Why does Walt Disney World have beaches on a lake with live alligators? (Lakeside: hotel, lawsuit)

[goillini8]

Disney didn't intentionally put alligators in that lake. The whole area is interconnected waterways and alligators can appear in any freshwater lake, pond, stream, puddle, etc., and there are millions of alligators in Florida. Disney certainly knew there was a chance of an alligator getting in the lake, as they've appeared in other areas of the park where they weren't intended, but they didn't actually put them in the lake or encourage their appearance in the lake. Regardless, I think they'll pay out a huge settlement.

[randomparent]

No, but Disney does routinely sweep the lakes for alligators, which indicates that they were well aware of the reptiles' presence and were taking steps to minimize the risk to guests. The optics are horrible for the company, which is why they will pay to make this awful incident go away. A large check will change hands, the family will sign a NDA, and the resort will close the beach permanently.

I've been to Disney many times as a guest of a family member who was employed there for over a decade as an attraction manager, and I know a lot about what takes place backstage. The Grand Floridian designers created that beach to entice the guests to stay on site rather have them take a day trip to the coast to get their sandy beach experience. It's all about the money. Their goal is to keep everyone on property until they moment they depart for the airport. All of the parks are that way.

Sadly, Disney cannot completely control nature, although they try their darndest, and a young family has paid a terrible price. Really, it's quite a testament to their animal control team that this has not happened more frequently. I remember being at Epcot years ago and being shocked at how few mosquitos there were as we walked around the gardens in the evening. It dawned on me later that they must have been treating the water and fogging the place at night. Duh! This is what Disney does. They create illusions, and we all fall for it in one way or another.

[vacoder]

They also stocked the lake to offer customers a fishing opportunity so in some small way they do encourage alligators by providing a food source.

[kyle19125]

I really wish people would just think things through a bit and use some common sense. It's the same reaction from some to when people here in Central Florida were attacked by black bears that pre-existed prior to the new homes built in their domain. Florida's native habitat includes all kinds of dangerous animals which beyond alligators include snakes and even panthers. Why is the expectation different here versus if one were vacationing at a resort out West in the Rockies for example? I don't recall seeing signage in outside lounging areas there telling people to beware of varying predatory threats, so why here??

[randomparent]

Totally different situations. Disney has a long history of managing the local ecology to protect the safety of guests through wildlife response teams and regular sweeps to remove dangerous animals like alligators. They also design infrastructure for the sole purpose of preventing entry to risky areas. Western resorts do not manage the local ecology to the same extent. At most, they lock down their trash cans and create fire perimeters. Also, the vast majority of established campsites have signage warning about the risk of bears, rattlesnakes, and mountain lions and the steps you should take to ensure your safety.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by randomparent

Totally different situations. Disney has a long history of managing the local ecology to protect the safety of guests through wildlife response teams and regular sweeps to remove dangerous animals like alligators. They also design infrastructure for the sole purpose of preventing entry to risky areas. Western resorts do not manage the local ecology to the same extent. At most, they lock down their trash cans and create fire perimeters. Also, the vast majority of established campsites have signage warning about the risk of bears, rattlesnakes, and mountain lions and the steps you should take to ensure your safety.

So you're saying Disney is fully responsible for guest safety because they have been maintaining some kind of control over the local ecology, while western resorts for example would go scot-free for responsibility by nature of the fact they don't maintain at all? That's a very "special" thought process and certainly explains a lot regarding the behavior of some tourists in this area.

[randomparent]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

So you're saying Disney is fully responsible for guest safety because they have been maintaining some kind of control over the local ecology, while western resorts for example would go scot-free for responsibility by nature of the fact they don't maintain at all? That's a very "special" thought process and certainly explains a lot regarding the behavior of some tourists in this area.

I'm saying that the resort, which is on property, created the beach to entice guests to spend time at the water's edge and actively managed the local ecology to minimize risks, deliberately creating the illusion of safety, which they could not guarantee. They then further obscured the risks by failing to post appropriate signage warning of the potential danger and not closing the beach to guests at night when alligators are actively hunting. It was a predictable accident, meaning that it was not a freak accident/act of God, and as a result Disney bears some responsibility.

There is no corollary here in the west. For the most part, resorts do not manage the local ecology beyond securing trash cans and creating fire barriers. Mountain resorts are very up front about the risks to life and limb. RMNP, Yellowstone, and Yosemite are not theme parks and do not portray themselves as such. You hike, climb, and camp at your own risk.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by randomparent

I'm saying that the resort, which is on property, created an beach environment to entice guests to spend time at the water's edge and managed the local ecology to minimize risks, deliberately creating the illusion of safety, which they could not guarantee. They then further obscured the risk by failing to post appropriate signage warning of the potential danger and not closing the beach to guests at night when alligators are actively hunting. It was a predictable accident, meaning that it was not a freak accident/act of God, and as a result Disney bears some responsibility.

There is no corollary here in the west. We do not manage the local ecology to minimize risks beyond securing trash cans and creating fire barriers. Mountain resorts are very up front about the risks to life and limb. RMNP, Yellowstone, and Yosemite are not theme parks and do not portray themselves as such.

Who says the illusion of a beach environment is perceived as risk free? Providing a beach environment (on a lake no less) states none of that and anyone with any kind of common sense would realize that's not the case. Many drown at the beach annually, where are all of the signs warning of that? Your argument speaks solely to the money-grubbing litigation-happy American looking for any opportunity to sock it to a major corporation which the rest of us wind up paying for through passed along price increases, all because relatives of "Victim A" see an opportunity to cash in via the parents' inability to control their child in a potentially hazardous situation.

[randomparent]

Look, one of my family members spent years working as an attraction manager at a Disney Theme Park. Disney works very hard to keep people safe and happy. You would not believe the lengths they go to in hiding the reality of how that park works. They sweep for alligators and other dangerous creatures regularly to ensure the safety of their guests and employees. That beach was designed to keep visitors on property where they would continue spending money rather than taking a day-trip to the coast, which would result in lost revenue. Disney does everything but turn you upside-down and shake you to ensure your very last dime goes into their coffers, so to presume this family is money-grubbing is an interesting perspective on the matter. To draw attention to the risk of alligators would have destroyed the illusion just like seeing Cinderella smoking backstage. But Disney, despite a great effort, cannot completely control the wildlife, and a child died tragically as a result. I love Disney, but this was a predictable accident, and they are culpable. Mark my words, there will be huge changes at that resort in the wake of this horrifying incident. They will settle as a condition of the family signing an NDA, and then you will never hear about it again other than as a footnote on a Wikipedia page. And that beach will be GONE in short order.

[azriverfan.]

Most of their guests are not from Florida. Orlando is central and away from coast line. I think this was Disney's way of simulating a coast line to keep guests at their hotels instead of losing them to a day trip to the beach. They could attend the theme parks while having a Florida beach experience at their hotel.

A lot of Disney's guests are not from the coasts and don't have much experience living on a real beach so for them, this beach is truly magnificent. The Grand Floridian is not the only Disney beach front hotel. The Poynesian, Yacht Club and Beach Club all have fake beaches. So this is a common marketing strategy by Disney to simulate coast line for a lot of it's guests.

I think these beaches are now a thing of the past. There is too much risk associated with this. I also believe Disney is culpable in my opinion. These are risks they could have anticipated but realized that by posting signs and barricades, it takes away from the beach experience hence the reason they didn't enact those measures IMHO.