What do you think the appropriate punishment would be?

[Canadian Harmony]

I remember doing stupid things when I was 17. The frontal lobe isn't fully formed yet. HOWEVER, I don't think a handshake and an apology should do - he and his buddy should have been escorted from the park and banned for one month for every 10 minutes of ride down-time caused by their idiocy. As well as writing an apology to the CMs who had to do that extra work. And their parents should be made aware of this stunt.

 

[GeneralTso]

"Banned" is kind of a joke.
I know someone who filled their log with water and sank it (Splash Mountain). It shut the ride down, all sorts of drama and delays of course.
This was decades ago. The entire log "banned for life!"

Disney can not monitor this. Imagine, pictures or not. People get married, names change, etc.
This person is an AP and visits Disney regularly with the family.

As for this kid, kicked out for the day seems appropriate.

 

[Canuck16]

He should have been drug out by his ear and handed over to the police!

 

[Angrose]

Definitely should have been banned for the rest of the day. Fans get ejected from sporting events for interfering in play of the game, so this should be no different.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I'm so glad I'm not over reacting on this one. I will be writing Disney about the experience. I did file a complaint at City Hall after we witnessed all of this and the CM's in there did not seem overly concerned, like it was no big deal. She could not really seem to grasp why I even cared.

We actually experienced three safety issues during this last trip and the way DL handled them were very disappointing. Guests really seem to think they can just do whatever they want in the park.

 

[crystal1313]

I think they should have been escorted out of the park and not allowed to return. That kind of behavior is setting a dangerous precedent. OP, please keep us posted as to what DL says, they have been really good about replying back fairly soon, usually with a phone call to follow up.

 

[agamble]

He should have been drug out by his ear and handed over to the police!

I agree he should have been handed to the police. They should have pressed charges. That is a serious offense. They probably don't want to "ruin" people's fun or "look bad" in the press. But if kids keep pulling those stunts someone is going to die and then they WILL look bad in the press, even if it was some stupid kid's own fault.

 

[lorijohnhill]

I think the parents (of both kids) should have been contacted to come pick up their delinquents and then the parents should have been fined for the man hours it took to repair/reopen the ride. (You know, the same concept the ski resorts had to go to for all the idiots going out of bounds and having to get rescued?) If they had AP's, they should be revoked. I bet that after that, it would be a while before they were allowed to go to any amusement/theme park (by their parents). They need to learn that there are consequences to their actions. Disney is doing them no favors by letting them go with a handshake and an apology. These punk kids will just turn into punk adults.

 

[hanna-nana]

As much as we'd like them kicked out for the day, he can enter any turnstile again easily, can't he? Or can city hall just cancel his ticket? I'd think at least they should be kicked out. If a minor, held at security until an adult can pick them up. A handshake is a joke.

 

[GatorChris]

First, kicked out of the park. And by kicked out, I mean escorted out to esplanade where a police car would be waiting. Jumping off a ride like that is suicidal, endangering the life of yourself and of others. At the very least, take him down to the station until his parent/guardian picks him.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I think the parents (of both kids) should have been contacted to come pick up their delinquents and then the parents should have been fined for the man hours it took to repair/reopen the ride. (You know, the same concept the ski resorts had to go to for all the idiots going out of bounds and having to get rescued?) If they had AP's, they should be revoked. I bet that after that, it would be a while before they were allowed to go to any amusement/theme park (by their parents). They need to learn that there are consequences to their actions. Disney is doing them no favors by letting them go with a handshake and an apology. These punk kids will just turn into punk adults.

Wouldn't it be sad if one of the parents was replying in this thread. They'd never know because they weren't contacted!

 

[lorijohnhill]

Wouldn't it be sad if one of the parents was replying in this thread. They'd never know because they weren't contacted!

Yes, it would!

 

[PatMcDuck]

I agree, kicked out for the day......

I am somewhat horrified to remember in high school, we had a school trip to a local amusement park each year, in NY state. At least 2 different years of this trip, we brought soap to dump in the "tunnel of love" type ride (I think it was called the Old Mill). Within a few hours, the ride would close because of all the churning water causing loads of soap suds. Why we thought this was hilarious, I have no idea. And, we were from an all girls Catholic high school.

Why are kids so stupid?

 

[lorijohnhill]

Why are kids so stupid?

Too many parents take the "kids will be kids" attitude, so the kids aren't really worried about being caught or punished. If I had done something like that, I wouldn't have been allowed out of the house (except for school) for a very long time. I would also have been "working off" the cost of the repairs, regardless of whether my parents had to pay anything or not. We were taught from birth to respect others and the property of others. I also knew, without a doubt, that there were consequences to every action.

 

[kamik86]

As much as we'd like them kicked out for the day, he can enter any turnstile again easily, can't he? Or can city hall just cancel his ticket? I'd think at least they should be kicked out. If a minor, held at security until an adult can pick them up. A handshake is a joke.

If Disney can't do this now they should be able to. The tickets tie to a database with lots of flags and info about what parks you have been to in the day and how old the ticket is and how many days you have left and your dining plan info etc it would NOT be difficult to add a little field that says "Suspend entry" that if clicked would make the ticket not work. Bonus points if when doing it you can set a date in which it starts to work again so multi-day tickets could still be good.

Even better if you then have a log entry (espeically important for APs) in the database on if it has happened before and why that can be called up when the ticket is scanned. That way if you have an AP they can see if you have done other stuff while still on teh same AP and just confiscate the entire AP.

Now technically that wouldn't ban someone really determined. You could buy another ticket. However it would require you to pay again so for most teens would be sufficent.

 

[Ratherbeatdisneyland]

For sure kicked out for the day and parents called. If I knew my son was doing that kind of crap, he would be in SO much trouble.

 

[disneychrista]

Removed from the park and if an AP his AP should be revoked.

 

[SMD]

Disney security's hands are literally tied. The only thing they have at their disposal is a citizen's arrest, and the last thing they want is their security guards physically detaining guests. They also don't want to call the police for every petty offense, and it sounds like at most they had a suspicion of trespassing. If the could even prove he entered the water intentionally, what would the result be? They also don't want a situation where guests are followed through the park by security, attracting the attention of other guests either to try to compel them to leave or wait for the police to arrive. And how are they going to force a guest to hand over the ticket or ID? In a more controlled situation like a guest causing an issue in the hotel when the guest is in their room, it makes more sense to involve the police. But on the platform of a ride it would have to be something much more serious.

And, if they start kicking people out of the park for this, why not start kicking people out of the park for line cutting again. And that includes joining your group already in line. What about when your kids are swinging their arms in line and hit someone, or fighting and accidentally shove another guest, or aim their bubble wand in someone's eyes? What about when a ride stops became someone drops something on the tracks or because someone refuses to unload until they take a selfie and the ride times out and has to close. Be careful when you call for people to be expelled from the parks that you've never done something negative to impact the park or someone else's experience as well.

 

[T0rrent]

Disney security's hands are literally tied. The only thing they have at their disposal is a citizen's arrest, and the last thing they want is their security guards physically detaining guests. They also don't want to call the police for every petty offense, and it sounds like at most they had a suspicion of trespassing. If the could even prove he entered the water intentionally, what would the result be? They also don't want a situation where guests are followed through the park by security, attracting the attention of other guests either to try to compel them to leave or wait for the police to arrive. And how are they going to force a guest to hand over the ticket or ID? In a more controlled situation like a guest causing an issue in the hotel when the guest is in their room, it makes more sense to involve the police. But on the platform of a ride it would have to be something much more serious.

And, if they start kicking people out of the park for this, why not start kicking people out of the park for line cutting again. And that includes joining your group already in line. What about when your kids are swinging their arms in line and hit someone, or fighting and accidentally shove another guest, or aim their bubble wand in someone's eyes? What about when a ride stops became someone drops something on the tracks or because someone refuses to unload until they take a selfie and the ride times out and has to close. Be careful when you call for people to be expelled from the parks that you've never done something negative to impact the park or someone else's experience as well.

There's a huge difference between line cutting and jumping into the water of a ride, endangering yourself and others. As for fighting, I've personally witnessed someone practically jumping out of the train on space mountain as it pulled up into the queue after the ride and was threatening a CM. CM kept calm, security came, escorted them out of the ride, took a statement, then proceeded to eject them. They have ways of getting them out of the park without parading them in front of the guests.

 

[offwithyourhead]

They should have kicked him out. He wasn't a developmentally challenged person who got overwhelmed or something. He was fully aware of his actions. It's not just a stupidity thing, it's a liability thing. If a boat had come up and bonked him on the head, he would have drowned before anyone could pull him out.