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!
My pet peeve is people needing to put their arms in the air for the rides. Especially the rides with photos. We have had every ride photo ruined by the person in front of one of us putting their arms up in the air. Their arms or hands end up covering at least one of our faces. I don’t understand why they cannot enjoy the rides with out putting their arms up.
In retrospect, this is the -perfect- way to get back at someone who was rude and ends up sitting behind you. 😉
Strollers do not equal wheelchairs. When traveling with a disabled family member it never ceases to shock me the number of people that think that because they have a stroller they deserve special consideration. The audacity of people that try to sneak their kids in strollers into handicapped seating infuriates me. Cast members are great about kicking them out but the fact that they have to do it is mind-boggling. People with strollers can be very rude and inconsiderate of others and come on your 10 year old can walk. I remember going to Disney world when I was very young and would have died from embarrassment to be seen in a stroller. Think of your kids in the future when they are showing a new boyfriend or girlfriend family photos and there they are at Disney world in a stroller and they were in 10 years old. Not attractive.
Just know that some families use a stroller as a wheelchair (there will be a red tag on the stroller) for small children with disabilities. We do, and while the tag might not be super obvious, we would have thought the walker strapped to the back of the stroller would give it away. Yet we still got dirty looks from some adults in the handicap seating area (of course they were jerks in a rent-a-scooter who didn’t seem to belong there either), but next time you see a parent with a stroller do this check for the tag before judging.
Can we talk about people who hang out in front of the fast pass line before their time? And I don’t mean near the FP line. I mean 3+ people standing 2 feet I front of the line entrance so people who are in thei FP window can’t get around them to get in line. I shouldn’t have to ask you to move.
Great post! As someone who has used strollers at Disney parks, I totally agree that people who use them are often inconsiderate with them. I agree with all the other points as well; I really think it’s informative about our culture that we even have this post. It would be one thing if it were just a few clueless/rude people, but it’s many, many people acting like they’re the only ones in the park, and it degrades the experience as much or more than just the crowding. I really wish the “don’t be a dick” rule was a real thing with real penalties
Haha, me too.
Searched the site for stroller, ended up here. Read a lot of the comments. Love the site, love the post. I’m planning a trip to WDW in the fall and will have a 5&7 year old. My kids are active (my oldest will do a triathlon this spring) so they are not the sit on the couch screen kid generation. Everyone we talk to says we should take one. We did DL a couple years ago for a day and by the middle of the day the kids ran out of steam. Asking them to be on their feet all day for 7 days seems like a lot. We frequently do single full days at Six Flags without issue, but by day 4 I have a feeling even the most conservative of pacing will grind them to a halt. Do those of you who go without a stroller just spend a considerable amount of time back at the hotel/pool? Take long meal breaks? I loathe the idea of a stroller, it is such an inconvenience, but can I reasonably avoid it?
I do a full day half day rest day. There is so much to do that you can’t do it all. Meltdowns happen when everyone is exhausted. Pick what must be done by all members of the family and anything else is gravy. Spending time in the pool is an amazing time!!
Our kids are 6, 5, and 2. We’ve taken them to WDW 5 times so far and we ALWAYS bring our stroller(s). Sometimes it’s not so much about whether or not the older two can walk the whole day as much as it’s about the pace they’d prefer to walk. If it’s a hot day, our kids will burn out, guaranteed, but even before they burn out, they’ll walk at the most painfully slow pace – we’re barely moving! We bring the stroller into the parks, park it in stroller parking, and move it to our general area throughout the day. If the kids want to walk, we encourage it, but if they slow down or whine with every step, they go in the stroller! This seems to work well for our family. 🙂
I was 6 years old when my parents first took me to Disney World. Now, this was back in the 80’s and parents back them didn’t really care if a kid was tired or not but I never had a stroller. I walked the whole time and we went for a whole week. Maybe the 4 year old might need a stroller but once you get to Elementary school I don’t think a stroller is necessary.
We were at Disney World with our 6 and 4 year old granddaughters for a week this past June and did NOT use a stroller. They were completely fine. What I did do was schedule a sit-down lunch every day so we had at least an hour in cool air-conditioned comfort to rest and recoup. We also booked quite a few shows, so again we were sitting inside somewhere cool for a good length of time to rest. We went early as soon as the parks opened, and left late afternoon. We also had a swimming day at the pool between each park day, so it was pool park-pool-park-pool-park.
I agree so much with this post, even if I may unfortunately be guilty of a few of these D: To add to the “Rudeness to Cast Members” part, not only is it unpleasant for the cast members and other park guests, but for the members of your party as well! My mom is not the best in this area, and it makes for some uncomfortable and embarrassing situations for my sister and I 🙁
One I would like to add to this list: flash photography on dark rides.
Photography on rides does not bother me – it’s the flash. This website is proof that gorgeous pictures of dark rides can be taken without compromising the “magic” behind them (which is definitely exposed when flash photography is used) and without preventing those around them from enjoying the ride. I have been on dark rides with people taking photographs (with and without flash) and have never heard the picture being taken but always, always, always see the flash when being used.
Maybe it is a personal problem, but it ruins rides for me. I don’t want to see all of the behind the scenes stuff that makes the ride work. Especially because let’s be honest, they never stop at one. It is rarely just that first picture at the very beginning, it is usually the entire ride.
Also, Cast Members specifically say (and there is an abundance of signs that say) “No Flash Photography”. Guess what, buttercup? This rule applies to you! Yes, you, user of flash photography! No means no!
Keep the Seinfeld references coming, Tom!
Yes!!!
I suspect the terrible crowding, which degrades Disney experiences in which guests have invested much money, emotion and anticipatory planning time, brings out the worst in people. Hence, the bad behavior some guests exhibit, because their actual experience isn’t matching the experience in which they’ve invested and to which they feel entitled. I’ve recently been mulling over whether Disney has hit the tipping point, given population growth since WDW opened and Disney’s exponentially increased position as the family entertainment juggernaut, where it is time for a new US park. Do you have any thoughts about this? Has the viability of a third US park been explored elsewhere?
What I meant is a whole new park. Say, in the middle of the country, such as TX. Not another addition to DL or WDW.
Regarding “Flaunting Disney Knowledge”, my favorites are the people who do everything you say, except everything they comment on is completely wrong! A recent favorite was a woman during the Globe part of IllumiNations telling everyone around her that various Disney villains could be made out on the images of globe.
This is the best post ever.
My favorite line: 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.
My pet peeve:
Being on the bathroom line with a 3year old who is crying out “I don’t know if I can hold it anymore” and everyone acting as if they are deaf. I have let many a child and parent ahead of me on the bathroom line to prevent a potential accident. Never has the act been reciprocated.
Locked. Loaded. Aiming, sorry Susie, you’re sticking out of the crowd, the herd must be thinned for shorty’s benefit *KAPOW* – the crowd cheers.
Aims at person in wheelchair – the sound of fluid going down a drain is nauseating, affects my aim, only hits the axle and ricocheted, grazing the person’s left buttock, but mission accomplished, clearly 100% healthy person forced to use his God-given body. The crowd cheers more lustily, thirsty for more blood – this is a better vacation than they expected!
Next, some – uh – opening the lanes. Anyone walking more than two abreast risk the headshot from Mt. High…the roar echoes through splash and big thunder mountains before heading for space. Let the put it on display in the seance room!
Lastly…you. You’ve absent-mindedly irritated someone somewhere with your judgmental look you didn’t realize you were not hiding well. The crowd is silenced, everything is perfect.
A counterpoint if I may – I get so irritated having to watch out for and avoid stepping on all these people camping in weird places 2 hours or more before a freakin’ parade! I’m sorry, but I have to wait long enough in lines for rides, shows and characters, now I have to sit awkwardly for hours in a heavy traffic area if I’m to catch a glimpse of a two story tall float with characters dancing hesitantly and waving in my general direction? How rude of you.
Also, what is the insistence of people to walk briskly through crowds of people with strollers and wheelchairs, etc.? I can’t even stop to avoid hitting some jerk’s delicate, precious ankle, even though he just kicked the side of the stroller with his other foot, waking my 2 year old (we just HAD to bring her so her older brother could enjoy the park, we are aware of our nerve) because he just flat out wasn’t paying attention because he was angry at a CM asking him to stop being a dick. Now I’m going to have to hold the 2 year old for hours walking around because she won’t stop screaming because now she’s scared someone else is going to bang into the stroller. So, here we are, our last night at the park before we head home, my arms are exhausted because the Dickmeister family isn’t having everything just so and can’t adjust to the fact other people are here. Forgive me if, in an effort to help my kid see something he might not be able to see again for a very long time, I put him on my shoulders because there’s no other way, or even a place to put him down, now. Please let me use my far stronger bone structure. I know it’s Much easier to humiliate me or ruin your own vacation by not saying anything, but maybe ask politely to switch places or move slightly. I realize my child’s head is huge and will block out a large area of your view of the whole sky, even though you are clearly able bodied and can move, but feel you shouldn’t have to because you wasted the same amount of money I did to sit in a spot for hours on someone else’s property.
All I’m saying sarcastically here is, be aware and understanding, you probably have little to no idea what people’s story is. But really, all of this was couched as not being directed at Disney itself, but that isn’t true at all. It could all be alleviated if they’d set the capacity lower. I know it’s not feasible at this point, but most of this wouldn’t be an issue if the place was forced to not be shoulder to shoulder. They are making an effort to improve things, but I’m not sure it’s there yet. There must be a way to make it easier for people to see stuff.
I will say this about strollers, not sarcastically, it’s hard to be careful of everyone. I think it would be helpful if there was a way to put some sort of flags or signs on the front corners of the stroller at eye level for adults so they can tell roughly where the stroller is and avoid it. Kind of like what they put on the kiddie shopping carts at the grocery store. I think most of the problem is just the adults don’t always have a good sense of where the stroller is relative to other people, and since neither the driver or pedestrian are always looking there, minor irritation accidents happen.
My irritation are line skulkers – cutters are bad enough, but have you ever caught someone trying to slither through the line while people aren’t paying attention! They wait for the gaps and move up ahead of the people they were behind over and over until they’ve only waited 10 minutes in an hour long line. If you see them before they get to you it’s fun to passive-aggressively block them.
Lastly, if a stray stroller is in your photo shot, move it or reframe. Some of the grievances here are ridiculous, talk about entitled!
Dave
Tom. Loved the post. I started reading your blog 6 months ago. And love it. I am an avid disney lover and I am going on my next trip in october with my grown daughter I love this post and I am one of those that need to use a scooter. Bad feet cannot walk for an extended period of time. I do not use the handicap things and walk to all of the rides with not to much dificulty. People just need to remember to be careful not to walk in front of the scooters as you cannot stop fast. I do not look handicapped and never claim to be but walking is for extended period of time is difficult. I was at disney in September of 2014 and waiting for the parade. There was another young lady with me in a wheelchair and of course just as it started someone deceided the the spot right in front of her is where they wanted to be blocking her view. Being the type of person i am I got up off my scooter and moved the young girl into my spot. A cast member saw this and had the other group leave and roped us off so noone could get in Our way. People just need to be aware of their surroundings and have a heart. Remember the golden rule. Treat people the way you want to be treated.
I totally agree! especially the part about the “Shoulder-Children”!! It really is very inconsiderate, and I am really short to begin with. I can stand in a spot for 20 minutes for the fireworks, and nobody will stand in front of me. As soon as “Celebrate the Magic” starts, there is that parent who stops all the way down Main St. and places the child on their shoulders! I would also like to add, that while iPads are awesome, they take videos and pictures, but lets not hold them wayyyyyyy above our heads to video or take picture of the fireworks. I very much dislike being distracted by your iPad being in my field of vision!
I’ve been waiting to read this post since the day it was posted and I’m happy I did!
I know that I have been one of the people who finished the line of the cast member, but I did it mistakenly! Last year I saw a post on FB about favourite lines from Jungle Cruise, and it turns out I remembered a lot of them! I totally had zones out and as our skipper was saying “There are a lot of lovely plants here, let me show you some of my favourites” I said “That one” before I had even realized I had said something! The skipper was great and said “No not that one, that one!” which made it even funnier. I was really embarrassed after, because I know how annoying it is when other people do it!
As for strollers, I first went to WDW when I was 5, and my parents brought a stroller and were glad they did. They also managed to get my sister around in her wheelchair, so good for them. Now when we go, we hustle. If I can get my sister around your family in a wheelchair, you are going too slow. If you stop in the middle, you should be expected to feel something on the back of your shins. I completely understand the need for strollers, but they can be a nuisance because they are EVERYWHERE!
I have completely blanked on my personal pet peeves, so I will have to post again when I remember!
I remembered!
My pet peeve stems from experiencing Walt Disney World with my sister Alex. She’s in a wheelchair and cannot do a lot of things you and I take for granted. Disney is THE BEST company for assisting people with disabilities, hands down. We spent a very dissapointing day at Universal in 2012 being told she could not do any attractions because she cannot hold her own head up and cannot hold the rails. Luckily, after visiting Universal we got to go to Disney. The old fast pass system was amazing, not just because we got to skip the line, but because Alex got to experience so many more attractions with her disability. As of right now, they only attraction she cannot do is Space Mountain because of the seating system (but she could ride at Disneyland!).
Recently because of extremely selfish people, this system needed to be removed. To the people who paid individuals with disabilities to go with their party to WDW to get that pass, you are disgusting. As a result, now with My Disney Experience, we would have to kiosk in between each attraction before experiencing another attraction.
It’s just one example of someone ruining something good for everyone else.
Rant over, now to read the happy post!
Great list! That said, I was surprised that park maintenance didn’t make the list. Music that no longer syncs to the show on Splash Mountain. Pixelated video and dim lighting on Soarin’. Broken animatronics everywhere all over the place. The Yeti!
I had noticed WDW getting a bit sloppy, but a trip to Disneyland really brought it home. No way the Yeti would still be in-operational if Expedition Everest was in Anaheim.
Love this post. We just returned from our first WDW trip and I was shocked at how many parents were putting their kids on their shoulders when fireworks started. We were all standing around before the show…why would they intentionally block our view when they could hold their child at eye level?!?
I use it as an opportunity to teach my 10 year old daughter about life: All of us work hard and want the best for our families, and sometimes we forget to be courteous, because we want our kids to have the best seats and the best view. But *we* aren’t going to do that because *we* know better and will be a good example. Then I go and get a beer. OY!
OK, I’m pretty sure all the comments above have covered anything and everything I could possibly feel or think about strollers and kids on shoulders, so no need for me to add to that fray. I will just admit that I’m guilty of quoting attractions, mostly on Haunted Mansion. I just can’t help it!! I do try to do it quietly, though…
Last time I was at Disneyland I had bloody heels because a lady with a “baby” stroller (the kid was like, 7) rammed me because I didn’t move forward enough in a food line. My friend turned and snapped at her for hurting me but the lady literally kept nudging me with it, saying things like “obnoxious teens shouldn’t even be here”, “I bet your momma paid for this trip, you don’t even deserve it you have no respect”.
I didn’t report it to anyone because I am really shy and didn’t want to make it a bigger deal. I slapped 5 billion bandaids on and kept going, but it was made worse by the fact that pretty much everyone with a baby repurposes their stroller as a battering ram. It agitated my cuts all day and had to give in to the pain.
I hate their “I paid this so stay out of my way and let me get this over with” mentality. I understand it being difficult with kids, but attacking people verbally and physically is so unnecessary.
How about the overall sense of entitlement that seems to be abound in Florida? I absolutely love when a person in a wheel chair gets on a bus and their group of ten gets to go on with them. Yeah, that is BS. I can understand two or three, but the whole group…NO… Wait like the rest of us. Listen, I get it. I love it when people say ‘You don’t understand our situation unless you experienced it firsthand.’ Blah Blah. Everyone goes through the ups and downs of life and you are not more important than anyone else.
And what is the deal (Seinfeld reference, get it?!) with people saving $$ and bringing food into the parks? I get it you want to save $$, but you know where you are going? I almost threw up once when someone was eating baked beans out of Tupperware. Stop being cheap really.. Enjoy the mostly overpriced food. It is part of the experience. Now, do you see anyone bringing food to Disneyland?! Nope, because it is delicious. People are fit and they really know it (The Streets reference!!!)
What I love about Disneyland (and this is slowly becoming my favorite park) is that people are actually polite and respectful.
Remember me? I was the one who commented about veg options at In/Out! <3