Stupid Guest Tricks

So I'm watching the Chanel 4 news tonight and they said some kid severed a finger at the dock on Book, and that the ride was shut down for a few days...

So, I think of all of the hundreds (could be thousands, hell, it certainly felt like it) of trips I've made around the canal, and the thousands of times we've spieled to keep fingers, hands and arms inside the boats, yet the kids were still trying to touch the dock when coming in for a landing.

Did anyone see what happened?

Obviously, I feel bad for the kid, but for pete's sake, why don't parents pay attention to what their little people are doing and *MAKE* them keep their hands in the boat?

I wasn't there, my day off, but I can tell you that noone is saying a darn thing. As much as we bookies talk, everyone's being very close lipped on it.
But yeah, BirdMom, you're right, I know there are plenty of times when kids have their hands out, even though you've told them like a billion times.
I'm just genuinely curious as to how it could have happened that a kid actually severed a finger, I could see broke but can't imagine severed.

Perhaps the guests cannot understand the spielers because the microphone PA's suck. :D:

I was initially waiting to hear that the kid had taken a header into the water - I always thought of rainy days when the kids would be running on the dock, no non-skid surface on it (at least when I was still working there) and there was more than one time that one of us would literally have to grab a kid hard and pull toward us to keep him/her from sliding right into the water infront of the boat being loaded.

The paper this morning said that they lowered the bumpers on the dock - and that the child lost the tip of the finger...which reminds me of a few CM's who lost fingertips on rafts when their fingers got caught between the mooring rope and piling when the tension was at it's highest. You are right Polar - it's impressive there aren't more accidents like this happening. It's not a matter of the speakers/mics sucking on the boats - it's a matter of kids having little sense at that age (which is only natural) and parents not paying attention.

Maurader's Honor.
I heard ... nothing.
regaurdless of severence.
The three foot algae REALLY needs to go.

I saw the report at 6 on channel 4, and it was read by the anchor named "Meeshel" or however she spells it, and she corrected herself saying "I think I should be saying Storybook LANE canal boats". I wanted to call the channel 4 tip line and tell them to be accurate. Then, they made it sound like it was the park's fault. No mention of where the parents were, that they are told over and over to keep their hands and arms inside the boat, anything like that. They just sensationalized it and made it seem like "well, here we go again, Disneyland is harming little children, so you should be aware that it was all Disney's fault". It always bugs me when the media, the people we depend on for accurate information, won't get the smallest, least important information right.

I like to watch those Discovery Channel shows about the latest coasters and such, and the other day there was a show on called "America's Coolest Coasters". The narrator kept calling every attraction they covered "THE" whatever the name of the ride is, IE; THE Kumba, THE Matterhorn. It's Matterhorn Bobsleds, Kumba, Goliath, Riddler's Revenge, Collossus, etc...

I know that is kind of picky, but it was the first thing I learned when posting at coaster type sites. It just takes away the credibility of the producers, usually Lighthouse Productions, who really know better.

Anyway, Back to the topic,

Dave

Its just amazing how parents just dont watch or pay atention to their children when they are at the theme parks!
I was working in the M&F tram loading area one night and it was just after the fireworks so we were busy...
The stroller areas were backed up as usual and I was loading the back car. One family got tired of waiting and decided to jump on a tram (cutting thru the line as they did so) anyway dad was more concerned with the huge stroller and mom had the newborn to contend with so they of course forgot the 3-4 yr old son. we literally got the tram moving when they finally relized that neither one had "lil johnny" the mother with the newborn in hand jumps off the tram (she would've fallen on the baby if a Cm didnt catch her!) as shes yelling for her son. All this time Johnny was all the way towards the back of the line close to the WOD store!
another time we had a CM working first car when she noticed a toddler (again no older than 3 or 4) just wandering around the loading area. We finally realize that he has no family and start the search. The CM eventually ends up in the park with the child and the parents show up about an hour later (there was never a 920c call) they we very non chalant about the whole thing as if they could just get another boy!

whenever one of the escalators is shut down due to a child I am never surprised, whenever we have to stop a tram because a parent has left a child behind or whenever I hear that 920 call I am no longer amazed at the fact that people dont care about their kids!

BirdMom wrote:
Obviously, I feel bad for the kid, but for pete's sake, why don't parents pay attention to what their little people are doing and *MAKE* them keep their hands in the boat?

I watch my 18 month old like a hawk, especially now that she's walking. Of course in the park, she doesn't walk unless her hand is held or my face and eyes are no more than 12 inches away from her!

We rode StoryBook just a couple of weeks ago, and I noticed how close the boat does come to the dock.

Since we do know how dumb guests are, I do think the park ought to put a bumper under the water line, the prevents the boat from ever actually touching the dock. That would be one less area for a guest to get her (accidentally or intentionally).

It reminds me of the first year of Fantasmic! when the ducks that like to hang around the water next to Hungry Bear would get crushed by the rafts that were coming over to pick up Fantasmic performers and crew. The ducks had had this area all to themselves for 20 years so they weren't used to avoiding rafts. We wanted to paint a duck on the side of the raft for every confirmed kill...

screnwriter wrote: Since we do know how dumb guests are, I do think the park ought to put a bumper under the water line, the prevents the boat from ever actually touching the dock. That would be one less area for a guest to get her (accidentally or intentionally).

Well, Disney has put the bumpers lower, the problem before, I think, was that some of the boats are lower than others, cause I've noticed that even with the new bumpers, some boats are at the same level as the bumpers, while others are well above them. They're still above the water line, I don't think they can put them below because I don't think the dock extend far enough below the water level.
Oh yeah, we now also have to tell people one more time to keep hands, etc inside the boat. Apparantely 3 times wasn't enough, so now we have tell them 4. Oh yeah, and that's minimum, if someone puts their hand out at some other point we tell them at that moment to keep their hand inside. What it all boils down to is that parents need to watch their kids, especially very young ones who may not understand that the things we tell them to do are so they don't get hurt.