Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, spoke at a recent tourism conference on the prospects for Mission: Space after the two deaths and the decision to tone down the ride for some guests.
"I think we’re going to find that the demand for Mission: Space is
going to be higher than it’s ever been now that we’ve kind of broadened
the offer to our guests who are not really out there to seek thrills,"
…
Asked if he was worried that more people could die because they are
potentially unaware of certain medical conditions, Rasulo said he hoped
the new version of the ride will further emphasize the warning signs.He acknowledged that some people ignore or fail to understand the signs.
I think this is the crux of the matter. There is nothing you can do about people that ignore or fail to understand the signs. But Rasulo didn’t address those who are unaware of certain medical conditions. Mission:Space is affecting those people like no other attraction. And those are the same people who won’t know to take the tame version.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking for Disney to change the existing ride mechanics in anyway. I’m not even sure the tame version will do any good to prevent people getting sick. I am asking that Disney make available video of exactly how the ride works to guests before they enter the queue (so they can decide to take the tamer version then) and while waiting in the queue. Guests should know this is an intense attraction similar to the Graviton and similar fair rides. If you wouldn’t ride those, then don’t ride the full version of Mission: Space. It’s impossible to communicate that without visuals.
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