All Star Movies shut down- anyone know what's happening?

[Jon84]

The idea of their being able to do that is downright comical.

The issue with the notification here is the inability actually call the front desk of the hotel you are in. Calling their call center is useless. Guests in the hotel should have a button on their phone that calls someone at the hotel's desk. Simple. Would that solve all of the notifications issues? No but it would help at least have someone there vs. someone goodness knows where.

Well that is a very dismissive/negative comment. I bet you're someone that hates overseas call centres too....

Do you not realise how many people there are staying in the resorts in relation to the front desk staff. It's easily 1 cast member per 1000 guests I would make a guess at. All it takes is 10 rooms to make a call and you've got yourself a long wait time. If you want a call answered at the front desk then expect to pay alot more for a nights stay.

If the call centre had the information to hand they'd be able to advise guests who call from certain resorts (and they know exactly what room in what resort is calling) the information they need in an emergency situation.

Many companies have notification tools setup on their networks to advise staff of system failures or security issues. It's not something that is specific to Disney. I'm sure someone at TDO has already thought of the idea, but I dread to think what their Project Pipeline/Orderbook looks like, I'd assume more ideas than they have resources.

 

[AngiTN]

Well that is a very dismissive/negative comment. I bet you're someone that hates overseas call centres too....

Do you not realise how many people there are staying in the resorts in relation to the front desk staff. It's easily 1 cast member per 1000 guests I would make a guess at. All it takes is 10 rooms to make a call and you've got yourself a long wait time. If you want a call answered at the front desk then expect to pay alot more for a nights stay.

If the call centre had the information to hand they'd be able to advise guests who call from certain resorts (and they know exactly what room in what resort is calling) the information they need in an emergency situation.

Many companies have notification tools setup on their networks to advise staff of system failures or security issues. It's not something that is specific to Disney. I'm sure someone at TDO has already thought of the idea, but I dread to think what their Project Pipeline/Orderbook looks like, I'd assume more ideas than they have resources.

Wow, you took a leap didn't you.
Call me crazy but yeah, when you are in a resort as a guest and pick up a phone that says front desk I actually think it reaching the front desk is reasonable.

 

[Jon84]

Wow, you took a leap didn't you.
Call me crazy but yeah, when you are in a resort as a guest and pick up a phone that says front desk I actually think it reaching the front desk is reasonable.

Less of a leap, more an example as lots of people want to speak to their bank manager but will have to speak to a call centre.

It's clearly not possible because of the guest to CM ratio, and the massive increase in cost that it would need to work.

This is not a boutique hotel on the coast, this is a multi million dollar resort.

I don't expect to speak to the front desk for more towels, or a faulty lamp - this will all be logged centrally and jobs picked up electronically by mousekeeping or maintenance. The term 'Front Desk' is used as that is a term that people are used to for those type of enquiries. A button that says 'Offsite Call Centre' would be confusing.

 

[wilkeliza]

I think the issue here is OP instead of going back to their room and waiting for the "all clear call" continued to call CMs asking for information. So now instead of CMs being able to handle the situation they are having to stop and tell people no please stay in your room we can't tell you why just please listen to us and stay in your room. Whenever I had an emergency call in the parks (only twice thankfully) it was so hard to deal with what was going on in front of me and the guests who wouldn't listen. I had a lady pass out in front of me and break open her head. I called 911 and had R.C. on the phone. I was trying to do what the dispatcher was telling me to when some lady comes out of no where and says she is a trama nurse. The R.C. emergency person could hear what the lady was saying and kept telling me not to let this random person touch the now passed out and bleeding woman but she just wouldn't listen. She wanted to roll her over and put something in her mouth to prevent her from biting her tongue in a seizure when R.C. dispatch was more worried about us applying pressure to the head wound and not moving the passed out person in case of neck injury. While all of this is going on I had by standers wondering why I was telling thing "trained" individual to back off. It was the most stressful 3 minutes of my life waiting for Reedy Creek ambulance to get from backstage to onstage.

 

[loves to dive]

Don't you just wish in situations like that you could just use the mommy 'cause I said so' and it would work? I agree with PP, if you are told to stay in your room there is most likely not a random reason for it. Let the people do their work. Now the question might be, how are they now going to notify everyone that they can come out of their rooms? So I can sort of understand calling and asking if I can come out now.

 

[bc7ate9]

If it is a test, they are handling it badly. I work at a mall, and we have all sorts of lovely tests and training. But they tell you about it ahead of time, because they don't want people panicking.

That doesn't make for a very accurate test...It's not like you know about emergency situations in advance..

 

[wilkeliza]

Don't you just wish in situations like that you could just use the mommy 'cause I said so' and it would work? I agree with PP, if you are told to stay in your room there is most likely not a random reason for it. Let the people do their work. Now the question might be, how are they now going to notify everyone that they can come out of their rooms? So I can sort of understand calling and asking if I can come out now.

I believe they record a message and then force send it to all the in room phones.

 

[Donnainnj]

So....we can probably trust Disney in this, but I cannot help but think of the Costa Concordia AND the South Korean ferry. Especially on the ferry, the captain told people, schoolkids for a large part, to stay put in their rooms and the hallways. They did, and they died.

So if you follow things blindly, know the source.

I also think of 9/11 when many were sent back to their offices at the towers.

 

[LinderInWonderland]

Even with testing and drills, there is often an area no one could plan for where something could fail. Having been a part of the safety committee at work and listening to my co-workers grumble about how this isn't what they would 'really' do in an emergency, I feel for organizations that have to come up with these plans.

OP, I feel for your frustration, especially having a child with anxiety. I don't mean to assume, but my friend's child had it from a very young age and would worry about everything, from a thunderstorm to a news story. It's challenging even when you have facts that could assure them it's all okay.

 

[Jon84]

In the UK a few months ago a section of London was sealed off to allow emergency services practices what they would do in an attack.

Obviously results are not published. But good to know lessons learned from the 2005 bombings in London are being put into place and trialled as best as can be

 

[wilkeliza]

I also think of 9/11 when many were sent back to their offices at the towers.

9/11 is hard to compare this to. 9/11 people were told to go back to their offices because their office managers had no clue what was going on. When the first tower was hit nobody in the upper floors was going to get out anyways so they were told to go back to their offices so emergency personal could find them more easily. Nobody thought the tower was going to collapse. Being in an office building in NYC, I can tell you the emergency responses are still if you can not safely evacuate return to your floor (or the nearest safe floor to where you are) and await the Fire department. Fire code here has a 3 hour burn minimum on walls and doors so if you are on a "safe" floor the fire department should have 3 hours from start of fire to get to you. The problem is when a building collapses and you are on the 100th floor it really isn't going to matter if you were allowed to evacuate or if you stayed in your office.

 

[Aurora0427]

Compensation because they tried to keep people safe.... Right...

Seriously. People are unbelievable.

If it was in fact a false bomb threat as is being reported, people need to just pipe down. Stay in your room. Do what they told you to do at least twice. Disney isn't some half assed organization- they do things for a reason. No where will you get a minute by minute account of what is going on as it's unfolding. For multiple good reasons. Imagine if they'd told OP on the phone it was a bomb threat? Hello panic.

 

[HopperFan]

Somehow I've been lucky enough to be in places with "emergencies" and it never fails since I finally relaxed my rule of nothing above the 7th floor (hook & ladder)...I have a pretty good chance of having to evacuate. I'm a professional evacuator. 23rd floor on high rise hotel in Boston with very sick baby and fire. Top floor Embassy and 4 am fire. Hotel in Missouri with approaching tornadoes, runs to cover. FL beach condo, approaching hurricane, island evacuation with no instructs. 7th floor of beach condo, fire. There were others, I was even just off a NYC subway when someone behind me on escalator got shot (and I was 6 mos pregnant). You can bet where ever I go I know where the exits are, where the stairs are and am prepared to leave if need be.

Everything and every event is a matter of individual's perspective and how they handle emergencies. It's like witnesses to a crime giving completely different views. Human nature. There are only two that I see on this thread that were at ASMo and I have found no other threads with folks who were there. My guess is that it was being handled, was low key and I bet there were guests there that didn't even know it happened. Sounds like one guest left their room where guards said "go back to your room or go over to Music/Sports to catch a bus." That guest did walk to other resorts and went on with their night having a good time. Sounds like other guest headed to lobby area, was told to go back, did and initiated phone calls from the room where they got varying answers with each operator. Same incident, two different perspectives, reactions and each handled in their own way.

WE as guests have to be prepared for an emergency and take care of ourselves. The staff to guest ratio at any hotel is very low, and we must be proactive while following the emergency procedures or staying out of their way. Their first concern was securing the area, getting guests outside, safety of CMs and keeping a safe zone. They can't address guests in 2000 rooms, keeping them away from the area was what they needed to do.

- Disney hotel rooms ring to operators at call centers, some not even in Orlando. Most on here know that.
- Many of these operators have never seen the hotels and probably do not know that Sports/Music are next door.
- If they don't know and their screen says guests are not to go to main hub/bus area, they will assume your room is the only place to be.
- Yes, IT should have emergency push messages, and probably does since folks there during hurricanes recite repeated messages/updates.
- If this was a bomb threat, the last thing they needed was panic, which a message would cause.
- No, a direct to front desk button would end up only one used all the time and honestly other than emergency/security, no need for that.
- No way the front desk can handle a direct button (and many are CPs), it's better for an operator to route a call there if needed.
- I bet there were guests there that had no idea anything was happening unless they approached the restricted area.
- Always know an escape even if for a minor incident, which this was in the big picture. Know where to walk to move away or get on with your day.
- Always be prepared for middle of night emergency; shoes in a row, purse/wallet, car keys accessible and any medications should you not get back for awhile.
- Have a plan for kids, who watches who, how to handle them emotionally. Having a plan keeps adults calm - which keeps kids calm.
- Know your kids and their reactions. Stuff can happen anywhere; stuck monorail, stuck ride, bus accident.
- CMs at the resort were very busy doing a job that they practice for but don't do on regular basis. Give them a break.
- No compensation is needed for practicing good safety. This was not negligence on the part of Disney.

I feel bad for OP that this situation caused her stress. By her own words a few times she was saying the buses, services, lobby area were shut down, they were not physically holding her back (other guest had no issue walking to next resort and was not under impression she was being forced to stay) and if she was able to go to her room the resort was not being evacuated or guest areas impacted. It's too bad she was unnerved and her child upset. Disney was addressing the area that needed to be secured. The didn't need to address the guest area so she could had stayed in her room or walked over to the other resorts to catch a bus.

 

[Aurora0427]

I'm probably going to make a lot of folks mad by my comments here but so be it.

Those that say Disney handled this situation badly have no way of knowing just what happened and exactly what Disney did. As of now (about 8 am the next morning) we don't know the actual situation last night. How can anybody say that Disney handled it badly when we don't even know what the treat was? Are we expecting some level of presence out of Disney that they would magically know just what is happening before first responders were able to actually able to access the situation? Should they have waited for that before alerting people that might be at risk? Are they supposed to spend time explaining things (with info they didn't yet have) to people or should they concentrate on notifying all at risk as quickly as possible?

Yes, I get it. Some were in a situation that they found scary. But to claim that Disney has somehow mismanaged the situation is a huge leap.

I agree with you 100%.

 

[ArielRae]

Compensation because they tried to keep people safe.... Right...

Have to agree. What is wrong with people??

OMG

Anything to try to get something free, eh???

Be thankful that Disney tries to keep people safe!!!!!!

The poster and her son was really upset and beyond themselves over the situation of not getting consistent info from the CMs. They felt trapped and it isn't to much to ask the CMs what is going on and hopefully get more info then what they are getting even if it was just something to calm them down. Until your in the situation you don't know how you would react. For the fact that they had to go thru this because of poor training and info they tell CM to tell guest in this situation I believe she should be compensated for freaking them out. They should understand guests will call and talk to CMs in hope of more information and/or comfort. Your on vacation and can feel more vulnerable then at home. Hopefully Disney uses this past event in training for future incidents.

 

[maxiesmom]

That doesn't make for a very accurate test...It's not like you know about emergency situations in advance..

The test shouldn't be for the guests. That would be a good way to make people panic. We are not in the army, nor do we fly Air Force One. We are not in service and shouldn't be treated like we are. As I stated before, I work at a mall, and they do tests to make sure we are ready for different situations. Weather, shooters, you name it. But they don't spring them on us unannounced, as they don't want to cause chaos and maybe cause someone to panic and have a heart attack. Our local airport does disaster readiness tests, and they bring in people to act as if they are hurt, and the people helping them know it is fake. They don't just spring it on them.

You want people ready but you also don't want to scare them to death.

 

[jrmasm]

The poster and her son was really upset and beyond themselves over the situation of not getting consistent info from the CMs. They felt trapped and it isn't to much to ask the CMs what is going on and hopefully get more info then what they are getting even if it was just something to calm them down. Until your in the situation you don't know how you would react. For the fact that they had to go thru this because of poor training and info they tell CM to tell guest in this situation I believe she should be compensated for freaking them out. They should understand guests will call and talk to CMs in hope of more information and/or comfort. Your on vacation and can feel more vulnerable then at home. Hopefully Disney uses this past event in training for future incidents.

In the midst of an emergency situation, it is the CM's job to keep people safe and handle the situation, not hold people's hands and make them feel better.

 

[maxiesmom]

I want to add, if it was a bomb, how safe would guests have been in their rooms? I guess it would depend on the size of the bomb, but there is no way of knowing that ahead of time. Wouldn't it have been smarter to encourage guests to go to a neighboring resort and go to a park, instead of telling them to stay in their rooms?

 

[disneysteve]

The poster and her son was really upset and beyond themselves over the situation of not getting consistent info from the CMs. They felt trapped and it isn't to much to ask the CMs what is going on and hopefully get more info then what they are getting even if it was just something to calm them down. Until your in the situation you don't know how you would react. For the fact that they had to go thru this because of poor training and info they tell CM to tell guest in this situation I believe she should be compensated for freaking them out. They should understand guests will call and talk to CMs in hope of more information and/or comfort. Your on vacation and can feel more vulnerable then at home. Hopefully Disney uses this past event in training for future incidents.

You're assuming that every CM knew exactly what was going on throughout the entire incident which is highly doubtful. When there is an emergency situation happening, information changes rapidly throughout the episode and takes time to be disseminated to everyone. It is certainly possible, even likely, that asking different people the same question at different times, or even at the same time, may result in different answers.

 

[wilkeliza]

The poster and her son was really upset and beyond themselves over the situation of not getting consistent info from the CMs. They felt trapped and it isn't to much to ask the CMs what is going on and hopefully get more info then what they are getting even if it was just something to calm them down. Until your in the situation you don't know how you would react. For the fact that they had to go thru this because of poor training and info they tell CM to tell guest in this situation I believe she should be compensated for freaking them out. They should understand guests will call and talk to CMs in hope of more information and/or comfort. Your on vacation and can feel more vulnerable then at home. Hopefully Disney uses this past event in training for future incidents.

The thing is we have no clue what was originally said. They "pushed back" from the playground to the front area. OP went to her room. After 20 minutes she called and was told they were still advising to stay in room if that is where you are. She called back like 5 minutes later (you can check the post times) and asked again. Was told that it was okay to walk to the other resort but do not walk through the lobby. For some reason she called again 5 minutes after that and was told it was best to stay put. I get having a scared kid but 3 calls in a span of 15 minutes is a lot.

I want to add, if it was a bomb, how safe would guests have been in their rooms? I guess it would depend on the size of the bomb, but there is no way of knowing that ahead of time. Wouldn't it have been smarter to encourage guests to go to a neighboring resort and go to a park, instead of telling them to stay in their rooms?

They make the decision based on the information they have. One backpack can only take out so much area. They kept the area surrounding plus some free of guests and non-essential personnel. I've unfortunately been apart of an evacuation similar in NYC and they only had the building right next to the back pack as well as an adjacent building evacuate. They did block off the side walk on the entire side of that block but the occupants of the other building were told to stay put.