Disney World may be The Most Magical Place on Earth, but that doesn’t mean that every vacation there is perfect.
Trust us, we’ve had our fair share of unfortunate circumstances in the parks. We’ve been caught in terrible weather, we’ve missed dining reservations, we’ve gotten sick, and so much more. But what happens when disaster strikes with a Disney World ride? We recently reached out to our readers to ask “What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you on a Disney ride?” and we’re sharing their responses!
Getting Stuck
For starters, there’s one thing that has happened to quite a few guests over the years — they’ve gotten STUCK. When rides break down, you don’t really get the choice of where you stop and if you happen to stop in an inconvenient (or possibly annoying) place, you might be there a while.
One reader recalled a time they got stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean, saying “Stuck on Pirates in the fire room. They never stopped the music. Fun for 5 minutes. An hour later, we wanted to stick ice picks in our ears.”
Another follower said the following — “I got stuck on it’s a small world for 30 mins and they didn’t turn off the music. On the same trip we got stuck in the “colorless room” of the old Journey Into Imagination and had to listen to that song for 30 mins. It was an exercise in torture.”
Some Disney fans dream of getting stuck on a ride, but it’s not always what it cracks up to be. If you’re stuck in place for a long time, you might end up missing some previously scheduled plans or deal with problems like hunger and the need to go to the bathroom.
If someone in your group is having a medical issue, the Cast Members will work to unload you as quickly as possible. And for many ride evacuations, you’ll be given a “multiple experiences” pass to use the Lightning Lane at other rides. If you find that a ride closure has caused you to miss a dining reservation or Lightning Lane, you can nicely explain that to the Cast Member at the restaurant or ride, and they’ll typically be gracious about letting you in.
Lost Valuables
Next up let’s talk lost valuables! This is an unsurprisingly common occurrence with Disney World rides, as it’s easy to forget that you’ve got your sunglasses on top of your head or your wallet in your pocket.
One of our readers said they lost their Blackberry when the elevator dropped on Tower of Terror and another one mentioned that the contents of their purse were accidentally dumped all over the vehicle on Star Tours. The Cast Member had to come help them dig under the seats to find everything!
So how do you prevent this? Actually, the answer is pretty simple — lock down your belongings! It’s best to have a bag that zips up all the way if you’re bringing a backpack or purse, and if it’s too big to fit in the nets on the back of the seats, then make sure you have a good way of securing it while you ride.
Many rides in Disney World do not load in the same place where they unload, so there won’t be anywhere to sit your bags while you ride, and lockers aren’t provided like they are for many rides at Universal Orlando. If you have things in your pockets or on your head, we recommend taking them off and placing them in the bag/net/basket in front of your seat. (Sometimes these compartments will be located underneath the seat, like on Soarin’ and Star Tours.)
Trust us, you’d rather take the time to unload the basket at the end of the ride than to have to replace your wallet and everything in it!
Getting Sick
Finally, let’s talk about those medical disasters. We’ve had readers experience it all, from throwing out their back to passing out to losing their lunch. If it’s possible, it has probably been done on a Disney World ride.
One person said “My daughter enjoyed her first corn dog right before Tower of Terror and yakked up the same corn dog as soon as the doors closed and there was no getting off the ride. I had napkins in my purse but I was so afraid it would fly up and land on sometime else once the drops started” Sounds like a nightmare!
Another reader said “My daughter passed out on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster when she was 10. When the ride ended we had to basically carry her off of the ride.” Woah!
When an unexpected illness happens, there’s not much you can do to prevent it. However, there are some precautions you can take. We recommend checking out all of a ride’s warnings before boarding and make sure that you don’t have a medical condition that could be exacerbated by the ride.
Before jumping on any of the simulator-based rides, it might be best to avoid eating, lest you get motion sickness. You probably also don’t want to ride Mad Tea Party right after lunch…if you know what we mean.
And if you do get sick, each park is equipped with First Aid facilities and Cast Members can direct you to the right location or help you out in emergencies. You’re in good hands!
So those are some of the worst things that have happened to our readers on rides. But now that we’ve covered the list, you should be better prepared to avoid disaster in the future!
Stay tuned to AllEars for more tips on how to conquer Disney World and have the best trip ever!
Click Here to Learn About a Disney World Problem That Caught Even Us Off Guard!
What’s the strangest thing that has happened to you on a Disney World ride? Tell us in the comments!
I hurt my back weight training before going to WDW. When we rode Expedition Everest, it wrenched it really bad and I got to experience another ride- the bed/table in Animal Kingdom’s medical room.