Disney Skyliner shutdown and evacuation - October 6 2019

[Tom P.]

Not everyone that rides will have a magic band or even a hard ticket for that matter. The only way I can think of is to have it in a digital lock box, and having to call the emergency line to get the code.

Having an emergency kit that relies on some piece of technology working in order to access it, whether it's a MagicBand or a digital lock, is just asking for trouble. In a real emergency, you don't want people prevented from accessing the emergency supplies for even a short period of time. That could be disastrous.

The better solution, as @flynnibus suggests, is to have the kits designed in such a way that they show easily identifiable evidence of them being opened, and to have cast members regularly checking and re-supplying the emergency kits.

 

[gustaftp]

Because hysteria.

The only hysteria I am seeing are the people here who were against this to begin with. And they won't be convinced otherwise...

 

[Incomudro]

Why would they need to convince people it's safe to ride, when it is safe to ride?

I would say that safety - as in not getting hurt - is probably not what Disney will have the most trouble convincing people about.
Not getting stuck is going to be the obstacle.

 

[larryz]

The only hysteria I am seeing are the people here who were against this to begin with. And they won't be convinced otherwise...

Don't confuse hysteria for tongue-in-cheek hyperbole.

 

[Rosanne]

Well they could always turn the stations into more bars and gift shops!

Yep. They sure need more of those!!

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Having an emergency kit that relies on some piece of technology working in order to access it, whether it's a MagicBand or a digital lock, is just asking for trouble. In a real emergency, you don't want people prevented from accessing the emergency supplies for even a short period of time. That could be disastrous.

The better solution, as @flynnibus suggests, is to have the kits designed in such a way that they show easily identifiable evidence of them being opened, and to have cast members regularly checking and re-supplying the emergency kits.

Even just LOOKING like a huge alarm would sound would be a big deterrent to tampering though. That's the big issue, as right now people are taking supplies as souvenirs, leading me to believe that there's an amount of tampering going on that it would be ridiculously time consuming to check the kits virtually every time the cabins go through the stations. Clear labeling that they are for emergencies and tampering verbiage, along with some sort of visual deterrent, I think, would go a huge way to helping resolve these issues.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

I would say that safety - as in not getting hurt - is probably not what Disney will have the most trouble convincing people about.
Not getting stuck is going to be the obstacle.

That and to communicate that guests need to stay calm and await instructions so as to not overload the call-box system and/or 911. I can imagine that there are some guests who would be fine until they saw emergency services evacuating someone else...then they get scared because they imagine every possible disaster. Disney definitely needs to tighten up the communications end of this - even if what is said is vague. Telling everyone "there is need for evacuation of a cabin for a medical emergency, please be patient" would likely have helped enormously in this case.

 

[mdcpr]

True....but you're not dealing with a population of people that 100% have to use that form of transportation regularly like skiers do...plus if you're on the slopes, you're in pretty decent shape as it is.

You are so right, that was my point a while ago.

 

[trainplane3]

Eva. Short for "evacuate."

Or an anime series about a boy that has to get in the giant robot to stop aliens from causing an impact and beginning human instrumentality.




I mean...yes, evacuate. Much better definition.

 

[Ravenclaw78]

Telling everyone "there is need for evacuation of a cabin for a medical emergency, please be patient" would likely have helped enormously in this case.

...or resulted in news outlets reporting (as confirmed facts) unverified viral social media posts about someone having died on the Skyliner during the outage.

 

[flynnibus]

Even just LOOKING like a huge alarm would sound would be a big deterrent to tampering though. That's the big issue, as right now people are taking supplies as souvenirs, leading me to believe that there's an amount of tampering going on that it would be ridiculously time consuming to check the kits virtually every time the cabins go through the stations. Clear labeling that they are for emergencies and tampering verbiage, along with some sort of visual deterrent, I think, would go a huge way to helping resolve these issues.

Right now it's a curiosity... because its unfamiliar.

First Aid kits, etc are typically not locked up or tamper proofed... and people are not motivated to mess with them.

It's not a big deal to ID and restock kits if designed correctly. The big thing is you want to be sure if something is 'intact' or not, because you don't want to be checking inventory, etc.

 

[networkpro]

I would say that safety - as in not getting hurt - is probably not what Disney will have the most trouble convincing people about.
Not getting stuck is going to be the obstacle.

These are the same people that are willing to get stuck in their cars on I-4, I-75, and I-95 at the drop of a hat and shrug it off without any angry diatribes on message boards.

Its my vacation, so suspend any normal mechanical failures, maintenance, facility, or personnel issues.

 

[mmascari]

A better investment would be to just make it easier to know a kit has been tampered with so CMs can ID and respond quickly to ensure the kits are always on full ready.

A seal that when broken that trips an alarm circuit and light that is visible from the doorway.

Easily done in 2 steps, for the cheap.

1. Paint the inside of the shelf where the kit is a bright color, dayglow orange. So that it's not visible when the kit is in place, but is when it's removed. Super cheap. Alerts to kits that are taken and completely missing.
2. Add a flap over the front of the shelf where the kit is. Seat colored on the outside, dayglow orange on the inside, some type of fabric. Have opening the flap rip it, so it can't be resecured and hangs down from the seat. Or some other "hard" way to reclose it. Alerts to kits that are removed, but may be put back missing items. Also deters someone just looking, since they have to try with some effort to open the flap.

For both, it's about the CM that's already looking in the cabin after unload (I'm assuming this happens) being able to easily and clearly see that the kit has been moved. Seeing a dayglow orange slot or flap hanging down where it should be seat colored would be obvious.

 

[Patcheslee]

This may seem waaay too simple, but if the case is in a bracket, why not have a latch that comes down when the emergency kit is removed? The latch would lock in place and have to be unlocked with a CM key, so the emergency kit would have to be left out and not in it's storage position when riders exit. A quick visual by a CM looking for the box in it's storage position may be easier than a zip broken zip tie.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

...or resulted in news outlets reporting (as confirmed facts) unverified viral social media posts about someone having died on the Skyliner during the outage.

Meh. We've all seen the gloom and doom news stories about Disney...even when there hasn't been an incident. I'd be more concerned about avoiding the issues with the call-boxes/911 that happened during this incident. Disney invariably releases a statement after-the-fact anyway.

 

[Tom P.]

Even just LOOKING like a huge alarm would sound would be a big deterrent to tampering though. That's the big issue, as right now people are taking supplies as souvenirs, leading me to believe that there's an amount of tampering going on that it would be ridiculously time consuming to check the kits virtually every time the cabins go through the stations. Clear labeling that they are for emergencies and tampering verbiage, along with some sort of visual deterrent, I think, would go a huge way to helping resolve these issues.

I think your suggestions make a lot of sense. However, even with those measures in place, you are still going to have to have cast members being diligent in checking the kits regularly. Those deterrents won't be 100% effective, and you don't want someone having a legitimate emergency in the cabin that happened to get the guest who was still willing to pilfer them the ride before. Short of actually securing the kits in some way -- which I think would be a very, very bad decision -- I don't see how you can ensure the kits are stocked 100% of the time without cast members regularly checking them.

 

[Amused to Death]

can the kits be secured in some sort of holder that you must use your MB to release thus having a way to identify who did it

What if you don't have a TragicBand? I'm a Premium AP holder who wouldn't be caught dead with one of those things. Please allow me to open the kit and have a few drops of 100+ degree water before I die.

 

[Incomudro]

These are the same people that are willing to get stuck in their cars on I-4, I-75, and I-95 at the drop of a hat and shrug it off without any angry diatribes on message boards.

Its my vacation, so suspend any normal mechanical failures, maintenance, facility, or personnel issues.

Are they really?
Who is "willing" to get stuck on an interstate and who shrugs it off?
People need to drive on an interstate they are certainly not willing to get stuck and most people are aggravated if they do find themselves stuck.
They are also likely to be in their own private vehicle with a/c and music.
People paying what is going to be thousands of dollars (if they stay onsite) on their vacation are not going to shrug off the experience of being stuck in a gondola.
Or the possibility of getting stuck in one.

 

[HiJe]

Why not put the emergency supplies in a glass sealed box. "Break if needed". I think a big deterrent would be the idea of having broken glass where there wasn't broken glass before in the cabin. Still easily accessible if needed.

 

[Master Yoda]

After the 2 year old guest got killed by the alligator at the Grand Floridian a few years ago in front of his parents, alligator and snake warning signs then got posted all over anywhere there is a body of water in WDW , a memorial to honor him got built at the resort, Alcatraz walls got installed so the gators can't climb over them around the Grand Floridian, and pretty much now business as usual.

The "walls" are for the humans. Gators don't care about walls.