Epcot_Fan_76
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2015
I apologize in advance for such a lengthy post, but I had to get this off my chest. I am a local with an annual pass, who visits the parks frequently. Over the past year I have noticed that crowd levels have surged at the Magic Kingdom. I have also noticed a decline in the behavior of guests, and a lack of respect for cast members. I am not a cast member, and have no connection to Disney beyond being a fan. During the evenings, Main Street and the Hub area have become especially congested. The cast members attempt to control the crowds, but the guests do not respect the authority of the cast. There is a feeling of chaos and danger in that area of the Magic Kingdom during the electrical parade and the lead up to wishes. Last night the situation escalated to a dangerous level. I was attempting to exit the park on the tomorrowland side. Usually the Main St. bypass is open during heavy crowds. The bypass was not open, even though the park’s crowd was off the charts. The crowd was at a standstill in front of the Plaza restaurant. After waiting several minutes I realized that there was no way to exit the park. I walked over to the security guard on duty at the bypass and told her about the situation. She said that they had not “planned” to open the bypass this evening. I then went back into the crowd. An elderly woman began to hyperventilate. She was swaying from side to side and I thought she might drop down to the ground. Several guests lifted their strollers over their heads and parted the way so that she could go into the dining room at the Plaza. At this point I returned to the bypass and told the security guard that something must be done, as we are effectively trapped on this side of the park. At this point the crowd had filled in behind us, and backed up to the tomorrowland terrace area. A manager emerged from backstage, and asked me what the problem was, and I told him that something must be done. He accompanied me around the corner, and all of the color drained from his face when he saw the crowd surge in that area. He got on his walkie-talkie and said, “We must open the bypass. I don’t care whose approval we need, just do it.” At this point I returned to the bypass entrance, and an angry crowd had formed. The security guard stood her ground and held her hands out in front of her and told the guests they cannot pass through the bypass at this time. I honestly believed that they would push her out of the way. Several cast members emerged from backstage. After a stalemate between the crowd and cast members the bypass was finally opened. I feel that part of the blame lies with Disney. As a local, I can see that holiday level crowds have become the new normal at the Magic Kingdom. If the Magic Kingdom regularly experiences record crowds, then they also need to have a record level of responsiveness for dealing with those crowds. The bypass should remain open EVERY evening. There is no such thing as a ‘slow’ or even ‘average’ day at the Magic Kingdom any more. At the same time, I think that guests also have a responsibility to follow the directions of the cast members. I think that Disney needs to review the crowd flow at the Magic Kingdom, because something just isn’t right about that particular area of the park. I would also encourage everyone to be on alert when in that area. I don’t want to create unnecessary drama; I just want everyone to be able to enjoy the Magic Kingdom safely.
