Guest Reports Scary Encounter with “Screaming and Growling” Disney Park Visitor

One Disney Guest recently reported feeling “unsafe” at the Disney Parks after a scary encounter with a visitor at the Disney Parks who was “screaming and growling” at Guests.

The Disney Parks are places of magic and wonder for Guests from all over the world. The labels “Most Magical Place on Earth” and “Happiest Place on Earth” for Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort are well-earned by both Disney Resorts. However, there are times when untoward things happen at the Disney Parks, and recently one interaction a Guest had, left them feeling unsafe.

The Unticketed Region of the Disney Parks

Guests know the pain of obtaining park reservations and tickets to enter the Disney Parks. However, one region at any Disney Resort doesn’t need ticketed entry: the shopping and dining districts. Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort and Downtown Disney at Disneyland Resort are open to the public to enjoy.

Guests can experience the Disney magic without the hassle of purchasing a ticket and getting a theme park reservation for the day. However, this meant recently that one Guest had an unexpected encounter with a “strange person” wandering around the area that made them feel unsafe.

One Disney Guest shared online,

As I was walking out of Downtown Disney there was a person screaming and growling at guests. They appeared to be an unhoused person possibly on drugs or having a mental breakdown. I alerted security but still saw the person wandering towards Mickey & Friends. Genuinely felt unsafe and wondered how they even got in?

Guests in the comments reminded the OP that Downtown Disney is open to all Guests, which was likely why the person was in the region.

However, some also took issue with the OP’s phrasing and debated the specific language they used regarding homelessness. One commenter also reminded others in the thread that often Disneyland Cast Members and Walt Disney World Cast Members have found themselves in situations where they were living in cars and were homeless:

Yes, I’ve known Disneyland employees who sleep in their cars nightly. They can’t afford rent anywhere and some live 4 or 5 to a two bedroom apartment. This fact has recently changed my viewpoint of a company I have loved all of my life. Walt would probably be appalled.

The OP added in an edit, clarifying their initial post, “I am used to feeling completely safe there but since this person was acting erratically and guests seemed to be frightened and walking away from him I felt the need to inform security. I have also been attacked by a homeless person before so maybe I’m extra sensitive. Obviously they’re not all the same.”

This said, while many took issue with the OP’s post, some also were sympathetic to their plight, sharing that this kind of situation can be incredibly scary and adding that the homeless population needed to be provided help and housing as well.