Is it just us, or do tens of thousands of total strangers decide to show up in Disney World the same exact week as us? Seriously, what are the odds of that happening?
Hello, friends!
While we wish we could have the parks completely to ourselves, dealing with those crowds is almost synonymous with the Disney World experience. And while most of the time other groups can pass by unnoticed, there are several instances where we all can’t help but feel a little irked by our neighbors.
We reached out on Facebook recently and asked our followers to share things that people do in Disney Wold that annoy them, and we received over 2,000 replies! Let’s review some of the most common responses we noticed.
Magic Kingdom
Blocking Someone’s View
Perhaps the most common response had to do with others blocking someone’s view, whether that was during the fireworks or parade. Entertainment is one of the big draws in the theme parks, and everyone wants to get the best view possible — including that stranger who just showed up at the last minute! And with shows like the fireworks happening only once per evening, the stakes are high to find that picture-perfect spot.
Fireworks in Disney World are fantastic, but they can also be a little stressful!
Remember that everyone around you wants to get a good view of the show, so be aware of your surroundings when staking out a spot to watch the parade or fireworks! Also remember that while Main Street in Magic Kingdom is definitely one of the best places to watch the fireworks, it’s not the only place to watch the fireworks. You can catch some pretty good sights from most locations around the park!
Fireworks View from Tomorrowland!
The Disney Stop
Another common response was what Elizabeth A. referred to as “the Disney stop.” In other words, stopping in the middle of a walkway, seemingly without any warning.
Don’t forget that there may be someone walking right behind you!
This is another opportunity to remember that LOTS of people are visiting the parks at the same time as you — and there are plenty of times where you’ll be sharing a smaller amount of space, such as a walkway. If you need to pause for any reason, remember to move off to the side or to a less crowded area. You can read up on some of Disney World’s “secret” walkways that may be less crowded if you want to avoid the main thoroughfare.
Hollywood Studios
Meltdowns
A third common response we noticed had to do with witnessing families experiencing tantrums or meltdowns in the park, which can sometimes be a result of a parent expecting too much out of their little one in one day. A trip to Disney World costs more than a pretty penny, and the urge to get as much done as possible in one day is understandable. Just remember that kids are taking a lot of excitement in at once, and it can feel overwhelming pretty fast!
You might be super excited for Space Mountain, but your kid might be terrified!
Whether your kid doesn’t want to go on a particular ride or they’re just tired, be sure to schedule in time to relax and to take a breather in the middle of the day. Whether it’s slowing down while you’re in the park or even heading back to your hotel room in the middle of the afternoon, you could avoid some massive meltdowns later in the day.
A relaxing afternoon at Stormalong Bay might be just what the entire family needs to rest and recharge if you’re staying at the Yacht or Beach Club!
A lot of these examples seem to boil down to one common theme: that there are a lot of families visiting Disney World at the same time, and everyone wants to have the most magical vacation possible. We’re all super excited to get on those rides, see those characters, and watch those parades as much as the next person, but so is your fellow neighbor! Kindness goes a long way no matter where you are, but it’s especially true in Disney World!
Slinky Dog Dash
We hope this helped to shed some light on not only certain behaviors to keep in mind while visiting the parks, but also a few tips that can help you avoid these situations altogether on your next Disney World vacation! Packing your patience, scheduling downtime, and remembering to be kind to your fellow neighbor is the true recipe to having a successful trip.
Want to minimize the odds of dealing with huge crowds at Disney World? Read up on some of the LEAST busiest times to visit the parks!
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My family always references “The Disney Walk”, which is similar to the Disney Stop. It’s where someone is looking at something that’s a 90 degree angle from where they’re walking. They don’t stop, but just plow on into whatever’s ahead of them.
Be kind to the mom/dad with the kid melting down, it’s stressful for them too!
Or, the people who do not pay attention in lines & make everyone wait until their brains kick in & they actually move up! Drives me crazy!
The Disney Stop is by far the worst. But I would also like to add the what I call the walking dead. Those are the people who walk extremely slow (slow for me that is) in front of you in turn slowing you down.
The other pet peeve is the Drifters. They are are the ones who drift from side to side while walking in front of you, so when you try to pass them ((because they are too walking slow), they drift over right in front of you blocking’ the space to pass. How hard is it to walk in a straight line?
Then you have the group that insist on walking side by side blocking the most of the walkway making it difficult to pass because they are walking slow and drifting. Why does a group of 3 or more insist on walking abreast of each other in a crowd?
There a lot things to do with limited time each day at the parks, so please speed up, don’t stop in the middle of the walkway, make room for others, and get out of the way.
A Little something my father coined “Stroller Hell” – you’re walking in the opposite direction of where are the stroller people are headed. It’s a nightmare. There’s also when you have to navigate around the LARGE stroller parking areas.
The most annoying and sad thing I see is being surrounded by people who are so connected to their mobile phones that they have no awareness of what is going on around them.
OMG Doug! The “Disney Walk” as you put it is the worst! Especially for those pushing a wheelchair. I’ve had people run right into my son’s wheelchair and then give me a look. Our biggest rule, look the same direction your walking. And most importantly if your going to look at your phone stop walking Pay attention people! This really should have been number 1.
The lack of Understanding. While my family looks totally healthy to most people, my daughter is moderately autistic. That means she only has a limited amount of time that we can keep her distracted in line. I get so annoyed with people making comments about how we shouldn’t be allowed to skip the line without genie +
All of the things you mention happen outside of Disney in the rest of the country. I face people so into their technology that they walk in front of cars, etc. Kids melting down is one thing but lately I’ve seen more “adults” melting down or assuming they are more important than anyone else. At least in the Park you have a lot to look at and a lot of times people are very kind and things that would set them off “outside’ gain perspective inside the Mouse House.
Here are a few additional:
Getting hit with strollers.
Guests who remain too close in queue lines and keep turning around with massive backpacks that bump you throughout the wait.
Kids that use queue lines as playground equipment.
Guests who fail to be courteous and appreciative to Cast Members.
Guests who don’t appreciate the details and efforts of Imagineers or who treat the parks with little respect.
Line cutting or the holding the space while the group does something else then shows up at the last min and needs to get around you to catch up with the one holding a space in line.
RonJon,
It would be nice if everyone just used the same side of the walkway just like driving traffic flowing in 2 directions. I understand not everyone drives on the right hand side of the road but I do know these are very few 11 lane roads with traffic coming and going intermingled .. LOL
The “Disney Walk” is a nightmare for those of us who are pushing a 190 pound adult in our transport wheelchair. Once I’ve got some momentum going, it is REALLY HARD TO STOP when a group ahead of us starts to drift in front of us, or even worse, just STOPS. I’m not quite five feet tall and can barely see over my husband’s head when I’m pushing him, but I’ve learned the hard way that “drafting” behind someone on a motorized scooter helps me get us through a crowd.
I was just in MK in the middle of Oct with my 80 year old Mom. We had a spot on main st pretty far back and it was shoulder to shoulder crowded. When the fireworks started not one but two dads in front of us put their kids on their shoulders. The dads were tall and the kids were not babies. They were 7 or 8 years old. It totally blocked my mom and me from seeing the castle. How do you ask someone to not do that without the fear of setting someone off.
People getting too close in queue lines.
It doesn’t matter if you are 2 feet behind me or banging into me every 2 seconds and sneezing on the back of my neck. You will get on the ride at exactly. the. same. time. There are still the same number of people in line in front of you whether you are invading the personal space of the person in front of you or not.
Take a step back!
Adults getting into fights at kiddie rides, kids having a melt down, stroller holy crap parents not watching and running into other people, people who cut to meet up with their friends, these are my biggest pet peeves
RE: the meltdowns…
They happen EVERYWHERE, not just Disney. I understand that parents are pressed for time and try to get all that they are doing, whether grocery shopping or getting through Fantasyland, in one go. But kids have a breaking point. If you don’t respect the others around you, respect that your kid is being pushed past their limits.
Of course, there are the times when the reason they snap is because you told them it was break time. But, in that case, at least you tried.
I agree with Charles – it’s the line holding for me! Folks “hold a spot” for 2 or 3 people to join them in line later and it messes with wait time predictions and irritates a WHOLE BUNCH of us who have dutifully stood in the queue when you squeeze past us at the 11th hour.
I just wanted to say how much I love this blog and your YouTube channel. It is very informative and well put together. Whenever we are ready to take a trip to Disney, we always say hey let’s see what AJ has to say before we go!