WDW Taking a Hit Over Gator and Massacre ...

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
Very simple: face the real issues that contributed to this tragedy and work to eliminate risks wherever humanly possible and mitigate others.

Taking Tick Tock out of a parade isn't doing a damn thing. It's lowest common denominator dealing ...

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
And FYI the jokes were on the jungle cruise today. Both times I rode.

I think everyone is now over reacting. Should they remove it from the state university mascot as well because a accident happened.
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.
 

cindy_k

Well-Known Member
So, you're saying a decade of nothingness and skyrocketing gouging capped off by Disney's immersive new "Jurassic World" attraction has been....off putting?
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seabreezept813

Well-Known Member
What is Disney supposed to do in this situation? A situation that they haven't faced in 44 years? These people are human and I'm sure they have feelings about what happened. I'm sure they are trying to do their best. But let's not let any reason to bash Disney's decision making go by the wayside.

I think that removing the mascot/cartoon gators is an okay response. Do you think that Disney wants people to be reminded of the tragedy while on vacation? I'm sure that when we go a few years without a gator attack that those removed references will return.

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
In case you haven't noticed, the news cycle has moved on, and the only hand-wringing is from Disney execs and fans who follow every move on property.

The stuff Spirit listed in the original post is overboard. I can't believe people would cancel vacations over the gator attack, but then I guess fan addiction isn't a rational thought process.
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
In case you haven't noticed, the news cycle has moved on, and the only hand-wringing is from Disney execs and fans who follow every move on property.

The stuff Spirit listed in the original post is overboard. I can't believe people would cancel vacations over the gator attack, but then I guess fan addiction isn't a rational thought process.

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
this was a tragedy, everyone will do what they can to prevent it from happening again, and people will get back to their lives...

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.
 

mikeh

Well-Known Member
And FYI the jokes were on the jungle cruise today. Both times I rode.

I think everyone is now over reacting. Should they remove it from the state university mascot as well because a accident happened.

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.
 

TeriofTerror

Well-Known Member
Very simple: face the real issues that contributed to this tragedy and work to eliminate risks wherever humanly possible and mitigate others.

Taking Tick Tock out of a parade isn't doing a damn thing. It's lowest common denominator dealing ...
This. So much this. If only Disney would focus on changes that would make a difference, instead of fixating on how things are perceived!
 

jrogue

Well-Known Member
I almost fully disagree on your opinion of their response to the gator attack. It was 100% neccessary to remove the joke from the Jungle Cruise. It would've sounded idiotic and foolish to joke about a gator attack days after one happened. That "joke" will likely never return and never needs to.

The chomping gator in the Grand Floridian water show also needed to be removed. It's in a show at the Grand Floridian! And on water, where the attack occured! They would've been almost just as stupid to ignore that.

It would've also looked bad to open a new show with a dancing alligator only days after the attack happened. Can you imagine the negative media attention they would've gotten for that? The parade float thing, I think, was a good idea to temporarily remove. But I can see why you or other people would disagree with that. As long as it doesn't go away permanently, I think it's fine.

But the JC joke and the light show gator needed to go. Unquestionably. I'm glad they don't hire you or some others to run their marketing and PR.

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
Very simple: face the real issues that contributed to this tragedy and work to eliminate risks wherever humanly possible and mitigate others.

Taking Tick Tock out of a parade isn't doing a damn thing. It's lowest common denominator dealing ...
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
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.

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
But...they didn't do anything. Nothing that they have done since this awful accident would've prevented it.

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.


I agree with the joke being removed, but I don't think the gator in the Electrical Water Pageant needed to go.

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 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

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.
 

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