Splash Mountain Getting Lap Bars

http://i276.photobucket.com/albums/kk7/WDWLOL/ssplashlapbarssummer2009-1.jpg

Splash Mountain is rumored to get lap-bars in 2010 or 2011. The photo posted above arose around Thanksgiving.

It is expected that the refurbishment either 2010 or 2011 will bring lap bars to the ride. They would have to re track the ride in order to fit the new boats. It is however most likely that 2011 refurbishment will be the transition.

Your thoughts on this?

(sorry if this was brought up on here already...)

**edit:

Walt Disney World's Splash Mountain

Traditional flumes are dead! (or at least they will be in another 10 years)

^No they wont :)

I foresee a shortage of new traditional flumes, but I don't consider that kind of ride to be dead. We saw a few built over the last few years, and we will see some more in the future.

...And I wonder what they are thinking.

Universal put lap bars on Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls. Those seats were tight to begin with; now the lap bar is such an interference that getting in and out of the boat is a major hassle. Or maybe it's just that I have big feet (but they're only 9-1/2EEE...). I would think that with Universal's design, any safety benefit they might have gained with those lap bars would be far outweighed by the additional hazards presented in loading and unloading...which, by the way, is where most ride accidents happen.

Oh, well, if this happens, it's certainly a lot more reasonable than what was rumored for the Disneyland ride during the last refit..........

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Well, this *would* explain the unusually long downtime this winter. But, that place leaks information more than a flume trough leaks water, so it seems as though if it really *were* happening, we'd've heard about it long before now.

I'm thinking balderdash, but you never know.

I'm only 5'10 and I always get stuck getting out of Dudley. Very annoying. Lap bars on SM gets an "ugh" from me!

Is there a problem with people jumping out of the boats? I don't see why they would spend money on things like this if it's not needed.

I heard its because they're adding a few airtime hills on sm. ;)

I actually asked about Dudley's lappies, and was told succinctly that there were *repeated issues* with people getting out of the boats mid-ride. The op seemed disgusted with the lapbars and with those guests who necessitated them....but she was nice to me.

While working at IOA in 2000 and 2001, I noticed that a few times a month, people were coming off Dudley Do Right's with bloody noses, sustained from the amazing last drop and splashdown. I always assumed that the lapbars were installed to help with that issue, but passengers exiting the boats mid-ride make sense as well. Riders exited the boats mid-ride a lot at Jurassic Park River Adventure. Maybe the lapbars were installed for both reasons.

was told succinctly that there were *repeated issues* with people getting out of the boats mid-ride

I figure that I hear the Voice Of God ("Please remain SEATED at ALL TIMES") about one out of every ten trips on Splash. If it happens, it would not surprise me to learn that this is a Guest Stupidity device.

^^LK, I think that, as we saw with Revulsion at SFMM, when people "fall forward" and bloody their noses, OTSRs are the solution. OK, maybe that's not the best example... ;)

rollergator said:
^^LK, I think that, as we saw with Revulsion at SFMM, when people "fall forward" and bloody their noses, OTSRs are the solution. OK, maybe that's not the best example... ;)

The OTSRs are ONE solution, out of several :) And a crappy solution at that...

Could people be a little more specific with their posts?

You'd think this guy isn't aware that there is more than one Splash Mountain ride...

There's been threads on other boards with people who have run the rides at DL and MK. People get out of the boats, from the sounds of it, just about every day.

Just remember, some of these people are probably allowed to vote, too.

You'd think this guy isn't aware that there is more than one Splash Mountain ride...

I'm assuming Florida, as the picture has two-across seating.

Lame, I'm still surprised CF hasn't added seatbelts or some kind of restraints to their log flumes.

One thing I always liked about the rides at Disney is their lack of useless secondary restraints, no seat divider or seatbelts on Big Thunder Mountain, no seatbelts on Everest and Space Mountain.

I don't know what CF thinks, but I a old-fashioned enough to think that restraints and water rides can be a bad combination. Am I the only person who rides rapids rides with one hand on the seat belt buckle?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

You are definitely NOT the only one. I rarely even ride them anymore, but when I do I am ready for a flip.