Pete's comments on his team and the Skyliner from last weeks show.

[disneyseniors]

I also applaud Pete for standing up for his team, and for being honest about his feelings about Disney and the skyliner incident, which is how I feel.
I think some of the viewers were upset because the whole thing was apparently treated somewhat cavalier by the team, it seems.
Also some were upset with the statement about having no empathy for the people stuck in the skyliners. THAT may be what got those people all riled up? Just MHO.
Anyone who watches the Dis unplugged routinely will know without a doubt that there are no Disney "shills" on that show. I love how they give their honest opinions on a lot of subjects. I think some people were thrown by their lack of concern over the event, incident, accident, whatever you want to call it. THAT is what I think is at the core of all the discontent. I have always found Craig's comments enjoyable and honest.

 

[OhanaBreadPudding]

I haven't listened yet TBH, and while I think it's great Pete stood up for his team, I was very confused by Craig's take on the Skyliner. The team will complain about everything (and rightfully so at times) from slow service at a restuarant to rooms that aren't up to standard, but for some reason the Skyliner incident, malfuction, accident, or whatever else you want to call it wasn't a big deal because "no one died". I get accidents happen, but they were major issues identified from this which include being stuck in a box in the heat with little to no airflow, lack of communication from Disney to guests about what was going on, and lack of emergency supplies. I give Fire/Rescue credit for evacuating everyone within 3 hours, but they expressed concern before it opened about their staffing and a need to increase it. The apologetic stance towards Disney (while ignoring the issues identified) was confusing given the team's criticism of Disney in other areas. Also, if you are going to take a hard line stance in the comment section, stand by what you say. Why repost the comment section and take out your replies?

I agree with you but I want to point out that people weren’t technically evacuated. They got the line back up and running so people got off at the stations. Very few people were actually evacuated because it took so long for each cart.

 

[disneyworldsk]

i would love it if one day when pete is not heading the podcast due to absence if someone on the team who has not lead the podcast do so. I think it shakes things up when perhaps kathy or some of the new people could lead the podcast. i think it would bring a different style or vibe then craig or john subbing as leads. just as a change of pace. or steve p. even. Just to be different and try something new.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

I haven't seen that particular broadcast, but, looking at comment #20 on here I see Steve made a point about diminishing characters. I noticed this at both Halloween parties at DL and especially WDW. I had a party pass for the WDW parties and I realised, having done 5 parties in total in the two weeks, that there were a lot less characters at it.

 

[KingLlama]

*a serious post by King Llama*

I only know the team through these boards, Facebook, Twitter, IG, and MySpace (okay, not MySpace). I've conversed with them privately a few times, but that's about the extent of it. So when I listened to last week's show, it struck me a bit differently than it did some of those who criticized their comments and/or tone.

I think some took their comments as cavalier or dismissive. And while I don't necessarily agree with that, I wouldn't be surprised if team members wish they could go back and maybe adjust the tenor of their comments, if not the actual words they said. Maybe they wouldn't, I don't know. I just know that sometimes tone is as important as words themselves, and there are times when my tone has conveyed a message that was a bit different than my actual words.

When I listened to the team talk about it, and especially Craig, I almost sensed a weariness. And I immediately *got it*. The Skyliner accident happened on what, a Saturday? The show was recorded three days later. To most people, that's not a long time. In fact, I'd say that most DIS fans were eagerly awaiting the team's take on the incident.

But three days is a LONG time on social media, especially if you're immersed in any one niche of it (Disney, politics, sports, etc.) And to be honest, if the team is like me, they follow a lot of "DisTwitter" accounts, all of which spent the first 24-48 hours after the accident talking about nothing but Skyliner. Most takes were common sense takes, but there were extreme views on both sides ("Disney needs to shut the whole thing down forever because this is the worst and Disney is the worst", "These types of things happen all the time and people just need to get over it", etc.).

So by the time Tuesday rolled around, even I was like "ugh...more Skyliner talk". And I'm wondering if the team felt a bit the same way. Again, most Disney fans DON'T follow WDW social media that closely, so they weren't finished talking/thinking it through. And there are some for whom the DIS is the ONLY source of Disney news/discussion. I'm wondering if that's partially where the disconnect came into play. Most folks might have been clamoring for a more intense discussion of it, while members of the team might have already had a bit of "Skyliner incident fatigue".

Again, I may be way off. The team doesn't *know* me, and I don't *know* them, so this is pure speculation. I'm just wondering if that played a part in the tone and tenor of their comments.

They are welcome to refute this theory. I hope they don't, though, because I am a fragile and delicate flower.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

*a serious post by King Llama*

I completely agree with you that’s what happened, and you should post seriously more often. Your serious posts are often very well thought out.

 

[KingLlama]

I completely agree with you that’s what happened, and you should post seriously more often. You’re serious posts are often very well thought out.

I agree completely.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I agree with you but I want to point out that people weren’t technically evacuated. They got the line back up and running so people got off at the stations. Very few people were actually evacuated because it took so long for each cart.

part of it was they were searching for one specific cabin - at least that is the reports I saw ... someone was having a medical issue from stress and they were trying to find that cabin to rescue that person first before focusing on the rest of the line and they had issues locating it. One element mentioned was the cars do not have the numbers on the bottom of them and at times it can be hard to see the sides of the cabins to see the numbers. Hopefully things like this and other elements they adjust processes on so it is a better, quicker process in the future

 

[tguz]

"Things happen", I agree, but that doesn't mean a person can't or shouldn't have empathy for a family. If Craig's car blew a tire on I4 and he had no way to change it and had to wait 3 hours for help, I would certainly empathize with him and his family stuck on the side of the road, no matter if he wants empathy or not. It doesn't cost a thing to show empathy or feel for another in a bad situation.

 

[DLgal]

I haven't seen that particular broadcast, but, looking at comment #20 on here I see Steve made a point about diminishing characters. I noticed this at both Halloween parties at DL and especially WDW. I had a party pass for the WDW parties and I realised, having done 5 parties in total in the two weeks, that there were a lot less characters at it.

He wasn't talking about those kinds of characters. He was talking about parks characters, like Figment, Orange Bird, and various animatronic characters from rides/shows. He was lamenting the push towards rides/attractions that use current movie IP sort of taking over and the loss of original characters from rides that don't necessarily have a movie tie in.

 

[ALWEASEL]

Go Pete Go.
The Dis crew does a bang up job of giving us a ton of content.
I love the fact the boss backs his people up.
That isn't happening as much anymore.
If people have a big problem on how the show is now, don't troll just stop watching.
The Dis crew aren't paid big bucks to be on the show. They don't need people making them miserable.
Love the show and all the people that are on it and one the boards here.
I loved Pete saying when Kathy wanted to sound like Jackie that she needed to be more unicorn and confetti or something like that. Classic.

 

[firemanx]

I can't give Pete enough props for his defense of the team regarding last weeks discussion regarding the Skyliner. A boss who has his staff's back is golden..........you hold on to that forever!!!! If you've watched the show for a period of time or met Pete you surely know he has his opinion and he runs a tight ship. So the fact that he stood up for the team has to make them feel great. All anyone wants is to be respected and today's mini-rant shows that Pete wholeheartedly respects his team. That doesn't mean he agrees......not by a longshot.....but he respects they're opinions. I have a boss who works the same way. You'll run through walls for people like that. Look at how hard Pete's team works........proof!!
100%

Doug

 

[pdarrah]

I think it is great that Pete supports his team. I just listened to the Skyliner episode yesterday (I'm a little behind) so I listened to it knowing there had been a fuss and I STILL don't hear anything that bad. It seemed to me that everyone felt Disney should have done better, particularly with communicating with the guests that were stuck. They also were addressing the "No one should ever ride again and Disney should just get rid of it" faction. There is an awful lot of this, and a lot of it was around before it even opened and are now coming out of the woodwork with the "We told you so!" The members of the team mostly seemed to feel that this wasn't really a hit on the skyliner as a mode of transportation and that they would still ride it. No one used the analogy, but it seemed to me that it was similar to people who have been caught on airplanes that sat on the tarmack for hours - did they then refuse to ever ride in another airplane? I think they did mention the monorail - it's had problems, but most of us will still ride it.

However, what I am TOTALLY confused about is the Zip-Line talk. This is the first mention I have heard of that as a rescue method (although I admit that I've only read a few newspaper articles and a few blogs I trust, so maybe I missed it). Only a few people were removed via cherry-picker - I believe that the rest were pulled into the stations and stepped out normally. I would think if anyone zip-lined out it would be all over the media.

 

[ChrisFL]

part of it was they were searching for one specific cabin - at least that is the reports I saw ... someone was having a medical issue from stress and they were trying to find that cabin to rescue that person first before focusing on the rest of the line and they had issues locating it. One element mentioned was the cars do not have the numbers on the bottom of them and at times it can be hard to see the sides of the cabins to see the numbers. Hopefully things like this and other elements they adjust processes on so it is a better, quicker process in the future

That is great info....which I wish Disney themselves had relayed instead of hearing about it from third parties...but that's not directly related to this thread exactly.

I too thought it wasn't the same opinion that Pete would have, but I also expected we'd hear his take eventually

I agree with Pete, but everyone is entitled to their own (educated) opinion, and we can all disagree without being disagreeable (or trolls). I also can't believe people think they are shills if they've ever heard any other shows. One of the reasons I enjoy so much is that they lay out the facts and don't, um, pixie dust over them the way some others online do.

It's also easy for bystanders to say "tear down the whole system" if they don't like something with it. I'm sure the issues can be worked out and I think we've all had reservations about whether they were having "budget engineering" happening either financially with what was purchased from Dopplemayr OR with staffing and the push to get guests through quickly. We don't know a lot of the inner workings of how things have been done as of yet. I do know that Disney was VERY VERY Lucky this incident happened at night and not in the middle of the day. (However looking back, I wonder if they would have pushed to move the cars back into the stations more quickly if they know of heat exhaustion concerns in mid-day....again, something we don't really know about).

The only other thing Pete didn't mention in this show was the RCFD staffing concerns.

To the whole DISUnplugged staff, Keep up the great work!

 

[Linkura]

Every week should be Pete ranting and dropping truthbombs for 30+ minutes and then the last 15 minutes can be general news. This was a great episode.

 

[bluecruiser]

Every week should be Pete ranting and dropping truthbombs for 30+ minutes and then the last 15 minutes can be general news. This was a great episode.

As someone who's not a fan of rants in general, I'd be happy if the sequence you proposed was reversed. Then I could listen to the part I want first and turn it off when the rants started (which is what I did this week). I normally fast-forward through rants and I appreciated Pete's warning about upcoming rants at the beginning this week.

 

[eiblehs]

Listening now! I normally wait until Friday to catch up, but your post made me race to Youtube. I love Pete's rants!

 

[WDW_Ding]

However, what I am TOTALLY confused about is the Zip-Line talk. This is the first mention I have heard of that as a rescue method (although I admit that I've only read a few newspaper articles and a few blogs I trust, so maybe I missed it). Only a few people were removed via cherry-picker - I believe that the rest were pulled into the stations and stepped out normally. I would think if anyone zip-lined out it would be all over the media.

Pete was just being sarcastic and silly. As soon as he said it, I wished that he hadn't because I knew at least some people would take him seriously.

No one, under any circumstances, is going to be zip lining out of a Skyliner.

 

[TheConsciousness]

Can someone tell me the title of this episode? I would like to listen.

Nevermind:

 

[teruterubouzu]

However, what I am TOTALLY confused about is the Zip-Line talk. This is the first mention I have heard of that as a rescue method (although I admit that I've only read a few newspaper articles and a few blogs I trust, so maybe I missed it).

Pete was just being sarcastic and silly. As soon as he said it, I wished that he hadn't because I knew at least some people would take him seriously.

No one, under any circumstances, is going to be zip lining out of a Skyliner.

The zip line rescue would be in play if someone needed to be evacuated from a gondola over the canal at the international gateway. There are photos from the evacuation testing here: https://blogmickey.com/2019/07/behind-the-scenes-disney-skyliner-evacuation-testing-posted-online/