Yeti to be never fixed... solid evidence!

[Pioneer Hall]

$500 million on a movie land in the zoo, with cameron getting a cut of the ticket receipts, I hate to see how much maintenance is going to be slashed.

Well as long as we are being optimistic about the situation...

What if we turn this the other way and say that the mega expansion will bring in huge amounts of revenue to the park and maintenance budgets rise. Then again this is TDO we are talking about and they only look out for themselves and their bonuses.

 

[s8film40]

I'm guessing you're one of those "glass half empty" fellas... lol.

Personally I was FLOORED to learn about the Avatar expansion. Even though we might have spent the money differently, it's still really great to see Disney putting money into the parks. I see it as a good thing.

Hopefully they spread the love around to the Yeti and other areas of the parks that need some TLC.

I saw the Avatar announcement as a glass is half full of dirty water.

 

[elfshadowreaper]

And I can say that the Yeti has been being reposed almost daily now.

I can see the commercial now...........

First there was A mode...
Then there was B mode...
Next Disco Yeti strobed his way to fame...
Now experience Expedition Everest's newest Stop-motion Yeti Mode A!!!
Experience the yeti's full fury over the course of several weeks and as you recall each position you saw over the course of those several weeks he seems to """"move"""" all by himself.
Now open at Walt Disney World's Animal James Cameron Digital 3D Kingdom.

 

[WorldKey]

Quote: An Everest-like mountain (as in it looks the same, but may have a different theme) is a potential future expansion for the Shanghai park.

I would guess that it definitely would have a different theme seeing that this is Shanghai and the Tibet subject is so controversial to the Chinese gov't.....

 

[wilsonhanks]

I emailed WDW a couple weeks ago about the yeti not being in working order (in A mode) and here is what they just wrote back to me. Makes me think they never will fix it! :fork:

Dear Mr. xxx,
Thank you for contacting us regarding your recent visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park.




I am very sorry for your disappointment with the Yeti scene currently being used at Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain®. Please know, decisions about extended use of secondary shows are made with the utmost consideration for all of our Guests. I wanted to personally assure you that your feedback has been taken seriously and let you know how much we appreciate your comments. Our Guests’ feedback allows for our continual growth and the preservation of the magic Walt Disney dreamed about.




Mr. xxx, thank you again for your honest and constructive feedback.

Wishing you a magical day,

Andrew Shepard
Guest Communication Services
Walt Disney World Resort


/ab
2237765

Original Message Follows:
------------------------
Hi,

I recently went to WDW and visited Animal Kingdom. I was so excited to
ride Everest only to find out that the Yeti was not working. After some
further research I found out that the Yeti has not been working for over
a year! I find this absurd that the main feature of an E-Ticket ride has
been broken for over a year!! Walt Disney used to have higher standards
for things, there's other issues with the park that I won't get into at
this point, but I can say as a life time Disney fan and someone who's
father personally knew Walt Disney this is unacceptable. Walt Disney is
probably rolling over in his grave because the Disney company simply
doesn't seem to put the effort into the details like they used to. I am
a shareholder in the Disney company and as a shareholder I'm very
disappointed. Please fix the Yeti and go back to how things used to be
run.

Thank you,

As far as I see it, WDW only smart decision in regards to the Yeti is to not fix it.. It is way too much money for such a short time frame on the ride..... Why spend a huge sumo of money for just a few seconds...

I do feel they need to spend more money on the ride, in a completely different area...

I say leave the strobing yeti as is, and build a new yeti at the top(right before you go backwards) Have the Yeti messing with the track, and get angry at the appearance of the train....

They should have never spent so much money on the current location of the yeti.

 

[flavious27]

Incorrect. Cameron will get a licensing fee and a percentage of merch.

Okay, well it won't be an exact dollar figure on every guest that steps into the park but the amount that are going to pay is going to be based onto some number based on attendance. And if attendance to dak stays flat and or is still #4 at wdw, there isn't a return on this land.

 

[njDizFan]

Okay, well it won't be an exact dollar figure on every guest that steps into the park but the amount that are going to pay is going to be based onto some number based on attendance. And if attendance to dak stays flat and or is still #4 at wdw, there isn't a return on this land.

DAK was ahead of DHS last year

 

[elfshadowreaper]

Why spend a huge sumo of money for just a few seconds...

I think they owe it to Walt Disney himself to ask the question: What would Walt do? I have no evidence to support this, but I expect he would fix the problem as quickly as possible and not worry about whether their sales would take a dip. But this is what happens when one person starts a business and then dies. I'm not knocking the Disney company, but when the creator dies the heart of the business dies with him. I would say the Disney company has done a pretty good job living up to Walt's dream, but it's examples like this that show how they can't match up to the founder's vision.

About the yeti specifically, I've heard tons of people say most riders who have no knowledge of the yeti at the end will not miss him. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" does not apply in this case. I've never actually seen the yeti in his full glory, but all I've heard points to him taking the ride to the next level in terms of the experience. If he isn't fixed soon after Avatarland opens Disney World will have fallen far and have succumbed to money over magic. But that's the "bottom line" world we live in.

 

[flavious27]

DAK was ahead of DHS last year

Did they finally release some estimates? ... Oh look, they beat dhs by 274 guests a day.

 

[wm49rs]

Okay, well it won't be an exact dollar figure on every guest that steps into the park but the amount that are going to pay is going to be based onto some number based on attendance. And if attendance to dak stays flat and or is still #4 at wdw, there isn't a return on this land.

It's a licensing fee. Not a fee based on attendance. The amount Cameron will get varies on the amount of merchandise being bought.....

And neither have anything to do with the maintenance budget, or the fixing of the Yeti.

 

[Fable McCloud]

You know, the worst part for me was seeing the fully operational Yeti in all the vacation planning dvds my family and I saw a few years back. Then when we went we saw Disco Yeti, and I was very sad, especially when I joined here and read about the various Yeti positions.

Maybe they could give some of that Pandora budget to spruce up the dang Yeti?

 

[flavious27]

It's a licensing fee. Not a fee based on attendance. The amount Cameron will get varies on the amount of merchandise being bought.....

And neither have anything to do with the maintenance budget, or the fixing of the Yeti.

For merch, but Fox and Cameron wouldn't be in business if the amount they are being paid for the IP is based on how much blue stuff is going to be sold. The licensing fee for an amusement park is going to be based on how popular a park is, which is how many people pass through the gates. If avaland was at a 6 flags, fox would get much less because less people visit those parks.

A new land will pull resources from other parts of the budget so that disney doesn't get egg on its face, and likely comply with parts of the contract, if attractions in their new land break. TDO hasn't shown a record of keeping maintenance up in the past, it is doubtful that this current team will be any different.

 

[wm49rs]

For merch, but Fox and Cameron wouldn't be in business if the amount they are being paid for the IP is based on how much blue stuff is going to be sold. The licensing fee for an amusement park is going to be based on how popular a park is, which is how many people pass through the gates. If avaland was at a 6 flags, fox would get much less because less people visit those parks.

A new land will pull resources from other parts of the budget so that disney doesn't get egg on its face, and likely comply with parts of the contract, if attractions in their new land break. TDO hasn't shown a record of keeping maintenance up in the past, it is doubtful that this current team will be any different.

The fee may be based on numbers through the gates, but it is still a flat fee. The only variation for Cameron et al is on merchandise sales. If attendance drops, that's the only area in which both sides will take a loss. But at the same point, with an entire new land to see (plus whatever other changes/additions/refurbs DAK sees in the interim), the number through the gates is unlikely to drop.

And "other resources" doesn't necessarily correlate to Maintenance. I understand you're upset by this decision, but you're making assumptions that simply aren't there. Particularly with the number of ongoing and future refurbs being discussed currently throughout WDW as a whole.

 

[wilsonhanks]

I think they owe it to Walt Disney himself to ask the question: What would Walt do? I have no evidence to support this, but I expect he would fix the problem as quickly as possible and not worry about whether their sales would take a dip. But this is what happens when one person starts a business and then dies. I'm not knocking the Disney company, but when the creator dies the heart of the business dies with him. I would say the Disney company has done a pretty good job living up to Walt's dream, but it's examples like this that show how they can't match up to the founder's vision.

About the yeti specifically, I've heard tons of people say most riders who have no knowledge of the yeti at the end will not miss him. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" does not apply in this case. I've never actually seen the yeti in his full glory, but all I've heard points to him taking the ride to the next level in terms of the experience. If he isn't fixed soon after Avatarland opens Disney World will have fallen far and have succumbed to money over magic. But that's the "bottom line" world we live in.

No, I wasn't saying money shouldn't be spent.... I am just saying they probably have better ways to spend it.

 

[elfshadowreaper]

You know, the worst part for me was seeing the fully operational Yeti in all the vacation planning dvds my family and I saw a few years back. Then when we went we saw Disco Yeti, and I was very sad, especially when I joined here and read about the various Yeti positions.

And what's so bad is they STILL put that in the promotional videos. That, more than anything else about the who EE situation, makes me so irritated.

No, I wasn't saying money shouldn't be spent.... I am just saying they probably have better ways to spend it.

I know what you mean. It's just annoying to be building new rides expecting them to work properly when you already have a ride that has never really worked properly.

 

[CRO-Magnum]

That was the best response I've ever seen!

It's true, you just have to read between the lines...

Kudos to your creativity! ROTFL

 

[flavious27]

The fee may be based on numbers through the gates, but it is still a flat fee. The only variation for Cameron et al is on merchandise sales. If attendance drops, that's the only area in which both sides will take a loss. But at the same point, with an entire new land to see (plus whatever other changes/additions/refurbs DAK sees in the interim), the number through the gates is unlikely to drop.

And "other resources" doesn't necessarily correlate to Maintenance. I understand you're upset by this decision, but you're making assumptions that simply aren't there. Particularly with the number of ongoing and future refurbs being discussed currently throughout WDW as a whole.

I wouldn't say upset, disappointed would be more like it. DAK had alot of time that went into the look, lands like this take away from the effort and time spent.

I have no problem with avator in the parks, but the gate isn't the right one for it.

 

[jayhawkmickey]

It will be fixed eventually. If what we have been told about the issue is true (major foundation flaw that will require at least a half-year closure, if not a year) it is probably not going to be in A-mode for 5-6 years. Animal Kingdom can't afford to lose a signature ride. It's going to take an expansion a little bigger than Fantasyland's expansion for an extended closure of Everest, which, even if announced tomorrow, is a good four years or so off. At that point, Disney might find it a little less risky to close Dinosaur for an overdue refurbishment to get everything working 100%, though I'm not sure that they would do it as complaints related to it are minimal.

And five years is a totally speculative best-case-scenario which most likely won't happen.

Would Disney link Pandora's construction with a major Yeti repair??? Maybe using the back side lot near Asia and grouping the construction into one time period fixing Everest early in the timeline? I don't know but just curious.

 

[JWG]

It's so sad, I don't even look form the Yeti anymore. Rode today and after the strobe light effect I remembered there was a Yeti to look for but totally didn't look.

The number of lacking effects at several rides is sad.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Would Disney link Pandora's construction with a major Yeti repair??? Maybe using the back side lot near Asia and grouping the construction into one time period fixing Everest early in the timeline? I don't know but just curious.

I heard something yesterday that would speak to this likely being the case, but that the additional construction could be for Panda prep.

We've all speculated this for a while, but it does seem like any major work on the yeti will have to coincide with the addition of capacity elsewhere in the park.