Like thousands of other tourists, Nikki Vachon is headed for Walt Disney World, billed as the “Happiest Place on Earth,” in July.
While she's saddened by Sunday's shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub in downtown Orlando, Florida, that left 49 people dead, and 53 others wounded, Vachon isn't abandoning her plans for a vacation, something the recent widow hasn't had in 14 years.
“I am devastated by this, but it is not affecting my plans. That is not to be shallow, but that is what terrorists want. They want us to be fearful. Had it been an attack on a theme park, like Disney, it would make me pause,” Vachon, of Moultonboro, New Hampshire, said. “We got our magic bands in the mail yesterday, the day after (the shooting).”
In fact, this past weekend’s attack, being called the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, didn’t occur at a Central Florida theme park — but too close to one for comfort. That the suspected shooter Omar Mateen and his wife, Noor Zahi Salman, reportedly visited the Disney complex in April, perhaps casing the location, according to a law enforcement official, is all the more chilling.
On Tuesday, the region’s theme parks, the biggest magnets of all for the 100 million-plus tourists expected to visit the Sunshine State this year, said they had stepped up security, though none cited a specific, direct threat to their facilities.
And, so far, it seems those with vacation plans in the near future aren’t second-guessing.
Kenny Gendason of Plantation said his Disney adventure starts Sunday, and he is going.
“After 9/11, they were talking about canceling the NFL Monday night football game out of fear of the stadium being attacked. (Then-Baltimore Ravens coach) Brian Billick said we must play the game. We can’t let them win. Same thing with Disney,” Gendason said. “The moment families stop going for the fear of threat then it’s not Disney anymore. Families must keep going to show the terrorists can’t win.”
Many visitors feel that Disney and other parks, such as Sea World and Universal, are taking proper security precautions, as it is in the parks’ best interest and that of their guests, to prevent any incidents. After all, Orlando, which saw a record 66 million tourists in 2015, is the most-visited tourist destination in the U.S.
While going through security at Disney World and other theme parks doesn’t require removing your shoes, it’s become more airport-like in the past few months with the installation of metal detectors. Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal have had them in place at their gates since December, but not every guest is told to walk through them.
A Walt Disney World spokesperson said Tuesday, “Unfortunately we’ve all been living in a world of uncertainty, and we have been increasing our security measures across our properties for some time, adding such visible safeguards as magnetometers (walk-through metal detectors), additional canine units, and law enforcement officers on site, as well as less visible systems that employ state-of-the-art security technologies.”
After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, bag checks began at Disney and the park also switched out the entrance gates for stronger ones that could withstand a crashing truck. In recent months, those checks have become more careful, those who’ve been to the parks say, and uniformed police officers and patrol cars have occasionally patrolled near park entrances.
SeaWorld issued a statement Tuesday saying: “Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those touched by the unimaginable events that occurred in Orlando early this morning. The safety of our ambassadors, guests and animals has always been our top priority. Our security teams work closely with law enforcement and we have enhanced security measures at all our parks. Like other major attractions and law enforcement agencies in the area, we do not comment on the details of our security measures in order to maintain their effectiveness.”
Disney visitors such as Pamela Sroka-Holzmann of Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, are taking note of the precautions, but wondering if the security measures are strict enough.
Sroka-Holzmann visited Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and other attractions this past week prior to the shootings with her husband Chris Holzmann and their children ages 2 and 4. Their bags, including a cooler and a diaper bag, were checked at each park.
“The operator on the tram car heading into the parking lot alerted us no selfie sticks or anything resembling a gun — a toy or water pistol — would be allowed inside the parks,” Sroka-Holzmann said. “We were asked to open all zippers on our larger bags to be checked. The security guards said over a loud speaker to visitors, ‘If you have 100 zippers on your bag, we need all 100 zippers opened.”
However, no one checked the children’s mini-backpacks which were large enough to conceal a small weapon. In addition, the majority of the guests were not asked to go through the metal detector, Sroka-Holzmann said.
“When Chris told me he had to go through the metal detector and was randomly selected, I told him I was happy they were doing that. I could care less about the additional wait and felt safer by the extra security measures,” Sroka-Holzman said.
Palm Beach Post staff writer Leslie Streeter contributed to this story.
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