Disney Wins Another Lawsuit

Any corporation as big as Disney is bound to be the defendant in numerous lawsuits, but I think Disney might win the prize for the most unique ones. Sure, there are very valid and serious suits concerning guest and employee safety. (And, yes, Disney does occasionally lose them...but they're more likely to settle cases that they have any chance of losing, especially if big money or the potential for bad publicity is involved.) But many lawsuits against Disney are just frivolous, to put it mildly.

My favorites are the ones where guests make ridiculous claims of Disney's fault, such as the one where the woman tripped on the sidewalk and sued Disney for having uneven pavement. Really? I guess I'm of the "suck it up" mentality, because I don't think you can blame a company for your clumsiness. Perhaps the most notable frivolous lawsuit came from a guest who claimed her eardrum burst from the quick descent in the Twin Hydrolators that were once a part of The Living Seas pavillion at Epcot. This former attraction that closed in 2006 gave guests the experience of going deep down to the ocean floor in an elevator-type device. The only problem with this woman's logic: the ride was a simulation--the floor shook and you could see bubbles moving up the glass walls, but the Hydrolators didn't actually go anywhere!

But onto the news of the day. Disney won their most recent frivolous lawsuit on Thursday, as a jury awarded no damages to a woman who sued the company when she got in a fight in line for the Mad Tea Party. Note that she got in a fight...and yet she somehow considered this Disney's fault. The woman who sued, Aimee Krause, has a history of violent behavior, including battering her husband and being suspended from high school six times for fighting, among other noted anger management issues. But she still claimed that Disney failed to provide adequate security for its guests. Wow, really? Gee, maybe...just maybe, Disney expects that most adult guests will act like grown, responsible citizens and not get in physical with other guests when there are children present.

What is happening to the idea of personal responsibility these days? Ugh. I'll get off my soap box now and simply let you know that you can read the full story on the Orlando Sentinel's website.

The Numbers Are In--But What Do They Mean?

"The Daily Disney" section of the Orlando Sentinel has an article regarding Disney's earnings this quarter. Trying to decipher the numbers is a bit like reading Portugese to me, but I'm always interested in what experts have to say about the numbers--and what they likely mean for the consumer.

Disney has been making a gradual shift from the deep discounting of the last few years, but I'm happy to read that Robert Iger is keeping the deep discount door open, should our economy weaken. "We'll take a look at holiday bookings as the year progresses. It's way too early to predict, … [but] my gut, based on the trends we've seen this past year, is it's not something that we'll necessarily have to do quickly." After the rollercoaster the stock market has taken this past week, it would seem that just about anything can happen.

To read the full article, click here.

What's Going On with Pleasure Island/Hyperion Wharf?

It has been 3 years since Pleasure Island, the adults-only area of Downtown Disney that featured dance and comedy clubs, as well as unique venues such as the beloved Adventurer's Club, shut down. For a while, Disney has been mulling over plans to rejuvenate/refurbish/re-something the area. Most recently, plans included turning it into a family-friendly destination with a bit of a 1900s seaport feel, called Hyperion Wharf. Earlier this month Disney announced that those plans have been postponed indefinitely.

At this point, I don't think anyone--even Disney--is quite sure what will become of Pleasure Island. This article in the Orlando Sentinel sheds a bit of light on this destination that seems to present a quite a quandary for Disney.