Stuffs from Orlando

[MerlinTheGoat]

Oh I also wanted to mention that I rode several of the monorails during my visit. The ones I rode were silver, blue and I believe coral (I didn't have a good look at the last one's color, it could have been red but I believe it was coral). Every one of them was still in awful physical condition, both outside and inside. They're filthy and the plastic and paint is still chipping away just like they were back in 2010-2012. Stickers plastered to the floor and walls and uncollected rubbish left behind the seats. And two out of the three I rode needed to have the AC cranked up, same problem as the Mermaid ride I assume (trying to pinch pennies by setting the thermostat at a higher temperature so the air isn't as cool).

I will say one positive thing about the monorails however- I'm unsure if this is true of the entire fleet, but the three I rode while I was there smelled much better than they did a few years ago. Back in 2010-2012 a very nasty smell had developed that perpetually permeated all the ones I rode. I assume the source was from the air conditioning system needing a good cleaning (or the filters). Despite the fact that the cabins were dirtier and more dilapidated than ever last week, they at least actually smelled fine and as I remember them smelling in the early-mid 90's when I was a kid. I didn't notice any stench surprisingly. So there's one positive. Now either clean and repair them properly or give us a new fleet of Mark VIII's or whatever number they're up to now (preferably the latter as that should solve all the issues at once).

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

Thanks for the report, @marni1971 (and @MerlinTheGoat as well). Thought I would add a bit of my observations as well:

Magic Kingdom (visited Saturday 10/4):

BTM: The lift A waterfall was working in the morning and during EMH on Saturday. The color pools were in lousy shape though, and a few bats were stationary in the opening cave. And, yes, that cave-in projection is pathetic looking and barely distinguishable. On the plus side, the geysers and misters around the mountain all seemed to be working well.

Splash: The finale Mr. Blue Bird was stationary when we rode in the morning, as was one of the turtles in the Laughing Place. But everything else seemed to be in good shape, even the jumping fountains were working and bonus points for having the main lift hill audio properly synched.

Pirates: Audio really needs an adjustment. So many areas where sound is either non-existent or too faint. Much preferred Davy Jones for the mist screen. And just kill the Mermaid effect already.

Mansion: Interactive queue is in pretty rough shape. I got the impression they've given up on maintaining it. Ride itself was in good working order, though. Hitch hiking ghost effect was working properly.

Space: What Martin said. It's just in lousy shape. Music is barely audible on ride and a lot of star projectors off/not working (on the plus side, this does result in a darker ride which adds to the thrill). Also, who was the idiot who approved the safety announcement loop for the entrance hall and star tunnel? Completely drowns out the music and ruins what was once a great ambiance. Oh, and the exterior just keeps getting worse and worse. Peeling paint and mold everywhere.

CoP: Show scenes were in good shape overall, though the Father AA in the future scene could use adjusting, particularly his left arm. The theatre seats are in desperate need of replacing, too.

PhilarMagic: Film looked good and all the effects were working. But disappointing to still see all the mist screens on the seats caked in gunk. Disgusting and inexcusable considering the show was just down for refurbishment.

Misc: Monorail interiors are still an embarrassment with scratched and broken trim pieces all over the place. Also, I get Disney wants to sell pictures, but it doesn't excuse plopping Photopass photographers with their tripods right in the middle of paths and walkways. Annoying at best and borderline dangerous at night when light levels are dim and crowds are bottlenecked trying to get around. And MK food options stink. Big time. Bad enough there are 4 restaurant locations that sit unused. Even worse when half the places that are left seemingly serve the same depressing mix of burgers, fries, hot dogs and chicken tenders.

Epcot (visited Friday 10/3):

Energy: Definitely needs help. I must say, Disney is unbelievably lucky that Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Nye, Jeopardy and Alex Trebek are all still somewhat relevant.

SSE: Mammoth projection is in lousy shape and the 180top is still much too bright. The decent is just a mess of half visible triangles, sloppy fiber optic curtains and exposed wiring and piping. But at least everything from the caveman to the garage scenes looked good.

Fountain of Nations: Depressing to watch. So many jets and nozzles not working. If you needed a poster child for how far maintenance standards have fallen, look no further (though Space Mountain is a pretty close second right now).

Maelstrom: Sad to see it go, but even sadder to see how neglected and dingy it had become.

RoE: Inferno barge cut out halfway through Chaos and the American Adventure laser quit about a minute into the show. Also, the lighting on the NW fountain barge (the one facing Canada) needs fixing. On the plus side, the various new lighting patterns for the Earth Globe, syncrolights and pavilions are great. And kudos to the techs for turning the torches on a full 40 minutes before the 10PM showtime, and for leaving them on after the show all the way through the Tapestry of Nations music. It made for a lovely last stroll around World Showcase.

Other: Walls are still up around the water main/sink hole area. Gravity wheel in Mission Space still not turning. The Test Track queue after the design studio has scratched walls and peeling paint galore. Many of the AAs in Living with the Land need help (but was happy to see the greenhouse section get updates and additions). And the lighting in the Nemo queue is much too dark; its to the point you need to put your hand on the railing in some spots to know where to go.

 

[ght]

Yeah...not having waterfall on first lift on BTM was immediately anticlimactic. Pirates seemed to be down most of Wednesday and wasn't even ready at opening on Thursday. And they don't bother loading the back seat.
All during the week no SSE fountain was disappointing since I wanted to get a good pic of it.

Has the not loading the back seat on Pirates been discussed before? I am curious because I noticed they are doing the same thing at DL (we were there last week). Last year when we rode Pirates (at DL) we sat in the back seat and they were leaking so I wonder if that has something to do with it.

 

[ght]

- Cleanliness related, but bathrooms at Magic Kingdom are dirtier and smellier than they used to be. Even back in 2010-2011 I used to see cast members patrolling and cleaning them religiously every time I went into one, but I didn't spot any of them doing cleaning work throughout my visit (and the state of the bathrooms seemed to reflect this). Even the brand new ones at FLE are looking and smelling nasty. But the ones next to City Hall were probably the worse, they were both dirty and smelled really bad (and the smell even carried outside to the surrounding areas). The ones I visited at Epcot weren't as bad.

This is the kind of thing that is depressing to read. I have mentioned this before but the best way to illustrate the basic problems at WDW (maintenance, cleanliness, etc.) is to simply travel across the country and visit DL. We just spent a week at the Anaheim resort and they are obsessive with cleaning the bathrooms, restaurant floors, etc. It is to the point where I actually found myself getting annoyed because they were starting to get in the way sweeping trash into their dust bins. There are plenty of comparisons that can be debated between the two resorts (rides, shows, etc.) that are largely a matter of preference, but the difference in how the parks are maintained is not one of them. On second thought, for people who mostly go to WDW I would almost discourage them from visiting DL because it makes the little problems that add up at WDW all the more glaring and depressing. Now there are some areas DL needs to address (paint is getting worn on the Buzz cars, etc.) but they are not as widespread and are easier to overlook when the vast majority of the park is clean and well maintained.

 

[Clamman73]

Has the not loading the back seat on Pirates been discussed before? I am curious because I noticed they are doing the same thing at DL (we were there last week). Last year when we rode Pirates (at DL) we sat in the back seat and they were leaking so I wonder if that has something to do with it.

Not sure, but we've talked about how water in the boats became a real problem after they did a fleet replacement. I was trying to figure how that affects waiting time. It's not a full width like the other rows, but still reduces the amount of people loaded per boat.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

They really need to replace those fountain jets, there old and I doubt they can even get parts. I do fear that the fountain is on it's last leg and that they won't put money into it. Not even sure if it's that popular. I love it and it has allot of memories but I always fear the bad news.

 

[Rob562]

And the trim brakes before the big drop take away the one single fun part the ride had left. If the new RCS keeps E stopping due to the sudden speed increase then sort out the software. It worked fine for nearly 40 years.

Interesting. After his trip I asked a friend who was just down there at the end of September about that very trim brake. He's a mega coaster enthusiast and knows a trim brake when he sees (feels) one, and he said there was no trim before the big drop.

Energy.... Kill it now. Please. Grainy, wobbly out of sync projections. Broken effects. Two travelling theatres out of use. The already mentioned missing Ellen and the elleoramous snake thingy that pulled a yeti and no one noticed. The pavilion as it stands is an embarrassment. Gut the story and the movies. Fix the effects. And make proper use of the building. And the final insult, the show door into the diorama is indeed broken. People sat in the back rows hear the next show loading and starting whilst in the diorama, and during the finale you can hear the diorama in full swing.

Oh, that poor door. It just hasn't been the same since Maintenance accidentally wrecked it while resetting from an E-stop, has it?

-Rob

 

[Tom Morrow]

Interesting. After his trip I asked a friend who was just down there at the end of September about that very trim brake. He's a mega coaster enthusiast and knows a trim brake when he sees (feels) one, and he said there was no trim before the big drop.

No, there is definitely a trim there, but it may not trim every car.

 

[marni1971]

Interesting. After his trip I asked a friend who was just down there at the end of September about that very trim brake. He's a mega coaster enthusiast and knows a trim brake when he sees (feels) one, and he said there was no trim before the big drop.



Oh, that poor door. It just hasn't been the same since Maintenance accidentally wrecked it while resetting from an E-stop, has it?

-Rob

There is very much a brake. It was reported on here a few months ago so I rode with baited breath and sure enough every ride we were decelerated to a crawl before the drop.

The Energy door accident... That happened decades ago. Surely it can't be anything to do with that after tens of thousands of cycles?

 

[copcarguyp71]

No, there is definitely a trim there, but it may not trim every car.

Good thought. Probably either speed or gap between ride vehicle dependant and both of those are probably dictated by vehicle mass...ergo heavier total occupancy gets decelerated more? Just a thought.

 

[Rob562]

There is very much a brake. It was reported on here a few months ago so I rode with baited breath and sure enough every ride we were decelerated to a crawl before the drop.

Interesting. It's not like my friend to get that kinda detail wrong. I look forward to seeing for myself in a couple weeks.

The Energy door accident... That happened decades ago. Surely it can't be anything to do with that after tens of thousands of cycles?

True, though I seem to recall reading about downtimes specifically with that door multiple times since then. I wonder if it's like your car after being in a bad accident. They can repair the frame as best they can, but it never seems to be *quite* right afterward...

-Rob