4 Nightmarish Disney World Situations I Wouldn't Wish on My WORST Enemy

Yes, we all know how special Disney World is (we wouldn’t be here otherwise), but sometimes, things are less than magical.

Sometimes that finicky Florida weather can rain out some of your favorite rides. Sometimes rides just close. Sometimes you choose to wear the wrong shoes (yes, it’s happened to us). But sometimes, truly nightmarish things happen that you wouldn’t wish on your sworn enemies.

We turned to you, our AllEars readers, to ask you about your own personal nightmare scenarios. We got 300 comments from you and let’s just say, you’ve given us nightmares for MONTHS.

Getting stuck on rides

This might be one of our biggest fears, but many of you feared being stuck on rides, with “it’s a small world” at the top of your list. It’s happened to us, and yes, that song goes from being cute to horrible pretty quickly when it’s playing over and over. Jason said, “Getting on stuck on it’s a small world with that tune playing nonstop.” Yep.

Brian also tapped into one of our biggest fears: “I have never had this, but the idea of being stuck up on the Skyliner. For an extended period.” This has also happened to people, and it happens quite often. Usually, it’s not for an extended period, but we really wouldn’t want to be up there for too long.

Connie also brought up a terrifying situation: “Being stuck on any form of Disney transportation for more than 10 or 15 minutes, especially the Monorail or Skyliner when the A/C doesn’t run in 90+ degree heat.” We almost had a panic attack riding the Monorail recently when it lost power, but at that time, it was just a reset. But yes, this can happen!

Erin commented, “Getting stuck on Everest on the hill when it’s 100 degrees outside.” We have seen folks stuck on that hill before, so yes, this could happen, and we may never ride Expedition Everest again. By the way, here’s photographic proof that this happens:

Some of you also don’t like being stuck on Haunted Mansion, particularly in a creepy part of the ride. Jennifer said, “Getting stuck on The Haunted Mansion for 15-20 minutes RIGHT by the ghost that requests you hurry back over and over again. This actually happened to us two trips ago.” Yes, Little Leota there almost seems like she wants to keep you in the mansion FOREVER at that point.

Getting sick or injured

Is there anything worse than getting sick on vacation? Some of you think not and you’ve lived through that nightmare. Nicole said, “My son breaking out in chicken pox on day 3 of our 14 day holiday….when you come from the UK and spend over 2 years saving up and looking forward to it, it was pretty devastating.”

Denise had an injury come up right before a trip, “Breaking your ankle a month before your trip and seeing the Cinderella Castle flash before your eyes. Then having to use a scooter on said trip because you’re still non-weight-bearing after the surgery to fix it…”

Lisa’s story just goes to show how well-equipped Disney is to handle illnesses when they happen on vacation there: “My then four year old daughter got sick on the plane en route to Orlando. We arrived at Wilderness Lodge earlier than our check in. The wonderful staff made sure we could get into our room early and made sure we were comfortable. The next day, (New Year’s day) we needed a doctor and the staff called one to come to the hotel. It was scary, but I cannot say enough how well we were treated and my daughter was taken care of.”

Arriving at Disney World, but not being able to get into the parks

This could be one of the BIGGEST fears that anyone could have. Imagine heading to a park and realizing you can’t get in. Diane said, “Getting up at 6 to make early open for a new attraction, only to be told we had no reservation for the day. Hub’s didn’t confirm when he made the res. Thankfully, the CM said they could see where it had been made but not confirmed and let us in anyway.”

Gotta’ love those Cast Members who make magic when they can.

Wendy had a similar situation: “Arriving at the park and being told you have no tickets, after paying for your tickets. Thank goodness for our confirmation number. Due to there mistake we got a few free fast passes for any rides we chose back when there where fast passes.”

Other Nightmares

Like we said, 300 of you shared your most horrifying stories and there are so many we can’t share them all. But you told us about times your children have gone missing (the most truly terrifying thing of all). Cheryl said, “Thinking I lost my kid in AK near Everest when she was 9.. luckily we found her quickly but my heart almost stopped with fear. Made her stay close the rest of the day till my heart calmed down.”

Then there’s the possibility of hurricanes that can happen in the summer and fall in Disney World. Holly had a story to share: “Get there hours before a hurricane changes course & heads right for Orlando.”

Fantasyland after Hurricane Idalia in 2023

Mark shared a similar story, “Out of 365 days in a year, we chose a quick 2 day trip…and those were the 2 days the parks closed in 2021 for hurricane Ian. We did have a lovely hotel on the monorail loop, but the monorail was closed the whole time. We made lemonade out of those lemons, but still kind of felt we did not get the experience we paid for. But what are you gonna do? The dome failed us. Lol.”

(We highly suggest you Google “weather dome over Disney World” for some laughs.)

Hurricanes absolutely do happen, and there’s not much you can do when they close the parks and transportation. But Disney World hotels are very well-equipped to handle the situation and they’ll do everything they can to keep you fed and entertained during that time.

The best thing you can do when preparing for the worst in Disney World is not to worry too much about it. Things happen. Disney is equipped to handle most issues, though, and Cast Members are an endless source of support and help if and when you need it.

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