Splash mountain refurbishment

[SuperJ]

as long as they keep the "going to the laughing place" ride element (even it they theme it something else) and then of course the drop at the end, the rest doesn't really matter. it's just stuff to look at.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

Devastated? Devastated?? -- No. I'll get used to it and even looking forward to the change. Enough
of these posts already.

Really, you don't need to come here and read these posts at all if you have had enough of it! Just saying...

 

[ChipnDale79]

man...we could solve so many problems if we showed some compassion to others and attempted to walk a mile in another's shoes.

Kindness cost nothing.....

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Really, you don't need to come here and read these posts at all if you have had enough of it! Just saying...

When you ask a question, you'll get answers that don't necessarily line up with your favor.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

as long as they keep the "going to the laughing place" ride element (even it they theme it something else) and then of course the drop at the end, the rest doesn't really matter. it's just stuff to look at.

Folks, this is Bob Chapek's Disney. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah will be replaced by Down in New Orleans, Tiana's face will be painted over Br'er Rabbit's face, Dr. Facilier's face will be painted over Br'er Fox's face, literally nothing else will be changed, and the attraction will become a $25 per ride ILL$ with a virtual queue.

 

[BrianL]

Folks, this is Bob Chapek's Disney. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah will be replaced by Down in New Orleans, Tiana's face will be painted over Br'er Rabbit's face, Dr. Facilier's face will be painted over Br'er Fox's face, literally nothing else will be changed, and the attraction will become a $25 per ride ILL$ with a virtual queue. Riding with the water effects turned on will be a surge pricing upcharge with the price tied to the midday temperature in the parks.

You know, your sarcasm is...well...actually, you might be right!

 

[DisneyMom_13]

as long as they keep the "going to the laughing place" ride element (even it they theme it something else) and then of course the drop at the end, the rest doesn't really matter. it's just stuff to look at.

Pretty much this. I personally think the new theming has the potential to be super fun and festive personally.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I am more concerned about the timing. My son is obsessed with riding Splash Mountain one more time before they do the refurb. We have a trip booked in October to WDW. So I need them to not change over or shut down SM in WDW until AFTER Oct. 2022.

 

[lukemorenus]

Devastated? Devastated?? -- No. I'll get used to it and even looking forward to the change. Enough
of these posts already.

"Totally Devastated" is even worse! ;-)

 

[umichigan10]

I am more concerned about the timing. My son is obsessed with riding Splash Mountain one more time before they do the refurb. We have a trip booked in October to WDW. So I need them to not change over or shut down SM in WDW until AFTER Oct. 2022.

I would think you’ll be safe. It’s complete speculation, but they said the Disneyland one would get changed first and they haven’t even started on that one. And I think they’d wanna wait until after the 50th celebration closes out, and possibly tron opening to redirect crowds

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I would think you’ll be safe. It’s complete speculation, but they said the Disneyland one would get changed first and they haven’t even started on that one. And I think they’d wanna wait until after the 50th celebration closes out, and possibly tron opening to redirect crowds

That was my thinking too and what I told him to keep him calm.

But as you say, all this is speculation. If they shut it down early, it wouldn't be the first time Disney did something impetuous, and with little notice.

 

[umichigan10]

That was my thinking too and what I told him to keep him calm.

But as you say, all this is speculation. If they shut it down early, it wouldn't be the first time Disney did something impetuous, and with little notice.

Very true. It just seems more and more that this project isn’t going to get done for a long while. I remember when the parks reopened last summer and people were hoarding splash mountain merch like the closing as imminent. And here we are almost a year and a half later with little to no updates on it

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Very true. It just seems more and more that this project isn’t going to get done for a long while. I remember when the parks reopened last summer and people were hoarding splash mountain merch like the closing as imminent. And here we are almost a year and a half later with little to no updates on it

If you go back and look at my post history at the time, I blasted Disney PR for saying it. It was 100% a "me, too" press release, and a moronic one.

As I said at the time, when they announced it Disney was hemorrhaging money. There are only 3 things that could happen...
1. They announce it, and immediately begin construction work. In order to do that, they would have had to divert what little funds they had to shut down yet another attraction when the parks are already missing planned capacity. The immediate backlash would have been why Disney was spending money doing that and at the same time laying off tens of thousands of low income workers that the very concept they were trying to promote was to save. It would have been hugely hypocritical.

2. They announced it and there is a (long, long) lag before they actually can do it. This is what is happening, and it makes it look like the only reason it was announced was to hop on the BLM movement.

3. The announce it and then the world calms down and it gets flat out cancelled (because anything can happen in 2 years). Again, this makes it look like it was just hoping on the BLM movement.

Any way around it, it was a lose-lose public release. It just makes Disney look like they wanted to jump onto the BLM movement because that was the "in" thing to do. It cheapens the brand. It cheapens the company. By giving an empty showing of support, It cheapens the concepts and the core principles that they were - in their terribly thought out way - trying to promote. There was ZERO - absolutely ZERO uptick benefit for them to make that press release at that time.

For a company that usually fails in that it's too silent, this was one time they should have kept collective corporate mouth shut, but didn't.

 

[umichigan10]

If you go back and look at my post history at the time, I blasted Disney PR for saying it. It was 100% a "me, too" press release, and a moronic one.

As I said at the time, when they announced it Disney was hemorrhaging money. There are only 3 things that could happen...
1. They announce it, and immediately begin construction work. In order to do that, they would have had to divert what little funds they had to shut down yet another attraction when the parks are already missing planned capacity. The immediate backlash would have been why Disney was spending money doing that and at the same time laying off tens of thousands of low income workers that the very concept they were trying to promote was to save. It would have been hugely hypocritical.

2. They announced it and there is a (long, long) lag before they actually can do it. This is what is happening, and it makes it look like the only reason it was announced was to hop on the BLM movement.

3. The announce it and then the world calms down and it gets flat out cancelled (because anything can happen in 2 years). Again, this makes it look like it was just hoping on the BLM movement.

Any way around it, it was a lose-lose public release. It just makes Disney look like they wanted to jump onto the BLM movement because that was the "in" thing to do. It cheapens the brand. It cheapens the company. By giving an empty showing of support, It cheapens the concepts and the core principles that they were - in their terribly thought out way - trying to promote. There was ZERO - absolutely ZERO uptick benefit for them to make that press release at that time.

For a company that usually fails in that it's too silent, this was one time they should have kept collective corporate mouth shut, but didn't.

The bold is what I was thinking. In some ways I think they were trying to play defense on potentially being a target to the movement because of the source material for the ride. But at the same time, them doing nothing is an extremely poor look on its own.

very, very strange strategy (or lack there of) by Disney on this whole situation

 

[gharter]

I enjoy the ride as it is. Very few have ever seen Song of the South, and you can't find it now.
However, the refresh could be really fun IF they do it well rather than what they did to Journey into Imagination (pick your refresh, they all suck, yea I'm biased).

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I enjoy the ride as it is. Very few have ever seen Song of the South, and you can't find it now.
However, the refresh could be really fun IF they do it well rather than what they did to Journey into Imagination (pick your refresh, they all suck, yea I'm biased).

To be honest, there are very, very few that I like.

Tiki Room -> Tiki Room under new management = HORRIBLE
ExtraTERROREstrial Encounter -> Stitch's Great Escape = HORRIBLE
Test Trak v. 1.0 -> Test Track v 2.0 = not horrible, but not great (i preferred the education aspect to what anti-lock brakes did, and things like that).
Journey into Imagination -> Journey into Imagination 2.0 = HORRIBLE
Living Seas -> The seas with Nemo and Friends = not horrible, but not great.
The Great Movie Ride -> Micky Minnie Runaway Railroad = Not good.
Maelstrom -> Frozen Ever After = okay..... this is one that I didn't absolutely hate. Although I hesitate to say I love it.

The only ones I really liked were the tear down and rebuilds. I.E. Horizons to Mission Space; World of Motion to Test Track. [Edit.... in retrospect, I am not sure I did entirely like those either....]

Minor updates were hit and miss. I.E. Spaceship Earth (ok), COP (ok), but PotC (awful)

I will grant that I have not seen HTH -> Guardians of the Galaxy; but I gotta say I love HTH so I am skeptical.

Bottom line.... They do not have a good track record for my tastes when then they do overlays.

 

[umichigan10]

To be honest, there are very, very few that I like.

Tiki Room -> Tiki Room under new management = HORRIBLE
ExtraTERROREstrial Encounter -> Stitch's Great Escape = HORRIBLE
Test Trak v. 1.0 -> Test Track v 2.0 = not horrible, but not great (i preferred the education aspect to what anti-lock brakes did, and things like that).
Journey into Imagination -> Journey into Imagination 2.0 = HORRIBLE
Living Seas -> The seas with Nemo and Friends = not horrible, but not great.
The Great Movie Ride -> Micky Minnie Runaway Railroad = Not good.
Maelstrom -> Frozen Ever After = okay..... this is one that I didn't absolutely hate. Although I hesitate to say I love it.

The only ones I really liked were the tear down and rebuilds. I.E. Horizons to Mission Space; World of Motion to Test Track.

Minor updates were hit and miss. I.E. Spaceship Earth (ok), COP (ok), but PotC (awful)

I will grant that I have not seen HTH -> Guardians of the Galaxy; but I gotta say I love HTH so I am skeptical.

Bottom line.... They do not have a good track record for my tastes when then they do overlays.

I miss GMR (if you couldn’t tell from my profile picture) but I thought MMRR was a worthy successor. That’s just my opinion (as are all the ones you have listed above tbf. Except for imagination which was just awful for everyone)

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I miss GMR (if you couldn’t tell from my profile picture) but I thought MMRR was a worthy successor. That’s just my opinion (as are all the ones you have listed above tbf. Except for imagination which was just awful for everyone)

You liked Tiki Room (Under New Management)? Ummm. ok. You're entitled to that. I can't get on board that boat with you, but hey.... we all have opinions.

 

[umichigan10]

You liked Tiki Room (Under New Management)? Ummm. ok. You're entitled to that. I can't get on board that boat with you, but hey.... we all have opinions.

Nope (I don’t think I ever saw it to be honest) but just saying that Disney doesn’t do rethemes of rides well is totally subjective

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Nope (I don’t think I ever saw it to be honest) but just saying that Disney doesn’t do rethemes of rides well is totally subjective

Fair enough. But to be fair to me, I did use the words "I like" and "my taste" in there a few times.