Exclusive: Passenger sues Disney Cruise Line after falling down theater stairs due to ‘temporary blinding’ from stage lights

Exclusive: Passenger sues Disney Cruise Line after falling down theater stairs due to ‘temporary blinding’ from stage lights Florida resident Cynthia Manning was trying to find her seat before an at-sea ‘Broadway-style’ show when she was disoriented by what she claims were ‘excessively bright’ stage lights pointed directly into the crowd - Bookmark A passenger on a Disney cruise to the Bahamas is suing after she fell down a flight of stairs in the shipboard theater when a member of the production crew allegedly shined an “excessively bright” light into her eyes and thoroughly disoriented her, according to a federal lawsuit reviewed by The Independent. As Florida resident Cynthia Manning made her way down the theater stairs to her seat on the second night of a four-night Thanksgiving voyage last November, she was “temporarily blinded… by the excessively bright ... stage lights that a Disney entertainment crew member pointed directly into the crowd while guests entered,” states a civil complaint filed Thursday in Orlando federal court. It says Manning was “severely injured” while descending the stairs in the Disney Wish’s 1,274-capacity Walt Disney Theater. The venue plays host to a “Broadway-style” version of The Little Mermaid written especially for the 4,000-passenger vessel; other shows mounted aboard the vessel include Seas the Adventure, a show starring Goofy and Minnie Mouse, and Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular. According to Manning’s complaint, the crew member controlling the show’s lighting had a responsibility to ensure they were “bright enough to illuminate the Theater but not excessively bright.” “Further, this entertainment crew member had the duty and responsibility of ensuring that the Theater’s stage lights were not pointed directly into the eyes of guests walking into the Theater, causing them to be unable to appreciate the Subject Staircase,” the complaint argues. Purportedly unable to see, the complaint says Manning then tripped and missed a step, thanks to the staircase’s “several dangerous and/or defective conditions.” These, the complaint goes on, included “uneven, alternating steps, inadequate lighting, and missing handrails.” Manning suffered injuries to both ankles and both feet, the extent of which are not specified in the complaint. However, it contends that Manning “has endured and continues to endure pain, suffering, disability, physical impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, aggravation or acceleration of preexisting conditions, and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life.” The complaint also says Manning has “incurred and will continue to incur significant medical expenses,” and that the damage to her lower limbs is “permanent or continuing in nature.” It accuses Disney of “negligent design, construction, approval, and/or selection of the Theater’s stage lights and Subject Staircase” in causing Manning’s troubles. Among other things, the entertainment giant failed to “correct the intensity and alignment of the stage lighting so as to limit adverse effects on passengers,” to “adequately determine whether it was unreasonably dangerous for guests to descend the Subject Staircase with the Theater’s stage light settings,” and for “[f]ailing to inspect and test the lighting arrangement for crowd safety.” “Had Disney properly designed, constructed, approved, and/or selected proper Theater stage lights and/or Subject Staircase steps, [Manning] would not have tripped and fell and/or missed a step and fell aboard the Vessel, and been injured,” the complaint states. The alleged issues in the theater aboard the Wish have existed since the vessel was launched in 2022, which the complaint claims “is a sufficient length of time to invite corrective measures.” They weren’t obvious to passengers, and there were no caution signs or cones placed in the area, according to the complaint. “At all times material,” it goes on, “no Disney crew members, including the crew members stationed in and around the Theater’s entrance and Subject Staircase’s entrance, audibly warned [Manning] of the Theater’s blinding stage lights or the Subject Staircase’s dangerous and/or defective conditions.” Had Disney done so, Manning would have “taken precautions” and “would not have tripped and fell and/or missed a step and fell,” according to the complaint. Manning’s complaint also claims the staircase violated the International Maritime Organization’s mandatory safety regulations, which require “safe escape routes” from all areas on a ship such as the Wish. It says Disney “knew or should have known that it was highly probable” for passengers like Manning to hurt themselves while descending the staircase in the ship’s theater, citing two past falls on theater steps aboard other “substantially similar” vessels. The Disney Wish’s production of The Little Mermaid, according to the company, is a “spectacular” show. “In this modern-day retelling, audiences will rediscover the iconic scenes, acclaimed music and beloved characters of the film, as a cast of contemporary storytellers put their own spin on the timeless tale,” Disney explained in a blog post announcing the production. “The creative minds at Disney Cruise Line have joined forces with a team of top Broadway talent to develop an all-new stage adaptation of ‘The Little Mermaid’ exclusively for the Disney Wish.” The show features “innovative theatrical design, sustainable costumes, dazzling special effects, artistic choreography, and a reimagined script and score that will surprise and delight guests of all ages,” according to its creators. Manning is now demanding a money judgment to be determined by a jury, including economic damages for medical expenses; non-economic damages for pain, suffering, disability, physical impairment, scarring, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life; plus court costs. “The lawsuit alleges that Disney created an unsafe situation in this cruise ship theater, and that our client's fall was preventable and caused severe injuries that she's still recovering from,” attorney Eric Rice of Morgan & Morgan, who is representing Manning, told The Independent. “Our goal is to secure justice and ensure this does not happen to others in the future.” A Disney Cruise Line spokesperson did not respond on Thursday to a request for comment.