joanna71985
Well-Known Member
Well hopefully this one will be more substantial then others (because at this point, it really needs the work).
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Splash Mountain falling apart (literally?)
- Thread starter MUTZIE77
- Start date
Well hopefully this one will be more substantial then others (because at this point, it really needs the work).
menamechris
Well-Known Member
I agree about refurbs being bandaids. Now that there are apparently structural issues with the building - I am sure that will be an excuse to not put money toward taking care of any show elements. We will have the same problems - we just won't have to worry about any rockwork falling on our heads. Hopefully.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
Awesome wit! You two have just single-handedly restored my faith in humanity!
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
Nah, TDO will take he problems seriously when the lawyers start worrying about negligence lawsuits. Then TDO will respond. Immediately and swiftly. By adding netting throughout the ride and replacing overhead effects with projections.
menamechris
Well-Known Member
This is so sad....because it is so true...
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
WDW is aging and needs an increasing amount of care. Unfortunately, the trend over the last 20 years has been towards squeezing budgets, including maintenance. The net result is that attractions get less maintenance just at the time when they need more.
I know people like to beat up TDO about this and I'm sure there are those who are complicit. However, a friend who used to work in Burbank (left before Eisner) told me often that this directive originated in the early 1990s in Burbank under Eisner and Wells. (Yes, Wells also was complicit before his untimely death in 1994.) They really wanted to get the WDW budget under control and neither had any previous experience running theme parks. A lot of old time Burbank and WDW managers who did not go along with the cost cutting measures were forced to leave or retire. Over time, the neglected maintenance is becoming more apparent at the parks.
DL, MK, Epcot, and DHS all had significant issues with attractions when these parks opened. Having similar problems on LM would not be unique. However, it is sad to see established attractions start to deteriorate.
I know people like to beat up TDO about this and I'm sure there are those who are complicit. However, a friend who used to work in Burbank (left before Eisner) told me often that this directive originated in the early 1990s in Burbank under Eisner and Wells. (Yes, Wells also was complicit before his untimely death in 1994.) They really wanted to get the WDW budget under control and neither had any previous experience running theme parks. A lot of old time Burbank and WDW managers who did not go along with the cost cutting measures were forced to leave or retire. Over time, the neglected maintenance is becoming more apparent at the parks.
DL, MK, Epcot, and DHS all had significant issues with attractions when these parks opened. Having similar problems on LM would not be unique. However, it is sad to see established attractions start to deteriorate.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
The Splash Mountain refurb will entail erecting netting over the entire track.
Scuttle
Well-Known Member
Yes they are. Splash needs to go down for a year long refurb. Not these biennial winter refurbs which don't do $hit. And yes sadly like another poster said we won't see any show element fixes now.
Captain Chaos
Well-Known Member
Those tarps are still up over the Splash queue?
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
Are you sure that's not a new ride element? It is Splash Mountain after all, Perhaps this intended to be a ship's sail and they are in the process of bringing over ride elements from POTC?For those who havent seen them
menamechris
Well-Known Member
Netting and tarps are certainly the new "fix-all". Maybe they should take them down at Epcot, since the sky isn't falling...
SirLink
Well-Known Member
Same. Just want to check - they are creating an extra line of management right because the VP of Next Gen is becoming President of WDW and then they are putting a VP below him over the entire resort right? Or is Mr.Next Gen running the whole show down in O-town?
AndyMagic
Well-Known Member
A lot of people have been saying for a while now that Disney World feels a lot like Disneyland did during the Pressler era and the similarities just keep piling up every day. Unfortunately, deferred maintenance gives the dangerous illusion of money savings and allows present management to take credit for the supposed fiscal responsibility. Very few executives worry about 5 - 10 years down the road because they know they probably won't even be in the same position (they'll most likely be promoted). Then when rides start collapsing and the cost to repair them is 5 times what a proper year of maintenance would have cost its often too late to properly place blame and the mistakes of the past become the problems of the present.
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
Fortunately, Splash's next refurb will be almost three months, from early January to late March. I know it isn't as long as BTMRR's recent refurb, but maybe they will be able to make a lot of improvements.
I think that TDO's decision to keep running Splash in such poor condition, literally limping to the beginning of refurb in a couple months, sort of illustrates just how badly MK needs more capacity in terms of E-Tickets. If MK had another E-Ticket on the level of Splash, they could alternate refurbs during low attendance times, instead of the need to try to keep one going with just a month refurb each year.
Pixiedustmaker
Well-Known Member
While they did add Mermaid to FLE, I don't the ride is as magical as some of the classic dark rides, so when Splash goes down for three months, and considering they've lost SWSA . . . the park I think will sort of hit a trough of "low magic", in terms of quality rides.
Yes, BoG and ETwB will draw in some guests, but I think that when they do the number crunching, TDO will be very unpleasantly surprised to see that FLE hasn't boosted attendance as much as hoped, and that guests might be complaining more about lines and poor upkeep.
Atomicmickey
Well-Known Member
For those who havent seen them
So, those have been up for how long? And let me get this straight, a rock fell down and this is the response to that? Really, do I have that right?
Grr.
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
Rock fell on October 18. Ride went down shortly after for the rest of the day and flume was drained.
Tarps were up when the ride re-opened on the 19th.
Scuttle
Well-Known Member
See that's what wouldn't have happened 20 years ago. They would have fixed the root of the problem before opening. Not just throw up some tarps for the lawyers and call it a day.
I wish TDO would just shut Splash down for 6-12 months and fix it already!!!