With so many visitors flocking to Disney World and Disneyland 365 days a year it's only to be expected that some fail to experience it as “the happiest place on earth." We've gathered the "best" of these experiences from Reddit for you here: from being dumped to being run over and of course countless bouts of food poisoning.
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31. Watch where you take photos
I was at Disneyland and I stopped in front of the castle to take a picture. Behind me there was a lady in a mobility scooter yelling at her kids. Much to my surprise, she suddenly barrelled into me from behind at full speed and knocked me to ground. My knees were cut up and bleeding, and my new iPhone screen was basically shattered. She barely slowed down to say anything, just half-heartedly muttered sorry as she rode off into the distance. I was so perplexed that I just sat on the ground for a while thinking it all over.
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30. Becoming a woman at Disney
My dad (who also let me watch Deliverance, Don't Look Now, etc growing up) decided to take me on the Alien Encounter ride when I was about 10 or 11. I was so scared, I thought I had peed myself.
Turns out I had gotten my first period at Magic Kingdom while freaking out about some alien licking the back of my neck.
29. Awkward Proposal
A few years ago I went to my boyfriend's family reunion. I flew from D.C. to the West Coast to meet his massive Mormon family and stay with them for three weeks. I was so stressed about it all that I couldn't poop at all for the first two of them. One of the uncles was a doctor so I told him about my constipation and he prescribed me something. It didn't help. I ate fibre one bars and fruit. Didn't help. We were all sharing a cabin in the mountains at the time and only had one bathroom to share...I remember setting my alarm for 2am to try and go number two in privacy.
One day towards the end of the trip my boyfriend and I found ourselves alone at Disney Land (suspicious because we didn't get much alone time then). I guess I was finally relaxed or something because mid wait in a long Pirates of the Caribbean line something smashed into my lower intestines like a brick. I grabbed my stomach, looked at my boyfriend and told him I had to go...NOW. I bolted out of the line to the nearest restroom and busted open the stall door. I produced one solid unit that I have reason to believe consisted of two weeks worth of meals. It was traumatizing but also kind of amazing and cathartic. I couldn't believe such a turd had come out of me--I'm really small! Anyway, my boyfriend proposed like three hours later.
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28. Heartbroken at the entrance
A kid back in Middle School invited me on a trip to the Animal Kingdom with his family and a few friends. It was implied that this trip was going to be a date and I was excited about it because that would have been my first date. He gave me my ticket the week before.
My mom waited with me at the entrance on the big day until they arrived. The kid who invited me pulled me aside after she left (out of his parent's sight), and asked me for my ticket back. He said he invited a different friend to come and would rather hang out with her. He told his parents that I got scared and left with my mom while their back was turned. I noticed the other girl waiting nearby with her dad.
I stood there and cried for a while. When I remembered that I didn't have a cell phone I asked a lady at the ticket counter for hers. A Disney security guard waited by my side until my mom came back for me. She called that kids parents later that night and ripped them a new one. The kid got grounded for 6 months but he bullied me for the rest of middle school.
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27. Fighting while waiting in line
When I was in my mid-teens my family went to Disney World. We were in line for Pirates in front of a family of 3 (mother, father, and young son). The mother for some reason was standing really closely behind me, so much so that I could feel her breath on my neck.
After a few minutes I became really fed up so, naturally as a teen, I started messing around. Whenever the line progressed I would take big steps forward and then right as she was about to approach me, I'd take a step back.
I lost my footing at one point and kind of fell off to the side. After getting myself up and composed, I was nudged from behind me. I tried to ignore it but I was nudged again and this time harder. I turned around to face my aggressor and saw the dad making a "go!" motion with his face. Him and his family began complaining that we were moving "too slow". A large kerfuffle broke out between us before they decided to cut in front and blow past everyone else in line as well.
The worst part though was how the confrontation left my mom in tears. I still get riled up thinking about it.
Photo by Guilhem Vellut on Flickr
26. Destroying the bathroom
This was a few years ago at the park with my father--I think I was maybe 20 years old. I ate waaaay too much cheese (like, honestly, just insane amounts of cheese) and chocolate and everything else at the France pavilion in Epcot. I went to bed feeling awesome.
Woke up still feeling fine, a little bloated, but okay. Of course, as soon as we get into the park, my gut began screaming at me. I knew that the ooey gooey goodness would soon be coming out from one end or the other. I'm extremely emetophobic (fear of vomiting), so I opted for the south side. I ditched my dad with barely a word, bolted to the bathroom and bombed an empty stall.
I don't quite remember what it was like coming out, only that I felt immense relief when I was done. The relief didn't last long though because after I flushed the water began to rise.
Honestly, for a second I was in denial. "The water will stop when it gets to the top," I reasoned, "No need to paniOHMYGODITSOVERFLOWING."
I got the heck out of the stall and ran for a custodian. I apologized over and over but she just gave me a look of pained resignation-- "not the worst I've seen, today, honey," it seemed to say.
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25. Small World turns into a small nightmare
I fell out of the boat in the It's a Small World attraction. It was years and years ago, I was about four maybe. The boats don't have any safety bars, or at least they didn't back then. Just bench seats. My dad says I was a little too enamoured with one of the puppets and tried to touch it, leaned out and fell in.
Apparently the water is disgusting and I smelled awful the rest of the day.
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24. Ride into the park turns into a hospital visit
I was about 10 years old and went to Disney World for the first time. My Grandma and grandpa lived relatively close, about an hour outside of Orlando.They came with us to Disney and some of the other theme parks around Orlando. Now, my Grandma was pretty old and needed to have a wheelchair to get around. Her wheelchair in turn needed to be strapped in securely on the bus. However, the driver/attendant failed to do this.
And so, when they at one point slammed on the brakes my Grandma's momentum carried her out of her chair and onto the ground. We called an ambulance and took her to the hospital where she ended up being for 3 days. She got better eventually but the bus driver didn't ever apologize to her and Disney refused to pay for her costly hospital stay. They even refused to refund us for the tickets we had purchased for the days we stayed in the hospital with her.
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23. Knocked out by Space Mountain
I was riding the Space Mountain ride when I was really young. They stopped it really suddenly, and I hit the safety bar and was knocked unconscious. This was before they added more lights around the ride so my grandpa didn't realize I was knocked out until the end of the ride.
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22. Stuck in Pirates of the Caribbean
I ended up getting stuck on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride for over 2 hours.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty. Have some tar rum with your old pal Bill now, eh? Oohhhh!! Ye be a FEISTY little kitty!!! HEH heh heh heh! -COUGH-cough-cough-cough- ... Here kitty, kitty, kitty...."
The definition of a living nightmare.
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21. Pick pocketed during a parade
Last year at the electrical parade my dad got pick pocketed. He had his wallet in his back pocket and my brother on his shoulders. He didn't realize what had happened until we got to his hotel room where he immediately cancelled the credit card. In the meantime Disney had caught the pickpocket and later returned the wallet--yes the money was still there, every last dollar! We spent the last 3 days without a credit card though.
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20. Watch out for low ceilings
When I was a kid (Like 7), we went to Disney world. We were staying in Pop Century in the 70's part of the resort. We were on, I believe, the 2nd floor and my dad wanted to carry me on his shoulders.
The ceiling was too low though and I was left with a serious concussion. Needless to say I wasn't good for any big roller coasters the next day.
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19. Lost and found
I was about 10 and had spent the entire day on Tom Sawyer’s Island exploring the caves. Just as my parents and I were leaving we heard a kid crying.
I ran back into the caves and looked for the source of the cries. Eventually I found a little kid who had managed to get lost in the ONE section of the cave where you can actually get lost. He was a blubbering mess and worried about being trapped there forever. I took his hand and guided him outside where his mother was waiting for him. She explained that he had been missing for well over 30 minutes.
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18. Toilet malfunction
During my first Disney trip I had a toilet upchuck all over me on Tom Sawyer Island. I was 8 years old at the time. I don't remember everything that happened but I do remember being passed from cast member to cast member all over the park while my parents became increasingly angry and I more stinky. Finally my mother harangued one of the managers. I remember being shocked because my mom hardly ever swears (seriously she apologizes for using the word crap). She got her way though--we were escorted to the big tent-store-thing in Toon Town and told to pick out 3 outfits and a toy. I remember my dad telling me to pick the most expensive things I could find. We also were given a free dinner at one of the character buffets. Every single Disney Princess there knew my name.
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17. A not so happy birthday
I went for my birthday this year. It was hot as hell, probably 90 degrees or so. I wasn't feeling great in the morning but trucked on anyway. Went on all the vomit-inducing rides (Indy, Thunder and Roger Rabbit). When we checked out the new Pirate's Island/Lair I met Jack Sparrow and was wished a happy birthday. Soon after I started feeling...messed up. We were on the ferry back to New Orleans when I began to sweat profusely and grabbed my friend's shoulder. She and my other friend had to help me hobble onto the dock where I collapsed from dehydration in front of a large group of people.
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16. Left out in the sun
While my family were on the log ride it became stuck on an outside part. Being stuck wouldn't have been so bad had it not been 101 degrees that day. For 25 bloody minutes we cooked in the sun with that same damn log ride song looping. By the time the ride started again I started to lose my vision from being so dehydrated. When I got off I could barely see or hear, and so began having a panic attack. Luckily I was able to whimper water to my family and I think an employee was able to get me a bottle before I completely passed out. I was fine but had to head back to the hotel for the rest of the day. Still gives me anxiety thinking about it.
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15. Traumatized in the Haunted Mansion
My first trip to Disneyland was in January and about 1/4 of the rides seemed closed for maintenance. All of them except perhaps the one that most deserved to be, the Haunted Mansion. I was sitting between my parents when about halfway through the ride we came to a halt. There was some sort of electrical malfunction and so we ended up stuck there for an hour or so. I remember being quite upset when we finally got off the ride and utterly uninterested in going on any more, much to my mom's chagrin. My dad decided that he'd also rather not go on any more rides, opting instead to get day drunk and so my mom spent the rest of the day in the park on her own.
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14. Stuck in mid-air
I worked at Disneyland as a sweeper. One night I was on Parade Route duty--this is where a team of janitors cleans up along the route after the parade is over. We were on our merry way when I noticed something terrible between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. There on the ground next to a trash can was a giant turd...just laying there for all to see and only about 5 yards away from the bathroom. Best part though? I used the lead sweeper's radio to trick the other crew into cleaning up the mess.
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13. Rejected by Tigger
My Grammy and I joined a line for taking pictures with Tigger when all of a sudden he just walked off. My Grammy turned to me and said something along the lines of "Darn it. You just run up there and hug him" and so I did. Instead of hugging me back though he pushed me away and said "you have to wait in line Princess". The guy's tone was so hateful it brought me to tears.
12. Food poisoning
I ate a turkey sandwich at Hollywood studios with a green sauce on it. I thought it was a special sauce but after a bite or two I realized it was just really old Mayo that had gone bad. Got salmonella poisoning and threw up for 6 days.
11. Paycheque wasted
After I got my first good job I took a bunch of my family members to Disney. The splurge ate up my entire first paycheque plus a chunk of my savings but I figured it was worth it because most of them had never been.
Unfortunately, my cousin's one-year-old had messy diarrhea in the vehicle within the first hour of us entering the park. Due to the fact we all took the same car and had to drive very far, we ended up having to leave immediately. It's not the kids fault, of course. But I lost a whole lot of money that day.
10. Rude Star Wars Imperial Guard
I was 9 or 10 when the re-mastered Star Wars trilogy came out so when we went to the Star Wars themed part of the park I really wanted to take pictures with all the characters.
It went fine until one of those red suited imperial guards (the ones from Jedi) refused to oblige. My dad complained to a supervisor and I got my picture but he pinched me hard during it.
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9. Characters getting a little too friendly with guests
I think it was 2003 because characters still walked around freely. I had my hair dyed bright blue and workers were commenting all day. Fun stuff, no big deal. The park was about to close, but my aunt wanted to check out one last shop so I waited on the main street with my mom. I guess the shops on Main Street close later than the rides so the street was super crowded but very well lit. Pluto and Goofy were walking through but stopped when they saw us. Goofy started fluffing my hair, kind of pulling on it and Pluto licked it. There were a lot of people there taking pictures. Very embarrasing.
8. Mass food poisoning on a Disney Cruise
I went on a Disney cruise when I was 12 or 13 with my parents. On the last night my dad and several others got food poisoning from the veal. He had to be sedated for the plane ride home.
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7. Avoid those turkey legs
I was there with my wife and two school aged daughters and in-laws about six years ago. One night my wife and I got the chance to leave the kids behind with her parents. We went on Pirates about three times since it has always been my favourite despite all the Jack Sparrow stuff. I then made one of the worst culinary mistakes of my life and got a turkey leg from a cart near Tom Sawyer's Island.
My insides felt like they were on Space Mountain as we rode the bus back to our room. I got into bed but soon had to crawl to the bathroom where I proceeded to send that turkey leg to Davey Jones' locker. I honestly wasn't sure I was going to survive but in the end I obviously pulled through since dead men tell no tales.
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6. Thievery during a girl emergency
I got my second period in Magic Kingdom. After crying and freaking out in the bathroom my mom had to go find some pants to buy for me. In her haste, she left her camera on the bathroom counter from where it was stolen. I felt so bad.
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5. Don’t cut the line
If you're wanting a story about line-cutter justice, I got ya.
A few years ago I'm getting into the Fast Pass line for Thunder Mountain with my dad and sister when two teenagers in the regular line jump over in front of us. At first we were pissed but then remembered that there's always two checkpoints for the Fast Pass line for this exact reason. Sure enough, when we got to the 2nd checkpoint we found them being sheepishly escorted all the way to the back.
4. Disney brings out the worst in people’s
During the first and only time I went to Disney we were waiting for a ride (myself, my younger brother, nana and mum) when some younger kids tried to push past us. When I asked them to stop the whole group of like six teenagers became so belligerent that they were escourted out of line. Later on outside a gift shop in Hogsmeade we witnessed a brawl...apparently Disney makes people crazy.
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3. Queen of Hearts steals a sip and terrifies a kid in the process
When I was little (probably six or seven), I was drinking a soda at Magic Kingdom with my family when the Queen of Hearts strolls up and takes a sip of my drink. That entitled maniac had me so upset I probably cried for a whole ten minutes.
2. Dying at Disney
Oh Jesus. Where to start.
The first time I saw somebody die was there. He was waiting in line in the early morning at City Hall, probably a ticket problem or something, and he just dropped like a board, eyes open, back onto the concrete.
His adult son started performing CPR and a cast member grabbed an AED but got no response. Three seperate people called 911 and the paramedics arrived about five minutes later. They continued CPR but to no avail.
What struck me most was that his eyes were open the whole time. I just kind of knew that he wasn't coming back from that and it made me really sad for his family.
1. The family that stays together gets sick together
My entire family (parents, sister, and I) all got food poisoning at the Polynesian luau the night before going to Epcot.
So needless to say we had an extensive tour of the country's bathrooms.
