Is it just me or is Spaceship Earth getting "rough"?

[civileng68]

I know there have been threads on this in the past but, I'd like to re-introduce this issue.

Spaceship earth is among my favorite attractions and, as an AP holder who lives somewhat close to the parks, I get to go every month, and I have noticed more and more over the past three years that the ride is getting rougher and rougher. It is primarily noticed on the initial lift in the ride. Not only is it getting rougher, the rough ride is becoming more audible. You can hear the clanging and banging under the vehicle.

It's always had an occassional pop as it goes over various areas of track but, while before I was not sure if it was the ride or my immagination, I'm nearly convinced now that this attraction is getting rougher and louder.

Anyone else notice this?

 

[Quinn222]

It's horrible. Last time all I could hear was the clunking of the ride. I couldn't hear a single word of the narration. And it stopped four times. I couldn't wait to get off of it and I'll never go back on it.

 

[Chuck S]

I've noticed. Probably do to a lot of factors. Wear on the track itself, building settling after so many years, wear on the components of the ride vehicles, and perhaps spot weld repairs to the track.

Quinn222, Rides like Spaceship Earth and Haunted Mansion stop often intentionally to load/unload people with mobility issues and it is not an indictation of any mechanical problems wth the ride system.

 

[Leota]

Nope, I've noticed it as well. It's one of my favorite attractions & I ride it multiple times per trip. But, it's a little depressing how much it's degenerating.
Hopefully Siemans will dump some money into a Major Renovation & bring it back to it's former glory.

 

[Matty_Disfan]

Well it also doesn't have much of a sponsor these days either so it's not being properly tended to. It kinda worries me cause I love this attraction and would hate to see them gut it. (I also hate that silly hand and wand).

Let's hope someone jumps on board and takes over. It needs a wholesale overhaul and maybe a new ending. I just want to ride it with my parents one more time, and that may not be for a few years yet.

 

[terribm]

Well it also doesn't have much of a sponsor these days either so it's not being properly tended to. It kinda worries me cause I love this attraction and would hate to see them gut it. (I also hate that silly hand and wand).

Let's hope someone jumps on board and takes over. It needs a wholesale overhaul and maybe a new ending. I just want to ride it with my parents one more time, and that may not be for a few years yet.

Are you seriously saying that an attraction needs a sponsor for it to be kept up? I too love this attraction and would love to see it return to glory. A previous post mentioned Siemens but shouldn't Disney be ultimatley responsible for its upkeep?

 

[peter11435]

SSE does have a new sponsor. It is Siemens as many in this thread have already mentioned. Disney is the one responsible for the ride not Siemens. All Siemens does is write a check to Disney in exchange for their name being on the attraction. When a sponsored attraction looses its sponsor that represents a loss of revenue for Disney and thus the attraction as well. Usually this means that the attractions maintenance budget will be slightly reduced to compensate. SSE has always had some roughness to it, however in recent months it has gotten very bad. Like your own vehicle the SSE vehicles have a set of shocks on them. These need replaced often. With perfect shocks the ride still has some roughness due to its unique design but it is much smoother than it is currently. With the reduced maintenance budget these shocks have been neglected. However they will likely be replaced soon.

They have been working on various aspects of the attraction over the past few months. They have repainted the entrance, resurfaced the entrance ramp, fixed lighting in the entrance area, repainted the exit hallways, fixed the fiber optic stars behind the city of the future, fixed the lightning effect and the fiber optics behind the glass on the descent, and fixed the steam in the newspaper scene and the smoke in the cavemen scene. Additionally they have replaced some lighting in the Rome scene as well as where your vehicle rotates backwards. Over the rest of the year you can expect to see many other things fixed and altered in and around the attraction as well as a new post show area.

I would also like to point out that not all attractions have sponsors. Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain, Rock'n Roller Coaster, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Expedition: Everest are all examples of attractions that do not and have never had a sponsor. Only those attractions that have sponsors suffer without them.

 

[Schmeck]

Glad to know I'm not the only who thought it was getting louder and creakier! I thought maybe I was imagining it...

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

I thought so as well in the summer last year.

 

[CinRell]

oooh personally I hope the end is one part they don't change.. I *love* the music at the end and the lights are so pretty.. it's my fav part of the ride...

 

[firemedicmike]

we just got back from a mini vaca there and SSE the front lights were really dim ,,and the car we had the audio was muffled(bad speaker) its really showing its wear and tear,,,its probably tyime for an update to that ride

 

[Karnak]

I rode Spaceship Earth this past Friday (March 17) during Extra Magic Hours. I remember thinking that they had either turned up the background music, or turned down the narration to the point that I couldn't tell what he was saying, especially near the end of the ride. The ride did not stop while I was on board, and I did not notice any rough spots, or big bumps.

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

Each winter I do SSE multiple times. I've noticed that it is getting more and more bumpy to the point of being a bit uncomfortable. As the vehicle is descending it is almost irresistable to lean my head back on the
headrest/speakers. My head, though, kept banging on the head rest instead of resting.

 

[Leota]

All of the Pavillions at Epcot have Sponsers. When a sponser pulls out, the Pavillion is in danger of closure (example - Wonders of Life)

Some of the attractions in other Parks have sponsers, but not all. Only Epcot was designed with that component.

 

[peter11435]

When a sponser pulls out, the Pavillion is in danger of closure (example - Wonders of Life)

Well, thats not exactly true. If an attraction is popular Disney will continue to operate the attraction. For example if GM pulled out and Disney could not find a replacement sponsor for Test Track you can bet that it would remian open anyway. Wonders of Life had lost most of its popularity.

The Living Seas has remained open and is now being expanded even though it remains sponsorless. The American Adventure is another Epcot attraction that has stayed open even though its sponsors have pulled out.

 

[civileng68]

Each winter I do SSE multiple times. I've noticed that it is getting more and more bumpy to the point of being a bit uncomfortable. As the vehicle is descending it is almost irresistable to lean my head back on the
headrest/speakers. My head, though, kept banging on the head rest instead of resting.

You are so right! This is PROOF! that it's getting rougher. When I was there three years ago, I remember laying my head back and literally dozing off, because it was so relaxing in the descent. The last year or so, especially this past trip, I noticed that it literally hurt to put my head on the back of the headrest because you'd hit a bump and it would nearly crack your skull.

 

[estnh]

I thought the entire ride was pretty shabbly last trip--it really is sad that Epcots signature attraction is being allowed to deteriorate so badly. I hope someone at Disney wakes up to this fact soon!

 

[Leota]

Well, thats not exactly true. If an attraction is popular Disney will continue to operate the attraction. For example if GM pulled out and Disney could not find a replacement sponsor for Test Track you can bet that it would remian open anyway. Wonders of Life had lost most of its popularity.

The Living Seas has remained open and is now being expanded even though it remains sponsorless. The American Adventure is another Epcot attraction that has stayed open even though its sponsors have pulled out.

That's why I said "in danger" instead of "will be". It doesn't always happen, but it is more of a possibility than if it had sponsorship.

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

Were't they talking about rehab for it? I guess the sponsor change affected the timeline, but I still think they are planning on closing it down for complete rehaul. I read about this a year or so ago. They probably don't want to do any major repairs because they want to do something big.

 

[PamNC]

that it's getting ragedy. Bumpy and the sound system is getting really bad. It's so sad - this is a signature attraction for Epcot, not to mention the Icon for the park. It needs a little attention. I just hope I'm not visiting when they do finally rehab it. I can't imagine going and not riding Spaceship Earth.

Speaking of Spaceship Earth, does anyone remember the original ending? Instead of the "incredible view of the planet" it was a modern looking city...I think. I can hardly remember. But I remember my mother LOVED it. It was her favorite part of the ride.

PamNC