Disneyland Small World boats getting bigger to accomodate heavier riders
Mark sez, "In the original Anaheim Disneyland it may be a Small World after all, but that world's inhabitants are getting bigger and heavier almost by the day, so much so that some of the rides may have to be re-engineered. This has already been scheduled for the Small World ride, which will be closed for almost a year beginning in January for retooling. When the ride finally reopens, the flume will be an inch or so deeper and the boats more buoyant, thus allowing for several hundred more pounds of capacity."
Link (Thanks, Mark!)
The Small World ride now must accommodate adults who frequently weigh north of 200 pounds, which it often cannot do. Increasingly, overweighted boats get to certain points in the ride and bottom out, becoming stuck in the flume.
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okay, i weigh "north of 200 pounds"
Actually about a stone over, but my pre new years resolution is to get back under 200. which basically means losing a gut.
when i read this article i was imagining 300-400 pound individuals, but if they're having trouble with a weight that is normal for average people that are a bit tall then yes, time for a redesign.
Ironic.
North of 200 pounds?
This dude weights north of 200 pounds. If he can't ride, I guess the boats were overdue for an update. Or were they originally just for kids...?
Sadly I witness this at Disneyland this past June. A woman who had to weigh at least 375 got "stuck" in one of the boats and held up the on/off flow for a good 20 minutes. We all felt sad for her, but equally annoyed..
As a former Flume Ride operator at a well-known Florida Attraction, I can attest that todays 'well rounded' guests are inflicting much more wear and tear to equipment throughout the industry than has been the norm for decades. Benches that once were designed for two riders are now only accomodating one. Rollercoasters and other rides that generate lateral G-force loads are being retrofitted and beefed-up for new average weight exceeding 200 lbs. per rider.
Perhaps they need a new sign posted near the entrance to the ride:
You Must Be Narrower Than This Sign To Board the 'Small World' Ride
Nice to know when it's going to be closed. I took my three young daughters back in August, and It's a Small World was one of the last rides we went on, and I'm sorry to say they all enjoyed it, and now know my torture of not being able to get that song out of my head.
well come on. although we as a nation have gotten more obese, we've also gotten taller (and more afluence also means people have more time and money to go to the gym and gain mass of a healthier kind)
This story still makes us look bad; imagine someone not in the US just laughing at the "fat American cows".
the current fleet was falling apart, and has been for ages.
It was time for new boats regardless of how fat Americans are these days.
The Fat Lady's Guide to Disneyland
http://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/articles/judith2.shtml
The thing that I find the most amusing about this story, is this seems to be the opposite approach that other corporations would take.
Airlines would just downsize the boats, and charge more. The RIAA would sue the overweight customers for sinking the boats. And the Fast Food Industry would turn the water into slurpee.
Oh great. Now I have that "It's a Fatass World After All" song going through my head.
Those boats have been in use for 18 hours a day, 365 days a year, over the course of more than 40 years. They are FRP and the repair procedures require large amounts of Bondo. They were converted into Rotomolded plastic boats to decrease cost, not because the guests got heavier. Disney has recently converted the WDW Small World boats, the POTC boats at both DL and WDW, the Mexico boats, and will be doing the Land Pavillion boats at Epcot later this year.
Disney didn't do this because people are getting fat.
I love it. "We're not getting fatter, we're getting taller and more muscular. Because we're affluent."
Wake up.