Disney Grad Nites at Typhoon Lagoon in 2017

[AEfx]

However, Graduating seniors at a water park at night? Yeah, no way that goes wrong...

Yeah, I think that you just described the reaction of the majority of us who opened this thread.

Let's put it this way - if I had a kid, they wouldn't be going...

 

[ProfSavage]

Yeah, sorry, but I used to teach in a high school (only for a year, while working on my Masters, and had the good sense to become an adjunct).

High school kids are miserable and always looking to try and bend/break rules wherever they can. I never went to grad nite, because my family had APs when we lived in FL so I didn't see the need to (and I didn't like high school kids when I was IN high school, but I digress) but I always heard from friends who went in high school that pregaming was the thing. And friends who were CMs in college always said what a clusterfornication Grad Nites were.

The anecdotes here seem to solidify it.

So yeah, I think teenagers getting drunk beforehand with a water park element and being stupid kids with lack of supervision and everything... could potentially be a clusterfornication of epic proportions. Dress code? That'll be the first rule they'll try and break. Jumping off of and into things they shouldn't? Probably.

I'm not opposed to teens doing all the illegal stuff that I did as a teen; I'm not a prude.

But the whole "put teens who will be intoxicated most likely on water slides and hope for the best!" seems like a bad idea to me. Both for a safety and a PR perspective.
So yeah, I think the other posters are right in voicing their concerns, too.

Besides, if I wanted to see awkward teens try and have sex in an unsexy environment, I'll go back to CPAC next year.

But the debate here on the forums after the fact will be engaging if it goes awry!

Popcorn ready

 

[AEfx]

Interesting thought... this could also be an attempt to do away with those trying to sneak in weed. Sure they'd come to the event clothed and will go through a security check as prior (I went in 2011, security was a joke). However, if you plan on lighting up at Typhoon, you better plan on being sent home awful fast. There won't really be a place to hide.

Weed isn't the problem - it calms kids down and makes them hungry, LOL. It's also easily detectable (well, the idiots that try to light up a full joint in the park, at least). I doubt that was a concern - now the alcohol, that will be the issue - unless these kids are strip searched, it will make it's way into the park. And by the time someone notices someone acting visibly drunk, it very well could already be too late.

 

[ProfSavage]

Weed isn't the problem - it calms kids down and makes them hungry, LOL. It's also easily detectable (well, the idiots that try to light up a full joint in the park, at least). I doubt that was a concern - now the alcohol, that will be the issue - unless these kids are strip searched, it will make it's way into the park. And by the time someone notices someone acting visibly drunk, it very well could already be too late.

If they were crafty, like my friends and I were, we'd sneak booze into the parks with a camelback (granted, this was before bag searches so... that may not work now).

 

[AEfx]

Now I see why NOJ was moved to WWOS

Also, less stuff to steal.

NoJ was notorious for having by far the most merchandise shrink of the year.

 

[ProfSavage]

I'm starting to think this could act like an introduction to the horrors of college house parties, ya know? Hardcore drugs, booze, curious teens, evidently these events are like a typical weekend at your university!

I don't know, I've been to some pretty lame house parties in my day...

 

[lazyboy97o]

Even without the teenager aspect, a nighttime party at a water park just seems like the sort of thing that would send up all sorts of life safety red flags. Typhoon Lagoon's rather impressive wave pool should only further such concerns.

 

[ProfSavage]

I was an oblivious college student my first year, so I always got roped into the truly chaotic ones

I was in a fraternity for two years, before transferring to the college I graduated from. My new roommate, at the new school, asked me if I wanted to go to a party. I went, and it was lame. Like, it was a church group party (fine if you're into that sort of thing) and I was told I couldn't cuss or smoke. Inside the house, a bunch of college aged kids were watching High School Musical Two. Yeah. Lame. Made me miss my fraternity even more.

 

[AEfx]

If they were crafty, like my friends and I were, we'd sneak booze into the parks with a camelback (granted, this was before bag searches so... that may not work now).

I have never needed to sneak alcohol anywhere before, but I can think of at least 7 ways off the top of my head that I could easily do so and get past Disney security. And of course, as otherwise mentioned, "pre-gaming" is going to be rampant as well.

I wouldn't wanna be a lifeguard that night...couldn't pay me enough.

 

[ProfSavage]

I have never needed to sneak alcohol anywhere before, but I can think of at least 7 ways off the top of my head that I could easily do so and get past Disney security. And of course, as otherwise mentioned, "pre-gaming" is going to be rampant as well.

I wouldn't wanna be a lifeguard that night...couldn't pay me enough.

I've had a bunch of friends who have had dry wedding receptions. I've made sneaking alcohol into places an artform.

You're right, I feel for the lifeguards most of all.

 

[ProfSavage]

I should add: having to sneak alcohol into a wedding reception in your late 20s is extremely degrading and emasculating.

 

[Next Big Thing]

Weed isn't the problem - it calms kids down and makes them hungry, LOL. It's also easily detectable (well, the idiots that try to light up a full joint in the park, at least). I doubt that was a concern - now the alcohol, that will be the issue - unless these kids are strip searched, it will make it's way into the park. And by the time someone notices someone acting visibly drunk, it very well could already be too late.

They are very heavily searched, but there's plenty of places you can put things like alcohol or ecstasy to sneak it in, yes. Many won't risk it as if you get caught, you are threatened with no graduation, but a lot still do.

As for weed, my point was if someone gets super high (like eating a full edible type of high), being in water is still putting yourself in danger.

 

[TP2000]

considering that DL has been holding similar events since the 1960s, I think they should be able to figure it out, even if they have had issues in the past...

Grad Nites have been happening at Disneyland since 1961. Which makes 2016 the 55th graduating class enjoying Grad Nites at Disneyland.

I have a neighbor who works in TDA in upper-middle management but started as a summer job in the park in the 1970's. At a barbecue a few years back she told me that if Disneyland had done random drug tests on the CM's back in the 1970's that Disneyland wouldn't have been able to open most weekends due to lack of staffing. I suspect the WDW CM's weren't/aren't that much different than the Disneyland CM's.

And even in the 2010's Disneyland and WDW still don't drug test hourly Cast Members.

Grad Nite kids smoking funny cigarettes without filter tips, or smuggling in minibottles of liquor, or getting to Third Base or beyond in the back row on Pirates of the Caribbean are the least of the worries. I think it's the Cast Members that are having the most fun!

 

[JassiSidhu2000]

Hope they use plenty of 'bleach' in the water. Things will get messy

 

[Pirate665]

Grad Nites have been happening at Disneyland since 1961. Which makes 2016 the 55th graduating class enjoying Grad Nites at Disneyland.

I have a neighbor who works in TDA in upper-middle management but started as a summer job in the park in the 1970's. At a barbecue a few years back she told me that if Disneyland had done random drug tests on the CM's back in the 1970's that Disneyland wouldn't have been able to open most weekends due to lack of staffing. I suspect the WDW CM's weren't/aren't that much different than the Disneyland CM's.

And even in the 2010's Disneyland and WDW still don't drug test hourly Cast Members.

Grad Nite kids smoking funny cigarettes without filter tips, or smuggling in minibottles of liquor, or getting to Third Base or beyond in the back row on Pirates of the Caribbean are the least of the worries. I think it's the Cast Members that are having the most fun!

They do drug testing. I helped my friend Mick get a job at MS and he got drug tested. During my time there I was drug tested often.

 

[mm121]

I'm not making it political, but the comment seemed to have pretty negative connotations. I've worked many Gay Days and have never seen it get "wild." Grad Nights, on the other hand... People have literally died at Grad Nights in Disneyland and it's a wonder it's never happened at WDW.

(Let's not even get into Night of Joy.)

while the two times ive been ive heard only mostly heard of a few minor things happening once I havent actually seen much.

theres disney security TONS and TONS all around, and I'm sure lots of undercover to and the one time when something actually was happening that shouldnt have been the police were all over it and lets just say those people wont be back

while having grad nights at the waterpark could either be a good or bad thing

compared to MK, its much much smaller space wise, comparatively not many attractions compared to MK

so thus while there is less clothing its an easier venue to monitor along with it having a much smaller capacity compared to MK

also since it will be a private event and in the evening it wont impact regular guests in any way, like grad nights at the park could, either by guests mixing with grads, or general dis satisfaction with the park closing early

 

[mm121]

Emmmmm.....safer to whom? The year I went to Grad Night at the Magic Kingdom, a group of jerk graduates got kicked out of the park for picking Mickey Mouse up and throwing him in the moat of Cinderella's Castle. I think it was even in the newspaper. I think all people are saying here is that it seems a little crazy to put thousands of over-hyper-excited that they just graduated kids in a water park, in the dark, with many of them having probably imbibed in some graduating libations beforehand. Hey, I'm as liberal as they come and I'm the first one to advocate for having a cocktail, etc, but these are kids who are not even fully cooked yet, and setting them loose in a water park on Grad Night seriously seems insane. I remember on my Grad Night, half the bus was getting bombed all the way to Orlando from Miami.

the park actually has a decent amount of lighting at night, especially around the wave pools and lazy river

 

[mm121]

We think it is unlikely that this ticket-selling opportunity would go unaddressed. If the foregoing is the case, which park should close early and be subjected to the projected abuse? Are night-vision goggles going to be required for lifeguards? Mixing high-energy teens with water deep enough to threaten safety seems like a recipe for trouble. However, having such an event at a park otherwise closed to the general audience makes sense. Perhaps telling travel agents and/or schools that they will be precluded from future participation if their charges misbehave will reduce some of the difficulty. As a family that was at CR during previous grad nites, and who had the "Stay Away" memo slid under our door, it is a problem to schedule around. Does it make sense to choose a park already devoid of many rides (i.e. DHS) to host this instead of TL or BB?

no night vision goggles needed

the park is actually pretty well lit at night as is, and i'm sure if they truly plan to make Typhoon a night time event venue they will continue to add lights

the wave pool and lazy river area are lit as bright as day

they block off the kids area, the snorkeling pool is closed, along with some paths over in that area

they only leave the water coaster slides open when its light out, once it gets dark that entire side of the park gets closed down and GUARDED by multiple staff members

up on the mountain most of the walking pathes are lit pretty well, in the few dark places theres always staff around

once when i get myself overly stressed about somthing and started hyperventalating i ended up getting surrounded by secyrty/CMs/managers like literally 20 people, yet non of them could make a bottle of water appear which is all i really needed, luckily a friend came along and got me calmed down, since they were making it worse.

point is there are tons of emplyees at these events keeping watch

 

[mm121]

The sexuality of the individual is irrelevant. That individuals maturity are what's relevant. Even the most conservative perspective has to realize that an adult homosexual is far more mature than most high school seniors.

for the most part despite the amount of drinking that goes on at the gays days TL party the majority of people are well behaved and acting approrpriately and just want to have fun

100 dollars is alot to pay to get thrown out for some stupid reason, or to drink yourself sick

 

[mm121]

Even without the teenager aspect, a nighttime party at a water park just seems like the sort of thing that would send up all sorts of life safety red flags. Typhoon Lagoon's rather impressive wave pool should only further such concerns.

as i responded to previously

the park is miraculously well lit at night

especially the wave pool and lazy river areas, to my understanding the lazy river use to be dark and was then closed fr several night time events until lights were installed