The recent tragic death of a 4-year old after riding Walt Disney World’s Mission: Space attraction at Epcot has highlighted the lack of oversight by local, state, or federal agencies for the Florida tourists destination. Now California’s Disneyland theme park, which operates under some of the strictest state oversight in the nation, has just been… Read More »Judges Rule for higher safety standards in California
It is difficult to speculate exactly what happened yesterday to cause the sad death of a young boy at Walt Disney World. Eventually the autopsy will reveal whether the attraction had anything to do with the death. It may not have. I do not mean to accuse the family or Disney Management of misdeeds, but I do wonder what a 4-year old was doing on Mission Space (M:S) at Epcot.
M:S is one of the most intense experiences available to guests visiting Walt Disney World. So what would lead a family to want to take their young child on it? Which warnings did they see and which did they miss? How can we give a family more information before they make their decision to join the queue? All questions that need to be answered to make the Disney World experience as safe as possible for all guests.
Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror probably qualifies as the most intense experience availabe to guests at the four Walt Disney World themeparks. Not only does the name imply its intensity, but as you approach the attraction to ride you can see exactly what happens to guests already on board as they plummet faster than gravity and then are jerked back up only to be pulled back down again repeated times. If the visual clues aren’t enough, the screams of terror is another signal. Those with weak constitutions know by these indicators to stay away. Parents with questions can see what happens during the ride and can judge if their child is appropriate for the attraction. At least that should work in theory.
Read More »Blink before riding: Steps to better decision making at Disney World
The Orlando Sentinel has a story recounting Marineland’s tale of woe. Once the pride of the Florida Marine Animal Attractions, the park has suffered for the last few decades. Finally, Hurricane Frances dealt it a death blow. Or so it seems. Now new investors are hoping to turn the park around and make it a… Read More »Send a dolphin some love
I’ve never been to any of the Disney World resorts on Earth Day, but at Disneyland they hand out Jiminy Cricket Environmentality buttons to guests. However, that’s the least Disney does to be earth aware all year long. Check out the DisneyHAND portion of the corporate website for more. One of the excellent projects supported… Read More »Earthday….
Searching through recent reviews on Epionions I found this one for Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian Resort. V&A is the only 5 star restaurant in central Florida. I have dined at it once, on my honeymoon, and totally concur with this reviewer. Price has gone up a bit in the last few years,… Read More »Victoria & Alberts
The four hurricanes that hit Florida could hurt the tourism industry for years, as a fifth of potential summer visitors told researchers they would consider avoiding the state for fear of the storms, officials said today. That could translate into $2.7 billion in lost business for Florida’s biggest industry and $160 million in lost taxes… Read More »avoid August and September?
A short drive from the gates of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom lay the gates of another era, another culture, the gates to Splendid China. Alas, the wonderously detailed attraction was never able to pull in enough tourist dollars to make a go at it in the competitve Orlando arena, and was forced to close… Read More »China’s Splendor Auctioned Off
Planning a vacation to Disney World soon and want to know if there will be a strike when you get there? You might want to call Disney and let them know you expect them to settle with the unions and preserve your vacacation.
At lot of the talk around the union is that why would someone working at the park making $7.00 an hour want to strike. Do they expect to earn a living working at Dumbo or the fast food counter. The reality is no. They do not. Most are part time employees, people who are supplimenting their income, or dedicated Disney fans of some sort. These employees probably didn’t even vote in the election, and if they did they were probably among the ‘yes’ votes as their income would be severly impacted by a strike.
My sense is the people who voted no on this contract are the people who have the highest skilled jobs (some require special training or licenses). These positions include Bus Drivers, Characters, Housekeeping. Their pay scales have been structured in such a manner that if you work 4-5 years in a position you’re now earning what could be a decent wage ($13-$15/hr). If you throw in a little overtime and have two wage earners in the household you could even do quite nicely in parts of Orlando/Kissimmee.