Flooded POTC boats

[BC1836]

We just got home a few hours ago from our WDW drive. We received these two texts from good friends who are still at WDW:

11:54 a.m. Nov. 2

can't believe we are stuck on pirates!!!! (in wet boats). Going on 15 mins in this spot! At least it's cool in here!

12:59 p.m. Nov. 2

45 minutes on the ride! People had to rock their boats to get un-stuck!

We left them a message but have yet to hear from them. Will provide additional info when it becomes available.

Our good friends just phoned us and confirmed the aforementioned post. They also noted that the sfx cloud with Blackbeard wasn't working. They sat in the second row and got stuck three times: just before the drop (which got them wet in the second row; the first row couple got drenched); at the auction (that's when a cast member came out and had them rock the boat back on the track) and by the dog with the jail keys. Upon exiting, apologies were issued to the guests along with special fast passes. And the ride was shut down.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think the water is about 2 feet deep, so I can't imagine a boat capsizing. It would more than likely just list to one side until it touched bottom.

Sure it could (turn on its side anyway not flip over)

 

[mindygirl5238]

I haven't had time to read all of the replies, but I too had a bad experience having just returned home from a trip. I rode POTC the morning of October 25. I stepped into the boat on the 4th row, right hand side and would estimate approximately 1-1/2" - 2" of water standing in the bottom of the boat. So, I made a point to keep my feet on my tip-toes throughout the ride.

As we departed the loading area, the boat seemed to struggle and scrape on the bottom, right hand side of the boat. We continued throuout the attraction very very slowly. I felt the attraction was moving along much more slowly than it should... enough that it became tiresome.

Halfway through the attraction, I was having to pull my body to the left by use of the seat handles in from of me to keep from leaning out of the right side of the boat. All of the passengers in the boat were leaning to the left to keep the right side of the boat out of the water. There were times when a small wave would come over the right side of the boat soaking me. I left the attraction with wet shoes, wet shorts, and a partially wet shirt.

I left the boat slowly and was the last to depart so that I might intentionally look to see how much water accumulated in the boat. It had significantly increased to somewhere between 2-1/2" - 3" by my approximation.

C'mon Disney. We need this issue fixed and resolved promptly. A member of my party politely addressed this issue with a cast member/guest services.

This is exactly what happened to us one of the times we rode POTC this past April. We certainly aren't Disney veterans, but POTC has always been a family favorite & we ride it multiple times each trip since I was a girl & never before had something like that happen. After going down the drop, the boat started to noticeably lean & small "waves" kept coming over the side of the boat & soaking myself & the woman in front of me (well, at least we were the only two who said anything, but I'm assuming it was everyone on that side). Her & I both asked everyone else in our parties to scoot as far as they could in the other direction so we could try to balance things. Her & I also used the seat handle for leverage. You would think with our husbands sitting on the other side that the boat would have been leaning in the other direction? You know, physics & all. But I didn't pay attention to the rest of the parties in the boat, as her & I spent the ridiculously slow trek giggling to each other about our predicament; so I don't know how the weight in the boat was distributed. Long story short, not gonna ruin my day but kinda ridiculous that it even happened if you ask me.

 

[The Hub]

I think the water is about 2 feet deep, so I can't imagine a boat capsizing. It would more than likely just list to one side until it touched bottom.

In some areas of the attraction, it can get pretty deep. For example, the scene with the pirate ship after the drop has a depth of 9ft deep (at least outside of the ride track - I'm not 100% sure about the path of the ride vehicles itself).

 

[pollyanna30]

Yikes! As I was reading this, I was picturing what could have happened if that would have been someone like my mom who is not as strong getting on the boat. I'm glad that you were ok!

We have decided to keep our FP for now in December as most in our group still wants to ride even if they get wet. I appreciate the reports as we would have never expected it from previous experiences.

I will be staying tuned in and hoping that things get better though. If they don't, we will switch out my mom's FP and someone else to accompany her on a different ride. After getting a fungus in her ear from the lazy river at Blizzard Beach one year, she is not excited about the thought of possibly getting water up her nose. I know the odds of that happening probably isn't very high but it's sounds like it might be more likely that she might slip and fall. I think she's better off on a safer ride which she says she would prefer if there are still problems.

Eek! I'm glad you're okay and that you posted here so the rest of us can be forewarned. My mother has a hard time with the step down into the boat even when they're dry. Knowing that it might be slick, I'll make sure that either I or DS17 get in right before her so she has help with it and can be careful with her footing.

I'm glad for these posts to alert those of us who are not 30ish anymore with a possibility of slipping on a nonslip surface in the boats. Wow, never thought of that.
I hope they fix this soon and make POC the great ride that it was meant to be, because we loved this ride before the water issue.
Thanks everyone for these helpful posts.

I hope that my story can keep someone else from falling in the boats and getting hurt. I think it is a good idea that if you are traveling with an older person or someone unsteady on their feet that someone get in front of them and make sure they step in safely. It is also good for everyone to remember to board carefully.

These stories about depth of water in the boats and leaning to the side are crazy! Looks like they need to be finding those old boats that they traded out for these new ones!

 

[Lisann]

I'm so disappointed. POTC is my favorite ride at WDW, hands down. And I can't stand rides that get you drenched. What is the big deal about fixing this? I'm sure there have been numerous complaints. Just bring back the old boats!!! Or ones that won't get ya soaked! Grrrr!!

 

[CookieGVB]

We rode last week. 1st time, we sat in the 2nd row and got completely, Kali River Rapids, drenched. The second time, when I went with my son, I told him I would only go if we could sit further back. CM tried to send us to the 2nd row, and I explained I wanted to sit further back, since I had gotten drenched last time. She got kind of snippy and said, "It IS a water ride..." I told her I wasn't aware we were on Kali, and wanted to sit further back to avoid that. She sent us to the 5th row. Here comes the boat...front rows are bone dry, and you guessed it - standing water in the 5th row. I couldn't believe it.

 

[muffyn]

Btw, I think Josh at Easy said POTC has been down more now than prior to the refurb

I think "George" is ticked off with the renovations

 

[Cee]

Hmmm.....I love POTC but we will be there in Dec. and I don't want to be drenched with that yucky H2O. May have to pass. BOO!

 

[Q-man]

I haven't had time to read all of the replies, but I too had a bad experience having just returned home from a trip. I rode POTC the morning of October 25. I stepped into the boat on the 4th row, right hand side and would estimate approximately 1-1/2" - 2" of water standing in the bottom of the boat. So, I made a point to keep my feet on my tip-toes throughout the ride.

As we departed the loading area, the boat seemed to struggle and scrape on the bottom, right hand side of the boat. We continued throuout the attraction very very slowly. I felt the attraction was moving along much more slowly than it should... enough that it became tiresome.

Halfway through the attraction, I was having to pull my body to the left by use of the seat handles in from of me to keep from leaning out of the right side of the boat. All of the passengers in the boat were leaning to the left to keep the right side of the boat out of the water. There were times when a small wave would come over the right side of the boat soaking me. I left the attraction with wet shoes, wet shorts, and a partially wet shirt.

I left the boat slowly and was the last to depart so that I might intentionally look to see how much water accumulated in the boat. It had significantly increased to somewhere between 2-1/2" - 3" by my approximation.

C'mon Disney. We need this issue fixed and resolved promptly. A member of my party politely addressed this issue with a cast member/guest services.

If the floor of those boats is around 120sqft then 3" of water would be an additional 1800lbs(cuft of water = 62.4lbs). That is like putting 9-10 extra adults in a boat.

 

[marciemi]

Just an update that we rode Sunday and didn't get wet (we were in the middle of the boat). Also, they didn't pack us in - we only had DH & I in our row and the row behind us only had one person. Maybe they're moving away from that? (Hopefully - last time I went a few weeks ago they were cramming 4 in every row).

 

[ArwenMarie]

We rode last week. 1st time, we sat in the 2nd row and got completely, Kali River Rapids, drenched. The second time, when I went with my son, I told him I would only go if we could sit further back. CM tried to send us to the 2nd row, and I explained I wanted to sit further back, since I had gotten drenched last time. She got kind of snippy and said, "It IS a water ride..." I told her I wasn't aware we were on Kali, and wanted to sit further back to avoid that. She sent us to the 5th row. Here comes the boat...front rows are bone dry, and you guessed it - standing water in the 5th row. I couldn't believe it.

So maybe it's officially a water ride now? If the CMs are being told to say that. Yikes. I guess that's one way to solve the problem.

 

[fishersman]

If I wanted to get get wet, I'd go to one of the water parks. This is not a water park. Next thing you know they'll be adding a waterfall to It's a Small World. Will be there in January. Soaring, Space and Splash Mountain closed, and now this.

 

[focusondisney]

Been going to WDW since 1993 at least once a year & sometimes 3 times a year. We love Pirates & ride several times every visit. Never, ever got more that a drop of water til after the last rehab. Only time we were ever stuck was May 2014. The boat in front of us was packed with bride & groom & their family & friends. They were floating slowly thru the ride & finally got stuck, near where Cap'n Jack is in the barrell. CM in waders came out, went right into the water to check around the boat. Eventually CM had to whole boat rocking side to side until the boat finally freed up. Took quite awhile-- maybe 20 - 30 minutes? They had turned off the audio & turned all the house lights up. Sounds like things have really gone way down hill since then. I don't mind a bit of splashing, but we're not into getting soaked. We don't even ride Splash Mountain anymore coz we just don't enjoy getting that wet. I'll be watching for more reports as we get closer to our Dec trip. Hope we don't have to skip Pirates!

 

[WillAustin]

So maybe it's officially a water ride now? If the CMs are being told to say that. Yikes. I guess that's one way to solve the problem.

Been going to WDW since 1993 at least once a year & sometimes 3 times a year. We love Pirates & ride several times every visit. Never, ever got more that a drop of water til after the last rehab.

It's not a bug, it's a feature! SMH.

 

[ohboyx3]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'm actually excited for the big splash. Lol

 

[BC1836]

One week ago, we expressed our concerns with an initial post about the current status of POTC, an attraction now noted for its standing water on the floor of the boats, the drenching as a result of sitting in the first row, the listing to one side, the over crowding and the breakdowns. Now nearly 300 posts and over 23,000 views later, POTC closed today...at least for a while, according to our friends who were stranded on the ride for 45 minutes the other day (see post #277).

POTC was never intended to be a surprise "wet ride," to say nothing of the standing water in the boats (and then there issue of those CMs who want you to put your back packs and purses on the floor of the boats with standing water before the boats depart from the docks).

Hopefully, corrections/improvements to the ride (A return to the sturdier boats? Less sardine-like row crowding?) are forthcoming. POTC was a classic ride. Perhaps it will be again.

 

[marciemi]

One week ago, we expressed our concerns with an initial post about the current status of POTC, an attraction now noted for its standing water on the floor of the boats, the drenching as a result of sitting in the first row, the listing to one side, the over crowding and the breakdowns. Now nearly 300 posts and over 23,000 views later, POTC closed today...at least for a while, according to our friends who were stranded on the ride for 45 minutes the other day (see post #277).

Too bad they haven't had time to do any kind of refurb on it recently or anything to fix these kinds of things.

 

[fishersman]

One week ago, we expressed our concerns with an initial post about the current status of POTC, an attraction now noted for its standing water on the floor of the boats, the drenching as a result of sitting in the first row, the listing to one side, the over crowding and the breakdowns. Now nearly 300 posts and over 23,000 views later, POTC closed today...at least for a while, according to our friends who were stranded on the ride for 45 minutes the other day (see post #277).

POTC was never intended to be a surprise "wet ride," to say nothing of the standing water in the boats (and then there issue of those CMs who want you to put your back packs and purses on the floor of the boats with standing water before the boats depart from the docks).

Hopefully, corrections/improvements to the ride (A return to the sturdier boats? Less sardine-like row crowding?) are forthcoming. POTC was a classic ride. Perhaps it will be again.

They couldn't have done much as it's back open.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'm actually excited for the big splash. Lol

My boys and I are too, but not my wife. Different strokes.