View Full Version : Dissappointed with Winnie the Pooh ride
stephntampa
10-04-2007, 06:14 PM
My 3 yo DS and me visit the MK on average once a month. Pooh is his favorite ride, so we hit it every visit. My rant is that it seems EVERY time we ride the audio cuts off, particularly when entering the "rain" scene. I realize that the ride will be interrupted when a wheelchair patron loads, but it seems too coincidental that it happens in the same place that often. We were there on October 1st and the narration was almost completely missing for the duration of the ride. Pretty disappointing after waiting 30 minutes to ride. Does disney have some time of quality control to monitor these type of problems? I thought Pooh just had a recent rehab!
ariel03
10-04-2007, 07:22 PM
My family rode it on Sept. 13th and noticed no problems with the ride that day.
crltkcagle
10-04-2007, 08:17 PM
this was our first time on pooh and was disappointed to find mr. toads wild ride gone. did pooh take it's place?
RockChalkKimball
10-04-2007, 08:45 PM
We've been on it multiple times and never had a problem. It's odd you would hit it when it is messed up so many times. Better luck next time!
IloveDisney71
10-04-2007, 08:58 PM
this was our first time on pooh and was disappointed to find mr. toads wild ride gone. did pooh take it's place?
Yes
kim1st
10-04-2007, 09:15 PM
We were there a year ago and Pooh was definitely experiencing some kind of technical difficulties...the ride was actually out of commission completely for a good 10-15 minutes while we were waiting on the platform to get into our Honey Pot...oh dear, Christopher Robin!
FlaTinkRAMESAM
10-04-2007, 09:34 PM
It ALWAYS stops for us... and usually in the same place (right before "HOORAY!") to the point where my daughter says to me, "we gonna stop now mommy."
Snow White is HORRIBLE at stopping and it drives me absolutely batty.
mttafire
10-04-2007, 09:37 PM
Hmm, We really like pooh. Never had any issues while riding it. I didnt want to see toad go though...BUT,Winnie is at decent replacement.:thumbsup:
SurferStitch
10-05-2007, 06:24 AM
We really like Pooh, and I don't recall ever experiencing any technical problems on it, but for goodness sake, I wish they would turn on the AC!
It's like an oven in there every time we visit.
:fan:
I agree. We've experience a lot of issues with the stopping and starting and the audio dropping out.
My bigger complaint, though, is the fact that the ride is barely ten years old and it looks worse than some of the original dark rides. That Heffalump and Woozles scene is a mess. Stains all over, broken effects, dirt in the corners ... buy a broom for heaven's sake!
LibertyTreeGal
10-05-2007, 07:49 AM
We really like Pooh, and I don't recall ever experiencing any technical problems on it, but for goodness sake, I wish they would turn on the AC!
It's like an oven in there every time we visit.
:fan:
I think that's a throwback to Mr Toad ;) when he went to H E Double Hockeysticks
Anyway, we've never had a problem either!
DisneyGrrrl
10-05-2007, 08:18 AM
We were there on the morning of 9/30 and it was completely down all morning. Maybe it was still having difficulty?
crltkcagle
10-05-2007, 09:12 AM
that explains it. i knew the whole time i felt like i was on toad's ride! that was one of my all time fav's but i guess disney has to keep up with what the kids of today like. rip toads wild ride.
Terra
10-05-2007, 09:44 AM
YES!! My DS loves this ride too but the audio always seems messed up and we stop alot as well...and yup it's hot!!
Oh and thanks Ian!!! Know I'll be looking at the dirt in the corners now too!! ROFL!!
kathiep
10-05-2007, 09:49 AM
We rode it multiple times in mid-September and almost everytime there was an issue.
I think we stopped everytime right before the Hooray.
We were also stopped in the flooded area several times.
gtpooh
10-05-2007, 10:31 AM
We are big fans of the Pooh ride, and can't wait to take DS (15 months) for the first time next month. We've never had problems, but we haven't been on the ride in a few years, so we'll have to see! I hope it's working smoothly then, and I'm disappointed to hear reports that it is dirty as well!
magicman
10-05-2007, 11:10 AM
First of all, I really like the ride.
However, we experience two problems consistently: (1) Tigger audio cuts in and says that they're experiencing technical difficulties, and (2) When the smoke ring is supposed to blow out, nothing comes out.
(2) When the smoke ring is supposed to blow out, nothing comes out.Yep. That's another maintenance item in that Heffalump and Woozle room.
It's a neat effect, but it's pointless if there's no smoke.
I am really not a huge fan of this attraction but also have noticed the start of disrepair it is in the last time I rode it in June 2007.
I have to say after hearing that we were getting the Winnie the Pooh ride and researching what they were gettting in Tokyo I was extremely excited only to find we were getting the cheap generic version of Pooh's Honey Hunt. This ride was always a disappointment for me.
I wonder if the maintainence and up keep were a direct effect of the litigation that was ongoing with the rights to Pooh.
Imagineer1981
10-05-2007, 11:41 AM
Last time I rode it, the bounce with Tigger part didn't even bounce!!!
With respect to quality control in the attractions... ("WRT QC" looked unreadable ;))
Years ago I rode RRC solo and a CM hopped into the seat beside me- said he was checking audio- all speakers working? I thought at the time that wasn't too bad a job. :D
Perhaps RRC is perceived to depend on audio more than WP? Has anyone experienced an audio issue on RRC? ...and isn't it "i before e except after c"? (not sure about perceived- too lazy to look it up)
ibelieveindisneymagic
10-05-2007, 11:54 AM
I never really thought about it, until I read this post, but we've had more than our share of issues on this ride too!
We've never had problems with Tigger bouncing or the smoke rings, but we ALWAYS seem to stop...more often than not in the rain, or when the say Hooray!, but I think we've stopped just about everywhere...and it isn't once or twice a ride...but many times.
I wonder why this one is so much worse than the others?
RBrooksC
10-05-2007, 12:02 PM
this was our first time on pooh and was disappointed to find mr. toads wild ride gone. did pooh take it's place?
Good grief. Mr. Toad has been missing from WDW for almost ten years now. If you look carefully over your left shoulder in Owl's house you can see a picture of Toad giving the deed of the building to Owl. It is a nice touch but I wish they could have kept Toad and added Pooh like they did in Disneyland.
I wish they could have kept Toad and added Pooh like they did in Disneyland.:ditto:
Mufasa
10-05-2007, 12:55 PM
I have to say after hearing that we were getting the Winnie the Pooh ride and researching what they were gettting in Tokyo I was extremely excited only to find we were getting the cheap generic version of Pooh's Honey Hunt. This ride was always a disappointment for me.
I wonder if the maintainence and up keep were a direct effect of the litigation that was ongoing with the rights to Pooh.
No, there's no correlation between maintenance and the litigation surrounding the rights with Pooh.
Even Tokyo's version of the attraction- Pooh's Hunny Hunt has had some challenges in the past with the maintenance of such a complicated ride system but OLC was willing to take a chance on the system (and it was also a case where the ride system was already in development for another OLC attraction and we were able to adapt it for our needs).
Part of the reason why OLC was able to justify the capital expenditure on an attraction like Hunny Hunt was that they weren't looking at the attraction as just another kiddie dark ride- Pooh and friends in Japan have a huge following amongst all age groups and the attraction was developed with adults also in mind.
As for the quality control of attractions in the park- yes, there is a team at all of our resorts within Imagineering that falls under Show Quality Standards or SQS for short. That group documents all of the standards for our attractions in regards to things like art direction- for example, they'll create reference panels for things like black light paint samples so we know what they should look like under both normal lighting conditions and under the black light "show" lighting.
However, it all depends on the individual parks management and budgets they direct towards maintenance and determining whether something is critical to the show (in my opinion every last detail counts) and you either stay aggressive and proactive about maintenance at the cost of perhaps having to take down an attraction for a short period during a peak season, or for a long extended rehab during a slower season- which decision will impact more guests?
Either way, a bad show though is unacceptable.
Either way, a bad show though is unacceptable.First off, I totally agree with you. Bad show is unacceptable.
But I think what bothers people like Jeff and I about it even more is that we know how much time and energy Imagineering pours into things like SQS. They spend literally years working on these attractions, fine-tuning them, making them as close to a perfect guest experience as they can.
And then it all goes to heck in a handbasket because WDW management is too cheap to throw a few dollars towards the maintenance side of the house.
In my opinion, attraction maintenance and upkeep should be centralized for the two domestic parks under Imagineering and they should get a new, corporate level budget for keeping things up to par.
Mickeydream
10-05-2007, 05:00 PM
I saw the video of the Tokyo Disneyland Winnie the Pooh ride....it's awesome! It's too bad that Florida doesn't have that cool one! We'll have to check it out for audio problems, signs of wear and tear and cleanliness when we're at WDW in November. :mickey:
jetsdc
10-05-2007, 05:13 PM
And then it all goes to heck in a handbasket because WDW management is too cheap to throw a few dollars towards the maintenance side of the house.
Totally agree - and there is really no excuse for how dirty the heffalump room is. There's dirt, footprints, scuff marks, scratches, and even sometimes used chewing gum in there. No doubt some of this (e.g., the gum) is a result of careless guests. The way guests treat the park these days has clearly made upkeep and maintenance significantly harder, more time consuming, and more costly. I can accept that -- BUT dirt can still be cleaned up, and there should not be scuff marks on visible walls within an attraction.
When you see too much "real life" in plain view, the element of fantasy is lost and the show suffers as a consequence. Maybe Ian's suggestion for centralizing upkeep in a division that does not have to specifically account for profit/loss would make more sense.
darthmacho
10-05-2007, 05:39 PM
I like the ride a lot, and I think the effects, though simple, are cool. It's a shame to think that they can't keep this attraction maintained properly. Sounds like neglect spawned from budget cuts, no doubt.
For shame. :(
joelkfla
10-06-2007, 06:12 PM
It is a nice touch but I wish they could have kept Toad and added Pooh like they did in Disneyland.
DL sacrificed CBJ for it.
Kairi_7378
10-06-2007, 07:14 PM
Rode Pooh on Oct. 1 during EMH's with no problems other than it being slightly warm in the first sequence.
First off, I totally agree with you. Bad show is unacceptable.
But I think what bothers people like Jeff and I about it even more is that we know how much time and energy Imagineering pours into things like SQS. They spend literally years working on these attractions, fine-tuning them, making them as close to a perfect guest experience as they can.
And then it all goes to heck in a handbasket because WDW management is too cheap to throw a few dollars towards the maintenance side of the house.
In my opinion, attraction maintenance and upkeep should be centralized for the two domestic parks under Imagineering and they should get a new, corporate level budget for keeping things up to par.
This is exactly what annoys me I understand it's a business but when budget cuts hurt the show quality as management is raising ticket prices and room rates it shows little respect for the Imagineers who created the Magic and the guests who come to experience it.
I definately agree that ride maintenance should fall under imagineering since they best know what was intended for the attraction better than park management. They would put the same pride into maintaining the attractions they put into building them.
I have nothing but respect and admiration for what imagineering does t the parks and I love it when they are given the freedom to create an attraction like Everest. It saddens me when they are forced to create attractions with tight budget restrictions that in the long run hurts the quality of the attraction. I guess I still believe in Walt's philosophy about building it better not matter what the cost.
ASweetLov
10-07-2007, 08:55 PM
I absolutely love the Pooh ride. It brings back so many memories of when I was about 3 or 4 and would watch Pooh every day and the heffalumps and woozels would scare me. :pooh:
LuckyMum22
10-07-2007, 09:21 PM
Rode Pooh on Oct. 1 during EMH's with no problems other than it being slightly warm in the first sequence.
I always thought this was "theming"...
I thought that the first scene is supposed to be warm because it is summertime as the story begins.
We rode on Sept. 26 and didn't have any problems, at least not until I realized (when I read this thread) that the smoke ring was missing! I remember that from past years and I know now that it was not there this time.
One other thing I noticed was a someone's empty water bottle discarded in the rain scene. I have to agree that guests are not showing respect for the park! We saw a lot of that in so many different ways on our most recent visit. :shake:
I have to agree that guests are not showing respect for the park! We saw a lot of that in so many different ways on our most recent visit. :shake:
Add this to the fact that WDW management keeps cutting back on Janitorial Positions and the parks are becoming a mess especially during busier times.
Dyanna
10-15-2007, 01:44 PM
The ac was not working in the 1st portion of the ride last week. By the end we were fine.
poeticeclipse
10-16-2007, 09:38 AM
I'm not a big fan of the Pooh attraction to start with but if there is a short line and we have no where else we'd rather be, we ride!
The last time we did ride we had issues with the Tigger bouncing part not working. And we did get stuck on the ride for about 10 minutes. Sounds like they need to crack the code and fix the problem! :(
LizLovesDiz
10-17-2007, 01:13 PM
The last time we went on this ride,we got stuck in the rain scene for 25 minutes!They finally decided to let us out of our honey pots,and walk to the front.I will not be going on this ride for a very long time,they need to fix it badly if it is still happening!!!:(
DadTriton
10-18-2007, 10:14 PM
Being one of the top attractions at MK, and being a very mild experience, at lot of handicap riders attend this attraction. You will notice 2 pots for wheel chairs.
Haunted Mansion has this issue too.
And Buzz.
A continuous ride and the handicap do not mix well, unfortunately.
They must stop to load and unload the handicap.
I have seen this personally and talk to CM about this.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.2 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.