Last month, a Walt Disney World Resort guest reportedly left human waste behind on the “Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid” attraction at Magic Kingdom Park. The guest allegedly defecated in the seashell-shaped ride vehicle and walked away, leaving Disney cast members to handle the cleanup.
A Rapid Response on a Disney World Ride
The incident, shared by Instagram user @cee_702_ on November 26, showed Disney cast members halting the ride to sanitize the affected seashell-shaped vehicle. Disney Park guests were left waiting to board as the ride was temporarily closed for the cleanup.
While the attraction was halted briefly, the incident was swiftly addressed by Walt Disney World Resort’s custodial team. The “Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid” ride resumed operation after the vehicle was cleaned, and no further disruptions were reported at the time of this article’s publication.
A Not-So-Isolated Incident
This incident at Walt Disney World Resort comes on the heels of another troubling situation at Disneyland Resort. Just days prior, a disturbing video surfaced from Disney California Adventure Park, showing a young boy who allegedly climbed out of Grizzly River Run and defecated in the water. From TikTok user @therichbabymomma:
@therichbabymomma It’s Thanksgiving day at Disneyland And this kid jumped in the water and shut down grizzly river run ! #disneyland #californiaadventure #thanksgiving #onthisday
After witnesses pointed out that the boy's mother didn't help first responders rescue him, the incident sparked a conversation about parental responsibility and safety at theme parks. Many Disney Parks fans called for sympathy for the boy's parents, arguing that he was probably autistic or neurodivergent in some way.
“For the people saying that if he’s on the spectrum it shouldn’t matter, you obviously don’t know what a parent goes through with a child with a disability,” @kitty_scorsese argued. “At times our kids are super fast that even when we are helicoptering them they get away fast.”
Still, others argued that autism was not an excuse for the outcome of this situation.
“Spectrum or not parents have to do a better job of controlling the situation,” @burntwater6 wrote. “He could’ve seriously been hurt then what?”
Luckily, the boy was not injured, and Grizzly River Run eventually resumed normal operations.
Has a ride shutdown impacted your visit to Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort? Disney Fanatic would love to hear from you in the comments!
Code brown on the clam shell. That’s no pearl!