From: markj@iplmail.orl.mmc.com (Mark Jones)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney
Subject: Re: HELP Disneyland hurts childs feelings
Date: 15 Sep 92 21:05:10 GMT
Organization: Martin Marietta

In article <1992Sep14.213212.11453@nb.rockwell.com>, 
guthrie@nb.rockwell.com (Karen Guthrie) writes:
|> 
|> I am a big fan of Disneyland I even worked there years ago but this
|> weekend I encountered a situation that just made my blood boil.  We 
|> are season pass holders and my 4.5yo daughter has been waiting with
|> baited breath for litterally years to ride the big rides.  Last 
|> Tuesday we went out to the park and while I will agree she is borderline
|> she was measured about ten times while we rode Splash Mountain 3 times
|> Space mountain twice and Big Thunder once.  She LOVES this sort of thing.
|> Well she was begging to go again so Sunday we went back out and while the
|> Space Mountain personel measured her twice and passed her the Big Thunder
|> mountain employee bounced her out of line and left her heart broken.  We 
|> have actually had her measured three times in a single line.  This seems
|> a bit excessive to me and it is hard on parents and children alike.  Now 
|> it is fortunate that this problem will be gone in a few months but I was
|> left wondering how great I would think Disneyland was if I was an out of
|> town parent and this was our only chance.  I think that they should have
|> one or more measuring stations where kids could get a bracelet (like the
|> hospital kind) that must be destroyed to be removed if they are tall
|> enough and that would be the end of the discussion.  Or for pass holders
|> like her they could just give her a card with her name on it that matched
|> the name on her pass.  I know this may seem like a small thing but you
|> should have seen that little crushed face.  After all it is more than just
|> not getting to ride it is being classed as little.
|> 
|> Disneyland should be a place where dreams come true... not where they are 
|> dashed.
|> 
|> Karen

Hi Karen (and the rest of the net world),

   I used to work at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at WDW about 4 years ago,
and the hardest part of the job was turning children away that were not tall
enough to experience the attraction.  It is possible that a borderline child
could get measured 3 times while in line (once at the entrance, once at the
turnstile area and once in the station). The reason this could happen is 
the host/hostess at the entrance and again at the turnstile could miss a
child (because of talking to another guest or something of that nature).  The
goal is not to let any child in line that is not tall enough to ride so 
that the station hosts/hostesses do not have to worry about measuring.  Although,
we always kept an eye out for small children and had to measure every once in
a while in the station.  Therefore, a borderline child could be stopped at all
three areas.  But, remember what this is for, and that is SAFETY (which is
stressed by management at all times).  I would rather have a child checked three
times in one line then having the child hurt on the attraction (so would
Disney).

   I do admit because of all the times she passed the height requirement, that
the BTM host was probably in error.  I am sure, though, that he did not do
it with a malicious intent.  I know that it tore me up inside when a child 
started crying because he/she was not tall enough to ride.  I guess the
bottom line is that mistakes will happen at times, especially with borderline
children.  I know this is not comforting but it just happens to be the facts.
I know that as much as we want it to be, Disney is not perfect.

   I do like the idea of the bracelet.  I sugguest that you write Disney with
the problem that you experienced as well as with this idea.  It certainly won't
hurt and you will more than likely get a very nice letter back from the
people at Disney.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed are my own and not of the Coporation's.
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Mark A. Jones                          Martin Marietta Electronic Systems
mark-jones@orl.mmc.com                 Orlando, FL
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Looking forward to experiencing Splash Mountain!
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