6 Things That Feel Like a Scam in Disney World

Dreams may come true at Disney World, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t susceptible to plenty of pitfalls.

Not all surprises are GOOD surprises, not even in Disney World. Some of the worst surprises include the ones that drain your money, prevent you from getting the best savings, and other scams. Unfortunately, just because you’ve booked a family-friendly vacation inside the Disney bubble doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not gonna come across some skeevy stuff. Sometimes, it FEELS like you’re being scammed by Disney themselves.

Whether it’s coming from Disney or someone else, there are several scams you need to be ready for before your next Disney World vacation.

Fine-Tuned Marketing

Disney has such a way with words… in the best AND worst way possible. When planning your vacation, you may notice that Disney World bundles tickets and rooms together with other amenities to make you think that you’re getting the best deal out there. But these carefully crafted vacation packages aren’t always the cheapest way to purchase your trip.

Before you apply whatever discount you come across to your trip (whether it be for individual purchases or bundled purchases), don’t forget to READ THE FINE PRINT. At first, these deals that Disney pitches to you may be clearly marketed as a 4-night, 5-day deal. But when you read the fine print, you might actually find that you can book that same discount with a shorter trip.

By using that “longer vacation” language, guests are often convinced to book more and spend more than they originally intended. If you only want to stay for the weekend — but you still wanna use that 4-night discount you’re seeing online — click on the special offer to read more about it. Oftentimes, in teeny tiny print, you’ll find out that your weekend getaway is also eligible for these same kinds of savings.

Sometimes, Disney will have special offers going on that discount separate hotel rooms OR ticket purchases that you’re not going to be able to apply to a vacation package.

And then there are other times that only vacation packages will be running discounts, making a bundle deal a better deal than individual room and ticket purchases.

Cheap Tickets At The Cost Of Your Time

Disney park tickets do NOT come cheap. So when there’s a third-party company out there, offering to fork ‘em over at HALF the price (or even less), you don’t need to take the deal.

Sometimes, you’ll see these big-time ticket promotions on billboards or buildings throughout the Orlando area. But what you’ll come to find out later on is that these companies that are promoting big Disney savings are actually trying to sell you a timeshare. And, no, this isn’t the Disney Vacation Club we’re talking about here.

This is a WHOLE different timeshare that’s NOT owned by Disney, but is ready to sell you cheapened tickets… as long as you take a BIG chunk of time out of your Disney vacation to listen to someone try to sell you property in Orlando that you’re not intending to buy.

When it comes to suspiciously low park ticket offers, use your best judgment. Some non-Disney-affiliated salespeople may try to use pressuring techniques, which can make a lot of people uncomfortable.

An even WORSE cheap ticket scam that you’ll want to avoid is the sketchy third-party sites that are selling them online.  It might be tempting to buy tickets that have been partially used on eBay or other sites, but there’s no guarantee that those tickets are valid. You could be in for a nightmare situation when you arrive at Disney World and scan your ticket, only to find out it’s not usable. You’re out the money you had to spend for a fake ticket AND you’ll still have to pay the cost for a valid ticket. When in doubt, purchase directly from Disney. 

Select Single Rider Lines

There’s a third queue option for a select few Disney rides that you don’t have to pay for, but can oftentimes still cut down on all your line waiting — and that’s the single rider queues.

Typically, the single-rider line moves much more quickly than the regular standby line, since there aren’t nearly as many solo park guests, or guests who are willing to split up their group.

But then there are the single rider queues that FEEL very scammy, simply because they turn out to be just as long waits (if not LONGER) than the regular queue.

Specifically, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster over at Hollywood Studios can be a pain. Of course, there might occasionally be an exception to this, so make sure to check wait times before you get in line, or talk to the Cast Member up front. They’ll give it to ya straight.

It’s also worth noting that the single rider line for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — also in Hollywood Studios — can feel like a scam, but not because you’re not going to get a shorter wait.

Most of the time, the single rider line for Smugglers Run really WILL get you on the ride much faster. However, if you choose to wait in this line rather than the main line, you’re never (or rarely ever) going to get to be the pilot. Cast Members use the single rider line to fill in all remaining available spaces of an attraction. More often than not, those pilot seats are already going to be claimed immediately by the guests who’ve waited in the main queue.

There are definitely pros and cons to the single rider option, but if you’re REALLY wanting to bypass those major lines without making extra purchases, you’ll be better off hitting up these attractions at the very start — or very end — of your park day.

Taking Advantage Of FOMO

Disney knows EXACTLY how to trigger your “must buy now” sense with their key call-to-action phrases, claiming certain items to be “limited edition” or “exclusive” during specific times of the year.

Even if you thought a certain Disney item was “kinda cute” before, there’s this sense of panic that’s likely to take over when you learn that said item could sell out and not be available the next time you visit.

Suddenly, that “kinda cute” item turns into an “I will trade my left kidney for this item” sort of ordeal. And when you finally come to after the panic subsides, you might look down at your “prize” you’ve obtained and wonder, “Wait… WHY did I need this popcorn bucket again?”

The thing is, Disney launches a LOT of limited-time snacks and souvenirs pretty much every month (if not every WEEK). And that’s because they want you to feel like you’re missing out if you’re not buying the latest designer item.

To keep the power of FOMO at bay — and to make sure you’re only purchasing items you REALLY wanna purchase while you’re in the parks — utilize research. Researching is super useful not only when you’re trying to figure out which resort hotel to choose, dining reservations to book, and Lightning Lanes to secure — but it also helps you come up with a realistic souvenir budget ahead of time, too.

Park Days Cut Short

Wait, what? Disney’s asking you to leave the park… and the sun’s still out? What’s up with THIS? There are times when Disney has to close their parks early — whether it be for cast member trainings, private events, or (more commonly) a holiday party.

In the case of Magic Kingdom, holiday After Hours Events — like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party — start up around 7 PM. So all other guests who don’t have an After Hours ticket will be asked to leave by 6 PM — meaning you just paid FULL PRICE for a Magic Kingdom ticket, only to be “kicked out” of the park EARLY — with no dinner, no fireworks, and no nighttime rides. Talk about a MAJOR bummer, man…

While you can double-check the hours and events calendar on the Disney World website to plan around these shortened days well ahead of your trip, there are some folks out there who SPECIFICALLY choose the shorter park days over the longer ones.

Why’s that, you might ask? Because the crowd levels on party mornings are SO LIGHT. We’re talking shorter wait times, clearer views of the parades, and way more room to breathe. So if you don’t mind sacrificing the nighttime spectacular in exchange for more elbow room, then you might still be getting your money’s worth by reserving your spot in the park for a shortened park day instead of a full one.

Park Hoppers… Sometimes

Park Hopping isn’t a scam, but it sure feels like it sometimes. Park hopper is a paid add-on to your Disney World park ticket that allows you to visit more than one park per day.

At the surface level, that sounds fantastic. And it really could be fantastic, if you and your family are the type of folk who like the squeeze in EVERY possible Disney activity you can possibly fit into a single park day.

But Disney World is spread out, and getting between the parks takes time, so unless you’re ready to cram in A TON into your day, it might not be worth it.

Whenever you add on park hopping capabilities — whether online or in person — Disney will charge you ALL of the days you have tickets for, even if you were just wanting to use park hoppers on one day. This is something to be mindful of if you choose to go with a park hopper.

Disney World’s not an unsafe place where you’re going to need to check behind your shoulder every few seconds to make sure the coast is clear, but you’re also going to want to keep your head about you. Before jumping into ANY major Disney park decisions, mull it over, and don’t automatically assume that the person with the offer on the other end always has your best intentions in mind.

When it comes to knowing the ins and outs of Disney World, we’re here to help — so stay tuned right here at AllEars for all the latest Disney tips and tricks!

The Major Travel Scam Disney World Visitors Are Still Falling For

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

What are some scams you’ve come across at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

Comments (1)