Most Walt Disney World visitors are great. They just want to have a good time, build some family memories, and escape into a fantasy world where real-life concerns don’t matter. We know when you’re having fun, a bit of common sense goes out the window, and that’s fine. Most cast members get a kick out of watching you enjoy yourself, even if you’re acting a little ridiculous. But some people take a Disney vacation as an excuse for truly bad behavior. Here are 6 things cast members wish you would never do again (based on my personal experience of working at the resort).
1. Talk through an attraction
Have you ever tried to give a presentation to a room full of people who seem like they would rather be anyplace else? No matter what you did, you just couldn’t seem to get their attention. Even worse, did you make eye contact with someone in the back who clearly was trying to listen, but simply couldn’t hear you over the general din?
That’s what it’s like for an attractions spieler when you talk through the ride or show. There are always a few people paying attention, and we want to do a good job for them, but it’s hard to keep the momentum going when people are chattering loudly about something unrelated. Please show a little common courtesy to your host and your fellow guests, and curb the conversation for the few minutes you’re on the attraction.
2. Lose your basic counting ability
“How many in your party?” “Ummm….2 up there and 3, no, 4 back here? I don’t know, it’s all of us.” All of who? And how have you possibly made it to 4 in the afternoon without figuring out how many people are with you? You’ve been asked the same question all day long.
When a cast member asks you how many in your party, she’s not trying to be nosy, nor is she just making idle conversation. Each ride vehicle has a particular number of seats, divided into a specific number of rows. We need to know how many people are in your group so that we can seat you together, broken up by row as necessary. If you tell us the wrong number, it will mess up not only your seating but that of everyone around you.
3. Encourage your kids to break the rules
For some reason, some parents think the rules not only don’t apply to their kids, but are there to be actively broken. “Go ahead and juggle those glass snow globes. It’s Disney. If you break them, we don’t have to pay.” “We’re not getting out of line for the restroom. Go pee in the corner over there.” Or my personal favorite, “You’re a little bit short for Space Mountain. Wear this big hat and stand on your tiptoes at the height checker.”
It always makes me wonder if these are the same parents I saw at the Grand Canyon, encouraging their kids to back right up to a sheer dropoff to get a better photo. Parents, the rules aren’t there because we want to be mean to your kids. Please follow them and ensure that your kids do the same. We’ll all have a better day as a result.
4. Drag a screaming kid onto a ride
Cast members always struggle with when to intervene with a crying or screaming child. On the one hand, we know that the parks are a sensory wonderland that can send even the most even-tempered kid into overload. We also know that some children are naturally timid about new experiences, but end up loving everything they are brave enough to try. On the other hand, we know that some parents are selfish, and they’re going to make little Timmy do every ride in order to “get their money’s worth.”
If your child is kicking and screaming and begging not to ride, please know that it creates an uncomfortable situation for the cast members as well as your fellow guests. And in some cases, your family won’t be allowed to ride. Cast members have discretion to escort a family out when the child seems truly terrified. Some will exercise this option and some won’t, but is it really worth dealing with a 20 minute meltdown in line when you might not get to ride anyway? Go get some ice cream, calmly discuss the situation, and come back when little Timmy has decided he’s ready to ride.
5. Act inappropriately with the characters
The characters love interacting with guests of all ages, and there is no reason you should skip the fun just because you’re no longer under 10, or even under 40. They know their back stories very well, and are always happy to have conversations about their worlds. They’ll pose for pictures, sign autographs, and chat you up. But there are limits.
Groping, punching, pulling, or otherwise physically harassing the characters is a BIG no-no, and their handlers will put a stop to it. Verbal harassment is sometimes harder for the handlers to catch, but it is no less unacceptable. Suggestive comments and rude jokes are among the most common types of verbal harassment characters face, but some have received threats as well. Keep it clean, keep it appropriate to the character’s storyline, and keep it short.
6. Ruin the magic
You might have been to the parks hundreds of times and know every little detail about everything in them. But right next to you are children and adults who are experiencing the magic for the first time. We don’t mind if you spiel along with the Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion’s stretching room or sing out during Pirates of the Caribbean. But please, if you want to discuss technical details or behind-the-scenes secrets, keep your voice down.
Play along with the idea that the characters are real, the sets are what they appear to be, and the parks are magical places where the real world doesn’t intrude. Find a quiet spot to make your work calls, solve your family dramas, or geek out about that super-cool new audio effect that was just added to your favorite ride. Again, we don’t mind if you do these things, just try not to ruin the magic for others.
