Splash Mountain closing for near three month refurbishment later this year

EricsBiscuitDec 03, 2017

Other way around

DaveeeeedDec 02, 2017

Whatever the issues, I think Splash is still the best ride at MK. Only HM truly rivals it :)

THE Monorail LimeDec 02, 2017

Rant?

MerlinTheGoatDec 01, 2017

Oh, don't get me wrong. There is no defense for these issues, regardless of the timeframe or whatever. All of these issues could be addressed overnight (which we went over a few pages ago) if they wanted. These are not issues that should require downtime. My post wasn't at all to defend these issues, they have no valid defense considering how Disney used to handle these sorts of issues a couple of decades ago. My post was simply to say that the ride is absolutely not falling apart and in the worst shape of its life. From the naked eye, quite the opposite appears to be the case. It largely hasn't looked this good since the 90s. Those who know me can attest that i'm one of the most harshly critical people of modern Disney (and especially WDW management) on these forums. With that said, in spite of the issues I mentioned (which are easy fixes that would take very little time, effort or money), Splash Mountain IS currently looking and sounding beautiful again compared to how it has for the last couple of years. If they addressed those few easy issues, I actually wouldn't disbelieve someone who lied and told me the ride was new (if I didn't know otherwise).

mikejs78Dec 01, 2017

The only defense of the issues you saw in Splash Mountain may be that they ran out of time. They are closing again in January, maybe some of those issues will be resolved then.

MerlinTheGoatDec 01, 2017

My experience was decidedly less negative than Tom Morrow's. I rode it yesterday 15 minutes before it closed for the cast member party. It did break down a couple of times, but from a show perspective the ride is in immensely better condition than it has been in the last couple of years. Comparable to (and in some ways better than) the last great rehab it had in 2013. I did notice the following issues though- - Mr Bluebird in the final scene is currently stationary - There was one missing animatronic frog next to the riverboat - The mouths of the two fountain turtles in the Laughing Place weren't moving - Some of the organic plant life around the curve past the first lift hill is dead Other than that, the ride is looking gorgeous. And i'm saying this with the full agreement that the above issues aren't acceptable and should have been addressed long ago. All the other animatronics were present and moving VERY smoothly and snappily (including the hopping Brer Rabbit). The fur and clothing is also looking very clean and new. Most striking is that the ride has received a thorough fresh coat of paint inside and out. Everything looks extremely vibrant and colorful again like new, beautiful. And I had no issues whatsoever with the sound, I could hear everything perfectly fine. I'm usually pretty sensitive to poor quality and balancing (it was one of the many horrible issues with the ride prior to its 2013 rehab). Even the vehicles were in fantastic shape, the rubbery padding in particular which is often caked with scum and mildew is new and clean. This is not to excuse the issues I mentioned above. They are still unacceptable problems, ESPECIALLY after coming out of an extensive rehab. But there was only one non-moving animatronic alongside the simpler turtle figures whose mouths weren't moving. Which is better than before the refurb, which had a static bluebird AA, several missing chicken AA's off the Riverboat and a missing hopping Brer Rabbit. The ride is in much better condition than before, it hasn't looked this good since 2013 (and the Bluebird has been a recurring issue since that rehab as well). It was Pirates of the Caribbean that had serious issues for me yesterday. Rode it at about 2:15 PM or so and the entire Auction scene was completely stationary, not one single animatronic or anything was working, all frozen. The talking skull was also not working (sound or motion). I told the cast member at disembark, she said she'd tell maintenance (hopefully so, because THAT was unacceptable and noted by plenty of other guests as well).

JediMasterMattNov 30, 2017

Look at the bright side, at least you didn't get hit with debris from falling rock work.. unfortunately, it's been in worse shape in recent years.

Tom MorrowNov 30, 2017

Rode tonight for the first time in a while and I'm surprised to see you guys saying the audio was good. To me it sounded absolutely awful, almost all of the character dialogue was completely inaudible. Couldn't hear the vultures at all, for example. Several static animatronics. The worst I've seen it look in about four years.

WinterNov 21, 2017

So Splash Mountain will not be closed next March? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ToTBellHopNov 20, 2017

1/8-2/1. Then Pirates closes 2/26 into March.

WinterNov 20, 2017

Please tell me the thing about Splash Mountain being in mainitance again next Feburary/March is either not happening or false information........ PLEASE

RSoxNo1Nov 20, 2017

Despite it's placement out of the way in Disneyland, Splash Mountain seemingly has insufficient capacity relative to guest demand. In Florida it is absolutely a must ride every day we're in the Magic Kingdom. In Disneyland, it's once or twice per trip because of the FP demands and long Standby lines. That and the DL version can be a soak machine.

JediMasterMattNov 20, 2017

It gets into the 2000 pph range consistently.

Jones14Nov 20, 2017

Just out of curiosity, what’s WDW’s number? I’d imagine it’s a bit higher because of the boats.