‘Treated Like Animals’: Guest Slams Disney’s Crowd Control Measures

Guests are being more vocal about the lack of resources to deal with the unbearable crowds at the Disney parks right now.

Going to a Disney park means signing up for massive crowds. People from all around the world flock to the theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.

Going to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World or Disneyland Park, and Disney California Adventure Park in Disneyland are great places for that (crowded) experience.

In particular, when visiting Disneyland Resort recently, many guests have reported massive crowds, more so than they’ve seen previously. Many guests shared their personal experiences with the crowds at the Disney resort during this time.

When it comes to the nighttime experience of the Disney park, the lights of Main Street, U.S.A., and Sleeping Beauty Castle are enchanting. But it also becomes difficult to navigate the theme park when the evening entertainment, such as parades and fireworks, begins.

In order to make way for these shows, some areas are roped off, which causes more crowding. At times like this, cast members step in to direct the flow of traffic as well, but that can sometimes mean you find yourself in an area you don’t want to be in.

Reddit user and Disney guest, u/PeeP_Th3_LULs, took to Reddit to share:

As the user specified, it was specifically when ” something is going on the workers grab [their] little glow wands and start waving them around yelling at everyone to keep it moving.” They likened the experience to “herding sheep.”

The users in the comments sympathized with the OP but also took a moment to come to cast members defense letting them know that had they not done that, it’s likely there would have been no movement in the crowd, and someone could have been trampled and been in danger.

As u/catmom94 said, “Crowd control is important for everyone’s safety. I can guarantee that if they weren’t yelling no one would listen.”

u/rikomatic chimed in, adding, “Just remember that for cast members this is also probably one of their least favorite parts of the job — repeating loudly basic instructions and hoping that people actually do what they say, and folks actively defying them on the regular.”

It’s always important to remember to be considerate both of other guests and of the cast members as well when visiting a Disney park, and it’s situations like this that explain why.

How do you feel about cast members’ crowd direction at Disney parks? Tell us about it in the comments below!