Area theme parks
have reported their fourth-quarter injury reports. Walt Disney World listed seven; Universal Orlando listed six; and SeaWorld reported one.
Seven visitors to Walt Disney World suffered injuries or illnesses on rides during the last quarter of 2015, according to recently released records from the state.
Universal Orlando had six incidents and SeaWorld had one, according to state reports.
The reports are part of an agreement the biggest attractions have struck with the state, which has exempted them from public ride-safety regulation. The parks report incidents that occur on rides and result in immediate hospital stays of more than 24 hours.
Most of Disney’s incidents took place at the Magic Kingdom.
A 71-year-old man felt ill after riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, while a 75-year-old man complained of pain, tremors and numbness in his right arm after leaving Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
On Pirates of the Caribbean, a 30-year-old woman fell while getting on the ride and a 43-year-old woman with a pre-existing condition had a seizure.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a 24-year-old man had a seizure after leaving the Dinosaur ride, and a 69-year-old man riding Expedition Everest felt chest pain and dizziness after riding.
At Typhoon Lagoon, a 27-year-old woman suffered a laceration while riding Humunga Kowabunga.
At Universal’s Islands of Adventure, a 50-year-old man and a 55-year-old man both had motion sickness on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
At Universal Studios Florida, a 21-year-old woman had motion sickness on the E.T. Adventure, a 17-year-old boy felt anxiousness and had trouble breathing on Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, a 66-year-old woman felt dizzy on Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, and a 35-year-old woman had neck pain on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.
At SeaWorld, a 42-year-old woman had a seizure on the Manta roller coaster. launching Central Florida-based Bob Weis Design Island Associates, he was hired back as executive vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering in 2007.
Also last week, Disney World started a new management structure at its resort. The reorganization will give general managers and executives authority over geographic locations — say, the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland — rather than traditional categories such as merchandise or food and beverage. A Disney spokeswoman said the reorganization will not include layoffs or added jobs. Eighteen managerial positions are becoming executive ones. The philosophy is to take a more holistic approach to management, focusing on the overall guest experience, Disney said.
The restructuring will affect theme parks, hotels, Disney Springs and Disney sports. Hotels under the new plan will each have one general manager.
FAIR targets Disney in ads
The conservative nonprofit Federation for American Immigration Reform has launched ads focusing on how Walt Disney World used H-1B visas to replace its laid-off technology workers with foreigners. The ad is part of a nearly $1 million campaign that FAIR has launched in Florida. It encourages viewers to visit a website about the H-1B visa program. FAIR opposes increasing the number of visas issued. Its ad features Leo Perrero, a former Disney tech worker who was laid off and had to train a foreign replacement working for an outsourcing company. Disney let go about 250 tech workers in 2014. Disney has said it hired about 120 people back into other positions and that its external support firms follow U.S. employment laws.
Universal plans tram road
Universal Orlando plans to construct a “tram road” to shuttle visitors from its south main parking garage to its Volcano Bay water park opening in 2017. Drawings submitted to the South Florida Water Management District show dedicated bus and tram lanes running to a drop-off and pickup area south of where Universal’s Sapphire Falls hotel will soon open on Adventure Way. The water park will lie on the other side of that road. Plans show a pedestrian tunnel connecting the two sides.