It’s understandable that guests at Walt Disney World have a lot of questions. The resort is a big place, and with so many things changing on almost a daily basis, it’s easy for even the most prepared guest to feel a little overwhelmed. However, that doesn’t mean that all queries are created equal.
The following questions are pretty ridiculous, but unfortunately Cast Members hear them all too often.
1. How does (insert special effect here) work?
Image: Disney
Walt Disney World is a magical place, filled with amazing attractions. And while we’ve all wondered how those transparent ghosts dance around the ballroom at the Haunted Mansion and marvelled at Tinkerbell flying through the air night after night, you can’t just ask a Cast Member about these things. For one thing, the official answer to all of these questions is “magic” and second of all, not all Cast Members are experts in how every ride at Walt Disney World works. Besides, if you really want to learn how all the special effects work on your favorite attraction, there are plenty of online guides that can help you out.
2. Where’s Frozen Land/ Star Wars Land?
There’s no such place as Frozen Land. And Star Wars Land doesn’t exist…yet. So why do guests ask about these places? Those asking about Frozen may be looking for one of the two exisiting Frozen-themed attractions (at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom), or might be a little too eagerly anticipating 2016’s Frozen Ever After ride. Those who are confused about Star Wars Land are probably looking for Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or are at the park about ten years too early.
3. Are you sure (insert attraction here) is closed?
When an attraction is down, whether it be for a scheduled refurbishment or temporarily due to unplanned maintenance, it can be disappointing. We all want to ride our favorite attractions, and hearing that Pirates of the Caribbean is down during your FastPass+ window is a major bummer. However, even though you may see plenty of Cast Members in front of the attraction, and there could even be guests in the queue, if you are told that an attraction is down for an indeterminate amount of time, it’s not a trick or a lie. No one is hosting any back-row boat parties. The attraction is closed, and it could be a few minutes, several hours, or even a couple of days before it reopens.
4. Why are the parking trams so slow?
Walt Disney World parking lots are massive, and after a day of criss-crossing your favorite park to get to all of your favorite attractions, the wait at the end of the day for a parking tram can feel agonizing. Many guests have hypothesized that if the trams just drove a little faster, they could get guests to their cars more efficiently. What these guests don’t take into account though is the fact that Walt Disney World’s parking lots aren’t an extention of Test Track. Parking trams have to share the road with other transportation vehicles, guest cars, and most importantly, pedestrians, which means that a safe ride, is unfortunately a slow ride.
5. Why is there no alcohol in the Magic Kingdom?
One concept that first-time guests often struggle with is the rules surrounding alcohol at the Magic Kingdom. And to be fair, they are a little strange. Though there are plenty of bars at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the only place at the Magic Kingdom to even get a taste of the hard stuff is Be Our Guest and even then, you’re limited to beer and wine. The actual reasons behind this hearken back to Walt Disney’s desire to keep Disneyland Park dry, and unfortunately, the story is one that’s a little too long to repeat here, or to guests. Though you may want to summon some liquid courage before hitting up Space Mountain (or Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, we don’t judge), the fact is that alcohol currently isn’t as free-flowing at the Magic Kingdom as it is at other parks, and the sooner you accept that, the happier you’ll be.
6. How long is this line really?
And speaking of lines, there’s an urban legend that Disney Cast Members purposefully inflate wait times to drive guests away from certain attractions. Though we can’t say that this has never happened (it would be impossible to intervew every Cast Member on the planet), we can say with all confidence that the wait time on the standby queue sign is not used to control guest flow. Could you see a 60 minute wait time and actually wait 20 minutes? Sure. Estimates are wrong all the time. But no one is trying to purposefully “steer” you away from an attraction by posting the wrong wait time.
7. Can you take my kid on this ride?
No. Cast Members are not allowed to supervise your children. If little Billie and Kelly want to go on the Big Thnder Mountain Railroad and you’re feeling a little skittish, your best bet is to either summon some of the aformeentioned liquid courage (which is nearly impossible, since you’re at the Magic Kingdom), or advise the young ones in your party to pick a different attraction.
8. Is Florida always this hot?
Temperatures in Central Florida can be a little weird. Not even the weathermen (who presumably have some kind of advanced degree) can figure out how hot it is going to be, for how long, or why. Cast Members, locals, or pretty much any one else can’t explain it, so don’t bother asking.
9. Why is everything so expensive?
It costs $5 for an answer to that question.
Have you ever heard a theme park guest ask a truly outrageous question? Share your stories below!
