Zip-a-dee-doo-BLAH, let's track its progress

[Thrill Seeker]

Do you care to share?

Unfortunately I can't, but it's the same reason why several other animatronics resort wide were taken down. I know one of the major ones is back in operation, so I assume the other ones are as well.

I've also heard rumblings that Splash may for some reason not get a refurb in 2012. I certainly hope that is not the case... That mountain gets grumpy after too long.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Aside from AAs, has anyone else noticed a VERY rough bump? I'm not terribly familiar with the ride layout, but I think it's at the top of a small lift hill close to the beginning before you enter any of the major show scenes. It was really bad; I first noticed it the first or second day after the ride came up from refurb this year, and it was also there in May. It was bad enough in January that I thought the ride would go down again because of it and the logs would fall apart doing dozens of times a day for a whole year!

Are you talking about the bump when you go down the small hill before the indoor show scenes (slippin falls)? If so, that bump has always been there, it's just how the log enters that drop.

 

[tirian]

I find it ironic he uses a picture of Suess Island as to say IoA has no theme "slouch". Suess is one of the worst conditions, and Toon Lagoon is in even worse condition. Dudley is actually the worst area of a theme park I've ever seen.

Yeah, I also found that ironic.

And since when did Splash just stop working? Off day? Everything was great when I went, but that was 5 months ago.

Splash has been gradually getting worse since Spring Break. One by one, things broke and weren't fixed. As someone who visits the parks several times each month, I'm very forgiving when I occasionally see a broken effect; Disney usually has everything fixed within a few days (unless its name is "Yeti"). Yet Splash Mountain has gone from "bad" to "horrible."

 

[Kiff]

I have heard the same thing. Yet only the MK seems to suffer; at EPCOT this morning everything was fine. Even Soarin' was wonderfully dust-free.

Everything? By chance was the Phoenicians scene in spaceship earth working completely? I think the moving of the ships really adds to the scene but in January and February it was not working. I hope it is operational again and not just shutdown semi-permanently.

 

[HMF]

Yeah, I also found that ironic.

don't you think?

 

[dxwwf3]

I've also heard rumblings that Splash may for some reason not get a refurb in 2012.

:lol::lol::lol:

It needs another one in 2011, much less 2012. No excuse for this whatsoever if true.

 

[janoimagine]

After 9/11, management laid off a lot of maintenancd workers. I'm not sure if it affected Frontierland, but in Animal Kingdom, the layoffs are at least partially responsible for the poor state of Everest and Dinosaur, where maintenance is spread so thin that they can't fix broken effects.

Which to me is a bunch of BS when you consider that each park, on average makes 1.2 million in profit / per day in ticket sales alone (Based on the 2008 Investor Relatoins Statement). They clearly are not spending it in the right areas.

 

[tirian]

Everything? By chance was the Phoenicians scene in spaceship earth working completely? I think the moving of the ships really adds to the scene but in January and February it was not working. I hope it is operational again and not just shutdown semi-permanently.

Rocking with foggy waters and smoking torches.

 

[BigThunderMatt]

:lol::lol::lol:

It needs another one in 2011, much less 2012. No excuse for this whatsoever if true.

Not if there's another mountain next door that has a 2nd floor queue on the verge of caving in that also hasn't had a refurb in nearly 10 years and there's no way they can allocate budget for two substantial refurbs in one area of the park in the same fiscal year.

Never mind that fact that pre-9/11 rides got annual refurbs all the time...and then there's the "My vacation was ruined because X wasn't open" crowd that Disney continually panders to (who I wager bring in significantly less money on a per cap basis than say, their AP's who appreciated Disney's former attention to detail and the care and upkeep that went into their attractions).

 

[Thrill Seeker]

:lol::lol::lol:

It needs another one in 2011, much less 2012. No excuse for this whatsoever if true.

It's because, based on the rumblings I've heard, Thunder is going to go down for a much needed refurb and they don't want both mountains down at similar times. I say take Splash down in January through February and Thunder March through June.

 

[Magenta Panther]

I've commented before on how I think Splash Mountain needs an overhaul. But this news is just appalling. Sounds like basic upkeep isn't even being applied to one of the most iconic rides in the park. Shameful.

 

[oxodizer]

When I rode on Friday the only thing I noted that wasn't already on this list was that the showboat at the end of the ride wasn't rocking back and forth.

On a side note: When did the spinning opossum on BTM disappear? Ir could easily have been gone for a long time and I just never noticed until this past week.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Seems to me that some of these may be intermittent problems. When I rode at start of last trip, I noticed alot of the non-fuctioning items mentioned. It saddened me to see so many characters motionless and/or bent over. I mentioned this to CMs at end of ride and they seemed shocked and surprised. They told me it was a bunch of circuit breakers that needed to be reset to power the characters. I rode Splash again later in the same trip and everything was working fine. I am not against maintenance/rehab, but I think it is not consistently bad. I definitely would like it to be consistently good.

I agree. Maintenance has been a growing problem and it hasn't been getting better. I love Splash Mountain, but I often have trouble dubbing it as the marquee attraction at WDW because of the ongoing maintenance issues. When I go on the ride I find myself looking for broken effects instead of just enjoying the ride.

 

[Thrill Seeker]

When I rode on Friday the only thing I noted that wasn't already on this list was that the showboat at the end of the ride wasn't rocking back and forth.

On a side note: When did the spinning opossum on BTM disappear? Ir could easily have been gone for a long time and I just never noticed until this past week.

Those have been gone for a while...

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Those have been gone for a while...

Really?? There in my video I recorded in January...Must have been pretty recent.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

:lol::lol::lol:

It needs another one in 2011, much less 2012. No excuse for this whatsoever if true.

I agree that these things should be fixed as soon as they go down. It is an amazing attraction that should always be in top form. However, I do see why this attraction suffers more tan other attractions. First off, the boats go in and out of sunlight, and the majority of the faded rock work paint that is faded is in the Florida sun all year long. So, it is no surprise that even if it was painted last year, it will fade quickly in such intense sunlight. As far as the audio-animatronics and other effects inside the mountain, I can't say much to that as those should be operating at all times. In addition, water is a beautiful, yet destructive force. It is no wonder that this attraction suffers greatly given the amount of water, the current needed, and the immense weight of the boats carrying people at the speeds it moves combined with the weight and forces of the water I would imagine this attraction is a tough one to keep in tip top shape compared to others.

 

[dxwwf3]

I agree that these things should be fixed as soon as they go down. It is an amazing attraction that should always be in top form. However, I do see why this attraction suffers more tan other attractions. First off, the boats go in and out of sunlight, and the majority of the faded rock work paint that is faded is in the Florida sun all year long. So, it is no surprise that even if it was painted last year, it will fade quickly in such intense sunlight. As far as the audio-animatronics and other effects inside the mountain, I can't say much to that as those should be operating at all times. In addition, water is a beautiful, yet destructive force. It is no wonder that this attraction suffers greatly given the amount of water, the current needed, and the immense weight of the boats carrying people at the speeds it moves combined with the weight and forces of the water I would imagine this attraction is a tough one to keep in tip top shape compared to others.

Listen I fully expect when I ride Splash Mountain for one or two things to not work. It is a very complex attraction from that standpoint. But there is no exaggeration going on with these reports. When I rode it for the first time on my most recent trip less than two weeks ago, my jaw hit the floor. It's really that bad.

 

[KevinYee]

Everything? By chance was the Phoenicians scene in spaceship earth working completely? I think the moving of the ships really adds to the scene but in January and February it was not working. I hope it is operational again and not just shutdown semi-permanently.

This has finally been fixed (at least, as of last week). I agree; the scene has a lot more life with the boats rocking.

 

[PlaneJane]

This has finally been fixed (at least, as of last week). I agree; the scene has a lot more life with the boats rocking. They had to order a part, believe it or not, and it took months to order and deliver.

Order.. this is Disney.. machine the damn part you freakin lazy bums

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Are you talking about the bump when you go down the small hill before the indoor show scenes (slippin falls)? If so, that bump has always been there, it's just how the log enters that drop.

Sounds right. Hmm, surprised that I never noticed it before... it was almost painful on all three of my rides over two trips this year! Thanks for the info.