Swimming in the World Showcase Promenade

[Incomudro]

I guess it's fitting to add a compensation story here...
On one of our more recent visits, we got stuck on Soarin'.
The machine lifted, and sort of abruptly slammed into place.
I don't know how long we were up there, maybe ten minutes?
Anyway, after they were able get us down - they gave us several fast passes, (pre magic bands)
beverages like juices and water, as well as some muffins.

 

[jaklgreen]

Let me be clear - I did not, even for a second, think that Disney owed me something because it was raining. I was more concerned with the fact that one of my vacation nights was ruined by the weather. Now if, on the way out of Epcot, Disney was handing out coupons for 20% off on lunch, or a discount on merch, or something nice like that in compensation for my bad time, I'd be thinking "Hmmm, that Disney company sure does it right!"

I totally get what you are saying. But, that is a slippery slope. Once you set precedents on something like that, then it becomes expected. Can you imagine if they started handing stuff out every time it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. I also worry that you even thought about them maybe compensating. Most of us old schoolers, the thought of any kind of compensation maybe being handed out did not even pop into our heads. Not that you are any kind of bad person or anything like that. It just fascinates me to see how others mind works. Am I too forgiving? Should I be thinking that we should be compensated some way for everything that we perceive as not perfect? IDK Is this the new way of the world?

 

[danyoung56]

I realize Disney has to be careful about how they judge things. Even in the monsoon rain that I survived in Epcot, there wasn't flooding like in the pics on this thread. So heavy rain? Tough. But large areas of concrete overflowing with 6 inches of water? Perhaps that would qualify for a nice little something from Disney.

 

[danyoung56]

Yes, heavy thunderstorms are the norm. But total flooding of the concrete areas in Epcot is most definitely NOT the norm. I've been going for over 20 years and I've never seen that happen.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

This was more than just "a little rain". Based on the photo, anyone caught in that would have their shoes (and maybe more) soaked right through. They'd pretty much have to leave right then and deal with drying out wet shoes etc.

Does Disney "own" anyone anything? No, but some fastpasses or something would make people feel better about the hassle they have to endure here.

 

[blueboxdoctor]

Only time I saw anything like this there was one night back in Frontierland. All the water was rushing down the hill to the entrance of Splash Mountain and then building up. Though, not as severe as this. Though, it would be cool to experience the park with rain/flooding like this thread shows.

 

[YozhikRoth]

It's almost like New Orleans, where you'd go into a restaurant and it's bright and sunny, then leave and it's bright and sunny with a foot of water on the ground.

 

[allgiggles]

Yes, heavy thunderstorms are the norm. But total flooding of the concrete areas in Epcot is most definitely NOT the norm. I've been going for over 20 years and I've never seen that happen.

Be thankful you weren't there for Monsoon Week in May '09. I can assure you it was a daily occurrence that week. We actually went back to Epcot 3 times that week in hopes of being able to get through World Showcase without drowning. Didn't happen until the 2nd last night of our stay when the rain actually stopped for a few hours and the water had a chance to subside.

I realize Disney has to be careful about how they judge things. Even in the monsoon rain that I survived in Epcot, there wasn't flooding like in the pics on this thread. So heavy rain? Tough. But large areas of concrete overflowing with 6 inches of water? Perhaps that would qualify for a nice little something from Disney.

This was more than just "a little rain". Based on the photo, anyone caught in that would have their shoes (and maybe more) soaked right through. They'd pretty much have to leave right then and deal with drying out wet shoes etc.

Does Disney "own" anyone anything? No, but some fastpasses or something would make people feel better about the hassle they have to endure here.

But how do they determine who should be compensated? Everyone in the park? Only those in areas of the parks that have extreme flooding? Only those that CMs can identify as having *needed* to walk through that water? Only those who complain to GS? What would they do when they get a week like we had in May 2009? If guests would have gone back to their hotel every time their shoes got soaked that week, none of us would have ever even managed to get to the parks because we were soaked by the time we got on the bus. If we were lucky enough to be heading to the buses when it wasn't raining, it was probably raining when we got off the bus. So would they have to give every one who actually ventured to the parks in that rain some type of compensation? We didn't really need FPs as most things were a walk on since a lot of people chose not to go out in the rain. Free rain ponchos would have been nice, but I really didn't mind paying $70 to outfit our family with those. And Disney was awesome about replacing them when they ripped. I don't think Disney needs to comp anyone anything due to extreme weather. I've had friends who have been at Disney during a hurricane and they were all very impressed with how Disney handled things. None of them were looking for compensation, but felt that the "extras" that Disney offered during those days were a nice bonus.

Well clearly you missed your chance to really cash in on the freebies!

Yes. And I'll be sure not to make *that* mistake again. ;D


This isn't directed at anyone in particular, just a general comment: Spending a week at Disney in hurricane volume rain storms (but no wind, thankfully), will give you a whole new perspective on being inconvenienced by weather. We used to dread those rain showers that commonly show up every afternoon during the summer months. Not anymore. That's a minor blip on the radar screen to us now. Even a shower that lasts a few hours...no big deal -- even if there is flash flooding involved. We've managed to live through much more severe weather than that at Disney and still had a great time. If we had been at Epcot the other night, I can guarantee you that we would have been walking through that water laughing and saying, "Oh my gosh. Remember when we had to walk through this kind of stuff every day that one year???? And our socks and shoes were soaked every day...as soon as we walked out of our room??? And how the ducks couldn't figure out where they were supposed to be and we'd see them swimming in puddles all the time! That was such a fun trip!!"

 

[Incomudro]

Be thankful you weren't there for Monsoon Week in May '09. I can assure you it was a daily occurrence that week. We actually went back to Epcot 3 times that week in hopes of being able to get through World Showcase without drowning. Didn't happen until the 2nd last night of our stay when the rain actually stopped for a few hours and the water had a chance to subside.






But how do they determine who should be compensated? Everyone in the park? Only those in areas of the parks that have extreme flooding? Only those that CMs can identify as having *needed* to walk through that water? Only those who complain to GS? What would they do when they get a week like we had in May 2009? If guests would have gone back to their hotel every time their shoes got soaked that week, none of us would have ever even managed to get to the parks because we were soaked by the time we got on the bus. If we were lucky enough to be heading to the buses when it wasn't raining, it was probably raining when we got off the bus. So would they have to give every one who actually ventured to the parks in that rain some type of compensation? We didn't really need FPs as most things were a walk on since a lot of people chose not to go out in the rain. Free rain ponchos would have been nice, but I really didn't mind paying $70 to outfit our family with those. And Disney was awesome about replacing them when they ripped. I don't think Disney needs to comp anyone anything due to extreme weather. I've had friends who have been at Disney during a hurricane and they were all very impressed with how Disney handled things. None of them were looking for compensation, but felt that the "extras" that Disney offered during those days were a nice bonus.



Yes. And I'll be sure not to make *that* mistake again. ;D


This isn't directed at anyone in particular, just a general comment: Spending a week at Disney in hurricane volume rain storms (but no wind, thankfully), will give you a whole new perspective on being inconvenienced by weather. We used to dread those rain showers that commonly show up every afternoon during the summer months. Not anymore. That's a minor blip on the radar screen to us now. Even a shower that lasts a few hours...no big deal -- even if there is flash flooding involved. We've managed to live through much more severe weather than that at Disney and still had a great time. If we had been at Epcot the other night, I can guarantee you that we would have been walking through that water laughing and saying, "Oh my gosh. Remember when we had to walk through this kind of stuff every day that one year???? And our socks and shoes were soaked every day...as soon as we walked out of our room??? And how the ducks couldn't figure out where they were supposed to be and we'd see them swimming in puddles all the time! That was such a fun trip!!"

Great post.
Remember, you're dealing with a forum that has members who get bent out of shape if they get splashed on PotC

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

But how do they determine who should be compensated? Everyone in the park? Only those in areas of the parks that have extreme flooding? Only those that CMs can identify as having *needed* to walk through that water? Only those who complain to GS? What would they do when they get a week like we had in May 2009? If guests would have gone back to their hotel every time their shoes got soaked that week, none of us would have ever even managed to get to the parks because we were soaked by the time we got on the bus. If we were lucky enough to be heading to the buses when it wasn't raining, it was probably raining when we got off the bus. So would they have to give every one who actually ventured to the parks in that rain some type of compensation? We didn't really need FPs as most things were a walk on since a lot of people chose not to go out in the rain. Free rain ponchos would have been nice, but I really didn't mind paying $70 to outfit our family with those. And Disney was awesome about replacing them when they ripped. I don't think Disney needs to comp anyone anything due to extreme weather. I've had friends who have been at Disney during a hurricane and they were all very impressed with how Disney handled things. None of them were looking for compensation, but felt that the "extras" that Disney offered during those days were a nice bonus.

Fair questions, it would be hard to give out any compensation when dealing with such a large number of people. It's not the same as handing out a fastpass to everyone in line when an attraction breaks down.

You bring up heavy rain but that's not a fair comparison. People can choose to venture out in the rain, or not, and should plan for it in Florida. The flooding we see here is unexpected and not something one can plan for.

It's as you said, compensation is not required but would be a nice bonus. It would be simply acknowledging that the effected guests are having a bad evening and helping to make it better in some small way.

 

[flynnibus]

Disney doesn't need to compensate ANYONE because of a sudden downpour that overwhelmed the drainage system. Its the middle of spring in Central FL, heavy thunderstorms are the norm

Would you accept your home becoming inaccessible flooding everytime there is a downpour? I don't subscribe to the idea that a foot of water covering the entire area is normal and tolerable in a public accommodation. I don't think Disney owes everyone day passes.. but that's because we're talking about the level of negative impact the customer experienced... not that flooding the entire area is 'just the norm' everywhere in Florida.

 

[danyoung56]

But how do they determine who should be compensated? Everyone in the park? Only those in areas of the parks that have extreme flooding? Only those that CMs can identify as having *needed* to walk through that water? Only those who complain to GS?

It's not that tough. I'm not talking about giving a free day pass or anything. But a coupon for an extra FP+ or 20% off on a meal isn't going to break the bank. It might even make Disney some money, as people who weren't going to dine in the parks now have to to take advantage of their 20% coupon. And I'd say they give it to everybody in the park who experienced the problem that day. And during monsoon week? Disney should just suck it up and have the freebies ready every day there's a rain-related problem.

 

[roj2323]

Be thankful you weren't there for Monsoon Week in May '09. I can assure you it was a daily occurrence that week. That was such a fun trip!!"

I was a CP at DHS at the time. This was the week I started bringing spare socks to work as custodians were the ones who had to wade through the water to clear the drains so the 6-8" puddles would go away. It was a miserable week as I was stuck out in it for 5 days straight. BTW drying out shoes is a PITA. Several of the custodial closets had rubber boots in them the week after that mess thankfully.

 

[Gabe1]

World Showcase turned into a swimming pool last night. Chaos at around 9pm as people were wading through ankle to knee deep water.

Some guests were even lifting double strollers over railings and across planters to escape the water.
]

Great Photo's! Aside from a time we were in the aftermath of a hurricane I've only seen this once and that was outside Test Track and even as deep as that was it was not nearly the size lake these photo's are showing us. Thanks for sharing.

 

[allgiggles]

I was a CP at DHS at the time. This was the week I started bringing spare socks to work as custodians were the ones who had to wade through the water to clear the drains so the 6-8" puddles would go away. It was a miserable week as I was stuck out in it for 5 days straight. BTW drying out shoes is a PITA. Several of the custodial closets had rubber boots in them the week after that mess thankfully.

I felt really bad for all the CMs and CPs working that week. At least we could choose to go back to the room to dry off whenever we decided we'd had enough of the rain. I knew they had to stay out in that rain for their entire shift whether they wanted to or not. And I hear ya on the drying out the shoes. Fortunately we each had at least 2 pair so we could switch them out every day. At night I'd stuff dry towels and washcloths into each of the wet shoes. In the morning I'd pull the towels out of the shoes and let them air dry the rest of the way. It took about 24 hours for the shoes to dry completely. Even my son's leather sandals didn't completely dry overnight. And despite there being signs on every dryer in the laundry room stating, "Please do not put shoes in the dryers", every dryer had shoes in them so it was a challenge to even try to wash and dry our socks midway through the week. I now bring twice as many socks as I think we'll need. I would have brought more that trip except that when we left home for Disney World, it looked like we'd have *maybe* a half a day of rain on our first day -- the rest of the week looked sunny. Then that storm stalled over central FL and every day they added another day of rain to the forecast.

 

[allgiggles]

Fair questions, it would be hard to give out any compensation when dealing with such a large number of people. It's not the same as handing out a fastpass to everyone in line when an attraction breaks down.

You bring up heavy rain but that's not a fair comparison. People can choose to venture out in the rain, or not, and should plan for it in Florida. The flooding we see here is unexpected and not something one can plan for.

It's as you said, compensation is not required but would be a nice bonus. It would be simply acknowledging that the effected guests are having a bad evening and helping to make it better in some small way.

How is the rain not a fair comparison? The flooding in that picture was caused by rain. Rain is rain. While we plan on rain when we're at Disney, I don't think *anyone* plans on torrential downpours for hours on end day after day for an entire week...especially when the weather forecast when we arrived was for a 1/2 day of rain for our arrival day and then sunny the rest of the week! No one knew it was going to rain for the week...the forecast changed dramatically every single day. It wasn't like a hurricane when you have some idea that it is on it's way. I don't think Disney or anyone visiting that week was in any way prepared for or expecting the amount of rain and flooding that happened. And if we wanted to do *anything* we had to go out in the rain -- it really wasn't a choice. We needed to eat. And we preferred to actually use the tickets we paid for rather than spend 7 days sitting in a hotel room watching the Disney channel all day. We (meaning the thousands of people who were there that week) didn't specifically *choose* to go out in the rain. We *chose* to make the most of our vacations despite the rain.

I can only think of one trip to Disney when we had no heavy rain any day (that trip it happened at 10:00 at night). We can usually count on a heavy downpour at least a few times during our stays. So I guess I should have been compensated for heavy rain and flooded park areas at some point on every trip we've made. I probably should have gotten something really great when a horrific thunderstorm came out of nowhere when we were leaving DHS one day a few years ago. It was a torrential downpour with a lot of lightning...and we were in the parking lot trying to get under cover...in a metal framed bus shelter no less because there was nowhere else to go. It was so frightening and dangerous that we (and a bunch of other guests) literally jumped on the first resort bus that showed up just so we could get out of the lightning. There were people running all over the place trying to get to shelter or a bus -- much more chaotic than the typical rain storm. (Again, it never even crossed our mind to ask for compensation. It's the weather. We don't have control over it. No one does.)

It's just not feasible for Disney to hand out a freebie every time there's a minor inconvenience to some guests (though I don't disagree that it would be a nice gesture. Just not a very practical one.). And as far as I'm concerned, rain and flooding of certain areas of parks is really not worth compensation. As soon as people found out Disney was handing out free FP's...or Mickey Bars...or a special edition sticker every time there was a large puddle of water somewhere, you'd have the "I'm entitled" guests flocking to the commonly flooded areas to demand their freebie. Or more likely they'd be trying to create their own puddle. And I'm only half joking about that.

 

[Sonconato]

I have paid lots more than the cost of a day's admission to Epcot to sit in soaking wet and cold conditions and watch the darn Red Sox lose at Fenway, but stinking John Henry never offered me anything for my trouble or even thanks for the silly ticket costs. Never going to a game in April again.

As a fan since 1967, I hear you. I've seen the tarp go on and off the infield more times than I can remember. Also, don't forget the rain in May, June, and July. You might get lucky and it will snow in April.

 

[flynnibus]

I'm not interested in partaking in a peeing match. I just disagree that people deserve a free fastpass/or some other comp because a storm dropped 5 inches of rain in two hours and overwhelmed the drainage system.

That's fine... Just say that verse making stuff up to try to justify it

 

[PhotoDave219]

I imagine the drainage failed. I've been in some awful weather in the same area (C25 anyone) but never seen standing water in such a wide area.

If there was a failure then yes, I'd expect some recompense.

It was essentially a three-hour monsoon with heavy rains I hadn't seen the likes of in years.

In Celebration, it was almost over the curb at one point. The street was easily a river.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

How is the rain not a fair comparison? The flooding in that picture was caused by rain. Rain is rain.

The difference isn't obvious? This is not rain, this is people standing in what appears to be a good several inches of water. My initial reaction would be that Disney hasn't built the proper infrastructure to handle such a sudden downpour.

Maybe that isn't even realistic, but there is a difference between rain and thunder, things Disney cannot control, and a theme park not designed to handle Florida weather.