10 Types of People That RUIN Disney World for the Rest of Us

Not every person you see in Disney World is as delightful as a princess or as magical as a fairy godmother.

Magic Kingdom Crowds

With thousands of guests each day, there are bound to be some “bad apples” in the bunch, and unfortunately, those few sometimes ruin Disney World for the rest of us. How do they do that? Well, we’ve put together a list!

People Who Force Their Children on Rides

First up, we’ve got the people who force their children to do rides against their will. Listen, we know you’re probably very excited that little Timmy is FINALLY tall enough to ride Tower of Terror, but if he gets scared and wants to back out once you arrive, it’s in the best interest of everyone if you let him do that.

Tower of Terror

You wouldn’t want to make your child miserable first of all, but it may also ruin the ride experience for the guests around you if they’re having a meltdown. Plus, you run the risk of them hating the ride and not wanting to do any other potentially scary rides for the next 5-10 years. (We speak from experience on that one!)

People Who Block Other Guests’ Fireworks Views

Picture this — you’ve been waiting in the perfect spot in front of Cinderella Castle for an hour to watch the fireworks show, and it’s your first time ever seeing it live. Then, right before the show starts, a parent throws a child up on their shoulders and suddenly your entire view of the castle is blocked. Frustrating, right?!

Disney Enchantment

Unfortunately, this one happens pretty often! It’s also a pain when guests try to record the entire show on a giant iPad that blocks the view of the people behind them. In general, try to be courteous and considerate of the people around you — keep your children and recording devices at eyesight level so that everyone can enjoy the show together!

People Who Cut the Line for Rides

We totally understand the desire to waste as little time as possible in Disney World (some people on our team are HUSTLERS in the theme parks), but it’s definitely an unspoken rule that when you’re hopping in line for a ride, your whole party should be together. If large groups of guests continuously cut the line to “catch up” to their parties ahead, then it makes the wait time longer for everyone.

Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingodm

So what do you do if you need to go to the bathroom mid-line? Well, some long queues (like Flight of Passage and Rise of the Resistance) have mid-line bathrooms available. Other times, you can just ask the nearest Cast Member and they can direct you out of the line and back in later.

People Who Talk Loudly During Rides

If you’re getting the chance to do a Disney ride for the first time, you definitely want to be able to understand what’s going on with the dialogue and the storyline. Sometimes, this can be very challenging if other guests are talking loudly in your ride vehicle.

Carousel of Progress

Doing a Disney World ride is like going to the movies — if you have something to say to your friends, make sure to whisper and be considerate of those around you. Even if you’ve been on the ride before, there might be a newbie nearby who’s struggling to follow along because of the chatter. (NOTE: The same goes for quoting the pre-show out loud — you might be accidentally ruining someone’s first-time experience. Don’t be that person!)

People Who Take Flash Photos/Videos

Following along with the same vein of “don’t ruin the ride experience for other guests,” we’ve got the people who like to take flash photos. We know that Disney rides are dark…but that’s generally the point! If you turn your flash on to snap photos or videos, you may ruin the effects of the ride and spoil the illusion for other guests.

Dinosaur

Plus, this one is actually a rule that Disney has in place for many of its attractions. We’ve had Disney Cast Members come over the loudspeakers during rides before and chastise guests for doing this very thing.

People Who Have Loud, Inappropriate Conversations

Let’s start by saying that Disney is a family theme park. And with that, there are some rules of decorum. You can’t walk 10 feet without running into a family with small children, so it’s generally good manners to be on your best behavior when visiting.

Crowds in Hollywood Studios

This means that it’s probably best to avoid crass language or inappropriate conversations when you’re around other guests, especially while standing in queues for rides. Little ears are everywhere, and parents probably don’t want their children to be exposed to certain “adult” things while visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth.

People Who Act Inappropriately Around Characters

Perhaps one of the worst things you can do in Disney World is to act inappropriately around the characters. In the past, some guests have been kicked out of the parks for being creepy and making the characters feel uncomfortable, especially the princesses.

Snow White in Germany

We’ve also been witness to guests who posed questions that were intended to make the characters “mess up” and say something that they shouldn’t. Please don’t be either of these people — it’s just rude to the Cast Members and guests alike.

People Who Yell at Cast Members

And speaking of being rude to Cast Members, don’t be the person who yells and screams at Disney employees! If you’re having a problem with your vacation, the best way to get it fixed is with kindness and respectfulness.

We love Cast Members!

The Cast Members are likely working long hours and dealing with all kinds of troublesome guests throughout the day, and you certainly don’t want to add to their woes. If you’re calm and patient when dealing with them, you might even end up with a little “pixie dust!” (Though that’s not guaranteed.)

People Who “Ruin the Magic”

Guests who spoil the “magic” of the characters or the elements of the theme parks are the worst — you’ll likely be overheard by a child and you may have ruined the entire experience for them. Part of the fun of Disney World is that we all agree to “make-believe” for a little while!

Town Square Meet and Greet with Mickey Mouse

So if you’re discussing the “dirty little secrets” of Disney World, make sure to do it in hushed voices and away from other guests. You wouldn’t want to spoil the illusion inside the Disney bubble!

People Who Break the Rules Intentionally

And last but not least, let’s talk about those guests who intentionally break the rules. There are plenty of people who visit Disney World and know that what they’re doing is wrong, but they continue on anyway. When that continues to happen, Disney ends up having to “crack down” on the rules and everyone pays in the long term.

Playground Rules

In general, be a decent human being with good manners when you go to Disney World. You’re not the only one vacationing there, and it’s best to be mindful of others. As the old saying goes “treat others how you would want to be treated…even in Disney World!” (That IS how it goes, right? 😂)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

If everyone follows the spoken (and unspoken!) rules of Disney World, we’ll all end up having vacations that are a bit more magical. And who could complain about that?!

Seven Unspoken Walt Disney World Rules — Click Here!

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14 Replies to “10 Types of People That RUIN Disney World for the Rest of Us”

  1. One memorable exception to speaking the narration—About 40 of us were in Carousel of Progress when there was a stoppage, but the show went on…..and on…..and on. After the third time with the same scene, grins, giggles, and winks were shared and we did the entire scene as a group! The time passed quickly and we finished the ride with a story for the ages.

  2. Let’s face it, a WDW trip is expensive and we all want to get out money’s worth. But…

    There are other guests in the park as well. And cast members. And we need to treat each other with respect.

    Cast members make mistakes. I remember waiting outside guest services at MK this past April. Or so I thought. I was actually in the line for the DAP, however there were no cast members there to tell me so. I asked the guest in front of me if this was for guest services and they told me it was. 15 minutes later, I get to the counter and find out I’m in the wrong line and get directed to another 15 minute line. Now, 30 minutes is not a bad wait in WDW 😉 But I was annoyed that I spent more time than I did. However, rather than blowing up about it (which I’d regret later on because it was my mistake), I just shared my experience and suggested a sign so others don’t do what I did.

    But later that day, a 17-yr-old kid that was part of my group was physically threatened by a man for accidentally bumping into his wife. There was nothing dropped or spilled, and he apologized. But the guy wanted to fight him.

    A lot of frequent guests comment that there’s something in the water or air at WDW that makes them feel like a different person. I try to give people a better alternative. So if someone’s blocking me for fireworks in area that they shouldn’t be in, I’ll let them know that the cast members have been moving people but point out a spot they can grab before someone else does.

    It’s tempting to lash out (especially towards the end of your trip) but sometimes keeping a cool head can turn a bad experience with another guest into something magical.

  3. I used to go to Disneyland all the time when I lived in California. In between Disney and CA Adventure there are bricks in the Plaza with donors names on them, thousands of them. I overheard one parent telling their child, who was probably about 6 or 7, those were the names of all the people that had died on rides. Speechless! I always wondered what other trauma that poor kid experienced growing up.

  4. I have a few things that really bug me. The people who complain to the person that they are buying a treat from. Do people honestly think that they can get a better price? Also, people complaining very loudly how long the lines are. We already know this! It happens at almost every attraction several times a day. The worst one for me are people who say very loudly ” for the prices that we are paying, I expect better than this”. Please, I want to say something so badly but, I am kind.

  5. My mom, two boys (6 and 10), and myself just went the last week in June. My biggest complaint besides the heat were family members getting in line before their group and then cutting or family members dipping out of line to use the bathroom or getting something to drink or eat to either bring back or consume before getting back in line. One family was respectable because there were six of them and their teenage daughter had gotten in line and we had entered the line behind her, she tried to wave her family ahead, but the dad shook his head and told her to get behind us then scolded her for not waiting. I applaud that dad. The other thing that was annoying are letting your kids run all over the place, cast members were seen chiding children not to run and my oldest was shoved by two smaller kids trying to get to the fireworks and he almost fell because the parents let them run away from them and my kid fell out of his show and almost faceplanted where he could have broken his glasses. I said really loud that the park says no running because people could get hurt, no apologies of course. The last issue were people with strollers who don’t know how to drive them, both my oldest son and mother experienced people who were inattentive at wielding these things. We were walking and all of a sudden lady with a stroller provided by Disney decided she didn’t want to walk straight anymore and cut in front which look I don’t give a crap because nobody walks the same way to get anywhere there, but she ran over my son’s foot and those things are heavy that he howled in pain, she turned and gave a dirty look like it was our fault we were in her way. He was bruised, but she made such a snap decision not caring who was in her way. My mom almost fell because someone hit her from behind while she was waiting in line to buy a bottle of water and she fell out of her shoe and almost tripped. Again dirty looks, different woman with a stroller, and went back to trying to get closer in line to get something to drink meaning trying to hit my mom with her stroller. No respect that some of these adults have and if you’re going to act miserable because you have to push a stroller then maybe you should have stayed home with the baby because I felt bad for these babies and toddlers, it was very humid out and a lot were crying due to it, plus wearing a diaper in this heat probably wasn’t fun for them.

  6. People who are rude to cast members and who cut in line tick me off the most! You really hit it on the head when you said we should just be decent human beings and we should treat others in a way we want to be treated.

  7. Just got nack yesterday and the two most annoying things to me were: one) people that have no concept of taking their turn or standing in line and two) (propably the worst) parents that let their kids run amok and do not watch or control them. There were parents with their little tiny kids walking behind them. While in lines there were parents that let their children squeeze up the line I understand the kids are excited but you have to teach them the principles of behavior otherwise they become the adults I mentioned in number one. And the most alarming of all I watched a mom go in the womens room the dad go in the mens room and they left their two younger daughters sitting outside in the double stroller for quite a bit of time then the dad came out say on a curb and still wasn’t
    watching the kids. People where are your minds????

  8. For me, it’s that many people can be in a magical, mystical place, but have an unkind manner with other people that also come from magical, mytical places.
    It breaks my heart.

  9. I would actually like to share a good thing. While on line for Splash Mountain someone from a large group was ahead of us and a few more. When the rest of the group arrived he wanted the group to come up, but they didn’t and actually told the member that was ahead no where not going to push past we’ve got like 12 people with us! Kudos!had some great conversation while waiting together and our granddaughter played with their kids while waiting on line!

  10. Overindulging in alcoholic drinks. Now that WDW serves alcohol in more places, I have noticed an increase in inappropriate behavior due to alcohol consumption.

  11. As a taller person I am usually considerate of blocking views. But unfortunately Disney doesn’t have a terrace system that would lend itself to people not blocking views. Additionally, I do not camp out for more than 50 minutes for a show, and that’s on the long side. But I will be taking my mother this Sept and she is short so that’s something to consider. May just end up buying the bucket and doing the dessert party at MK. Closer to the castle the batter. People looking up instead of straight forward.