Alligator Incident Discussion/Fence being built at Grand Floridian?

[freshmanjs]

. Obviously, there are parents on here who think living dangerously is an expected way of life. Not me or my family.

So, you and your family don't do any of the following?

- ride in a car
- walk outside
- swim
- eat any food that is not liquified
- take a shower or bath

all of those things are significantly more risky than going to WDW with respect to alligators. how do you manage daily life without any of those things?

 

[Jason2015]

Since you feel the need to bring out statistics, look at the link below for unprovoked alligator attacks in Florida

http://myfwc.com/media/310203/Alligator-GatorBites.pdf

I fail to follow the point of you posting these stats. They completely go against your fears. Since 1948 there have been 24 fatalities caused by alligators in all of Florida. I'd think I'd be safe to say there are close to 24 traffic fatalities each month in the state of Florida. (2494 fatalities in 2014). You've gone to Disney for 23+ years without a gator (or other serious problem) so why is that going to change in the next 23+. Yes, this event was shocking yet if anything it will make you safer now that you know of the very slight danger.

 

[Jennasis]

Honestly, there was nothing about my Disney vacation that I couldn't do without. 100 degree heat, two hour wait times, crowded transportation? The price we paid was not worth any of that. This was the most stressful vacation I ever had!

I live in Wisconsin. It's up to my grown children whether they want to return with my grandchildren. Every time I heard "Wishes" I had to turn away. For me, Disney was magical. Not anymore. There are just too many things associated with that night. I can't expect everyone to feel like I do. I know they don't. That's okay. Just want Disney to do more to protect the little children. Obviously, there are parents on here who think living dangerously is an expected way of life. Not me or my family.

I also live with irrational fears. Flying for me is pretty much a no-go thanks to 9-11 and the many air disasters there have been. I know the likelihood of it happening to me are super small and that driving is far more dangerous but I can't help how I feel. Unfortunately my familyives 600 miles away so if I want to see them I kind of have to fly. It sucks.

I hope over time you can find peace about this incident someway.

 

[HarleenQ]

I live in Wisconsin. It's up to my grown children whether they want to return with my grandchildren. Every time I heard "Wishes" I had to turn away. For me, Disney was magical. Not anymore. There are just too many things associated with that night. I can't expect everyone to feel like I do. I know they don't. That's okay. Just want Disney to do more to protect the little children. Obviously, there are parents on here who think living dangerously is an expected way of life. Not me or my family.

Holy exaggeration

 

[maxiesmom]

I live in Wisconsin. It's up to my grown children whether they want to return with my grandchildren. Every time I heard "Wishes" I had to turn away. For me, Disney was magical. Not anymore. There are just too many things associated with that night. I can't expect everyone to feel like I do. I know they don't. That's okay. Just want Disney to do more to protect the little children. Obviously, there are parents on here who think living dangerously is an expected way of life. Not me or my family.

They are doing more. They have put up fences, and put up clearer signs. Though I have to tell you on this side of the lake, No Swimming = Don't Get In The Water. And they don't tell you why, it could be for any number of reasons--Contaminated water, algae bloom, rip currents, big waves.

There have been a lot of tragic accidents in the news regarding children as of late. It is human to be upset and feel shock and horror. And while it may be human to let those emotions control you for a while it is not smart to let those emotions take over and make you so afraid you squeeze all of the joy out of life trying to avoid everything that may happen. I have my own set of phobias I deal with, and it is much easier to say let it go than it is to do, I get it. But please don't let a rare event take something away from you that has given you so much joy.

 

[pigletgirl]

I live in Wisconsin. It's up to my grown children whether they want to return with my grandchildren. Every time I heard "Wishes" I had to turn away. For me, Disney was magical. Not anymore. There are just too many things associated with that night. I can't expect everyone to feel like I do. I know they don't. That's okay. Just want Disney to do more to protect the little children. Obviously, there are parents on here who think living dangerously is an expected way of life. Not me or my family.

My DD fell off her bike yesterday and scraped her arm and knee. Should I not let her ride a bike anymore?

We have poison ivy at the back of our property. Should I move because of this?

Just be reasonable. If you see a gator at Disney, don't approach it or you may just win yourself a Darwin award.

 

[GPC0321]

Since you feel the need to bring out statistics, look at the link below for unprovoked alligator attacks in Florida

http://myfwc.com/media/310203/Alligator-GatorBites.pdf

Did you read the circumstances of the fatalities? I counted 14 out of the 23 that were described as swimming, snorkeling, diving (and harassing!), or wading IN water. Another one or two said "killed in" the particular body of water. A few more were "found dead" in a body of water with the circumstances unknown due to lack of witnesses. I think I counted 3 people who were fatally attacked on dry land, but they were described as "walking on the shore", "walking his terrier on a narrow path that ran between two wetland areas", and "landscaping near a pond". The cases with unknown circumstances were found in or at bodies of water. One of them was a 2 year old child who had wandered 700 feet outside of her fenced yard where her mother had last seen her.

23 people killed by alligators since 1948, and most (and possibly all) of them were either in or very close to bodies of water.

Compare that to this report that 350 children under the age of 5 drown in swimming pools every year.
http://www.momsteam.com/sports/swimming/safety/grim-statistics-on-child-drownings
That would work out to be about 23,000 children under the age of 5 dead over the same time span that the gator attack data you linked covers.

 

[dizprincess717]

I live in Wisconsin. It's up to my grown children whether they want to return with my grandchildren. Every time I heard "Wishes" I had to turn away. For me, Disney was magical. Not anymore. There are just too many things associated with that night. I can't expect everyone to feel like I do. I know they don't. That's okay. Just want Disney to do more to protect the little children. Obviously, there are parents on here who think living dangerously is an expected way of life. Not me or my family.

http://wisconsinwatch.org/2015/08/e...d-tigers-and-wisconsins-lax-wild-animal-laws/

Take a look at that article. Wisconsin is 1 of 5 states where "exotic" animals can be pets. What if one of those "pets" escapes their home and injures a family member or friend? To me, living in Wisconsin with my next door neighbor allowed to have tiger as a pet, is a heck of a lot scarier than the one in a million instance of an alligator attack in Disney World. Because of the millions if not billions of visitors, there have been 2 people attacked by a gator. I like those odds a lot more than living next door to a family that has a pet tiger.

Are you going to move from Wisconsin?

There are dangers all around you. You're more likely to stub and break a toe in Disney World than have you or a family member attacked by an alligator at Disney World.

 

[boltjames]

It is my opinion that this irrational hysteria that you are swallowed up in is all about you. Not your kids, but about your ability to be in contol of all your surroundings, and as much as I, a parent and a grandparent, sympathize with that, I simply cannot understand that. I am the furthest thing from an adventurer that there is, but there is no way that I would live my life frightened of all that I do not undestand.

Required reading from yesterday's NY Post, another non-Floridan resident who feels betrayed:

http://nypost.com/2016/06/20/alligator-attack-has-shaken-longtime-vacationers-trust-in-disney/

 

[boltjames]

no. Admitting to the fact that guests cannot respect posted signs, cannot have the most basic common sense, and act as if they owned the place.

Why is it continually necessary to get on a soapbox and riff about the people who ignore the signs and act like they are above the warnings? We all dislike those people. That's not what's going on here.

I'm not one of those people, and you're talking to me about why I won't go back to WDW. And from all indications, these poor people from Nebraksa were equally unaware that there were alligators in the lagoon because Disney never told them and the warning signs referred to deep water, not man-eating reptiles.

 

[boltjames]

Boltjames--Are you unaware of all of the cougar sightings in Florida? They are not just in National Parks, but they do roam. We have them here in Michigan too. Along with bears, moose, coyotes, and various other "dangerous" critters. They don't know park boundaries.

WDW in no way is an artificial national park. And you are missing out on so much by being afraid to go to them. To repeat an old saying we all die, but are you really going to live before you do?

When I visit my friend in Mission Viejo California, he explains the cougar issue and we don't go outside at night near the bases of hills where they are known to habitate.

When I visit my brother in law in Scottsdale Arizona, he explains the snake issue and we don't go on golf courses and walkways where they are known to habitate.

When I visit Walk Disney World in Orlando Florida, they don't explain the alligator issue so we go on late night beach activities near shallow water where they are known to habitate.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE?

 

[Jennasis]

Required reading from yesterday's NY Post, another non-Floridan resident who feels betrayed:

http://nypost.com/2016/06/20/alligator-attack-has-shaken-longtime-vacationers-trust-in-disney/

I'm sure lots of folks feel betrayed, angry, scared...and some are able to get those feelings published. But the NY Post ain't The Times...its essentially the Enquirer. Hardly "required reading". But if it bolsters your feelings of anger and betrayal have at it.

 

[boltjames]

You can blame Disney all you want, and that's fine. But blaming Disney does not change the fact that these parents made the decision to let their child play in that water that night, not Disney. And playing IN THE WATER is what ultimately got him killed.

He was not playing in the water. He was building sand castles next to the water. Disney's signage clearly didn't take into account the alligator issue. They were referring to deep water, deep dropoffs, lack of lifeguards.

This is a narrow, ornamental beach that really functions as a child's playground. Jungle gym's, slides, swings, and lots of sand with which to build sand castles. From a 2 year old parents perspective, Disney hosted an evening sand castle event that was supposed to be safe. And it wasn't. Because Disney had no right to entice young children to the edge of the water with man-eating alligators in them.

 

[maxiesmom]

When I visit my friend in Mission Viejo California, he explains the cougar issue and we don't go outside at night near the bases of hills where they are known to habitate.

When I visit my brother in law in Scottsdale Arizona, he explains the snake issue and we don't go on golf courses and walkways where they are known to habitate.

When I visit Walk Disney World in Orlando Florida, they don't explain the alligator issue so we go on late night beach activities near shallow water where they are known to habitate.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE?

Yes. You paid attention to the sign and didn't go in the water while at your resort in Florida. You didn't need someone to explain the details to you. And unfortunately, that little boy was ankle deep in the water. It is horrible that his parents didn't know the danger, and didn't realize that he shouldn't be where he was. But to many of us, ankle deep in water in the dark where there is a sign stating the danger of a drop off would be a no go anyway, gator or no gator.

 

[DLgal]

A couple people in this thread could really use some therapy. I hope you know it is not normal or healthy to live with so much fear and displaced anger.

 

[asta]

He was not playing in the water. He was building sand castles next to the water. Disney's signage clearly didn't take into account the alligator issue. They were referring to deep water, deep dropoffs, lack of lifeguards.

This is a narrow, ornamental beach that really functions as a child's playground. Jungle gym's, slides, swings, and lots of sand with which to build sand castles. From a 2 year old parents perspective, Disney hosted an evening sand castle event that was supposed to be safe. And it wasn't. Because Disney had no right to entice young children to the edge of the water with man-eating alligators in them.

I do not want to enter into this argument but I am curious where the information about sand castles comes from. I have read several times in this thread that the little boy was either building sand castles or kicking them down. I have probably read too many articles on this horrible accident and have not seen this level of detail. The first reports said the family was alone on the beach and I am not aware that they are talking. Once again, I am not arguing fault or whether this is true but would like to know the source of this information.

 

[boltjames]

I was thinking the same thing...They said they were aware of a drop-off, yet they let their 2 year old child in the water, in the dark? If the child fell in, it would be very difficult to see in that water to rescue him. I'm sorry, but I do not understand how anyone can not see that's bad judgement. Regardless of the alligator/snake/amoeba risk, what about the drowning risk? And before you even say it, I don't think anyone was at fault here, it was a horrible, tragic freak accident. My heart aches for this family and I've had trouble sleeping this week, imagining the horror they are living through right now. I'm just commenting that I don't understand why a parent would take this risk.

For someone that wasn't an eye witness, you seem certain of what happened as if you were right there...I've read multiple reports of the tragedy and many of the "facts" are conflicting, regarding just how far out the child was and how deep the water.

Did Disney put up signs for the movie night saying it was for "ages 6 and up"? Did they take the swingset and the jungle gym and the slide off the beach to discourage toddler participation?

Or did they allow a 2 year old to enter a dangerous and known alligator habitat at feeding time?

 

[Hikergirl]

tink'smom2B, I can understand that right now so soon after this awful tragedy your feelings.
You said you have been to WDW 23 times, and you have never seen a gator, or snake. How many times have you spent time on one of the beaches at the resorts?
Think about all the people who have visited WDW through the years, and think about the fact that gators have been there the whole time. There haven't been warning signs since WDW opened. Guests have assumed there weren't gators since WDW opened and still there has been only 2 incidents.
Unfortunately one of them resulted in the death of a toddler, and that is enough to get anyone, especially a grandmother to toddlers emotional. But these incidents are so rare, its not like suddenly the gators that have been there all along are going to start stalking WDW guests and taking away kids off the beaches.

 

[Jason2015]

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

According to the sheriff, the boy was playing a foot or two into the water.