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What was the biggest Disney meltdown you've witnessed?

While waiting in line for Toy Story, we were preceded by a family that included an older lady riding an electric cart. The cart was loaded with all of their packages, including a couple of drinks with straws in front cup holders. At some point, one of the drinks gets spilled on the floor. In the ensuing argument between family members regarding the mess, the lady got up from her electric cart and walked away, leaving the cart and spill remaining. My husband and I still joke about the miracle healing of the lady in the Toy Story line.
 
A few years ago in fantasyland in Disneyland I saw a doozy.

We were waiting in line to ride on dumbos flying ride. Beside us was a little boy who was very excited by the flying elephants and clearly wanted a closer look and as such he was climbing all over the fencing to watching the ride. A cast member came by and told his parents he couldn't climb on the rails and, though they didn't seem to speak much English, they got the gist and seemed to tell him to stop climbing. Well he decided that he would just stick his head between the bars then to get a closer look and he wedged his head right on through.

Next thing you know the line is moving up...but the boy is stuck. He panics instantly and he screams and cries. So the dad starts yanking on his head, which makes him scream and cry harder. Now mom is crying as well and the whole thing has become a huge scene. The cast member comes back and deftly pops that kids head out with a well practiced grace and got a rowdy applause from the whole crowd.

The funny thing was the cast member was so non plussed about it that I figured he must have preformed that rescue 100 time before. People, you might know you need to keep your hands and arms inside the ride, but please do keep your heads out of the railing as well.
OHMYGOSH my brother got his head stuck in those rails back in the cue too! ROFL! But he didn't panic, apparently he was pretty calm through the whole thing. Dad got another dad and they pulled the rails apart so my brother could get out. It's fixed now but for a couple trips after we could see the rails they pulled apart.
 
Well...I've got something to add...again, sadly.
About 2 days ago at Tusker house, I was peacefully dining when suddenly, this ear-piercing banshee screech erupts from the table across from me. I felt like I was going deaf. I looked over, and it was this small girl, having a screaming meltdown every 3 minutes for no reason, and then going back to normal after 20 seconds of ear-bleeding shrills of screams came out of her mouth. Needless to say, I left early...just couldn't stand it! I actually couldn't hear the background music for the park I went to the day after that well because my ears were still in shock of those screams. Whenever I heard another pterodactyl screech come out of that girl's mouth, I would freeze up because of it...funny thing is, I don't think any of the characters went over to do a meet with that family left. I think they were scared too.
 
The worst I ever witnessed was parents screaming and berating their son right before the FoF parade one day last summer, in front of HoP while hundreds of people looked on. Not a kid melting down mind you, but adults who should know better.

Apparently the parents had left him alone to save the entire family's viewing spot while they were all off getting food. Poor kid, couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old, that's a big responsibility on a busy summer day. I don't know how it all played out, because I only saw the tail end of the sequence of events. Parents screaming while the kid cried and cried: "All you had to do was save the spot! You've ruined everybody's vacation! Forget the parade, forget Dumbo, we're leaving!" On and on it went. So humiliating for that poor little kid, and frankly the parents all red faced and ranting looked and sounded absolutely ridiculous. It would have been hilarious if not for their purposeful humiliation of their own child in public.

I hope that kid recovered from that ugliness.
 


The worst I ever witnessed was parents screaming and berating their son right before the FoF parade one day last summer, in front of HoP while hundreds of people looked on. Not a kid melting down mind you, but adults who should know better.

Apparently the parents had left him alone to save the entire family's viewing spot while they were all off getting food. Poor kid, couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old, that's a big responsibility on a busy summer day. I don't know how it all played out, because I only saw the tail end of the sequence of events. Parents screaming while the kid cried and cried: "All you had to do was save the spot! You've ruined everybody's vacation! Forget the parade, forget Dumbo, we're leaving!" On and on it went. So humiliating for that poor little kid, and frankly the parents all red faced and ranting looked and sounded absolutely ridiculous. It would have been hilarious if not for their purposeful humiliation of their own child in public.

I hope that kid recovered from that ugliness.



Sad event for sure... Some parents shouldn't be parents! One the same topic of questionable parenting skills, my wife and I were walking in EPCOT and were approaching a women scolding her child over something (not sure what the situation was) but as we were right near them, she picked up the child and we heard "I hate you" from the mother. I couldn't believe what we just heard.... We even discussed the situation to make sure that we heard her right... I don't think that she will win mother of the year award. Very sad.:(
 
Last September I saw a grandmother red faced and screaming at her grandson at Disney Springs. He was so embarrassed. He must've been about 7 or 8. It was awful. I can't remember what it was about, but she was loud and mean and it was awful. To this day, I'm upset with myself for not going over and telling her to take a break. it was really disturbing.

Another time, while staying at POFQ, I heard a mother shouting at her kids in the room next to ours. It was midnight and she was screaming, "All I wanted to do was have fun and you are terrible!!!! This is the worst trip ever. Can't we just have fun!!!" It went on forever. I called the front desk. I heard them come to their door, muffled talking between her and whomever came to do the checking, and then she was quiet after that.

(Seems to be a theme of adult meltdowns).

A personal meltdown came from my now 13 year old son when he was 2 1/2 during our first trip. We were staying at the CR and I remember we were tired after an MK day. We were at the Fantasia gift shop and they had a display of that huge monorail toy train track thing. He tried to bring it to me to tell me he wanted it. I said no. He laid down right in the middle of the store and started crying. He was exhausted. And in his defense, we had pretty much bought him everything we saw at the MK that day......we were new parents and so excited to be on our first trip to WDW as a family.
 
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Not sure if mentioned this or not, but I remember hearing one kid throwing a big tantrum outside of the One Man's Dream location. I heard it while we sat in our seat for the Walt Disney presentation and hoped the door would shut faster to drown out the noise. This was in Spring or Summer of 2015 during our Senior Trip.
 
I once witnessed a couple fighting in I believe the Animal Kingdom. The husband was screaming at his wife that he wanted a divorce and he hated her. And they had small children in a stroller. I think I was around 13 or 14 when I saw that, and I still think about it from time to time. It made me really sad.
 
On our way to our Soarin' Fastpass yesterday, I heard a lady screaming at her mother (she was ~80 years old at least), who was in a wheelchair that she was slowing down the family and maybe she should go back to the nursing home, even though I guess, she paid for the vacation for the whole family. The lady in the wheelchair was visibly upset. My mom, sister & I were looking on awkwardly, it was cringe worthy.
 
On our way to our Soarin' Fastpass yesterday, I heard a lady screaming at her mother (she was ~80 years old at least), who was in a wheelchair that she was slowing down the family and maybe she should go back to the nursing home, even though I guess, she paid for the vacation for the whole family. The lady in the wheelchair was visibly upset. My mom, sister & I were looking on awkwardly, it was cringe worthy.
That's just horrible :'(
 
I have no words. Yes, I have seen and heard some arguments. And like someone else mentioned I have been the one to throw the tantrum. My dh did NOT for whatever reason want to see the electrical parade. H e saw no point in it. MAKES ME SO MAD. Our kids were little, of course they were going to love it. I was not leaving there without seeing it. My my DH mad. I tried to talk him out of it and it fueled the fire, soooo. We didn't get loud but, did get vocal.

Kids ended up having a good time. Dh settled his man feathers.
 
During the first year that AK was opened, we learned about the scary combination of heat and low blood sugar.

My wife and I may be the closest in history to never fighting. I mean never - except for one overcrowded August afternoon in AK when we let the time slip to about 2:30 without eating lunch.

We now regularly say "I'm sorry for the things I say when I'm hungry".
 
On our way to our Soarin' Fastpass yesterday, I heard a lady screaming at her mother (she was ~80 years old at least), who was in a wheelchair that she was slowing down the family and maybe she should go back to the nursing home, even though I guess, she paid for the vacation for the whole family. The lady in the wheelchair was visibly upset. My mom, sister & I were looking on awkwardly, it was cringe worthy.

I would have just silently walked over and wheeled that poor lady over to my family. We would have happily adopted her.
 
Any meltdowns when they meet Talking Mickey?

No but the little girl in front of me refused to meet Mickey until I did it so she knew it was safe. One of my best memories yet.

Incidentally the worst behaviour I have seen at WDW happened at exactly the same spot while waiting to view Wishes. Year 1, a little girl probably 5 to 7 was having some issues because of the crowding. From what I gathered while trying to not look like I was paying attention, was that she doesn't like crowds and didn't want to stay for the fireworks. The parents were getting madder and madder and this only made it worse. She starts crying, they start yelling. Threatening to spank/beat her. Finally the father/grandfather (guy looked a bit old) hauled off and smacked her pretty hard. Myself and this grandmother turned around and quickly got the attention of a cast member, who stepped in with a supervisor. The girl was taken away one would assume police/Orlando/Florida youth services got involved.
 
No but the little girl in front of me refused to meet Mickey until I did it so she knew it was safe. One of my best memories yet.

Incidentally the worst behaviour I have seen at WDW happened at exactly the same spot while waiting to view Wishes. Year 1, a little girl probably 5 to 7 was having some issues because of the crowding. From what I gathered while trying to not look like I was paying attention, was that she doesn't like crowds and didn't want to stay for the fireworks. The parents were getting madder and madder and this only made it worse. She starts crying, they start yelling. Threatening to spank/beat her. Finally the father/grandfather (guy looked a bit old) hauled off and smacked her pretty hard. Myself and this grandmother turned around and quickly got the attention of a cast member, who stepped in with a supervisor. The girl was taken away one would assume police/Orlando/Florida youth services got involved.

Actions like this make me sick to my stomach.

I might have to wear headphones the whole vacation just so I don't hear this stuff. I'm not one to not say something to someone who is being hurtful on purpose.
 
Actions like this make me sick to my stomach.

I might have to wear headphones the whole vacation just so I don't hear this stuff. I'm not one to not say something to someone who is being hurtful on purpose.

It actually is amazing that the worst behaviour I have seen has generally been from adults. Yelling at each other, name calling, horrible parenting, cutting line. I love seeing the kids getting embarrassed while the parents are being horrible.
 

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