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!
I have been visitor with and without a stroller, and let me say that I understand the frustrations on both sides. Strollers take up space and often come along with other children walking slowly (especially as parents are wanting a child to nap, or stay napping) as they meander around the outside of the shops. Strollers are great with small children – plus they let you keep stuff in the stroller and not in line with you. However, as a previous non-parent the slow walking drive me nuts (I am also a fast walker.) After having children however, I became more sympathetic. Pushing a stroller at Disney feels like trying to drive a car on a road full of pedestrian traffic that simply doesn’t see you. People stop abruptly, and cut you off like crazy, as if you aren’t there. And strollers can have some weight in them – you can’t always just stop on a dime. Teenagers are the worst – they will run around you and jump in front of you (and even push you out of the way!).
I get wanting to get to the best ride fast. But – I have so much more sympathy for parents and strollers now, after pushing one for several years.
The next time we go will be the first time in 11 years I won’t have a stroller – and while I’m SO GLAD to not have to push it around, I am going to miss having a place to stow all the stuff. Now I’m going to be the family packhorse as everything ends up in my backpack!
People raising their cell phones or cameras as high as possible above their heads to get a clear shot….I can’t see through your cell phone. Surprisingly you can get just as good of a picture likely around neck level…
One in the pandemic era that really grinds my gears….. parties that do not pay attention to the distancing markers in line (or think the space between two markers is theirs to spread out). There have been several times where I have been in line and a party either in front or behind me just keeps a seemingly six feet between them and the party directly in front of them. This doesn’t work when there are switchbacks. They will end up right next to another party and seem completely oblivious to the fact that being NEXT to another group defeats the purpose.
Hi Tom! I don’t agree with your walking etiquette. When we go to the parks we like to walk at a pretty slow pace and relax and take in the atmosphere. That’s because we don’t have the chance to go very often. So when we do go we like to take in the Disney Magic. Not just run around and try to do all of the rides in a single day. We already run around like crazy back home. What would be the point of going to Disney, spend all that money and act in the same way?
As for the masks, we have decided not to go to Disney until the Virus is over.
Keep up the good work!
I don’t think Tom has an issue with your or anyone’s pace, but when you are a family of 4, 5,6. 7,8 and you are walking side by side with 2 strollers and your oblivious to everyone and you are forming a literal wall that prevents anyone from passing you that is the annoyance.
I’m not saying you do this, but I believe they are the people Tom is referring to.
ml
Tom,
I absolutely cannot stand the people that decide they are going to become the narrator of attractions.
Yes, yes, I know this might be your sole accomplishment in life, but none of us are impressed, and all you are doing is ruining the Disney experience for people with your need for attention.
Best blog post of 2020. Also, I absolutely LOATHE Seinfeld…and Seinfeld quotes.
Agreed!
I think “Don’t be a dick” sums it up. All valid points!
Wish Disney would run “scooter exclusive” buses. Nothing like waiting 30 – 45 min for a bus at the end of a very long day, the bus line queue is a mile long, feeling like your wait was worth it bc you’re at the front of the line. All hope of getting back to the resort in a timely manner is dashed as about 4 scooters pull up right as the bus arrives. I’m guessing scooter riders would like dedicated buses, too. Having an exhausted, impatient audience as you navigate your scooter onboard doesn’t look particularly pleasant.
I wish they would run carriage exclusive busses . It takes as long as a scooter to get on the bus it’s always pass the crying baby’s bedtime, and the the pack mule ( your husband), looks like he’s going to fall over. As you walk the folded carriage down the bus you hit at least four or five people. I have been hit a few times. There is only room for two scooters per bus, they have to loaded first or people will get run over!!!
I agree 100%!! It happens all the time just as you described. They show up just as the bus arrives and their party of 10 gets to board in front of everyone else. And I’m not complaining about the extra few minutes it takes to board after the scooter is loaded. It’s about the family of 4 that now misses the cut and has to wait for the next bus because there is no more room thanks to the scooter family that got to jump to the front of the line. Aside from having dedicated buses which will never happen, the solution would be for the driver to allow the scooter owner to take 1 family member with them. The others can wait in line like everyone else. If they don’t think everyone in their party will make it on the bus because they arrived late and they are in the back of the line than they can all wait for the next bus.
I was just visiting WDW a few weeks ago and I saw for the first time that the scooters were told to wait in the line with everyone else. They were not allowed to drive up to the front of the line. They could wait to the side if someone from their party was in line and join them once they were at the front.
they don’t even have to run “scooter/mobilty” busses all the time. If they just did ran them at peak hours it would ease the frustration.
The last time I visited in February 2020, there were so many scooters one could barely move in some places. I realize there is a need for some people and for them I am understanding, but all too many times these are not being used by truly disabled people. There should be scooters with a doctor’s excuse only.
Walking etiquette has become my #1 pet peeve. I have a degenerative neurological disease that has rendered me unsteady and weak on my feet. I hate renting those ECVs, so I try to walk as often as I can. I use a cane to help steady myself, and also as a visual cue to those around me to understand why I walk slowly and to not bump into me. I always stay as far to the right as I possibly can on any walkway.
The biggest problem is people walking toward me – i.e. driving on the wrong side of the road – who don’t understand that the polite thing to do is to move to your right when passing. Fast walkers who weave an dodge their way through a crowd are another big problem since I can’t see them coming up behind. E and often get bumped into.
Then there are the people who allow small children to run around on a crowded walkway. One of the times I’ve fallen in a park was when a two- or three-year-old child ran from across a walkway and crashed into my legs when I wasn’t braced for that type of impact. The mother of the child had the gall to look at me (lying on the ground) and say, “He’s just a kid! What’re you gonna do?” Then she walked off, leaving me on the ground with blood pouring out of the large scrape on my knee.
The whole mask thing is really bothering me right now. If EVERYONE wears a mask and maintains the appropriate physical distance, Disney is a perfectly safe place to be. One unmasked person can remove that safety for everyone around them if they’re an asymptomatic carrier or are so mildly sick that they don’t realize it. Sometimes I’ll say something to people (usually something like “your mask slipped down” or “do you mind putting on your mask?), but usually I’ll signal a cast member and point out the offender. A mask warning is almost always heeded when it comes from a cast member. A cast member today had to tell someone twice to pull his mask up over his nose. He said, “If I see you wearing your mask improperly again, we will be escorting you and your whole party out of the park.” The guy kept his mask on after that…
Yes yes I am with you Tom. I’m at full speed going thru the park to get to all we want to do. And I go often. I wish I was a stroller and envy those people. But realize that with your kids there is a time limit and you have to get done what needs to get done. Thanks for speaking for the Type A attendees!!
My biggest pet peeve (and luckily social distancing is helping with this) is when I am waiting in line and the person behind me is standing so close that they are touching me or my bag the whole time. And I am not talking in crowd squeeze in areas like the stretch room or the library at TOT, I’m talking in a normal area of the line. You can fill in all available space and still not be brushing up against me the whole time. Though I will say I am a horrible person and if my turning around to glare at you doesn’t get the point across I will “stretch out” and try to wack you with my hand/elbow.
Yep,
especially when it’s in the heat of summer and it’s already hot enough.
I’ll raise you one though, when it’s the family behind you and their kids are on top of you, hitting you, swinging on the bars in the queue, spilling stuff, etc… and the parents just stand there and don’t even make an effort to control the kids.
Yep Get too close behind me and I might Accidentally sharply move backwards!!
As for kids rattling the chains or swinging on the ropes I’ve got to the point where I just tell them “please stop doing that” sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t – sometimes the parents haven’t even noticed a stranger has talked to their child
The people who hold up their phones to record the fireworks. They block the view of others, and their lit up screens are also a distraction. And no one really wants to watch your poorly recorded video back home. Put your phone down and just enjoy the show.
This is a strange one … but it’s for real. When exiting the restroom, if your turn is to your left, stay to the right. People coming in, turning to their right, will naturally be on the right. Cutting that corner might save a step or two, but is just inviting collision with someone entering, and who might be in a bit of a hurry. And this goes double-triple for those on scooters. I was nearly flattened by a lady on a scooter who was leaving the restroom because she cut the corner just as I was coming around. She never slowed down, and only gave me the side-eye because I was apparently in her way. I saw her again a few minutes later, weaving in and out of the walkers, not a care in the world and going as fast as the scooter would go. I gave her wide berth.
Concerning brisk walkers, it annoys me when I almost at the line for a ride or a restaurant line, and some walker speeds up from the side and try’s to cut me off. If I’m by myself, it’s usually not successful. If I’m with my son, and I can’t cut them off, l make sure that there time in line is as unpleasant as possible
I agree with everything. I also naturally walk quite fast though I do try to slow down just so I don’t look like a crazy, stroller-pushing mom running to get in line for 7 Dwarves. Large groups walking next to each other and taking up the entire walkway is my biggest pet peeve for sure. It is even more important now, as you said.
I agree with everything you said. 1000% So true I laughed as I read these as I can so relate. The other pet peeve of mine is a touchy/hot topic. Its the scooters on the buses. I have absolutely zero issues with scooters or people who need them. They have every right to use them and to use the buses as anyone else. My issue is how you can be waiting your turn outside in line in the scorching heat after a long hot day and when it’s finally about to be your turn after waiting thru however many buses it takes for you to get your turn and a scooter pulls up at the last second not having waited at all for their turn and they get the first spots on the bus. Especially now with the very limited seating on the buses with the social distancing. Even if your gonna give the scooters first shot at spots don’t let their whole family reunion go on with them if they weren’t next in line. Let one person go with them and let the rest wait their turn like the rest of us. This is not a hating on scooters comment but a let’s be fair as we all should have to wait our turn comment.
I can agree with the majority of this list, I will say a pet peeve for me is trying to read a blog post and ads popping up all over it blocking part of what I was reading and then trying to hit the close button to only make the ad bigger, so then you have to hit the back button and try and find where you were at in the article
Ok, confession is good for the soul. I’m guilty as charged. I’ve tried multiple times to stifle my singing along with “Mamma Don’t Whoop Little Buford” but I just can’t help it! Those Country Bears are just too much! I’ve tried just mouthing the words, but that doesn’t appease my inner desire to sing along. I don’t do it with any other songs…, just this one little one and I try to keep it to where only I can hear it, but since my wife gets up and moves down a few (re:20-30) seats, I guess that I must not be too successful. She will not even walk out with me after the show and will not acknowledge my existence on the planet until we have cleared the Hall of the Presidents. There, I’ve said it. I will promise not to do it ever again……, yeah, right.
Thanks Phil, for coming forward! I thought I was the worst offender there but I think I heard you. I won’t do it again either! NOT.
Happened to us on it’s a Small World… We were next boat to load when 13 people just walked in front of us to join the 2 people “holding their place”
The operator just let them, saying “don’t worry, you can have the front seat in the next boat” Not the issue at all!!