Yeti Update

[muse1983]

Quite the opposite is true. Special effects, sound, animatronics and projections have been removed, shortened or left inoperable in every ride and attraction in all four parks. “Run it ‘till it breaks” has become the theme for WDW followed by, “Run it while it’s broke”. The company doesn’t care anymore about quality of the show. There is not one attraction in all of WDW that is running 100% as it was designed to run. Most are limping along at 60 to 75% level of show quality.

The current Disney standard is that the show must go on no matter how crappy. :wave:

Wow, I'm sorry that you have such a depressing view towards what I still consider through thick and thin the most magical place on earth...yet I'm beyond impressed about your insider knowledge (not opinion) about how Disney cares nothing about the quality of their show!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I have the perfect solution! Take E:E down for however long it takes to make it mind-blowing again and add an EMH, extra hours, and a bonus fireworks show at another park. Problem solved, right????

 

[Lee]

Wow, I'm sorry that you have such a depressing view towards what I still consider through thick and thin the most magical place on earth...yet I'm beyond impressed about your insider knowledge (not opinion) about how Disney cares nothing about the quality of their show!

Depressing, but true. Sorry.
Two examples:
- Light bulbs. A little thing, but it used to be a matter of pride at Disney to make sure guests never saw burned out bulbs. To ensure this, all bulbs were replaced when they reached 80% of the manufacturer's estimated lifespan. By changing them out early, it was possible to make sure it was a very rare instance for a guest to see a burned out bulb. Now, that is history. Bulbs are only changed when they have burned out, and often months later. (I'm looking at you, Grand Floridian...)

- Ride maintenance. I once had a maintenance guy at DL tell me, years ago, that they had enough spare parts on hand to build a new ride vehicle from scratch if the need arose. This helped to minimize any potential down time for attractions and effects inside attractions. All that changed under the reign of Paul Pressler. He, and his appointees, mandated that the parks be operated under the "run it until it breaks" philosophy, which still exists today. Hence effects like the hopping rabbit in Splash can go week without being repaired, and effects like the mist in Everest and lasers in Dinosaur being turned off as opposed to being made to work.

Doesn't mean there is no "magic" there. It only means that those in charge have decided on an acceptable level of "magic" that they feel needs to be delivered in order to make the average guest happy and keep them spending, and keep their own positions safe.

It is the death of "Show" as a guiding principle of Disney parks.

 

[muse1983]

Depressing, but true. Sorry.
Two examples:
- Light bulbs. A little thing, but it used to be a matter of pride at Disney to make sure guests never saw burned out bulbs. To ensure this, all bulbs were replaced when they reached 80% of the manufacturer's estimated lifespan. By changing them out early, it was possible to make sure it was a very rare instance for a guest to see a burned out bulb. Now, that is history. Bulbs are only changed when they have burned out, and often months later. (I'm looking at you, Grand Floridian...)

- Ride maintenance. I once had a maintenance guy at DL tell me, years ago, that they had enough spare parts on hand to build a new ride vehicle from scratch if the need arose. This helped to minimize any potential down time for attractions and effects inside attractions. All that changed under the reign of Paul Pressler. He, and his appointees, mandated that the parks be operated under the "run it until it breaks" philosophy, which still exists today. Hence effects like the hopping rabbit in Splash can go week without being repaired, and effects like the mist in Everest and lasers in Dinosaur being turned off as opposed to being made to work.

Doesn't mean there is no "magic" there. It only means that those in charge have decided on an acceptable level of "magic" that they feel needs to be delivered in order to make the average guest happy and keep them spending, and keep their own positions safe.

It is the death of "Show" as a guiding principle of Disney parks.

Nicely put Lee, I suppose I'm just the type that is able to overlook the flaws easier than others and still get an amazing experience out of a WDW visit.

 

[CoasterKing]

Depressing, but true. Sorry.
Two examples:
- Light bulbs. A little thing, but it used to be a matter of pride at Disney to make sure guests never saw burned out bulbs. To ensure this, all bulbs were replaced when they reached 80% of the manufacturer's estimated lifespan. By changing them out early, it was possible to make sure it was a very rare instance for a guest to see a burned out bulb. Now, that is history. Bulbs are only changed when they have burned out, and often months later. (I'm looking at you, Grand Floridian...)

- Ride maintenance. I once had a maintenance guy at DL tell me, years ago, that they had enough spare parts on hand to build a new ride vehicle from scratch if the need arose. This helped to minimize any potential down time for attractions and effects inside attractions. All that changed under the reign of Paul Pressler. He, and his appointees, mandated that the parks be operated under the "run it until it breaks" philosophy, which still exists today. Hence effects like the hopping rabbit in Splash can go week without being repaired, and effects like the mist in Everest and lasers in Dinosaur being turned off as opposed to being made to work.

Doesn't mean there is no "magic" there. It only means that those in charge have decided on an acceptable level of "magic" that they feel needs to be delivered in order to make the average guest happy and keep them spending, and keep their own positions safe.

It is the death of "Show" as a guiding principle of Disney parks.

So sad, but true!!

Not to give away my age, but I've been going to WDW since it opened. It is very sad to see the how the level of acceptable "show" has deteriated. Obviously, since there was only 1 park and two hotels when it opened, there was less to keep up with. But that is no excuse, as the empire grew and revenues rose, then the appropriate level of maintenance should have been increased.

Would be nice to see the glory days return. Maybe some day, if the right people are ever put in charge.

Kungaloosh !!
CoasterKing
:king:

 

[Mouse Detective]

Maybe some day, if the right people are ever put in charge.

Doubtful. Companies that have stockholders are under tremendous pressure to maximize profits so those in charge have to strike a balance between perfection and acceptable. Where Disney falls in that balance is up to each individual to decide for themselves but they've definitely fallen and it's because of their management but ultimately their stockholders.

In Florida and the Southeast we have a grocery chain called Publix and if you've ever been in one, you know that they try to operate quite close to perfection. But they're a privately held company with some employee stock ownership but no sale of stock to outsiders. Sure they want to be as profitable as possible as well but they're willing to invest more in the "show" (cleanliness of stores, lighting, excess number of cashiers, baggers taking groceries to car, etc) than their competitors.

 

[Brian Noble]

How did AK survive before EE for what; seven years? I understand the "excuse" but I don't buy it.

With fewer guests. Everest's opening coincided with AK matching DS for annual attendance, when previously it had lagged (http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/feature/atend_disparks.htm)

Everest is one of the few things you can really point to as an attendance driver in a clear way just from annual numbers alone.

 

[the-reason14]

The biggest thing is that once you know about something, you can miss it. You can't miss what you never knew so AK 'surviving' before E:E was because no one had experienced yet.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

The biggest thing is that once you know about something, you can miss it. You can't miss what you never knew so AK 'surviving' before E:E was because no one had experienced yet.

Ignorance is bliss.

 

[Todd H]

For me, seeing the Yeti is the payoff of the ride. Heck the entire ride, including the queue, revolves around the Yeti. Without the payoff it's just an average coaster. Makes me glad I saw it in its full glory back when it first opened.

 

[MKCP 1985]

But you're acting like people are now getting off saying "ugh, that was horrible!" when in fact they STILL are saying "LET'S RIDE AGAIN!" and they are, which is why its still the most popular attraction in the park and I know I'm not alone in saying its the best roller coaster at WDW.

Yeah, I can't speak for what other people think. Clearly, there are many people who like it for what it is and some people are always going to want to do the roller coaster again a second time.

There have to be people who share my perception - I've read some similar posts in this thread. There are better roller coasters in Orlando, certainly in the USA or the great big world. But when I rode Expedition: Everest in its new condition, even before the ride cameras had been installed back in 2006, that Yeti lunge looked real and was a transformative experience for people on that ride. Riders spontaneously broke into applause at the end. I think that reception was for the entire package. (maybe not the bird on a stick effect which was too fake)

Nowadays, some people still think it is the best roller coaster in WDW and they are entitled to their opinions, but in my last trips to ride Expedition: Everest the ride was not the same and there was no spontaneous applause. In my last couple of trips, I have skipped Animal Kingdom park altogether in favor of other non-Disney parks, which I would not have done had the Yeti effect continued as intended.

That's just me - maybe a little over the top for this ride, but that's the way Disney sold it to me and I have a hard time settling for what the ride has become. :shrug: :lol:

 

[phi2134]

I'm not sure if anyone ever suggested this or if it has been discussed, but if we go along with the assumption that the Yeti AA is fine, its just the base that is the problem, then why couldn't Disney make a fix to take the Yeti out of its current location. Say, build a little covered section at the end of the ride, and let people think the ride is over, but then towards the end they go in this covered section, out pops the Yeti?? They could create a new concrete footing where it could be easily accessible on the ground, plus easy access to the yeti itself.

 

[muse1983]

It's obvious though that it's not that WDW simply doesn't invest any money into the parks. I mean look at the hundreds of millions they have put into the Fantasyland Expansion and the upcoming "next gen" experiences. It's hard to believe that 5-10 million wouldn't be enough to come up with a solid solution for the Yeti so it seems to me that the overall factor in this situation is simply not wanting to shut down EE due to the fear that crowd numbers will drop. So the overall fall in maintenance seems to be nothing more than management which seems to be lax in the way they distribute money throughout the parks...

The Yeti being down does truly bother me, but honestly the only thing I can think of that has really taken away some of the "magic" was when we rode Splash Mountain in October. The characters were actually in pretty decent working order but I was shocked when I saw the "It's The Truth It's Actual" art work at the end of the ride....it was absolutely unreadable and I was shocked that something so easily fixed would be overlooked...

 

[NoChesterHester]

It's obvious though that it's not that WDW simply doesn't invest any money into the parks. I mean look at the hundreds of millions they have put into the Fantasyland Expansion and the upcoming "next gen" experiences. It's hard to believe that 5-10 million wouldn't be enough to come up with a solid solution for the Yeti so it seems to me that the overall factor in this situation is simply not wanting to shut down EE due to the fear that crowd numbers will drop. So the overall fall in maintenance seems to be nothing more than management which seems to be lax in the way they distribute money throughout the parks...

The Yeti being down does truly bother me, but honestly the only thing I can think of that has really taken away some of the "magic" was when we rode Splash Mountain in October. The characters were actually in pretty decent working order but I was shocked when I saw the "It's The Truth It's Actual" art work at the end of the ride....it was absolutely unreadable and I was shocked that something so easily fixed would be overlooked...

I agree. I attribute the lack of fixes, as we the fans see them, to two main factors.

1. WDW parks overbuilt. Adding Animal Kingdom was a mistake. It isn't that they don't make enough money, it is that the staffing and resources are spread thin.

2. The resources that are available are heavily fought for. Every department in a large corporation is compartmentalized to the point that they are like autonomous business units. This causes each of them to fight for every dollar and do "more with less." It exacerbates the situation that WDW income is redistributed to other areas of the company. If all that income was reinvested into the parks... oh my!

 

[muse1983]

I agree. I attribute the lack of fixes, as we the fans see them, to two main factors.

1. WDW parks overbuilt. Adding Animal Kingdom was a mistake. It isn't that they don't make enough money, it is that the staffing and resources are spread thin.

2. The resources that are available are heavily fought for. Every department in a large corporation is compartmentalized to the point that they are like autonomous business units. This causes each of them to fight for every dollar and do "more with less." It exacerbates the situation that WDW income is redistributed to other areas of the company. If all that income was reinvested into the parks... oh my!

If only Disney would have never made the crapfest known as Mars Needs Moms and instead invested it into The Yeti, Spaceship Earth and Splash Mountain...

 

[Tom Morrow]

If only Disney would have never made the crapfest known as Mars Needs Moms and instead invested it into The Yeti, Spaceship Earth and Splash Mountain...

That's not how the company works...

 

[AEfx]

This is so true. The biggest issue with Everest is you basically soar past the Yeti. Ill never understand why the Imagineers designed it that way. Brakes are so needed after the final helix.

I have been saying the same thing for years.

The Yeti should have been in the center of the mountain in all that big empty space.

I've always assumed that they didn't want to make it too much like the departed (by the time EE was open, anyway) Kongfrontation.

 

[janoimagine]

If only Disney would have never made the crapfest known as Mars Needs Moms and instead invested it into The Yeti, Spaceship Earth and Splash Mountain...

No kidding ... there's 88 minutes of my life I will never have back.

 

[phi2134]

I am not sure if this has been discussed before, but I had an idea regarding the use of the yeti in the ride. Right now it is not that visible where it's at, has no movement and is often missed. What if Disney disassembled the Yeti and towards the end of the ride, after you get out of the mountain or somewhere on Firm ground, they built a new concrete platform and enclosure. Then move the Yeti down into the new platform. It would be put somewhere where it was easily accessible and could be seen for more than a brief glimpse. Thus, giving it more than just a brief cameo and maybe a nice surprise end to the ride.

 

[muse1983]

That's not how the company works...

I know...but still