Disney Parks Pet Peeves
In the immortal words of Frank Costanza, I’ve got a lot of problems with you people, and now you’re going to hear about it! This blog is normally sunshine and rainbows, but it’s time for you to hear what I really think. It’s time for my annual “Airing of Disney Parks Guest Grievances” in honor of Festivus. (Updated December 23, 2023.)
This is a companion piece, of sorts, to our new Top 10 Guest Complaints About Walt Disney World. Those are all of the grievances that you have about the parks. Here, it’s time for all of the issues the parks have with you. Well, not “you” as an individual, and theme parks are inanimate objects so they don’t really have grievances to air. I think you get the idea, though. That list was grievances of guests; this one is grievances about guests.
In our Essence of the Disney Magic post that discusses what makes the parks so special, we share a Walt Disney quote about it taking “people to make the dream a reality.” Clearly, he was referring to the exceptional Cast Members, as all other guests do at Walt Disney World is clog up walkways, obstruct views, make noise during attractions, and lead to longer wait times. 😉
Fair warning: this post is in no way helpful to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or other park trip planning. Actually, it’s not really helpful to anyone, anywhere at all. Think of it as a junk food blog post that you shouldn’t waste your time reading. That is, unless you don’t really care about wasting your time on the internet, in which case, read away!
I want to underscore that this is meant in good fun and with a lighthearted sense to it. No one is perfect. While these things do bug me, I’m sure I do plenty of things that bug others, and I certainly don’t have any malice towards anyone who does these things. We’ve both been guilty of some of the “offenses” here!
Most of the time, I don’t think people are doing any of these things intentionally, or at least with the express purpose of inconveniencing others. While this could be a helpful heads up to let you know what behavior might be unintentionally obnoxious, it’s mostly just some lighthearted venting.
With those caveats out of the way, I’ll let my inner Frank Costanza (I’d like to think he’d be proud of this list…but at the same time would be its biggest offender) take over and share a few of my Disney theme park pet peeves…
Screens Up! – I don’t know who needs to hear this, but YouTube exists. Joking aside, it’s such an odd phenomenon to see the fireworks start and hundreds of screens go up over heads. Wanting to capture a small snippet to share on social media is one thing, but some people are out there recording the full show with shaky hands from an off-center angle behind a shoulder kid (see below) on a phone with a busted screen. There’s a 100% chance that video will be worse than 100,000+ videos already on YouTube, freely accessible to all.
Don’t get me wrong: having your own photos and videos–even subpar ones–is important. Documenting experiences and having tangible reminders of lasting memories is far better than any souvenir you can buy. What’s key is making them your own. Don’t take photos or video of JUST the fireworks or JUST the stage show or JUST the food.
After recording a few seconds of pyro, pan back to capture the wide-eyed wonder of your child as the glow of the fireworks washes over their face. Take a snapshot of your significant other about to devour a dessert the size of their head. Obtain photographic evidence of grandpa falling asleep during MuppetVision as a future reminder of their distinctly unpatriotic gaffe.
Flaunting Disney Knowledge – Let’s level with one another: I write a Disney blog and you read at least one. We both clearly have too much free time on our hands and probably know much more about Disney than John Q Public.
This is neither a Scarlet Letter, nor is it a badge of honor. Some Disney fans don’t seem to understand this. They share their Mad Park Smartz with their friends in the parks. There’s nothing wrong with this by itself, but when it’s done in painfully loud voices that are clearly for the benefit of those around them in a queue, that’s where I draw the line. You know what I’m talking about.
I’ll be honest with you: it’s possible I’ve become part of the problem. As a frequent photographer of construction walls on both coasts, I very frequently overhear other guests wonder whether Splash Mountain is being converted into a restaurant. If they seem the friendly type, I’ll respond: “I don’t know if you were kidding or not, but it’s actually going to be a similar ride based on The Princess and the Frog. Kinda funny and confusing that they have signs that say ‘Tiana’s Foods’ and nothing about a ride, but that’s what it’ll be.”
That is the script I have “perfected” in my head that is, in my opinion, a good mixture of disarming and not too know-it-all-y. At least, that’s my hope. I’ll let you be the judge as to whether I’m being helpful or have become part of the problem!
Rudeness to Cast Members – Don’t like the quality of the beef patty in your burger at Cosmic Ray’s? Having yet another issue trying to book Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations? Think lines for everything are too long? Yelling at the nearest Cast Member seems like a totally reasonable solution that will absolutely fix the problem.
Oh wait, no it doesn’t. At all. Frontline Cast Members are about as much to blame for those problems and decisions as the McDonald’s burger flipper is for Hamburglar’s many crimes. The Cast Members you see in parks don’t create the unpopular policies, even if they are tasked with enforcing them. Yelling at any of these people is wholly unreasonable. What exactly are guests expecting to accomplish?
Spending a lot of money on a Walt Disney World vacation does not entitle guests to be jerks to anyone who gets in their way or prevents them from having a “perfect” trip. Cast Members go out of their way to put a smile on kids’ faces and make magic for guests, and should be treated accordingly.
This is especially true now. Cast Members are under increased stress, having had to play babysitter and rule enforcers to adults for the last year, while also seeing thousands of their colleagues lost during mass layoffs. On top of that, they also bear the brunt of ever-increasing guest complaints about reduced entertainment, Genie+, and other policy changes and cuts made by people at a way higher pay grade. None of this is their fault–being rude to Cast Members only exacerbates problems and degrades the guest experience for those who visit later, as Cast Member burn-out worsens.
A good rule in life is to follow Wheaton’s Law. If that’s too tough to follow, a lower standard is: “don’t be rude to people regarding situations that are out of their control, especially when they are doing their best to be nice and help you.”
Walking Etiquette – I walk at an extremely brisk pace. I have no time for shenanigans such as meandering aimlessly. However, I understand not everyone desires or can maintain my pace, and I certainly don’t expect it.
What I also don’t expect is a convoy of 4 double-wide strollers walking side by side taking up the entire walkway so no one can pass. Instead, observe the rules of the road. Allow sufficient room for oncoming traffic. Leave open space next to you for a “passing lane.”
On a highway, you wouldn’t aimlessly zigzag from lane to lane without regard for traffic behind you, so don’t do the same in walkways. Likewise, just as you wouldn’t come to a dead stop in the middle of your lane when driving 70 MPH, don’t stop in your tracks to look at a map in the middle of a walkway. Navigate the parks like it’s not your first time walking in public.
Filling In All Available Space – I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you’re at the end of the extended queue in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and the wait time is 180 minutes, standing as close as possible to the person in front of you won’t make the line move any faster. Spacing way back in line has no bearing on efficiency at load, which is the only thing that really matters. You can leave a little breathing room for comfort farther back in the line.
To be sure, there are times when filling in all available space is necessary. If a Cast Member makes the request, do it–there’s likely an operational reason for it (like getting enough people into the Haunted Mansion Stretching Room to ensure a steady flow in the queue afterwards). Moreover, no one should expect 6′ in all directions at this point. But most of the time, there’s no reason to invade the personal space of the strangers around you. There’s a happy medium.
Disproportionate Line Jumping – I’m a reasonable guy. If you’re a large family with a herd of small children, I get that a trip to the parks is a veritable Detrol commercial. Bathroom breaks are a frequent, time-consuming part of the theme park experience. One parent taking a child to the bathroom while the other jumps in line with the rest of the pack is absolutely reasonable.
What I don’t appreciate is when one member of a multi-generational party of 27 jumps in line, and then slowly the other 26 members trickle ahead of me. That’s not meeting the “rest” of your party, it’s thinly-veiled line-jumping. I never say anything to these people, but you better believe the back of their heads receive a contemptuous glare.
A fair rule: unless 51% of your party is farther forward, the rest of the party moves back. Fair enough?
Talking on Attractions – Again, I’m reasonable. I understand that parks are a social environment. They aren’t a library or a movie theater. Some small, quiet comments here and there are totally fine.
Now it’s everyone else’s turn to be reasonable and understand that the rest of us waited 45 minutes in line so we could enjoy an immersive attraction, not so we could hear you talk about that epic party from last night in excruciating detail as if it has all the drama of the Iran-Contra Affair.
Quoting Attractions – Continuing on the ‘talking’ subject, here’s my biggest pet peeve: quoting lines from attractions in the attraction right before the line is said in the attraction. This is a variation of Flaunting Disney Knowledge, but it’s so annoying that it deserves its own spot.
I don’t mind people quoting attractions in general. I’d like to think the wisdom gleaned from Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree can be applied to all facets of life. What I mind is people beating the attraction to the punch, showing off their own knowledge as if this gives them some sort of ill-gotten street cred. It doesn’t.
Just try and go on the Jungle Cruise without someone saying the words ‘backside of water’ before the skipper, or to the Haunted Mansion without someone saying ‘there’s always my way’ before the Ghost Host. A few words is mildly annoying but relatively harmless–let’s just avoid trying to quote entire paragraphs of the attraction script.
Stroller Etiquette – This has become less of an issue in the last couple of years due to a rule change last year. There was a brief period when Walt Disney World turned into the wild west for strollers, with huge wagons, royal carriages, and Star Wars spaceships. No joke–there were businesses renting out “themed” strollers!
If you operate a stroller, please be mindful of the heels in front of you. Let’s again use the roadway analogy: strollers are like cars–yield to pedestrians. Don’t use your stroller as a battering ram to help you plow through crowds when Walt Disney World walkways are a bit congested with traffic!
Shoulder-Children – Are you 6′ tall and want to put your kids on your shoulders for the fireworks? No problem! It’s not as if there are hundreds of people behind you who also want to see the show or anything. I really am curious as to what line of thought can justify this?
Kids have a tough time seeing a show from the ground and parents have a difficult time holding them at normal eye level. This leaves parents with a conundrum: put them on shoulders or don’t. If you put them on your shoulders, they can see but you’re blocking the view of countless people behind you. This effectively says, “my children seeing the show is more important than anyone behind me seeing it.”
Fair rule: if you want to put your kids on your shoulders, do it from a location where there are not people behind you. Alternatively, choose a viewing location where there are not obstructions in front of you. Both exist, particularly when it comes to Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom or Luminous: The Symphony of Us in Epcot.
Shoulder kids could really fall under a general penumbra of “Selfish Guests” that would encompass everything from sitting in the middle seats of what clearly will be a packed theater (despite directions from Cast Members to move all the way down), throwing trash on the ground or not cleaning up the trash at your table for counter service meals, smoking wherever you feel like, waving around your selfie stick without regard for others, and a myriad of other things. Again, that $100+ per day ticket is not a license to do whatever the heck you want because, “YOU PAID A TON OF MONEY FOR THIS VACATION.”
Have you steered clear of my airing of Disney theme park grievances thus far? Well, I have a lot more that you are doing! You couldn’t smooth a silk sheet if you had a hot date with a babe…ah, I lost my train of thought. 😉 (I’m sorry, a lot of the references in this blog probably don’t make sense if you’re not a Seinfeld fan. Then again, I’m not so sure I want people reading this blog who aren’t Seinfeld fans.)
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Your Thoughts
What are your Disney theme park pet peeves? Are you so high on the magic of pixie dust when you visit the parks that nothing annoys you? What do I do that annoys you (this is the airing of theme park grievances, after all)? Feel free to vent in the comments. You won’t change anything about how other guests behave at Walt Disney World, but at least it’s therapeutic!
Here’s mine – people staring at you judgmentally while you participate in the “sing-a-long” shows. They just sit in there silently staring at all the folks singing…. grrrr
Tom: my wife and kids 100% agree with your pet peeves. My personal number one is a group stopping in the middle of the walkway. We also got a good laugh from reading them because they all ring so true. At the very least, you should now feel a bit better having had the opportunity to vent. Thanks for sharing.
Yes to this! Especially beating the attraction to the punch! Someone did through the entire Rise of Resistance ride! And I only got to go on it once. Some schmuck trying to show off for his daughter. Ugh! I got up at the crack of dawn for that ride! These types of people need muzzles.
We live in a society people!
My Peeve is, being disabled and having to use a scooter to get around the Parks the folks that use their I-Pads as a camera while walking oblivious to their surroundings. I understand that picture taking is essential and an important keepsake but if you walk into one on a scooter which is standing still because they see YOU walking while filming it’s not that persons fault. I have been a CDL School Bus Driver and acutely aware of safety precautions and bring that concern whenever I am on a Scooter. I give everybody the right away to a FAULT at times but Courtesy does not have to be a loss at the “Happiest Place on Earth”.
Ok, most of these I get and I think I am out of the stroller stage at Disney, but I would say that as much as I despise heal clippers with strollers, sometimes it is needed. It’s kind of like the Mini Cooper that cuts off the semi. Sometimes they need to get run over. I have been in a crowd where people will keep jumping in front of the stroller with no space keeping me from moving over and over. So it gets to the point you just go the speed of the traffic and anyone that cuts you off, you run over. Other pedestrians soon get the message.
Totally agree. The same thing happens with ECVs. Sometimes, there are drivers that zip around, cutting off and mowing down guests. Other times, the drivers are cautious and get cut-off by pedestrians so frequently that it’s hard for the ECV to navigate the parks.
So that’s at least one pet peeve that cuts both ways. I’d imagine there are others on the list, too.
This may not strictly fit the topic and is not limited to Disney but to all public restrooms. Signage and habit usually involve wetting your hands, applying soap from dispenser, scrubbing, rinsing. If you apply the soap to your dry hand and then start the water with your other hand, you can scrub and rinse without creating the nasty puddle on the counter by the soap dispenser. It’s a little change in procedure that helps keep the restrooms clean, decreases the effort needed by the hard-working cast members, and generally makes life more pleasant especially in these times of continuous hand-washing.
Double wide strollers the size of “MINICOOPERS” with one child riding and the other side and underneath compartments full of stuff….waiting in line for the bus and not getting unloaded and collapsed until they get to the bus door and block all others from boarding!
We were their Thanksgiving week for our bi-annual trip. We experienced everything you mentioned and more. We were just glad to be their. I am a patient person when it comes to most of this. I remember when our children were small, the first times at Disney, having to use a map, etc. Patience is a virtue. It seems to have gone out the window. I know you qualified this episode as “good fun” but please remember all of us who are old, I am 65, I have grands as young as 3 and every age group in between. Try to tolerate the ignorant, the people being rude to cast members, as I really don’t think they understand how bad they hurt the Disney cast members when they do it. My wife and I go out of our way to lift up the cast members by calling them by their names and offset a rude comment we might hear with a compliment. Their have always been the rude and ignorant types and their always will be! I prefer to focus on the “Magic” Disney has to offer. I have been going to Disney for close to 50 years and made sure I enjoyed every trip. As always, thanks for your blog. Have a Merry Christmas.
In line with strollers – the power wheelchair drivers who go too fast, don’t consider that other people (especially small people) are around them. I had one knock over my then 3 year old once and didn’t even acknowledge what they did.
Just wanted to say I enjoyed this list…I was cracking up! Cheered up my morning with many of these relatable key points!
As soon as I saw the title of this post, I knew the line jumper commented really needed to have an @insertmynamehere HAHAHA! We took a trip in November and we had a LOT of littles. We kept them distracted out of the socially distanced lines and then brought them in with an adult midway. The looks we got from other guests were warranted, and we eventually turned them into a game. Thank you to EVERYONE who just gave us looks but didn’t say anything rude to our faces. Seriously. I know we were an obnoxious group of 11 and I sincerely appreciate not being given the look and yelled at!
Tom, LOVE your blog!!! It brings Disney joy and magic during the longest year ever.
Serenity Now!
Serenity Now! Lol.!
Since I don’t have time to read the prior 569 posts, I’ll add for the sake of completeness (and at the risk of duplication): people who don’t move up as the line advances, creating SUPERLARGE gaps in the line (well beyond social distancing requirements).
Also, yes, talking on rides is IRRITATING. On that note, I watch a lot of Disney vloggers, the majority of whom stop narrating while on rides. There are some, however, who keep yammering while on the ride. I think to myself of how I’d like to hold them underwater on Pirates until they stop talking and/or float to the surface. This isn’t *your* ride to monetize at my expense. STFU!
*Deep breath* Okay, I’m feeling better now.
Yesssss all of this!!! I just got back from Disney and my biggest pet peeve were the families with strollers or any groups in general, that just stopped right in the middle of walking paths, not regarding anyone but themselves (I was walking around with my family and one of my children is in a stroller, it’s so easy to just STEP TO THE SIDE OUT OF PEOPLES WAY). The other pet peeve was people blatantly disregarding the no eating and drinking while waiting in ride lines. These were minor pet peeves, we still had a great time, and after two negative covid tests when we were back home (also did two before we left) none of us got sick.
Taking photos/selfies or scrolling Facebook on Dark Rides is definitely at the top of my list of annoyances.
I have always thought a Bicycle Bell attached to my backpack would be perfect way to handle those occasions when you’re stuck behind slow moving traffic in the park. Ring Ring get out of my way.
Todd B.
Todd B. I agree! We once sat on People Mover with this idiot in front of us, ignoring his family, and on his brightly lit phone the whole time. Totally ruined the experience. Not sure why I’m surprised all the time. People are getting more and more selfish, and Tom’s got that right “BECAUSE I PAID A LOT FOR MY VACATION.” Guess what? So did everyone else in the park.
Up
I understand your concerns and gripes
But we’re from Hawaii and things like that
Don’t compare to the fun and experience with my Ohana (family) We spend all that money to be there, memories outway any
Gripe. We have gone there 4 times to WDW The only thing My family never wanted to do. Was going there during Summer once was enough
Hawaii doesn’t compare with Florida with humidity Fall break the best
We had free meal plan and enjoyed it all
Sorry just expressing We enjoyed Disney World 1 day we will be back
Aloha
Never bugged by shoulder kids. Guess I’m in the minority but I think kids on shoulders seeing MK fireworks for the first time take priority over an adult watching them for the 500th time. I’ve seen fireworks at Disney and elsewhere 8-10 times a year since I was 3.
I’d feel kinda pathetic if I, at 34, were blocking some toddler from seeing the castle light up.
Amen.
Seriously….kids seeing a theme park based on a cartoon mouses fireworks for the first time is more important than middle aged adults seeing them multiple times.
That’s one way to frame it to make the pet peeve sound absurd. To be sure, I’d agree with that perspective if you were to poll every guest standing behind you to ensure they’re all 30+ adults who have seen the show multiple times.
In reality, there are likely plenty of age 8-10 kids (too big for shoulders, too short to see over shoulder kids) and first-time adults in that crowd.
Absolutely agree. I’m an adult. This is a theme park based on a mouse for CHILDREN. Let them see the fireworks.
The problem with children on your shoulder watching fireworks is they don’t watch the fireworks. While they are blocking lots of adults from watching, they are mostly looking around. They don’t care about the fireworks and hundreds of adults do, and you don’t know whether those adults have seen hundreds of Disney fireworks or not.
Agree with Tom on this one. If you ask all the people behind you if they are ok with waiting for a show for probably min 1 hour only to have the view blocked, can’t imagine many would be ok with that. I wouldn’t be. Choose a spot to wait where your kids CAN see without hurting others.
What if there’s a 10 year old trying to see the fireworks for the first time? Or even a middle-aged adult who never got to come to Disney as a kid? Why are they less important than the 3 year old who probably won’t remember it anyway? Shoulder kid families are selfish, plain and simple. Everyone paid the same amount to get in there, so like Tom said, if you really want your 3 year old to see, then get there early enough to save a spot that will work for your family without obstructing the view of people behind you.
Who says adults are seeing them for the 500th time? Maybe someone waited 50 years to get to Disney and the buildup has been immense and Bam. Toddler Butt in your face. Since we have no way of knowing what anyone else’s circumstances are, I figure it’s best to treat all other humans as equally valid humans, even if they’ve lost their “adorable” baby fat.
While I admire all of the adults who would willingly have a lesser view for the sake of a child, you have to remember that there are tons of other children behind that shoulder kid who also may be viewing this for the first time and would like to see. I vividly remember our first trip in 2015 when we waited patiently in front of the castle to see Elsa and the whole castle lit up with beautiful lights for Christmas. Not only did a family shove in front of us without available space, they then lifted both kids on their shoulders causing my almost 5 year old daughter to see nothing but their backs. Holding your child on your hip should be sufficient height for them to enjoy the show or fireworks without impeding other people’s experience.
My biggest pet peeve to piggy back on is the walking etiquette. Add the fact that people decide that a doorway is a perfect place to stop their entire party and dig through their backpack to find something. I have always stressed to my children growing up, “don’t stop in doorways, I will run you over.”
Who hasn’t slammed on their brakes doing 70 on a Minnesota highway because you thought you saw Bigfoot only for it to be a huge herd of mosquitoes? Anyone else notice the line jumping getting worse lately? Maybe just noticing more because of social distancing and having someone break that space that everyone has kind of gotten spoiled with.
We just finished a multi generational trip and I will admit it was the first time we ever did any line jumping. The motives weren’t nefarious though.
We had an older person in our group, and the extra walking/back tracking for the socially distanced queues really started to take a toll on that member of our party. We decided to have her wait near the end of the queue and jump up with the rest of our party as we approached the entrance to the “real queue”.
I felt guilty the first couple times for a bit, and it might have been bending the rules. However, the rest of our party waited for the full amount of time so I didn’t think we were really impacting anyone else’s experience.