For some, it’s just not a Walt Disney World vacation without a little trip to our own personal Mad Tea Party…
Now, now, it’s easy to point the finger at others, but we’ve all succumbed to a little Disney madness from time to time. The eccentricities of die hard Disney fans can manifest in charming forms like zeal for pin trading, Disneybounding, or engaging in a kooky vacation challenge with friends and family. With a healthy dose a courtesy, these individuals add vibrancy and a sense of the unpredictable to Walt Disney World.
Unfortunately, there are other areas where some Walt Disney World visitors seem to completely lose their Mouse-Ear-Wearing minds, and the results aren’t always pretty…
1. Playing chicken and other crowd shenanigans
Image: HarshLight, Flickr (license)
There is no way around it—navigating theme park crowds is hard. It simply is not possible to cram 20,000-60,000 people into a space only a tenth the size of New York’s Central Park and things not occasionally get weird. However, there is a difference between weird and some of the dancing-in-poppy-fields insanity that occurs when Disney parkgoers lose it in a crowd.
We’ve talked about some of the more obvious cases before. Stroller and scooter etiquette is one of the more volatile topics fans can discuss, and the craziness goes both ways. Many Disney guests have a nasty habit of assuming families with strollers and scooters can stop on a dime, and this can result in some gnarly accidents when guests come to a screeching halt in front of one. At the same time, most Disney regulars have encountered a twitchy-eyed parent who just ran out of the last thread of patience in their purse and decided to use their stroller as a battering ram. As has been discussed before, courtesy is important both ways.
Also common is the general chaos that ensues when guests forget how crowds work. It’s just a fact of visiting Walt Disney World that, at some point, someone is going to stop in the midst of a moving sea of people and cause a human traffic jam or a family is going to line up marching band style across a walkway and obliviously block all others from passing. It’s annoying, but in most cases, it’s simply a matter of guests not realizing what is going on behind them.
However, there is one particularly uncomfortable crowd shenanigan that most Walt Disney World regulars have encountered that stretches beyond mere faux pas into crazytown: guests deciding the best strategy to navigate the parks is by playing chicken.
I’m not talking about two guests who inadvertently almost walk into each other then politely fumble their way onto separate trajectories after exchanging chuckles and apologies. I’m talking about the unique flavor of delirium when a fellow guest locks eyes and decides the straightest path to their destination is through you.
It usually starts innocent enough. You realize you’re on a collision course with another visitor. Perhaps the crowd is thick and there’s nowhere else to divert to. You meet their gaze and realize something is… off. The guest ahead seems to stare right through you, Terminator-gaze fixed on an invisible point beyond your position. With nowhere else to change course, you press ahead, assuming the person will realize the predicament and adjust. You get closer and closer.
It’s already too late when you realize the steel-eyed machine before you has no more flips to give and you are in the way of “the mission”…
TARGET ACQUIRED…
Image: John Lawlor, Flickr (license)
It’s weird. It’s awkward for everyone involved. It’s insulting when it results in plowing bodies, muttered curses, or flagrant shoulder-bumps when it all could have been avoided by two people turning sideways for two seconds.
Short story? Don’t play chicken with your fellow guests. A moment of uncomfortable shuffling and an assuring smile can do wonders to diffuse a crowd collision. Leave T-1000 impressions to the Universal fans…
2. Forgetting how germs work
The Sphere of Contagion callllls to you…Image: Jett Farrell-Vega
Disney tickets are expensive, and it is no easy matter to get a refund. It is an unfortunate reality that there are times when families visit Walt Disney World while someone is sick. Some guests have saved up for years just to enjoy a special week, and there are dozens of places where guests can pick up a nasty virus even while being cautious. Many just choose to power through it and still enjoy their trip, and that’s understandable.
However, it does seem that many Walt Disney World visitors forget how germs work entirely. Heading to the park with the sniffles is normal. Wiping your hands on a handrail after blasting your fingers with a thunderous sneeze is not.
Parkgoers have some particularly nasty ways of spreading germs. For example, it escapes comprehension why some guests choose to use the Mission: Space boarding passes as a paddle to lightning-spank naughty kids.
Now, I’m not talking about parents full on beating their kids with boarding passes—I’ve most often seen brothers engage in this habit actually—but it’s weirdly common that something about the Mission: Space boarding passes makes guests want to smack someone in the butt with them.
Butt-sliding down handrails in queues is another weird one. People get upset when cast members tell them not to do this, but just pause and think about what handrails are designed for. No one wants to get that friendly with the still-lingering warmth of your behind.
And under what circumstance did Disney have to develop dedicated warning signs for this phenomenon?
That which has been seen cannot be unseen…
The point is to use common sense when visiting Walt Disney World. Don’t be gross, do wash your hands regularly, and remember you are sharing the park with thousands of others. If you’re sick, keep a bottle of hand sanitizer (or even lavender essential oil) on stand-by and use it any time you sneeze or cough. You can get a full range of over-the-counter medications and drug store items for free at Disney’s First Aid centers located in each of the parks.
If you are well and truly sick, don’t force a day in the parks. Contact Guest Services at your resort, politely ask if there is anything they can do, and take a day of rest to regain your strength. If you end up needing medical assistance, Disney can facilitate transportation to a nearby offsite urgent care clinic so you can get treatment quickly.
3. Diving headfirst into crippling debt
“Build me an army worthy of Mordor…”
Image: Disney
Jokes about the insane costs of a Walt Disney World vacation abound on the Theme Park Tourist Facebook page—and there’s no denying many of them are true. Walt Disney World is more expensive than ever before. Taking time to save up before booking your trip and sticking to a budget while visiting are extremely important in these pricey times.
Unfortunately, the Walt Disney Company are masters of the art of the impulse buy. Particularly if you have kids or family egging you on, it’s all too easy to cast a trip budget to the wind and slap down the plastic to keep the magic flowing. You don’t even have to open your wallet. With two blips of a Magic Band, immediate gratification is just a green neon mouse away.
Some guests absolutely lose it in the presence of the endless shopping and dining opportunities Walt Disney World offers. While a week of unforgettable memories can prove magical, years of crippling debt are not.
Image: Disney
As much as it can be hard to wait longer (sometimes substantially longer) to book a Walt Disney World vacation, it is better to take the extra time to save for a trip that budgets in opportunities to splurge than it is to head to your vacation with the intent to be frugal, only to cave to the temptation to let the Mastercard reign once you arrive.
If you tend to let your inner shopaholic take over, put some safeguards in place before your trip to make sure you stay in budget. Limit access to credit cards (or leave them behind), don’t enable your MagicBand for instant purchases, and put your trip budget in cash or on limited-fund gift cards to keep your spending in check. You may have to say no to a few luxuries, but the peace of mind you’ll gain avoiding crushing debt will be well worth it.
4. Forgetting the outside world exists
Walt Disney World is designed to distract guests from reality and paint a picture where the imagination can flourish. Full grown adults can relive the wonder of childhood and share it with the next generation. Dreamers can feed their souls on the fantastical, and weary vacationers can enjoy relaxation in otherworldly settings.
However, this doesn’t cause the outside world to cease to exist, and unfortunately, some guests seem to forget this.
A Walt Disney World vacation is not an excuse for manners to be tossed to the wind. This becomes ugliest when guests lose it with cast members over areas they never would question in the real world. It is true that Disney is known for phenomenal guest service, setting the standard for the entertainment tourism industry. You should expect good service at Walt Disney World, and it is appropriate to make a polite complaint to a supervisor should this not take place.
However, cast members are still human beings. They cannot control the weather. They cannot accommodate every request. They cannot supervise your children or control if a ride goes down due to an unforeseen malfunction. Even with cast members, do unto others as you would have done to yourself. Even with firm complaints, it is possible to stay civil.
Some guests seem to also forget that they are not the only ones visiting Walt Disney World. Just because you bought a ticket does not mean rules do not apply. Your vacation does not make you immune to rules about flash photography, respecting crowd barriers, videotaping dark performances, or cutting across queues. Some of Disney’s more unusual warning signs tell quite a tale of what guests seem to assume they are entitled to—I mean, just how many people have tried to step off “Living with the Land” that a slew of giant lettered warnings are necessary to prevent it?
For the most part, these Disney goof ups can all be avoided with a little common sense. However, there is one last area where Disney fans lose their Mouse-Ear wearing minds that is not quite as malevolent as our previous contenders. In fact, it can affect even the most amiable of Disney guests.
5. Disney vacation withdrawals
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega
Don’t point at your spouse. It’s happened to the best of us.
“The Disney Shakes” usually start shortly after you depart your resort. Disney’s Magical Express buses seem designed to slowly wean guests off the endorphin-drip of a week at Walt Disney World. However, there is no escaping the ice water plunge back into reality that comes after you step onto the plane home.
You’re still wearing your MagicBand, just in case you need it again. You fumble with the My Disney Experience app, trying to remember what time your next Fastpass+ reservation is. You mentally peruse menus, wondering what the evening’s dining options might hold… only, you won’t need your MagicBand again in the foreseeable future. There are no Fastpass+ reservations, and the evening’s dining is a choice between airport mystery tacos and a grilled cheese at Panera Bread.
Even the most stalwart Walt Disney World fan can suffer from Disney vacation withdrawals.
I tend to write with a hint of satire, but I’m not being satirical here. This is a phenomenon so real that you can Google the various ways regulars deal with it. Even being a Florida resident, I recall having a particularly bad case of the WDWithdrawals as we drove back home after our last week-long vacation. I sputtered at my husband helplessly, utterly embarrassed that I was having such a hard time leaving the parks behind. I kept babbling to myself wishing I had purchased a weird memento like a mug to remember the trip better. I repeatedly scanned Photopass selections and tried to work out how we could make a return trip in the near future. I couldn’t comprehend heading back to real life after a week of constant imagination stimulation in the parks.
Image: Disney
Of all the ways that Walt Disney World fans lose their Mouse-Ear-Wearing minds, vacation withdrawals are by far the most normal… and unlike our previous cases, it isn’t something you necessarily need to be hard on yourself about.
Think about it. A Walt Disney World vacation is designed to flood your senses with memory, imagination, pleasant tastes, and wondrous sights. It’s one endorphin squirt after another (which also explains why unpleasant encounters at WDW seem to bring the worst out of some guests). We are all human beings with responsibilities, normal lives, and purposes to fulfill. Walt Disney World is a pleasant stop along the journey, but for most of us, it isn’t home.
When the Walt Disney World withdrawals hit, don’t be too hard on yourself. Wean yourself off slowly. Enjoy some articles here at Theme Park Tourist. Come up with a reasonable saving strategy for your next trip (don’t book it until you know you can afford it and aren’t jonezing for The Mouse. See #3). Cherish memories made with those you love or on your solo explorations… then take that zeal and find fresh beauty in day to day life. Most of all, treasure your family and friends, or find new opportunities to give back to others. This is something no Disney vacation can replicate, and it can help ground you back in a reality which maybe isn’t as bleak as it seemed before.
What are some other ways you’ve seen Walt Disney World fans—for better or for worse—lose their Mouse-Ear-Wearing minds?
