Peter Pan Cast Member Warning

[Minnesota!]

Not a big delal, and certainly nothing rude, bizarre, scary, or wrong. She asked, you answered, life goes on.

 

[wilkeliza]

it has been a few years but I remember a wheelchair guest who was unhappy with the time it took to get them off Small World. everyone who could walk was removed in a few minutes but it took over 30 minutes for fire department to get them off. granted not something that we want to think about but it does happen esp us special needs guests

There was just a lawsuit about that at Disneyland. I believe Disney was found a fault but the judge ruled the guy could not sue another theme park for ADA issues. Seems he made a living off of suing the big 3 in that area.

 

[loveshak22]

Kidding aside (since my previous post was silly), this wouldn't be something I'd probably report or whatever. That said, it is kind of poor form for cast members to randomly remind guests with mobility issues that the rides they're about to board could break down and leave them in a precarious situation. I guess it's the reality of the situation though, and reality isn't something most people want to be reminded of when they're about to board a flying pirate ship to Neverland.
All that said, in this day and age, it wouldn't be unbelievable for a guest with a physical limitation to file a lawsuit against a park like Disney if they found themselves in an awkward or physically compromising situation due to a ride malfunction. Common sense should tell people that if you cannot walk or have severe physical limitations that you're risking being in a very difficult situation if something does go wrong. Of course, common sense should tell people that coffee is really hot too, and we all know what happened there.
Maybe the cast member had recently dealt with a guest in a similar condition who got in a bind and blamed Disney for it. Who knows?
Makes Peter Pan a little more intense. Guests never know if it'll morph into "Escape From Peter Pan's Flight!" at some point.

So I'm totally off topic here... but I wanted to comment on the McDonald's hot coffee case - LOL! Nothing against the poster but it is one of my hot button topics. In the McD's hot coffee case, McD's knew their coffee was a hazard and had already paid out $500,000 in a 10-year period to people who were burned. They ordered franchises to keep their coffee between 180 and 190 degrees because commuters would want their coffee to stay hot, despite knowing that at those temperatures people were being injured. The woman in this case was the passenger in a car that her grandson was driving. He parked the car so that she could add cream and sugar to the coffee. She spilled the coffee (which I would think is a predictable accident) and was burned so badly she was in the hospital for 8 days and had to have multiple skin grafts. She had third degree burns on 6% of her body and had first and second degree burns on 16% over her body. She had to be cared for by her daughter for another 3 weeks and had health issues for another 2 years. Her cost of the medical bills were not quite $11,000 and she originally asked McD's for $20,000 to cover her medical expenses and time off work and they refused. They eventually got a lawyer and in interviews I read the jury foreman said that they thought the same thing as the public that they couldn't believe someone would sue over hot coffee. Then after hearing all of the evidence the jury of 12 men and women (presumably as reasonable as all of us) awarded the woman $2.7 million in punitive damages they were so outraged. They decided to penalize McD's 1-2 days worth of coffee sales ($1.35 million a day).

But...the woman didn't get that. The trial judge reduced punitive damages to less than $500,000. McD's appealed and it was settled for even less than that.

If something sounds too ridiculous to be true it usually is. And there is so much rhetoric about frivolous lawsuits when really a lot have merit but the medical and pro-business lobbyists use the McD's case constantly to point out how we need tort reform in this country and that's only because it protects them, not us.

Thank you all for listening to my off topic rant

 

[Planogirl]

OT but I expect coffee and such drinks to be very hot. Maybe that was too hot but wouldn't people still get burned at the current temperature setting?

Back on topic, I would rather see a perhaps overzealous CM than one who couldn't care less.

 

[GPC0321]

I didn't know all the details of the McD's coffee lawsuit, but a quick Google search says that 155-175 is typical with most leaning to the 175 degree mark. So McD's was definitely higher, but I wonder how much less significant the burning would have been at 175 degrees than 180-190? I assume there is now a regulation in place stating the maximum temperature at which coffee can be served.

And I'm sure there are people receiving 155 degree cups of coffee who are whining about it not being hot enough.

I do feel sorry for the lady that got burned though. That does sound pretty terrible. I'm glad I don't drink coffee. I do plan to ride Peter Pan though, and I will ride it with full knowledge of the ladder length I must descend should things go awry.

 

[loveshak22]

OT but I expect coffee and such drinks to be very hot. Maybe that was too hot but wouldn't people still get burned at the current temperature setting?

Back on topic, I would rather see a perhaps overzealous CM than one who couldn't care less.

I didn't know all the details of the McD's coffee lawsuit, but a quick Google search says that 155-175 is typical with most leaning to the 175 degree mark. So McD's was definitely higher, but I wonder how much less significant the burning would have been at 175 degrees than 180-190? I assume there is now a regulation in place stating the maximum temperature at which coffee can be served.

And I'm sure there are people receiving 155 degree cups of coffee who are whining about it not being hot enough.

I do feel sorry for the lady that got burned though. That does sound pretty terrible. I'm glad I don't drink coffee. I do plan to ride Peter Pan though, and I will ride it with full knowledge of the ladder length I must descend should things go awry.

Hahaha! Too funny and good acceptance of risk! I too will be riding Peter Pan - ladder evacuation warning or not.

Here's the Wikipedia entry that provides the argument for the opponents of this case that say coffee standards were followed appropriately by McD's and since then changes haven't been made: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liebeck_v._McDonald's_Restaurants

I think most people would accept hot coffee causing superficial burns as a risk, but 8 days in the hospital and 6% of her body covered with third degree burns is excessive.

Propoents say changes have been made including the sturdiness of coffee cups themselves and lids. There doesn't seem to be a lot of scientific evidence either way as to what most companies keep their temps at and speculation on both sides. We also done know what the true temp was of the coffee that fell on the woman, just a minimum of what McD's required. Some articles indicated that the coffee the woman spilled was probably hotter than McD's guidelines of 180-190.

As to the Peter Pan CM, it does seem like a weird comment for the CM to make maybe, but I don't know that it's rude. Maybe if she rolled her eyes and made the comment all snarky, maybe, but it sounds like she was just being matter of fact.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Truthfully, I don't think the CM meant any harm (of course hard to judge without actually being there.) Might have been trying to be helpful (maybe someone has complained to the CM before if they didn't know the ride is elevated, etc.) Its possible the CM just put her foot in her mouth. I wouldn't dwell on it. I know I have made "oops" statements before that were not intended to be offensive but came off that way. I can't imagine the motivation for a CM to say this maliciously, but just my opinion! I agree that it was an odd statement but I'm thinking she just put her foot in her mouth.

 

[Beijing Expat]

Agree

Truthfully, I don't think the CM meant any harm (of course hard to judge without actually being there.) Might have been trying to be helpful (maybe someone has complained to the CM before if they didn't know the ride is elevated, etc.) Its possible the CM just put her foot in her mouth. I wouldn't dwell on it. I know I have made "oops" statements before that were not intended to be offensive but came off that way. I can't imagine the motivation for a CM to say this maliciously, but just my opinion! I agree that it was an odd statement but I'm thinking she just put her foot in her mouth.

 

[emmabemmainc]

Sorry, but I find your response to be a major overreaction. Bizarre? Rude? Scary? Why?

The CM saw a cast on a foot, and knowing the possible problem should an evacuation be necessary, mentioned it to the guest. Just because they didn't see the CM talk to other guests doesn't mean they didn't. I've had the same question ( or similar ones ) posed by CMs many times, on various rides, when they see me in my chair and carrying my canes. Yes, for guests who can't get down a ladder by themselves there are alternate methods of extraction/evacuation. Adults with infants dont need to be asked- its obvious. But it can help both the CMs, who can identify a guest who may need extra help, and perhaps the guests themselves to know that a ride evacuation may involve more than stepping out of the ride vehicle and walking away.

Interestingly, when we were in the Tokyo Disney Parks, every single time we used the Handicapped entrance to a ride, the CMs would ask us some variation of "in case of an evacuation, would you be able to ......". A couple of times I had to say no. They said, in that case, I would have to stay put until help came to assist me. I found that helpful. Certainly not rude, bizarre or scary.

If the OP or her friend had just asked the CM why they asked the question, they wouldn't have had to wonder about it for weeks afterwards.

I agree with you. When I started reading this thread, I kept wondering what I was missing. I don't really see anything wrong with what was said. I actually would have thanked the CM for letting me know.

 

[BarbieGal457]

I went to WDW with a broken foot in June and just got several warnings to stop kicking my boyfriend

I didn't really receive any warnings regarding evacuating rides, but that could be because I was actually asking beforehand if it was safe for me to ride with a giant cast on my leg, which it always was. A few times I was a bit slow to climb out of the seats but the CMs had no issue with that and told me to take as much time as I needed. 7DMT was particularly challenging and I was quite the straggler!

I think maybe the CM was just trying to be proactive but realized it may have been too much or seemed too out of the blue once they saw your reaction, like PPs have said. I could've definitely evacuated all rides with my cast, but I would've totally understood being given a heads up as well. Maybe the other people were given the evacuation schpiel when they neared the loading area, which is why a random place in line may have seemed like an odd place to be told about it. It really sounds to me, though I wasn't there, that the CM was trying to be helpful and it just came across wrong.

Accurate portrayal of how I looked last trip hahahahaha

 

[bc7ate9]

I didn't know all the details of the McD's coffee lawsuit, but a quick Google search says that 155-175 is typical with most leaning to the 175 degree mark. So McD's was definitely higher, but I wonder how much less significant the burning would have been at 175 degrees than 180-190? I assume there is now a regulation in place stating the maximum temperature at which coffee can be served.

And I'm sure there are people receiving 155 degree cups of coffee who are whining about it not being hot enough.

I do feel sorry for the lady that got burned though. That does sound pretty terrible. I'm glad I don't drink coffee. I do plan to ride Peter Pan though, and I will ride it with full knowledge of the ladder length I must descend should things go awry.

There's a documentary called Hot Coffee that is all about tort reform and covers this particular case. It's quite good - I recommnd it. It's available on Netflix.

 

[valeriemouse]

Frankly I think the CM was doing her job........if there was a stoppage or a FIRE!, then people would complain why weren't they told in advance. The CM was doing the job ....I would be thanking them for the warning and the just no get off then.

Thank to the CM for putting safety first!

AKK

I'm not mad at Disney. I'm not mad at the CM. I'm not complaining about the actual statement. I am confused as to why A. if this is a real possibility why wasn't is conspicuously posted B. why it was only our group that got this warning when there were other wheelchairs/scooters and elderly, toddlers in line with us and C. when my friend answered no she was still allowed to ride. I posted because I wanted to know if others ever received this warning too/ actually had to evacuate by climbing down ladders.

 

[loveshak22]

I'm not mad at Disney. I'm not mad at the CM. I'm not complaining about the actual statement. I am confused as to why A. if this is a real possibility why wasn't is conspicuously posted B. why it was only our group that got this warning when there were other wheelchairs/scooters and elderly, toddlers in line with us and C. when my friend answered no she was still allowed to ride. I posted because I wanted to know if others ever received this warning too/ actually had to evacuate by climbing down ladders.

I agree it is odd, but I think it's similar to when I call Disney and get a CM who tells me one thing and then call back and another CM tells me something else. When I was trying to book a VIP tour for F&W they kept telling me to call back. There was one question I asked every time I called about using my Disney Visa Rewards card and getting the 15% off and I seriously got 3 different answers about how it worked.

Maybe the CM saw the broken foot and just thought 'oh that'd be hard with a ladder' and thought about the warning and told you all and then got distracted with something else or after she said it felt dumb and didn't tell anyone else. Who knows....maybe she just didn't think about it being hard for kids or others but the broken foot stood out.

I'd still ride PP!!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I'm not mad at Disney. I'm not mad at the CM. I'm not complaining about the actual statement. I am confused as to why A. if this is a real possibility why wasn't is conspicuously posted B. why it was only our group that got this warning when there were other wheelchairs/scooters and elderly, toddlers in line with us and C. when my friend answered no she was still allowed to ride. I posted because I wanted to know if others ever received this warning too/ actually had to evacuate by climbing down ladders.

Because:

A - it is not an issue, just something to consider if an evacuation is required
B - This is immaterial unless you are just looking to be upset about it
C - Because it is her choice once she is made aware of the concern (that she might need to wait for assistance if evacuation is required)

Others have responded that they also were approached, so this happens at WDW even if uncommon.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I'm not mad at Disney. I'm not mad at the CM. I'm not complaining about the actual statement. I am confused as to why A. if this is a real possibility why wasn't is conspicuously posted B. why it was only our group that got this warning when there were other wheelchairs/scooters and elderly, toddlers in line with us and C. when my friend answered no she was still allowed to ride. I posted because I wanted to know if others ever received this warning too/ actually had to evacuate by climbing down ladders.

I understood your point I just think the CM acted correctly.

My mom used a wheelchair, long before scooters were popular so I am sorry but I don't remember anything from when.she.rode.Pan, but if you are wondering, the best thing to have done would be to have asked when at the atraction.

 

[SueM in MN]

Hi fellow Disers. I got back from my WDW vacation about 3 weeks ago and something is still bothering me.

One night at MK, as we were about to enter the Peter Pan standby line, a cast member working the ride stopped us. She went up to my friend who was in a wheelchair (broken foot) and informed her that if something were to go wrong with the ride, she would have to be able to climb down a 15 foot ladder. She then asked her if she would be able to do that. The 4 of us kind of looked at the CM mouth agape, unsure of what to say until my friend was like, um, probably not? The cast member then said ok, just something for you to think about. And let me tell you, think about it we did, lol. There were other wheelchairs behind us, elderly people in front of us, this CM went up to no one else to let them know of this apparent evacuation procedure.

And if my friend couldn't climb down a ladder in her state, and this was a real concern, why was she let on the ride?? I am so befuddled over this. I have been to Disney many times, and people in my party have had wheelchairs, or have been elderly, and i've never heard of anything like this before.

Has anyone else ever had this experience?

Yes, we have had the experience many times.
Our daughter uses a wheelchair because she can't walk. We need to lift her from her wheelchair into the ride car.
It is informational, to tell the guest that if they can't walk down the ladder, etc, they will need to wait until someone can come to help them be evacuated. It's not a 'no, you can't go on the ride' situation.' It's a 'you may want to think about it' situation.

It think the specific reason your friend was notified was the bolded part - broken foot/cast. That was a very apparent reason for not being able to easily go down a ladder.

Unless the other people with wheelchairs also had casts or some obvious apparent reason why they couldn't go down a ladder, they may not have been notified. Many people are using wheelchairs for fatigue reasons or reasons that make them not able to walk distances, so might not be concerned about evacuation.

It's also possible they were given a warning, but we're not seen by you. I doubt anyone noticed any of the times we were asked/told.

 

[Lisann]

I will take the OP at his/her word, and agree....yes, it was odd that this warning was directed at your party and no one else.

Bottom line...if CMs have to question guests concerning evacuation guidelines before they board a ride, then we are all headed for a very un-magical day at the parks. I see no reason to mention any of these warnings to any guest, wheelchair or not.

And I certainly know many non-wheelchair-bound people who could never climb down a 15-foot ladder, just sayin'.

 

[wilkeliza]

I will take the OP at his/her word, and agree....yes, it was odd that this warning was directed at your party and no one else.

This made me remember that on attractions if you suspected someone was pregnant and thus should not be riding the official policy is to ask the entire car! It is so stupid but I guess a few people got offended that they were just heavier and carried in such a way they looked pregnant. Now to stop anyone from complaining the ride op will ask everyone including men.

 

[Happy_2_B]

Has anyone else ever had this experience?

Going to echo minnie mum's- and others'- comments, as this seems to continue to be top posted by people that don't read through the thread. I am a disabled vet- and have had this experience multiple times. Just because you didn't hear or see the CM say anything to other disabled guests doesn't mean it didn't happen. Every time it happens to me- it is done quietly and discreetly. That Disney is taking safety measures to protect guests- and you have 'concerns' about it- is, well, quite frankly- bizarre. Even more bizarre are all of these posts asking for complaints to be filed and questioning the CM's motives. Wow...just....WOW. Of course you didn't hear or see the CM addressing the issue with others- they are discreet about it so as not to embarrass the guest in question.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

I rode the Peter Pan ride. As the lap bar went down and CM requested to lift to check, I was telling her loudly lift it off, lift it off. As the bar went down it took my memory foam Nike sandal front and two middle toes into the opening the lower bar disappears into. It was horrific pain and I could get no assistance until I saw a face at the end of the ride. They hit the kill switch and had to get me out of the contraption without losing my toes.
They were crushed tight, but not amputated or broken, just a crush injury, but no more walking my trip. The ride was stopped and people I heard were evacuated. So it does happen. I heard there were 22 stairs to get out. It was reopened later. I sucked it up in a wheel chair having my family park me and I waited for them to get off the rides I couldn't do. The next day I ended up stuck on a broken Under the Sea listening to the song over and over and over....ugh. Not even a FP for another ride. My next vacation is going to be on sand with waves and maybe a hammock.