Disney guest chokes girl who was blocking view of fireworks, deputies say

[GoofGoof]

Not being surprised that something happened and whether or not it's acceptable are two different things. I said it didn't surprise me; you said you don't think it's acceptable. Your tolerance level is no doubt much higher than others I've seen at WDW who may ask someone nicely to stop doing whatever it is they are doing that is bothering others and get nothing but attitude back. Some actually did get physical. And like I've already said, it doesn't surprise me. Given the many factors involved it changes people's psyche and they will sometimes react in a manner that is not typical of their character when something they may have looked forward to for months is impacted by external forces they didn't anticipate.

Fair enough. When you said this:

I'm pretty sure most people don't plan a trip and go to WDW with the same expectations they have of Six Flags or Cedar Point. And given the high degree of planning months in advance by many that can be found on these boards and others, it doesn't surprise me at all that someone could snap about their view being blocked during a fireworks show.

I assumed you were justifying the act or passing some of the blame due to the planning.

 

[Laketravis]

I assumed you were justifying the act or passing some of the blame due to the planning.

Not at all. Unlike others I'm not seeking to pin blame and I hope you see now that I simply said I'm not surprised. It wasn't about whether they had to plan months or years out, it's that some do. Excessively and obsessively. It wasn't about how expensive the trip is, for many it's a once in a lifetime event. It wasn't about who's fault it is or who's to blame, it's just obvious browsing the many WDW forums that a large number of people are striving for perfection when making decisions about what to do and when while there.

So it shouldn't be a surprise for anyone that a woman would have words with a teenager for blocking her view of fireworks. As far as who's to blame or what actually happened and who's telling the truth, I suppose that will eventually come out.

 

[draybook]

Wow I'm not sure what park you were at, but that has not been my experience at Disney World. I expect the food to cost more than McDonalds, just like I would expect at any venue like WDW. Geese, when I go to a movie at home my pop and popcorn is easily double my ticket cost.

And no, you don't have to plan your meals 6 months in advance. You can if you choose to. No one is holding your arm to the keyboard or your ear to your phone. I've easily found meals the day of. And I have yet to go to a bus stop and been told that I had to wait because my bus was broken down on the side of the road.

The children melting down? Part of being a kid, and some of the blame, if not all, is on the parents for that. Certainly not on Disney.

I was at the 4 parks at the Disney World Resort. So you're telling us that my experience doesn't speak on behalf of everyone else's but yours does because it wasn't the same as mine? That's good to know. I'm sorry I said anything. I'm now going to delete my profile here, cancel my internet subscription and throw my computer in the garbage.

Seriously, why would you compare Disney to McDonalds? And yeah, some of those ADRs REQUIRE you to book 6 months in advance or else you might get "lotto lucky" and find a spot after that, depending on party size and cancellations. As far as broken transportation goes, perhaps you've heard of these awesome inventions called monorails? Yeah, that's why you're taking those "reliable buses". I can count on two hands the number of times we've had to take alternate transportation to a park or location due to "technical difficulties". I can also count on two hands the number of trips we've made down there. That's not a good ratio.

I can tell that you're all up in arms about my criticism of Disney. Relax, notice that I said that it takes two hands to count the number of trips we've made? That's considering we just started going in 2008. We wouldn't keep going unless the good outweighed the bad by a wiiiiiiiide margin. Just because there are hiccups at the resort doesn't mean we don't love it.

 

[matt9112]

I seriously wish Disney would keep jacking their prices up to weed out these white trash idiots. Let them go to Dollywood where they belong. Or Universal.

Conduct and class have nothing to do with income level.....you think I never see snobs from England here on there 14 day trip of I'm better than everyone elseness? (Ran into one at the Kennedy space center today but that's another story) point is I grew up in a ford tempo with no heat in Boston and I have plenty of manners.

People just need to be nice period.
(Granted to your point universal is much better for guest behavior IMO)

 

[matt9112]

Too crowded contributes a lot.

Time to raise prices.

Or just build out the park to comfortably handle the crowds that continue to rise year over year when park size isn't?

Pricing is fickle it's not weeding out the poor or whomever you are claiming to dislike. Most of those folks are here on credit or paid monthly for years (hell I did the latter) but even wealthier folks may get turned off after all they see value generally better than the poor.

 

[matt9112]

Athletes?

The target audience should be the one you would attract if you provided an upscale, at least classic middle class Disney, experience that respects the client, respects the employee, and respects the local community and environment.
Nascar gun show or modern art museum, Vegas and Yellowstone, both pairs attract very different audiences. Every place decides on its own audience. And WDW has changed its target audience over the years. It knows who the people are who pay $40 for a mediocre meal and who the people are who pay $800 for a cotton candy hotel room.

Why not just enforce rules and go from there?
Dress codes would be a start...

 

[matt9112]

Unfortunately, raising prices will not help.

Undesirables come from both sides of the income scale. People will find a way to go. I would bet there are some who put off paying the mortgage for their trip. Additionally, thinking that less people will attend at a higher cost price point has also proven incorrect.

Also, increasing prices I think will only add to the problem. If the park ticket is $50, and you miss the fireworks, you still had a good day, but at $200 a day, the sense of value of how the park is toured is greatly increased. At a high price, you want to maximize that cost with the value, and I think we past that point.

I believe Disney needs to 'sell out' the park each day. Not the phased closures due to capacity, I think the tickets should be sold similar to a sporting event, and attempt to redistribute the crowds to families that are more flexible. Instead of a phased closure at 60k people, only sell 40k work of admission each day.

Annual pass holders would only get to go to the MK for 2 weeks a year

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Also can I just say if you choose to sit down to watch fireworks in a crowded area you have 0 right to ask people who choose to stand around you to sit down. What kind of entitlement??? Glad she pressed charges on that pitiful excuse of an adult.

I was reading through this thread and was so glad someone posted this. Even if you start out sitting, it's pretty standard procedure for EVERYONE to stand. This whole situation could have been avoided if the adults had just stood up.

Oh, and if they had actually acted like ADULTS.

 

[NelsonRD]

Annual pass holders would only get to go to the MK for 2 weeks a year

There are several logistical problems with the idea, park hopping, holidays, school breaks, weekends, locals, etc... If the park only had certain attendance numbers by days, people would be booking years in advance, possibly out far enough our kids outgrow Disney! But I would entertain any suggestion along the lines of reducing park crowding by limiting attendance without raising prices.

 

[draybook]

They don't need to plan 6 months in advance. They choose to.

I've never seen a commercial for anywhere than shows any kind of downside. Have you? Any amusement park commercial "leaves out the long waits and high cost of food". I guess common sense would need to kick in at that point- "Hey, I'm going to a popular spot. It might just be crowded." Unless people live under a rock, I'm sure they realize that there will be lines and high food prices...whenever they go to any amusement/theme park.



Beyond comparison to what? I'm comparing prices of Disney vs a 7 day vacay with activities. Disney was never inexpensive, no matter how many people pretend that it was. Any comparable vacation- activity amount wise- will be the same price, if not more, than Disney. Even with 2017 prices- Atlantis, arguably the next most popular family vacation destination, has always been, and is still more than the average American's Disney vacation once you add in food, transportation, activities.

I don't consider Disney the end all be all in the travel industry, I never have. It's one destination. There are plenty of great places to see in this world.

I like the way you danced around my statement. Correct, no company is going to highlight their downfalls or issues in their commercials. And I'd wager that at least 90% of visitor's experiences are based on what they see in the commercials. So, when they show families running around, meeting characters at will and jumping on rides with no wait....well, you get the picture.

 

[21stamps]

I like the way you danced around my statement. Correct, no company is going to highlight their downfalls or issues in their commercials. And I'd wager that at least 90% of visitor's experiences are based on what they see in the commercials. So, when they show families running around, meeting characters at will and jumping on rides with no wait....well, you get the picture.

I don't get the picture. I would never expect to get on a ride with no wait. Not at Disney, or Universal, or Sea World, or Bush Gardens, or Cedar Point, or a Six Flags, or even Fun Spot.

None of those have photos of long lines in their commercials either..and yet, they all have long lines. I think most normal people over age 3 would expect a wait to go on a ride.

 

[draybook]

I don't get the picture. I would never expect to get on a ride with no wait. Not at Disney, or Universal, or Sea World, or Bush Gardens, or Cedar Point, or a Six Flags, or even Fun Spot.

None of those have photos of long lines in their commercials either..and yet, they all have long lines. I think most normal people over age 3 would expect a wait to go on a ride.

I'm over 3 and I know there will be waiting. Most people over 3 understand that expectations are projected by the provider. Therefore, what your COMMERCIALS project are what your GUESTS expect. If you're going to keep arguing just for the sake of arguing, let me know so I can send you into Jimmy Thick Land.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I was fortunate enough in January to be able to go to DL and WDW right in a row (seriously, it was DL one week and WDW the next. College grad trip. Anyway...)

I was in DL on a day I found out it had actually closed due to capacity for a while. Yikes. And it was definitely crowded.
But the thing was that everyone was just kind of going with the flow. They just stood in the lines, dealt with it, and you'd see them just talking, playing Heads Up, or looking at their phones. The paths were crowded, and since it's smaller and paths more narrow than at MK, it felt even more crowded. And of course, there were people who would block the paths or walk slowly, but everyone just seemed to go around them. I also observed far less "line jumping" and rudeness to CMs there than at WDW.

When I was at WDW, one of the first things I noticed was how horrible guest behavior, when compared to DL, was. I dealt with so many more rude people at WDW, and it wasn't nearly as crowded as a couple of my DL days had been.

I think people in WDW get so worked up about making the trip perfect that they stress themselves out, and then the worst of them comes out. Whereas in DL, most had been there before and had plans to come back, so they just kind of went with it. That, and WDW visitors tend to have such a sense of entitlement. It's like they think, "Well, I paid to be here, so I get to do what I want."

I agree with sentiments already stated like that having more to do will help ease up with the crowds (it definitely helps in DL; you're likely to still find a ride with a 30 minute wait even on a crowded day), but the general attitude of the problem WDW visitors is a harder question to answer.

 

[21stamps]

I'm over 3 and I know there will be waiting. Most people over 3 understand that expectations are projected by the provider. Therefore, what your COMMERCIALS project are what your GUESTS expect. If you're going to keep arguing just for the sake of arguing, let me know so I can send you into Jimmy Thick Land.

It's not for the sake of arguing. It's reality. People have responsibility for themselves. A Disney commercial is just that- an advertisement. And just like every other advertisement- it's going to look perfect. If someone sets their expectations based on seeing people walk on a ride in a commercial, that's their own fault. Again, common sense has to kick in at some point.

 

[GoofGoof]

It's not for the sake of arguing. It's reality. People have responsibility for themselves. A Disney commercial is just that- an advertisement. And just like every other advertisement- it's going to look perfect. If someone sets their expectations based on seeing people walk on a ride in a commercial, that's their own fault. Again, common sense has to kick in at some point.

And yet I keep buying that double mint gum hoping those twins will show up

 

[draybook]

It's not for the sake of arguing. It's reality. People have responsibility for themselves. A Disney commercial is just that- an advertisement. And just like every other advertisement- it's going to look perfect. If someone sets their expectations based on seeing people walk on a ride in a commercial, that's their own fault. Again, common sense has to kick in at some point.

You keep telling yourself that. You must be Dani from the I'm So Disney group on Facebook. You argue the exact same way that she does and nobody call tell her anything about Disney. So long, have a nice life.

 

[draybook]

And yet I keep buying that double mint gum hoping those twins will show up

The commercial doesn't imply that you'll gain human beings from chewing gum. Disney commercials DO imply that you'll have no wait, characters at your personal disposal, and the time of your life.

 

[Laketravis]

A Disney commercial is just that- an advertisement. And just like every other advertisement- it's going to look perfect. If someone sets their expectations based on seeing people walk on a ride in a commercial, that's their own fault. Again, common sense has to kick in at some point.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and venture a guess that you're not in marketing.

 

[21stamps]

The commercial doesn't imply that you'll gain human beings from chewing gum. Disney commercials DO imply that you'll have no wait, characters at your personal disposal, and the time of your life.

As does every single other amusement park, water park, and theme park. Most people understand that they most likely not walk right on to a ride or a water slide.

Give visitors a little credit. Hopefully Disney is not the first entertainment venue that they've ever been to.

 

[21stamps]

And yet I keep buying that double mint gum hoping those twins will show up

I can't understand why every time I shop at Victoria's Secret, I don't walk out looking like Gisele.

What was that cheesy commercial for men's body spray? Axe? When they would spray it and then be surrounded by women.
I wonder if a portion of men demanded their money back when that didn't happen in real life.lol