What are the WORST things that have happened to you at Disney/Orlando?

[MOMOFMNM]

mjh that sounds like a Griswold cruise if ya ask me!!!

WOW!!

OK HERE ARE MINE:

MY SELFISH FAMILY!!!
yes people, see those little adoring girls and that handsome guy down below?? They pushed, they shoved, they left no holds barred...the bunch of pirranahs just waiting to attack...SO...I was the one who asked the captain if we could be co pilots... Let me for the record say, I do not think my very tight Tink T shirt hurt the situation...batting some long eyelashes with my baby blues didn't hurt either and I doubt my dh would have had the same answer from the captain!! I am not against using femininity to get what I want~ I was the one who studied for months here on the DIS...I bought the FULL PRICED, not off ebay UOG for the trip and what did I get??? HMMM...I got to watch the four of them drive the monorail back to the Poly on our last day at WDW!!! GOOD LORD the things we give up as mothers...I did not even get the license!!! They got it all!!! Thinking the captain was all smitten with me when I asked if we may ride he said, "only four of you..." and he looked deep in my eyes....I know he wanted it to be me...then DH pipes up and says "OH look girls mom arranged a SPECIAL trip just for us...and they proceed to the cockpit!!!!
I am stuck back in regular "joe" land...not even a window to watch them!!
Then when we looked at our pics dh and dd's say..."remember....oh no wait..you don't do you???"

#2 I THROW AWAY THE ONLY PAIR OF SHOES DD HAS...AND WE HAVE NO CAR TO GO BUY ANY...AND IT IS DAY 1!!!!!!

Can you all believe this??? I literally THROW away dd's BRAND new CROCS that she got as a birthday gift just days before our trip!! Right there in Tink's treasures I throw them away because I put them in a bag I would later think was a "trash" bag!!!!! OMG!!! She had bought some fancy Aurora slippers for CRT but there was no way she could have toured in those all week!! By the time I realize what happened, got back to Tink, the garage can was EMPTY just all but 10 mins later!!! Who says Disney does not clean up garbage like they used to???? MAN!!! They did that day!! I explained my troubles to JIM at Tink and he gave dd a new pair of Minnie tennies from the Emporium FOR FREE@@!!! I told him NO WAY that it was my fault!!! But he insisted and said, "We have a strict shoe policy here ma'm!! It was perfect and we were treated so well this whole trip!! It was amaIng and we will never forget it!!

#3 LOOSING MY FIRST BORN CHILD AT SPECTRO-NIGHTMARE!!!
If what I witnessed was a SLOW SEASON during this shindig, I pray for your body and souls for those of you there on a PEAK season because I have never seen anything like this!!! SERIOUSLY FOLKS!!!
DO NOT STOP in the lines!! DO NOT!! If your hair is on fire, if you are bleeding profusely from your head.. DO NOT STOP KEEP MOVING!!
I tried to find her but the CM's kept screaming MOVE DOWN!! I felt as though I was getting farther away from her an Park closing and WISHES and AAAHHH...
oh yeah also, DO NOT jump in the path of a WDW parade while it is in route!! All I could do was look into the crowd from the street to find her, no way was I going to find her looking BEHIND the crowd, UH I am 5'2~~~it was a huge mistake...don't do it!!

She did get found and is back safe here in Iowa...(all I can say is Pixie dust, god, and a mothers intuition...)

 

[tomerin]

it was kind of ironic that the worst things to happen to me while at WDW was during the best WDW vacation i ever had.

this past july my brother and his family joined us for our annual WDW vacation. it was truly the greatest time i ever had.

i have become a great fan of taking pictures and videos of our vacations at WDW, often taking 1000 pictures during our stay. well the excitement of taking pictures with my brother my SIL and my nieces along with my DW and my DSons was something i was looking foward to. well the first 3 days with almost 400 pictures already downloaded and empty memory card waiting to be filled up again we were off MK for another great day. well while riding the bus i proceeded to drop my video camera and that was it for that camera. totally broken. so i used my other camera. well after a great lunch at CRT, kids loved the pics of my brother and myself with snow white and belle, i was looking at the pics and turned to show my DW and then i dropped that one and the case cracked right where the battery compartment is. tried to fix it with tape but the tape had to go in a place where the lens cover slid open.

amazing 2 cameras shot in half a day.

well it didnt ruin the trip though .my brother had his camera so at least i was able to get some pics of the rest of our trip.


well so now we have to plan another trip so i can take the pics that i missed.

 

[mytwotinks]

At CRT (back when it was breakfast only and had to wake up at dawn-thirty 3 days in a row to get the reservation) my niece turns green and says "I'm gonna throw up." My sister looks around longingly at the everyone else's stuffed french toast and leaves without getting food OR meeting any of the princesses. I am left alone with my DD 3 and DD 7. My DS has taken the bag with the pen and Aurora chews me out for not being prepared! I was sweating like a pig by the time I left! Those character meals are stressful w/ both parents! I will never do another one by myself as long as I live!!!!

 

[Sylvester McBean]

we've never really had a bad problem. but when the summer rolls around, we see people in cars with out of state tags broken down all over I-4. you know that's not helping their vacation.

 

[CleveRocks]

'Loved the stories by the way- it would make a great trip report?!

Funny you should mention that. I cut and pasted then from my May 2005 trip report that I posted else where but not here. If you've truly got nothing better to do than read long-winded writing for about 25 minutes, PM me. I never posted the trip report here because it's SOOO long.

 

[CleveRocks]

Oh my....sounds like Iritis - painful in itself, but compounded by tropical sunlight! I'm curious...how long did it last and did she get treatment?

It started Sunday evening, was terrible Monday, and by Tuesday morning it still hurt but she was able to put her contacts in, and by Tuesday night it was a bad memory. She's a doc. She said it was iritis. She didn't seek treatment. Know that old saw about doctors being the worst patients? Consider that nail hit right on the head.

 

[bytheblood]

My MIL went with us.

 

[metsfan11]

LEAVING- That's the worst part!



No really the worst experience was that when we left our house in the morning in the limo that picked us up. THE DRIVER LEFT ONE OF OUR BAGS THE DRIVEWAY! (BTW- This is our FIRST trip to Disney!). So as we are standing at baggage claim for 1 AND A HALF HOURS! until our neighbor calls wondering why we have a SUITCASE IN OUR DRIVEWAY! So we had to spend the rest of that day shopping at K-Mart for clothes and medicine (Thank god the perscriptions weren't in there!) But then we went to the Magic Kingdom the next day. It was all better!

 

[dznygurl]

My parents and my niece (4 years old) came with us in Nov./2000. On our first day there we decided to visit DTD. The kids loved Lego Land so we stopped for a long while to let them play. My kids were 2 and 5. I was busy keeping up with my 2 year old and my mom "forgot" she was in charge of my niece. Suddenly, we realized we didn't see her anywhere! Talk about the panic! I just kept thinking "How are we going to tell her mother that we lost her in Disney World????"

My mom ran in to ask a CM for help, but no one else seemed concerned. We were screaming her name over and over. Finally a CM calmly walked over to this big toy tire and there was my niece, just sitting inside of it.
I guess there a quite a few kids in the past that "hid" in that tire. All of this happened in a matter of a few minutes, but it seemed like eternity.

Of course, we laugh now at how we "lost" her and how difficult (but managable) it was going to be to enjoy the rest of our trip without her. She's 9 now and just sarcastically laughs back at us.

9 MORE DAYS TO GO!!!! (oh, and she's coming again. I told everyone that we're staying away from Lego Land

 

[SueM in MN]

He then gave a half hearted apology and said that he had been pushing this chair all day and was tired of people cutting blah...blah...blah.

That is probably true that he was frustrated with people cutting him off all day (doesn't give him the right to profanity or rudeness, though). Since most lines are Mainstream Lines (where people with wheelchairs wait in line with everyone else), the queues are wider than they were in the past. You need a clear passage at least 32 inches wide for a wheelchair to get thru and a 5 foot wide area for turns.
Unfortunately, to a person not using a wheelchair, it looks like the person with a wheelchair is just "not using the space" in the line, so people fill that space all the time. People with wheelchairs and ECVs get cut off a lot when we are just trying to make sure we have enough space to manouver without hitting anyone.
That does get tiring.

(Now if you have been to WDW, you know that handicap parties get priority on most lines and rides).

That is a common misconception, but if you have been to WDW with a person using a wheelchair, you will see it is not true.
Here's an explanation of Mainstream queues and a list of the Mainstream attractions from the official WDW website:
The Walt Disney World® Resort strives to provide mainstream access whenever possible; that is, all Guests utilize the main entrance to the attraction. However, accessibility varies from attraction to attraction within our Parks. The Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities and Park Guidemaps use symbols to indicate boarding procedures for each attraction. In addition, Guests should contact a host or hostess at each attraction before entering.

Attractions providing mainstream queue access include:

Magic Kingdom® Park
Ariel's Grotto
Astro Orbiter
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Donald's Boat
Judge's Tent
Mickey's Country House
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Mike Fink Keelboats (seasonal)
Minnie's Country House
Pirates of the Caribbean
Space Mountain®
Splash Mountain®
Stitch's Great Escape!™
The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacres Farm
"The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management"
The Hall of Presidents
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The Timekeeper (seasonal)
Tomorrowland® Indy Speedway
Toontown Hall of Fame
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress (seasonal)

Epcot®
FUTURE WORLD
Imagination!: All Attractions
Innoventions East
Innoventions West
Mission: SPACE
Test Track
The Living Seas: All Attractions
The Land: All Attractions
Universe of Energy: "Ellen's Energy Adventure"
Wonders of Life: All Attractions (seasonal)

WORLD SHOWCASE
China: "Reflections of China"
France: "Impressions de France"
FriendShip Boats
Norway: Maelstrom
The American Adventure: "The American Adventure"

Disney-MGM Studios
Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour
Fantasmic!
Lights, Motors, Action!™ Extreme Stunt Show
Muppet*Vision 3D
Playhouse Disney - Live On Stage!
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith
Sounds Dangerous - Starring Drew Carey
Star Tours
The Great Movie Ride
The Magic of Disney Animation
"The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™"
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It!

Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park
Caravan Stage: "Flights of Wonder"
DINOSAUR
Grandmother Willow's Grove: "Pocahontas and Her forest friends"
It's Tough To Be A Bug
Kali River Rapids
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Lion King Theater: "Festival of the Lion King"
Maharajah Jungle Trek
Primeval Whirl
Theater in the Wild: "Tarzan Rocks!"
The Boneyard
TriceraTop Spin

 

[mickeymousemom]

My worst time was our last trip! The whole trip was actually going pretty well until the second to our last day. We were in the MK and it was getting close to 6pm..we had to leave because MNSSHP would be starting and we had been to one earlier in the week. Anyway, I'm at the baby/first-aid station when I realize I no longer have my lanyard around my neck containing all the roomkeys, my debit card AND my driver's license. While Dh runs all the way back to Columbia Harbour House(last place I remember having it), I am panicking at the front of the park. It was never found. We spent quite awhile in Guest Services at MK while a very nice lady called POR so we could get our room keys back(DH did happen to have his in his pocket) with the correct amount of DP credits on it, etc. She acted as though she were talking to idiots(and she was, I know this becasue I had to deal with them earlier in the week) and finally got them to do as she asked. She gave us passes so we could head over to Epcot for the evening, and we would get our room keys back upon our return to POR. We also got complimentary passes for any ride in the MK to use at any time. How nice! I never did get my stuff back, but it all worked out in the end. I will say, that few hours of panic and trying to get things replaced was a pain in my hiney!

OH! I did say that the lanyard was around my neck, but I remember now that the plastic carrier had broken and I had been carrying it in my hand or pocket. I have kicked myself ever since for not just putting it in the pocket on the backpack that was hanging from the stroller!


I have to say that even THAT was better than having my in-laws along...

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

On the first day of my first ever trip with DH(then DBF) I had what we know now was a massive gallbladder attack. I was bent over in agony for 7 hours and he didn't know what to do with me - just as I was getting ready to tell him to call 911 my pain subsided and I was able to rest and was fine for the rest o f our trip.

I suffered with undiagnosed gallbladder attacks for 7 years after that because I never had pain radiating towards my back so my dopey doctors kept trying to convince me it was just gas until they finally did the correct tests and realized what had been happening all those years. I was jumping for joy when they told me I needed to have surgery - they thought I was nuts - I was excited to never have to deal with that pain again - LOL!

my mother's gallbladder was so infected after they misdiagnosed her numerous times it was gangerous(sp please?? lol) when they finally took it out. they kept telling her at first it was the flu, then her doctor tried to tell her that since she was a woman.......that stress can do a lot to you.......he told her it was stress!

 

[Candleshoe]

* My daughter picked up the mosquito spray and squirted it in her eyes

* I fell off my bike and tore some cartlidge in my knee

* we landed at 10p, got our car at 2am, arrived at 'first night' hotel at 2:30am and I discovered my wallet missing, back to the airport and finally found my wallet at 4:30am

That would be my top 3 ;-)

 

[misskrystal]

I started to feel ill on the flight. By the time we arrived at the hotel I had the flu. I spent most of the first week in bed! The people I went with didn't care and refused to take me to see a doctor. One day they refused to get me any water because they were eager to get to one of the parks.

I felt much better by the second week, but I'd lost so much weight, I went down 2 dress sizes!

 

[Betsyt82]

misskrystal, Are those people still your friends? Because that was just so not nice!! You poor thing.

 

[BonnieA]

It was in 1986. The one and only time I drove to WDW. It was me and my 15 year old son, so I was doing all the driving. We were driving from western Virginia. We left right after he got out of school that day and drove for about 7-8 hours, got a motel room for the night, and continued the next day. We started smelling gas fumes in the car. I stopped at a service station in Jacksonville and the attendant there looked at the engine and decided that there was a plug missing from some tube and it was dripping gas. So he stuck something in there and didn't charge me a thing (it would cost me much more later). The smell stopped and we had no further problems until later that evening. After a day in the parks, we went to our hotel and the car stalled as we were pulling into the hotel. We coasted into a parking spot. The car wouldn't start again. I called AAA the next morning to see if they would come and look at it but they said if it was running it would be best to just drive it to a service station. The car did start but I was afraid of getting stuck with it someplace but I drove it down the road to a service station. The man there said there was gas all over the engine, it was flooded. He cleaned it out the best he could. He told me I should take it to a Chevy dealer. So down the road we went again, this time with one foot on the brake and one on the gas cause I knew if we stopped we would be dead in the road. Pulled into the dealer spot, the car died. Of course, I didn't want this to ruin my vacation so I rented a car from the dealer and we continued on. It took about 3 days to fix the car, turns out that on the way down the fuel pump was going bad, the guy in Jacksonville screwed it up even more. The plug he put in caused the gas to back up and it got into everything including the oil (very bad). They did all kinds of things to that car but when I got it back (less $500 - and this was in 1987) I still didn't like the way it ran. We left the day after I got it back. I don't think I turned the car off the whole trip back which we did almost non-stop in 12 hours. Arrived home at 3am. We took it to our local dealer the next week and they said that the other dealer also screwed it up. So they fixed it again, no charge, and it ran better. Now I fly to DisneyWorld.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

(Now if you have been to WDW, you know that handicap parties get priority on most lines and rides

Just repeating what everyone else has already said. No they don't.

 

[melomouse]

I guess this would top it... on our first long planned trip to WDW in 2001, DH was able to spend one full day at MK on his ECV. He went to his scheduled kidney dialysis in Celebration the next morning and lapsed into sepsis, eventually passing at Celebration Health 2 1/2 weeks later.

DS(9) and DD(5) continued to enjoy the parks, along with my DSS who flew down immediately when his Dad was hospitalized. POFQ personnel were AMAZING in helping me, ditto what was then Marriott DTD.

Bittersweet as the remainder of the trip was, as I cried through fireworks and music and Small World, subsequent trips back to the world have been in DH's honor, and extremely healing for all of us.

Puts things in perspective, ya know???

melomouse

 

[misskrystal]

misskrystal, Are those people still your friends? Because that was just so not nice!! You poor thing.

I was with my best friend and his family but, as you can imagine, we're not quite as close as we used to be and we've never vacationed together again!

The doctors surgery was right across the road from the hotel, too. It wouldn't have taken them more than 30 minutes to help me.

Never mind though, they haven't been back to WDW since and I have

 

[GregoryG]

That is probably true that he was frustrated with people cutting him off all day (doesn't give him the right to profanity or rudeness, though). Since most lines are Mainstream Lines (where people with wheelchairs wait in line with everyone else), the queues are wider than they were in the past. You need a clear passage at least 32 inches wide for a wheelchair to get thru and a 5 foot wide area for turns.
Unfortunately, to a person not using a wheelchair, it looks like the person with a wheelchair is just "not using the space" in the line, so people fill that space all the time. People with wheelchairs and ECVs get cut off a lot when we are just trying to make sure we have enough space to manouver without hitting anyone.
That does get tiring.

I was just doing what I was told by the CM. No reason to use the f-word at me and my children.

That is a common misconception, but if you have been to WDW with a person using a wheelchair, you will see it is not true.

I apologize for my misconception. I probably am still a little upset from the whole ordeal and my emotions allowed me to post an ignorant statement. Was not trying to offend anyone. Sorry.