Plan B Shaman at NRJ

[FCDub]

Grounds for bait and switch IMO.

seriously??

 

[Euby]

I still feel very lucky we actually got to see the mermaids swim by our boat on Pirates. Saw them twice, and ever since then it's been just lights and bubbles.

WHAT?! When was this? I've never even heard about it. That would have been so cool to see! Very Jealous!

 

[hertamaniac]

Pandora was already way over budget so no way to even consider a back up animatronic

Maybe originally it wasn't able to be in the budget, but perhaps now is the right time to begin constructing a/the backup.

 

[DisneyMom93]

WHAT?! When was this? I've never even heard about it. That would have been so cool to see! Very Jealous!

They had it for a while. I know we've seen it a few times. It was lights that looked like mermaids swimming on either side of the boat. It was so cool. I don't know why they removed it. Unless I'm thinking of Disneyland. We've only been to Disneyland once though.

 

[Magpie]

WHAT?! When was this? I've never even heard about it. That would have been so cool to see! Very Jealous!

They had it for a while. I know we've seen it a few times. It was lights that looked like mermaids swimming on either side of the boat. It was so cool. I don't know why they removed it. Unless I'm thinking of Disneyland. We've only been to Disneyland once though.

It was a few years ago at Walt Disney World, about the same time they added Davy Jone's face projected into the mist, I think.

At first, you could actually see the mermaid tails flipping up beside your boat, among the lights - it was projected into the water.

Then, it was just lights and bubbles. And I read that they were having problems with the projection system.

The last time I went (a year and a half a go), there were no bubbles, just some lights.

I assume they just weren't able to keep it running and maintenance was more trouble than it was worth.

I'm glad I got to see it, though!

And, with or without mermaids in the water, I still really enjoy the ride.

 

[dlavender]

exactly - and if you are using a FP while in "limp mode" would be great if they let you come back later to use the FP.

I understand that not every animatronic on every ride is always going to work - but it is such a key part of the ride and really the main selling feature for it, without it there isn't much there so it is a unique situation I think

It's almost like having a FP for a meet and greet and finding out they replaced the actual character with a screen video image of the character

This is how I felt with our recent "talking Mickey" experience.

It was just a regular M&G. No talking, no blinking. I felt bad for talking it up (Pun intended).

Wish they would have let me know before hand, as I would have used our FP a little later in hopes of getting the full experience.

 

[BrianL]

Yeah, that is a problem for NRJ. If the ride had more animatronics then it wouldn't be a big deal that one of them is down, but the Shaman is the only one. She's the draw. The rest of the ride is just OK. If they spruced it up, add some animatronic creatures and such, then it could work.

 

[EdmondD]

And there it is, why burn a FP for an attraction running in "limp mode". Again, not thinking as myself as an AP who goes every few weeks, but those that spend $$$ for the experience, I feel sympathy.

I thought they had a magic pill for limp mode?

 

[Pigletpal40]

Glad I rode previously and am local, but the plan B implementation of the Shaman at NRJ is, well, not as good as the original. But, at least they have a plan B.

Maybe if they added a strobe light........

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

This situation reminds me of the Yeti on EE - important part of the ride theme that leaves a bit missing if not operating (although at least on EE you have the thrill of the ride itself - not sure NRJ has as much stand-alone appeal).

Ha. We saw the Yeti for the first time last trip. We’ve been on EE maybe 5 or 6 times and never seen it. When people have mentioned it here I assumed they were talking about the shadow of the yeti before you go backwards. I had to ask my DD if she’s seen it before (I’m not the most observant person in my party) and she hadn’t. If not for discussion here I would have assumed they added it to the ride this year. I assume people not as much in the know will think that about the Shaman.

 

[jkh36619]

Plan "A" should be level it and build a better attraction. That ride is not worth a 10 min wait.

 

[Moliphino]

Ha. We saw the Yeti for the first time last trip. We’ve been on EE maybe 5 or 6 times and never seen it. When people have mentioned it here I assumed they were talking about the shadow of the yeti before you go backwards. I had to ask my DD if she’s seen it before (I’m not the most observant person in my party) and she hadn’t. If not for discussion here I would have assumed they added it to the ride this year. I assume people not as much in the know will think that about the Shaman.

The yeti is always there, it just doesn't move anymore.

 

[Mome Rath]

Ha. We saw the Yeti for the first time last trip. We’ve been on EE maybe 5 or 6 times and never seen it. When people have mentioned it here I assumed they were talking about the shadow of the yeti before you go backwards. I had to ask my DD if she’s seen it before (I’m not the most observant person in my party) and she hadn’t. If not for discussion here I would have assumed they added it to the ride this year. I assume people not as much in the know will think that about the Shaman.

Yes, sometimes the Yeti is totally in the dark, with no lighting whatsoever.... it creeps me out worse than seeing the thing. lol I've been "lucky" enough to see every Yeti stage; original, disco, simply lighted, and dark. Now maybe I'll see every shaman iteration!

 

[elaine amj]

I actually like the rest of the ride for what it is - a pretty glow in the dark type ride and I love looking at all the little details. I don't like the shaman much so a screen of her wouldn't bother me. That said, it's a shame since the shaman is the big showstopper of the ride.

 

[hertamaniac]

After reading some follow-up posts, this started me thinking if Disney should (not they will/can) somehow advise guests that an attraction is operating with limited functionality. And if so, how do you measure what that limit is? In the case of the Shaman, I agree with a previous poster that it is the centerpiece of the attraction and for a person/family that traveled far and spent $$$, they might be disappointed.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

I was so underwhelmed by this ride even with the animatronic, I’m not sure a screen would make a difference to me.
If I got off that ride in B mode, and someone told me “no, there’s supposed to be a big moving blue guy instead of a screen with a blue guy” I’d say “oh okay” and still probably never go on it again.

 

[ShadeDK]

After reading some follow-up posts, this started me thinking if Disney should (not they will/can) somehow advise guests that an attraction is operating with limited functionality. And if so, how do you measure what that limit is? In the case of the Shaman, I agree with a previous poster that it is the centerpiece of the attraction and for a person/family that traveled far and spent $$$, they might be disappointed.

I don't feel strongly about this one way or the other, but lean towards not advising guests. Mostly because it's difficult to set the limits. A few thoughts:

-when does a malfunction negatively affect the enjoyment of the ride? Many guests may not even notice the ride isn't working as intended. The yeti on EE and mermaids on POTC are good examples - they're broken but those may not affect enjoyment one bit (most aren't even aware).

-some "malfunctions" are permanent - again, the yeti and mermaids. When would a notice come down?

-some malfunctions might actually add enjoyment for a rare experience (like the lights on in SM)

-some malfunctions are glitchy and common but not consistent. FoP has a number of these - I've ridden when we've completely skipped the first pre-show video with Dr Stephens (and that ADDED to my enjoyment)

-Malfunctions come in different flavors - reduced capacity and partially shutting down tracks don't affect the actual ride, but sure affect guest experience with increased wait times (like all those wondering what happened to ToT a month or so ago).

-Posting that a ride isn't giving guests the full experience puts Disney in the awkward position of admitting that guests aren't getting the product at its best or intended function. An alternative would be to just shut things down completely until fixed - which doesn't seem like a great option either.

 

[hertamaniac]

I don't feel strongly about this one way or the other, but lean towards not advising guests. Mostly because it's difficult to set the limits. A few thoughts:

-when does a malfunction negatively affect the enjoyment of the ride? Many guests may not even notice the ride isn't working as intended. The yeti on EE and mermaids on POTC are good examples - they're broken but those may not affect enjoyment one bit (most aren't even aware).

-some "malfunctions" are permanent - again, the yeti and mermaids. When would a notice come down?

-some malfunctions might actually add enjoyment for a rare experience (like the lights on in SM)

-some malfunctions are glitchy and common but not consistent. FoP has a number of these - I've ridden when we've completely skipped the first pre-show video with Dr Stephens (and that ADDED to my enjoyment)

-Malfunctions come in different flavors - reduced capacity and partially shutting down tracks don't affect the actual ride, but sure affect guest experience with increased wait times (like all those wondering what happened to ToT a month or so ago).

-Posting that a ride isn't giving guests the full experience puts Disney in the awkward position of admitting that guests aren't getting the product at its best or intended function. An alternative would be to just shut things down completely until fixed - which doesn't seem like a great option either.

Great and outstanding points! I don't think the answer to this question is binary.

For me, personally, I do my due diligence and research a ride (assuming I haven't ridden it in A-mode as a local). In some cases, I take some guests with me and they would not know any variance. But, I am a self-admitted perfectionist and, unfortunately, almost demand excellence at Disney (but realize I am also flawed in my thinking).

Thanks for the bullet list and thought provoking viewpoints.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I thought they had a magic pill for limp mode?

Hey now!

You can’t miss something that you didn’t know existed. For that reason alone, I can’t see Disney wanting to point out to guests when one feature or effect isn’t working in a ride.

The first time we rode Kilimanjaro Safari in 1999, our truck went over a bridge that felt like it might collapse. It was thrilling as our driver really played it up. I think that effect happened one other time when we rode it and not in as exciting a way. I do wish that they would do it the way we experienced it on our first ride.

I never knew that mermaids swam with the pirates. I would enjoy seeing that and be charmed by it, but because this thread is the first time I’ve ever heard of it, I won’t “miss” it.

 

[fla4fun]

I saw the AA when I went for the pass holder preview, but when I took my sister and BIL later, it was just the screen. I had done a video the first time I went through, so I was able to show them how it should look, but it was still disappointing.