Update on Tiki Room Fire

[k5jm]

From theDisneyblog.com

Looks like the "little" fire did a bunch of damage.

Update on Tiki Room Fire
Posted on January 16, 2011 by John Frost

Just a quick update on some rumors swirling around the fire that took place at the Enchanted Tiki Room earlier this week. The original word from Disney was that it was just a small attic fire with only some minor damaged caused by water from the sprinklers. However, now I’m hearing that the main Iago animatronic (the obnoxious bird from Aladdin) was damaged beyond repair in the fire. Additionally, water damage to the large centerpiece that drops from the ceiling and Zazu were also pretty bad.

All we know officially is that the Tiki Room remains closed today. But if the rumors are true, this presents something of an opportunity for Disney World management. The “under new management” version has never been a hit with Disney fans. Plus when the Aladdin Magic Carpets attraction was added to Adventureland, the entrance to the Tiki Room was suddenly obscured. Those two factors have contributed to an under utilization of that space.

Disney World should take advantage of this downtime to do a little restorative work on the attraction and relocate the entrance so that it faces the Jungle Cruise (or Pirates). If they rushed things changes could be completed in time for the October 1st 40th Anniversary of the Magic Kingdom. (I’m not the only one to have this idea, check out this article on ProgressCityUSA blog)

I’d rather they not rush things, but with the Fantasyland Expansion, the Magic Kingdom will already be operating with a reduced number of attractions. So some sense of urgency is required. Budget-wise, it’s cheaper to fix a couple broken audio-animatronics than it is to restore the original show, yet alone put in a new one, so I’m sure that’s the solution Disney is leaning toward. But a Disney fan can dream right?

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks for posting this Mike.

Despite the more positive suggestions in the story, I'm guessing this may be the end for the Tiki Room. Not sure Disney will see fit to spend a bunch of money on an attraction that doesn't draw many people anyway.

Yes, I know that its a "classic" and how it was the first use of Audio Animatronic and all that. I'm saying that today's Disney management will probably decide that its not worth the money to fix since they really don't need any more attraction capacity in that area.

 

[tikibirds]

Sounds like I am definitely in the minority given the comments I have read over the last several days in regards to the fire - but the Tiki Room is my favorite attraction. Yes, I still prefer to the original version, but I still would prefer to watch UNM than go on any other attraction in WDW. I fell in love with the place in the late 70s and am still thrilled by the singing birds, flowers and tikis. I have also noticed that attendance has been up over the last year or so from what it has been (travel to WDW 4-5 times/year).

While I would love to see the show back to its original state, I don't have faith in WDI that they will invest to do that. If the attraction is going to be closed for any extended period of time, I will be headed west to DL this year instead of south to WDW.

 

[coconutprincess]

I just hope they don't close it permanently. I wonder when we will know more?

 

[mousehouselover]

I love the Tiki Room also. It's one of the attractions I remember seeing when I was really little on my first trip to DL. I wasn't thrilled with the 'new management' but it's still a lot of fun. I sing along with the song everytime we go see it. I'm going to be really sad if they don't reopen it.

 

[auroralark]

I hope they use this as an opportunity to make changes. Honestly, I never liked any incarnation of the Tiki room, but I especially hate this one. We never bother to see it. I think they have the skills to make something everyone can enjoy again, and I hope they finally do it!

 

[Mickeysgirl34]

This shouldn't be the end of the Tiki Room. In DL,Tiki Room is the must-seen attraction. I think if they bought back the old show,most people might see it,just like Captain EO. When I went in August,a pretty decent crowd went inside the Enchanted Tiki Room,so I guess it gets it's numbers boost in August.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

It is obvious that the Tiki Gods have been angry for quite a while and have ganged up to destroy Iago and Zazu. Maybe they will reset it to the original after they fix the center part that drops down.

 

[Merry Mousketeer]

Is the reason they changed it to the "Under New Management" version because the original was no longer popular? In Disneyland, the restored and slightly shortened version still brings in the crowds. Isn't it interesting how an attraction is popular in one park, but less so in another?

 

[wdwscout]

Is the reason they changed it to the "Under New Management" version because the original was no longer popular? In Disneyland, the restored and slightly shortened version still brings in the crowds. Isn't it interesting how an attraction is popular in one park, but less so in another?

I thought it was just an opportunity for "synergy"- bringing in new characters to make it "fresh" and updated.
IMO, it's awful and we never visit it anymore.
When we were out in Disneyland last spring, we loved seeing the original version.
I would love to see them take this event as a chance to restore it to the original show.

 

[eroilersgal]

When we visited DL in Nov we did the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour and learned that Walt financed the DL Tiki Room attraction personally. I can't imagine taking an attraction so important to Walt out of "his" world. My kids (and DH) have a new appreciation for the entire Disney brand now that they have learned some background on how and why it started.

 

[WorldWacky]

Oh no! I'm so sad. I didn't realize it was as bad as this. My kids and I were really looking forward to seeing the show on our trip next month. It's always been one of my favorites. I preferred the original, but would rather have some sort of Tiki Room than none at all. Bummer. Guess I'll scratch that off the touring plan.