Flooded POTC boats

[missnic]

We just rode in the 3rd row and got soaked. The boat itself looked dry, but the splash got us right in the face/chest. The front of the boat was packed though.. maybe that had something to do with it.

 

[starjazz]

So, there's a sign that warns you. CM's are also apparently doing some warning about the water. And of course, there's likely several blogs that are warning folks as well. And, unless I'm mistaken, I don't think anyone is being forced at the tip of a cutlass to board the ride. I guess I'm kinda like Disney - its a bit of an issue, but certainly not worth getting all worked up about.

Having been on the far superior original in DLR many times, now that I've been warned about the issue, we may skip it in Feb. Could be awfully cold!

 

[JimmyV]

Disney's solution will be to create a special FP+ which you can book 60/30 days in advance. For $30 you will be entitled to a back row seat....and a cupcake.

 

[larryz]

Disney's solution will be to create a special FP+ which you can book 60/30 days in advance. For $30 you will be entitled to a back row seat....and a cupcake.

For another $11.95, they'll throw in a poncho.

 

[rteetz]

So, there's a sign that warns you. CM's are also apparently doing some warning about the water. And of course, there's likely several blogs that are warning folks as well. And, unless I'm mistaken, I don't think anyone is being forced at the tip of a cutlass to board the ride. I guess I'm kinda like Disney - its a bit of an issue, but certainly not worth getting all worked up about.

Having been on the far superior original in DLR many times, now that I've been warned about the issue, we may skip it in Feb. Could be awfully cold!

Its definitely an issue that should be resolved. These boats were not made for WDW they were made for Disneyland.

 

[starjazz]

Its definitely an issue that should be resolved. These boats were not made for WDW they were made for Disneyland.

The boats were made for DLR? Why are they in WDW? What's different about the ride system? Just curious. Thanks!

 

[rteetz]

The boats were made for DLR? Why are they in WDW? What's different about the ride system? Just curious. Thanks!

DLR had problems with the said they didn't want them, then WDW said oh look free boats. The ride system is the same buy the measurements for the boats are different.

 

[starjazz]

DLR had problems with the said they didn't want them, then WDW said oh look free boats. The ride system is the same buy the measurements for the boats are different.

Really? Huh. That seems awfully strange. DLR management determined that the boats were no good, so they somehow convinced WDW that they should use faulty boats in the exact same ride system?? I'd be curious to read your source for that information.

 

[srferson]

I know some people who were stuck on it last night during the party for an hour and twenty minutes!! Crazy

Wow. I hope they received some sort of compensation. I'm not a 'gimme gimme' type of person, but party tickets are expensive. That is way too long to keep people trapped like that.

 

[rteetz]

Really? Huh. That seems awfully strange. DLR management determined that the boats were no good, so they somehow convinced WDW that they should use faulty boats in the exact same ride system?? I'd be curious to read your source for that information.

Disneyland management and WDW management are run completely different. DLR didn't necessarily have to convince WDW. The new boats Disneyland had made were just sitting there. WDW wouldn't have had to pay anything for them so they took them. Now we are of course facing water issues with the boats. Disneylands POTC is the same ride system yet is longer and has some different measurements causing the WDW problems. There are numerous sources for this info including the owner of the Disboards Pete Werner.

 

[starjazz]

Disneyland management and WDW management are run completely different. DLR didn't necessarily have to convince WDW. The new boats Disneyland had made were just sitting there. WDW wouldn't have had to pay anything for them so they took them. Now we are of course facing water issues with the boats. Disneylands POTC is the same ride system yet is longer and has some different measurements causing the WDW problems. There are numerous sources for this info including the owner of the Disboards Pete Werner.

Interesting and crazy all at once. Thanks for the details.

 

[JimmyV]

DLR had problems with the said they didn't want them, then WDW said oh look free boats. The ride system is the same buy the measurements for the boats are different.

There is a drop at DLR that is much longer/higher than the biggest drop at WDW. So if the boats are causing some water issues at WDW, one can only imagine how bad the wave over the bow would have been at DLR!

 

[starjazz]

I'd be interested in reading about this DLR to WDW swap. Anyone have a solid link, or is this just passed along "inside" information?

 

[rteetz]

There is a drop at DLR that is much longer/higher than the biggest drop at WDW. So if the boats are causing some water issues at WDW, one can only imagine how bad the wave over the bow would have been at DLR!

Yes but the actual ride system is the same. Its a flume ride system. Splash uses the same thing.

 

[rteetz]

I'd be interested in reading about this DLR to WDW swap. Anyone have a solid link, or is this just passed along "inside" information?

Disney isn't going to officially release this info to the public.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Its definitely an issue that should be resolved. These boats were not made for WDW they were made for Disneyland.

Fwiw, we had the same problem happen to us at Disneyland in mid November. Got as wet as we ever have on Splash. Apparently DLR is also putting in new boats (the current fleet is a mix of old and new from reports on the dlr board)

 

[starjazz]

Disney isn't going to officially release this info to the public.

But there's some reliable source out there that swears that DLR gave their cast off (lol..puns) boats to WDW who happily took the rejected ride equipment?

I read somewhere (surely another reliable source) that they had already replaced the boats back in early 2015 because the old ones were bottoming out. The new lighter boats worked, but people were getting too wet, so part of the refurb was going to be to fix that.

I guess my point is, how can anyone be sure? Yes, I'm skeptical. Not that it matters either way in the grand scheme of things. People are getting drenched and are not happy about it. Guess Disney will have to shut it down yet again for another refurb.

 

[rteetz]

part of the refurb was going to be to fix that.

You would be surprised how some of Disney management works. Yes I can completely believe WDW taking boats from DLR.

The refurb was not for the boat issue. The refurb was for fixing and replacing animatronics and affects. If time allowed they would've tried to fix the boats. Phil Holmes the former VP of MK told imagineers they only had 4.5 months for the refurb when the imagineers wanted 6 or more to fix all of the problems.

Here is a 125 page thread from wdwmagic with several sources with reliable info about the refurb, what was done and what is with the boats.
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...e-caribbean-refurbishment-watch-rumor.894970/

 

[starjazz]

I suppose that thread is full of just as much reliable info as this one, eh?

 

[MadHookUp]

We were in Disney World the first week of December. My family rode Pirates probably a combined 10 times during the trip, always asking to avoid the first 2 rows. When the ride had low lines and they weren't packing the boats we didn't have any problems. This accounted for our first 7 rides. Our last 3 were on much busier days, and they were squeezing as many people in as possible. On one such occasion I looked at the bottom of the boat and saw it was soaked. No standing water, but very wet. First time I saw this and prepared for the carnage. The first row had 3 elderly woman with very good attitudes as their entire laps and shoes got soaked. They screamed and laugh. One held her shoe up for the whole boat to see and emptied all the water out. Not sure how much they got on their shirts. We immediately get back in line and warned the people in front of us not to sit in the front row as they might get soaked. The woman just rudely rolled her eyes at us and didnt even respond. Maybe she thought we were trying to take that row from her. Anyway, she is on her cell phone as we near the plunge, and I shamefully got excited as the person on the other end got to hear her scream her head off. Later that night my nephew went on and he said everyone in their boat start panicking as water was about to spill in from the rear right side. Everyone from the ride side of the bottom scrambled to the left and it finally evened out, but everyone was sitting on top of each other for the rest of the ride.