Joanna71985
<marquee><font color=green>Characters are my frien
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2005
I'm sorry for your loss, but some of your behavior is completely unacceptable.
Come again?! How so?
I'm sorry for your loss, but some of your behavior is completely unacceptable.
Don't think about the front cabs for now, because I don't think the front cab rides are coming back for a long time, if ever. Enjoy your vacation here, enjoy us... and please, respect and avoid the one or two things that we pray that you don't try to discuss with us.
If enough time goes by without anyone coming up and making comments, it is possible that there may be a turn toward bringing you back into the cabs.
My views and emotions on this issue are very raw and they are my own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Walt Disney Company, or any other involved entity.
I'm sorry for your loss, but some of your behavior is completely unacceptable.
Exactly, like he said cast members are human too. Just cause people spend a fortune their doesnt give them the right to act like a horses rear end.
But some people are going always to be like that regardless. I remember back in late Sept 2001, my next door neighbors at the time were complaining about how the baseball games were canceled because of that "9/11 thing" that happened
I'm sorry for your loss, but some of your behavior is completely unacceptable.
Exactly.
The loss of a cast member, a human being is a true tragedy. Not getting to ride up front in the monorail is a minor disappointment. Not even close to being on the same level.
I think you are missing the point. The accident happened, and it can't un-happen. Guests in the cab were not a factor. Why should all the future enjoyment of the masses be eliminated out of fear that something MIGHT happen?
Should they close the Indiana Jones show forever because a CM was killed performing it? Should they stop the Pirate Tutorial because a CM hit his head on the wall, and later died? Accidents can, and will, happen, but we can't stop living our lives because of it.
Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of positive experiences have been had by young children riding with the pilot, and I'd say that the loss of one life in the process is, while very sad and tragic, minimal.
The monorail cabs should be re-opened to the public.
Wow. Really? Care to explain?I'm sorry for your loss, but some of your behavior is completely unacceptable.
The OP comes off rather insensitive to the CMs in my opinion.
I disagree. I think the OP doesn't know... or didn't know... what we hear every day. Some of the things are simply unimaginable until you hear them.
If the people who make jokes to our faces would go away and leave the parks and resorts to the rest of you... I would be highly in favor of getting you back up front.
Fifteen years ago, our DS was diagnosed with autism. The "experts" said that he would never be able to remember or accomplish much. He was very quiet and pretty disengaged with anyone that he didn't know well, and he had very limited social intrests or skills. My DSIL and I took him to WDW for the first time when he was 5. At that point, he was obsessed with every type of vehicle that he saw. Well, the first time that he saw a monorail, he was in heaven! We were standing halfway up the ramp, waiting our turn to board among hundreds of other guests. He couldn't help but flap his little hands, like he did every time that he saw something that really excited him. He was very tiny, as the top of his head didn't even come close to reaching my waist. Somehow, though, the monorail pilot spotted him through the crowd. She left the cabin, waded through the crowd and asked my little guy if he would like to drive the monorail. (Okay...I'm crying now. I'll NEVER forget this act of kindness.) My DS nodded yes and she led him by the hand through the crowd to the front. She let him sit up front, press some buttons, gave him a certificate when the ride was over, and posed for a picture with him.
This single act of kindness triggered something magical within him. It was as though his bubble of isolation popped. He became instantly more aware of his surroundings. He became much more aware of others and started talking to other people. He literally came home a changed boy. Our family and friends were shocked!
Fast forward to today -- DS is an 18 year old honor student who will begin studing engineering on scholarship. I believe with all of my heart that God sent that lady to DS, and now I am paying it forward. This May, I will finally graduate as an intervention specialist and work with other children with autism.
<edited for brevity>
As soon as I had the parents in on the act, I would wring the towel out all over the kids, and never had anyone complain, they all loved it. It made for a completely unique experience, because how many other pilots would have done that?
I used to get on the Public Address system and make the Monorail ride its own Jungle Cruise at times.
I would go out of my way to make people smile. I had commendation after commendation because of the way I would go above and beyond. I have been told numerous times I needed to go into Guest Relations, because I like making people happy.
...I had a Make A Wish child that needed that extra touch...I wanted to give them an experience they would never forget. For 20 minutes, we had a wonderful time in the back cab of that train...I took several pictures of [the family] just enjoying their time together and of the child sitting in the driver seat, looking like he was driving the train. I then printed and sent those pictures to them, at my cost.
...I was willing to do what it took to make that magic.
I moved across the country to be a Walt Disney World Cast Member, and for part of that time to drive these trains and to make the kind of magic that happened in the front cabs. No one misses it more than I do. You may miss it as much, but no one misses it more than I do.
I miss having guests up front, and...I hate not having them up there...
Should they stop the Pirate Tutorial because a CM hit his head on the wall, and later died?
Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of positive experiences have been had by young children riding with the pilot, and I'd say that the loss of one life in the process is, while very sad and tragic, minimal.
They may not have stopped the show - but they no longer use the fancy stage that was built for it - the one the actor fell on.
QUOTE]
actually they are using it again, or they were last week when I was in that area
I in NO WAY mean to trivialize Austin's passing, or say that it was a minimal event. My thoughts couldn't be farther from that.
When the time is right, I hope that you will again be able to spread more of the magic inside you, in the way that only a monrail pilot can.
Hi Everyone,
First off, let me say that I read every reply to this OP before I posted my own response. From what I can see, this thread has taken more of a position as to who is right and who is wrong in determining the severity and significance of the accident, what is deemed "tragic," and what is not. The constant bickering between posters on the DISboards will never change what happened, so it's really time that everybody just chills out with their opinions and look at the situation with an open mind and a different, mature perspective. I know this is a long post, but it is very important to me--as a Cast Member--that guests understand why new policies sometimes take effect.
As a Monorail Pilot, I feel obligated to express my views on the subject of Front- and Rear-Cab riding. I know how much guests LOVE riding in the Front-Cab with the Driver; I know because I was a guest before I became a Cast Member and, when I was a child, I enjoyed riding up-front with the Driver myself. Let's put talks of the accident aside for a few minutes and talk a little bit about safety. I never really understood the magnitude and complexity of operating a Monorail before I became a Monorail Pilot. Piloting these trains is--by far--one of the most heavily-weighted Cast Member responsibilities on Disney Property. Please allow me to point out just a few of the Driver's responsibilities while driving a train, and please try to understand how Front-Cab riding guests may be of distraction and of severe safety concern to other guests onboard.
There are close to 100 points along the three Monorail beams specifically designated as "hold points." As you may already know, these locations are where the driver must stop his or her train should he or she be in too close of proximity to the Monorail directly ahead. If the driver has to stop at a hold point, but overruns because of four screaming children in the Front-Cab, the Monorail will come to an emergency stop on the open beam, throwing all the standing guests into the seated passengers. Sound safe?
Secondly, clear and constant communication between Monorail Central (similar to an Air Traffic Controller) and each Monorail Train is THE most critically important component of driving a Monorail. The driver's main responsibility is to listen to the radio and abide by any and all instructions coming from Monorail Central or even another Monorail. For example, let's say a section of the beam has broken off from the rest of the track (which has never happened, is not about to happen, and probably never will happen--so please stop panicking). Monorail Red radios a transmission for every driver to engage his or her Emergency Stop Button, but the driver of Monorail Blue missed the transmission because he's too busy dealing with a Front-Cab guest videotaping his kids screaming and jumping around from one side of the cab to another. Safe?
Thirdly, I want to touch on Rear-Cab riding. Contrary to popular belief, Rear-Cab riding has never officially been permitted. Most of the time, guests would sneak into the Rear-Cab when the Platform worker wasn't looking. Even though the Rear-Cab is powered off when not in use, some components are still working and are fully functional, such as the emergency phones, heat detection system, back-up radio, and most importantly, the emergency stop button. All it takes is for some smarty pants to mess around and hit that button and well...you can figure out what would happen. Now, if anybody would like to ride in the Rear-Cab, go ahead. We'll make sure security is waiting for you at the next stop to complete your magical day .
So all accidents, lawsuits et al. aside, just know that this new procedure is in place for the best interest and safety of all Walt Disney World guests and Cast Members. Thank you for reading this post.
This thread more than a year and a half old, the argument ended a long time ago.
Actually, the argument lives on seeing that I have this discussion with people 15-20 times per day. And it doesn't matter when the last time this thread received a post seeing that the issue is still an issue to most people.