Yelling and screaming is fun. Kids learn this at a young age, and we never truly outgrow the feeling. Sometimes, you just want to stand in a crowded place and shout. That’s why concerts and nightclubs are so popular. And when you visit a Disney theme park, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to yell your lungs out. Here are the most raucous things at Walt Disney World.
A night at the World Showcase
Alcohol is a social lubricant. Someone with copious amounts of alcohol in the system becomes a screamer. If you have any doubt about this, hang out at the World Showcase at Epcot after dark, particularly during one of the exhibitions. Anybody who has spent a few hours drinking their way through the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival knows the truth here. This place becomes ground zero for a roaming party, and yelling is requisite for anyone with a BAC over zero.
A meal at Chef Mickey’s
Image: DisneyYou know what makes kids lose their minds? Meeting Mickey Mouse. Or Minnie Mouse. Or Donald Duck. Or…well, you get the point. I’ve previously described Chef Mickey’s as the legitimate Happiest Place on Earth, because every child there is having the best time of their life. Disney characters are everywhere, and a freakin’ monorail drives by every few minutes.
This is the closest that kids can come to physically entering the Disney Channel and living the dream of becoming a permanent part of the Disney entertainment universe. Understandably, children freak out and yell out a lot. What’s unique about Chef Mickey’s compared to other entries here is that the noise stems from the uproarious laughter of children.
A show at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Image: DisneyPeople who have never eaten here simply cannot imagine the gleeful manner with which cast members create a deafening roar. The performers on stage shout their way through the songs, and the servers have a sequence where they intentionally slam plates on tables, creating an ear-splitting ringing sound. Also, the show includes segments where theme park tourists receive recognition for birthdays and anniversaries. And that leads to even more jubilance…the loud kind.
Catching a game at ESPN Club
Image: DisneyESPN Club at Disney’s BoardWalk is hidden in plain sight. A lot of folks forget that it exists due to its proximity to other great restaurants on the BoardWalk and at the nearby World Showcase. Anyone who has ever watched the big game at ESPN Club is nodding at its presence on this list, though. Due to the claustrophobic nature of the restaurant and the passion of sports fans, it’s the perfect place to catch March Madness or an NFL playoff game.
You’ll make fast friends (or furious enemies) due to your rooting interests, and everyone will relish in the huge plays. It’s like a deluxe sports bar where everyone shares two commonalities: a love of Disney and a passion for sports.
Cheerleader competitions at ESPN Wide World of Sports
Image: DisneyWhile ESPN Club has a lot of yelling, it can’t hold a candle to another ESPN enterprise. At the Wide World of Sports, Disney holds cheerleading and dancing competitions throughout the year. And if you think fans go crazy over football games, you should hear them scream their way through a dancing national championship.
Over the past few years, Disney has morphed from a casual supporter of amateur athletics to the mecca of national and international competitions. They even added a new 8,000-seat arena in early 2018 to offer better facilities to participants. And something I love about these competitions is that the yelling isn’t reserved to the stadium. After the contestants are done, they head to the parks to show off their new medals. The energy is palpable as excited, new champions celebrate at the Most Magical Place on Earth.
Ordering some ketchup at Whispering Canyon Café
Image: DisneyThe food at Whispering Canyon Café is oddly secondary to the dining experience…and I say that as a huge fan of the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Skillet. When you eat here, your primary goal is to watch the other diners or participate in the odd experience, depending on your preference. The show is the way that servers honor your food requests. They’re best described as passive-aggressively hospitable, especially on the subject of condiments.
Should you have the audacity to order the ketchup, you’ll gain the spotlight at the restaurant as all eyes fall on you. Suddenly, an onslaught of ketchup bottles will arrive at your table, with the delivery people screaming at you all the while. It’s definitely one of the strangest experiences at Disney, which is why you may want to watch.
A meteor strike at T-REX Cafe
Image: DisneySome of the noisiest things at Walt Disney World are by design. That’s certainly true of the final two entries on this list. At Disney Springs, you can eat a meal and watch a show. In fact, you’ll watch the show whether you’re interested or not. It’s going to take place on the ceiling no matter what.
The conceit of T-REX Café is that comets wiped out the dinosaurs. Since the restaurant is chock-full of dino audio-animatronics, the only way to handle pest control is by having a meteor strike every 20 minutes. Speaking from experience, this is NOT the place to meet friends for the first time, as you won’t hear anything that they have to say during the Night of the Comet event. That’s three or four times during the meal when you need to read lips to keep up with the conversation…BUT the meteor strike itself is definitely a conversation starter.
Happily Ever After fireworks
Image: DisneyI could have selected any of the fireworks exhibitions here, as the explanation is the same. Everyone wants to wind down a day at a Disney park in the same way. That’s the beloved fireworks exhibition, a time when Orlando residents cover their ears and hope that their dogs will stop barking angrily. With the fireworks thundering in the sky, everyone excitedly yells their enthusiasm about the perfect end to another perfect day at the park. There’s nothing louder at Disney, and theme park tourists wouldn’t have it any other way, right?
