Things not working

[WondersOfLife]

We are now stuck on Tower Terror

 

[Raineman]

I wonder how many of the mechanical issues on these attractions are, or could be, solved by having a good inventory of commonly replaced parts/materials. Any mechanical devices should always have a supply of critical parts available, especially if there are critical components that are common to a number of attraction mechanics. I’m sure that basics like ride tracks/wheels, lighting, electrical, etc have the common repair items, where any AA mechanics may not have a sufficient supply on hand.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Each attraction has its own thresholds in a list. Senior management has the final say, mainly concerning how bad the issue is vs how busy the park is on that day vs the current park capacity.

Issues are passed on to a central office where problems are logged for maintenance. It may be fixable overnight (spinning fish need a motor, light bulb needs replacing) or longer (SSE moon landing CRT needs new parts fabricating). Sometimes things can be done within an hour - such as ToT projector bulbs. Big SQ issues that are easily fixed from backstage.

Cool. Is the SSE moon landing really a CRT?

 

[marni1971]

Cool. Is the SSE moon landing really a CRT?

It was explained to me as one.

 

[peter11435]

I noticed all of those things PLUS the animatronic alligator that pulls Brer Fox's tail at the end of Splash Mountain wasn't working. Yesterday I checked wait times and all the following were down at once:

Astro Orbiter
Barnstormer
Big Thunder
Dumbo
Expedition Everest
Jungle Cruise
Kali River Rapids
Aladdin's Carpets
Primeval Whirl
Mine Train
Slinky Dog Dash
Splash Mountain
Test Track
Tomorrowland Speedway

Essentially the most popular attractions at the parks. Can't imagine how many people were upset.

Everything on your list are outdoor attractions that go down during inclement weather. So this was likely a weather downtown and not related to maintenance.

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

We were down last week and noticed the shark not working in Nemo both times we rode it (4th and 7th).

 

[HMFan999]

@marni1971 Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the shark in Nemo purposefully turned off a while ago because it was scaring children?

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Anybody know how many animatronics there are WDW wide? Just curious. Couldn't seem to find the info online. I've got to think there are easily over 1,000 in the MK alone. Point being that if 10 out of a thousand are down - then 99% are functioning properly. Which is a lot different than 15% being down.

Not trying to defend Disney / Nor looking to criticize either - Just trying to gain some perspective.

 

[disneyblondie15]

@marni1971 Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the shark in Nemo purposefully turned off a while ago because it was scaring children?

Now that I think about it, I can't really remember Chum (the shark) ever moving. It's a faint memory, but I think I was afraid of him as a kid as well. I'm not certain if he's been turned off or he never moved in the first place? This is going to keep me up all night hahaha

Edit: here's a forum linked to the Chum animatronic debacle https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/chum-animatronic.137919/

 

[marni1971]

@marni1971 Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the shark in Nemo purposefully turned off a while ago because it was scaring children?

IIRC yes

 

[NickMaio]

We were down last week and noticed the shark not working in Nemo both times we rode it (4th and 7th).

Us too back in July..... Also the angler flish was not working. You know the one with the light on his head chasing Marlin.

 

[Winter]

Angler Fish and I'm pretty sure the Shark too, both didn't work last March when I went on.

 

[disneyblondie15]

Angler Fish and I'm pretty sure the Shark too, both didn't work last March when I went on.

Wow, then it's been down for a while. I was there August 3-11 and it still wasn't working. I understand that cast members are most likely aware and have informed people higher on the hierarchy, but since March? I'm not sure how complicated the animatronic is, but it seems simple enough that it should've been fixed sooner. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the animatronic just chasing a static Marlin (who moves with the fish, of course)? I'm in no way an engineer, but those are just my thoughts.

 

[geekza]

@marni1971 Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the shark in Nemo purposefully turned off a while ago because it was scaring children?

I'm so glad that I grew up at a time when scaring kids wasn't a problem. A little adrenaline never hurt anyone. Plus, it helps you start to differentiate between what is fake and what is truly scary in the real world. The "Children's Films" were certainly a heckuva lot more interesting.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Jumping Brer Rabbit was taken out AGAIN. And yes, Brer Gator at the end hasn’t been moving. But hey, at least we have two working Blue Birds!

 

[disneyblondie15]

Jumping Brer Rabbit was taken out AGAIN. And yes, Brer Gator at the end hasn’t been moving. But hey, at least we have two working Blue Birds!

Yes, something I meant to bring up. What's the deal with jumping Brer Rabbit? Why is he always malfunctioning/being taken out?

 

[WondersOfLife]

@marni1971 Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the shark in Nemo purposefully turned off a while ago because it was scaring children?

It was working in May and June

 

[Disstevefan1]

Let's face it. We will continue to see this happen. WDW will continue to cut costs where they can to maximize shareholder value along with the fact that all the theme parks in the world are in one budget. I suspect updates to Disneyland Paris are more important (in order to try to make it PROFITABLE) rather than basic maintence needed for WDW.....Rant over

 

[disneyblondie15]

Let's face it. We will continue to see this happen. WDW will continue to cut costs where they can to maximize shareholder value along with the fact that all the theme parks in the world are in one budget. I suspect updates to Disneyland Paris are more important (in order to try to make it PROFITABLE) rather than basic maintence needed for WDW.....Rant over

I see your point, but at the same time, the company itself is making millions upon millions every day. I went to Disney After Hours and just for that event, they made $16,000,000 on that night alone. There were a good 3000 people in the park that night, compared to the normal average of 55,000 people. That's in the Magic Kingdom ALONE. It stands to reason that it's not funding problems.

 

[UncleMike101]

I see your point, but at the same time, the company itself is making millions upon millions every day. I went to Disney After Hours and just for that event, they made $16,000,000 on that night alone. There were a good 3000 people in the park that night, compared to the normal average of 55,000 people. That's in the Magic Kingdom ALONE. It stands to reason that it's not funding problems.

Unfortunately income does not equal profit and at this time Disney is far more interested in keeping profits than putting sufficient monies into budgets to properly maintain the rides and the IT division, which in essence runs all of the rides.