Three Ways to Ruin a Disney Park Ride for Everyone

Whether one is at The Most Magical Place On Earth or The Happiest Place On Earth, there are several ways that Guest behavior can quickly kill the happiness and magic of a Disneyland or Disney World experience. It does not matter if that Guest is an Annual Passholer who visits the Parks every weekend or someone visiting for the first time ever. And there are a few bad habits, in particular, that continue to be perpetuated throughout the Parks that can easily ruin the ride and show experiences for other Guests. Out of all of them, here are the big three that come to mind.

1. Reciting Ride Scripts at Full Volume

I think it is safe to say that we have all experienced both sides of the following situation: after waiting at least 30 minutes in a punny graveyard, we finally get escorted into the foyer of the Haunted Mansion, and then a chamber that has no windows and no doors. Soon after, we hear the booming voice of our “ghost host” come over the speakers, but as he tries to set the mood, his welcome speech has a giggling echo from other Guests around us.

We get it. Rides like The Haunted Mansion have their cult following, and one sign of a seasoned Disney Fanatic is the ability to recite that entire monologue written by legendary Imagineer X. Attencio by heart. But not everyone is as familiar with the attractions as we are. Not only are Guests paying to hear the Ghost Host speak, but hearing other people around them chime in like a sing-a-long completely kills the immersion and, I would personally argue, cheapens the experience altogether.

It is awesome and special in its own way that you might know the opening monologue of your favorite ride. But it is important to remember the feeling when you were first told that “your cadaverous pallor betrays an aurora of foreboding” and give others around you the chance to feel that same experience level for themselves.

2. Forgetting to Turn Off the Flash

Nowadays, everyone seems to be a content creator, and Disney World and Disneyland are some of the most “instagrammable” places in the world, and that is great! There is a smorgasbord of great Disney Parks content out there. It is with a sense of empathy that Cast Members turn a blind eye to Guests taking pictures or videos of rides and attractions (we’ve all done it at some point). But for the love of all that is magical, TURN OFF YOUR FLASH.

It is called a “dark ride” for a reason. The lighting around the Magic Kindom and World Showcase in preparation for the evening’s fireworks displays is done so for a reason. The scene is set. The flash of the camera completely ruins the experience and will result in a lower-quality image. And, yes, all smartphones have the ability to disable the camera flash. I assure you that Guests and Cast Members will be more than happy to help you figure it out.

In one recent case, Reddit user u/some_kind_of_onion shared a story in which a woman decided to film the entirety of Haunted Mansion with her flash on.

The Redditor wrote:

When my friend and I finally got to sit down and start the ride, some 25yo looking woman starts filming with lights on. For the entire ride.

The lighting effects were completely lost as a result. I yelled “TURN OFF YOUR F*CKING FLASH!!” and she had the audacity to look at me in annoyance like I was the one disturbing everyones experience.

The only good thing is, that now you can probably hear me yelling at her in her video.

Tied closer to this point is talking and being “inappropriately disruptive” during certain parts of Disney rides and shows. Some readers might remember when Walt Disney World had to ban group chants from its Parks due to school groups from Brazil deciding to get into chanting matches during the solemn intro to “Happily Ever After.”

3. Guests Not Staying Seated

Related: Video: Guest Skips Seat Belt, Hits Ceiling in Free Fall on Tower of Terror

We have covered this one a few times lately. Guests seem keen on disobeying rule number one for Disney attractions: please remain seated and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. And as our previous coverage showed, Guests breaking that rule will result in disruption of the ride for everyone.

Along with forcing other people to watch you potentially hurt yourself, disobeying Guests can cause the ride to break, stop completely and finish early, or eliminate the immersive experience in other ways. One such example occurred during a run of Avatar: Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In a video, a Cast Member can be heard clearly having to interrupt the experience to remind people to remain seated. While the attraction did not stop, it still creates a far lower quality experience than the one they waited well over an hour to experience.

Please be Respectful

At the end of the day, it is all about being respectful of your fellow Guests around you. And yes, there are far worse things Guests can do in the Parks, like break out into fistfights, cuss each other out in front of the kids, and harass Cast Members. But, those are all givens and should be happening in any situation.

I chose the following examples, because not only have they been some of the most enduring complaints, but they are also examples of when a Disneyland or Disney World Guest can allow the fun and excitement to get them to forget about the others around them.

Cast Members can do all they can. But, at the end of the day, the fate of the Disney Parks’ magic is in the hands of the Guests.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s and may not reflect the sentiments of Disney Fanatic as a whole.