WDW Ride Safety/Maintenance

[nickys]

I read quite a bit about people who have had to evacuate a ride at Disney. They don't play around. When something isn't working like it should, it tends to shut the whole thing down if it involves any kind of guest safety. There is a lot that I give Disney the side-eye about, but safety generally isn't one of them.

Totally agree.

Which is why it makes me mad when I hear people whining about rides being down. It's as if they think the CMs just close the ride on a whim and are having a coffee break.

 

[Driver]

Well, I guess I could get a job as a CM to see everything, but the fact that I have a family, a house, and live 1200 miles away in another country might not make that feasible.

I understand that, I was in your spot at one time and was always anxious to learn and see every crumb that was Disney. So I did move and become a CM, I have no regrets. But there were times when I was backstage and saw something and thought " that's it? " Careers and family come first, I know I am blessed to have this opportunity, people tell me how lucky I am and I am thankful for it.

 

[Master Yoda]

I understand that, I was in your spot at one time and was always anxious to learn and see every crumb that was Disney. So I did move and become a CM, I have no regrets. But there were times when I was backstage and saw something and thought " that's it? " Careers and family come first, I know I am blessed to have this opportunity, people tell me how lucky I am and I am thankful for it.

I love that feeling! There is nothing quite like the joy of finding out something you thought was so complex being incredibly simple.

 

[Raineman]

I love that feeling! There is nothing quite like the joy of finding out something you thought was so complex being incredibly simple.

I have spent way too much time trying to figure out how some of the attraction effects are done at WDW, and there are some that I know must be fairly simple, but look so intricate-like the mirror that turns into a door on Enchanted Tales With Belle.

 

[GabeP]

Coming soon: Disney's After Hours Maintenance Tour and Dessert Party-$149.99 pp.

 

[Raineman]

Coming soon: Disney's After Hours Maintenance Tour and Dessert Party-$149.99 pp.

Please, take my money.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

To me, this makes no sense. A ride that is constantly disassembled and reassembled would not have the structural integrity of a permanent attraction, and should be subjected to increased inspection. And, it always sems that the majority of the accidents you hear about are from traveling fairs or small parks. I always feel safe on a WDW ride; on a ride at a place like Fun Spot or a local fair, not so much.

I think what he was saying is that the smaller attractions and fair rides have to go through a safety process.

 

[Raineman]

I think what he was saying is that the smaller attractions and fair rides have to go through a safety process.

Yeah, I must have been hallucinating a "not" after the "do"

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Yeah, I must have been hallucinating a "not" after the "do"

Happens to me all the time! Haha

 

[Tom Morrow]

I'm very familiar with the safety procedures, precautions, features, etc. on the attractions at Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld. And I'll be the first to tell you, all of them are very, very safe. I have never questioned my safety.

 

[LUVofDIS]

I love that feeling! There is nothing quite like the joy of finding out something you thought was so complex being incredibly simple.

I am a machine design engineer and my opinion is to design something in a simple manner is much more complicated than designing something in a complex manner. When people tell me that one of my designs look simple I take that as an extreme compliment. It takes a long time to design something in a simple manner.

 

[Sjeason]

Having seen the Central Shops (engineering) on the Backstage Magic tour, I can confirm there is a very precise schedule and process for ride maintenance. Extra ride vehicles exist on almost all attractions for circling on and off while they are being stripped down, checked and maintained. It’s a superb process.

 

[Winter]

I just saw the news of the roller coaster in Daytona that derailed, and, without sounding like an alarmist, because I'm definitely not, I was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of what kind of regulations govern amusement/theme park ride safety and maintenance in Florida? Does WDW have policies and procedures in place internally that are more robust than any state or federal law? As someone with a lifetime of experience working in manufacturing, I know what kind of predictive/preventive maintenance is done on a regular basis to keep machines running, but there is really no safety factor like there would be for rides. Safety for high speed rides/roller coasters is definitely more of a concern than for slow moving/dark rides, but there is still a chance, on any ride, for a malfunction that could cause safety issues (the only real WDW issue in the past I can think of is the BTMRR crash).

Wait, what BTMRR crash?

 

[Goofyernmost]

Wait, what BTMRR crash?

Disneyland a few years back.

 

[EOD K9]

I will not ride on anything that can be assembled and disassembled in one day.

 

[larryz]

Wait, what BTMRR crash?

The one at Disneyland several years ago.

 

[Raineman]

The one at Disneyland several years ago.

Whatever modifications they made to ensure that doesn’t happen again-did they make the same changes on BTMRR at WDW, or was it already different from the DLR train in that regard?

 

[larryz]

Whatever modifications they made to ensure that doesn’t happen again-did they make the same changes on BTMRR at WDW, or was it already different from the DLR train in that regard?

ETA: See Post #44. Looks like they eliminated some bolt tightening as a potential point of future failure.

Disney's own analysis indicated that the DLR maintenance team failed to follow procedures requiring periodic tightening of bolts on the ride's axles. The design was found to be safe enough as long as that procedure was followed on a regular basis and they modified maintenance procedures to improve accountability.

 

[flynnibus]

Whatever modifications they made to ensure that doesn’t happen again-did they make the same changes on BTMRR at WDW, or was it already different from the DLR train in that regard?

It wasn't a ride flaw - it was an operational, maintenance, and leadership failure that lead to the event. Ultimately, anything that crashes into an immobile, fixed object at high speed will cause damage.

 

[Raineman]

I don't know that they modified the train or other design aspects. Disney's own analysis indicated that the DLR maintenance team failed to follow procedures requiring periodic tightening of bolts on the ride's axles. The design was found to be safe enough as long as that procedure was followed on a regular basis and they modified maintenance procedures to improve accountability.

I had never really heard all of the details on the accident before I read the article you linked to, but...wow. One thing that can never be cut back to save money should be safety, and Disney was definitely negligent in that regard. If you thought there might be a problem, why would you not remove that train immediately? The fact that the accident happened on the last run before they were going to take it off makes it even worse-almost makes me wonder if they would have even removed it then and just kept it going, "We'll fix the problem when we close tonight."