I'm not one who hyperventilates every time someone files a lawsuit. Courts are supposed to settle disputes - let 'em do their job. If Disney's in violation of the law, I hope that the suit forces Disney to correct the problems and pay an appropriate penalty. If Disney's not violating the law, I hope that the company uses California's malicious prosecution law to force the plaintiff to pay for wasting Disney's and the court's time with a frivolous suit.
But whatever the outcome, it seems ridiculous to me to get too worked up over the supposed danger of touch brass doorknobs or stained-glass windows when there are these other, much more serious health dangers at Disneyland (or other theme parks, for that matter).
Want to protect your kids and ensure that they grow up physically and mentally healthy? Then worry about these risks instead. (Just for the record, I agree that lead exposure is a horrible problem, but that the real risk is with continued exposure, not a few one-time instances.)
1. Soft drinks
The biggest lifetime health risk facing kids today isn't lead exposure. It's obesity. Want to help kids your kids (and yourself) healthy? Stop drinking sodas - they're empty calories that provide you with nothing by weight gain. I'm a huge advocate for staying hydrated in theme parks. So guzzle all the water you want. Just say no to the soft drinks.
2. Spending a day of your life without eating a vegetable
Cutting the empty carbs is only part of the battle against obesity. You've got to start eating healthier food in place of the junk. Now, days you visit theme parks aren't normal days. But even on special occasions, you never should go an entire day without eating a single vegetable. Disneyland actually does one of the beter jobs in the industry in preparing tasty meals that include fruits and vegetables (and no, french fries do not count). Take advantage, and don't waste your day eating nothing but fried meat and batter.
3. Driving like a maniac to and from the theme park
What kills more kids in the United States each year than any other cause? Motor vehicle accidents. But I see plenty of people driving like jerks every time I drive to or from a theme park. Make everyone in the car wear a seat belt. Keep your young children in properly installed car seats. Pay attention to the road and traffic around you while driving. And never forget that driving is not a competition. You're just trying to get to where you want to go, safely. Don't get suckered into making this some type of contest.
4. Thinking that going on Storybook Land is an adequate substitute for reading a storybook at home
I've been doing a lot of research on education recently. And there are few more reliable markers for a child's future health and success than whether a child lives in a home with books that are read. If you can afford a trip to a theme park, you can afford to have books in your home. Read them, so that your children will see you reading and want to do that themselves. Disney makes great movies, but it always makes book versions of those stories as well. Pick up some for the Disney fans in your home. Then make story time a nightly tradition.
5. Failing to act like the "guests" that Disney calls you
Children learn the behavior they see. So say "please" whenever you ask a question, and "thank you" whenever you are shown on to a ride. Allow others to go ahead in a crowd. Don't curse or insult people. Walt Disney insisted on calling Disneyland's visitors "guests" because he wanted his cast members to treat them with courtesy and respect. But let's not forget that guests should treat their hosts with respect as well. Just because you paid to visit the park doesn't grant you the right to abuse anyone there - employees or visitors. Be nice, and not will you raise nice children, you'll raise calmer, happier children who don't spend life developing the stress that will lead to health and relationship problems down the road.
6. Keeping your kids in stroller or on leashes, instead of letting them out to play and explore
Before I write anything else, let's remember that Rule 5 always applies. Kids not only need to eat well to avoid obesity, they need to get physically active as well. Independent play promotes good health, confidence and social skills. And theme parks provide one of the safest, most enjoyable places imaginable for kids to explore. Let them. Again, Rule 5 applies, and you need to talk with your children about that before visiting the park.
But for heavens' sake, kids who spend their lives on leashes, unable to run free and explore, imitating their parents' bad behavior, never reading a book, flailing around in the back of a speeding car, eating junk and swigging soda pop are living a more dangerous life than a kid who tries to pull a sword from the stone at Disneyland. Let's try not to lose sight of the real risks in life. /rant
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I love this article SO HARD.
1. No decent shady place. Why are many lines out in the open with no shade?
2. Not enough water fountains. Its easy to get dehydrated. Of course, buying a soda is not a good solution and bottled water is way too expensive.
3. Food is too expensive. Should I go hungry? Or eat cheap calories from snacks. That's why I always bring food into the park by hiding it in my backpack.
4. Not sure how safe the rides are. Are they keeping it in good condition. I don't want to lose my limbs in an attraction.
5. Crowds. Why does Disney pack them in? It is unsafe to have people stand so close to each other to watch a parade or fireworks.
6. Standing. Why do they make you wait until the last minute to sit down at the theater? I stopped trying to go longer than 8 hours. I do need to rest a bit.
Safety should be achieved from park design and common sense with crowd control, food service, queue line management, and ride maintenance/safety.
Cedar Point: Don't ride Mean Streak
SF Great Adventure: Don't ride Rolling Thunder
Kings Dominion/Carowinds: Don't ride Hurler
Kings Island: Don't ride Vortex
It's California. It's Anaheim. You're not going to die because you're out in the Sun; on the contrary, it might just be good for you. Wear a hat, come to the park in the Fall when it isn't so hot outside and your problem is solved.
"2. Not enough water fountains. Its easy to get dehydrated. Of course, buying a soda is not a good solution and bottled water is way too expensive."
I can't speak for other theme parks - but Disneyland has a plethora of water fountains. Just ask a cast member, if they know their area (and they should) they should be able to point you in the right direction.
"3. Food is too expensive. Should I go hungry? Or eat cheap calories from snacks. That's why I always bring food into the park by hiding it in my backpack."
Yes, the food is too expensive. Pack a cooler, get a locker, problem solved.
"4. Not sure how safe the rides are. Are they keeping it in good condition. I don't want to lose my limbs in an attraction."
This.. just no.
"5. Crowds. Why does Disney pack them in? It is unsafe to have people stand so close to each other to watch a parade or fireworks."
It's actually perfectly safe. As someone who has performed a LOT of guest control for Fantasmic! and fireworks, I've NEVER seen a guest injured because of high crowds - unless they start a fight with another guest, which happens more than it should. If you're not a fan of crowds - come when the parks are less busy. Weekdays, for one, would serve you well.
"6. Standing. Why do they make you wait until the last minute to sit down at the theater? I stopped trying to go longer than 8 hours. I do need to rest a bit."
I'm really not sure what you're referring to here, but I know that in the case of Fantasmic, guests are asked to stand to make room for as many guests as possible.
"Safety should be achieved from park design and common sense with crowd control, food service, queue line management, and ride maintenance/safety."
And for the most part, it is. What Robert is getting at is that since most of those things are taken care of, the parents should take some responsibility AS WELL for their safety. He's not saying it's "all on the parents" - on the contrary, he's saying that parents should control what they can for their kid's safety.
I had at least 7-8 of them.... :)
Are you referring to the cast member who died because he was in the way of a moving vehicle? Because that's nobody's fault other than his.
Water fountains are in abundance. If not enough for you, I would consider the use of a bottle. They're nifty little inventions.
I have to agree, compared to most of the country who's weather is far worse than CA's, there are a lot of outside space. But, nothing sunscreen, a hat and going at night can't solve.
As for the crowds...unless it's a protest that goes violent, Disney crowds are mild in intensity, if you want to call it that. I don't see how the crowds are dangerous themselves.
I have to agree that parents who make the mistake have the family drink soda over water is bad, and a mistake I've seen more often than I should in the park.
As for the food, just don't eat there. Disneyland especially, is easy to leave for a cheaper meal. But I would never call expensive food dangerous. But any venue, from restaurants, to theaters to stadiums to county fairs, the price of food is usually higher.
America's number one health concern right now is obesity. It's an epidemic. People are not dying in masses because of unsafe rides or standing in the heat or lead poisoning. They're dying from lack of exercise and proper diet.
For the past several years, we've seen amazing advances in theme park entertainment technology, crowd control systems, and lodging availability. What we're not seeing, and what should be the biggest concern and what I'm most concerned about, is a substantial availability of good food. If the number one cause of death in the United States was heat stroke, we'd see an increase in indoor, air-conditioned queues. Instead, the number one cause of death is heart disease, yet how many theme parks are offering healthier dining options? Hell, Holiday World gives out soda for free! Dining options need to change.
That's not what the government said. "Disney Cited for Safety Violations" "Fined $69,000 in total by OSHA, Walt Disney World was issued a “serious” citation"
http://www.diszine.com/content/primeval-whirl-to-reopen-this-weekend-disney-cited-for-safety-violations
"Water fountains are in abundance. If not enough for you, I would consider the use of a bottle. They're nifty little inventions."
Yes, I do that because Disney sells bottled water at the same prices as their overpriced sodas. Goodness, another problem that I solved on my own. Nice to tell what I already do.
"I have to agree, compared to most of the country who's weather is far worse than CA's, there are a lot of outside space. But, nothing sunscreen, a hat and going at night can't solve."
Thank you for telling me what I already do. HOWEVER, I must point out that Disney's rides are known for having extremely long lines that are easily over one hour long for their most popular rides. Even with a hat, it would be easy to get overheated. Disney needs to provide more shaded areas for waiting. Otherwise, they would be negligent. Next.
"As for the crowds...unless it's a protest that goes violent, Disney crowds are mild in intensity, if you want to call it that. I don't see how the crowds are dangerous themselves."
You don't acknowledge what I said. So when large crowds congregate and people are having trouble exiting at the same time all many locations and causing traffic jams, this doesn't pose a safety risk? It is not mild when compared to other theme parks.
"I have to agree that parents who make the mistake have the family drink soda over water is bad, and a mistake I've seen more often than I should in the park."
Like I already said, it isn't a problem for drinking soda once in a while, but Disney sure makes it seem like that's all you can buy.
"As for the food, just don't eat there. Disneyland especially, is easy to leave for a cheaper meal. But I would never call expensive food dangerous. But any venue, from restaurants, to theaters to stadiums to county fairs, the price of food is usually higher."
I already said I bring things in my backpack. Do I need to remind you again? I didn't say it was dangerous. That is an unfortunate way of distorting my post. You can easily review up above.
Yes, food is expensive when you go out. They're out to make money, not be a charity. Send them a message by not eating their food. Or spend the extra money because you saved up for the trip to Disney or whatever restaurant you're at.
People need to slow down while driving. Driving 90 vs. 65 doesn't save you as much time as you think. Check with a GPS unit... the ETA isn't shortened by much. Plus gas mileage goes significantly down at higher speeds. Not to mention, people don't understand how long it takes to stop a moving vehicle.
Entitlement... it's what a lot of people have a sense of. And they forget manners. Cussing up a storm in front of 5 year olds, shoving people out of the way... I'm not saying people should be like the Brady Bunch, but why is it so difficult for people to have common courtesy?
And again, let kids be kids. Don't let them be totally out of control, but let them play and explore. My $0.00002
As for books, a trip to Disney is really a vacation. I don't see how mixing education and entertainment is particularly useful. Disney can spark imagination and it has inspired millions, but I don't think I will be reading to them unless I need closed captioning.
As for the crowd nonsense, the crowds exiting can be dispersed in case of an emergency. There isn't one and only exit for guest, just one for regular use. If you feel trapped in Disney crowds, I wouldn't go.
OSHA has a habit of fining for the littlest things. However, he was breaking Disney procdure when it comes to working with coasters (I know since I work at a Disney caster). This doesn't reflect at all Disney's ride safety track record for guest. The number on cause of death at Disney theme parks is....wait for it....natural causes, and mostly at the hotels during sleep. The second would be...natural causes while on a ride they don't belong on (I've seen this at Space) and then the third highest cause of injuries....stupid guest not following the rules.
Whenever I don't follow safety procedures and get hurt at Space Mountain because there isn't railing between me and the track, don't use it as an example for guest's safety. It was all me being stupid.
I agree, putting the blame on anyone else for simple things is a sign of a society that is turning extremely selfish.
As for the crowd nonsense, the crowds exiting can be dispersed in case of an emergency. There isn't one and only exit for guest, just one for regular use. If you feel trapped in Disney crowds, I wouldn't go.
I agree, putting the blame on anyone else for simple things is a sign of a society that is turning extremely selfish.
For the past couple of years, people on this site have constantly complained that the Yeti is broken on Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Are the consumers entitled to these opinions? Absolutely! They paid for a working ride, they deserve a working ride. In the same light, if I paid for a full day of fun, I expect to have decent dining options available yet most parks don't comply. Not everyone wants to make their own meals while on vacation, so healthy options should be available in the parks. That to me is much more important than one broken component of one ride at one park.
I don't know what DLR's daily electric bill is... water bill... phone bill... the parks don't make money per attraction like they used to, so charging high prices for food and drinks is expected. They gotta pay their cast members somehow right? Ticket prices alone don't do that.
But the one way to make a statement other than complaining to City Hall about food quality is by not buying it. Their bean counters will take notice and hopefully if the customer complaints are heard as well, they can put two and two together instead of laying off cast members.
But I'm talking more of "I'm an American, so I DESERVE to have (insert anything you can think of) regardless of how it affects everyone else. I'm the only important person here. I have the right to not wait in an hour line because you're not running your lines the way they should be."
Yes, everyone has the right to be safe in a theme park. But if this lawsuit has no grounds, then those people just wasted taxpayers' money by bringing it to court.
Here is a great suggestion for food at Disney, since they generously allow food in... Quesadillas... Doesn't take up much space, kids don't complain the bread is squished, doesn't need heating or cooling, protein and carb combo that keeps moods/spirits/energy high. We always stay at a house, so it is easy to make the night prior. But can be microwaved or done on a stove top.
Hats... Sunday Afternoon's Hats are AWESOME for the parks. We call them our portable shade and we have more folks commenting on them than anything else.
As far as the lead, that is easy, stop licking the stained glass windows.
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