News Walt Disney World Adds Water Park Perk for Resort Guests

[peter11435]

Unless you are willing to pay for their training. Most healthy 20 year olds can learn to swim and become one, it just takes time and money to do so. Something Disney isn’t willing to do.

Disney does pay for lifeguard training and certification

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It’s almost like you didn’t bother to finish reading the post you quoted.

It’s almost like you don’t understand what college program is…is all year, bro

 

[surfsupdon]

But they in essence took the perk away in the non summer months because the demand was too high. If that’s the case, keep both open as often as possible and people will come on the mild and warm days.

 

[plutofan15]

Disney does pay for lifeguard training and certification

Indeed. But they are not going to pay to teach someone to swim, got to have that ability ahead of the guard training.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Indeed. But they are not going to pay to teach someone to swim, got to have that ability ahead of the guard training.

Who ever implied people who could not swim were hired as lifeguards?

 

[surfsupdon]

Who ever implied people who could not swim were hired as lifeguards?

Plus there is literally only the wave pool at Typhoon and a section of Stormalong that is over 5ft deep. Disney removed all deep ends from pools and every practice drill or rescue I have seen has the lifeguard water sprinting or bounding to the person. Not face down in pool with strokes.

 

[plutofan15]

Who ever implied people who could not swim were hired as lifeguards?

"Unless you are willing to pay for their training. Most healthy 20 year olds can learn to swim and become one, it just takes time and money to do so. Something Disney isn’t willing to do."

Mr. Touchdown implied (See above quote) that Disney is unwilling to teach 20 year olds how to swim.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

"Unless you are willing to pay for their training. Most healthy 20 year olds can learn to swim and become one, it just takes time and money to do so. Something Disney isn’t willing to do."

Mr. Touchdown implied (See above quote) that Disney is unwilling to teach 20 year olds how to swim.

Oh…well that doesn’t make much sense

Lifeguards attractions swimmers…as a sorts guaranteed general rule

 

[plutofan15]

Plus there is literally only the wave pool at Typhoon and a section of Stormalong that is over 5ft deep. Disney removed all deep ends from pools and every practice drill or rescue I have seen has the lifeguard water sprinting or bounding to the person. Not face down in pool with strokes.

I have had to rescue people out of four feet of water at the bottom of a water slide who were in full on panic mode and pulled me under the water. You would think it would be as easy as walking to them and telling them to simply stand up but a person who thinks they are drowning is in full survival mode and is not thinking rationally, they will not hear or comprehend what you are saying. A guard needs strong swimming skills unless they are only working foot deep wading pools. And as a lifeguard, you never swim with your head in the water, as you are supposed to keep your eye on the victim at all times. Swimming quickly with your head out of the water is more difficult and tiring than with your in the water by the way. Even in 5 feet of water, the fastest way to get to the victim is by swimming not walking or attempting to run. I have no idea what "water sprinting or bounding" even is. Also, keep in mind that you say that it is only 5 feet deep, with the number of children at Disney, that depth can be several feet above the height of many kids.

 

[plutofan15]

Oh…well that doesn’t make much sense

Lifeguards attractions swimmers…as a sorts guaranteed general rule

Exactly. It was the ridiculous statement that started this conversation. The idea that Disney (or any company) would pick a random person from a college program and teach them how to swim in order to be certified as a lifeguard is preposterous.
I may not know much, but I am well experienced in this matter.

 

[plutofan15]

It’s almost like you don’t understand what college program is…is all year, bro

Indeed it is all year. The issue with finding qualified people to be lifeguards in the college program is that the swimming season starts sometime in late fall and runs until March with conference/national championships. Anyone committed to the sport is not participating in the college program during this time which vastly shrinks the pool of qualified people in the college program.

 

[Disone]

I’m talking like 1999, junior

I wasn't

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I wasn't

So they do a worst job now? Yeah that’s about saving employee costs…nothing more

 

[Disone]

So they do a worst job now? Yeah that’s about saving employee costs…nothing more

Nah. Not in this case. I'm just as much a harsh critic of Disney as you but in this case I get it. There isn't demand for two water parks in 5 or 6 months they have one closed, which is typically early to mid-october to early to mid-march. And I really don't know if way back in 1999 they were only closed for about 5 weeks each instead of almost three months. I don't feel like that's right but I can't find the data on it. But I was working for them back then and I feel like they were also shut down for roughly 3 months each.

 

[Disone]

Nah. Not in this case. I'm just as much a harsh critic of Disney as you but in this case I get it. There isn't demand for two water parks in 5 or 6 months they have one closed, which is typically early to mid-october to early to mid-march. And I really don't know if way back in 1999 they were only closed for about 5 weeks each instead of almost three months. I don't feel like that's right but I can't find the data on it. But I was working for them back then and I feel like they were also shut down for roughly 3 months each.

Thinking more on this there just really wasn't a moment from the mid-90s to 2018 where there was this great debate online about wow they've gone from only 5 weeks of being closed to almost 3 months. I feel like that would have been a big debate especially on a forum like this. And the fact that there isn't a history of such a debate indicates that the current practice of closing each one for about 3 months up until covid was pretty standard.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Nah. Not in this case. I'm just as much a harsh critic of Disney as you but in this case I get it. There isn't demand for two water parks in 5 or 6 months they have one closed, which is typically early to mid-october to early to mid-march. And I really don't know if way back in 1999 they were only closed for about 5 weeks each instead of almost three months. I don't feel like that's right but I can't find the data on it. But I was working for them back then and I feel like they were also shut down for roughly 3 months each.

But that’s a different argument…

They sell tickets that include both waterparks every day of the year…within reason

Not running them saves them costs…but provides less value

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

But that’s a different argument…

They sell tickets that include both waterparks every day of the year…within reason

Not running them saves them costs…but provides less value

The tickets I see them selling are pretty advertised to only include one of the two water parks…

The pass and tickets below provide admission to Disney's Blizzard Beach water park OR Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park, whichever is open.

And as others have said, if there was the demand to have both open they would probably be more eager to do so, but there just isn’t much demand during the winter. Even with the free tickets on check in day, Typhoon Lagoon has been pretty abandoned when I’ve been recently!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The tickets I see them selling are pretty advertised to only include one of the two water parks…

The single day waterpark only tickets…yes

How many of those are sold? And what about the multi day or annual tickets? That’s the lions share.

They can do whatever they want…but there’s not really a case to be made that they only open the waterparks at THEIR leisure and have done so for a long time.

It is what it is

 

[Tom P.]

The single day waterpark only tickets…yes

How many of those are sold? And what about the multi day or annual tickets? That’s the lions share.

They can do whatever they want…but there’s not really a case to be made that they only open the waterparks at THEIR leisure and have done so for a long time.

It is what it is

Yes, and what it is is not what you keep insisting.

 

[flynnibus]

The time it takes to become certified is not worth it to the individual and the company that would be training them unless it was for a year round position. And no, most healthy 20 year olds cannot easily learn to become a certified lifeguard. There is a huge difference between learning to swim and be certified especially for a water park with a wave pool and lazy river.

No there isn't. A lifeguarding class can be passed in 2-3 days. How do I know? My wife is a LGI and one of her responsibilities at work is to take new hires and get them lifeguard certified. They literally take people with no background and train the CPR and lifeguard certifications as they require a percentage of employees to be certified. Most randos have trouble with the 10lb brick or distance swimming and need to prep/train some for that. The lifeguarding certification is not expensive. Most employers will even offer it for free, even for summer hires. The criteria to be a lifeguard are pretty basic.. literally any kid who ever swam laps period (like age group summer clubs) can do it with ease and anyone with even basic fitness can train to do the distance swim.

It just takes people willing to do that work vs other roles - which means paying people enough to want to do that work. More people would rather do work they see as far less physical or risk being responsible for someone else.