Disney Skyliner Accident

[DaisyDuck001]

@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.

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.

@Diz Bee I agree with @DLgal that you should still go back to the gondola station as soon as you can, and tell them your story in person. Your experience will provide useful information to help make this ride safer in the future.

 

[Spridell]

@Diz Bee I agree with @DLgal that you should still go back to the gondola station as soon as you can, and tell them your story in person. Your experience will provide useful information to help make this ride safer in the future.

Especially if there are representatives from the manufacturer there on site.

 

[AprilLizbeth]

Disney has cameras EVERYWHERE! They undoubtedly have them at the Riviera station and can verify that there were people in those crushed cabins. Totally irresponsible for them to deny knowing there were occupants.

Let me repeat this in all caps: DISNEY HAS CAMERAS EVERYWHERE. Okay, that being said putting out official comments that the cabins were empty and not aayingy something like, " we are reviewing the incident and will tell you more when we know what happened." Would have been a much safer PR statement. People don't like being lied to and it really tarnishes Disney's good reputation to lie about a safety incident.

 

[snappy]

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.

You got to the crux of this comparison. Thanks for making this point so clearly.

 

[only hope]

Should I be the one to point out that the MK ferry could sink? A tram could crash? Heck, even if you park your car and walk to the gate (no mean feat if you are going to the Magic Kingdom), you could get hit by something. There is no way to make a 100% fail safe, risk free mode of transportation for Disney or anyone else. I'm just glad nobody was hurt.

There was a tram collision that killed the driver. That's why no one is allowed to ride in the front with the driver now. Ferries have crashed into the docks before. People have been run into and killed by the buses, and buses have run into other vehicles. I'd say the ferry is probably the safest- have never heard of one sinking or seriously hurting anyone.

As well as pretty reliable, real-time tracking MagicBands (if I were to reckon a guess).

No real time tracking. Tracking is via touchpoints, rfid locations like ride photos and interactive elements, and aggregated info, but they can't pick out a specific magicband and find that persons location on demand.

 

[always]

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.

Disney is not required to provide hospital level care. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous. People with disabilities take public transportation every day; instead of the subway, there are busses. Just like at Disney, there are options. Disney does a fine job providing accessible transportation. Don't like the Skyliner? Take the bus. End of discussion. Is someone forcing guests to stay at Skyliner resorts?

Also, I have not seen any reports of anyone defecating or urinating in a bag. Someone interviewed stated their mother vomited, from nerves. Did I miss the report of someone forced to use the emergency bags for bathroom reasons?

 

[jlb727]

Let me repeat this in all caps: DISNEY HAS CAMERAS EVERYWHERE. Okay, that being said putting out official comments that the cabins were empty and not aayingy something like, " we are reviewing the incident and will tell you more when we know what happened." Would have been a much safer PR statement. People don't like being lied to and it really tarnishes Disney's good reputation to lie about a safety incident.

Right! It would have been even better to say there were people in the cabins in the station but no injuries were reported. Not only is that the truth (so far as we know), but it emphasizes the safety of the cabins and their evacuation procedures. Maybe it is because I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t get what Disney PR is hoping to achieve by Bold-faced lying.

 

[TLinden16]

I think it depends on the individual and their situation. Last night of a vacation that you have been planning for 3 years, an elderly or physically/mentally challenged member in your party might impact how I felt. If I had to relieve myself in front of others in my party or strangers. Upset kids, or those with fears. It would all depend on how I was impacted. This isn’t just about people asking for the moon, its about how it was handled by WDW. Based on what I’ve seen so far-not well.

Of course it depends on the individual situation, and I'm sure that Disney will contact each family individually. They did what they could in the middle of a difficult situation that they had never faced before. As I said, for most people, I would think that the compensation was adequate, but of course there may be situations where more compensation will be warranted. But for many people, I would bet that they found the compensation to be quite generous and they will just move on. For others, it won't be enough. And for the completely entitled people, they will be making ridiculous demands for week long vacations at deluxe resorts with tickets and the deluxe dining plan, suites on Disney cruises, or park tickets for life.

With all the training and preparing, there is only so much Disney can do to anticipate what may or may not happen. While I do think they should have been able to evacuate the gondolas faster than they did, there also has to be some understanding that this is the first time that they have dealt with this situation, and they could practice it 100 times and it isn't going to be like it is in an actual evacuation. There is no way for them to practice how the passengers are going to react to the evacuation situation--a car with 8 calm adults is going to take a lot less time to evacuate then a car with grandma in a scooter, dad who had a few two many drinks around the world, and mom with a crying baby in one hand and a rambunctious toddler in the other. We also have to remember this happened at night, and the darkness is going to slow things down a bit.

I can guarantee you that Disney will be holding many meetings in the coming days to discuss what went right, and what went wrong in the situation, and reevaluating their emergency response plan in the event that they have to evacuate again. I wouldn't be surprised to see them purchase more equipment so they can evacuate faster, have a list of emergency responders that they can call in if needed, and they will probably reevaluate what they keep in the emergency kit (and maybe explain the purpose of the notepad

Disney will learn from this, and move forward so that they will be better prepared if there is need to evacuate in the future. If it takes them 3 and a half hours to evacuate next time, I would be more concerned.

 

[suemom2kay]

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.

There was a collision of gondolas on DAY SIX. Skyliner will not be back up quickly.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I totally get it. I’m not afraid of heights but Ia claustrophobic. If it’s moving and a short ride I’ll be fine. If I was stuck in a car with only 4 people I might be able to keep myself calm for an hour. If I’m in a packed full car I’d lose it in no time. But either way at the three hour mark I’d be a wreck.

Thanks for posting your experience. I am very happy you and your wife weren’t hurt. It’s the first confirmation I have seen that it wasn’t just empty cars that were involved in the actual crash part of this accident. Enjoy your trip!

This is also confirmation that Disney lied when it said no guests were involved.

 

[always]

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.

The poster you replied to suggested that Disney treat its transport like hospital transports. Pay for a Minnie Van if you want that level of service.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

While yes they do have incidents, these transportation systems are still some of the most reliable around. Disney didn't install a system that wouldn't be a reliable option.

Counterpoint: Within 7 days of commencing operations Disney had a major incident requiring evacuations via rescue bucket.

 

[MichelinMan]

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.

Must admit, I'm surprised they didn't show much more urgency in wanting to talk to you, as you were so directly involved in the incident. That sounds like a standard line they will give to everybody stranded in the cars, but you will have direct evidence that will be useful for the investigation, and every day that goes by, your recollection will get more and more hazy.

I was going to stay silent about my employer, but just realised I gave a bit away up thread a bit. But I am an Offshore Health and Safety Inspector, and I have investigated hundreds of incidents over the years, and I would want to interview persons who have good evidence ASAP, ideally within the first 24 hours if I could. Studies have shown that after this time, the evidence becomes less and less accurate, and especially if witnesses start discussing the incident with others. I recommend writing down your recollection now whilst it is still fresh in your mind. In particular, the investigation team will be interested to know exactly what you felt in the car, what you were told to do by cast members, and how exactly you were evacuated from the car and the station. You probably won't have much to say about what caused the accident, but certainly will have plenty about how the cast members responded and the emergency response.

Also interestingly, however, people who are hurt in accidents often have the least reliable evidence. The trick to investigating incidents is trying to work out what is the credible evidence, and which people are being economical with the truth (or downright lying sometimes).

 

[TexasChick123]

Right! It would have been even better to say there were people in the cabins in the station but no injuries were reported. Not only is that the truth (so far as we know), but it emphasizes the safety of the cabins and their evacuation procedures. Maybe it is because I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t get what Disney PR is hoping to achieve by Bold-faced lying.

I am a lawyer, and my profession frequently has to clean up or attempt to clean up after companies’ boneheaded statements or actions. This is one of the reasons I went into criminal law, but that’s a discussion for another day.

 

[snappy]

Counterpoint: Within 7 days of commencing operations Disney had a major incident requiring evacuations via rescue bucket.

And some but apparently not all, (we have no idea how many), weren’t rescued very quickly (3 and 1 half hours).

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I have investigated hundreds of incidents over the years, and I would want to interview persons who have good evidence ASAP, ideally within the first 24 hours if I could. Studies have shown that after this time, the evidence becomes less and less accurate, and especially if witnesses start discussing the incident with others.

Exactly! @Diz Bee, this is a main reason why I also encouraged you to return to the gondola ASAP and tell them your story in person.

Another reason is that you will likely have more peace of mind knowing you did all you could to help with the safety investigation. Telling your story in person will accomplish this far better than waiting up to 72 hours to tell the story by phone.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

With regard to the monorail, I think Disney had 2 options prior to this. Replace with updated monorails or scrap the monorail systems and replace with a Skyliner. I think after this, the expansion of the Skyliner to replace the monorail is unlikely.

I would put a bet that Disney is going to have new monorails for the 50th anniversary.

No, they won't. If they ordered today, Bombardier would not have them in time for the 50th.

 

[ScubaCat]

There was a collision of gondolas on DAY SIX. Skyliner will not be back up quickly.

We should be fair though that it's a collision at like 0.5mph, so not the most violent thing. The problem is people being stranded so long. I think there are underlying problems we're not aware of. Why do they constantly stop the thing? Every video I've seen has the thing stopping for 1-5 minutes without any sort of explanation as to why.

 

[fitzperry]

I am a lawyer, and my profession frequently has to clean up or attempt to clean up after companies’ boneheaded statements or actions. This is one of the reasons I went into criminal law, but that’s a discussion for another day.

And social media has only heightened that challenge. One conclusion I'm drawing after perusing this thread is that Disney isn't dealing well with urgent PR disasters in the social media age. Do they really not appreciate the impact of people stuck in the gondolas tweeting and instagramming about it? That seems like PR malpractice.

 

[suemom2kay]

We should be fair though that it's a collision at like 0.5mph, so not the most violent thing. The problem is people being stranded so long. I think there are underlying problems we're not aware of. Why do they constantly stop the thing? Every video I've seen has the thing stopping for 1-5 minutes without any sort of explanation as to why.

I agree that it was a very slow collision. But it’s the torque you have to worry about. Major crushing forces. What if the trailing gondolas somehow broke the blue gondola and it detached. The bottom line is, there should NEVER be contact between the vehicles and there should be sensors to prevent this very thing. If there are in fact sensors, why did they fail. I have years of experience as a trauma nurse and speed is not always necessary for serious injury.