Personal Thoughts on WDW Gator Incident
Normally i am careful not to express my opinions on my blog. This is mainly because i want the information i share to be as unbiased as possible so that readers are encouraged to experience all Disney has to offer and form their own conclusions regarding it. This time is a bit different.
Lately on social media i have been seeing opinions fly all over the place regarding a terrible incident that happened on Disney World Property a few weeks ago. In case some may not know, a 2 year old boy was dragged into the waters of the Seven Seas Lagoon on the beach at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. He was found the next day a few feet from where he was taken in murky waters, deceased. More information on this can be found on my post about it below.
GATOR ATTACKS AND KILLS CHILD AT WDW
The opinions i have seen on my social media these past few weeks have been mixed but mainly negative. either blaming the parents or saying Disney World overreacted in their response to the incident. Yet many of these negative responses do not give a plausible solution or even a suggestion as to what Disney should have done instead.
One example is how Disney should have already had fences in place. It's not a well known fact but my few months living in Florida made me quickly learn that gators can indeed climb fences. so while this may seem like a good idea, it may not truly prevent. People also say that there were no signs that stated gators or any dangerous wildlife were in the waters and to stay away. While this is true i can agree with this because even i have seen gators now and again in the lagoon. Heck twice i have seen a gator in the waters at Splash Mountain and immediate action is always taken. But along the beaches there were "No Swimming " signs. Not to mention it doesn't help that guests continue to feed the wildlife when Disney tells them not to. Nonetheless im glad Disney took the immediate action to put up fences along their beaches and lakes on property and put up signs specifically stating to not go near the waters due to the gators and such. But as far as i am being told, and i could be wrong, this was the very first incident of its kind on property so the sign was never thought necessary. Also with the way the lagoon is there really is no way to keep the wildlife from just entering the manmade lagoon.
My main concern regards the people who feel Disney's response to the incident resort wide was "extreme "and "an overreaction." Some of the following changes were made in response to the event. The Tic Toc Croc was removed from the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom. Louis the Alligator, a character from "Princess and the Frog" was supposed to debut with Tiana and friends during the new castle show at Magic Kingdom. Disney decided to remove him. All gator and Croc references and puns in "Jungle Cruise" attraction were taken out of the script for skippers. Gators and Crocs were removed from the safari at Animal Kingdom and all references were removed. I hear more was done but i have yet to have it confirmed so i choose not to address it. But let me make something clear. THESE CHANGES ARE TEMPORARY. THEY ARE NOT PERMANENT.
I am not at all sorry to say these comments because many have said they are not ashamed of their negative comments regarding the matter. In the Festival of Fantasy parade, the croc float is not even among the top 3 when it comes to the best floats in that parade. It is not that big of a part in the parade where if it is missing the whole thing does not flow correctly or not look good. Tthe parade does just fine without this croc float. Although i personally as excited for Louis to be in the castle show, i was mainly happen to see Princess Tiana, a woman of color, be in a magic kingdom stage show. Tiana being up there is much more important. Plus the show debuted with rave review mostly without Louis being there. Nowhere did i see anyone say "ugh louis isn't in this! this show is awful without him!" As far as the Jungle cruise jokes and puns with gator and croc references. they arent even the best jokes and personally if you know them, then removing them makes sense as they truly are in bad taste when it comes to this tragedy specifically.
And to be honest, crocs and gators are not the must see during the safari. Granted that part of the ride scares the crap out of me and it is cool to watch but its not the must see thing that makes the attraction amazing. Besides i am POSITIVE they are backstage being well taken care of by Animal Kingdom's team. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean Disney is torturing all of them because of one animal outside of their control. But the thing i do not understand is why people are saying disney overreacted? Why are people saying Disney did too much? These same people would be up in arms if Disney did nothing for the family. Now im no businesswoman, i go to school to become a teacher not go into marketing or anything, but Disney in my eyes did the right thing. Removing these things decrease people from talking about the incident. Disney want their guests to feel safe and show them that they care. Safety is number one with them. They want to reassure guests when they come to disney that they are doing what they can to keep them safe on their property and to not be in fear while trying to enjoy their vacation. Personally knowing that these changes are temporary, i do not see the big deal with the choices Disney made.
It is really sad how some people are so numb to death that when this happened they were so insensitive and unkind. They showed no remorse to the family at all. Blame is not what the family needs during this time. Support and Love is what they need, Many of the people reacting this way do not know what it is like to be a parent who loses a child, especially with something this horrific. This family came to Disney, like any other family, and was trying to make special memories for a lifetime. No one ever expects to lose their child, especially at the happiest place on earth. Its a shame that i am seeing such tasteless jokes and shirts being made like the one with the tic toc croc that says "Disney Lunch Club." I also find it tasteless that some Cast members are even reacting so heartlessly. How dare you tell someone how they need to grieve or for how long or how they shouldnt. No parent should EVER have to bury their child. Why is this such a hard concept to grasp. This happened within the same week as the Pulse Shooting yet no one said Disney overeacted when Disney Donated money to the fund benefitting the victims. Both of these incidents were horrendous.
No matter what your opinions are, this is not what the city of orlando or what these families need right now. We need to support one another and spread love. As far as im concerned Disney did right as far as both of these tragedies and let's be honest, Y'all dont care about Disney taking these gator and croc references out of the park. You don't at all. Especially since it is temporary why do you truly care? Especially Cast members. If you truly, TRULY do not agree that much, what are you going to do besides complain on your social media? Nothing. You are going to go back to your job and do it well and make your living. These changes do not affect anyone negatively, except the friends of Louis who im assuming was given temporary work until Disney decides to bring louis into the show. Granted i know only so much about the entertainment side of Disney so this is my assumption.
I guess my whole point is..... i live in baltimore city. One of the most dangerous cities in america. Where the Freddie Gray riots happened. where people are shot and killed almost everyday if not every day. Children have been shot and killed or killed in freak accidents everyday. But just ebcause they happen everyday does not make it any less saddening. As a parent you expect to watch your child to grow up and live a fulfilled life. Do you know how it feels to watch that go away in the blink of an eye? to see that taken away for no reason? Many people saying these heartless things do not. Yes death happens everyday. But there is no reason to be so insensitive to it. Especially under circumstances like these. I truly hope the Graves family takes as much time as they need to grieve and that they get through this horrible time with love and support. I pray they ignore the terrible comments of these people as i know reading them will not make them heal any better or quicker. I applaud disney for every action they took regarding this incident after the fact.
Call me a "Pixie Duster" or whatever you want but this is my viewpoint on the matter. Many friends know i do disagree with some decisions disney makes at times. But we will be okay without these references in the parks for a bit.
Lately on social media i have been seeing opinions fly all over the place regarding a terrible incident that happened on Disney World Property a few weeks ago. In case some may not know, a 2 year old boy was dragged into the waters of the Seven Seas Lagoon on the beach at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. He was found the next day a few feet from where he was taken in murky waters, deceased. More information on this can be found on my post about it below.
GATOR ATTACKS AND KILLS CHILD AT WDW
The opinions i have seen on my social media these past few weeks have been mixed but mainly negative. either blaming the parents or saying Disney World overreacted in their response to the incident. Yet many of these negative responses do not give a plausible solution or even a suggestion as to what Disney should have done instead.
One example is how Disney should have already had fences in place. It's not a well known fact but my few months living in Florida made me quickly learn that gators can indeed climb fences. so while this may seem like a good idea, it may not truly prevent. People also say that there were no signs that stated gators or any dangerous wildlife were in the waters and to stay away. While this is true i can agree with this because even i have seen gators now and again in the lagoon. Heck twice i have seen a gator in the waters at Splash Mountain and immediate action is always taken. But along the beaches there were "No Swimming " signs. Not to mention it doesn't help that guests continue to feed the wildlife when Disney tells them not to. Nonetheless im glad Disney took the immediate action to put up fences along their beaches and lakes on property and put up signs specifically stating to not go near the waters due to the gators and such. But as far as i am being told, and i could be wrong, this was the very first incident of its kind on property so the sign was never thought necessary. Also with the way the lagoon is there really is no way to keep the wildlife from just entering the manmade lagoon.
My main concern regards the people who feel Disney's response to the incident resort wide was "extreme "and "an overreaction." Some of the following changes were made in response to the event. The Tic Toc Croc was removed from the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom. Louis the Alligator, a character from "Princess and the Frog" was supposed to debut with Tiana and friends during the new castle show at Magic Kingdom. Disney decided to remove him. All gator and Croc references and puns in "Jungle Cruise" attraction were taken out of the script for skippers. Gators and Crocs were removed from the safari at Animal Kingdom and all references were removed. I hear more was done but i have yet to have it confirmed so i choose not to address it. But let me make something clear. THESE CHANGES ARE TEMPORARY. THEY ARE NOT PERMANENT.
I am not at all sorry to say these comments because many have said they are not ashamed of their negative comments regarding the matter. In the Festival of Fantasy parade, the croc float is not even among the top 3 when it comes to the best floats in that parade. It is not that big of a part in the parade where if it is missing the whole thing does not flow correctly or not look good. Tthe parade does just fine without this croc float. Although i personally as excited for Louis to be in the castle show, i was mainly happen to see Princess Tiana, a woman of color, be in a magic kingdom stage show. Tiana being up there is much more important. Plus the show debuted with rave review mostly without Louis being there. Nowhere did i see anyone say "ugh louis isn't in this! this show is awful without him!" As far as the Jungle cruise jokes and puns with gator and croc references. they arent even the best jokes and personally if you know them, then removing them makes sense as they truly are in bad taste when it comes to this tragedy specifically.
And to be honest, crocs and gators are not the must see during the safari. Granted that part of the ride scares the crap out of me and it is cool to watch but its not the must see thing that makes the attraction amazing. Besides i am POSITIVE they are backstage being well taken care of by Animal Kingdom's team. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean Disney is torturing all of them because of one animal outside of their control. But the thing i do not understand is why people are saying disney overreacted? Why are people saying Disney did too much? These same people would be up in arms if Disney did nothing for the family. Now im no businesswoman, i go to school to become a teacher not go into marketing or anything, but Disney in my eyes did the right thing. Removing these things decrease people from talking about the incident. Disney want their guests to feel safe and show them that they care. Safety is number one with them. They want to reassure guests when they come to disney that they are doing what they can to keep them safe on their property and to not be in fear while trying to enjoy their vacation. Personally knowing that these changes are temporary, i do not see the big deal with the choices Disney made.
It is really sad how some people are so numb to death that when this happened they were so insensitive and unkind. They showed no remorse to the family at all. Blame is not what the family needs during this time. Support and Love is what they need, Many of the people reacting this way do not know what it is like to be a parent who loses a child, especially with something this horrific. This family came to Disney, like any other family, and was trying to make special memories for a lifetime. No one ever expects to lose their child, especially at the happiest place on earth. Its a shame that i am seeing such tasteless jokes and shirts being made like the one with the tic toc croc that says "Disney Lunch Club." I also find it tasteless that some Cast members are even reacting so heartlessly. How dare you tell someone how they need to grieve or for how long or how they shouldnt. No parent should EVER have to bury their child. Why is this such a hard concept to grasp. This happened within the same week as the Pulse Shooting yet no one said Disney overeacted when Disney Donated money to the fund benefitting the victims. Both of these incidents were horrendous.
No matter what your opinions are, this is not what the city of orlando or what these families need right now. We need to support one another and spread love. As far as im concerned Disney did right as far as both of these tragedies and let's be honest, Y'all dont care about Disney taking these gator and croc references out of the park. You don't at all. Especially since it is temporary why do you truly care? Especially Cast members. If you truly, TRULY do not agree that much, what are you going to do besides complain on your social media? Nothing. You are going to go back to your job and do it well and make your living. These changes do not affect anyone negatively, except the friends of Louis who im assuming was given temporary work until Disney decides to bring louis into the show. Granted i know only so much about the entertainment side of Disney so this is my assumption.
I guess my whole point is..... i live in baltimore city. One of the most dangerous cities in america. Where the Freddie Gray riots happened. where people are shot and killed almost everyday if not every day. Children have been shot and killed or killed in freak accidents everyday. But just ebcause they happen everyday does not make it any less saddening. As a parent you expect to watch your child to grow up and live a fulfilled life. Do you know how it feels to watch that go away in the blink of an eye? to see that taken away for no reason? Many people saying these heartless things do not. Yes death happens everyday. But there is no reason to be so insensitive to it. Especially under circumstances like these. I truly hope the Graves family takes as much time as they need to grieve and that they get through this horrible time with love and support. I pray they ignore the terrible comments of these people as i know reading them will not make them heal any better or quicker. I applaud disney for every action they took regarding this incident after the fact.
Call me a "Pixie Duster" or whatever you want but this is my viewpoint on the matter. Many friends know i do disagree with some decisions disney makes at times. But we will be okay without these references in the parks for a bit.
I think some of the issue is there seems to be a bit of confusion over what exactly Disney did in response to this. I found this while trying to search for what exactly their response was, and if everything you wrote is accurate, then their response was 100% accurate and appropriate. People probably don't feel like seeing alligators and crocodiles for a while after that, and I can't blame them.
ReplyDeleteThe main thing that I heard that made me a bit upset, however, was that they had every alligator in the park killed. While any alligator who has attacked a human and knows how easy we are to kill should be killed, and while relocating the alligators out of the park seems reasonable, slaughtering a bunch of animals because one of them attacked a human does seem kind of horrible.
They didn't have every gator at the park killed however in the search for the boy when he was missing they euthanized 5 gators they found in seven seas lagoon. Gators in Animal Kingdom were taken out of site for a while i was told but not killed.
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