With an average of over 50,000 visitors a day, it’s not surprising that Disney World guests include a few bad apples. The most egregious offenders are obvious—queue jumpers, guests who bully cast members, that one group of knuckleheads who think they’re hilarious for flashing the Splash Mountain camera. These Disney sins are obvious, but there are other “naughty habits” that many guests may be utterly unaware of.
We’ve talked about a few of these faux pas before on Theme Park Tourist, such as not using flash photography on rides or not walking in a “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” formation stretching across walkways as you tour the parks. We’d like to explore a few more habits Disney guests need to just stop doing. Have you ever been unknowingly guilty of one of these? We all make mistakes, and it’s easy to correct these park etiquette slips.
Editor’s Note: Jett’s opinions in no way reflect those of Theme Park Tourist or its staff.
1. Stroller derby
We’ve visited the subject of stroller manners in the past, focusing on the benefits of using a lightweight stroller when possible as well as getting older kids used to walking. However, there’s a darker habit of some Disney stroller users, one that it’s almost impossible to avoid on an average Disney day.
Parents using their strollers as battering rams.
It’s understandable that wheeling a stroller through the busy streets of the Magic Kingdom can be a difficult challenge. Guests are going to have awkward moments navigating crowds and parents who manage to do this while maintaining that delicate balance between courtesy and persistence are superheroes. It’s not an easy job, and this definitely isn’t directed at all parents.
However, it’s a fascinating exercise to watch how some parents lose their minds once they get their hands on that rubberized grip of a stroller. I’ve seen middle aged suburbanites race each other down Main Street like crazed couponers on Black Friday. I’ve seen parents barrel their little prince’s carriage into other guests with abandon just to get to a character queue. I’ve been straight up shoved off the monorail during loading by a wild-eyed mom who set in her mind that no one come hell or highwater was going to take that last two feet on the train, even if it meant using her little angel like a piece of riot gear.
Gentle bumps and accidental collisions are going to happen, but if you’re planning on driving a stroller at Disney World, try to keep aware of your fellow guests. You will need some chutzpah to navigate around meanderers, but if the temptation to act out a scene from Mad Max takes over, perhaps take a breath rather than ramming the guests in front of you like you’re storming the gates of Helm’s Deep.
2. Assuming the wildlife is part of the magic
Image: Rusty Clark, Flickr (license)
Disney World includes over 10,000 acres of conservation land surrounding its parks. A rich variety of Florida animals call the property home, and you can’t make a Disney trip without meeting some of these charming locals. Seagulls, squirrels, banana spiders, rabbits, anhingas, and ibis are just a few Florida denizens you may encounter.
However, some guests forget that the wildlife at Disney World aren’t the same as their cartoon counterparts. The free roaming animals are not tame, and guests who forget this can actually harm both the animals and themselves.
I recall one occasion walking through Epcot when a squirrel darted across our path. A middle-aged woman ahead of us squealed with delight. She and the other members of her party proceed to flank the squirrel so she could scoop it up off the ground. As anyone who is familiar with squirrels (and their wicked-nasty-pointy-teeth) may be expecting, the little guy bit the heebie-jeebies out of her.
Image: Mbarrison, Flickr (license)
Another cringeworthy example is when parents allow their kids to chase the ducks and ibis. The animals that call Disney home are beautiful to watch, but they are also living creatures that can react with a fight or flight response. Please do not encourage or allow your kids to frighten them, or worse, injure them.
Last, feeding the animals is also a habit that should be discouraged, as difficult as it is to resist the adorable batting eyes of that family of ducks waddling by your feet. I think most of us have allowed a few crumbs to fall to the floor for the birds, but it can actually be detrimental to purposefully feed local wildlife many of the foods humans eat. Salt, for example, can be very dangerous to birds, and feeding the animals also encourages some of the bolder critters (seagulls for example) to camp out restaurants to steal food from guests.
In particular, should you see any of Florida’s water wildlife anywhere in the state—whether it be a catfish or an alligator– please do not feed it. It’s a boon to all guests and especially to locals that wildlife never associate humans with a food source. You’ll be doing a good thing both for the animals and for the locals by avoiding this particular habit.
3. Bringing babies (without being ready)
Image: Joe Shlabotnik, Flickr (license)
This is a particularly challenging one– in most cases, it is not necessarily cringeworthy, but it is worth mentioning. With the utmost respect and grace for well-meaning parents, please consider not bringing children under four years old to Disney World.
I know there are exceptions to every rule. I’ve seen bright-eyed babies light up at the sight of Daisy Duck and two year olds coo at their first glance at Cinderella Castle. I’ve also seen babies cry nonstop at a mere picture of Figment and toddlers break into inconsolable meltdowns at the prospect of waiting twenty minutes for a ride. Some parents can handle this, others lose it.
There’s an understandable allure to bring our tiniest little ones to Disney World. There’s something truly magical for first time parents to want to experience with their kids and kids under three get in free. My own first words were spoken at Disney World—a trip that would be my last to Disney until I was five because it was so taxing on my parents. I spent much of the trip overwhelmed, fussy, and terrified after seeing Prince John from Robin Hood.
Here is the problem. In general, children in the earliest stages of development—usually those under five years old—cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Whereas we see Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger spin as a fun and cartoonish chase after a cutout of Emperor Zurg, they actually see a giant robot who wants them dead and could destroy the world. Dumbo becomes a real flying elephant imbued with magical powers (thus why young kids love the ride so much!). Seeing an adult sized, giant-headed version of Mickey Mouse can shock small children. Rides with even minimal scare factors can prove terrifying, and many parents seem to not realize this even as their kids are visibly distressed by the experience.
Can a Disney trip with a very small child be pulled off? Absolutely, particularly for passholders and residents who have extra time to get kids used to the hustle of the parks. There are lots of tricks that can be employed, ranging from planning out naps to making sure they have earplugs for fireworks displays. I want to emphasize that parents who do this right are rock stars in my book. However, for the average family saving up for years and travelling across the country, is it really worth it when the entire family may enjoy the trip more in a few years? It’s a point worth considering.
4. Fastpass bottlenecking
Fastpass+ revolutionized the way guests wait for rides. With a few exceptions, it has proven a fantastic system, and Disney’s Magic Bands have made it easier than ever to arrange Fastpass times. Whereas in the past guests had to fumble about for paper tickets, guests can simply tap their Magic Band or pass to a Mickey logo to be on their way onto an attraction. It’s a wonderfully simple system.
Or so it should be. Enter the Fastpass bottleneck.
You’re on your way to the Fastpass entrance when the party in front of you stops in the entrance. The cast member watching the queue helpfully points out they’re in the Fastpass line. The bewildered party nods that they understand, then proceeds to start rummaging through purses and pockets looking for their Magic Bands or tickets. One strikes up conversation with the cast member, asking a number of questions about the ride. You attempt to maneuver around the party to the second kiosk, but the confused party spreads across the path, blocking the way. The cast member is distracted attempting to assist the party who can’t figure out how the system works. Finally, they press their Magic Bands to the kiosk only to find out certain members of their group have a different time scheduled to ride, or they don’t even have Fastpasses, or they’ve been trying to press their FitBit to the kiosk the entire time, or…
You get the picture.
Similar bottlenecks can occur at the park entrances with guests who cluster together all waiting to use the same entrance kiosk while blocking other guests from using the others. Generally, it’s not done with malicious intent, but it ends up proving a huge frustration to other parkgoers.
Disney is an overwhelming place. It takes a little time to get the swing of things, but the best way you can avoid bottlenecks is to be prepared before you approach an attraction. Have the My Disney Experience app installed on your phone so you can easily check Fastpass times or at least take a few moments to record Fastpass times in a journal. Before you reach the queue, have your Magic Band or ticket ready and direct your party members to use both kiosks so you can move through the line quickly. If you run into a snag, try to move to the side so other guests who have passes ready can still use the second kiosk.
We all make mistakes, and it’s easy to slip up on etiquette when visiting a place as vast as Disney World. However, with a little foresight and extra courtesy, we can all work together to keep the most Magical Place on Earth magical.
