Walt Disney World Epcot Discussion Thread

[JT3000The only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!]

If he didn't know the facts, he shouldn't have said anything. And I don't care how old someone is. If you can use a computer, you're old enough to be held accountable.

[ParkTripsBubbles!]

Well, Mr. JT3000, I do believe the woman DID have a pre-existing condition - hypertension.

Nice follow-up post, A$$.

[Erik JohnsonFormer captain of the Arrow bus.]

So how many pictures of the warning sign do we need in this thread?

[coasterdude5Randomness]

^Oops, missed yours! Oh well, the more the better!

[TheManWhich came first the turtle or the donkey?]

So, why do sooo many people die at disneyland and disneyworld each year? They dont have that many intense rides, is it maintnence?( but this one seems to be caused by health)

[jamesdillamanFlight of James: Ride of Steel the Revenge]

I think sheer attendance numbers may have something to do with it. There are many more people each year at disney parks than at Six Flags or Paramount or Cedar Fair parks. It's Disney! The themepark juggernaut! More people = more chances for accidents. The 4-year old IMO is just an unfortunate accident. We had a lady die after riding top gun at PKI. She had a heart attack. Very very sad, her daughter rode with her, but it's an accident. Unfortunate, yes, but you can't prevent every death in the world. To sum up, sh$t happens.

[ACEfanatic02Can I park my donkey here?]

Okay, here's my two cents. First of all, everyone is always so quick to jump on the "pre-existing condition" bandwagon, and try to pass it off as the rider's or guardian's fault for dying because of it. I believe someone else in here stated that these conditions are not always known...which is very true. Did someone not die on SFMM's Goliath once from a brain anuerism (sp?)or something of the like? I can't remember the last time I woke up and said, gee, maybe I should get my brain scanned today before I head out to the park.....just in case something may trigger sudden death, you know?

I hate to sound like that idiot senator who tried to propose lowering g-forces, but I'm starting to feel that this is Disney's fault. I agree with Elissa that people fall into a "safe" feeling on what is essentially a vacation time. Of course the general public doesn't read signs, but should they need to be warned, or worse, even scared about potential death because they haven't had an extensive physical lately? I remember being a bit apprehensive while listening to Gary last year, and I was in good health.

Disney knew full well what they were building. It took, what, half a decade or more to build this thing? Not to mention the brilliant minds of NASA along with many former astronauts. It's hard to believe that not one person said, "wait, don't you think we might be subjecting the general public to forces only professionals should feel?"

Sure, on the surface it's a spinning ride, right? Well, sort of. Yes, most carnival type flat rides are based on the element of centrifugal force (Gravitron, for instance)....but M:S is not your normal Gravitron. In my completely unscientific opinion, the problem with this ride is that it tricks the mind into thinking the body is doing something it's not. When you're riding, your mind is tricked into feeling a forward motion, when in reality you're body is undoubtedly spinning. Does that make any sense?

I'm no expert on the inner workings of this machine, but I do remember reading somewhere about how this essential centrifuge was altered to achieve these forward motion feelings. I mean, let's be realistic here. On certain centrifugal type carnival rides, yes you spin like crazy, but your body is able adapt to the direction in which you're heading. And if M:S was as simple as this premise, then why did it cost $100 million (insert Dr. Evil impression), and why are people dying? Surely you never had this many people dying on the Gravitron at your local fair. And if I'm wrong, I apologize, but remember who we're dealing with here....Disney...they can't afford continuing bad publicity like this.

The simple fact is that Disney bowed to the critics who said they couldn't build more intense rides, and now they're paying for it. I don't care whether Disney welcomes 1 or 100,000,000 guests a year, 1 death on a ride that was too intense to begin with is one death too many. And when you can't blame rider error for an idiot standing up on a ride, or undoing a restraint, then it becomes solely the park's responsiblity for building it in the first place, IMHO. Disney knew they were pushing the limits. I shudder to think what this thing was like when it had it's cast member preview. My brother told me half the riders puked at one point. And it's been no secret that it's been toned down.

All in all, this is very sad, and my prayers go out to the family affected. I just really feel that this ride never needed to be there in the first place. A death at Disney should never happen.....especially twice in such a short time.

So I ask, what's next? A new Russian pavillion with Russian Roulette:The Ride?


Sorry for the long-winded rant.

Mission: Space may be an intense ride by Disney standards, but it's not all that intense in general. 2g's... that's all.

Also, your body's perception of motion has very little to do with its actual physical effect. Thinking you're going forward when you're really going in circles makes no difference, especially at only 2g's.

The forces involved with the ride are not those that real astronauts feel. Upon launch, an astronaut feels ~8g's. This ride delivers two.

Compare it with other, more intense rides. Rollercoasters consistantly pull anywhere from 3-6g's.

Disney knew exactly what they were building: a centrifuge ride. So long as people follow the warnings, there should have (and would have) been no major injuries.

It's a dreadfull tragedy that these people have died. It truly is. But you cannot pin this on Disney. They clearly warn that M:S is intense, that people with heart problems should not ride, etc.

In the case of the 4-year-old, can you really blame Disney if noone knew of the kid's condition? As for the German lady... you'd be supprised how many Europeans know English. Even if she didn't, what is Disney supposed to do? Post signs in every concievable language?

It is a tragedy. But it is not Disney's fault. You cannot blame a corporation for the actions of those whom they have little knowledge of or contol over.

-ACE

[Wes.]

So, why do sooo many people die at disneyland and disneyworld each year? They dont have that many intense rides, is it maintnence?( but this one seems to be caused by health)

Uhhhh....not that many people have died at Disney parks in general. Disneyland has had like, what, 10 deaths over it's 50 years, and all but two of those were due to guests misbehaving. I don't even know about deaths at WDW besides some guy jumping out of Splash, the person getting dragged by the parade float, and these two M:S incidents.

Saying there are "soooo many people" dying at the parks each year is, at best, a gross misjudgment.

Statistically though, there is a greater risk of accidents at Disney versus Six Flags Wherever simply because Disney attracts far more guests. Additionally, the media is going to play up any sort of incident that happens on a Disney property, fatal or not.

[HattuchiliNot Everyone In Germany Wears Lederhosen and Eats Sauerkraut]

Haha, it is funny reading all this here! I knew everything about it right after it happened! It is cool to hear everything offstage! There are so many things they tell us, but we can not go out and tell that anyone! I am sorry! But it is nice working here!

--Sören

^Were they giving you all the details so you could train all the other CM's to pretend it never happened? German's have so much experience with that already...

I kid. I kid.