From: olivia@leland.Stanford.EDU (Olivia Williamson)
Subject: Rec.Arts.Disney.LIVE!  12/15/92  Splash Mountain at WDW
Reply-To: rad_live@gsb.stanford.edu
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 17:01:47 GMT



SPLASH MOUNTAIN AT WDW

I rode Splash Mountain several times today.  (should we use
monorail parlance?  SplM Mark II, unit A?  As opposed to
SpaM, Space Mountain?) 
The wait was nonexistant because it's off-season, although
they have A LOT of queue area for the busier days.

Warning--there could be what might be construed as spoilers
in the remainder of this article, so if you are really 
concerned, better skip it.

Splash Mountain IIA is just plain BIGGER than SplM-I.
The logs are bigger and wider, and the whole structure
holding the attraction is much larger than in California.

SplM-IIA logs are styled as two logs tied-together like
a raft, and have 4 rows of two distinct one-person seats.
This allows for much more comfortable riding, and according
to Disney News (magazine), was a prerequisite for the
installation at Tokyo Disneyland.

The ride loads and dispatches two logs at a time.  It's 
VERY efficient--even with fewer logs in-circuit for 
an off-season day, logs were going out empty.
There's room for buffering logs before and after
the load area, which seems to help throughput.

The lifts are very different from SplM-I.  SplM-I uses 
rubber conveyor belts; SplM-IIA uses a neat dual-chain
lift system where there are TWO drive chains on either side.
Each lift is fed by a very short rubber-belt conveyor.  
Smooth, fast, no kickback, and interestingly, no 
antireverse ratchets.  Good Show, WDI!

The major ride elements have been preserved from SplM-I:
you're dropped right into the show, and there's a neat
'dark drop' midway through the show.  Once you drop inside
and into the show, you float along a LOT SLOWER than on 
SplM-I, about as fast as Pirates of the Caribbean.  This
helps a lot--you can actually follow the story line now!
SplM-I's story line is just a blur.

The show elements of SplM-IIA are, IMHO, 150% better than 
SplM-I:
  - You can MAKE OUT THE DIALOG
  - You can MAKE OUT THE SCENES
  - The lighting and color design are superior
  - The Audio-Animatronics work is cleaner, smoother, and
    motion much more flexible and realistic
  - There are log-queued effects
  - It's dry inside 
    (which I suppose is good for the A-A equipment, too)
The story line is different and more complex on SplM-IIA.
Brer and the gang run off for more adventure, which is how
they get in trouble.  

There are several really neat effects (and therefore 
spoilers) that I want to point out as not-to-miss:
  - There's a big green hill background upon which the
    Brer gang (fox/rabbit/bear) runs off AS SILHOUETTES.
    It's hard to see and only happens once per log, 
    so look close.
  - There's a REALLY NEAT motion control Brer Rabbit
    effect on the left immediately following the
    silhouette scene.  I will say this much: Brer
    follows alongside your log.
  - There's a definite "waterworks scene"--as you enter,
    watch just in front of your log for a Journey-into-
    Imagination-esque jumping water fountain that follows
    you for about 25 feet!

WETNESS
I'm sure you've been waiting for me to talk about that
final drop.  Good news and bad news.  The entire ride,
no matter where you sit, is drier than SplM-I, which 
has water constantly washing over the sides of the logs
(and getting your pants soaked).  
               SplM-I             SplM-IIA
               Body    Head       Body    Head
 Front row     VeryWet Soaked     Dry     VeryWet
 Middle        Wet     VeryWet    Dry     Wet
 Back row      Dry     Wet        Dry     Wet

SplM-IIA is also less variable than SplM-I is in terms
of the total loaded weight of the log.  IMHO, the 
heavier a SplM-I log, the bigger the splash.

For me, the splashdown at the end was less exciting
than that in the original design.
Even if physically the designs are identical, from a
rider perspective it is not /apparently/ as steep, 
fast, or long as the drop in California.  

Splash Mountain at WDW on a 1-10 scale gets a 9 from me
(not a 10 only because the wetness makes it hard to
ride depending on what you're wearing or carrying).
SplM-IIA is a really big improvement over its predecessor,
and a big win for WDI.

Facts on Splash Mountain:
    40 MPH, descent, faster than any other WDW attraction
    5 story, 50-foot plunge at 47 degree angle


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