Flooded POTC boats

[thewesterberg]

Add us to the list of people who got drenched in the front row when we were there a couple of weeks ago. My DH and I went on it in the evening, after fireworks, and ended up with a lap full of water (Like someone standing in front of you and dumping a 5 gallon bucket of water on your lap wet. My DH was ringing out his shirt.) We were not expecting it at all -I was used to the little splash but this was way more than that and it kind of put a damper on the rest of our EMH. I had been on Splash earlier in the day with our DS and barely got wet - Wasn't expecting POTC to be the wet ride! When we were back at the MK a couple of days later we were going to be put in the first row again and we asked the CM to put us in the back so we wouldn't get as wet. She somewhat snottily said "You're going to get wet no matter where you sit." I said I realized that but I wasn't wanting to get drenched like we had in the front row on a previous ride. We ended up in the middle of the boat and faired much better. (DS requested the front row on that ride and got wet.)

The ramp going up after the ride was so wet to the point it seemed dangerous!

 

[AngiTN]

Okay...

If it was meant to be the soaking mess it is now, why don't the boats properly drain? Standing water wasn't a problem for a long, long time. Now it clearly is.

If it was meant to be the soaking mess it is now, why isn't the part that soaks you at the end so that you go dry out in the Florida sun instead of shivering through an entire cold, dark ride?

If it was meant to be the soaking mess it is now, why are the boats listing and leaving people sitting at an angle ankle deep in water?

If it was meant to be the soaking mess it is now, why are the boats getting stuck on the track so that they have to turn up the house lights and have riders sway back and forth to get it dislodged?

I don't know why it's so hard for some people to admit that the ride is NOT functioning properly.

Honestly it doesn't matter what people here admit to. If Disney thinks it's functioning within their range of normal that's all that matters, no?

 

[BC1836]

We rode it last month, didn't get wet. We sat in the back row.

Alas, this thread began because we got wet in the last row...before the boat left the dock! See post #1.

If the next POTC boat was packed with Disney execs and assorted management types, the ride would be fixed.

 

[WillAustin]

Honestly it doesn't matter what people here admit to. If Disney thinks it's functioning within their range of normal that's all that matters, no?

No, not if enough people complain about it.

 

[pattyw]

No, not if enough people complain about it.

I agree- if we all start complaining- people there who have experienced the ride as well as those of us reading this thread- they will have to take notice. People complaining got the BBB photographers reinstated!

 

[pampam]

So, all they have to do is drill a hole in the bottom of all the boats for the water to drain away. Problem solved. Oh, wait a minute. I gotta think this though.

 

[BC1836]

No, not if enough people complain about it.

Indeed!

Also, Guest Relations/Communications needs to hear from folks. We went while we were there last week. For those not at WDW, this info may be useful:

Walt Disney World Guest Relations
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

 

[holden]

For the first time in 35 years of riding POTC I got pretty wet. I have never gotten a drop on me before. We rode it on Sunday and were seated in the front. We were told we would get wet. Our shoes were very wet. The rest of us was just splashed.

We hadn't ridden this ride since last November. Something definitely changed.

 

[The Hub]

No, not if enough people complain about it.

Warning signs were posted to counter the high volume of complaints and guest feedback.

New ride vehicles and any modifications to a ride vehicle will require downtime to allow for sufficient testing. As the ride is just leaving rehab, it isn't likely to take it out of service and upset even more guests rather than letting the ride operate in its current condition. As with any unfavorable change at Walt Disney World, it's easier to ask forgiveness from the minority who might be upset and complain.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Did not read this whole thread (it's gotten long!) so sorry if this is repeated information:

When I went back in April, DH and I noticed POTC seemed to be broken down often, including when we went on our KTTK tour. I asked the tour guide what the deal was, and she told me when Disneyland did their refurb of POTC, they sent Disney World their old boats to use and they were too big for DW's track. She said the reason they were doing the (now completed) refurb was to correct that issue.

Sounds like it's just gotten worse! We got very slightly wet when we rode it after it started working again during our KTTK tour, but we had the entire tour group packed in one boat and the tour guide said the boat was very heavy. Shame to hear this though, I am not a fan of getting wet on water rides so may not be in the cards for me again.

 

[BC1836]

As with any unfavorable change at Walt Disney World, it's easier to ask forgiveness from the minority who might be upset and complain.

Ending Spectromagic, for example, was a "unfavorable change;" replacing the previous audio track on the People Mover was an "unfavorable change." The situation with POTC is different. Quite different. A pleasant attraction on water has become a ride where unexpected water---from front row drenching and standing water in the boats---is part of the experience.

 

[AngiTN]

Warning signs were posted to counter the high volume of complaints and guest feedback.

New ride vehicles and any modifications to a ride vehicle will require downtime to allow for sufficient testing. As the ride is just leaving rehab, it isn't likely to take it out of service and upset even more guests rather than letting the ride operate in its current condition. As with any unfavorable change at Walt Disney World, it's easier to ask forgiveness from the minority who might be upset and complain.

Yep, that's more or less how my thought is. I'm not arguing that it is working in an ideal way by any means. But I'm just thinking that as far as Disney is concerned it is and for now they don't plan to fix anything as they are not viewing it as something to be fixed.

 

[Planogirl]

Warning signs were posted to counter the high volume of complaints and guest feedback.

New ride vehicles and any modifications to a ride vehicle will require downtime to allow for sufficient testing. As the ride is just leaving rehab, it isn't likely to take it out of service and upset even more guests rather than letting the ride operate in its current condition. As with any unfavorable change at Walt Disney World, it's easier to ask forgiveness from the minority who might be upset and complain.

I don't know... A possible fix might be to quit overloading the boats. Yes, people might have to wait longer but if the volume of complaining gets too high it might just work as a temporary solution.

If the weather is cold this winter, are people really going to be OK with being unexpectedly drenched? It's bad enough during nice weather if you're not expecting it.

 

[hakepb]

Did they add a height restriction to POTC?

A parent holding a wet, slippery infant doesn't scream Disney safety to me.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Did they add a height restriction to POTC?

A parent holding a wet, slippery infant doesn't scream Disney safety to me.

This is where the rubber is going to meet the road. People have mentioned other water rides (which POTC is not) but they all have height restrictions.

They can put up as many signs as they want, train the CMs to say you can get wet, etc.

But sloshing water onto babies and toddlers and even little kids is where they will go too far and it's going to bite them in the rear. Hopefully something bad won't happen before it gets to that point.

Ditto for someone slipping and falling if the boats aren't made to take on water and aren't safely draining.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

Did they add a height restriction to POTC?

A parent holding a wet, slippery infant doesn't scream Disney safety to me.

I agree. This is what's going to get Disney moving on the issue. It just isn't safe to allow infants on a ride where the person holding them has the potential to be hit with a wall of water.

 

[Angel Ariel]

With the leaders worrying more about hitting the attraction's targeted guest count per hour lately to maximize capacity, I wouldn't count on a smaller passenger load unless someone gets hurt and it generates some negative publicity, unfortunately. Other than that, I'd recommend riding before it gets a chance to accumulate water throughout the day and prior to some of the groupers getting overwhelmed.

That is great advice. It's so unfortunate it has to be given, though. For years Pirates hasn't been a "wet" ride. I don't ride Splash very often specifically b/c I hate getting wet. When I do, it's usually right before I leave the park so I can change. I have loved taking pictures on Pirates (no flash, no LCD screen either, so no flames please )...but not only wouldn't I take my camera on POTC right now, I don't know that I'd ride it in WDW. It's sad that this has happened to a ride that was NOT a wet ride like Splash for so many years

 

[Angel Ariel]

No, not if enough people complain about it.

AS evidenced by the Photopass Photographers being returned to BBB after many complaints about their removal. WDW will listen if people don't just accept it as the new status quo and actually make their complaints known to WDW.

 

[grnflash]

I asked the tour guide what the deal was, and she told me when Disneyland did their refurb of POTC, they sent Disney World their old boats to use and they were too big for DW's track. She said the reason they were doing the (now completed) refurb was to correct that issue.

Well ain't that the kicker. The new boats at DL are a sloppy mess. Not inches of standing water but still a wet, mucky mess. They don't load the last row anymore where it's particularly bad. Thankfully no drenching or tipping boats I suppose.

 

[DisneyFive]

After that lengthy refurb, still problems with the boats! We went on POTC twice just days after it reopened and didn't get wet. Sounds like we got lucky. I did notice that everything looked GREAT. New fur on the dogs, everything was working, etc...

However, that all doesn't matter if the boats are getting people all wet. Major suckage.

Dan