Disney Skyliner Accident

[DisLiss]

I agree, whatever the problem I think letting the people know what is going on and that help is on the way would relieve the anxiety level a bit. Nobody should have to ask on Twitter or FB to get info, Disney should be ashamed.

I don't really know how they can let people know what's going on for a few reasons. If you are referring to telling them what has already happened, they probably didn't know exactly what happened yet. If you are referring to telling people what's happening right now, there are problems with that----first of all what's currently happening is different depending on where your car is on the line. The means of evacuation and time involved will be very different for someone still in the station than someone whose car is almost at the station and different yet again for someone who is 30 feet above a road, etc. They can't be making multiple different announcements because people will get confused or even panicky about that.

Also, describing what's happening now might be helpful for people who are feeling calm & rational, but not necessarily helpful for people who are already freaking out. Say I'm moderately afraid of heights and I think that I'd much rather wait to creep bit by bit down the line to the station than have to be rescued while in the air. Even if a firetruck shows up, I'm going to keep trying to tell myself that if the line starts up again, I might still avoid dealing with that firetruck ladder. If a message comes on saying that we will all be evacuating via the firetruck, I now have to sit there the entire time knowing the thing that I fear most is definitely what is going to happen, and for a certain percentage of people that will lead to worse panicking than if they can still try to convince themselves they have hope of avoiding what they fear.

Of course, none of this matters, because as many others have pointed out, it all boils down to the legality of it all and not being sued because someone said the wrong thing or things turned out differently from what was originally said, etc. But even with potential lawsuits aside, I do know that sometimes a little info can cause a lot of panic, particularly when a lot of people are involved.

 

[firefly_ris]

Ugh...I’m going to call... I’m really nervous. I don’t want anything from them, I just want them to know our account of the incident.

You have nothing to be nervous about. This is on them and they need to know what happened so they have an opportunity to be honest about it. If they still don't after that... Yikes.

 

[mshanson3121]

I'm having a really hard time keeping up with these posts so I'm not sure if somebody already said this but the whole "I'd want my entire stay compensated" thing seems pretty harsh. If you were on the last day of your vacation would you want them to pay you back for those first few days? When I rode it friday I wasn't staying there. I had a reservation at sebastians so they let me park at CBR. What would people like me get if we weren't staying there, and are also passholders so a ticket is useless

I think in some cases, having the entire trip compensated is extreme and unnecessary, yes. Especially in this scenario (last night, you weren't all that upset etc...). However, in other scenarios, I think it's perfectly fair. Example: if this had happened to us, both of my children have special needs/health issues, and this would have seriously impacted them. And I can easily see this as having absolutely ruined our trip to the point that we probably would have been flying home the next day. I would expect to be compensated for the balance of our trip. But, our situation is certainly not the norm, either. But, I would bet there are people for whom this will have ruined their trip, or at the very least, seriously impacted it - thinking especially of all the parents trapped with young children who were upset (several reports of parents being stuck with children sobbing), who have been minorly or majorly traumatized by the experience, who likely had toilet accidents, who the kids were out late, seriously upset, and now have been ruined for today etc...

 

[jlb727]

Ugh...I’m going to call... I’m really nervous. I don’t want anything from them, I just want them to know our account of the incident.

Message me if Disney is rude to you or if you don’t get the outcome you want. I have a friend who’s a reporter at the Orlando Sentinel. I’m sure he’d be interested in your story.

 

[RichVIII]

We are all "in-tune" with these types of things. Most Joe C. Sixpack has not heard about this, nor will they for their next trip to think twice. Either will the average Pixie Dusted buyer in the sales office. The guides will drop their line about the Gondola for two weeks and resume again soon. If DRR was open, more people staying at it would have noticed. This will be a distant memory by the time they open. While we resale buyers wish it would squash the restrictions, this is just a blip captured on Twitter and Facebook.

 

[sky2823]

Could they create a walking path from RIV to Epcot and Hollywood Studios? Any idea how long of a walk it would be?

 

[Matty B13]

Could they create a walking path from RIV to Epcot and Hollywood Studios? Any idea how long of a walk it would be?

They could but it would include some large pedestrian bridges over major roads, which would be very expensive. Pedestrian tunnels really aren't a solution sense Florida is mostly swamp.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

If I were Diz Bee at this point....with no contact from Disney and me having to call them with having cameras everywhere and CMs who knew I were on that gondola...I absolutely would expect compensation. Poor guy is already stressed and nervous just to call. Are you kidding me? Disney, get it together.

Also, even if I were on my last day of vacation, Yes yes yes 100%, Disney should pay for the whole thing. Using the bathroom infront of absolute strangers....the humility is enough.

 

[wisblue]

It’s not an attraction, it’s a form of transportation they’re literally telling you to take instead of buses. I posted this photo the other day from our stay at POP:

I thought they still had buses running from those resorts to DHS and Epcot. But, if they make those infrequent it does push people toward the skyliner. I suspect there are a lot of people on them just for the ride.

 

[DLgal]

@dizbee

I would get in your car and go back to the CBR, to the gondola station, and speak with whomever is there onsite, and tell your story. There are representatives from Doppylmeyer there and you can bet there are upper level managers there. Screenshot a copy of the story saying "no guests were involved" and let them know that is inaccurate. You have photo and video proof and I would also ask if there are cameras around so you can prove your involvement. What they are putting out is a false narrative and I suspect the investigation will be handled a bit differently knowing there WERE guests onboard all the gondolas that collided.

 

[emchen]

I read on Twitter a single report of compensation...4day Parkhoppers for 4 and $200 Disney Gift Card.

Anyone here confirm?

I think this would adequately remedy my anger if I were one stuck for three hrs.

 

[Diz Bee]

So we called guest relations... they were very nice. We gave our account of the situation and were given a number to call directly for the whole gondola incident. We then spoke to a lovely lady who typed and recorded everything. She said Disney will be contacting us within 72 hours. I wish we could just meet someone there in person and show them what happened.

 

[EmJ]

I just got caught up.

I've said this before on other threads, but my family are the guests Disney is looking for. We are historically a Universal/Legoland family, but have been lured to Disney by SWGE and the upcoming Avengers Campus. I have four Disney vacations penciled in the next 6 years.

But.

A narrative is being set for Disney online. On Facebook, Twitter, boards like this, blogs, etc. And you can love it or HATE it, but that is where people get their information now. From other people, usually on the internet. The narrative that is emerging is that Disney is cheap, that they cut corners, that they don't care about the guest experience, and that their primary goal is to separate you from every penny they can. Yes, accidents happen. Yes, they happen more frequently with new technology. But Disney's response to this is abysmal. Now add to the narrative that they don't care all that much about guest safety and are willing to lie to cover their rear-ends. It doesn't actually matter whether this is true; in cases like this, perception is reality, and a company as big and sophisticated as Disney should know that. For example, perhaps they should have CONFIRMED there were no guests on the gondolas before saying it.

In addition to a complete "what happened to the gondola" autopsy, Disney needs to autopsy its PR machine.

 

[UOAP]

This is absolutely ridiculous. You've obviously never been on a subway in NYC, Berlin, London...

All transportation is use at your own risk. Don't like the Skyliner? Don't take it/Don't stay at a Skyliner resort.

That attitude really isn't very guest friendly. This is not a NY subway (and yes I have ridden on that plenty as I lived in NYC for 12 years, and it is very difficult for those with disabilities or babies in strollers, etc.). This is a vacation resort. "Don't like it? Don't stay here!" isn't going to work when they are selling a vacation destination that is supposed to be nice. And, like I said, Disney has built up a reputation to be very supportive of those with pretty significant disabilities. Telling them to lump it isn't going to go over well.

 

[Spridell]

So we called guest relations... they were very nice. We gave our account of the situation and were given a number to call directly for the whole gondola incident. We then spoke to a lovely lady who typed and recorded everything. She said Disney will be contacting us within 72 hours. I wish we could just meet someone there in person and show them what happened.

I would do what DLGAL said.

Go back. I am sure there are representatives all over the place there today.

 

[cakebaker]

It’s called corporate greed biting the executives in the derrière.

I'm not sure how that's linked to this incident, but you seem very pleased to have seen this happen. Fortunately, reports from those who were actually there makes it appear to have not been anything that will cause a long outage of the system. I'm betting it will be back up and running very soon. The ones who seem most upset are ones who weren't even there. Odd.

 

[Diz Bee]

And again we don’t want anything..
We just want them to fix it and make it safe for everyone,
and stop saying it was empty.

 

[cakebaker]

I read on Twitter a single report of compensation...4day Parkhoppers for 4 and $200 Disney Gift Card.

Anyone here confirm?

I think this would adequately remedy my anger if I were one stuck for three hrs.

I read 2 days of parkhoppers and $100 gift card per person. I would have been satisfied with either.

 

[hhhaleybird]

@dizbee
Try going to Guest Relations in Disney Springs. They have the best experience in gathering information and contacting the right people to handle a situation that goes wrong at Disney World with guest experiences. I would not call Disney, I would walk in an have everything documented and sorted out so they can see your discomfort in the way the incident was handled.
So sorry you had to experience this. Best of luck sorting it out with Disney.

 

[Madame]

That attitude really isn't very guest friendly. This is not a NY subway (and yes I have ridden on that plenty as I lived in NYC for 12 years, and it is very difficult for those with disabilities or babies in strollers, etc.). This is a vacation resort. "Don't like it? Don't stay here!" isn't going to work when they are selling a vacation destination that is supposed to be nice. And, like I said, Disney has built up a reputation to be very supportive of those with pretty significant disabilities. Telling them to lump it isn't going to go over well.

I agree. Posters comparing this to public transport which is notoriously underfunded in most places and where that is tolerated because to better it would translate to higher taxes, are completely missing the mark.