First off I would like to say my thoughts and prayers are with the parents, I am truly heartbroken for their loss.
It took me some time to form my opinion as who I feel is more at fault, the grieving parents or Disney. After a lot of thought I believe Disney is at fault for this tragic event. Here is a list of reasons as to how I came to my conclusion.
1. You pay a premium just to go to Disney (theme parks and resorts) so that you can escape the harsh realities of the world.
2. Signage is not posted clearly stating the dangers of the waters. "No Swimming" means only that.
3. Disney CM's should make it a point at the time of check-in to inform the guest of the possible Florida dangers that surround the restores/them-parks.
4. Who really does their do-diligence when researching vacations spots for all the bad and terrible things that can happen? Not very many (to include myself), you only research the fun things to do, such as excursions, which ones appeal to you and your family.
5. To assume that everyone knows that Florida has alligators in every body of water is ridiculous. If you not native to that area then you probably would not know or not know the severity of it. This also includes other dangerous animals.
6. Disney recognizes the dangerous of the alligators to the guest but has done nothing or very little to ensure the safety of the guest. Which goes back to point # 1. Disney's own CM's state that at night and especially during this time of year the alligators are more active. Meaning they they are more likely to get out of the water to hunt for food or to locate to a different body of water to mate. Also to go as far to say how dangerous it really is and they try to do their best behind the scenes, "it's like Jurassic Park at night time".
7. Stories are starting to surface of all the alligator sightings at Disney Resorts and in the theme parks. My family has even witnessed a smaller (baby I guess) alligator when we stayed at CSR, luckily nothing happened and the alligator (when we saw it) remained in the water. However, there are stories (and I can't verify the legitimacy of them) of an alligator in the bathroom at a Disney theme park, in the Splash Mountain attraction (a real one), in the mote that surrounds the castle and seen on Tom Sawyers Island. I am sure there are plenty more alligator sightings at the theme parks, resorts and Disney Springs.
For these simple reasons I feel that Disney bears the responsibility to that family and also all the guest to make it safer for all of us.
I know that "common sense" will be thrown out as the go to answer for that family and all other families. Normally I would agree but in this case I disagree with common sense because it is Disney fault for not taking the necessary precautions to prevent this from happening in the first place.
I have also heard that this is the first incident of this nature in the 45 years that WDW has been there. I ask this question, is this really the first incident of this nature at WDW or has there been others that got swept under the rug and pay offs by Disney?
I am a big Disney fan and this has not discouraged me from going to their theme parks and resorts however it has been a real eye opener for me and my family of the dangers that Disney does not protect it's guest from.
Yes Disney can/should do more at protecting their guest! Especially when guest pay so much!
My post is not debatable, as I stated this is "my opinion". If your opinion differs from mine, please don't try to debate with me. Thank you.
May the family of the two year old find some peace.