Flooded POTC boats

[Friendlyadvice2]

Rode 6 times over last couple days mostly in the evening. No major water in the least. Mist worked perfectly each time.

 

[BC1836]

Just as a side note (not sure if this has been mentioned already) - I noticed one comment that a CM told a guest that "it's a water ride - you will get wet". However, according to the Disney website there is no mention of it being designated a "water ride". POC is described as a "Dark, Slow Ride, Small Drops". It does say you will "swoop down a small rushing waterfall" but that is the only reference.

For perspective, the same website describes Splash Mountain as "Big Drops, Thrill Ride, Water Rides" and warns the visitor that "You will get wet!.....Where you’re seated will determine how wet you’ll likely get."

So if a CM is telling you that you should have known you would get soaked, that's just not true.

Indeed!

A few folks escape getting soaked; the rest get the surprise wave and the flooded boats.

 

[tmh43]

Just got back yesterday- we rode both Friday and Saturday. CMs seemed to be loading people a single party per row. Our longest wait was Saturday night and while the wait time was listed at 35 minutes it was closer to 20. We were near the back both times. On Friday the mist with Davy Jones wasn't on but Saturday it was. We didn't even get splashed either time despite the Saturday night being mostly adults. However, on the Friday we did see a boat with a good amount of water in the bottom which leads me to think it's the luck of the draw of whether you get wet or not. We didn't care either way tbh, it's a great ride!

 

[pampam]

I'm starting to wonder if it is only certain boats that have a problem. It seems to me that there could be a mix of boats, perhaps old and new, with the newer ones taking on the water? I don't know.

 

[fbarker]

If the boats can sink they can capsize. If they can list or roll to the side, it isn't much of a stretch to see them capsizing. It takes very little space to capsize a boat. Granted, you are probably only in a foot or two of water, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility given some of the reports.

Oh my how far we have come. We have progressed from getting wet, soaked, waves into our faces and not the boats are capsizing. I know we are all concerned about the problems with POTC but lets get a grip on reality, please.

 

[fbarker]

Oh my how far we have come. We have progressed from getting wet, soaked, waves into our faces and not the boats are capsizing. I know we are all concerned about the problems with POTC but lets get a grip on reality, please.

Sorry the word is now instead of not!!

 

[SparklePixie]

Oh my how far we have come. We have progressed from getting wet, soaked, waves into our faces and not the boats are capsizing. I know we are all concerned about the problems with POTC but lets get a grip on reality, please.

Please read what I said and don't put words in my mouth. I never said any of the boats have capsized. My grip on reality is better than most, thankyouverymuch.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We road this yesterday. My DS13 and DD16 road in the front row. They both got a little wet on their pant legs, we got sprayed a little in the second row, but it wasn't bad at all.

The Blackbeard/Davy Jones mist was working just fine when we road it.

Lucky you! I rode POTC so many times during my trip, Nov 5-14th and not once was the mist working! This was my favorite part of the ride since they added it and last year it never worked either. A lot of the times I rode, I was by myself and I was always sat in the last row (smaller row) so I cannot comment on the water after the drop. When I rode with my group, it was 4 of us and we were never sat in the front, so the only thing I can say was the floor was wet all the time.. but that's about it.

 

[tinkerbella16]

I did also notice how wet the ramp was, like many others have noted. I will say that it did not feel slippery at all, but it was wet enough to make me worry about slipping. I guess it is more "grippy" than it looks though.

I noticed this too, every single time we exited. It was not slippery, but definitely wet.

 

[Music City Mama]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but we're here now and when we rode on Sunday, our seats had some splashes of water and about a half inch of water on the floor. We were in the second or third to last row. Got a little (as in barely) wet, but when we exited, we noticed the boat in front of us didn't have a drop of water in it, even on the floor. Two cast members had clipboards and were inspecting the boats and taking notes.

 

[Ursula's Apprentice]

From what I heard it's not new boats, but the steepness of the drop that's causing the issues. Goes to show, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!! It was fine the way it was. The drop that is. I'm fine with the rest of the updates.

 

[JimmyV]

Please read what I said and don't put words in my mouth. I never said any of the boats have capsized. My grip on reality is better than most, thankyouverymuch.

True, you didn't say that any of the boats had capsized. Instead what you said was: "it isn't much of a stretch to see them capsizing."
But that is just as unrealistic. The shape of the boats, with their wide beams, make it all but certain that they will not capsize. I cannot imagine what sort of force or manipulation it would take to flip one of those boats. Certainly not any type of force exerted during the ride. Especially in such shallow water. The side of the boat would hit the bottom which would prevent any further flipping long before the boat got to a 90 degree angle.

 

[epcotty]

I'm starting to dread the next time we go on this, maybe just as the last ride of the night or something. Seems much worse than before from what I read here

 

[BC1836]

One month ago we began this thread due to an unexpected and unpleasant situation that we experienced on POTC (see post #1). Since then, over 600 replies, with few exceptions, have supported our concerns. And over 50,000 folks have viewed this thread. Besides us, one other poster has received a direct phone call from WDW Guest Communications acknowledging the problem (we contacted WDW directly about our concern).

Despite CMs offering cautions to riders (especially those in the front row) and examining returning boats with flashlights (for standing water), the attraction continues as is. POTC has always been a ride on water, like Adventureland's Jungle Cruise and the MK's It's a Small World. POTC has never been a wet ride, like Splash Mountain. Until now. Without notice.

Until a boatload of WDW managers experiences POTC or until someone falls getting in or out of the wet boats (or falls on the wet exit ramp), this poorly-managed attraction will continue to disappoint, to say the least.

 

[RealBlast3]

To be fair, I think there have been more than merely a "few exceptions" to getting wet, especially in recent posts. I think if every single rider was getting soaked, this problem would have been addressed by Disney by now. But because it is so intermittent and even then, just the first row (sometimes more rows but usually not) it is being ignored. Which is just how it is. No one wants to get wet - in fact it would ruin many of our days, however, I think we're all just gonna have to deal with it for the time being and hope we're one of the lucky ones, of which there seem to be a sizable number, actually, who don't actually get wet.

By all means, still send your complaints to Disney, though don't hold your breath for change.

 

[BC1836]

To be fair, I think there have been more than merely a "few exceptions" to getting wet, especially in recent posts. I think if every single rider was getting soaked, this problem would have been addressed by Disney by now. But because it is so intermittent and even then, just the first row (sometimes more rows but usually not) it is being ignored. Which is just how it is. No one wants to get wet - in fact it would ruin many of our days, however, I think we're all just gonna have to deal with it for the time being and hope we're one of the lucky ones, of which there seem to be a sizable number, actually, who don't actually get wet.

By all means, still send your complaints to Disney, though don't hold your breath for change.

The word "few" means "a small number of." Considering the total amount of posted concerns, complaints and assorted critical observations on 32 pages during the last month, those who find no fault with the attraction or believe that the unpleasant experiences are merely "intermittent" with POTC are indeed "few."

Hoping that a rider is "one of the lucky ones...who [doesn't] actually get wet" is hardly encouraging for guests, especially those in the front row or those who begin the ride with standing water.

Imagine a business, restaurant or service provider that states that its product or service will not be satisfactory for the overwhelming majority of its customers unless you're "one of the lucky ones."

We're holding our breath.

 

[Oomiak]

I rode tonight, second row. I got a little wet on the frontside, I had family members in the front row that got a decent splash but I wouldn't say drenched. Our boat was even keeled and was't anywhere near the waterline. I did notice two boats ahead of us that the back of the boat was VERY close to the water. That was no doubt due to the 6 people in the last 2 rows that weighed at least 250 pounds each. It looked like a car that someone overloaded...it was pretty shocking. I did't see or hear anyone complaining about getting drenched.

 

[Planogirl]

There is every kind of report on this thread. Some report overloaded boats and some just lightly loaded boats and people get wet. Some report listing to one side and the load seems to vary. And yet others report both circumstances and no one gets wet. It must depend on the type of boat.

I personally don't want to worry about this so I'll skip the ride. It's silly that this is even a concern IMO.

 

[lindsmom]

The word "few" means "a small number of." Considering the total amount of posted concerns, complaints and assorted critical observations on 32 pages during the last month, those who find no fault with the attraction or believe that the unpleasant experiences are merely "intermittent" with POTC are indeed "few."

Imagine a business, restaurant or service provider that states that its product or service will not be satisfactory for the overwhelming majority of its customers unless you're "one of the lucky ones."

Also, keep in mind that these are only the complaints of those who are on DIS. Think of everyone who is NOT on DIS (gasp - lol).

Statistically, speaking, the "customer complaint iceberg" means that for every formal complaint filed, that complaint represents 1560 customers who could potentially be lost (in this case specifically for POTC). One complaint, an additional 25 who don't say anything, and each of those 26 tell ten people who in turn tell five people. Resulting in 1560 per formal complaint.

I'm sure that Disney is keeping numbers on the formal complaints, so I would encourage anyone who has experienced POTC as an unpleasant or disappointing ride to call Disney and complain formally. They probably have a "redline" number of complaints where they will review the ride.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think it's the uncertainty that is annoying.