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Why no money for the Yeti fix?
- Thread starter Magenta Panther
- Start date
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Oh the Disney Difference still exists. Last time I was at BoardWalk, I was able to call the “front desk” 4 times requesting bed rails before they came. I don’t get that level of interaction at Loews Royal Pacific where I was only allowed to call once before the bedrails came. With my extra time, I was forced to ride the Spidey ride, a ride with SCREENZ!Speaking of being so old as to be an urban legend...
5th paragraph in the post below.
I've been meaning to post this for quite a while, but just haven't had time. Thanks to a recent reminder from @Master Yoda to try and shed some light on the Yeti debacle....
Ok, so back in September I was at a conference at WDW, and the wife decided to book a Dine With An Imagineer lunch at DHS. I skipped one of my educational sessions to do this, and we ended up with a 2-for-1. The main imagineer was a Show Design and Production manager, who was a DWAI veteran (and most recently involved in the Frozen Ever After project); the other guy was a mechanical engineer in charge of show quality, who was a newbie-in-training, at least when it came to these dinners. He explained to us that it was his job to do periodic "reviews" of the rides, and point out areas where show quality is falling below certain standards. He's also heavily involved in maintaining ride systems and animatronics. It was a fantastic experience, and we learned a lot about how things work behind the scenes, but nearing the end of our time, I (obviously) couldn't resist bringing up the Yeti.
Immediately upon my mentioning the Yeti, I could see that it was an obvious a sore spot for him. He stated that there have been multiple proposals put forth for repairing it, but none of the "big shots" have been on board. As for the specific problem, he mentioned that there are a couple of factors: flaws in the original "design calculations" (these were his words), particularly with regard to operational and maintenance conditions on such a large animatronic, and inability to perform proper maintenance on the Yeti. No mention of "shifting/failed foundations" as is often suggested. As a practicing structural engineer, I wanted to know whether this was the problem, and he indicated that the main issue is the animatronic itself.
The other factor is the ability to perform maintenance on the animatronic. I think this is the source of rumors that they "can't replace /fix it without opening up the mountain" rumors, but it's actually much simpler, and this issue ties into the first. He specifically talked about unanticipated stresses in parts of the animatronic due to lack of maintenance in other parts. If one of the motors in the yeti's elbow wears out or isn't functioning properly, but they continue to operate under those conditions, then higher stresses are transferred to the shoulder and chest, etc. My best guess regarding his comments about "incorrect calculations" is that he was referring to fatigue related problems in the robotic parts, and possibly in other structural supports.
The other major factor is that things have changed dramatically at WDW in the last few years regarding their compliance with OSHA standards for maintenance and fall protection. Any new work done to get the Yeti operational means that they have to update the design to meet these standards, so that ongoing maintenance on the animatronic can be safely performed. This would involve major upgrades to allow compliance with fall protection and other things related to maintenance workers.
It was encouraging at least to see how much it bothered him that it didn't work. He brought up the Universal dig re: their Kong animatronic (it moves...) and said that he and his colleagues all read blogs and other social media comments for research and to pick up on things they miss in their reviews. So, there you have it. Take it for what it's worth, but this guy was no bus driver...
KBLovedDisney
Well-Known Member
Apparently to sell on eBay for stupid amounts of money.
Demarke
Have I told you lately that I 👍 you?
It would be a good move to enhance the Yeti because the park next door is opening their own moveable Yeti
An insider provided me a sneak peak at the new concept the imagineers have been working on. I'm told it's still a little blue-sky, so it could change some before implementation:
bhg469
Well-Known Member
Looks like every other yeti product stan I have ever seen!
danheaton
Well-Known Member
Right. This is the main point. I can see the dilemma for Disney, especially before Pandora opened. There are still a limited number of E-ticket attractions at the Animal Kingdom. On the other hand, with all the openings coming to WDW in the next few years, even that excuse really doesn't work anymore.
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
#NeverstoptheDisco
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FettFan
Well-Known Member
Bingo. Whether the yeti is fixed or broken, people are still going to flock to Expedition Everest.
Epcot_Imagineer
Well-Known Member
All I can do now is sit, hope, and pray that this is satire.
Epcot_Imagineer
Well-Known Member
Just in-case... Here is my go-to Yeti fact sheet to dispel to YouTube Imagineers spreading the foundation rumor:
Additionally, there is a fantastic post that recaps basically the entire problem only a few posts up...
Additionally, there is a fantastic post that recaps basically the entire problem only a few posts up...
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
Let us all remember the time he did move..
Epcot_Imagineer
Well-Known Member
The way the fur moved was fantastic when you saw it, and this post does a great job at highlighting it. Just makes the motion so much more dynamic and lifelike.Let us all remember the time he did move..
This is incorrect.
The link below details that actual problem.
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads...cts-status-watch.171808/page-141#post-7514980
Darth Figment
Well-Known Member
I guess we cant belive everything in the internet .
That's what Honest Abe always told us.I guess we cant belive everything in the internet .
scottriehm
Member
So we all know how the Yeti has not moved in 10+ years, right? Well, my family has gone at least once a year since before the opening of Expedition Everest. At our last trip in March, we took some of our extended family, and they had asked why the Yeti wasn't moving and was instead strobbed since they had seen a video from early on when the Yeti moved. My mom then said "wait, the Yeti doesn't move?" even though we have had multiple conversations about it not working throughout the years.
Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Speaking of being so old as to be an urban legend...
If you think the dedication to innovate and attention to detail was “a myth”...
You’re probably hanging out in the wrong parks.
Without that...and with all the BS stock driven apologists now...your parks wouldn’t be close to what they still are