Splash Mountain problems

[durangojim]

We were at WDW two weeks ago, this is our 4th trip in 12 months and 30th trip over 24 years, we've been discouranged to see that many of the audio animatronics have not been functioning over the past year. This includes:
Jumping brer rabbit about 1/3 into the ride.
The two talking bunnies, sweeping and farming.
The fish that jumps through the fishing net as well as the one by the frog when he's fishing.
And finally the little water spouts that shoot over the ride vehicles in the laughing place.

What gives? All of these effects not only make Splash Mountain fun and innovating but also contribute to the story, which now is difficult to distinguish. My uncle and nephew have gone on the ride with us twice and are barely able to distinguish that there is a story unlike my wife who went to WDW with me for the first time in 1996 when everything was working on splash and know the story well.
Is anyone else disappointed and is there some way we can contact disney and try to get everything fixed?
Thanks!

 

[Splash Mountain]

Hey durangojim,

I used to work in the Splash Mountain area sometime the people who work for dec forget to turn them on so you need to tell the Attraction Hoist that is working the ride and they tell Maintances they will take care of it quikly.

 

[eandm]

We were at WDW two weeks ago, this is our 4th trip in 12 months and 30th trip over 24 years, we've been discouranged to see that many of the audio animatronics have not been functioning over the past year. This includes:
Jumping brer rabbit about 1/3 into the ride.
The two talking bunnies, sweeping and farming.
The fish that jumps through the fishing net as well as the one by the frog when he's fishing.
And finally the little water spouts that shoot over the ride vehicles in the laughing place.

What gives? All of these effects not only make Splash Mountain fun and innovating but also contribute to the story, which now is difficult to distinguish. My uncle and nephew have gone on the ride with us twice and are barely able to distinguish that there is a story unlike my wife who went to WDW with me for the first time in 1996 when everything was working on splash and know the story well.
Is anyone else disappointed and is there some way we can contact disney and try to get everything fixed?
Thanks!

That is the same discussion that my wife and i have had the last 2 trips -- Splash Mountain seems to be falling apart -- everything in your post we totally agree with and i`ll add the feathers on the characters at the riverboat scene near the end -- they have gotten dirtier and more filthy over the years .... they used to be a nice bright white but now seem to be a light grey -- its kinda funny -- last night we were viewing the ride thru video on the site and the first thing we said was look Brer Rabbit is hopping , since it had been years since we last saw him hop -- we also would like to contact someone about the deplorable condition of Splash

 

[cm2k]

Bit off topic:

I went on this in January and came off in agony, it still hurts sometimes to this day. If you look at the log plumes, where your knees are there are about three exposed bolts hanging down, as our flume descended down the big drop it my knee smashed into one of them.

I still cannot believe they left these exposed, they were even painted so they obviously were aware of the problem. I think they were holding the foam padding in place.

 

[Robfasto]

Although I didn't notice much 'not working' I can say that 2 weeks ago our kids got on Splash Mountain and got stuck for nearly 1 hour. The CM at the entrance said it should be running in a few minutes, 15 minutes later she left and someone else took her place that knew nothing...

After nearly 1 hour I walked up the exit to see what was going on and the kids had been sitting all that time 1 boat from the unload station... waiting for who knows what.

 

[righttrack]

Agreed. I was there a couple of months ago. Its refurb-time.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Agreed. I was there a couple of months ago. Its refurb-time.

if i remember correctly they just painted the attraction exterior (not sure about the inside) in the last year and 1half......... but not sure about the AA's on the inside..... they do sound run down

 

[ballewclan]

We need an IASW type refurb desperately!

 

[MichelleBelle]

Spruce it up!

The first time I went on Splash Mountain I was amazed, it was and still is one of my favorite rides anywhere in WDW. It's the first ride I think of when I think of WDW.

That being said, last time I went (this past January), I wasn't as thrilled with it as I had been in the past. Still a great ride, don't get me wrong, but since it IS such a great ride they should be keeping up on it. Whether it's remembering to turn on all the animatronics or giving the AA's a good cleaning every now and then, I really think they need to pay more attention to it. It breaks my heart when I see great rides at Disney looking a little wary, although it's completely understandable that nothing can be perfect all the time, all year, etc. Maybe if they kept up with it then things wouldn't get too bad, but I just hate to see them let stuff like this go.

I could be wrong in thinking that they don't pay much attention to it, but it just seems like it needs a re-furb... even a mini one.

 

[Eeyore]

And finally the little water spouts that shoot over the ride vehicles in the laughing place.

I don't think this effect is malfunctioning, I think it has been discontinued altogether. I have a feeling that they no longer are used because of safety reasons. Too many people reaching or standing in their logs trying to reach the water. If anyone knows for a fact please correct me if I'm wrong. :wave:

 

[donvincenzo]

The last couple years I've been and went on it, the water shooting things were not working either. I was disappointed with these specifically because I always thought those things were cool.

 

[Robfasto]

What is crazy that the ride can even run without all the AA's on. With the computers and such we have these days a boat should not be able to leave the loading station without either everything running or a by-pass button pushed.

 

[joel_maxwell]

What is crazy that the ride can even run without all the AA's on. With the computers and such we have these days a boat should not be able to leave the loading station without either everything running or a by-pass button pushed.

yeh, it is quite amazing that the little green light on the control panel cant be seen to alert someone that some of the AA sets are plugged in (so to speak)

 

[napnet]

I don't think this effect is malfunctioning, I think it has been discontinued altogether. I have a feeling that they no longer are used because of safety reasons. Too many people reaching or standing in their logs trying to reach the water. If anyone knows for a fact please correct me if I'm wrong.

Knowing Florida water it probably gunked up or kept getting gunked up with Calcium. You'd be amazed at how quickly calcium in the water clogs up my shower head.

 

[Captain Hank]

Actually, I just went on Splash last week, and all the things you mentioned, except the jumping water effects, were working.

 

[marni1971]

Painfull - why build an $80 million attraction and let it rot?

 

[surfsupdon]

I don't think this effect is malfunctioning, I think it has been discontinued altogether. I have a feeling that they no longer are used because of safety reasons. Too many people reaching or standing in their logs trying to reach the water. If anyone knows for a fact please correct me if I'm wrong. :wave:

The leap frog fountains were working May 17--23. I was surprised. Their aim was a little off, but they were jumping. They are a great effect and should not be discontinued.

 

[clarkstallings]

It is my understanding that the leapfrog fountains are turned off when the ride is running at a high capacity. To run at this higher capacity the speed of the flume is increased slightly, this results in timing that needs to be modified for the fountains. If the fountains are wired on one circuit with one trip sensor, odds are that their rate of successive firing is not adjustable to keep up with the speed of the ride. Therefore, the possibility of guests getting hit with the fountains increases. This is just information I received from a BTM/SM castmember and might be incorrect. Also, have you folks noticed that the attraction tends to stop ("Looks like Br'er Fox...") more in recent years?

 

[awallaceunc]

Didn't Brer Bear swing out over the ride just before the drop? I seem to remember that from when I was younger, but that hasn't happened the last several times I rode it. Or am I just imagining things?

As for these other features, I've ridden it many times over the last few years- sometimes some of them are working, at others they aren't. They do need to rehab the inside and it should probably get a IASW-type refurb, but several other attractions are in more need of it (POTC, HM, and maybe even PPF).

The outside was looking absolutely fantastic after the re-paint, though!

-Aaron

 

[Connor002]

dissappointment

We were there last easter
my guess is that it was running at high capacity (in accordance to what clarkstallings said) saveral things were not working. what i found most dissappointing was the lack of "big ending." i loved how you used to go down the pluse and catch a glimpse of massive explosions of water above you. plus it was great on a hot day to stand on the bridge and feel the mist.