The Worst “Karens” We’ve Seen at the Disney Parks

Over the past few years, there is a term that has taken the internet by storm — Karen. The term “Karen” typically refers to a middle-aged woman who is exhibiting outrageously privileged behavior. The term really started to take off in 2020, after a woman went viral for calling the police on a black man who was birdwatching in Central Park. She was deemed the “Central Park Karen” and even lost her job when a video of the incident revealed that she had lied to the police and accused the innocent man of threatening her life.

Since then, social media has exploded with videos of people filming “Karens” as they make fools of themselves in public. Sometimes the women are just ridiculed and it is left at that. However, there have been recordings that have led to arrests because the women in the videos have threatened people or committed some other illegal offense.

Of course, women are not the only ones who act entitled in public, but there is not a widely-used name for a man who exhibits the same behavior. Some people call them “Kens”, others use the term “Chad”, and then there’s just “male Karen”.

There seems to be no place where people are safe from experiencing someone’s “Karen behavior”, and that includes a magical place like a Disney theme park. Guest behavior seems to be reaching an all-time low, which means more and more videos are going viral of “Karens” acting out while on their Disney trip.

These are some of the most insane Disney Karen moments we have seen.

The Worst of the Worst Disney Karen’s

Skyliner Scooter Karen

A lot of the time, a day at Disney involves standing in long lines under a hot sun. You are go-go-go all day and that can hit you all at once when you are ready to head back to your hotel. But leaving Disney can be a whole other battle on its own. Whether you are taking a Disney bus, the monorail, a boat, or the Disney Skyliner, the lines can be long and guests need to pack their patience.

@abigails_stl

The cast members at Disney are saints! They can’t say it but I can… this lady was a Bitch! #disney #disneyskyliner #dontbeakaren #karen #language #epcot #byekaren #disneyworld

♬ original sound – Abigails Boutique

Well, one guest did absolutely NOT pack her patience when the Skyliner broke down one night while guests were trying to leave EPCOT. The older woman — who has been dubbed “Skyliner Karen” began yelling about the situation. When other guests called her out on her behavior, she started yelling at them and cursing at them. She was also seen flipping people off with her middle finger.

@abigails_stl

Without the words… #disney #disneyskyliner #dontbeakaren #karen #language #epcot #byekaren #disneyworld

♬ original sound – Abigails Boutique

Eventually, the line began moving as the Skyliner became operational. Guests waved at the irate woman and told her to “have some class.”

Parking Spot Karen

If there is one thing that Disney has a lot of, it’s parking spaces. Tens of thousands of guests visit a Disney park every single day, so Disney needs tens of thousands of parking spaces. This is especially true at Disneyland Resort, where Magic Key Holders (AKA Annual Passholders) make up a majority of visiting guests.

At Disneyland, there are two major parking garages that guests can use — Mickey & Friends and Pixar Pals. Together, the garages can hold just over 16,000 cars. That means that the garages are massive and, if you get stuck at the back, you can have quite a walk to your car at the end of the day. So, getting a parking spot close to the escalators is something guests love.

However, one guest made waves when she tried to save a parking spot that was in a good location. Now, saving a parking spot isn’t necessarily problematic, especially if the car is on its way to the spot. But this “parking spot Karen” refused to move from the spot when another car was trying to park there. Etiquette would state that it’s okay to hold the spot, but if another car beats your car to it, then you have to move.

@user547393.6

The video speaks for it self #Disneland #smallworld #Anaheim#california #parkinglots#parkingspotwars

♬ It’s A Small World – Little Apple Band

This Karen tried really hard to keep the spot for her party’s vehicle, but eventually, she gave up. And then acted like the guest who was trying to park in the spot was in the wrong.

Mad About Free Merchandise Karen

Sometimes, Disney likes to thank its Annual Passholders and Magic Key Holders with free merchandise. Disney especially likes to give out free reusable bags to Disneyland Magic Key Holders. Disney typically shares news of the free merchandise a few days or a week in advance. They show guests a photo of the free merchandise and tell the guests when and where they can pick it up.

One thing Disney is also very clear about is that the free merch is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Typically, people love free things, so there is always a chance that cast members will run out of the merchandise, especially if it’s close to the end of the promotion.

Well, one woman was not accepting that there just weren’t any free reusable bags left. And she decided to take it out on the innocent cast members who had no control over when the bags ran out. The “free merchandise Karen” was angry that Disney didn’t order enough bags and even called the cast members “useless.”

@sugamamakayla

disney karen yelling at a castmember because they ran out of the Magic Key Totebags 30 minutes before designated time LMAO #fyp #fypシ #disney #disneyland #magickey #magickeyholder #magickeytote #disneycaliforniaadventure #disneyadult #disneykaren #karensgoingwild #karensoftiktok #karen

♬ original sound – kayla the shoemaker

Then, in true “Karen” fashion, the irate guest demanded compensation for not receiving the free bag. She demanded that the cast members give her Lightning Lane passes, and then got even more upset when the cast members said that they could not do that. She thought Disney wasn’t doing enough to keep its guests happy.

Nasty Hotel Note Karen

There are more than 25 incredible on-property hotels that guests can choose from when planning their Walt Disney World Resort vacation. Each has its own amazing themes and prices, ranging from Value to Deluxe.

Related: Loud Guest Ruins Magical Disney Moment

However, if there is one thing they almost all have in common, it’s the fact that the walls are relatively thin. That means that sometimes you can hear the guests who are in the next room. Guests should always try to remember that and try to be respectful of the noise they make, especially if it is late at night or early in the morning.

One Disney guest staying at Coronado Springs went viral for her issues with the noise happening around her. According to a Reddit post, the guests claimed that a note was posted to their hotel room door, saying that they were as loud as “a herd of elephants.” The angry neighbor also had an issue with how many times the guests went to the bathroom and flushed the toilet. The “hotel room Karen” told the guests to change their diets.

However, the allegedly noisy guests said that there were only two of them in their room, and they didn’t use the restroom that much. They also said that, on the night in question, they got back late after attending Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, so they made sure to be quiet. They also said that they were never up before 7 a.m., so they weren’t being loud early in the morning.

Littering Karen’s

Being a Disney cast member is like working in a special version of retail — everything about retail is amplified. Almost anyone who has worked retail will tell you that the worst type of customers to deal with are those who look down on you because of your job. And if there is a place where entitled people are found in droves, it’s a Disney park.

Disney cast members work incredibly hard to keep the parks clean. Custodial cast members can be seen in all corners of the parks, whether it is the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Disneyland Park, or one of the other gorgeous parks. They are always picking up trash, cleaning a table, making the bathrooms look nice, or emptying the trash cans.

Related: Guest Says Attitude of Cast Members Has Changed, Redditors Fight Back

However, their jobs are made infinitely harder by entitled guests who purposefully make a mess. In a Reddit thread, guests were talking about their Disney pet peeves, and one person who was married to a cast member chimed in. They said that, more than once, a guest has purposefully made a mess, or allowed their children to make a mess and said that the cast members could clean it because it’s their job.

They also said that guests had thrown their trash on the ground or made a mess right next to a trash can. There are trash cans approximately every 20 feet, so there is no excuse to not properly throw away your garbage.

Remember, Cinderella is a Disney Princess, not a role that custodial cast members play. Be kind, be courteous, and clean up after yourself. There is nothing bad that can happen by making a cast member’s day a little easier.

Single Rider Karen

Not everyone who visits a Disney park visits with a group of people. Some people like to visit the parks by themselves. Then there are guests who want to ride an attraction, but no one else in their party does. For those guests, some Disney attractions have Single Rider lines, which are typically expected to move faster than the regular standby queue.

Disney is very clear about what guests can expect when they wait in the Single Rider line. Parties of more than one may enter that queue, but they will most likely not ride together. They will be split up and put in rows that need another rider to fill it.

While most guests understand that concept, there are sometimes guests who want Disney cast members to bend the rules and let their party ride together. Or, in this case, you have guests who were mad that the Single Rider line didn’t let them have a row to themselves.

Related: Entitled Karen Teaches Her Kids How to Enrage Entire Line at Disney World Ride

One guest took to social media to share the experience they had with two middle-aged men. The two men allegedly boarded Space Mountain after waiting in the Single Rider Line. They were in separate rows and each put their bag in the empty seat next to them. The guests who were supposed to ride with them had also been in the Single Rider Line.

The Redditor said that they told the men that they had to move over so other people could get in the ride vehicle. One of the men was apologetic and moved over. However, the second man said that he was a single rider and that meant that he got to ride by himself. He argued with the guest until a cast member came over and told him that he had to move over. He then reportedly scowled the entirety of the ride.

Disney Karen Family Gets Cast Member Fired

The thing about entitled guests and “Disney Karens” is that they always think that they are right. They find excuses for their abhorrent behavior, even when everyone else tells them just how wrong they are. They will even proudly show videos of their bad behavior because they are under the impression that “the customer is always right.”

One entitled family recently went viral when their terrible behavior got a cast member fired because she fought back.

The guests shared a video on TikTok of an argument they had with a cast member. They asked the internet to help them find the “disrespectful” cast member, so they could presumably tell Disney. Unfortunately for the guests, the internet was quick to call them out for their terrible behavior and come to the cast member’s defense.

@uhlayseeuh

Replying to @uhlayseeuh ッ video for reference…. lmk yall’s thoughts 🥴 #foryou #disney #disneyparks #wdw #disneyworldexperience #disneyworld #disneycastmembers #disneyparks #disneyrudeguest #dcp #dcp2021 #dcp22 #dcp23 #disneycollegeprogram

♬ original sound – uhlayseeuh ッ

In the video, the cast member repeatedly tells the guests to go to another cart if they want service. The guests keep arguing with her, and the cast member gets increasingly frustrated. The guests also keep threatening the cast member and tell her that they will smash everything in her cart. Then, when a Disney manager comes over, they try to blame the cast member.

@iammarcxs

@Esme lol imma still state my opinion, weather you like it or not. How you and that man acted at Disney was disgusting anf yall outta be ASHAMED of yourself, AND yall had kids with yall. Grow up. And tell that man to do the same. #customerserserviceworkers #disney #karen

♬ original sound – Iammarcxs

Despite the internet’s overwhelming support, Disney ended up firing the cast member, who was actually a part of the Disney College Program. After her firing, the cast member made her own TikTok video. She thanked everyone for their support and said that the trouble started when a child who was with the troublemaking party kept trying to grab things off of her cart.

The cast member said that she asked the young guest to please stop touching all the items on her cart. She would help them as soon as she was done with another customer. The family allegedly did not like the cast member telling their child what to do, and they started cursing at her and calling her the B-word. Things escalated from there.

@rinnyyy_3

Unfortunately it didnt work in my favor still asking for prayer as I try and make it back to louisiana safely with just a 24 hr time frame to do it. I am very grateful for you guys kinds words. PEACE AND LOVE AND BLESSINGS 🙏🏾 #greenscreen #korinnatdisney #disneyemployee

♬ original sound – Korinn Lloyd

The cast member shared that since she was in the DCP, she was not in the cast member union, so she had no one to defend her when Disney management confronted her about the video. She hoped that her experience would help future College Program members fight to be in a union if they are going to work in the theme parks.

The family faced so much backlash for targeting the cast member that the original poster was forced to make their account private.

Backlash Against Disney Karen’s

While the rise of social media has become somewhat of a contentious issue, there are some really good things that have come out of it. One of those things is that people can no longer get away with acting poorly in public. Whether it is at Disney, in a grocery store, at a public park, or maybe in a coffee shop, patrons are quick to whip out their phones when they see someone acting out of line.

Related: Disney Fans Rally Behind Cast Member Called Out By Entitled Guest

Cast members are always expected to act a certain way, no matter how a guest behaves. Thankfully, those cast members now have folks around the world ready to come to their defense when someone acts like a fool. While cast members still have to be careful of their behavior so they don’t get in trouble themselves, Disney higher-ups can be made aware of problematic guests so the blame does not fall on the wrong person.

While it may be a pipe dream, we can only hope that, as more “Disney Karens” get called out for their despicable behavior, they will learn how to behave in public. Most people don’t want to be embarrassed on a platform as large as the internet, so they might just change their behavior to avoid the backlash.

Disney is also taking bad guest behavior more seriously. When guests enter a Disney theme park, they are expected to follow the policies and procedures that Disney has in place. Disney even has specific rules in place about how guests are expected to behave.

Please show common courtesy to fellow Guests and our Cast Members by not using profanity or engaging in unsafe, illegal, disruptive or offensive behavior, jumping lines or saving places in lines for others. For your safety and the safety of others, please refrain from running except in designated areas.

Disney has noticed an increase in bad guest behavior and will have security escort problematic guests out of the theme park. Guests who act in a particularly egregious manner may even be issued a trespass notice — meaning that they are banned from all Disney property for a set amount of time. Disney is taking the harassment of its cast members very seriously.

How to NOT Be a Karen at Disney

It’s actually quite easy to not be a “Disney Karen” when you visit the most magical and happiest places on Earth. First, you need to remember that it will most likely be crowded. If you are visiting Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World, there is also a really high chance that it will be hot. It is important to remember to be patient, be kind, and not let little things bug you. It is also important to rest when needed so you don’t fly into a rage because you are tired.

Related: Disney Cast Member’s Quick Thinking Turns Dress Code Dilemma Into Magic Moment

It is also vital to remember that cast members are people, too. They have rules that they have to follow, and they can’t just break them for you. They are asked dozens of times a day if they can make “exceptions.” These cast members will not want to risk getting in trouble because a guest feels like they should get something extra.

And finally, guests need to know that cast members want to make their days magical. Cast members work at Disney because it is typically such a happy environment to be in. A lot of cast members absolutely love creating a memory for a guest that will last a lifetime. If you are kind to a cast member, they may go out of their way to make your day a little more special.

A Disney vacation is a truly special experience, so just take it in, breathe it out, and appreciate your time in the parks.

Who do you think was the worst “Disney Karen”? Let us know in the comments!