Most of us have heard the old adage that Disney theme parks are the happiest places on Earth. Of course, it sounds positively magical when you say it like that, the phrase practically rolls off the tongue, and we kinda wish we’d come up with it.
However, things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows at Disneyland, Disney World, and all the other theme parks, large and small. In reality, there’s a lot more depth, effort, weirdness, and goofiness (pun very much intended) that goes into the experience than you’d think. At least according to the people who have actually worked or visited there.
Our team here at Bored Panda has collected some of the most interesting stories about Disney’s theme parks, as shared by former employees and customers, from all over Reddit and its dusty, cobwebbed archives. (We think we even met Indiana Jones along the way, but it could’ve been our imaginations.)
You’ll find the good, the bad, and the downright bizarre below, Pandas! Scroll down for some of the things that Disney ‘cast members’ (aka employees, but ‘cast members’ just sounds way cooler) love and hate about their jobs and the customers the most.
Bored Panda wanted to learn more about what lies at the core of job satisfaction, when we should think about switching careers, and what managers can do to be aware of any issues on their colleagues' minds, so we reached out to Kierra, a cloud engineer and Data Analytics consultant. Kierra helps people pivot into tech, especially data-related roles, and you can find her newsletter right here. Scroll down for our full interview with her.
#21
there was this man that had scissors on him. Not sure how he got passed security with that. He approached a little girl from behind with the scissors drawn and cut the string of her balloon.
131points
#22
I was at Food and Wine in early September, and it was HOT and HUMID. A child was SCREAMING in his stroller because he was on the brink of passing out from the heat, and his parents were ignoring him while they got beer from a booth. After they got their beer, the mom casually gave him a sip of water from a water bottle. It broke my heart.
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123points
#23
Thank yous in any form will always be appreciated, especially right now. It’s not stupid, we can’t really accept money and many people throw away edible gifts (not me tho lol) so a thank you card is perfectly acceptable.
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120points
#24
People not ready to scan their fast passes. You know you need your ticket or phone, have it out and ready to go.
I actually had a guy get mad at my friend and I because we got ahead of him in line at Small World because we were more efficient scanning our passes. It’s not my fault that there are two scanners and we did it faster.
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118points
#25
A guest came in to get disability pass told me their daughter had chicken pox.
It was a major health issue. I've never had them before - and it became a huge health issue for me. thankfully, I didn't get them.
I won't go into the legal aspects of it.
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116points
#26
A lady pushing a stroller while getting irritated that the guy in front of her was walking too slow...so she rams him with the stroller and then plays it off as an accident.
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115points
#27
I was at the end of the queue admitting guests to the show building when I see this 6 or 7 year old kid crying saying he doesn't want to go in. It's dark. It's loud. It's not safe. Oh great I think to myself, gonna have to let them in the side door so the kid doesn't have to go through the ride. NOPE But wait... usually the dads just drag them in anyways against their will. This one does it with some serious flair though.
Dad, as he holds the kid's hand, walks in the building saying "OH YES, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE. IT'S QUITE LIKELY. IT'S A TORNAAAAAAAADO OF DOOOOOOOM". Etc. Etc. Etc. 10 minutes later I see them walking out and the kid is hyped up. He has just had a great time. He wants to do that again.
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110points
#28
We were in the queue for Tiki Room and the woman in front took off her shorts, stood in her not very full underwear then put a fresh pair of shorts on,.. in front of 10 people.
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105points
#29
It's probably mild compared to what some of you have experienced, but I was in line for Winnie the Pooh (of ALL rides!!) with two early 20 ish looking guys talking loudly about the face character princesses they'd encountered throughout the day and which ones were most "f**kable".
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95points
