Can't believe what I saw on BTM

[delmar411]

I dont believe the OP at all. This didnt really happen the way they are describing. The entire tower cast would have been immediately terminated had such an event occured (ignoring standing guests) and if the boys had stood the ride would have been stopped.

 

[writermommy6]

Now that a PP mentioned it I am really surprised that a school trip let them go around without a chaperone. As a parent this bothers me. Not because of what others would do to them but because of the fact that ( and this thread proves it) teenagers do stupid stuff in the name of fun.

 

[2Monkeys]

Ok, here's the not pretty part. As for the posts from turn the page, I think you're way out of line in your attack on OP. And by the way, what if someone were to say, "Don't you know how those inner city school kids act sometimes? Have you never heard they are holy terrors and think they can get away with anything?" I think a whole lot of folks would get their panties in a wad with a comment like that. Your comment about private school kids was inappropriate. I realize that the comment did not say EVERY kid behaves that way, but to say what you said was inappropriate.

The fact of the matter is, if they were donning attire advertising their school, they should be representing their school in a respectable way, be it private or public. Contacting the headmaster was completely appropriate. Good for you OP!

Ok, I'm ready for the flames.

No flames, just kudos from me. I was highly offended that private school kids were lumped together as a group of holy terrors. Our school is private, and our kids are well-behaved because they know what is expected of them and what will happen if they don't meet those expectations. I'm not saying our kids would never do something like this, but I am saying they would not have the opportunity on a school-sponsored trip.

Thanks for saying what I didn't - for fear of the flames!

 

[EMode]

When you're an educator, you're more than a chaperone or a parent. Educators are conditioned through years and years of countless hours of seminars of being able to notice anything and everything.

What is second nature for us to take interest in, can and will be seen by others to be us being nosy or taking interest where others wouldn't.

So do you think educators (who are on a personal vacation with their family) should be given information that really is none of their business because they reported an incident they witnessed?

 

[momtobrynncess]

Having been to a private school myself (that my parents put me in because they believed it would provide a better education--they worked hard to pay for it, unlike most parents there) I learned something firsthand:

Private schools are extended daycare for adult babies (or young adults as schools prefer to call them). Parents with cash love them because that type of place rarely, if ever, bugs them about problems, preferring do deal with issues "internally".

My personal opinion is that the law should provide an exemption where, if you purposely disable the safeties on a ride for yourself, you are responsible for any and all injuries you cause to yourself AND any and all damage caused to the ride from your stupidity.

Hmmm.....I guess the private school my child attends is that "rare" place that actually does bug parents about problems. They don't allow the students, regardless of who their parents are, or how much money they have to get away with nonsense.

Agreed with your last point.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Well, to each his own on this one. No 2 people are going to see eye to eye with this. My high school band went and performed in Dublin's St. Patrick's Day parade, that was THE most awesome band experience EVER, anyway, we all had our chaperones. When I took my middle schoolers, yes MIDDLE SCHOOLERS to NYC to see Broadway shows, they all had chaperones, as one would expect.

Even on the high school trips, we were told that if you break the rules, you're out and paying to get home. Just because Disney allows 14 year old patrons to enter without an adult, doesn't mean that the 14 year old is capable of making adult decisions. That's up to PARENTING to decide that.

As I said, the norm for high school trips to Disney is that the kids have to be in a group and they can do as they please in the park for the day. Normally it takes an incident like this to ruin it for the next few trips, then they'll allow it again.

There is no chaperoning debate here because I've seen many adults that could use chaperones, and not kids.

~Fabulous post! For the record, all of our school trips were heavily chaperoned. Some of the kids in my school(s) and church were bad as he**. What could happen would happen and even chaperoning isn't enough to prevent stuff from happening.

~The most well adjusted and well behaved teenagers can be highly susceptible to peer pressure and wind up in the most awful & heartbreaking predicaments. So, there is nothing *ridiculous* about that. The only thing I find ridiculous are the clueless parents who thought it could never happen to their so called "responsible" kids. Yeah okay.

~But I digress, to each their own.

 

[mousehockey37]

Now that a PP mentioned it I am really surprised that a school trip let them go around without a chaperone. As a parent this bothers me. Not because of what others would do to them but because of the fact that ( and this thread proves it) teenagers do stupid stuff in the name of fun.

This is very common as I said earlier. I've been on enough band trips as a director and student to know.

Whether it be any amusement park or WDW, the norm for the kids (on at least band trips anyway) is that they will stay in groups of 5-6 and that parents will be "around the park" and there's one parent set up at the main gate with the med kit and medical release forms. The kids will have to meet the group at a certain location at the end of the day so they can leave or go back to their hotel.

If this type of stuff bothers you, be a chaperone. You can then be there and make sure of what your kid is doing the entire time.

By the way, I have a fun story for all of this... In high school, my band stayed offsite. The parents every night would do the old "duct tape" on the door once it was lights out. Well, we had a group of kids that ordered a pizza. Well, they tipped the delivery guy extra to carefully NOT break the tape and get them their order. It's a little off topic, but was still a funny story nonetheless.

 

[Turn the Page]

I apologize for offending anyone with my private school comment. When I read the OP I got the impression that she couldn't believe anyone from such a reputable private school would behave that way and was simply pointing out that that is absolutely not true. There are holy terrors in every school from every socioeconomic background just as there are really great kids from every school and every socioeconomic background. Just because one is a member of one or another school does not mean they are automatically good or bad kids.

 

[mousehockey37]

So do you think educators (who are on a personal vacation with their family) should be given information that really is none of their business because they reported an incident they witnessed?

If that is the closure that the Disney or the involved school wants to provide, then it is up to the individual to accept the information.

Anyone involved at anytime, if contacted could refuse any further involvement.

Also, once anyone reports something, who they are is no longer a factor, they are a witness to the act. It is quite possible that it is a legal obligation on Disney's behalf that they make the appropriate contacts afterwards.

 

[roobug]

I dont believe the OP at all. This didnt really happen the way they are describing. The entire tower cast would have been immediately terminated had such an event occured (ignoring standing guests) and if the boys had stood the ride would have been stopped.

Yep this is where I stand too. I really see no way that Disney would allow something like this to happen when they stop rides for much less, and talk over the intercom system for much less.

Also for her daughter to be so traumatized that she is having nightmares months and months later and does not want to go to Disney again sees way off too from an event where no one got hurt.

 

[EMode]

If that is the closure that the Disney or the involved school wants to provide, then it is up to the individual to accept the information.

Anyone involved at anytime, if contacted could refuse any further involvement.

Also, once anyone reports something, who they are is no longer a factor, they are a witness to the act. It is quite possible that it is a legal obligation on Disney's behalf that they make the appropriate contacts afterwards.

It doesn't sound like the OP was very accepting of not being contacted by Disney.
She clearly wasn't happy with the way Disney handled things and proceeded to contact the school. I can only assume it goes beyond wanting to keep the boys safe and there is a more personal reason.
She reported the incident, obviously she wanted more out of it.

 

[mousehockey37]

It doesn't sound like the OP was very accepting of not being contacted by Disney.
She clearly wasn't happy with the way Disney handled things and proceeded to contact the school. I can only assume it goes beyond wanting to keep the boys safe and there is a more personal reason.
She reported the incident, obviously she wanted more out of it.

So she contacted the school? What's the problem with that?

She went ahead and took initiative to report to the school as to how these individuals acted and how it was detrimental to the school's image. There is nothing wrong with that.

Now I put it to the OP that next time she sees something positive being done by a school group somewhere, that she contacts the school and reports the positive behavior.

 

[2Monkeys]

Also for her daughter to be so traumatized that she is having nightmares months and months later and does not want to go to Disney again sees way off too from an event where no one got hurt.

Do you work in mental health? I do, and I can tell you that what traumatizes one person may have no affect on another. It's obvious from this thread that everyone has different thresholds for what bothers them.

 

[momtobrynncess]

I apologize for offending anyone with my private school comment. When I read the OP I got the impression that she couldn't believe anyone from such a reputable private school would behave that way and was simply pointing out that that is absolutely not true. There are holy terrors in every school from every socioeconomic background just as there are really great kids from every school and every socioeconomic background. Just because one is a member of one or another school does not mean they are automatically good or bad kids.

I appreciate your posting this.

 

[minniemous]

I guess I'm really not sure why you are so upset about this. You did everything you could by reporting the matter to security why pursue it beyond that? I'm not sure you can blame Disney employees for the incident, though they really should have physically checked all the lap bars. At some point personal responsibility comes into play and if the boys were in old enough to be in high school they are old enough to know better and if they had gotten hurt it would've been no ones fault but their own.

Also, you seem amazed that students of a "respectable private school" would behave in such an irresponsible manner. Why is that? Have you never heard that sometimes kids from upper class families that attend the best private schools can be holy terrors? It's not that surprising.


ETA: If you called the headmaster at their "very respectable private school" what did you expect would happen? A PSA that standing up on a roller coaster is not a good idea?

Do you really think this is an appropriate response???

I would also be upset if the actions of some young idiots could have injured my daughter or myself. Disney should have cared too.

If those boys went on to do this again and injured themselves or another they would have a HUGE lawsuit on there hands. Even from the parents of the boys because Disney was put on notice when she told the security guard what they were doing.

I think your response was perhaps the silliest I have ever seen. I have seen some doozies.

 

[DebbieB]

Disney's main concern in a situation like this is protecting their liability. The fact that the bars were not locked down is a serious failure on their part. The OP could sue Disney for her daughter's trauma, they are not going to report back to her on what they did about it. They probably did go back and review the tapes and contacted the cm's working the platform, you don't know that they "did nothing". They didn't go after the boys because again, it would bring out a failure on their part.

 

[Turn the Page]

Do you really think this is an appropriate response???

I would also be upset if the actions of some young idiots could have injured my daughter or myself. Disney should have cared too.

If those boys went on to do this again and injured themselves or another they would have a HUGE lawsuit on there hands. Even from the parents of the boys because Disney was put on notice when she told the security guard what they were doing.

I think your response was perhaps the silliest I have ever seen. I have seen some doozies.

As always, YMMV. My opinion is clearly in the minority here but I am entitled to my opinion just as you are entitled to yours.

 

[minniemous]

Yep this is where I stand too. I really see no way that Disney would allow something like this to happen when they stop rides for much less, and talk over the intercom system for much less.

Also for her daughter to be so traumatized that she is having nightmares months and months later and does not want to go to Disney again sees way off too from an event where no one got hurt.

Well if you are questioning the motives of the person who posted this then that is your prerogative.

But is silly to try and dictate what is a normal response to witnessing something like this. There is no telling how her daughter may internally respond to feeling like she was in a dangerous situation.

Taking what happens as true and I have no reason to say it is not. Disney should have cared, the security guard should have done something and I do not blame her for being a bit upset about it.

Also the CM's making sure the seats were locked did not perform their job correctly...end of story.

 

[flatlandcycle]

A kid a class year behind me in High School was decapitated at Kings Island on the Eiffel Tower. He had climbed on top of the Elevator and the cables got him. He was a nice kid, alcohol-stupid got him killed.

 

[drew64]

1. This happened over Thanksgiving and you needed to post it now.

2. More likely is the lap bars were locked, but they locked them loosely enough to slip out from under them. You are assuming what acutally was done from your observation when actually you do not know.

3. Perhaps they did boserve what occurred on the cameras and that is why security was there. Perhaps they were handling it and felt no need to justify or explian how they were handling it to you as they do not owe you any explanations of how they may/would handle it.

4. You later mention further harassment by these kids to your family so am guessing you were the one making a big deal/scene.

5. You fel tthe need to go to Cit yHall to complain and thne write to the school and now post it months later so apparently you are as easily traumatized as your daughter.

6. I am sure others were riding at the same time. Were they all screaming at the boys, rushing off the ride to report it, etc. or was it only you over reacting.

Best advice - get over it.