Bad experience

[sra12574]

I am an annual pass holder I have passes for myself , my fiance and my stepson . Our passes are coming to end and to save money for our wedding we decided not to renew for the year .
Yesterday we had plans to go to Epcot have Dinner at Ohanas and then go over for the fireworks and maybe do a ride or two before going back to a hotel or driving home . It poured yesterday afternoon at Epcot just before we were trying to leave . So as we boarded the parking lot tram the tram worker warned the tram doesnt move if there are open umbrellas . The tram didnt leave right away because a guy from the back was refusing to follow the instructions . He finally complied and we were on our way but then he decided to put the umbrella back up , the tram worker yelled for the tram to stop and my son slammed his shoulder into the row in front . The tram started up again and at the next stop which was ours my son was having trouble moving and we yelled for the tram worker for assistance . She called he manager and security and they called for ready creek ambulance .My fiance is an EMT for Hernando County so she was looking at him . He had some bruising but I think in a few days he will be ok .
From a medical standpoint I dont have any issues with what happened as far as the follow up but I do think some things from a customer service standpoint could have been handled better. We were late for our reservation because of the incident and allthough they didnt give us a hard time they didn't take into consideration we were held up due to an injury and reporting the injury on a Disney vehicle . Our 6:30 reservation got us seated at 8:15 . So the fireworks we were hoping to see started while we were still seated .
We were originally going to stay the night at cheap hotel we have been staying at on days we decide to stay longer not drive all the way back home . But we decided to drive back home . I called Disney customer service and have disconnecteOne of the last people I spoke with said I should have stayed at the park and made another complaint to guest services .
I have had very positive experiences with Disney in the past when things have gone wrong they have always made a decent effort to make things up for us . One time we stuck on the monorail for an hour and they gave us some extra fastpass, Next week will probably be the last day we will go to the 3 major parks for a few years . I was hoping that that time could be a little exta magical to make up for bad day yesterday but my initial efforts haven't yeilded much hope.

 

[hakepb]

That was the hardest deluge I've seen in WDW yesterday. There were 4+ inches of standing water on some of the walkways in Tomorrowland

 

[Micca]

Well that's certainly unfortunate about your son's injury and the delay to your ADR. Not sure what they can do for you next week--maybe a couple of FP? I agree that Disney generally does a good job of making up for unfortunate circumstances, but the best results always come from issues raised on-site, and near to the time of the incident. I'd suggest shooting an email to Guest Relations. This is what I have on that wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com

Hope your son is feeling better

 

[JerseyJanice]

I am going to guess that there is a safety reason with umbrellas being up on the tram and that is why the driver stopped short. Sorry that your son had an injury as a result.

Although it doesn't sound as if anything that happened was due to negligence on Disney's part, send an Email as @Micca suggested. I doubt there is much that they can do at this point, but you never know.

 

[Simba07]

If the tram hit the brakes too quickly then they do have some accountability. Ohana always runs late, so I don't know that there is anything there, but it seems like Disney usually cares more about injuries. Maybe call again?

 

[Disney_traveler]

I have had very positive experiences with Disney in the past when things have gone wrong they have always made a decent effort to make things up for us . One time we stuck on the monorail for an hour and they gave us some extra fastpass, Next week will probably be the last day we will go to the 3 major parks for a few years .I was hoping that that time could be a little exta magical to make up for bad day yesterday but my initial efforts haven't yeilded much hope.

The quoted paragraph (and bolded part especially) are what I continually have a problem with. What did you expect to get out of it? Medical assistance was called for and taken care of. I just get tired of people always thinking Disney owes them fastpasses and free ice cream and more and more. Yes, I have had issues with Disney and I have complained but I've never been seeking any freebies, just to remedy whatever the issues is.

 

[Klayfish]

If the tram hit the brakes too quickly then they do have some accountability.

Nope

 

[DisneyOma]

I am an annual pass holder I have passes for myself , my fiance and my stepson . Our passes are coming to end and to save money for our wedding we decided not to renew for the year .
Yesterday we had plans to go to Epcot have Dinner at Ohanas and then go over for the fireworks and maybe do a ride or two before going back to a hotel or driving home . It poured yesterday afternoon at Epcot just before we were trying to leave . So as we boarded the parking lot tram the tram worker warned the tram doesnt move if there are open umbrellas . The tram didnt leave right away because a guy from the back was refusing to follow the instructions . He finally complied and we were on our way but then he decided to put the umbrella back up , the tram worker yelled for the tram to stop and my son slammed his shoulder into the row in front . The tram started up again and at the next stop which was ours my son was having trouble moving and we yelled for the tram worker for assistance . She called he manager and security and they called for ready creek ambulance .My fiance is an EMT for Hernando County so she was looking at him . He had some bruising but I think in a few days he will be ok .
From a medical standpoint I dont have any issues with what happened as far as the follow up but I do think some things from a customer service standpoint could have been handled better. We were late for our reservation because of the incident and allthough they didnt give us a hard time they didn't take into consideration we were held up due to an injury and reporting the injury on a Disney vehicle . Our 6:30 reservation got us seated at 8:15 . So the fireworks we were hoping to see started while we were still seated .
We were originally going to stay the night at cheap hotel we have been staying at on days we decide to stay longer not drive all the way back home . But we decided to drive back home . I called Disney customer service and have disconnecteOne of the last people I spoke with said I should have stayed at the park and made another complaint to guest services .
I have had very positive experiences with Disney in the past when things have gone wrong they have always made a decent effort to make things up for us . One time we stuck on the monorail for an hour and they gave us some extra fastpass, Next week will probably be the last day we will go to the 3 major parks for a few years . I was hoping that that time could be a little exta magical to make up for bad day yesterday but my initial efforts haven't yeilded much hope.

They took care of your injured son. They got you seated when they could, since you missed your ADR time. Not sure what you mean by "disconnecteOne" - I'm assuming some kind of typo?

What exactly are you looking for from WDW now? I agree with the CM who said you should have spoken to customer service in the park. Do you have any documentation about the incident? If not, I'm not sure what they can do - I'm sure hundreds, if not thousands, of people call the customer service line to complain to see if they can get something. I guess they can throw you a couple of FP to make you go away.

 

[Jennasis]

Your son is okay. That's fantastic!

You made it to dinner AND you say you were not given a hard time about arriving late.

What/why exactly should Disney be compensating you for and what, in your estimation, should that compensation be?

 

[thevolcanogod]

Is slamming on the brakes in a non-emergency situation to cuss out a passenger SOP for Disney tram drivers? Would it be considered safe and responsible operation of a multi-passenger vehicle with no restraints? Around here if you brake check someone in your car you can get a ticket so I don't think you could call this an acceptable action without liability.

 

[Disney_traveler]

Is slamming on the brakes in a non-emergency situation to cuss out a passenger SOP for Disney tram drivers? Would it be considered safe and responsible operation of a multi-passenger vehicle with no restraints? Around here if you brake check someone in your car you can get a ticket so I don't think you could call this an acceptable action without liability.

Where do they talk about cussing out a passenger?
Also, this was ONE person on a tram. If there would have been more or if he'd required transportation to a hospital, im sure they would have looked into the issue more. I think this is more of a thread looking for more compensation.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Next week will probably be the last day we will go to the 3 major parks for a few years

P
Curious which of the 4 parks you do not consider a "major park".?
Since you live close enough to drive back the same night, I doubt it will be "a few years" until you go back.
Congrats on the upcoming nuptials, and enjoy.

 

[Geoff_M]

Is slamming on the brakes in a non-emergency situation to cuss out a passenger SOP for Disney tram drivers? Would it be considered safe and responsible operation of a multi-passenger vehicle with no restraints? Around here if you brake check someone in your car you can get a ticket so I don't think you could call this an acceptable action without liability.

How is the driver, who is up front, supposed to know if the sudden command to "Stop the Tram!" from the "conductor" is or isn't an emergency? If the command was because a child had fallen out and was in danger of being run over by a wheel and the driver had decided to bring the Tram to a graceful stop, would that be OK?

 

[JerseyJanice]

How is the driver, who is up front, supposed to know if the sudden command to "Stop the Tram!" from the "conductor" is or isn't an emergency? If the command was because a child had fallen out and was in danger of being run over by a wheel and the driver had decided to bring the Tram to a graceful stop, would that be OK?

Exactly.

As I stated above, there may be a valid safety reason for not moving the tram while an umbrella is up. It could be as simple as other passengers could be injured by an open umbrella.

I've been poked by umbrellas in the subway; you can get nasty scratch from one. No one person's safety is any more or less important than the safety of anybody else.

 

[DeterminedOne]

Whatever it is is you want - ask. I always say you get 100% of what you don't ask for. Maybe the OP just wants a sincere apology. Whatever it is - ask. All they can do is say no.

 

[DisneyOma]

Whatever it is is you want - ask. I always say you get 100% of what you don't ask for. Maybe the OP just wants a sincere apology. Whatever it is - ask. All they can do is say no.

I don't think the OP said they didn't get an apology? Or did I miss something?

 

[DeterminedOne]

I don't think the OP said they didn't get an apology? Or did I miss something?

Yes, you missed the word maybe.

 

[Disney_traveler]

I don't think the OP said they didn't get an apology? Or did I miss something?

I agree with you. I don't see any mention of receiving (or not receiving) an apology. I do see a focus on disney "making things up to them" and "something more magical" or something like that.

However, looking at OPs join date and # of posts, I wonder if this may be a "hit and run" thread.

 

[thevolcanogod]

How is the driver, who is up front, supposed to know if the sudden command to "Stop the Tram!" from the "conductor" is or isn't an emergency? If the command was because a child had fallen out and was in danger of being run over by a wheel and the driver had decided to bring the Tram to a graceful stop, would that be OK?

Sorry to say but by the time your imaginary passenger falls out they've probably already been run over before the "conductor" can call a stop to the tram. But it's hard to speculate because we're taking about an imaginary passenger and I would need more details on the speed of the tram, location of the seat etc to give you an accurate answer.

I do know that public transportation like trains and busses and planes have emergency features that stop them quickly (except for the plane of course - those do other pretty serious things) and if you use them in a non-emergency situation, things don't work out too good for you.

If things went down the way OP states, I'd have to say whoever called for emergency braking over an open umbrella probably better take a chill pill.

 

[anniemae]

I don't really think Disney did anything too wrong. It was unfortunate the tram had to stop suddenly, and maybe he could have eased to a stop. It sounds like the driver jammed on the breaks? If so, that was wrong and not safe. He could have alerted everyone he was stopping. In his defense though, when the worker yelled for the driver to stop, the driver probably had no idea why. It could have been an emergency situation, or someone falling out and not just some guy refusing to keep his umbrella closed. The driver probably panicked and stopped quickly.

It sounds like they followed protocol when you alerted them of the situation. They called management, security and an ambulance.

You were late for your ADR, but they did not give you a hard time. They were probably so busy they couldn't give you special priority. I think they just want to get people in and out, and sometimes it is like an assembly line.

Maybe they could have been more sympathetic, but I think the sheer number of people they deal with kind of numbs them. I also think we hear things on social media about "I hurt my toe and Disney gave me a free dinner!" "My kid got wet on Kali and a CM gave us a whole new outfit for free! And a stuffed Pluto!" It's almost like we expect super special pixie dust and special treatment, and free "extras." Not saying OP is like this, but just people in general at Disney. I think OP just wanted some acknowledgment and maybe some token of an apology. And instead was met with indifference. Maybe not, but that's how I read it.

Yes, they could have been more sympathetic especially since he was hurt on Disney property as the result of a Disney employee. I'm surprised they didn't offer you something for your trouble, but maybe they are just over worked and stressed. It can't hurt to send an email to guest relations. I am glad your son is okay, not a great memory of vacation, but hopefully he had a good time overall!