Disney Skyliner Accident

[Brianstl]

I agree but. . . Sadly I think Disney is now more focused on damage control.

Which is why Dis should speak with state and federal investigators instead of seeking out Disney reps to speak to.

 

[jlb727]

This is a PR nightmare, but only because Disney is making it one. I have a degree in PR but I worked in journalism. I know it was a Saturday night, but if I worked PR for Disney I would be monitoring social media and I would get down to Riviera station (or send a trusted colleague) to see for myself what was going on if I was getting different information. As previous posters have said, PR professionals just can’t ignore the social media narrative in situations like this.

 

[dizneefan13]

I would still like to know how many people this involved. How many people got rescued via bucket? Wouldn't that be public information, like police reports? I'll keep looking...
My guess is that its not as many as I initially thought. Which doesn't make it any better, but I'd like to put this into perspective in my own mind.

 

[dizneefan13]

I agree but. . . Sadly I think Disney is now more focused on damage control.

I am sure they are focused on many things right now, including damage control.

Was it Disney who directly said that the crashing gondolas were empty? Or was that second hand information.

 

[mshanson3121]

I am sure they are focused on many things right now, including damage control.

Was it Disney who directly said that the crashing gondolas were empty? Or was that second hand information.

That's what Disney reported (according to Disney Blog)

 

[OSUZorba]

Have there been any reports that the gondolas got really hot inside during the stoppage?

I was talking about a hypothetical on if they had to evac during the day in the summer with no wind.

 

[TLinden16]

Regarding the comment from blogmickey about no guests being on the gondolas that crashed, I would like to know who exactly their Disney spokesperson is. Are there other sites reporting that there were no guests on the gondolas that crashed? None of my regular sites or news sites that I look at have reported that there weren't people in the gondolas that crashed. Was this comment on blogmickey truly a legitimate spokesperson who is involved with media relations in the event of an accident, or just their contact at Disney who may not actual be in the know in this situation?

I'm not really familiar with blogmickey, so I don't want to accuse them of anything, but with social media and blogs, we do have to remember that sometimes people post things so that they can be the first to get the word out. Some blogs (and newspapers/news stations) will post things without really knowing if it is 100% true so that they can be the one to break the news (figuring they can always retract later). Some blogs can sensationalize things to make things sound worse than they are to get more hits. Again, I'm not saying blogmickey is any of this--I don't really know them to know that blog. But I will say that it does make me less trusting of them as a source since they continue to leave a quote in there saying "no one was in the gondolas that crashed" when basically every other newsite/blog is using the same quote saying "there was an incident, no one was injured, gondolas are closed pending investigation, etc." because clearly the official Disney word has changed.

Ultimately, my point is that it is a good idea to check multiple sources rather than just assume that one source saying that there was no one in the gondolas is some big coverup.

 

[jlb727]

Regarding the comment from blogmickey about no guests being on the gondolas that crashed, I would like to know who exactly their Disney spokesperson is. Are there other sites reporting that there were no guests on the gondolas that crashed? None of my regular sites or news sites that I look at have reported that there weren't people in the gondolas that crashed. Was this comment on blogmickey truly a legitimate spokesperson who is involved with media relations in the event of an accident, or just their contact at Disney who may not actual be in the know in this situation?

I'm not really familiar with blogmickey, so I don't want to accuse them of anything, but with social media and blogs, we do have to remember that sometimes people post things so that they can be the first to get the word out. Some blogs (and newspapers/news stations) will post things without really knowing if it is 100% true so that they can be the one to break the news (figuring they can always retract later). Some blogs can sensationalize things to make things sound worse than they are to get more hits. Again, I'm not saying blogmickey is any of this--I don't really know them to know that blog. But I will say that it does make me less trusting of them as a source since they continue to leave a quote in there saying "no one was in the gondolas that crashed" when basically every other newsite/blog is using the same quote saying "there was an incident, no one was injured, gondolas are closed pending investigation, etc." because clearly the official Disney word has changed.

Ultimately, my point is that it is a good idea to check multiple sources rather than just assume that one source saying that there was no one in the gondolas is some big coverup.

You make good points, but according to this article Disney won’t comment now.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/bus...0191006-62n3oywqkbenzdvl6j2bredygu-story.html

 

[StilAPrincessAtHeart]

e

To make it easier, Disney can offer them for sale inside the park, along with toilet paper to go.

I was thinking that they may want to put Adult Diaper Dispensers in the Station Bathrooms. I’m only partially kidding as if/when I go on them, this will totally be in the back of my mind!

 

[Brianstl]

Regarding the comment from blogmickey about no guests being on the gondolas that crashed, I would like to know who exactly their Disney spokesperson is. Are there other sites reporting that there were no guests on the gondolas that crashed? None of my regular sites or news sites that I look at have reported that there weren't people in the gondolas that crashed. Was this comment on blogmickey truly a legitimate spokesperson who is involved with media relations in the event of an accident, or just their contact at Disney who may not actual be in the know in this situation?

I'm not really familiar with blogmickey, so I don't want to accuse them of anything, but with social media and blogs, we do have to remember that sometimes people post things so that they can be the first to get the word out. Some blogs (and newspapers/news stations) will post things without really knowing if it is 100% true so that they can be the one to break the news (figuring they can always retract later). Some blogs can sensationalize things to make things sound worse than they are to get more hits. Again, I'm not saying blogmickey is any of this--I don't really know them to know that blog. But I will say that it does make me less trusting of them as a source since they continue to leave a quote in there saying "no one was in the gondolas that crashed" when basically every other newsite/blog is using the same quote saying "there was an incident, no one was injured, gondolas are closed pending investigation, etc." because clearly the official Disney word has changed.

Ultimately, my point is that it is a good idea to check multiple sources rather than just assume that one source saying that there was no one in the gondolas is some big coverup.

Disney’s own blog said their was no one in the cabins.

 

[EmJ]

I'm a PR vice president for a health system. I can assure you (most) PR professionals don't intentionally lie or spread misinformation. But, sometimes, PR people are provided info - especially in the chaos immediately following an incident - that later proves to be incorrect or incomplete. It's not anybody's fault - it happens. Especially when you have a large-scale crisis playing out in the dark, after business hours, involving a new program with new employees, processes, etc.

The problem, in today's world, is many folks have a fundamental lack of trust but cynicism in spades. It plays out the same way when reporters are covering a breaking news story, and information changes as updated facts come in. A large portion of the population automatically jumps to "The media lies!"

So that's the situation Disney PR is in today. Most likely, a PR pro crafted a statement based on the information provided to him/her at that time. Now, new information has become available. But Disney finds itself, in this cynical world we live in, with a PR crisis exacerbated by the "media lies" segment of the population.

I agree with every word of this. I’m not saying the PR people lied or that anyone at Disney lied (at least not intentionally). But there is a kink somewhere in Disney’s communication line, when they were releasing a statement last night saying there had been no crash, just a “power outage”, AFTER photos had already appeared online of crunched up gondolas. The spokespeople can only report what they’re told. The challenge is to make sure that the information pipeline to the spokespeople is clean and that information is verified before release. I’m sure it’s not easy—but neither is dealing with this.

 

[EmJ]

You make good points, but according to this article Disney won’t comment now.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/bus...0191006-62n3oywqkbenzdvl6j2bredygu-story.html

I actually think this is better for them. “We are investigating and will provide more information once it is known” should have been Disney’s comment since yesterday. They do much more harm by giving responses before gathering the facts than holding comment until the facts are known.

 

[Wakey]

My view is that Riviera will still probably sell, if it blows people away when it opens. If it doesn’t, then they’ll have to drop the restrictions. They must be losing a lot of current owner buyers who are not pixie dusted.

 

[nb75685]

Correct me if I’m wrong (it has been known to happen lolll), but say I’m on the last night of my stay. I wouldn’t expect WDW to comp my whole trip...but what good is a park ticket if I’m leaving the next day? I would have to give WDW more money (booking another trip or another night in hotel) to take advantage of my “compensation.”

 

[Spridell]

I cant imagine them reopening anytime soon.

There will be the investigation and then more testing and all that.

Got to be down at least a week or so.

 

[brewhome]

What we DON’T know:
- how many people were actually stuck
- how long each of these people were stuck
- how many were evacuated vs. how many stayed on the line and exited through the normal process
- how many people got sick and/or had to use the bathroom bags while stuck
- how many people were treated for medical issues and what those issues were
- how many were treated on the scene/how many were taken by ambulance for treatment
- what the cause of the incident was
- if the PR team lied when they said the contact occurred between two empty gondolas, or really didn’t have all of the facts prior to their first press releases

My point is that we don’t know a whole lot... so personally, I am going to refrain from judgement until the facts are laid out. Then and only then will I form an opinion on what happened.

@Diz Bee, I am glad you are sharing your story and I hope you get to the right people quickly. I’m very glad you are OK. I do feel for the people impacted because I’m sure it was a different experience for everyone... and I hope all will recover quickly from any stress that was caused.

 

[ELMC]

My view is that Riviera will still probably sell, if it blows people away when it opens. If it doesn’t, then they’ll have to drop the restrictions. They must be losing a lot of current owner buyers who are not pixie dusted.

I agree to a point and would add that the success of the resort overall might not be measured in direct sales but in the number of contracts that show up on the resale market. My thinking is that the DVC machine will still be able to sell contracts, even if it is a little harder. But if the resort does not live up to billing then disenchanted owners will simply sell. It's funny, but most people seem to realize that any given resort is not for them after they purchase, and not before (like us here on the DIS).

As for the restrictions, I think they are going to ride or die with those. It seems like it is part of a bigger plan and they have shown no signs of moving the pendulum back in favor of resale owners. While we recognize that the restrictions are actually hurting direct owners, they don't see it that way. Their position is that you should buy the timeshare and use it for its lifespan. Selling it should not even be an option, so why should we be concerned with anything that could negatively impact that?

 

[dizneefan13]

e


I was thinking that they may want to put Adult Diaper Dispensers in the Station Bathrooms. I’m only partially kidding as if/when I go on them, this will totally be in the back of my mind!

If and when I ride, I will definitely wear a long, flowy skirt.

 

[TLinden16]

Disney’s own blog said their was no one in the cabins.

Can you provide a link? Is it still posted? Or has the comment been changed? In the midst of a situation, even PR people can give misinformation. Is Disney's own blog still saying that there was no one in the gondolas? Or have they updated it to remove incorrect information?

You make good points, but according to this article Disney won’t comment now.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/bus...0191006-62n3oywqkbenzdvl6j2bredygu-story.html

I'll give Disney the benefit of the doubt about not commenting at this point. This incident happened less than 24 hours ago. They gave an official statement. They may not be commenting because they don't want to give out false information because they may not completely know and understand what happened yet.

 

[dizneefan13]

What we DON’T know:
- how many people were actually stuck
- how long each of these people were stuck
- how many were evacuated vs. how many stayed on the line and exited through the normal process
- how many people got sick and/or had to use the bathroom bags while stuck
- how many people were treated for medical issues and what those issues were
- how many were treated on the scene/how many were taken by ambulance for treatment
- what the cause of the incident was
- if the PR team lied when they said the contact occurred between two empty gondolas, or really didn’t have all of the facts prior to their first press releases

My point is that we don’t know a whole lot... so personally, I am going to refrain from judgement until the facts are laid out. Then and only then will I form an opinion on what happened.

@Diz Bee, I am glad you are sharing your story and I hope you get to the right people quickly. I’m very glad you are OK. I do feel for the people impacted because I’m sure it was a different experience for everyone... and I hope all will recover quickly from any stress that was caused.

Brewhome, I couldn't agree more! Great points...thanks!