Is Disneyland heading for a major tragedy?

[TP2000]

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

So, not just you. I've also had this same thought that @Phroobar had the guts to broach here.

The CM turnover is reportedly very high. The old guard at all levels is long gone. TDA's senior leaders are clueless about theme park operations. Burbank execs seem more concerned about a few thousand anonymous people in an echo chamber on Twitter than what is actually happening in real life.

The whole thing seems ominous.

 

[Phroobar]

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!

Most Disneyland and DCA flat rides can be taken apart in a day or two.

 

[Phroobar]

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.

Here are temporary structures for concerts at DCA.

 

[Sailor310]

Which accidents and deaths have they covered up?

Ok. I exaggerated. Maybe "minimized". More like the guy that jumps off Mikey and Friends and it ends up on the last page of the paper.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Ok. I exaggerated. Maybe "minimized". More like the guy that jumps off Mikey and Friends and it ends up on the last page of the paper.

Except the opposite happens. Events outside but near Disney properties get publicized because of their tenuous connection to Disney.

 

[Phroobar]

Ok. I exaggerated. Maybe "minimized". More like the guy that jumps off Mikey and Friends and it ends up on the last page of the paper.

If someone committed suicide at Six Flags, it would be "last page". If they did it at Disneyland then it's up a few "pages". If someone died of poor maintenance at Six Flags, it would be up few "pages". If the same thing happen at Disneyland, it's "front page" national news.

Of course, who reads newspapers anymore?

 

[Twirlnhurl]

I have thought about the possibility. However, the fact that rides are experiencing more downtime is making me feel like safety critical maintenance is being emphasized.

In the late '90s, capacity concerns along with maintenance budget cuts lead to the dangerous situations.

I don't see Disney worrying about capacity to the detriment of safety in their current operations.

 

[el_super]

In the late '90s, capacity concerns along with maintenance budget cuts lead to the dangerous situations.

That's sort of a misconception really. There's never been a policy at Disneyland to operate equipment that isn't safe. Capacity or not, if a ride vehicle doesn't pass inspection, it's never supposed to go out. Vehicles are supposed to be tagged in a way that makes it obvious, between all CMs whether a ride vehicle is cleared for use.

Can humans make mistakes though? Yeah of course. I don't see how anything related to the current maintenance situation really changes the odds on whether a CM makes a mistake or not.

Maybe the one wildcard could be if a vendor or subcontractor swapped out equipment for a cheaper model due to supply issues, without telling Disney... I think something similar happened in the case of the Screamin' accident.

But otherwise you're right, they are not going to risk an accident just to resolve capacity issues.

 

[lazyboy97o]

That's sort of a misconception really. There's never been a policy at Disneyland to operate equipment that isn't safe. Capacity or not, if a ride vehicle doesn't pass inspection, it's never supposed to go out. Vehicles are supposed to be tagged in a way that makes it obvious, between all CMs whether a ride vehicle is cleared for use.

Can humans make mistakes though? Yeah of course. I don't see how anything related to the current maintenance situation really changes the odds on whether a CM makes a mistake or not.

Maybe the one wildcard could be if a vendor or subcontractor swapped out equipment for a cheaper model due to supply issues, without telling Disney... I think something similar happened in the case of the Screamin' accident.

But otherwise you're right, they are not going to risk an accident just to resolve capacity issues.

A vehicle being improperly tagged as good for use because of a harried culture already happened.

 

[el_super]

A vehicle being improperly tagged as good for use because of a harried culture already happened.

If you're referring to the Big Thunder accident, then this is definitely incorrect.

 

[DrAlice]

Just for the sake of discussion (since some probably don't remember), here is an old LA Times write-up of the Columbia accident. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-05-me-31768-story.html

Some highlights from the article:

After a lengthy investigation, the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined Disneyland $12,500, the maximum penalty allowed, for misusing equipment and failing to train Carpenter........ State officials said bolts holding the cleat had been bent before the accident, showing that the ship had been docked improperly on previous occasions.........

Disneyland later made several changes in the way it operates rides, adopting bell signals and changing docking procedures on the Columbia, reviewing and updating all its ride procedures and bringing back lead ride operators on most rides, an experienced position that had been phased out on many attractions.

They cut staff, staff training, and maintenance and an accident occurred. *insert shocked face* So, again, to answer the original question, current conditions in the parks are definitely concerning.

 

[CaptinEO]

In the last year we have had Splash Mountain boats and Jungle Cruise boats sink, all due to bad maintenance. In Splash's case a log collided with another log, forcing one to be pushed under water.

The rides are already doing things that were unheard of in the decades they've been operating.

If that isn't a warning sign I don't know what is.

 

[Dear Prudence]

I just thought it was worth bringing up, that I was injured getting evacuated from Indy last year. I told the CM I wasn't tall enough to reach the step ladder to disembark. I think they didn't believe me. I don't really blame them personally, but someone who is not me could have been way more injured.

 

[Phroobar]

I just thought it was worth bringing up, that I was injured getting evacuated from Indy last year. I told the CM I wasn't tall enough to reach the step ladder to disembark. I think they didn't believe me. I don't really blame them personally, but someone who is not me could have been way more injured.

How did that work? Can you tell me what they were asking you to do?

 

[PiratesMansion]

In the last year we have had Splash Mountain boats and Jungle Cruise boats sink, all due to bad maintenance. In Splash's case a log collided with another log, forcing one to be pushed under water.

The rides are already doing things that were unheard of in the decades they've been operating.

If that isn't a warning sign I don't know what is.

Weren't both of those Florida?

Not saying DLR is perfect, and maybe I haven't been keeping up with the California parks as thoroughly as I could have been, but I don't remember any of the super egregious maintenance issues being at DLR recently.

 

[Phroobar]

Weren't both of those Florida?

Not saying DLR is perfect, and maybe I haven't been keeping up with the California parks as thoroughly as I could have been, but I don't remember any of the super egregious maintenance issues being at DLR recently.

They are under the same management team now which make it only a matter of time before a Jungle Cruise boat sinks at Disneyland.

 

[PiratesMansion]

They are under the same management team now which make it only a matter of time before a Jungle Cruise boat sinks at Disneyland.

Are they though?

Again, maybe I've missed something here, and I can't pretend I've made an effort to keep up with who's where and how intertwined the parks are at this precise moment in time. But for the vast majority of Disney's history, up to and including extremely recent times, what is going on at one resort often has very little to do with what's going on with the other unless it is mandated otherwise from the top (like those 24 hour Disney days they used to do).

 

[truecoat]

Which accidents and deaths have they covered up?

Those tombstones by the Haunted Mansion serve two purposes.

 

[jpinkc]

I havent been to DL myself in years. WDW is looking very sketchy to us when we went late last year. Lots of stuff going down for multiple hours or whole days. DL seems to get the better treatment as it is the Original to me. I dont see near the complaints about downtime coming from Anaheim as I do Orlando, my experience also leans that Orlando is much worse in that regard IE lack of maintenance, and need of TLC.

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

I havent been to DL myself in years. WDW is looking very sketchy to us when we went late last year. Lots of stuff going down for multiple hours or whole days. DL seems to get the better treatment as it is the Original to me. I dont see near the complaints about downtime coming from Anaheim as I do Orlando, my experience also leans that Orlando is much worse in that regard IE lack of maintenance, and need of TLC.

ROTR is down regularly at DL.
Indy always is down and has bunches of effects not working.
Splash regularly has effects not working.
RSR goes down periodically.
Pirates shut down 4 times just on the morning it recently reopened.
I've seen the relatively new WEB SLINGERS down a few times.
I can't recall the last time I actually got all the way through HM without it stopping.
When the Frozen show was at the Hyperion, they had to stop the show more often than they didn't. I'm not sure I saw it run correctly without a stop or skipped effect more than once.

So yeah, there are issues on both coasts.