Is the Yeti still not working?

I'm with the "Cinderelly" camp on this.....fix the darn thing! Better yet, why not expand the attraction and include the Yeti in another, more "serviceable" place. Time for the Imaginaeers to start using a little more imagination! Get with it
Disney......the cost of a one day ticket should at least provide attractions that actually work as designed! I'm not a happy camper here my friends!

So, to make sure Intercot members are properly informed and not given bad info:

1. They do have easy access to the yeti, as previously mentioned... Yeti was the last thing installed, and can be the first thing removed, if needed..

2. No part of the mountain or any part of the coaster tracks need to be removed in order to fix the yeti or the foundation he is on... So saying the track or part of the track needs to be removed, or part of the mountain needs to be removed is bad info and or misinformation...

3. As to the plans, again, yes a plan exists, or at least existed where the ride would not have to have any down time, or at the most, minimal down time... The most down time would have been maybe a few days while they disassembled the yeti and his support mechanisms inside his show area.. again, not affecting the structure of the mountain or coaster...

4. The yeti's foundation work could have been worked on at night, while the ride operated in the day time...

5. Money was the major issue in fixing the yeti... No one wanted to pay for it, with each group accusing the other as to who is responsible... Rumors have been spread recently though that a budget has been approved to fix the yeti, but no one seems to want to talk about how true that is... Or who would wind up paying for it... or when this will actually be done... it is only speculation that the yeti will finally be fixed once Avatar opens... Again, no one is saying what the current plans are...

This information has been supported by, not just with words, but with diagrams as well...

So there you have it Intercotees... No part of the mountain or the coaster tracks/support needs to be removed in order to remove the yeti, and fix his foundation... This is now put to rest...

Cinderelley, the ride is entirely safe... Ignore the talk about the ride infrastructure... That has nothing to do with the problems of the yeti... The issue is the yeti, its foundation, and the show room the yeti is in... The ride itself is fine, other than certain effects running hot and cold... The tracks or the mountain are in no danger of collapsing...

Thank you for that information DisneyFreak. Okay Disney execs time to knock a few heads together and get the job done. Maybe you could just split the cost between the various departments involved. Whatever it takes "Getter done" :mickey:

Mrs Bus Driver;2455543 wrote: Thank you for that information DisneyFreak. Okay Disney execs time to knock a few heads together and get the job done. Maybe you could just split the cost between the various departments involved. Whatever it takes "Getter done" :mickey:

You are welcome...

Now, time to sift through other info... ;)

manutd1;2455418 wrote: When Disneyland opened...hardly ANY rides worked. The pavement melted...there was trash everywhere... Walt was there...but he opened it anyways.....WHY MONEY!! He needed cash flow.
So...the what would walt do argument doesn't hold water.
Besides....as I stated..earlier. Probably less than 1/100 of a percent of all riders even notice it doesn't work. Not an issue.
The parks are in fantastic shape. I believe Walt would be VERY happy with with his legacy and the parks. There is no place on earth like WDW/DLR. Period.

Walt was under intense pressure and timing issues, he needed that money so he could keep reinvesting and getting it to the way he wanted it.

I'm kinda tempted to make a tshirt that says "Fix the Yeti" and wear it to AK on my trip. lol

DizneyFreak2002;2455540 wrote:

So there you have it Intercotees... No part of the mountain or the coaster tracks/support needs to be removed in order to remove the yeti, and fix his foundation... This is now put to rest...

...

Phew! At last we have the definitive answer. It turns out that the yeti has been shut down for the last seven years because of a silly little dispute over a repair bill. And during all those years it could have been easily fixed without any major construction or shutdown of the ride. Good to know. Now we can all move on to other topics.

Still, it would be helpful to know your source of expert knowledge, just to put us at ease. My own information comes from being a Cast Member at Animal Kingdom Asia Attractions for more than 10 years, having been present during the construction of EE, having worked at the ride as a Cast Member, having been inside the mountain and observed the physical layout of the yeti and its support base, having had numerous discussions with Disney managers in charge of the ride (past and present) and their boss, the Asia Attractions manager, and having listened carefully to Joe Rhode, the Executive Imagineer responsible for the creation EE and the entire Animal Kingdom park, during his visits to the area.

Your turn.

WDWdriver;2455576 wrote: Still, it would be helpful to know your source of expert knowledge, just to put us at ease.

What he said.

It seems like this discussion is getting a little tense at times. We should all just take a deep breath, relax and go ride Big Thunder instead.

BKBrinkman;2454788 wrote: This analysis matches what I've heard as well. All of us would love for it to be working properly and are disappointed it was possibly constructed in a way that would create future problems. However, considering this is the premier ride-based attraction at DAK right now, I just don't see them shutting it down for a refurbishment until Pandora is up and running.

I will second this as well. In the scheme of things as well, I am going to go with the idea that if it were simple to fix, they would have already done so...from both a PR and Financial standpoint. Always trust the all might dollar? ;)

Duck

Rebuild the figure using a carbon fiber structure, same strength 50 to 60 per cent weight reduction same foundation, voila.

I'm totally with 1DisneyNut and WDWdriver here.

I'm a chemical engineer who went into a project management discipline about 18 years ago. I've seen a lot, and can tell you that just because a body can fit into an area, doesn't mean the equipment required to do the work can also easily fit.

And, if the concrete foundation is bad, it's not as easy as adding more conrete to make it stronger. Just recently I had to replace a gas compressor at my plant. The old concrete base was about 18" more shallow than would be required for the new compressor. We couldn't simply add an 18" layer or beef it up with lag bolts. We had to bring in some heavy equipment (in a very tight place), jackhammer it out, and lay a new monolithic pour. And this compressor didn't BEGIN to exert the forces that the Yeti does.

Oh, and if there's only one way in/out... welcome to the world of confined spaces... even MORE people and equipment needed.

Simply put... there are NO easy fixes, no matter how much you spend, when it comes to this type of work.

It does sadden me that they didn't over design the Yeti structure/foundation to handle at least 150-200% of the calculated forces exerted. I'm sure there was some factor built in (there always is), but if the orignal calculations were underestimated, that's a problem.

I'm going to wear a tee shirt to AK that says "Fix the Yeti!" And in smaller print underneath that "sometime between my trips"

That is why it's not fixed if you ask me. It's not a big enough deal to take out the ride and have people miss the entire experience. Especially for people whose WDW trip is a once in a lifetime event.

My 2c