Is Disneyland heading for a major tragedy?

[Phroobar]

Back in 1999 after the failed opening of DCA, Paul Pressler was quoted in the LA Times saying "We have to ride these rides to failure to save money." Pressler and Cynthia Harris tried to squeeze every penny out of Disneyland with dramatic budget cuts, low maintenance standards and focusing on merchandise. He tried to impress Michael Eisner with short-term gains over long term health and safety risks.

In 1998,

• 24 December 1998: In a tragic Christmas Eve accident, one Disneyland cast member and two guests were injured (one fatally) when a rope used to secure the sailing ship Columbia's it docked on the Rivers of America tore loose the metal cleat to which it was attached. The cleat sailed through air and struck the heads of two guests who were waiting to board the ship, Luan Phi Dawson, 33, of Duvall, Washington, and his wife, Lieu Thuy Vuong, 43. Dawson was declared brain dead two days later and died when his life support system was disconnected.
  This accident resulted in the first guest death in Disneyland’s history that was not attributable to any negligence on the part of the guest (it was the result of a combination of insufficiently rigorous ride maintenance and an insufficiently experienced supervisor’s assuming an attraction operator’s role) and prompted a movement for greater government oversight of theme park operations and safety procedures.

Then in 2003,

• Twenty-two-year-old Marcelo Torres, a graphic designer and aspiring animator, was seated in the lead passenger car of the ride vehicle at Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain attraction when a tragic accident happened on the ride in 2003. The crash was the result of the failure of a mechanical part on the locomotive ride vehicle. The bolts falling off caused “an axle to jam into the railroad’s ties. The locomotive nose-dived, and its rear hit the top of a tunnel. The force snapped a tow bar connecting the locomotive to the lead passenger car, which slammed into the locomotive’s undercarriage,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Marcelo Torres was killed in the accident, and ten other Guests were injured as well.

It seems history is repeating itself within the current management of Disneyland (and Disney World). We are seeing huge budget cuts, not enough cast members that are properly trained, broken effects and substandard ride maintenance all while nickel and diming everything. Are these a warning of a major tragedy in the near future? Is Disneyland and Disney World safe?

 

[DrAlice]

I've been thinking this for a little while now. The parallels in decision making are scarily similar.

 

[Magic Feather]

While I know the cost conscious nature of current management can seem like would lead to maintenance as a whole slipping, ever since the Big Thunder incident, safety critical maintenance has remained a massive priority at DLR, so I’d be shocked for anything like that to happen again.

 

[TsWade2]

Disneyland faces decline before, but they'll survive. Besides, what Disney did for California Adventure when it first open is in the past.

 

[Phroobar]

While I know the cost conscious nature of current management can seem like would lead to maintenance as a whole slipping, ever since the Big Thunder incident, safety critical maintenance has remained a massive priority at DLR, so I’d be shocked for anything like that to happen again.

Except it kind of has started. RSR caught on fire recently. Sure it was minor but it could have been worst. Besides how can you be so sure? How do I know a bolt might slip out of Mickey's Fun Wheel of Death dropping one of the cars? No matter how minor, a lot of things are broken. I wonder if these little things could add up to major failure.

 

[Phroobar]

Disneyland faces decline before, but they'll survive. Besides, what Disney did for California Adventure when it first open is in the past.

Doesn't mean the same bad management decisions aren't happening again.

 

[mlayton144]

Except it kind of has started. RSR caught on fire recently. Sure it was minor but it could have been worst. Besides how can you be so sure? How do I know a bolt might slip out of Mickey's Fun Wheel of Death dropping one of the cars? No matter how minor, a lot of things are broken. I wonder if these little things could add up to major failure.

Are you trying to ruin everyone’s vacation to DLR ? Lol

 

[DrAlice]

The point is that what happened before was a combination of lowered maintenance quality and inadequate staff training. Um... **gestures broadly**

Honestly, the memory of those days absolutely factors into why we have no plans to return to the parks anytime soon. It's not the only reason, but it certainly factors into the equation.

 

[waltography]

Cost-cutting is one factor for sure (and likely the most prominent here), but I also think there may still be lingering pandemic effects like supply chain issues that are forcing maintenance's hand on repairing things.

 

[Phroobar]

That's the scary thing, if they can't get the part and they still run the ride well beyond the life of the part, things are going to stop working and people could get hurt.

 

[FAIRIEDUST78]

So I take it that you don’t go on carnival rides either, because if you did go on carnival rides that would be ironic. I don’t go to carnival’s because anything that can be torn down and put back up a day later is just plain crazy and unsafe. I’ll take dland and their rides any day of the week over carney rides!

 

[lazyboy97o]

So I take it that you don’t go on carnival rides either, because if you did go on carnival rides that would be ironic. I don’t go to carnival’s because anything that can be torn down and put back up a day later is just plain crazy and unsafe. I’ll take dland and their rides any day of the week over carney rides!

If they weren't designed properly to be safe why would their counterpart at Disneyland be designed properly?

 

[shambolicdefending]

IMO, the odds of anything like what we saw under Pressler are remote.

Even in just the last 20 years engineering and safety tech has advanced so much. There are so many redundancies and fail-safe automations now. Any catastrophic life-threatening failures are going to be outrageous anomalies.

The odds that an incompetent and ill-trained cast member might screw something up might be a little higher, but probably not to the extent that somebody's life could be endangered - again, most major human error risks have been engineered and automated out of rides.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

because anything that can be torn down and put back up a day later is just plain crazy and unsafe.

Then you shouldn’t go to concerts or touring broadway shows that’s for sure.

 

[FAIRIEDUST78]

Then you shouldn’t go to concerts or touring broadway shows that’s for sure.

Unless the broadway show is a flop, most shows last longer than a day. Last I checked most shows coming to the Pantages or the Ahmanson perform for weeks to months at a time. Also, the concerts I have been to are on stages that have been standing stationary for many years now. So please, tell me where else I shouldn’t go. Can I go to the vegetable market? How about the grand opening of a new store? Any where else, gladly taking your opinions.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Unless the broadway show is a flop, most shows last longer than a day. Last I checked most shows coming to the Pantages or the Ahmanson perform for weeks to months at a time. Also, the concerts I have been to are on stages that have been standing stationary for many years now. So please, tell me where else I shouldn’t go. Can I go to the vegetable market? How about the grand opening of a new store? Any where else, gladly taking your opinions.

Huh? Most carnivals run for a week-month at a time as well. I’m only using your own logic.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Unless the broadway show is a flop, most shows last longer than a day. Last I checked most shows coming to the Pantages or the Ahmanson perform for weeks to months at a time. Also, the concerts I have been to are on stages that have been standing stationary for many years now. So please, tell me where else I shouldn’t go. Can I go to the vegetable market? How about the grand opening of a new store? Any where else, gladly taking your opinions.

There’s all sorts of structures and rigging at a touring show or concert that is put up and taken down just as quickly.

 

[DLR92]

It be extremely upsetting Disney repeating history if there were actual accident. That would ruin Disney badly.

 

[Sailor310]

It be extremely upsetting Disney repeating history if there were actual accident. That would ruin Disney badly.

I'm not sure that will be the case. DL is GREAT at covering up accidents, deaths and incidents, and settling/winning lawsuits.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm not sure that will be the case. DL is GREAT at covering up accidents, deaths and incidents, and settling/winning lawsuits.

Which accidents and deaths have they covered up?