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WDW Taking a Hit Over Gator and Massacre ...
- Thread starter WDW1974
- Start date
jessfriends
Active Member
I agree with removing the Jungle Cruise joke even though it seems like they are still using it and the water pageant float but do you think they will remove Tick Tock from Peter Pan? With the mention of the water park mascots this got me thinking of all other possibilities. Would they seriously remove every single alligator reference on property? I can't recall if the Fantasia scene with the hippo has the gator in it or not and if so would that be cut too?
dizneycrazy09
Well-Known Member
All they care about is mitigating the number of people who would be "offended" that an alligator is in the parade and write about it in the Twitterverse. It's a helluva lot easier to remove Tick Tock out of a parade than it is to actually hold the guest responsible- as usual Disney takes the easiest, cheapest, and knee-jerkiest way to change the narrative. It's a way of doing something without actually doing something.
TikiTorch
Active Member
You beat me to it: The state university's mascot is a Gator! Despite the fact that dozens of Florida citizens and/or visitors have been killed or injured by gators over the decades, alligators are literally a symbol of the entire state and a much loved one. There are literally thousands of Florida businesses that use gators in their signage or promotional material, just for fun. I guess what I'm saying is: most if not all of these changes are appropriate for the time being but it would be foolish to make any of them (other than warning signs on beaches) permanent.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
Truth is, most of the people complaining about this in the thread would be complaining if they didn't do anything.
Disney cannot win with some folks.
cindy_k
Well-Known Member
seabreezept813
Well-Known Member
I actually think that if they remove too much it will bring more attention to the tragedy than if they just leave things alone. I don't think the average guest is going to look at a cartoon gator and think of this incident. I could be way off base here though..
TikiTorch
Active Member
We have a family trip planned for next week. My mom told me last week that she wishes we would cancel and that she's worried! I then reasoned that Disney had identified and reported the Orlando terrorist weeks before his attack, and that this was the first gator fatality on WDW property EVER. What I'm saying is: some people would, in fact, cancel their reservations after something like this. My mom is one of those people. But it's a knee-jerk reaction and most if not all of those people would be likely to reschedule their visit for a later date after the initial shock of everything wears off.
No Name
Well-Known Member
Yes, it sure has moved on. However, two days after the attack, it had not. To keep a stupid joke and introduce a dancing gator into a show would possibly have gotten them negative attention. I think it was reasonable to remove those things during the days that the story was making its rounds. Best to avoid any more negative news stories.
I hear that the joke is back, which is surprising to me. If so, I assume the other things will return, and in that case, Spirit really has nothing to criticize them over. Well I'm sure he'll find something new, but he can't criticise them over removing gators, because it seems that they aren't. I actually disagree with bringing back the gator joke. Is it really neccesary, can it really do more good than harm? Oh well.
And I doubt a huge number of people are really cancelling their bookings. I'm sure there are more cancellations than normal, but nothing as severe as he's making it sound. Whether it has to do with his sources or not, Spirit typically exaggerates the truth, which I'm sure you've seen by now.
It makes it more captivating, but in reality, it's not as blown up as he and some other Disney fans make it seem. Which is your point.
CJR
Well-Known Member
The issue is WDW was already in a state of decline before the incident. It's not the incident that's the long term problem, people in general got tired of the product/value of it. The incident accelerated a problem that was already coming.
There's a reason Disney's charging less for hotel rooms, hasn't raised AP prices this year, lifted summer blockout dates for residents, etc. A lot of these moves occurred before the incidents too.
You can bet though, that Disney will use the nightclub/gator stories as the real excuse for the declines, but it would have declined regardless, just probably not to the same extent.
Odd. We rode last night and both jokes were missing.
As a matter of fact, during the Ginger Snaps joke, the skipper directed all attention from the boat to the vegetation on the left.
dizneycrazy09
Well-Known Member
But...they didn't do anything. Nothing that they have done since this awful accident would've prevented it.
TeriofTerror
Well-Known Member
This. So much this. If only Disney would focus on changes that would make a difference, instead of fixating on how things are perceived!
Filby61
Well-Known Member
After years of delivering less and suckering the customers into paying more, why would they stop now?
jrogue
Well-Known Member
I agree with the joke being removed, but I don't think the gator in the Electrical Water Pageant needed to go. Have you ever seen it? It's one of the sweetest little parades. It's just one float in a series of floats that depict other animals and things, and it isn't Grand Floridian specific. I believe I read elsewhere that that's the one show at WDW that had gone unchanged since opening, isn't it? There are enough other changes being made, that one isn't necessary to do away with forever
Phicinfan
Well-Known Member
I am sorry but I disagree. Yes they have to face the real issues and get them stopped, i.e. feeding the gators, but removing a joke about kids being eaten, and taking the lit up gator from the water show where it happened was a necessary move. It may not need to be permanent, but it had to happen in the short term to not seem callous.
dizneycrazy09
Well-Known Member
Why? How is not removing a light up alligator that has been a part of a show for YEARS callous? It doesn't change anything - it happened. Take measures to make sure it doesn't happen again.
The joke, I get it - it could have and should have stopped there.
AEfx
Well-Known Member
I very much disagree.
The small, polite "no swimming" sign was completely ineffective (and by all accounts the child was not "swimming" anyway), and those new signs are quite a bit more explanatory. If those had been there, I doubt the family would have gone near the water.
The PARADE didn't go, the CHOMPING ALLIGATOR float is.
You *REALLY* think that is appropriate, to run a float with a chomping alligator over the same spot a child was just killed - by a chomping alligator?
I'm sorry, I've seen a lot of crazy on this forum - but anyone who has a problem with either of those things being removed takes the cake for the most out-of-touch statements I have ever heard. Do you guys read what you type before you click "Post Reply"?
JohnD
Well-Known Member
I'd have to differ on that. Plenty of other floats that the gator won't be missed. This particular float is a chomping gator "swimming" around SSL. Inappropriate at this time since the attack occurred in SSL. Will it return? Remains to be seen.
TheOrangeBird01
Well-Known Member
Tooooo be honest, I think Disney should just move on from this. Bring back the gators in the parades and shows, bring back the gator in the water pageant, bring back the joke in the Jungle Cruise, and learn from this tragedy. It was an awful thing to have happen, but they can't stay in this state of paranoia forever. Eventually, people will forget about what happened. Sure, there'll be some that are still afraid, but like others have said, this was the first gator attack in 44 years (not that there should be any gator attacks, but 1:16,060 days is a pretty good ratio IMHO).
Disney did a good job by putting up new signs, but hopefully they remove the fences sooner rather than later. Disney is finding a way to make sure this will never happen again, and I applaud them. Some of the things they have done (and are rumored to do) is taking it a bit too far.
Disney did a good job by putting up new signs, but hopefully they remove the fences sooner rather than later. Disney is finding a way to make sure this will never happen again, and I applaud them. Some of the things they have done (and are rumored to do) is taking it a bit too far.