Swimming in the World Showcase Promenade

[jaklgreen]

If there is ankle-deep water on a sidewalk, or other area that is provided for people to walk on, and as a taxpayer, I would certainly want them to address the issue so that it did not occur again.

Seriously. I'm not trying to rally the torches and pitchforks. And everyone clearly has their own views, which I can totally respect. So to sum up...again...my point is that the company had an opportunity to make a crummy situation a little better for their guests, which is what we were trained as Cast Members to do (why we walked around with Golden Tickets, etc.). If a kid drops his ice cream, we could give him a ticket for another. But I guess some would say, "Too bad for him. It was his own fault. The company does not owe him another ice cream."

I am all about customer service and compensation if something goes wrong. But a sudden downpour is not something that I think Disney should compensate for. And the way it works is the rain is coming down faster and harder then it can physically drain. That does not mean they did anything wrong. I don't like the idea of expecting something for every little thing that does not go perfect in your life. If my kid dropped their ice cream, I would buy a new one and the though of expecting a new free one would never cross my mind. It is nice if they offer but if they went around and offered free stuff every time it rained, they would go out of business. It is a slippery slope to always try to compensate your customers for every little thing. And honestly, I don't think most people were expecting compensation for the rain, so why would you just start giving stuff away.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Probably just urine from all the wild marauding drunks that Epcot is awash with. Apparently.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Which basically is common in Florida...

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

I experienced this at World Showcase about 5 years ago. There was a massive downpour. You couldn't see 2 feet in front of you. People were running to get cover under any overhang. My husband and I took our shoes off and waded ankle deep in the water pushing 2 strollers. What was amusing was that Illuminations was going on the whole time. I have to say this flooding took all of 5 minutes from the first drop of rain.

 

[jhastings74]

I am all about customer service and compensation if something goes wrong. But a sudden downpour is not something that I think Disney should compensate for. And the way it works is the rain is coming down faster and harder then it can physically drain. That does not mean they did anything wrong. I don't like the idea of expecting something for every little thing that does not go perfect in your life. If my kid dropped their ice cream, I would buy a new one and the though of expecting a new free one would never cross my mind. It is nice if they offer but if they went around and offered free stuff every time it rained, they would go out of business. It is a slippery slope to always try to compensate your customers for every little thing.

Understood. And agreed. I am not a 'let-me-see-what-I-can-get-from-the-company' guy either. A sudden downpour is one thing. I'm not advocating they hand out free ponchos every time it rained hard (aka...every summer afternoon). But this was not quite the same. I would also not expect a free ice cream. But from a customer-service standpoint, I stay with my opinion that it was a missed opportunity. Nothing more. And now that they see that it is a possibility of happening, my expectation is that someone in the company look at it to see if it could be avoided again. Because if it started happening weekly, would that make it okay, just because a 'sudden downpour' of a similar scale happened every day? In the field I work in now, we have a saying: "If it happens once, plan for it to be a pattern." Hopefully this is a one-time occurrence, but even for that one time, a gesture of "You know what? That probably kinda stunk for your family for 15 minutes or so. We don't want that to effect your visit. So here's a <token gesture> from us to acknowledge that although we really had no way of immediately preventing it THIS time, we know it wasn't what you expected. Love, Walt Disney World" would be that 'Magical Moment' that would bring someone and their whole family back again. A small gesture and investment for a moment could pay off much more in the long run.

That is all I'm saying.

 

[jaklgreen]

Understood. And agreed. I am not a 'let-me-see-what-I-can-get-from-the-company' guy either. A sudden downpour is one thing. I'm not advocating they hand out free ponchos every time it rained hard (aka...every summer afternoon). But this was not quite the same. I would also not expect a free ice cream. But from a customer-service standpoint, I stay with my opinion that it was a missed opportunity. Nothing more. And now that they see that it is a possibility of happening, my expectation is that someone in the company look at it to see if it could be avoided again. Because if it started happening weekly, would that make it okay, just because a 'sudden downpour' of a similar scale happened every day? In the field I work in now, we have a saying: "If it happens once, plan for it to be a pattern." Hopefully this is a one-time occurrence, but even for that one time, a gesture of "You know what? That probably kinda stunk for your family for 15 minutes or so. We don't want that to effect your visit. So here's a <token gesture> from us to acknowledge that although we really had no way of immediately preventing it THIS time, we know it wasn't what you expected. Love, Walt Disney World" would be that 'Magical Moment' that would bring someone and their whole family back again. A small gesture and investment for a moment could pay off much more in the long run.

That is all I'm saying.

I could agree with that if someone was complaining. I know we have turned into a society of me me me. But I think most people took it for what it was and were not expecting anything from Disney. I think it is dangerous to just start handing things out for basically nothing. If you start doing that, then people start expecting it for every little thing. And it is already bad enough.

 

[jhastings74]

I could agree with that if someone was complaining. I know we have turned into a society of me me me. But I think most people took it for what it was and were not expecting anything from Disney. I think it is dangerous to just start handing things out for basically nothing. If you start doing that, then people start expecting it for every little thing. And it is already bad enough.

Totally agree with you.

And honestly, I only asked if management DID offer anything to guests. Really, only asking out of curiosity...not as a directive to Bob and the company.

So, just to summarize: I thought the OP's photos were interesting, I was curious if CMs provided any gesture to the guests. Pointing out an opportunity for improved guest relations that may or may not have been taken advantage of, because nobody has actually responded to my original wonderings.

 

[DManRightHere]

Looks fun!

 

[kvillegas]

There's a joke in here somewhere about the WS being flooded as a cautionary tale about global warming for the real world. Someone funnier than I will need to make it.

 

[marni1971]

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.

 

[ABQ]

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.

If C25 is Japan, was a similar failure taking place at Mexico? 2nd photo in the OP. Do the storm drains run from the promenade into the lagoon or elsewhere?

 

[Master Yoda]

I imagine the drains 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.

I remember that day.

 

[Incomudro]

It was a thunderstorm. A heavy downpour.

So, it wasn't the lagoon coming up?
Just too much water too soon on the pavement?

 

[jaklgreen]

So, it wasn't the lagoon coming up?
Just too much water too soon on the pavement?

Yes, I have been there when this has happened. It just comes down too fast to physically drain. As soon as it lets up, it is able to drain away. This can happen anywhere.

 

[jhastings74]

So, it wasn't the lagoon coming up?
Just too much water too soon on the pavement?

Either that or a mad surge of people onto El Rio del Tiempo, causing the river to rise quickly and rage out onto the promenade...

 

[EOD K9]

I remember that day.

I love me some snorklin' on Castaway Cay

 

[marni1971]

If C25 is Japan, was a similar failure taking place at Mexico? 2nd photo in the OP. Do the storm drains run from the promenade into the lagoon or elsewhere?

Sorry, Epcots 25th anniversary. The evening saw the mother of all storms pass through.

 

[Incomudro]

Yes, I have been there when this has happened. It just comes down too fast to physically drain. As soon as it lets up, it is able to drain away. This can happen anywhere.

Different scenario from what I initially thought.
I got the impression the lagoon rose over the pathway.
As for too much rain on the sidewalk to drain away quickly, heck - I've even dealt with this in New York during torrential downpours.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

The flooding is not the result of any downpour. It is the result of WDW underinvestment.

The way you don't drown because of high tides, but because you didn't maintain your dykes. Why let God decide your fate when you can be master and decide your own. If your pathways are a foot higher you don't wade ankle deep in water. Nor when your drainage system is adequate.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

The flooding is not the result of any downpour. It is the result of WDW underinvestment.

The way you don't drown because of high tides, but because you didn't maintain your dykes. Why let God decide your fate when you can be master and decide your own. If your pathways are a foot higher you don't wade ankle deep in water. Nor when your drainage system is adequate.

Wha?? Really???