Family forced to stay in WDW and cant leave?

[jmvd20]

First off was a CP CM in ’94. So I guess Disney lied to us to make us feel better and the people on the bus complaining about not being able to enter were part of Disney’s big plan to make us feel better. I can imagine the legal issues had he gotten out of the park after we were all assured that there would be no way this could happened because they were going to stop things until he was found. I am really not making this up it was horrible 20 minutes until he was found. I am just telling about our particular situation. SO maybe the decision of what to do is made on a case by case basis.

Extra security may be positioned at the gates watching for suspicous activity or looking for people matching the description of a missing person. However, the gates would not close to everyone trying to enter or exit the park. It is simple - gates do not close and they do not "stop" everything until a missing person is found.

As for the situation you were describing -In stressful situations things that are said can be mistaken for something else or things can be completely exaggerated. This is how urban legends are born.

 

[rosie.ca]

*realizes this has nothing to do with the original topic* well i can't imagine disney being able to shut down the gates but i would hope that if a child was not found within a few minutes and there was a possibility of abduction that Disney would ensure that extra precautions would be taken for people exiting the park.
I work at home depot and if we have a missing kid we do go into lock down under code adam until the child is found but a home depot store is a lot smaller that a theme park.

When I worked at a theme park (canada's wonderland) we also had a code adam
and they would ask for a description of the child and what shoes they were wearing .I believe we closed at least most of the exits and carefull attention was made on everyone exiting the park.I don't think were ever locked down.

 

[PhotoDave219]

Okay, its this bloody simple - They don't do it. It may be hard to imagine, but they don't just shut down the exits because timmy got lost....

Do the math - MK averages between 40-50 thousand guests a day. Someone's bound to get seperated....

 

[jmvd20]

Okay, its this bloody simple - They don't do it. It may be hard to imagine, but they don't just shut down the exits because timmy got lost....

Do the math - MK averages between 40-50 thousand guests a day. Someone's bound to get seperated....

Thank you - it just wasn't working trying to explain why this is the case. Should've said it flat out a few pages ago.

 

[PhotoDave219]

I was trying to dance around it as well..... So much for sublty. Generally the kids know exactly where they are and its the parents who are freaking out.

More back on-topic here......

Now since i can't find the original lawsuit these guys filed, (They did a phone interview through their lawyer with WFTV) i don't know where they were held. That was never specified nor exactly who was holding them. There is an OCSO office backstage at MK.

Frankly i think its just a shakedown.....

 

[ele]

disney security can hold them for the authorities for a resonable amount of time and for a resonable reson. but they better be sure they are doing something elligal. same thing as the store security stopping a shop liffter till the police arrive and oops they had nothing. each store was still sued and lost. And sorry to say i love disney but if I was detend for hours with my family for "no reason" and if this family was found to be doing nothing wrong it was for no reason I would sue disney too.

 

[beachclubbasics]

Sort of Off topic: I don't know how it is there now, but WDW has been known for, in the past, doing some pretty outrageous things to people who they thought were shoplifiting. I ereading a story years ago about a girl who was accused of shoplifting a 99 cent pen from the Main Street Emporium(shows you how long ago this was). Even though her friend admitted to slipping the pen in her backpack, Disney still prosecuted. It cost the girl's parents $15000 to clear her (which they did, Disney lost). even though someone else admitted to doing the crime, Disney still went after this girl. Her parents were told they could sign a statement of guilt and they'd let her go with no prosecution, but since she wasn't guilty, the parents refused to do so.

I've also read that Disney also has at least one law firm on retainer in each county in Florida because there is a law in Florida that states if the defendant in a suit has a lawyer on retainer in a county in Florida the plantiff can't use an attorney from that county (so you would have to get an out of state lawyer who is also admitted to Florida's bar in order to sue). Anyone know about this? I remember it actually being called the "Disney Law" because Disney was the group that got it pushed through.

Not to say that Disney is not the focus of many false suits. The false rape case brought by a group of Irish Travellers (the con artist group, not the ethnic group) a few years back comes to mind. Disney offered a 3 million dollar settlement until one of the group (who was being cut out of the proceeds) ratted.

 

[beachclubbasics]

I know that kids can slip away very quickly (I have 4 myself and had one particularly slick customer..thankfully he's now 18, if he gets lost oh well..lol)but does it concern anyone else as to how many people just seem to let their kids run roughshod around the parks without adequately supervising them? I have seen it so much when parents are stadning in line for rides...just let the kids run all over the place...eat garbage off of the ground (saw that AND more) etc. The parents just were not paying attention like they should.

BTW: my 18 year old slick one ended up in a wrist tether for a very long time...he was just TOO slick..lol.

 

[Giraffe Lounge]

I've also read that Disney also has at least one law firm on retainer in each county in Florida because there is a law in Florida that states if the defendant in a suit has a lawyer on retainer in a county in Florida the plantiff can't use an attorney from that county (so you would have to get an out of state lawyer who is also admitted to Florida's bar in order to sue).

I can pretty much guarantee you that this is false. I'd be surprised if the $.99 pen story were true as well.

 

[DisneyYorkian74]

Sort of Off topic: I don't know how it is there now, but WDW has been known for, in the past, doing some pretty outrageous things to people who they thought were shoplifiting. I ereading a story years ago about a girl who was accused of shoplifting a 99 cent pen from the Main Street Emporium(shows you how long ago this was). Even though her friend admitted to slipping the pen in her backpack, Disney still prosecuted. It cost the girl's parents $15000 to clear her (which they did, Disney lost). even though someone else admitted to doing the crime, Disney still went after this girl. Her parents were told they could sign a statement of guilt and they'd let her go with no prosecution, but since she wasn't guilty, the parents refused to do so.

Are you sure that that story isn't an urban legend?

Disney would really have nothing to gain over suing a little girl and her family over a 99 cent pen.

With all the bad press that would be generated about the company and costs for lawyers, I don't see Disney going through with it.

A 99 cent pen is not going to hurt the company at all. Disney would be really stupid cutting ties with a family that could possibly bring thousands of dollars in spending money over the family's lifetime(s) into the parks over a 99 cent loss.

 

[beachclubbasics]

That came right from the NY Times...don't forget, Disney's in business to make money, not lose it. I'll be there are more stories out there if you search for them.

Disney is a corporation...they care about magic , quality, family environment only because that's the niche they fit into and it MAKES THEM MONEY. When it ceases to make them money then you'll see a big change...maybe some needed TLC at WDW (which they aren't doing right now because the neglect is NOT costing them money, attendance at WDW isn't down yet). Believe me, Disney Corp is not a bunch of saints dedicating their lives to making family fun, their making family fun because it makes them money.

 

[DisneyYorkian74]

That came right from the NY Times...don't forget, Disney's in business to make money, not lose it. I'll be there are more stories out there if you search for them.

Disney is a corporation...they care about magic , quality, family environment only because that's the niche they fit into and it MAKES THEM MONEY. When it ceases to make them money then you'll see a big change...maybe some needed TLC at WDW (which they aren't doing right now because the neglect is NOT costing them money, attendance at WDW isn't down yet). Believe me, Disney Corp is not a bunch of saints dedicating their lives to making family fun, their making family fun because it makes them money.

Ok can you post a link or something.

And I agree with you, Disney is all about making money. But that statement really contradicts that story and makes a perfect urban legend.

Disney would actually be LOSING money going after a little girl and her family. Think about the "15000 dollars" that went to the lawyers in the story; that money could have been spent on vacation in Walt Disney World.

BTW: I'm not saying that it couldn't or didn't happen. It just defies my business logic.:veryconfu

 

[Raven66]

If they don't find a child right away, is it possible that they could slow people leaving to a crawl? You say that the child is usually found in 5-10 mins, but what if they aren't found in say 20-25 mins?


This isn't Disney, but I worked in the photo lab at Wal-mart and when there is a missing child, they call out "code Adam" and all exits are locked. No one in or out until the child is found/or the police arrive. All employees leave what they doing and search high and low for the child. Most of the time they have slipped off to toys or the bathroom.:lookaroun

 

[isitingood]

Ok can you post a link or something.

And I agree with you, Disney is all about making money. But that statement really contradicts that story and makes a perfect urban legend.

Disney would actually be LOSING money going after a little girl and her family. Think about the "15000 dollars" that went to the lawyers in the story; that money could have been spent on vacation in Walt Disney World.

BTW: I'm not saying that it couldn't or didn't happen. It just defies my business logic.:veryconfu

I would like to see a link also but even Walmart will prosecute over a stolen pen. Mike McCray who was the DL attorney for the first 30 years even said that at any given time there is 100 active lawsuits pending with Disney.

 

[unkadug]

I would like to see a link also but even Walmart will prosecute over a stolen pen. Mike McCray who was the DL attorney for the first 30 years even said that at any given time there is 100 active lawsuits pending with Disney.

Very true, I had to bite my lip about his "business logic".

If they don't find a child right away, is it possible that they could slow people leaving to a crawl? You say that the child is usually found in 5-10 mins, but what if they aren't found in say 20-25 mins?


This isn't Disney, but I worked in the photo lab at Wal-mart and when there is a missing child, they call out "code Adam" and all exits are locked. No one in or out until the child is found/or the police arrive. All employees leave what they doing and search high and low for the child. Most of the time they have slipped off to toys or the bathroom.:lookaroun

WOW, I bet you guys get some ed off customers.

 

[jmvd20]

My god, no they do not shut the darn entrances at Wal Mart if a missing persons report is filed. Can people not understand that a 40 year old buying some laundry detergent is NOT a lost child and the store/theme park that they are at can NOT legally hold them!!!

PERIOD END OF STORY

 

[The Mom]

If someone has some new info on the original news story, they may start a new thread.