However, operations manager Mary Koo Kim-yam said the main culprit for stoppages is the weather, at 70 percent, while the remaining 20 percent is caused by technical glitches.

Koo said that in the latter case, the whole ride would be shut down until the cause of the technical glitch was discovered and rectified.

The human causes, Koo said, include standing up during rides to take photographs, striking backdrops with umbrellas, or noticeably terrified children being forced onto rides by parents.

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"In such situations, Disney staff need to stop the amusement rides for safety reasons," Koo explained. "We have trained our frontline workers to be courteous but to stand firm on our safety rules. We will not operate a ride until the visitors have fully complied with the rules even though it may interrupt the schedule.

"We find most visitors accept our advice, but occasionally some people don't, and even lodge complaints against our frontline workers. But we need to firmly stick to our safety rules and will not compromise. In some situations, the cases are transferred to the managers or other senior staff to handle."

Koo said some visitors were unaware of their own health conditions, suffering dizziness or heat strokes after rides.

However, Koo said the situation now was much better when compared with three years ago when the theme park was newly opened. "After making a few visits, our customers have become used to the safety rules," she said.

Koo said misbehavior was the result of individuals rather than nationalities, or because of cultural differences.

Resort operations vice president Dave Vermeulen said among the four pillars of Disney's daily operation, safety came ahead of courtesy, entertainment and efficiency.

Director of facility services Foo Chi- wing said the best way to prevent visitors from being injured was to maintain the safety of the amusement park's rides. A team of 124 technicians inspects, repairs and maintains all rides in the park's 17 attraction zones on a daily basis, he said.

Besides regular major drills which take place every four months, the park will carry out major repairs every five to 10 years, the first of which will be due in two years' time.

"Our busiest time is in the middle of the night after the theme park is closed. We have to inspect every single part of the amusement rides, including something as trivial as the screws," Foo said. "Again, our priority is safety."