At certain times of the year DL is your best park. Personally I prefer it 100% in the hottest part of the summer because it isn't as humid and hot as WDW... And no matter what anyone wants to say the rides of both resorts are pretty close to even with only minor differences.
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From the OS: Gator drags child into Seven Seas Lagoon
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Lucky
Well-Known Member
A lot of wealthy people go to WDW. The ones least likely to be spending half their day going to crowded noisy restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner are the ones who are paying $2000 a night to stay at the bungalows. There's a reason why they're equipped with full kitchens.
And no wealthy person ever brings leftovers back to put in the fridge after visiting a restaurant? Or has food delivered? No one is saying that everyone staying there feeds the alligators. It only takes a few.
This thread is full of wishful thinking by Disney fans. Even if not every story out there turns out to be true, I'm sure Disney's execs and lawyers are taking these reports seriously, and not inventing fanciful reasons for why it couldn't happen.
And no wealthy person ever brings leftovers back to put in the fridge after visiting a restaurant? Or has food delivered? No one is saying that everyone staying there feeds the alligators. It only takes a few.
This thread is full of wishful thinking by Disney fans. Even if not every story out there turns out to be true, I'm sure Disney's execs and lawyers are taking these reports seriously, and not inventing fanciful reasons for why it couldn't happen.
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KeeKee
Well-Known Member
You're right about non-Floridians not knowing about the presence of gators. Florida residents just assume if there's a water body, there are alligators. Now, for Florida residents (Disney) to have that knowledge and not share it with "guests" seems at the very least to be negligent. Perhaps criminally so.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
I've had people many times absolutely refuse to believe me when I told them there were alligators in SSL & BL. I think for people outside of FL and surrounding areas alligators are almost like a mythical creature. They attract huge attention when they are spotted, many people have never seen one. This is also why Gatorland is popular.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Seeing a 'a gator' is not a problem and is common.
Seeing a 'a large gator that is encroaching on humans' is a problem
Notice what is lacking from every 'I saw a gator too!!' story? Informed estimates on size and the risk associated with the gator.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Gotta burn up those snack credits somehow...
JohnD
Well-Known Member
Well, it's not limited to them. All the media is going nuts over it. Horrible tragedy, yes. An epidemic of Biblical proportions? No.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
Regardless, most tourists do not know about it, and there have been documented deaths at WDW over it.
R W B
Well-Known Member
Just not being from Florida is not an excuse to not know they have gators in the water all over Florida. I've never been to Alaska but I know they have polar bears, I've never been to the Amazon but I know they have giant snakes, I've never been to New York City but I know they have certain parts I shouldn't go into as tourists just like here in New Orleans. Do your due diligence on places you visit. Disneyworld is not a bubble but many people treat it as such though.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Actually... it's more about he doesn't know to skip the tabloid, and actually follow the cites back to the original OS article... through a third parroting article. which is about a janitor going on record saying no one listened to him when he said the beaches should be fenced off and mentions guests feeding the gators. Because when the janitor speaks... people listen.
KeeKee
Well-Known Member
Oh absolutely! Another contributing factor, I think, is the whole concept of a lot of the resort areas having "beaches" with trucked in sand when in fact they are lakefront - with alligators.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
The media is focusing on it because much of the public is shocked that there are alligators at WDW, so it's a very sensational story.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
Returning to this thread and seeing it devolve into nonsense like this is just really a sad day for our forum.
On this absurd point in particular, actually, the richer people are more likely to travel with their own food - because they wouldn't pay $300-400 for a meal the quality that even the "best" WDW restaurants offer. The people that do that are the same ones that go broke staying at standard rooms at the monorail resorts who eat boxed macaroni and cheese three times a week the rest of the year to afford it.
This was clearly a tragic incident, and one that, yes, Disney could have done a better job at informing guests about the risk since it was so well-known locally. Disney's signs were inadequate, more like "keep off the lawn" suggestions.
That said, I applaud the new signs. Disney has done what they had to do.
Long term, I think you'll find the lagoon is going to be significantly altered over this. And I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing. It's probably time for a change. At the least they are going to start putting up proper fencing. You ever notice how practically every back yard in Orlando housing developments have pools and are completely enclosed by alligator-resistant screen rooms? It would be one thing if Disney simply had no clue they were out there - but they do, they have programs for dealing with them - in hindsight, yes, it was inadequate.
When you add the known fact of alligator feeding at WDW, there is yet another factor as to why it may not have happened before but it's happening now. What all else people seem to be arguing about is completely beyond me. This isn't about replicated animal poop candy or an attraction, this is a known regional problem that WDW has pretty much created the "perfect storm" of factors to set up for this situation to happen and there is every reason to believe if nothing is done that it will happen again.
BAChicagoGal
Well-Known Member
I'm not surprised that many visitors to WDW do not know anything about the alligators being in the waters nearby. There are many visitors to WDW who do absolutely no research before they arrive on property. They travel "Blind". They stand on Main Street with a park map, and say, "what do we do next"? They did no planning. They have no clue of the lay of the land, and how things work. Disney has a reputation for being a magical safe place to visit. In many people's eyes that is fact. In actuality, it is not quite true, because no place is ever truly perfect. Disney's reputation has been slipping of late, and time will tell, if it continues to slip, or it rebounds successfully.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
I don't know what folks are reading. Most articles I have read have been very balanced and fair toward WDW. A kid killed by an alligator would have been news regardless, yes - it certainly hung around a bit more because of Disney, but compared to how all things Disney related are usually blown out of proportion? This one has been the exception to the rule, because it really hasn't been nearly as sensationalized as anything in recent memory.
JohnD
Well-Known Member
OMG! Alligators in Florida! You'd think its a B movie with one waiting for you around every corner.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
It's really a perfect mix for the media. It's a young child, it's Disney and it's something people didn't think was possible at WDW.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
And let's not forget - that's how Disney sells it. Just give us the reigns and we'll take care of everything. We'll pick you up from the airport, we'll deliver your luggage to your room. We'll gladly bus you around our property so you can spend all the money you want. When you are done, we will deposit you back at the airport and you'll be on your way home.
That's on top of the average public who thinks you plan a trek into the wilderness, or a large foreign city, and would find the very concept of "a theme park strategy" funny.
That's why the new signs were very necessary.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
Yes, but the point is - they haven't exploited it really any more because it was WDW. If this was at Myrtle Beach it would have made the same headlines. It just wouldn't have hung around as long because Disney is already implementing changes.
If anything, Disney WANTS the story to continue and has encouraged it so the media covers their efforts to keep guests safe. Disney doesn't want this to end with "kid dead at WDW" and just leave that taste in future guest's mouths. They want the media to report that they are taking measures to keep this from happening again.
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