News Monorail Red in motion with guests on board and doors open

[Cmdr_Crimson]

These new stickers have just been installed in every train car on Expedition Everest.

Fixed it for you.....

 

[TrojanUSC]

You know what really makes me mad about this? The lady that made the video is saying that employees at the terminal were trying to get on to the customers as if it were their fault. She said that they were reprimanding people and telling them that they should have used the emergency telephone. What emergency telephone? I've ridden the monorail a good bit and never saw anything like that around inside the cabin. And the lady told the terminal employees the same thing; that she didn't know what they were talking about. I don't know what the lady or the other passengers are planning to do but had that been me inside there when all that was going on, you'd better believe I'd start a lawsuit just for the idiocy of those employees. I mean where do they go off on trying to put blame on the customers? Is this what they teach their employees now? I am ashamed of Disney at the moment and will NEVER ride the monorail there again. I really hope some of the customers file a lawsuit because this was a big accident that could have resulted in tragedy. Me and hubby have a trip planned to DW later on this year; we actually have been thinking about canceling and possibly gearing up to selling our DVC. I mean when you think about the H-1 B Visa scandal, the alligator eating the little kid, the fact that it is getting very expensive to go now, and you have the constant long lines and the overcrowding, it's really making me think Disney World is not worth it anymore. We're not there yet, but there are a lot of "fans" that have quit this place "cold turkey" and I think it's finally dawning on me now that DW is seriously in need of an overhaul and I don't know if Bob Iger is the problem or what but something's got to change. And don't even get me started on the Star Wars "fiasco"...

Honestly, I'm the first to fault Disney for a lot of things but this particular comment is a bit over the top. Yes, the monorail system is in dire need of refurbishment. Yes, Disney is at fault for this but there are indeed clearly marked emergency telephones in all monorail cabins which the guests could have used to alert the cast members - that is the point of the phones. You also weren't prevalent to the entire conversation, where I'm sure apologies were made, statements were taken and lots of compensation was given.

The H-1 B scandal is a side issue where Disney chose to outsource a large portion of their IT staff. Yes, it's problematic but no different than when they outsourced a ton of departments, which has been going on for 20+ years.

A child was wading in a freshwater lake, near a "no swimming" sign and was drowned by an alligator. A tragedy, yes. However, would you also be upset with a beach resort who had a guest bitten by a shark? They've since taken the right precautions to prevent this from happening again. It had also happened once before decades ago, so to blame this on Bob Iger is pretty staggering.

Crowds are an issue but the capacities of the parks largely haven't gone down, just the number of guests attending have. Are you trying to say that Disney should take precautions to actively deter guests from coming? Considering this would be a disservice to the shareholders, I don't think it is in their best interest. Thankfully they have Fastpass to allow you to bypass the busiest lines. Don't want that? Opt for a tour. Many options if you don't want to deal with the crowds.

 

[Gabe1]

Honestly, I'm the first to fault Disney for a lot of things but this particular comment is a bit over the top. Yes, the monorail system is in dire need of refurbishment. Yes, Disney is at fault for this but there are indeed clearly marked emergency telephones in all monorail cabins which the guests could have used to alert the cast members - that is the point of the phones. You also weren't prevalent to the entire conversation, where I'm sure apologies were made, statements were taken and lots of compensation was given.

The H-1 B scandal is a side issue where Disney chose to outsource a large portion of their IT staff. Yes, it's problematic but no different than when they outsourced a ton of departments, which has been going on for 20+ years.

A child was wading in a freshwater lake, near a "no swimming" sign and was drowned by an alligator. A tragedy, yes. However, would you also be upset with a beach resort who had a guest bitten by a shark? They've since taken the right precautions to prevent this from happening again. It had also happened once before decades ago, so to blame this on Bob Iger is pretty staggering.

Crowds are an issue but the capacities of the parks largely haven't gone down, just the number of guests attending have. Are you trying to say that Disney should take precautions to actively deter guests from coming? Considering this would be a disservice to the shareholders, I don't think it is in their best interest. Thankfully they have Fastpass to allow you to bypass the busiest lines. Don't want that? Opt for a tour. Many options if you don't want to deal with the crowds.

Me<-----If I am the woman sitting down and gripping the handrail 'cause the freak'n door is open I am not getting up to dial up Disney to inform them their door is open on the monorail. I'd be beyond cautious knowing the monorails do unexpectedly stop. I'd remain seated and hold on tightly. Again me <---- I'd wouldn't find it acceptable to be blamed for not getting up and calling Disney. I can't tell you how many times I've heard pre recorded messages from Disney PLEASE REMAIN SEATED. With that in mind blaming the consumer for not getting up doesn't ring true to Disney instructions. And even if the consumer dialed up Disney what would they do while the monorail was midway out on the beam? Stop the monorail and then what? I fail to see the excuses on Disney's behalf in this particular instance. There is not a protocol for this situation that should not happen.

 

[TrojanUSC]

Me<-----If I am the woman sitting down and gripping the handrail 'cause the freak'n door is open I am not getting up to dial up Disney to inform them their door is open on the monorail. I'd be beyond cautious knowing the monorails do unexpectedly stop. I'd remain seated and hold on tightly. Again me <---- I'd wouldn't find it acceptable to be blamed for not getting up and calling Disney. I can't tell you how many times I've heard pre recorded messages from Disney PLEASE REMAIN SEATED. With that in mind blaming the consumer for not getting up doesn't ring true to Disney instructions. And even if the consumer dialed up Disney what would they do while the monorail was midway out on the beam? Stop the monorail and then what? I fail to see the excuses on Disney's behalf in this particular instance. There is not a protocol for this situation that should not happen.

The Please Remain Seated spiel doesn't play on the monorail specifically because people are expected to stand when it is busy. The phone is not near the open door and assuming guests were on the other side of the seat divider, they could have just as easily called as well.

 

[Gabe1]

The Please Remain Seated spiel doesn't play on the monorail specifically because people are expected to stand when it is busy. The phone is not near the open door and assuming guests were on the other side of the seat divider, they could have just as easily called as well.

I fail to understand blaming the guests. Clarify for me what would have changed the door situation if a guest stood up and dialed up Disney? How would that have that made the door close by a guest standing up and dialing up Disney between platform load unload areas? Can you please expand on the Disney procedure that would have occurred if what you outline transpired? Our neighbor and my DS BFF was a monorail pilot the night of the crash is saying they received no training for this situation or that horrid situation so please enlighten me what the protocol is that standing up and calling would have resolved. I'm genuinely interested to hear what the protocol is for this situation is.

 

[TrojanUSC]

I fail to understand blaming the guests. Clarify for me what would have changed the door situation if a guest stood up and dialed up Disney? How would that have that made the door close by a guest standing up and dialing up Disney between platform load unload areas? Can you please expand on the Disney procedure that would have occurred if what you outline transpired? Our neighbor and my DS BFF was a monorail pilot the night of the crash is saying they received no training for this situation or that horrid situation so please enlighten me what the protocol is that standing up and calling would have resolved. I'm genuinely interested to hear what the protocol is for this situation is.

Barring some system to manually close the doors for that cabin, the obvious answer is that such a phone call would have a) let the driver know of the situation so he could drive the vehicle at a slower speed to ensure no sharp turns were hit b) reiterate to passengers in other vehicles to stand clear of the doors, should the problem not be isolated c) depending where the door opened on the track, reverse course (which can be done) back to the station, as it may be a much closer/safer option than continuing to the destination.

 

[Rowlet]

Regarding the phones: I believe it can be used as an opportunity for Disney to realize that some guests may not be aware of their surroundings and not realize there is a working emergency phone within the cabin. Disney can do as they please but sometimes the best solution to situations like this is not a "Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda" response. Instead, Disney can be reactive and perhaps include a loudspeaker message before the train departs that alerts guests to the phone. Just a thought.

Hopefully a situation like this does not present itself again and the monorails get the much needed love.

 

[ford91exploder]

I thought it was just a less expensive way to introduce a new E Ticket attraction. . .


Dang, I hate it when you post something and I find myself thinking it could actually be true.

Too many years in corporate america ive seen it all and much of it is not good many elevators 'emergency' button not connected so some bean counter can 'save' the 30 bucks/mo 'because it will never be used'.

 

[King Panda 77]

Too many years in corporate america ive seen it all and much of it is not good many elevators 'emergency' button not connected so some bean counter can 'save' the 30 bucks/mo 'because it will never be used'.

And your proof of that is ?

 

[spacemt354]

 

[gwhb75]

Crazy to think, if the rumors are true, that Siemens offered Disney a new fleet of monorail trains to extend their sponsorship of Spaceship Earth, and were turned down...

 

[jakeman]

Crazy to think, if the rumors are true, that Siemens offered Disney a new fleet of monorail trains to extend their sponsorship of Spaceship Earth, and were turned down...

It has never been determined if this was accurate or not. It's best not to go down an unproven road in this case.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Crazy to think, if the rumors are true, that Siemens offered Disney a new fleet of monorail trains to extend their sponsorship of Spaceship Earth, and were turned down...

It's surprising that no insider has definitively said if that rumor is true or not. They've certainly intimated there were other reasons.

 

[jakeman]

Dang, I hate it when you post something and I find myself thinking it could actually be true.

It would be illegal and the elevator should fail inspection and be taken out of service. It's required that elevators have a means of 2 way communication with someone else.

You should never think that anything @ford91exploder post is true. If he says the sky is blue then you should go out and check.

 

[gwhb75]

It has never been determined if this was accurate or not. It's best not to go down an unproven road in this case.

Good to know. That why I put the proviso "if the rumors are true".

 

[ford91exploder]

Regarding the phones: I believe it can be used as an opportunity for Disney to realize that some guests may not be aware of their surroundings and not realize there is a working emergency phone within the cabin. Disney can do as they please but sometimes the best solution to situations like this is not a "Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda" response. Instead, Disney can be reactive and perhaps include a loudspeaker message before the train departs that alerts guests to the phone. Just a thought.

Hopefully a situation like this does not present itself again and the monorails get the much needed love.

Or they get shut down, And everyone knows what my vote on this would be.

Barring some system to manually close the doors for that cabin, the obvious answer is that such a phone call would have a) let the driver know of the situation so he could drive the vehicle at a slower speed to ensure no sharp turns were hit b) reiterate to passengers in other vehicles to stand clear of the doors, should the problem not be isolated c) depending where the door opened on the track, reverse course (which can be done) back to the station, as it may be a much closer/safer option than continuing to the destination.

Or like every subway system in the world an interlock system which prevents train motion unless all doors closed, This probably exists but has been bypassed to 'save' the cost of repairs and now we see doors 'duct taped' shut.

This is the kind of crap which fuels the 'going out of business' vibe so prevalent at WDW.

If Disney has so much money why is it not being spent on safety critical maintenance like this.

 

[jakeman]

If Disney has so much money why is it not being spent on safety critical maintenance like this.

At this point in time it is not determined if this is an oversight in maintenance or a point failure.

I know that facts don't matter to you, but I maintain hope that they do for a large majority of the posters here.

Jumping to conclusions in a situation of this importance is irresponsible.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I fail to understand blaming the guests. Clarify for me what would have changed the door situation if a guest stood up and dialed up Disney? How would that have that made the door close by a guest standing up and dialing up Disney between platform load unload areas? Can you please expand on the Disney procedure that would have occurred if what you outline transpired? Our neighbor and my DS BFF was a monorail pilot the night of the crash is saying they received no training for this situation or that horrid situation so please enlighten me what the protocol is that standing up and calling would have resolved. I'm genuinely interested to hear what the protocol is for this situation is.

I’m curious as what the public reaction would be to this if they had decided to call 911.

Barring some system to manually close the doors for that cabin, the obvious answer is that such a phone call would have a) let the driver know of the situation so he could drive the vehicle at a slower speed to ensure no sharp turns were hit b) reiterate to passengers in other vehicles to stand clear of the doors, should the problem not be isolated c) depending where the door opened on the track, reverse course (which can be done) back to the station, as it may be a much closer/safer option than continuing to the destination.

Do the pilots have that much control? They’re not actually driving anymore. They could E-Stop, but I don’t think they’re allowed to manually drive in reverse with passengers on board, much less potentially override the block system.

At this point in time it is not determined if this is an oversight in maintenance or a point failure.

I know that facts don't matter to you, but I maintain hope that they do for a large majority of the posters here.

Jumping to conclusions in a situation of this importance is irresponsible.

But it’s so much easier to make stuff up! After all, he claims to be a super engineer.

 

[ford91exploder]

It would be illegal and the elevator should fail inspection and be taken out of service. It's required that elevators have a means of 2 way communication with someone else.

You should never think that anything @ford91exploder post is true. If he says the sky is blue then you should go out and check.

Once again you demonstrate your complete ignorance of the 'real world' in my state elevators are supposed to be inspected annually by state inspectors, the reality due to a shortage of inspectors elevators get inspected every 2-4 years, I was in a state building for crying out loud an the certificate expired in 2014!

So yeah there is an incentive to cut corners because of lax inspection regimes.

 

[jakeman]

Once again you demonstrate your complete ignorance of the 'real world' in my state elevators are supposed to be inspected annually by state inspectors, the reality due to a shortage of inspectors elevators get inspected every 2-4 years, I was in a state building for crying out loud an the certificate expired in 2014!

So yeah there is an incentive to cut corners because of lax inspection regimes.

I'm not getting into elevator regulations with you. It's stupid, off topic, and something I know neither of us are an expert on (although one of us will act like it).

At the end of the day readers are going to have to decide what is more likely: my post citing regulations or the post of a documented and repeated liar saying that accountants are having the emergency call buttons of elevators disabled.