WDW Taking a Hit Over Gator and Massacre ...

[CJR]

I would honestly love them to update the pageant again. I liked the gator float and won't be upset if it returns, but if they choose not to return it, maybe they can make a new one with a different character. It's been forever since they've actually touched the pageant.

EDIT: Just wanted to add that technically it's a crocodile float.

Also, my apologies for contributing to a discussion outside of the topic of WDW's attendance taking a hit, so many gator threads I forget which one I'm on.

 

[Section106]

I wonder how people from countries where aggressive wildlife flourish view this attack? I doubt the Brazil tour groups are cancelling over this. They deal with piranha, arapaima, gators, pythons, man-eating catfish, etc... on a daily basis. Hell, look at any episode of "River Monsters" and you have to wonder how people live near water at all.

 

[AEfx]

Tooooo be honest, I think Disney should just move on from this.

The kid was just buried a day or two ago, the body is barely cold.

You folks who keep saying such things are trying to sound all tough and jaded but if this was your kid or the kid of someone you know you wouldn't be all "no big deal".

Ironic that the most heartless, callous statements are being made on a Disney website of all places.

 

[dizneycrazy09]

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"?

I *REALLY* do think it's appropriate to run the the parade the way that it has been FOR YEARS. If they never had an alligator float before and ran out an alligator float for the first time the next day, then there would be an issue.

 

[TLtron]

Terrorists are bad people who do bad things. So as a result, WDW should remove any image, reference, or likeness to all Disney villains from property. While somewhat similar yet nothing alike (as is the gator who attacked the boy & all gator / croc materials being removed from property currently), the Disney villains could be deemed as threatening and frightening to some families, and remind them that there are bad people in real life. I hope Disney is prompt with it's response in eradicating all villain-related materials immediately.

A few ideas on how this could be done without destroying the theme & story:

-Exchange the Gaston M&G at MK with a pleasantly-dressed businessman who tells guests they are all equal & can do anything if they set their mind to it.
-Alter the "Be Prepared" sequence in FOTLK to have the Scar-like character prance around while throwing glitter onto audience members & singing "This Little Light Of Mine, I'm Gonna Let It Shine."
-Any villain-related merchandise at the gift shops could easily be swapped out for Olaf plushes. (Of course, people have died in the past due to snow / winter...so this poses a brand new dilemma altogether...)

But it can still happen if Disney would start now. Together we can teach our snowflakes children that NOTHING out there is harmful, and nothing bad will happen. Ever.

 

[draybook]

I'm not aware of the other ones, but surely you don't have an issue with them removing the Jungle Cruise joke that was about children getting eaten by alligators, on a ride just a few hundred yards away from where a child just died of an alligator attack?

Did they remove the gunplay from TGM or Indiana Jones after the club shooting? These "acts of sensitivity" aren't going to change anything and people see right through the charade. If Disney were that concerned, they would have had the correct postings. If a lot of us have seen gators on property then there's no way they can claim ignorance.

 

[Phicinfan]

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.

Well, lets see. Lets leave a chomping alligator in a parade in the exact waters this happened, ....and see if anyone notices. Seriously, I agree with Aefx, do some of you NOT think before you post?

You honestly don't feel, leaving that float in the parade in those waters is tasteless?

I agree with most here, you don't have to purge the whole resort of all gators, but in those two incidents, it was very appropriate.

 

[drew81]

Serious question -

Are the Nile crocs still on the Safari? Is the American Crocodile still on exhibit in Dinoland and are Conservation Station animal chat hosts still using alligators?

 

[AEfx]

Did they remove the gunplay from TGM or Indiana Jones after the club shooting? These "acts of sensitivity" aren't going to change anything and people see right through the charade. If Disney were that concerned, they would have had the correct postings. If a lot of us have seen gators on property then there's no way they can claim ignorance.

Wow, you are so cool, man. I'm totally impressed with your jaded, non-feeling.

/roll eyes

The kid was killed by an alligator right outside the MK for crying out loud. Your comparison is stupid because that didn't occur on Disney property.

But again I'm impressed, man - you are so cool to be so "I don't give a crap".

Why not take it one step further - let's take that Yeti out and make him an Alligator about to chomp you!

 

[Phicinfan]

Did they remove the gunplay from TGM or Indiana Jones after the club shooting? These "acts of sensitivity" aren't going to change anything and people see right through the charade. If Disney were that concerned, they would have had the correct postings. If a lot of us have seen gators on property then there's no way they can claim ignorance.

Please tell me how shooting or villians in these instances equates to a mass murder shooting and I would agree. However, taking a joke ABOUT children being eaten, or a float dedicated to an alligator chomping a person(lets remember folks Tic Toc does have Hook's hand and gets him in the end...or at least tries...) is directly related.

 

[AEfx]

I *REALLY* do think it's appropriate to run the the parade the way that it has been FOR YEARS. If they never had an alligator float before and ran out an alligator float for the first time the next day, then there would be an issue.

Then you have no comprehension of appropriate vs. inappropriate.

A giant float, lit up of a giant alligator floating over the VERY SPOT a child was just killed by an alligator?

I don't believe you, no one is that jaded. And I'm willing to bet most people mentioning the float haven't seen it in years or ever at all. Just a bunch of "This is the Internet so I'm gonna be jaded tough guy" nonsense.

 

[jrogue]

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"?

No need to be so hostile about it, I wasn't attempting any insensitivity. I never said the parade ended, I only mentioned the chomping alligator float. I don't see a reason why it has to be taken out forever. Removing it for a little while? Ok. Permanently changing the parade and removing it forever? That's oversensitivity. If some fire occurred at a WDW resort and killed someone would you ask for all fire to be permanently removed from any WDW attractions?

I was staying at the Contemporary at WDW the night the child was killed, and it was hard to look at the water the same way the day after. It was traumatizing for most of the people there, and the helicopter circling for so long was awful reminder. They even stopped our monorail when they recovered the body from the lagoon. But it was an ACCIDENT. A very tragic accident, but an accident nonetheless. If I see the gator in the pageant, I won't think "oh look, there's the chomping gator that took the kid." Maybe I'd be reminded of the event, who knows. But I do not think it calls for it to permanently be removed.

 

[dizneycrazy09]

Well, lets see. Lets leave a chomping alligator in a parade in the exact waters this happened, ....and see if anyone notices. Seriously, I agree with Aefx, do some of you NOT think before you post?

You honestly don't feel, leaving that float in the parade in those waters is tasteless?

I agree with most here, you don't have to purge the whole resort of all gators, but in those two incidents, it was very appropriate.

I actually put great thought into everything I post here - I've been here for over a decade and have less posts than many people that have been here for two years.

I'm a realist - my heart aches for the family; my family also lost a child in a terrible accident- I just don't see reason to change a light up alligator in a parade. Where does the "it has to be removed because it's tasteless" or "this offends people" end? Where is the line drawn? I draw the line between the joke on the JC and the light up float on lagoon. That is my well thought-out opinion.

 

[hopemax]

Here's the money question...have they suspended the Wild Africa Trek tours with the in Disney's own words "shaky rope bridge" over the crocodiles?

 

[deeevo]

Thought about putting this in my Spirited thread, but I feel it is important enough to not be buried in 200-plus pages. And it isn't specifically about the gators and bad parenting and whether George Kalogridis should be fired (he should), so I'd respectfully ask the mods to not bury this when the inevitable complaints due to who is writing it here come in.

From a trusted and well-placed source:

First, in what has been a very lousy summer (no, I don't care that there were 300 minute waits for Frozenstrom as we all know why that is and what it means) for WDW and O-Town in general, things are about to get worse in the $$$ department:

"The Grand Floridan has seen a huge surge of cancellations and requests to be moved to other resorts. There have also been a larger than normal request of refunds for Guest choosing not to visit at all due to the events on property and off."

Second, the ridiculous (and @WDWFigment wrote a nice blog post on his own site about this) and knee-jerk reaction of WDW in making it seem like gators don't exist in any realm, even fantasy ones are the rule of the day. In other words, who knows whether parade floats or foamheads will ever be allowed to return because one child died in 44 years.

I also forgot somehow that Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach both have alligators as mascots. One wonders if they'll rip out the fiberglass versions and change the maps because THAT will address the problems, not properly warning Guests these animals are present and properly warning them that they will be subject to fining, trespass and banning if they or their children feed gators.

Playing pretend is always so much better. From the source again:

"Marketing has been reviewing every single piece of collateral and pulling anything that shows or depicts an alligator or crocodile in addition to showing beaches in resort photos and listings as amenities.

Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon had a whole summer campaign featuring their respected gator mascots that was pulled at the last minute."

If anyone wondered how WDW would handle a crisis, you are now seeing it in full view and it isn't pretty at all.

Being from Florida and NOT a Gator fan this makes me sick. But there isn't much Disney has done lately has exactly given me warm fuzzies.

 

[FettFan]

Did they remove the gunplay from TGM or Indiana Jones after the club shooting? These "acts of sensitivity" aren't going to change anything and people see right through the charade. If Disney were that concerned, they would have had the correct postings. If a lot of us have seen gators on property then there's no way they can claim ignorance.

Well they did remove the swastikas from the Epic Stunt Spectacular plane...

 

[Phicinfan]

I actually put great thought into everything I post here - I've been here for over a decade and have less posts than many people that have been here for two years.

I'm a realist - my heart aches for the family; my family also lost a child in a terrible accident- I just don't see reason to change a light up alligator in a parade. Where does the "it has to be removed because it's tasteless" or "this offends people" end? Where is the line drawn? I draw the line between the joke on the JC and the light up float on lagoon. That is my well thought-out opinion.

First sorry for you loss, no parent should have to bury a child.

Second, the light up alligator is celebrating, or recognizing if you prefer Tic Toc from Peter Pan. In that movie, Tic Toc has attacked and eaten the hand of Hook, and constantly hunts Hook. I think you can see a clear link, and thus the reason it could be easily construed as callous to not remove him, not the least of which, he rides right over where the incident took place.

 

[dizneycrazy09]

Then you have no comprehension of appropriate vs. inappropriate.

A giant float, lit up of a giant alligator floating over the VERY SPOT a child was just killed by an alligator?

I don't believe you, no one is that jaded. And I'm willing to bet most people mentioning the float haven't seen it in years or ever at all. Just a bunch of "This is the Internet so I'm gonna be jaded tough guy" nonsense.

I'm not jaded; on the contrary, I'm actually overly empathetic.

No tough guy act here, just sharing an opinion. See my response to Phicinfan.

 

[dizneycrazy09]

First sorry for you loss, no parent should have to bury a child.

Second, the light up alligator is celebrating, or recognizing if you prefer Tic Toc from Peter Pan. In that movie, Tic Toc has attacked and eaten the hand of Hook, and constantly hunts Hook. I think you can see a clear link, and thus the reason it could be easily construed as callous to not remove him, not the least of which, he rides right over where the incident took place.

I understand your point - I get it, I really do. We're just falling on opposite sides of the line here. I understand why it was removed, I'm just not the kind of person who would look out on the water, even the day after, see a light up alligator and say, "I can't believe they're running that light up alligator right where that boy passed away." I just wouldn't. Maybe that makes me callous?

 

[Dead2009]

The kid was just buried a day or two ago, the body is barely cold.

You folks who keep saying such things are trying to sound all tough and jaded but if this was your kid or the kid of someone you know you wouldn't be all "no big deal".

Ironic that the most heartless, callous statements are being made on a Disney website of all places.

I can't help but not notice this overreaction to people who disagree with whether or not a joke and a float should remain in anything park related. Would it be in poor taste to keep those in now? Yes, 100% because if they did, I'm sure there would be a bit of outrage. But to call people "heartless"? I've read all 4 pages of this thread and saw people giving their opinion...not going "yeah who cares about the family who just lost their child".

I'd like to think the family of the deceased is more concerned over whether or not they would want to go to Florida ever again in general over whether or not Disney is removing gator references from attractions and parades.