Re: Buzz Light Year Astroblasters Ride... Grimy hand-held units...

[jory29]

I had a thought today... the last time we were there in October I noticed the shooting mechanism that you hold in your hand was disgustingly filthy!!

Anyway, of course we sanitized our hands immediately after the ride, but I was so grossed out to have to use such a filthy (encrusted with black grime that you could easily see, all over it. Blech!) IMO, this was not from just a day or so of use, this looked like it had not been cleaned/sanitized for some time.

I had an idea - wouldn't it be nice if as the rides came in, someone (CM) could quickly wipe down the hand-held units?

Has anyone noticed a similar experience on the ride? Has anyone noticed whether or not there are usually cast members or even sometimes cast members who help to clean the unit?

Curious to know! Thanks for your replies.

 

[Flitterific]

Although I do agree that the "guns" are dirty, I am not sure if it would be possible for CMs to wipe them down every time someone came off. The ride loads people pretty quickly so it would be pretty impossible for them to wipe every machine. It would be helpful if they had some cleaning wipes available so that riders can wipe their own guns

And I do hope they clean those things at least at the end of every day!

 

[Mugglemama]

i've never, ever seen cm's cleaning any parts of rides.

i am a germaphobe, so i notice these things, LOL!! i haaaate that my kids touch those things when we ride the buzz lightyear ride. ick!

we use hand sanitizer after every ride, and DH and i get the kids into the restrooms probably 6-10 times to wash their hands during a day at DLR. but still, ewww.

since the H1N1 breakout, we've found these little packs of clorox disinfecting wipes (i think we got them at Target for $1). i carry a pack in my purse (i think there are 9 per pack), and i use them on the seats at the movie theater, etc. i'll be bringing some packs of these for our next trip to DLR.

but as a PP said, it would be REALLY nice if DLR had containers of disinfecting wipes near the loading zone of each ride, just like you find at the grocery store next to the grocery carts. imagine the amount of illness-spreading they would cut down on!

 

[jory29]

Although I do agree that the "guns" are dirty, I am not sure if it would be possible for CMs to wipe them down every time someone came off. The ride loads people pretty quickly so it would be pretty impossible for them to wipe every machine. It would be helpful if they had some cleaning wipes available so that riders can wipe their own guns

And I do hope they clean those things at least at the end of every day!

I suppose many of the rides in DL have very grimy surfaces, such as any ride that you hang onto a handlebar, etc... but so many of them it may be black or silver in color, or even sponge type material so you just won't see it as much.

I just think that the Buzz ride shows the dirt so much more than on other rides. I love the idea of a canister of wipes on each cart a person could use to wipe down the guns. I wouldn't mind doing that at all! I think I may end up packing a small pack of wipes in the park for such rides, as Mugglemama suggested.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed, but it shouldn't be happening. I would seriously bet that the grime was not just from one day of use... it was that bad.

 

[Disney Dreams]

I had an idea - wouldn't it be nice if as the rides came in, someone (CM) could quickly wipe down the hand-held units?

The time between one guest exiting the ride vehicle and the next guest getting in would be DRASTICALLY increased. This would lead to exponentially longer lines.


General question (not towards OP): When did we all become so concerned about everything single thing we touch? When I was a kid we touched everything without worrying. We vacationed everywhere and never even heard of hand-sanitizer. And we had immune systems that were amazing!

 

[disfan07]

It's just what happens when you have tens of thousands of people on these rides everyday.

Every other ride has the same germ and grime as buzz lightyear. I would never expect them to wipe down the surfaces after each guest. Thats crazy. Thats one of those things that the guest should do for themselves if they feel its necessary...but the guests shoul daslo bring their own wipes if they feel its necessary...i dont think they should be provided at teh rides.

I guess I just dont see what the big deal is. Go on teh ride...wipe your hands aftewards with wipes or use purell and dont touch your face inbetween....sounds simple enough to me....JMO

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

but as a PP said, it would be REALLY nice if DLR had containers of disinfecting wipes near the loading zone of each ride, just like you find at the grocery store next to the grocery carts. imagine the amount of illness-spreading they would cut down on!

I agree!

I suppose many of the rides in DL have very grimy surfaces, such as any ride that you hang onto a handlebar, etc... but so many of them it may be black or silver in color, or even sponge type material so you just won't see it as much.

Out of sight out of mind for most people...

I just think that the Buzz ride shows the dirt so much more than on other rides. I love the idea of a canister of wipes on each cart a person could use to wipe down the guns. I wouldn't mind doing that at all! I think I may end up packing a small pack of wipes in the park for such rides, as Mugglemama suggested.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed, but it shouldn't be happening. I would seriously bet that the grime was not just from one day of use... it was that bad.

I agree with you that it shouldn't be happening, but can you imagine what the rides with black handlebars look like under a microscope? I bet they're never wiped down or sanitized. At the very least, Disney should spray sanitizer on each ride at the end of the night for health/safety reasons...

General question (not towards OP): When did we all become so concerned about everything single thing we touch? When I was a kid we touched everything without worrying. We vacationed everywhere and never even heard of hand-sanitizer. And we had immune systems that were amazing!

Not to stir anything up or anything like that, but, I can speak for myself and my family and say we started being concerned about this stuff when people started dying unnecessarily at young ages from super-bugs, flesh eating strep and MSRA bacterias, and antibiotic resistant versions of diseases that we thought were wiped out like TB. I recall seeing many news shows about these things back in the late 80's and early 90's, like Dateline NBC and Today show. As the years went by, they started talking about this stuff more frequently.
We should ask the farmers who put antibiotics and hormones in the feed they give to the cows and chickens, that show up in our milk and food supplies that cause our kids to go through puberty at younger and younger ages...Let's ask the gov't officials who know about it and allow it to continue even though everyone knows you are what you eat, and we are all becoming resistant to antibiotics. Everyone blames over prescribing, but it's in the food we eat! Nobody cared about Mad Cow disease either until it started killing people. And now we know it came from their feed. You can't grind up cow remains and feed it back to them for cheap feed and not expect dire consequences.
Like global warming, people have been warning about this health crisis stuff for years. We are way overdue for a global pandemic the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetimes, and nothing's being done about it. And now we have H1N1 which is killing people who normally wouldn't die from the flu.
Anyway, that's why I am a germ freak.

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

I am not a germaphobe...I know we get plenty daily & still survive...we've already battled H1N1 in our household....but now I'm GROSSED out!!!

I carry hand sanitizer...but I think I'm going to get more for the trip. Ewwww! I just had so many gross scenarios pop in my head...

Kids picking boogers, sneezes, chewy toddlers, eating finger foods then touching bars/guns, ICK! Too many visuals!!!

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

I agree!

Out of sight out of mind for most people...

I agree with you that it shouldn't be happening, but can you imagine what the rides with black handlebars look like under a microscope? I bet they're never wiped down or sanitized. At the very least, Disney should spray sanitizer on each ride at the end of the night for health/safety reasons...



Not to stir anything up or anything like that, but, I can speak for myself and my family and say we started being concerned about this stuff when people started dying unnecessarily at young ages from super-bugs, flesh eating strep and MSRA bacterias, and antibiotic resistant versions of diseases that we thought were wiped out like TB. I recall seeing many news shows about these things back in the late 80's and early 90's, like Dateline NBC and Today show. As the years went by, they started talking about this stuff more frequently.
We should ask the farmers who put antibiotics and hormones in the feed they give to the cows and chickens, that show up in our milk and food supplies that cause our kids to go through puberty at younger and younger ages...Let's ask the gov't officials who know about it and allow it to continue even though everyone knows you are what you eat, and we are all becoming resistant to antibiotics. Everyone blames over prescribing, but it's in the food we eat! Nobody cared about Mad Cow disease either until it started killing people. And now we know it came from their feed. You can't grind up cow remains and feed it back to them for cheap feed and not expect dire consequences.
Like global warming, people have been warning about this health crisis stuff for years. We are way overdue for a global pandemic the likes of which we have not seen in our lifetimes, and nothing's being done about it. And now we have H1N1 which is killing people who normally wouldn't die from the flu.
Anyway, that's why I am a germ freak.

I justed wanted to tell you even tho I'm not a "germaphobe" I AM a Foodaphobe!! Chemicals, etc in our food sources freak me the heck out. Organic foods is what we stick to at home & I DO know of one woman (a healthy pregnant woman) person who went into coma bc of H1N1, being PG upped her chances of having a bad reaction & now has to go thru physical therapy & carry oxygen. There's bad stuff out there! Protecting ourselves more than we needed to "back in the day" is in order ..... we should really invest in some Clorox stock...

 

[HappieMommie]

Nothing a nice warm water and soap handwashing won't kill.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I justed wanted to tell you even tho I'm not a "germaphobe" I AM a Foodaphobe!! Chemicals, etc in our food sources freak me the heck out. Organic foods is what we stick to at home & I DO know of one woman (a healthy pregnant woman) person who went into coma bc of H1N1, being PG upped her chances of having a bad reaction & now has to go thru physical therapy & carry oxygen. There's bad stuff out there! Protecting ourselves more than we needed to "back in the day" is in order ..... we should really invest in some Clorox stock...

This stuff goes on all the time. Try working in a hospital or medical practice where we see this all day long. If the body does not get exposure to these bacteria/viri you can not build anti bodies. Many people have suppressed immune systems do to whatever and people will die, but I think you will find more people die in car accidents, starvation and other enties than you will ever see with the current H1N1.(That means individually) Many people just believe what the good old government tells them and never research farther than the sky is falling over something.
I see about 15 new patients a day and another 10 or so that are established and I have not been sick other than a slight cold in many,many years. I also have another occupation that is more high risk than this and I am still here.
Good old soap,water and handwashing will prevent most contamination problems. Trust me, you do not want to see what is on your skin under a microscope.

Jack

 

[Mugglemama]

General question (not towards OP): When did we all become so concerned about everything single thing we touch? When I was a kid we touched everything without worrying. We vacationed everywhere and never even heard of hand-sanitizer. And we had immune systems that were amazing!

i'll second what a PP said about things like MRSA.

i never worried about germs until my oldest son (now almost 12) became extremely ill with the flu just before he turned 3. he caught this flu while waiting 3 hours in a hospital ER to be treated for an arm injury he got while playing ring around the rosie (his elbow dislocated when we did the "all fall down" part - ugh.) anyway, it was the first time i realized that a flu could actuallly kill a child. that experience forced DH and i to face the mortality of our children, and it frightened us (as it would any parent). that's when we became very diligent about trying to limit our kids' skin contact with publicly used surfaces.

obviously, that became tricky when, a year later, we bought AP's for disneyland. so, we adapted. with plenty of handwashing while in the parks, and carrying hand sanitizer.

since then, we've obviously still dealt with flus and colds around our house...even the chicken pox (which the kids caught while at disneyland!). but we only get the flu about every 3rd year now, and colds about every other year, so it is significantly less.

my oldest, in college, had H1N1 last fall, and although it kicked her butt pretty good for about 4 days, she recovered. on the other hand, my husband's 24 year old sister died from complications of H1N1 just 10 days before christmas (don't panic anyone - she had a secondary lung infection AND contracted MRSA from the ventilator tube while in the hospital - and obviously, both of those contributed to her inability to recover - although if she hadn't had H1N1 in the first place, she probably would have never had a reason to go to the ER to begin with).

so anyway, these are the reasons we are so concerned about everything we touch.

ewww, and have you ever really paid attention to what people do with their noses, hands, and mouths while at disneyland? blech! and it's not just the little kids....grown men are the WORST. particularly grown men who are speaking european languages....i guess it's not considered a social faux pas to pick your nose in europe??? i don't know, but it's gross.

 

[blackjackdelta]

i'll second what a PP said about things like MRSA.

i never worried about germs until my oldest son (now almost 12) became extremely ill with the flu just before he turned 3. he caught this flu while waiting 3 hours in a hospital ER to be treated for an arm injury he got while playing ring around the rosie (his elbow dislocated when we did the "all fall down" part - ugh.) anyway, it was the first time i realized that a flu could actuallly kill a child. that experience forced DH and i to face the mortality of our children, and it frightened us (as it would any parent). that's when we became very diligent about trying to limit our kids' skin contact with publicly used surfaces.

obviously, that became tricky when, a year later, we bought AP's for disneyland. so, we adapted. with plenty of handwashing while in the parks, and carrying hand sanitizer.

since then, we've obviously still dealt with flus and colds around our house...even the chicken pox (which the kids caught while at disneyland!). but we only get the flu about every 3rd year now, and colds about every other year, so it is significantly less.

my oldest, in college, had H1N1 last fall, and although it kicked her butt pretty good for about 4 days, she recovered. on the other hand, my husband's 24 year old sister died from complications of H1N1 just 10 days before christmas (don't panic anyone - she had a secondary lung infection AND contracted MRSA from the ventilator tube while in the hospital - and obviously, both of those contributed to her inability to recover - although if she hadn't had H1N1 in the first place, she probably would have never had a reason to go to the ER to begin with).

so anyway, these are the reasons we are so concerned about everything we touch.

ewww, and have you ever really paid attention to what people do with their noses, hands, and mouths while at disneyland? blech! and it's not just the little kids....grown men are the WORST. particularly grown men who are speaking european languages....i guess it's not considered a social faux pas to pick your nose in europe??? i don't know, but it's gross.

I think everyone needs to be concerned about bugs, but I can not see a feasable way to control the issue with 1000"s coming into the park each day.
I have daughter that has had juvenile arthritis since was 2, now 19, and she has to be very careful since she has weekly/monthly chemotherapy and is immuno-suppressed. But we go to DLR and do what we do and so far has had not problems. She goes to the U of W and I worry more about what she is exposed to there than DLR.

MRSA(Bad,bad,stuff) and mainly carried in the nares. Many people have and will never be bothered by it, but let your system get depressed and it will take advantage you very quickley. I would have been talking with the hospital infection control people about that incidence and what they have put into place in the ICU to prevent those kind of issues, usually suctioning to frequently or not using a closed suctioning system is the culprit.
The JCAHO has a position paper on MRSA with quidelines on prevention that have to be adhered to if the hospital is accredited.

I am sorry for your husbands loss. It is the secondary problems that cause the patients to expire, not the H1N1. The Centers of Disease Control have a wealth of info on this flu if your inclined to read for weeks.

Jack

 

[Mugglemama]

I think everyone needs to be concerned about bugs, but I can not see a feasable way to control the issue with 1000"s coming into the park each day.
I have daughter that has had juvenile arthritis since was 2, now 19, and she has to be very careful since she has weekly/monthly chemotherapy and is immuno-suppressed. But we go to DLR and do what we do and so far has had not problems. She goes to the U of W and I worry more about what she is exposed to there than DLR.

MRSA(Bad,bad,stuff) and mainly carried in the nares. Many people have and will never be bothered by it, but let your system get depressed and it will take advantage you very quickley. I would have been talking with the hospital infection control people about that incidence and what they have put into place in the ICU to prevent those kind of issues, usually suctioning to frequently or not using a closed suctioning system is the culprit.
The JCAHO has a position paper on MRSA with quidelines on prevention that have to be adhered to if the hospital is accredited.

I am sorry for your husbands loss. It is the secondary problems that cause the patients to expire, not the H1N1. The Centers of Disease Control have a wealth of info on this flu if your inclined to read for weeks.

Jack

thanks for the condolences...it was SUCH a sad event. and of course, the aftermath is very painful for her family, as well. sad, sad, stuff!

it's great that your daughter has been able to vist DLR and do fun things despite being immunocompromised. you all must be doing something very right! best wishes to her!

as far as talking with the hospital, we weren't actually there when all of this happened (she and his other siblings live several states away). i do know that the family was having meetings with hospital staff regarding the way things had been handled, but i don't know the specifics. at some point, they disclosed that she tested + for the MRSA in her lungs, and that she had necrosis in her esophagus (our impression was that the MRSA was the reason for the necrosis?) anyway, yes, i can understand that the secondary conditions are the things that make H1N1 more dangerous.

and like you, i can't see a feasible way to control germs in a place like DLR. it sure would be WONDERFUL though if everyone would just take care of their *own* germs, wouldn't it? i'm thinking now of all those grown men i see there wiping the contents of their noses on the hand rails as they wait in line....GROSS!!! just the memory of those things makes my stomach turn, LOL!!

but, what are you gonna do? so, we wash our hands a lot while there, bring along the hand sanitizer, and i make sure my kids shower and wash thoroughly each night after we've spent a day in the parks.

and don't even get me started on MRSA and hotels!

 

[blackjackdelta]

thanks for the condolences...it was SUCH a sad event. and of course, the aftermath is very painful for her family, as well. sad, sad, stuff!

it's great that your daughter has been able to vist DLR and do fun things despite being immunocompromised. you all must be doing something very right! best wishes to her!

as far as talking with the hospital, we weren't actually there when all of this happened (she and his other siblings live several states away). i do know that the family was having meetings with hospital staff regarding the way things had been handled, but i don't know the specifics. at some point, they disclosed that she tested + for the MRSA in her lungs, and that she had necrosis in her esophagus (our impression was that the MRSA was the reason for the necrosis?) anyway, yes, i can understand that the secondary conditions are the things that make H1N1 more dangerous.

and like you, i can't see a feasible way to control germs in a place like DLR. it sure would be WONDERFUL though if everyone would just take care of their *own* germs, wouldn't it? i'm thinking now of all those grown men i see there wiping the contents of their noses on the hand rails as they wait in line....GROSS!!! just the memory of those things makes my stomach turn, LOL!!

but, what are you gonna do? so, we wash our hands a lot while there, bring along the hand sanitizer, and i make sure my kids shower and wash thoroughly each night after we've spent a day in the parks.

and don't even get me started on MRSA and hotels!

Other than what I said, someone needs to look at the esphogeal necrosis. Not a normal thing for any ICU patient who should have been on hydrogen ion inhibitors and if she had an OG tube, it should have been documented when it was repositioned. I worked in an adult ICU for many years where we had upward of twenty patients on vents and each had VAP protocol that was strictly adhered to. I admit I olnly did 6 months out of the year, but it was intense day after day.
I have a secretary who wipes everything I touch in my office down every before she leaves. Never suggested she do that, she is a big germophobe.
Again condonlances and maybe something good will come from this event.

Jack

 

[Mugglemama]

Other than what I said, someone needs to look at the esphogeal necrosis. Not a normal thing for any ICU patient who should have been on hydrogen ion inhibitors and if she had an OG tube, it should have been documented when it was repositioned. Jack

i will pass this info along to the family, thanks. i know they feel devastated, obviously..but they also felt that questions were not being answered. they were very confused (but i just assumed that must not be uncommon in such a tragic situation).

she also had contracted Valley Fever about a year and a half prior, during pregnancy (which from what i read, can result in a more dangerous form of the condition). my understanding is that she had been treated for that, but other things i read make it sound like even if a person is treated, they can suffer problems from it forever.

it sounds like it was just this perfect storm of events, and her lungs just couldn't take it. she leaves behind a 14 month old daughter though, making it extra heartbreaking.

thanks very much for your suggestions. nothing will bring her back obviously, but i know her family is struggling to understand why she died.

 

[jory29]

my husband's 24 year old sister died from complications of H1N1 just 10 days before christmas (don't panic anyone - she had a secondary lung infection AND contracted MRSA from the ventilator tube while in the hospital - and obviously, both of those contributed to her inability to recover - although if she hadn't had H1N1 in the first place, she probably would have never had a reason to go to the ER to begin with).

I am so sorry to hear about your loss!! I am glad BJD is here on the boards with some good info. for you and others, too..

It makes me feel better to hear that underexposure to 'what's out there' can be just as bad as overexposure. I do tend to over-think things. I agree with others, soap and water is far better than the sprays and gels, but yeah, we do use sprays and gels when in the park, antibacterial, as it's likely better than nothing.

Yes, it would likely make the rides far too slow for going on and off, if the cast members had to wipe the guns down, you guys are right. A nightly wipe down would be cool. I am almost positive they are not really wiped down on a regular basis. If it looked a little dirty, then o.k. but it was really filthy so much so, that it turned my stomache. You guys would be proud of me though, I still played the game, lol.

I will try to refrain from touching anything during or after the ride until I can properly sanitize my hands. If wipes were in the carts, I would definitely use them myself.

Imagine how clean the guns would be then, if everyone gave it a little wipe here and there.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Mugglemama, my condolences on your family's devastating loss. I can't imagine what your husband's family is going through.... also, I just have to add that I can't stand the nose-pickers either, and even worse the nose-pickers who slyly try to wipe it off on the rails!Eeeeewwww!

BlackJackDelta, I hear what you're saying. I am immune compromised so I guess I am used to being extra vigilant about exposure to illness. However, one thing that freaked me out was when my DS's high school vice principle died of MRSA after stubbing his toe! He was only 32 years old with no pre-existing illnesses! He just stubbed his toe one day, got a small cut on it, and 2 weeks later was dead. That's scary to me, because that means it could happen to anyone when a perfectly healthy young man dies of something like that.

I agree with others, soap and water is far better than the sprays and gels, but yeah, we do use sprays and gels when in the park, antibacterial, as it's likely better than nothing.

Yes, it would likely make the rides far too slow for going on and off, if the cast members had to wipe the guns down, you guys are right. A nightly wipe down would be cool. I am almost positive they are not really wiped down on a regular basis. If it looked a little dirty, then o.k. but it was really filthy so much so, that it turned my stomache. You guys would be proud of me though, I still played the game, lol.

Imagine how clean the guns would be then, if everyone gave it a little wipe here and there.

I agree with you. I think a nightly wipedown and/or spray down of some sanitizer would help to keep things clean.

 

[Albort]

I agree with you. I think a nightly wipedown and/or spray down of some sanitizer would help to keep things clean.

they do do that. Just be on the last train for TSMM and you will see a team of custodial ppl cleaning everything... Thats just one that you can visually see...

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

they do do that. Just be on the last train for TSMM and you will see a team of custodial ppl cleaning everything... Thats just one that you can visually see...

Oh yay! That's good to know! Thanks Albort!