While HM Shines, PotC Fades

[PintoColvig]

The HM refurb just flat out thrilled me yesterday. Yesterday morning was one of the best times I've spent at MK. But then, I went on PotC yesterday afternoon and the bubble deflated a little.

I don't know what was wrong with Pirates yesterday. The overhead canon effect was not working (and wasn't earlier this week either). The bottom of the Red Head's dress had fallen out of her hand and touched the ground (how does that happen?) In the burning of the town scene, the pirate in the upper center wasn't holding his torch up. It drooped over toward us so that the lights used in the fire effect could be seen from the boats. The audio was clear in one scene, mumbled in another and unbalanced in yet another. To top it all off, the speed ramp had just stopped working and we had to take a stair well out while maintance stared at the ramp. I'm sure all of these can be easily fixed but seeing PotC after experiencing such a great HM showed me how much the attractions take a beating and how quickly a refurbed attraction can deteriorate. I can only hope that HM won't deteriorate and be like PotC a year from now.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Yowch...>.<

Sounds bad....I was on POTC onoly a year ago and it was awesome.Perhaps it was just a bad day.

 

[Hummer1676]

Does anyone know if they ever plan on putting the skeletons at the begining like they do at Disneyland. The first part of the ride is pretty bland. I would think you could make it look like the cave in the first movie and have the aztec gold everywhere. You could have them put it there and have them put a curse on it. It just seems like such a waste of space.

 

[Sassagoula-Rvr]

They do have a cave with some gold if I remember right, Just before the drop.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Does anyone know if they ever plan on putting the skeletons at the begining like they do at Disneyland. The first part of the ride is pretty bland. I would think you could make it look like the cave in the first movie and have the aztec gold everywhere. You could have them put it there and have them put a curse on it. It just seems like such a waste of space.

Really? I certainly see your point, but I really like the blandness in a way. I guess because it is so "plain", it creates a very unsettling feeling for me. Like you know something is coming, and it takes awhile to get to that drop, so the anticipation builds well. I do think that some other elements like waterfalls, other non-moving bones, etc. could be a nice touch, though.

However, considering how recent the past rehab was, I don't think anything new will come anytime soon.

 

[CaptainMichael]

You missed the drunk pirate in the auction scene, his head was HANGING down.

 

[Thiger]

thats a scary thought! (POTC run down in a years' time)
I went this time last year and i found that a couple times the fog seemed a bit light and the magic just wanst there. The last time we rode it though the fog was ominous, the audio great and was one of the best moments on our whole trip!
Cant wait to ride HM - I hope that WDW really focuses on minor refurbs more often to keep the rides clean and working. I mean, I've heard Ellen's hand has been attached to the tree for a month now! lol

 

[disneydata]

The overhead canon effect was not working (and wasn't earlier this week either). The bottom of the Red Head's dress had fallen out of her hand and touched the ground (how does that happen?) In the burning of the town scene, the pirate in the upper center wasn't holding his torch up. It drooped over toward us so that the lights used in the fire effect could be seen from the boats. The audio was clear in one scene, mumbled in another and unbalanced in yet another. To top it all off, the speed ramp had just stopped working and we had to take a stair well out while maintance stared at the ramp. I'm sure all of these can be easily fixed but seeing PotC after experiencing such a great HM showed me how much the attractions take a beating and how quickly a refurbed attraction can deteriorate. I can only hope that HM won't deteriorate and be like PotC a year from now.

Just to go through those problems:

The overhead canon doesn't work a lot of the time, and it wasn't even working for at least the first week it was open after the refurb.
The dress (and all costumes) are taken care of by Costuming and Cosmetology and I believe they only come once a week or two weeks.
The torch you're talking about always has problems with sagging due to its weight and I hope they can find a permanent solution.
The audio has always been a problem after the refurb. They never could get the Auction scene up to par as well as a few others.
The speedramp always sucked. I wish they would have replaced the whole thing, but alas it only got a new rubber ramp.

It has been over a year and with the high traffic and use these rides get I'm surprised they don't deteriorate faster!

 

[hokielutz]

Yeah, its annoying, but we don't need to bust a gasket over it because of one bad week. These are strictly repair issues and I am sure they will be handled soon.

 

[CaptainMichael]

Yeah, its annoying, but we don't need to bust a gasket over it because of one bad week. These are strictly repair issues and I am sure they will be handled soon.

Exactly, I haven't had these problems any other time I've ridden lately.

 

[marni1971]

May PotC have much TLC over the next fortnight; DLPs awesome version is still fresh in my mind :lol:

Either way, can`t wait

 

[year45]

Well just look at "its a small world" it had practically a 10 month rehab 3 years ago and now look at it. Lights are out, the clock no longer works, dolls missing and its looking dirty again. Things dont last if you dont fix them. So its only fair to assume pirates would end up this way. Yeah things dissapear and reappear all the time but it should take months. I would say its safe to assume a year from now HM will start looking that way as well. Enjoy it while you can. WDW still needs to learn at thing from DL and refurb alot more often.

 

[jedimaster1227]

My only hitches with Pirates are the constantly missed broken skin of the pig in the mud towards the end of the ride and my missing Asian pirate (my favorite in the ride). I was lucky enough to have a ride inspector in our boat during the Pirate and Princess Party and I pointed the pig's leg out to him. The metal from the pig's insides has been poking out through the leg since before the ride went under the knife to get its movie enhancements.

 

[PirateJeffWDW]

The metal from the pig's insides has been poking out through the leg since before the ride went under the knife to get its movie enhancements.

That "metal" is actually a huge fly on the pig's leg, which is why he is twitching it. I don't know why they don't just get rid of it, because everyone thinks it's mechanics sticking out. But I've seen it, and it's just a huge fly. It looks like a really cheesy toy or something.

 

[the-reason14]

Well just look at "its a small world" it had practically a 10 month rehab 3 years ago and now look at it. Lights are out, the clock no longer works, dolls missing and its looking dirty again. Things dont last if you dont fix them. So its only fair to assume pirates would end up this way. Yeah things dissapear and reappear all the time but it should take months. I would say its safe to assume a year from now HM will start looking that way as well. Enjoy it while you can. WDW still needs to learn at thing from DL and refurb alot more often.

The clock on IASW was working when I was there a couple of days ago. And while there were obviously some dolls missing and some not working fully, it still looked almost as nice as it did when I first rode after the refurb in march 05.

 

[TP2000]

"

I can only hope that HM won't deteriorate and be like PotC a year from now.

I mentioned this exact topic in a HM thread about two weeks ago, so glad to see I'm not the only one thinking about it.

A big, long refurbishment like WDW's Haunted Mansion just got is fabulous, and desperately needed in my California opinion for most of WDW's aging E Ticket attractions. But what really needs to happen now is that WDW's maintenance department gets reogranized and refunded so that they can actually keep all of the shiny new toys in great working order for more than 30 days.

If WDW's Haunted Mansion doesn't close again for a two week rehab in the next 12 months, then the fabulous stuff that just debuted will begin to get creaky and neglected and the details all start to fall apart. But you also need top notch nightly maintenance and a management team that isn't afraid to close a ride for a week or two each year for bigger maintenance lest they "RUIN SOMEONES VACATION!!!".

I rode Disneyland's Pirates for the first time in months last week, and I was so impressed with how clear and sparkling and perfect everything still looked. If anything, it looked and acted even better and cared for than when it first opened with Johnny Depp last year. They are clearly taking very good care of Pirates at Disneyland, and there's a rumor of a two week rehab later this Fall for more TLC. Disneyland's calendar is full of rehabs where there are always at least one or two rides closed even though it may "RUIN SOMEONES VACATION!".

Currently there are three rides closed at Disneyland right now for several weeks; StorybookLand Canal Boats, Casey Jr. Circus Train, and Haunted Mansion. Also this week, the Mark Twain Riverboat is closed for five days for paint and wood oiling, and they are running the Sailing Ship Columbia around the river in its place. Indiana Jones was closed in late August to replace audio speakers throughout and freshen up the queue. Later this fall Alice In Wonderland, Mr. Toad, Disneyland Opera House and Pirates and Small World are all scheduled for multi-week closure refurbishments.

If WDW doesn't embark on a similarly aggressive refurbishment schedule in addition to improved daily maintenance, all the big-buck and multi-month refurbishments in the world won't mean much a year from now. You have to keep it fresh, keep it clean, keep it maintained, or it just slips back into its neglected and sad state again. :wave:

 

[burningstroller]

I completely agree. Infact I have a thread about the very same thing at Micechat which I am currently getting a lot of crap for.

Everytime I go to Disneyland I am amazed at how every ride looks brand new...all the time! And they always seem to add little things to the rides during there multi week refurbs.

 

[TP2000]

Everytime I go to Disneyland I am amazed at how every ride looks brand new...all the time! And they always seem to add little things to the rides during there multi week refurbs.

From late August through early December of 2007 the following attractions at Disneyland were/are scheduled to be closed for several weeks for refurbishment. These are staggered obviously, so that only two or three rides are closed on any one week;

Indiana Jones Adventure
StorybookLand Canal Boats
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Haunted Mansion
Alice In Wonderland
It's A Small World
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Disneyland Opera House
Pirates of the Caribbean
It's A Small World
Mark Twain Riverboat
Gadget's Go Coaster

During the same time frame, these Magic Kingdom attractions at WDW were/are closed;

Haunted Mansion (big four month rehab completed 9/13/07)
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Magic Carpet's of Aladdin

The recent refurbs at WDW's Magic Kingdom are great news. But they need to really step up both their daily and annual maintenance schedules to stay on top of what has recently been accomplished. As the comments about Small World and Pirates attest, you can't just let things sit there for a year and expect them to stay looking great.

 

[CSUFSteve]

Yes, but like I keep saying, don't be too harsh on MK. We have only been getting our TLC since the 50th, and only b/c of Ouimett and Roy. Look at what we had to endure before we got that! Pressler, Harriss, and Irby nearly ran our Park into the ground.

Haha, I'm not saying MK needs to sink lower, I'm just saying that these things seem to come in cycles. In the 90's, it was Florida that could do no wrong and everyone here was saying, "If we only had a Facilities budget like MK" or "If only we had a cycle program like Florida". You guys were the envy of WDPR in terms of high quality & maintenance, and we looked like a sad little ugly stepchild.

So patience my Florida brethern! If your HM refurb is any indication, it seems like WDI is finding itself again, starting to win some battles, and good things are on the way for both coasts! I'm more optimistic about the U.S. parks than I have been in a really long time. I'm amazed at the amount of money that is about to be spent for both.

 

[cdatkins]

The clock on IASW was working when I was there a couple of days ago. And while there were obviously some dolls missing and some not working fully, it still looked almost as nice as it did when I first rode after the refurb in march 05.

I agree. We were there in Sept 05 right after the refurb, and then again last week, and I thought it still looked really good.