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WDW Taking a Hit Over Gator and Massacre ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
jlsHouston
Well-Known Member
Never stayed at CR although once I bought points and stayed at BLT for a weekend. POLY grabbed my heart the first time I walked in that place on the way to OHANA and I guess as far as the monorail resorts she still owns it
I really have tried to love the GF...
GlassHalfFull
Well-Known Member
A huge portion of the "hit" this summer is also the lack of good economies around the world.. summer time used to be complete no go zone for me, if for nothing else.. huge school groups who took all the fast passes, and camped around the world in Epcot from dinner time on until Illuminations.. but I haven't heard anyone complaining about those issues this summer.. and I'd find it hard to believe that a school group from Brazil etc would cancel their trip within a week or month based on a very sick individual who carried out a shooting miles away and an isolated gator attack.. I think they have an effect.. but if I'm a betting man, the issues I see in my job, are that the world markets coupled with rising prices are far and away are more influential in the slower than normal attendance.. I know every AP I know has gone more this summer than they ever have because of the lower crowd numbers.. I know a couple dozen people/families who make family trips every year, and a couple families who are planning their first trip of their life, and not one of them has said they are scared off by issues in Orlando..
It isn't a 100% explanation, its somewhere between my experience and whats being asserted here.. but world markets coupled with rising costs is far and away more influential in the decline this summer.. just my 2 cents..
I also want the gators back.. unless they re-theme Blizzard Beach for Olaf..
It isn't a 100% explanation, its somewhere between my experience and whats being asserted here.. but world markets coupled with rising costs is far and away more influential in the decline this summer.. just my 2 cents..
I also want the gators back.. unless they re-theme Blizzard Beach for Olaf..
Electricsoup
Well-Known Member
Gators are back as of today in the parade and castle show.
the.dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
It wasn't just tourists feeding those gators.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...rs-in-months-before-deadly-attack-on-toddler/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...rs-in-months-before-deadly-attack-on-toddler/
KINGLOUIS1993
Well-Known Member
I for one find it ridiculous that they feel the need to remove all Gator and Croc related characters from floats and shows etc...
It was an unfortunate incident yes, don't get me wrong but it was such a rare thing to happen, I am from England and the most dangerous animal we have is a puff adder but I have been to Florida 9 times now and Gators are part of the landscape so to speak. We are talking about removing cartoon animals from shows and floats and jokes regarding crocodiles on a much loved ride, it is so over the top.
If anything it draws more attention to the situation. I hope when it cools down things are replaced as they were, I have a feeling it may get even worse and they change the gator from Blizzard Beach to an Armadillo.
It was an unfortunate incident yes, don't get me wrong but it was such a rare thing to happen, I am from England and the most dangerous animal we have is a puff adder but I have been to Florida 9 times now and Gators are part of the landscape so to speak. We are talking about removing cartoon animals from shows and floats and jokes regarding crocodiles on a much loved ride, it is so over the top.
If anything it draws more attention to the situation. I hope when it cools down things are replaced as they were, I have a feeling it may get even worse and they change the gator from Blizzard Beach to an Armadillo.
Electricsoup
Well-Known Member
They're back now. And it was out of an abundance of sensitivity to guests (actually like myself) who were at the resorts when this happened. Imagine you were at the GF and witnessed this, and found it in you to go to the parks the next day.
Removing them temporarily - which they did, because they're already back - was the right choice.
Princess Leia
Well-Known Member
So Louis is back now, yes?
Horizons1
Well-Known Member
Yea. Until he eats a toddler.
KINGLOUIS1993
Well-Known Member
Fair enough a temporary removal seems a bit more logical, apologies to cause offence I guess I am just a bit more stone faced than some. We all deal with things differently. I hope you still enjoyed your trip and made the most out of it.
KINGLOUIS1993
Well-Known Member
I am eating nobody
JohnD
Well-Known Member
Here's the latest: http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/new-details-released-in-fatal-disney-gator-attack
And here's the final report: https://www.scribd.com/document/321898336/Final-Investigative-Report-on-Lane-Graves#from_embed
Apparently, the son was building a sandcastle at the water's edge.
And here's the final report: https://www.scribd.com/document/321898336/Final-Investigative-Report-on-Lane-Graves#from_embed
Apparently, the son was building a sandcastle at the water's edge.
JohnD
Well-Known Member
Here's what's heartbreaking about all this: According to the report, the attack occurred at "approximately 2100 hours" (9:00 pm).
But beforehand, an alligator (same one?) was reported at about 2015 hours (8:15pm): "Miss ____ [name in report. Not relevant here] was on the beach at approximately 2015 hours with her two daughters, ages 15 and 9. The daughters saw an alligator about 5 feet from shore, near the marsh. The eldest daughter told the WDW AV/Movie Coordinator about the alligator. The person she told ran to a man whose shirt said “Coordinator” and told him about the alligator." They left and returned later to find out the attack had occurred.
If only a CM had taken action. . .
SorcererMC
Well-Known Member
Do we know what action the CM may or may not have taken? Perhaps they acted accordingly but were 'overruled' as the movie viewing was already scheduled?
I'm w/ you though in that this seems it could and should have been prevented.
JohnD
Well-Known Member
I only know what's in the report. But still. If only. . . .
SorcererMC
Well-Known Member
ok. I just read the report. It is heart-breaking, but I'm glad that it is publicly available so that speculation can be put to rest. In addition to the tourist you cited who reported an alligator sighting at 2015 hours, there was an earlier report (by a tourist to a CM) of an alligator sighting at ~1930 hours. The report does not say what the CM did or did not do.
The report concludes (for those who don't bother to read it) that the accident was the result of an apex predator exhibiting predatory behavior, and the report includes data on other FL alligator bite incidents by county; this case is the first fatal incident in FL according to the report.
May the Graves family find peace if at all possible.
pmaljr
Well-Known Member
Not that it matters but gators were still in LWTL when we went the week after, but then when we went back the week of 8/11, they were gone, both from the waterfall scene and from the farm tanks. In fact, the whole farm tank was sealed with a blue covering completely. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
oceanbreeze77
Well-Known Member
Few scary highlights I took note of:
-The guy who was on his way to warn the family.--who also notified an employee about an earlier sighting.
-The woman who reported an alligator a minutes before.
-A separate investigation for alligator feeding.
-alligator has not been matched-but yet they claim they have it
I know this is a "what were they supposed to do case" but now that we have more facts I really feel that more could have been done here. I know no lawsuit will become of this but after reading witness accounts, and reading about reported sightings prior to the event, I feel that disney could have definitely done more. Its a complete tragedy that probably could have been avoided.
-The guy who was on his way to warn the family.--who also notified an employee about an earlier sighting.
-The woman who reported an alligator a minutes before.
-A separate investigation for alligator feeding.
-alligator has not been matched-but yet they claim they have it
I know this is a "what were they supposed to do case" but now that we have more facts I really feel that more could have been done here. I know no lawsuit will become of this but after reading witness accounts, and reading about reported sightings prior to the event, I feel that disney could have definitely done more. Its a complete tragedy that probably could have been avoided.
Bairstow
Well-Known Member
It kind of does.
Disney is wanting to downplay any images of alligators, let alone alligators themselves until Lane's death is out of the headlines, and preferably far from their guests minds.
Filby61
Well-Known Member
I look forward to seeing apologies to the Graves family from the forum members who posted hundreds of times in the week following this tragedy that it was the fault of the boy for swimming where he shouldn't have been, or the fault of his parents for ignoring the No Swimming signs, or that his parents had been drinking, or that his parents were sue-happy and would bleed Disney dry, or any of the numerous other blame-the-victim theories that abounded on this forum.