“Top” 10 Worst Guests at Disney World
Walt Disney once said it takes “people to make the dream a reality.” He’s right. Cast Members are the magic, and even guests are integral to the experience. We all dislike huge crowds, but people breathe life into the parks. (Updated November 27, 2023.)
It’s also fair to say that Walt Disney hadn’t encountered all types of guests. Something tells me eBay pirates loading up on Loungefly and Spirit Jerseys weren’t a thing back in Walt’s day. Although he was a visionary, Walt might also have some trouble wrapping his head around TikTok dance routines. And anyone who only used rotary phones might have a tough time with iPadography and selfie sticks.
Suffice to say, the overwhelming majority of guests add a lot to the experience at Walt Disney World…but not every single guest. Some are the magic, but there are sometimes a few who detract from the magic. To that end, we’ve put a list together identifying the worst types of guests at Walt Disney World. Consider this part venting and part “cautionary tale” so you know what types of behavior to avoid.
With that said, no one is perfect 100% of the time. Not you, and certainly not me. Try as I might, I have been guilty of certain entries on this list. Perhaps it’s something in the Florida air (humidity) or water (swamp stuff).
Or maybe it’s the tremendous weight of planning and executing a “perfect” Walt Disney World vacation that has incredibly high stakes due to the monetary cost and convoluted systems and processes, glitchy apps, chaotic crowds. Even if you’re trying your best to have a great day, from time to time, that stress can overwhelm even absolute angels.
I offer this caveat because I’m not a fan of call-out culture nor do I like the idea of putting people “on blast” even if it’s in a just for fun venting post like this one that uses abstractions rather than specific instances of behavior we’ve seen recently.
So breathe a sigh of relief–you aren’t going to find a hidden-cam ‘mugshot’ from that one time, against your better judgment, you let loose and did the “pee your pants challenge” for clout at EPCOT. And who among us hasn’t climbed the Mexico pyramid?!
In short, while these types of guests do bug me (and others), I can recognize that nobody is perfect–including me–and I certainly don’t have any actual malice towards anyone who does these things. If anything, I think most of the problems lie with Walt Disney World for making a visit to the parks so stressful. But that’s another topic for another day.
Fortunately, 98% of guests on any given day are great–just happy to be at the Most Magical Place on Earth. Unfortunately, the bad often stand out more than the good, so even that 2% of guests can be annoying if you’re unlucky enough to cross paths with them.
With that out of the way, here’s our list of the worst 10 types of guests at Walt Disney World (plus plenty of bonuses)…
The Ones Who Have Never Walked in Public – America is a car culture. Most of our country is suburbia or rural, with few densely-populated and walkable downtown areas. Nowhere is that more apparent than at Walt Disney World, where many visitors encounter their first instance of bona fide urban design, and have trouble navigating it.
Ironically enough, the core problem is that they don’t observe the traditional rules of the road, which actually translate quite well to walking around public spaces. Instead, they seem to observe the Central Florida rules of the road, which (in my experience) are “anything goes!”
Zig-zagging all around, changing multiple ‘lanes’ with zero notice to take an off-ramp, swerving around without paying attention to oncoming traffic, moving exponentially slower than the speed of traffic? In the parks and on Orlando roads, it all goes! My personal “favorite” is the parties who are oblivious to crowds and, presumably, think they’re the only people at Walt Disney World. Why else would a party of 7 walk side-by-side holding hands, taking up the entire walkway so no one could pass?!
This is a great example of innocent behavior. No one walking this way is doing so to be selfish or because they’re entitled. It’s almost always because they don’t live in a city and Walt Disney World is the first quasi-urban environment they’ve visited. This probably does not rise to the level of the “worst” guest, but it does drive me crazy. (It’s mostly a “me problem,” I realize that!)
BONUS: The Mall Walkers – Turnabout is fair play, and if the above type of walkers are one of the worst guests (probably not), then so are their counterparts. And admittedly, this is me.
Not only do I always walk briskly or “with a purpose” (even when I have none), but I’ve been known to “mall walk” around World Showcase. If ever you’ve wondered why this blog sounds like it’s written by a curmudgeonly old man, it’s because I have the spirit (and interests, apparently) of one.
DOUBLE BONUS: The Road Ragers – This is a new-for-2023 addition, but one I’ve wanted to add for a while. I’ve been reluctant to do so because it’s a hot-button issue. But now that we’re parents with a stroller, I feel like I can “go there” without attacking anyone.
I’ve locked eyes with parents pushing double-wide strollers during the Magic Kingdom evening exodus. The horror and pain on their faces was way worse than anything they could ever inflict on anyone else. Same goes for guests in ECVs. Thankfully, we have never been in that position, but I cannot fathom having to navigate a scooter or stroller through the chaos, crowds and congestion. Even as a mobile adult, it’s uncomfortable. It’s gotta feel downright unsafe and scary at times with those devices.
Even in normal navigational scenarios, scooters and strollers can have a tough time because some people are not good at walking in public. See above. Random starting and stopping, blocking sidewalk access points, cutting off strollers or scooters and forcing them to stop abruptly, etc. etc. So I do have a lot of empathy for guests in these positions.
With all of that said, there are some guests with verifiable cases of road rage. If they drove on the interstate like they operate their scooters or strollers, they’d have their licenses revoked. But anything goes on the mean street of Main Street and Frontierland truly is the wild west when it comes to the rules of the road.
Some strollers are used as makeshift battering rams and certain ECVs might as well have cowcatchers or snow plows attached to deflect the guests they mow down. These ECVs can be downright dangerous–especially the third party ones that have seemingly had their speed regulators removed and could likely beat the Test Track SimCars in a street race.
It doesn’t help that it’s a vicious cycle. Parents and ECV operators get cut off or confined in crowds, putting them on the precipice of an adult meltdown, and giving them no reason to obey the rules of the road. Like a cornered cat, they go on the attack. So while I don’t love my heels being hit by these devices…I also kinda get it!
The Line Jumpers – Few things grind my gears like this, especially watching it unfold in slow motion. The first parent and child politely pass me to catch up to the rest of their family. No big deal, nature calls and kids need to use the toilet at unpredictable times. Then person 2 passes. Then 3, 4, 5, and 6. Just how large is this multigenerational party and were any of them in line in the first place?!
Cutting in line isn’t cool. It’s one thing when it’s the aforementioned bathroom break situation. That I can understand. But sending a “runner” from your party of 12 to hold a spot for the other 11 in line? Absolutely unacceptable and reflects the entitled attitude that your time (and the saving thereof) is more important than everyone else.
It defies common courtesy and fairness. Congress should pass a law that requires 51% of your party or more to be present before getting into line. Isn’t that why Walt Disney World has a Hall of Presidents in the first place? To sign stuff like that into law?!
BONUS: The DAS Abusers – There’s been an increase in abuse of Disability Access Service in the last few years, and as of Late 2023, Walt Disney World is starting to crack down on improper DAS use as a result. This is, without a doubt, one of the worst types of guest at Walt Disney World. I cannot fathom how able-bodied people justify abusing a service meant for the disabled. I am pretty far from perfect, but at least I can sleep at night.
This is also a category that only exists in the abstract. Even though we know abuse exists–Walt Disney World has said so!–we don’t see it happening on an individual level. That’s because there are myriad invisible disabilities from which other guests could suffer, and the rude words or judgmental gaze of guests ‘scanning’ a person using DAS to ‘make sure’ they really have a disability is also awful…and could itself land on this list!
Anyone using DAS out of necessity would trade places with able-bodied individuals in a second and stand in long lines if it meant not being disabled. Suffice to say, this is a bad situation with a couple types of worst guests involved, and actual disabled guests as the resulting collateral damage.
The Ones Whose “Vacation Cost A Lot” – Did you know that a trip to Walt Disney World costs a lot of money?! Some angry guests feel the need to remind others of this when their bad behavior is met with resistance, seemingly oblivious to the fact that everyone’s vacation cost a lot of money. (I guess it’s possible that they’re right, and Walt Disney World’s top demographic is lottery or giveaway winners.)
This type of guest is an interesting case study, of sorts, as they’re one of the few that actually vocalizes the sense of entitlement that is an animating feature of all the worst types of guests. This guest is vocally oblivious to other tourists also spending a lot of money to be there, whereas most of the other types act in a manner that reflects that they don’t know or care that their behavior negatively impacts others.
The Flashers – No, we’re not talking about the infamous incidents that occurred that gave Splash Mountain its R-rated nickname and made it controversial back in the day. Get your mind out of the gutter!
Rather, we’re talking about guests who use flash to take photos on dark rides or their flashlights to record videos of fireworks. Not only is this rude to other guests because your flash destroys the illusion that the Imagineers created with carefully considered show lighting, but it makes your photos look like garbage for the exact same reason. When it comes to videos of fireworks, it accomplishes absolutely nothing–the subjects are too far away (and light themselves). All it does is illuminate heads in the crowd, which probably wasn’t the goal.
This is a good example of giving other guests the benefit of the doubt. In today’s era of ubiquitous smartphones, it’s so easy for a setting to be enabled and the user not know why–or understand how to turn it off. This one is usually less about selfishness, and more about user error or confusion. (Confession time: I still remember accidentally firing my flash on Pirates of the Caribbean in 2009. It was in a boat of my photography buds, making it even more mortifying. I have since accidentally turned on my phone flashlight twice during fireworks, but immediately turned it off both times.)
The Ones Who Don’t Want To Be There, And Want Everyone To Know – Walt Disney World is not for everyone. We get it. If that wasn’t clear before, the non-stop parade of not-so-thoughtful “think pieces” about Disney Adults and Childless Millennials have made that much very clear.
For whatever reason, this has spilled over into the parks themselves, with countless badly-designed Etsy shirts that proudly proclaim the wearer does not want to be there. I will never understand this. I do things that I don’t want to do from time to time, but at least I go in with an open mind…because why not? If I’m going to be there anyway, why not make the most of it and try to expand my horizons?
I wish people would realize that vocally hating something other people enjoy, especially in that venue, is not cool, edgy, or provocative. It’s dull, dumb, and pedestrian. (This applies to places beyond Walt Disney World, with the only exception being Minute Maid Park. 😉) You spent money on a shirt advertising something you don’t like? Congratulations on the announcement that you’re bad with money, I guess.
BONUS: Other Shirts with a ‘Message’ – Fun fact about me: I have never changed my vote or views based on a bumper sticker, yard sign, or t-shirt. Come to think of it, I don’t know anyone who has. Whenever I see a political or social opinion broadcast on a t-shirt, I am annoyed and also left wondering: what’s the point?! As society has become increasingly polarized, these shirts have gotten worse–with some being hostile or implying the threat of violence towards anyone who disagrees.
It doesn’t even matter if I “agree” with the shirt. This type of attire doesn’t belong at a place that’s about fun, fantasy, and bringing people together. (Some might even say this is a good philosophy to keep in mind when discussing Disney in the comments sections of your favorite blogs!)
The Passholes – Hello, sense of self-loathing! Despite being one at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond (in typical AP fashion, had to squeeze in that humblebrag before some self-deprecation!), I am aware of the fact that my people are not beloved by other guests, some Cast Members, and perhaps even the company itself.
In fairness, APs are not nearly as much of a pain in the neck at Walt Disney World as we are at Disneyland. There, we camp out for hours waiting for nighttime entertainment, snatch up all the limited edition merchandise, flaunt our knowledge, and just generally loiter about like Disneyland is an old-timey version of the Grove or Galleria. At Walt Disney World, we’re mostly harmless, just getting in long lines for Figment and Orange Bird stuff.
Perhaps our biggest offense is premature spieling, which is loudly reciting lines ever-so-slightly before the attraction narrator (so everyone knows that WE know the script!) and sharing our encyclopedic knowledge just a little to loudly while chatting with friends (so random strangers can also benefit from our expertise). We also tend to think that Walt Disney World and Disneyland would be nothing without us, and have a meltdown when the company or other guests even suggest that might not be the case.
BONUS: The Ones Who Pillage & Plunder– Even on a normal day, attempting to navigate Walt Disney World’s gift shops is an uncomfortable proposition. It’s exponentially worse when new items are released or restocked, as eBay pirates dock their ships and storm the stores. There is no merchandise–not even limited edition Figment or Country Bear collectibles–that I want badly enough to deal with this category of worst guests at Walt Disney World.
If you’ve never experienced the eBay pirates pillaging and plundering, how unpleasant it is cannot be overstated. I’d rather watch back to back showings of Beauty and the Beast: Sing-Along than visit the Emporium on those mornings. These eBay pirates are rude, aggressive, act entitled, and seemingly love to embrace their role as villains. They’re probably deserving of their own category, but this list is already at 10 entries and I assume most of these “guests” are Annual Passholders, so we’ll include them as a bonus entry here.
Bloggers, vloggers, and social media influencers also deserve our own dishonorable mention here. (Sadly.) To my fellow blogging brethren: You know what you did.
The Party Animals – We are far from teetotalers, but the drinking teams, bachelor/ette parties, and other groups in World Showcase at EPCOT sometimes can be a tad too much for a family-friendly theme park. For those of you who want to relive your glory days by attending an open air frat party, this might sound appealing. However, those days are long behind us, and we suspect many families don’t want their kids in that environment.
For what it’s worth, I don’t see party animals being an issue anywhere except EPCOT. Someone having a bit too much might happen from time to time at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, but it’s uncommon. By contrast, it feels like there’s a “drinking culture” represented in World Showcase, in addition to all of the global ones.
The Parents of Shoulder Kids – Rule #1 of the WDW Complaint Club™️ – It is never the child’s fault. Just as kids aren’t the ones that gave themselves participation trophies, they are not the ones that raised themselves. That applies both figuratively and, in this case, literally, over the heads of their parents.
Kids have a tough time seeing a show from the ground and parents have a difficult time holding them at normal eye level, which creates a conundrum. If you put them on your shoulders, they can see but you’re blocking the view of countless people behind you. The alternatives are them having a difficult time seeing from ground level or you struggling to hold them at eye level, but putting them on shoulders effectively says, “my child seeing the show is more important than anyone behind me seeing it.” It’s basically the non-verbal version of proclaiming, “my vacation cost a lot of money (but yours didn’t, somehow).”
The good news is that this is actually a false choice. If a parent cannot hold their kids at eye level, it’s not a matter of either them not seeing or blocking the view of people behind them. The everyone wins alternative is choosing a viewing location that is less crowded (e.g. Fantasyland or Japan) and or where there are not obstructions in front of you (e.g. on a bridge or against a railing). Both exist for the fireworks in Magic Kingdom or Harmonious in EPCOT.
The Meltdown Parents – It’s presumed that many childless adults can’t stand kids or are overly sensitive to their bad behavior. That couldn’t be further from the truth for us. (Taps sign on Rule #1.) Both of us are pretty good at filtering out crying kids, and view rambunctious behavior as a sign of excess energy that just needs to be burned off by playing. (It’s better than kids being glued to a screen!)
It’s the parental meltdowns that are the real problem. Ostensibly fully-developed adults who should be able to “use their words” to communicate and verbalize their emotions. However, adult meltdowns are all too common, with grownups becoming irrationally upset when things don’t go perfectly as planned or their efforts are under-appreciated. Often this begets the meltdown of a child who cannot do what they want, or has been forced to tour at a whirlwind pace, when really, they’d be perfectly happy to just play in a splash pad for an hour.
Lashing out at a child–especially on a trip for the kid–is never okay, and we’re not defending those who do it. BUT (you knew this was coming, right?) we have noticed a visible increase in these adult meltdowns as Walt Disney World vacations have increased in price, planning has become more convoluted and confusing, and sharing images of the ‘flawless family vacation’ on social media has become commonplace. The amount of pressure to have the perfect Walt Disney World trip is absolutely immense, and it’s easy to see how even the most level-headed parent can crack under that from time to time.
As we’ve said many times before, there is no such thing as a perfect Walt Disney World vacation. It bears repeating that you will make mistakes. Itineraries will get derailed. Dining and Genie+ plans won’t all work out. This also means that the pressure to plan a perfect trip is entirely optional, because there’s no such thing. Paradoxically, every imperfect trip can be perfect in its own way if you let it. You’ll be much better off with the memories of having a laugh at things not going smoothly than you will with the scars of screaming at your kids.
The Ones Who Never Worked a Day in Customer Service – I have seen enough and heard enough horror stories to consider Cast Members true saints and the stewards of Walt Disney’s legacy. Even with the increasingly common complaints about poor guest service, my reflexive reaction is that it’s because Cast Members have been beaten down and had their spirits crushed over the last few years. That the dynamic would improve if guests were better-behaved (part of the reason why this post exists in the first place).
I’m also very aware that I could not last a day dealing with guests. I worked in “low stakes” fast food, retail, and other customer service jobs in high school and college. The way I was treated over submarine sandwiches and supermarket stuff suggests to me that things must be much worse for Cast Members working at multi-thousand dollar vacation destinations. I was also younger, more patient, and had no good alternatives to taking the abuse. I wouldn’t stand for that same treatment today.
This is why I’ve written repeatedly that all Americans should be “required” to work for a year in a service industry so they “learn” how to treat others. For me, this doesn’t seem like something that actually requires learning–you should just know to treat others with respect because they’re your fellow humans and it’s the right thing to do. But I think a lot of people don’t realize this for whatever reason. Perhaps they consider those in customer service roles to be “beneath” them or the jobs to be “easy” because the pay is lower than their wages.
Of course, this is not true. I could never be an accountant or neurosurgeon, but I also doubt that I could be a housekeeper, janitor, or crowd control Cast Member. Not because those jobs are beneath me–all work is deserving of dignity and none of it is beneath anyone–but because it all involves incredibly grueling manual labor. I simply don’t think I could keep up day after day.
I’m know I’m rambling here, but the core point is that the worst guests who are those who are mean or rude to Cast Members. Those guests really suck. Many Americans feel that high prices buy them a certain level of entitlement or that “the customer is always right” includes the ‘right’ to be rude. Those notions are utter hogwash. Courtesy is a two-way street, and if you don’t give it, you should not expect to receive it. Rant over.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts…
Which types of Walt Disney World guests do you think are the worst ones? Think that line cutters, rude guests, inefficient walkers, parental meltdowns, passholes, or entitled vacationers are the worst? Agree or disagree with the entries on our list? 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! Hearing your feedback–even if you think that bloggers are the worst guests–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Definitely agree with all of these, especially people who don’t know how to walk, the ones with t shirts advertising how much they don’t want to be there, and the adults who have meltdowns.
I would also add, perhaps not entirely fairly, the massive groups in matching t-shirts. I’m not talking about a family of five or six enjoying the parks together. But these massive (over ten people) groups tend to clog up attraction lines, stores and walkways, and if I see them heading for an attraction, I change direction and do that attraction later. I really don’t mean to be a jerk, but these huge groups can be incredibly disruptive, noisy, and inconsiderate to those around them.
I absolutely do not see the appeal of trying to coordinate a Disney trip with so many people! I feel like there would have to be way too much compromise and sacrifice for what each individual person/ family unit would want to do. I can understand a young family bringing along a single set of grandparents (we considered it), but when you are adding all the cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. NOPE. Too expensive to add that level of stress. I’d much rather rent a big beach house somewhere.
I totally agree Jamie. With such a huge number of people there is always someone not getting to do what’s important to them. It is also much more difficult to get dining reservations with a large group. I have never understood the appeal of taking a massive group to a Disney park. I agree, just get a big beach house if you are a large group!
I fully agree with the idea that everyone should be pleasant to Cast Members, and wish that most people would work in the service sector for a year-brill. Don’t forget to skip the trolley tracks…;(
Can we talk about the people that use strollers as weapons?!
On the last night of the old fireworks, I made the mistake of exiting towards SDMT. Despite there being nowhere to go, I got rammed not once but twice by the same woman that DREW BLOOD. Despite me exclaiming OUCH and turning around, she wasn’t even apologetic. The second time she got me she looked like she was ready to throw down.
Fortunately some of the strollers have big wheels that don’t hurt (or draw blood), but why would you keep hitting someone?
Hitting someone once is an honest mistake; multiple times in a row is just aggressive and rude.
In my days in the SCA,,we,called strollers Chariots of Wbar, or bettering rams. When I was my 20s, an old woman deliberately rammed me so.hard that both ankles were scraped and bloody. At Disneyworld I’ve have had a young mother deliberately run into me while waiting in a short line (short for me,,because I had waited thirty minutes already,) Her kid was,screaming because he was overtired and over stimulated and needed a,nap, and like most toddlers threw a,tantrum. Mom was furious Billy wanted to go.on the ride NOW. She took her anger out on me and ran right over my feet. Not the kid’s,fault; he was a typical3-4year old. Mom,however, should have been reported, but I just wasn’t willing to waste time. I did tell.her is,she saw me, to walk.away and that if I saw,her trying to pull her head of the line gift on someone else because,I would go.to.security and the police and press charges,over foot. My just had filmed it and my bruised foot and we had gone to the baby care center to.get some tape to wrap it.
What I would see a lot mentioned a while back were the out of country tourist groups. They would have 1 person holding up a flag, they all would have the same shirt on and would walk everywhere singing and pretty much act like a plow because there were so many of them, pushing those in front of them out of their way. I only saw a couple of those on my trip a few weeks ago.
Agree with this, except for the “from another country” part. Any group that engages in this behavior, whether a family reunion from Missouri or a student trip from France, is worthy of being included on the Worst list.
Oh man, the ones who have never walked in public. Add them with the Ones Who Don’t Hold Their Kids Hands. I’m 6’4”, 240 lbs and I really don’t like to run over people because most of them are smaller and I genuinely don’t want to hurt them. It’s a constant source of stress when people/toddlers/whoever just walk around aimlessly, and even worse now that everyone is basically REQUIRED to stare at their Disney app the entire day, and I have to tiptoe around to keep from crushing them.
I use a scooter at Disney because I get out of breath when I walk. I went to one of the sites reserved for people using scooters and wheelchairs in Epcot to watch the fire works. I was behind 2 people in scooters and they had people with them who were standing in front of the people sitting. The people up front, at the railings were standing on the cement curbs and sitting on the railing. Me and the people around me couldn’t see anything except the fireworks high in the sky. There were 2 cast members, a girl and a boy. I asked the girl to please ask the people standing to sit down. She said she couldn’t do that and the boy laughed at me. I was very upset and will never do that again. I will go early, find a place up front and wait even if it takes hours. I am sorry, but the people who do what those people did are selfish and cruel. The people who laughed at me because I’m handicapped are also very cruel. My grandchildren were with me and they couldn’t understand why people were acting like they were, because we teach them to be kind, caring and helpful to handicapped people.
there is a lot to catch so I understand some unscripted stopping and starting-but I AM apologetic constantly-a “so sorry” or “excuse me” goes a long way!!! And oddly enough as I read this, I’m standing behind the (sorry-ALL too common Milennial) parenting style of letting little Timmy and Susie run into the grasses outside the guardrails on Navi River. “They’re just kids” YEAH. Keep raising kids that don’t follow rules. LOVE it.
Dead on.
I can understand the need for young children to.let off some steam, especially if they have had to stand in line for along time. I have taught K through 12. They need to run around and play. But there is,a,time and place for that–and the Navigation River Journey or any dark ride where their antics disturb everyone else is not that place. The problem is not the children who don’t know,any better, but the parents who refuse to set boy caries or refuse to deal.with oversti.hosted and exhausted little ones or rebellious teens and teena.
Parents, please teach your offspring that other people have rights too,,and rules about staying inside the ride boats are there for safety, like not crossing the street when. the traffic light is green or not swimming alone. I can bet the good parents get compliments,_or maybe that’s just me: We try to thank parents whose kids are behaving reasonably (i.e., never far away from.parenrs,not bumping into people, not screaming at the top of their lungs.
This is for Gillian F,
As an often worn out parent of 3 trying to police my kids into better behavior when out and about, and limit their opportunities to be inconsiderate, I really appreciate it when someone compliments my kids’ being well-behaved or that we’re teaching them well. It reminds parents like me that our efforts, energy and often frustration are worthwhile and have a positive impact on our kids and society around us. My husband and I try to balance letting our kids be kids, we don’t want them seen but never heard, with trying to keep them from being rude and a nuisance to others. We have many years to go before our kids realize the work that goes into their care, so it really warms this tired, stressed, about-to-lose-my, umm, temper-at-them mom’s heart when someone acknowledges our efforts. Thank you.
We actually go out of our way to compliment parents whose kids are well-behaved, whether in McDonald’s or a nice restaurant or Disneyworld. I was a,school.librarian and have dealt with kids K through 8th grade. My problem.is with parents who don’t do anything about an over eating later 4year old who plainly needs some quiet time. Or expects everyone else to watch their kid for them. A friend was at a reenactment event. There was a 3-4yeaold who kept trying to.wade in the lake which was clearly marked to.tell guests you couldn’t swim without a lifeguard because it had a,steep.drop off. After my friend pulled the kid to safety for the 4th time, she took.the child by the hand to.locate the parents. Mommy shrugged off the fact that her child could have drowned, saying,”I knew in ****** would watch out for her. She basically considered every adult present as unpaid babysitters.
It has to.cut both ways. If you want people to be understanding over your child’s nuclear level meltdown, you need to actually do.something about it. And be prepared for some stink eye when you don’t. I expect to.see overtired kids at DW,but I also expect parents to have common sense and some consideration for others. If you know your dinner plans at a nice restaurant are part the kid’s bedtime, please don’t make those reservations that late. Your child likely isn’t gonna find much he likes to.eat on the menu,and if he pitches A tantrum because it doesn’t have chicken tenders,,accept that the adults present have a right to be pissed off.
My BFF,mother of 3,one of whom.was a,Cast Member,summed it up.well:”If my kid is quiet and only under my table but within arm’s reach, it shouldn’t. be a problem. The moment she starts to.make loud noise or gets out of arm’s reach, it is ti.E for one of us to take her out.”
She raised 3 lovely daughters with impeccable mannets. She had common sense as to what they could handle. If she knew her child couldn’t handle a nice restaurant-‘she scheduled it for an off peak time. And I adore her daughters.
My pet peeves:) I totally agree with you about the slow walkers but worse are the families that have to walk side by side by side..
The “stoppers” the ones that stop in the middle of the walkway to look at their map or phone etc.
The people that are walking against traffic, I am constantly muttering as I walk by them “you drive on the right, you walk on the right”.
A new one that has irked me more now, are the people with the oversized backpacks that stick out so far from their backs. Our family have been smacked by these a number of times especially in lines.
Finally, People who think just because they do not want to video something that no one should. I have videos of parades and firework shows that cannot be found online. I doubt I can find a “professional” video of a character coming up to my daughters and giving them a high five or blowing them a kiss and the look on their faces. Or hearing them during a fireworks show oohing and ahhing and commenting about it and panning to them while their watching it. BTW, I do not put my phone etc. above my head, and yes I have heads and other people phones in my video. Which makes it my video. We have about 20 “homemade” WDW videos on DVD that are my daughters favorite to watch, so yes there are many reasons to video shows etc.
What i am guilty of:
Now with G+ I noticed a lot more people trying to navigate and use their phone and I was guilty of this last week during our trip.
I am also guilty sometimes of being an aggressive walker, it’s just that I need to get around the slow walkers. lol
Guilty of singing along to “It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow” in the World of Progress and also guilty of saying “Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow.” on the Peoplemover ride and then for the next hour after it. LOL. So, sorry (except for my family) if it bothered anyone.
People not knowing how to walk is one of my pet peaves ( but I have to admit I am a “Mall Walker”!!)But my biggest complaint is people blocking the entrance to the rides waiting for the rest of their party to turn up ( used to be bad with fast pass ppl blocking the entrance waiting a minute or two for their time – making it hard for others to get by – I am not an aggressive person and don’t bring a bag into the park but there are times I would like to knock someone with an oversized back pack!!
Here’s an idea to be a good guest and brighten cast members’ day: When a cast member does something praiseworthy, be sure to note their name and “report” them to Guest Relations. They could get a promotion because of your praise, and I bet the person at Guest Relations will also feel happy to hear guest praise rather than complaints. I have a bad arm and I need help at counter service restaurants bringing my tray to the table. Without help, I’d likely spill half my drink on the floor, endangering other people who might slip and fall. The times I’ve asked for help, the cast members have been very cooperative. One of them at Pizzerizzo even made sure my table was cleaned up before I sat down. I make sure to mention the good job these cheerful cast members are doing to Guest Relations before leaving the park. If by chance I didn’t stop by Guest Relations, Walt Disney World’s online contact form is another means of writing a compliment.
You don’t have to go to guest relations to compliment Cast Members. You can do it right on the app. Hit the three lines at the bottom and scroll down to where it says cast compliments. I was so happy when they added this feature for this, the cast members are the best part of the experience, they make it magical.
We were in Disney World Thanksgiving week with a couple from LA who had never visited before. I was worried and bought genie plus for every day. It was well worth it. And all the CMs I encountered had incredibly great attitudes and were especially engaging. I’m in the parks a lot. It really seemed like they were energized and excited about the prospect of a new pro Disney visitor and CM CEO! I hope it continues!
We have been to Cedar Point many times over the last 30+ year, and the park has always had a very strict line jumping policy. Line jumpers are removed from the park. I was SHOCKED at the Disney line jumping when I first went in my early 30s. Why not make a rule?
My husband and I work really hard to have a “roll with it” positive attitude at Disney. We also kind of have low expectations. Having kids taught us that 😉 Tom, your post brought back all the icky situations in the parks I work hard to ignore or not let get to me!
My personal worst moment – we rope dropped radiator springs racers and were 10th in line. The ride was broken, and we had to wait for well over 45 minutes. My entire genie+ plan for the day was in shambles. I had to work hard to recover my positive attitude lol.
If there were a sign at the entrance of rides stating that your entire party must enter at the same time, I think it would help with line cutters. Some people think it is perfectly okay to send one person in to hold their party’s place. On our last trip a woman told us the CMs said it was okay for her to go get coffee and then join her family. Why couldn’t the family wait for her at the entrance while she got the coffee? When you confront these people, it just brings everyone down. I have noticed that we never saw any cutters in the Lightning Lanes.
These are why you’re going to see more Disney Rage. Too many self-centered people who can’t think of anyone else. Kinda like road rage coming to a park near you! Gotta love people, right!
Bully Adults! They push, shove, take the best views and seats. They can bully the kids by walking straight into them acting like they own the park and every inch of walking space. They forget Disney is for the children and that children have the priority and should be able to enjoy the parks too. They can’t and won’t do the same behaviour to other adults, just to the weaker children. Just plain bad manners
Uh, Disney is for children of all. ages. Bullying parents,who say adults MUST give waybto.kids are a problem too. Take that the way you like, but I hate having parents shove me aside and demand their kid takes priority. I enjoy the kids but not bullying parents. I have had them Venice me back when I am sitting down to block.my view of parades,shove me aside in line because they are holding places while the kids are on other rides and 12 family members show up at the last minute, and generally behave like adults have no rights.
This list should be posted in the “what to expect” section of the Disney Parks websites!! The guests I am most irritated by combine the behaviors of Flashers and Parents With Children on Their Shoulders: The thousands who “watch” the nighttime shows through their phones. The second that music starts up, half the crowd lifts their phones into the air, creating distracting visuals and light pollution for anyone standing under 6’6″. Don’t you all know that there are professionally shot, much, much, much better video and photographic versions of every single nighttime spectacular, show and attraction all over blogs and youtube?????? There is literally no reason for you to film these things unless you are actually the professional vlogger or photographer who has superior capabilities for capturing these moments. I wish press badges were required before anyone was permitted to shoot nighttime spectaculars! The saddest thing is that, if you are paying attention to framing the action through your phone, you’re actually missing the innocent thrill of seeing the fireworks go off, in large scale, over your head. (So, by the way, am I. I am 5’5″, and your darn phone is blocking my view!!!) Some other time I’ll get into detailed grumbling over tall people who won’t let short kids just step in front of them at parade ropes, and the zig zagging walkers who veer unexpectedly into the path of an ECV and then loudly complain about how dangerous those people are and how they are probably just lazy and not using the scooter for any viable medical purpose…)
I am5’2″ and not much bigger than12 year olds, when I became that height.Toss in “parents who think adults must give away all rights to their kids, because it is for kids”.
As a person in a wheelchair, everyone needs to remember they do not stop on a dime. Also, it is not okay to step over the persons feet or legs (true story, has happened multiple times). Sometimes people in wheelchairs do have to stop quickly and they do not have the convenience to step to the side really quick to be out of the way. I am an frequent visitor to the parks and try to be as courteous as possible, however, people do not always see the disabled that are not at their eye level. Please know we are aware of this, but cannot always prevent stopping or grazing a foot or ankle. Sorry to all that I have accidently maimed.
I would add”people who step.over, not around, you if you fall. Or kick you.” I have had this happen at malls,,don’t doubt this could happen at Disney. I have hyper flexion in both ankles, and they twist on a dime or for no reason at all. I try to.laugh it off, but I have actually had people yell.at me and kick.me in the side because I was in their way,,as if I enjoyed hitting concrete. I plan on wearing my decorated faux,Doc Margins because they give ankle support, but there is no guarantee I won’t fall.
Spent my honeymoon in a,wheelchair after I sprained my right ankle, and then my left swelled because,I put too.much pressure on it ( it(never fly with a,sprain unless absolutely necessary; in my case, it was). I have great sympathy for the wheelchair bound. They aren’t kidding about being unable to stop on a dime,and a kid running in front can cause them to get hurt as they try to stop.
So happy to see you did not include “guests who sing along with ‘Mama don’t whoop Little Buford” at full volume” in your list. I’m in the clear.
As someone who is often pushing a wheelchair, PLEASE look/think before you stop walking. Not if you are in a line of course, but on a major thoroughfare, you risk me running you over
Ooof, I was walking from Tomorrowland to Main Street when the “dimmed”… ahem…shut off the lights for the fireworks. I saw the person in a wheelchair and paused as the lights went out. I don’t know if they saw me, but my momentum carried me another step and the wheelchair came down from the curb on top of my foot, man did I scream in surprise. Not their fault or mine, but oh did that hurt, so heed the warning, people!
If only we could all be as perfect as you, Tom.
You forgot the ones who stop dead in the middle of the walkway like no one else is around. They block traffic in the worse way!
You got my response exactly!!!
Yes! I have a song I sing every time I go to Disney: “Don’t stop… in the middle of the roaddd!!!” I sing this repeatedly while walking through the parks and trying to navigate the idiots standing mid-walkway to read maps and such. MOVE TO THE SIDES PEOPLE!!! lol