen many a recent refurb. I'd love to be wrong but I actually doubt current management has any desire to fix any of the show issues.

 

[ParentsOf4]

I road Splash Mountain on Tuesday (November 20). There was something not working in almost every scene. It was rather shocking to think I was at WDW while seeing a ride in this bad of condition. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was at Six Flags while at the Magic Kingdom. I was happy to get off and move on to other attractions whose effects were working.