What was the biggest Disney meltdown you've witnessed?

[mom3sonstt]

I understood what the poster was saying but I appreciate the thought . The didn't understand part was more of a general more broad thing whereas the couponing part was a specific situation thing.

 

[jade'nsuch]

The first time we took our boys to Disney it was 2003 Dinosaur was pretty new. I remember out front of the attracton it had a cute dinosaur thought ok. My oldest son has Aspergers. So I thought well I'll ask the CM what the ride is like. He said Oh its a bumpy ride in the dark...ok . Needless to say by the end of the ride my son was hysterical ....the lady in front of me turns around and tells me what a horrible parent I'am and I need to read before putting my child on a attraction such as this.....Oh heck noooooo Nope No and NOOOOOoo you didn't. Security had to be called...they are probably still talking about me

Oh wow your story has me riled for you. Honestly, I applaud you for losing it on this woman because it's truly, for lack of a better word, disgusting to me that some folks think this is an appropriate reaction. Like really? Not only was the ride new, so you'd never had the chance to experience it before, but you asked a CM and boy howdy did he pretty much lie. It's shocking that people will react this way because something may be inconveniencing them or "annoying" them I mean get over it. Were you forced to explain your life story to this woman or did you just release the Kraken? Because I would have gone straight to Kraken lol

 

[danielocha30]

We were at Disney Springs this past February when my son (8) threw himself on the floor at World of Disney because I asked the CM to send his new toy back to our resort so I wouldn't have to carry it all over creation for the rest of the day. She was very patient with the whole situation, and I was very appreciative, but then I had to run off because the boy got up when I was done signing everything and he RAN out of the store. My husband was with our daughter (also 8) at Starbucks and he saw me flying out of the store and chasing the boy down the street yelling for him to stop and for anyone to grab him because when he gets going, I can't catch him. At all. He got past some wall before I was able to catch him where he proceeded to bite me and kick me. My husband had caught up with us at this point and had to take over because I was in tears. More biting, kicking, and head butting ensued before we managed to get back to the bus stop. We went back to our resort in stony silence. We had planned to go to a park to eat that night, but we decided to see if we could get a reservation at Boma so we wouldn't have to leave the resort again. Thank goodness they had something because I really didn't want to eat at The Mara again (it's fine, but we ate there A LOT because the boy had several meltdowns over the course of the week, so we spent far more time at the resort than I'd planned... at least AKL is a nice place to stay).

In retrospect, I was probably trying too hard because not only was it our first trip to Disney, but it was our first family vacation without other family around to help with the twins (and since the boy has autism and SPD, it's useful to have that extra help). It wasn't terrible, but it was more crowded than I expected for February because our week was bookended by cheerleaders and dance teams. Next time we go, the twins will be a couple of years older and the boy will be better prepared for what awaits.

I been in your place with my ASD child, keep the toy next time, and as they grow things get better and we have enjoy many peaceful vacations and Disney even comando days where I schedule some table service for him to relax.

 

[basketballmom]

Last year on day 3 (day 3 curse???!) I lost it on my son who was 15 at the time. The theme of the trip had become him questioning our every move and complaining about everything we did. Why were we doing this ride and not THAT ride. Why were we walking this way and not that way. Why we were eating here and not there. Why we were eating QS and not TS. Why were we eating TS and not QS. Why couldn’t we go to this park and not that park. This was for 3 days straight. He’s like this at home also but at WDW it was intense.

So we get to MK for PM EMH. I was soooooooooo excited about this. It was going to be open until 1 am. It was raining but it was going to die down. He was just going on and on about his hair and how the poncho and rain is going to mess up his hair. My son doesn’t have hair! He has a very close fade. He wanted to ride 7DMT but it was down due to the lightening. He couldn’t get over this. Well I want to ride it, why can’t we ride it, can we ride it now, why can’t we just wait in line, can we go back now and ride it. I’m watching the app and it’s still down. I had a FP for it!!!! We just needed for it to open.

He starts going on and on about the rain so I offer for him to go back to the room (Poly) and we will stay in MK. Nope, he didn’t want to do that. He just kept going on and on and FINALLY I snapped. I said LETS GO!!! My boyfriend and DD are like oh crap. We get in line for the monorail with 1000 other people fleeing the rain. We are packed like sardines. I made a few comments (not loudly) about how he can’t just relax and have fun. My son is still talking back under his breath because he has to get the last word. I kept telling him to be quiet but he had to keep making little snide remarks. Then I really snapped. I got really close to his face and I told him that he had one more comment to make and he would be on the next plane home as an unassisted minor and his dad would pick him up at the airport. I was so serious that I texted his father right there and looked up flights on Southwest. It had been THREE days of this and I had enough. He completely stopped talking after this and his eyes got huge. I didn’t hear a peep from him until the following day.

We dropped them off at the room, told them not to contact me unless someone was bleeding, dying or on fire and my boyfriend and I hit up Trader Sam’s. The next day it was like Jesus himself came down and gave me a new kid. He must’ve known I was serious, especially when his father texted him.

Whenever I see an upset parent like you were, (NOT verbally or physically abusive) I know that there is more to the story. Your son needed a behavior adjustment, and it just happened to be in public. Good for you! I have 3 daughters , the youngest is almost 18. They are all wonderful, but can still go too far sometimes. I often wonder if people talk about me being "that cranky lady at Disneyland" when I correct them or get irritated. Parents shouldn't accept bad behavior, and onlookers have no idea that the teenager has been having a bad attitude for three days. As parents, we've all been there. And as parents, we know when our children need discipline. Again, I'm not condoning those parents who are verbally abusive or out of control.

 

[Cornish Lad]

Not exactly a melt down but we watched a father pulling his son across Main Square - the child was in tears and his father shouted at him "You are in Disney - you WILL enjoy yourself".
Hope it worked for the kid .

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

okay, so, this isn't a child-related story but rather my DH. LOL

He had a bad knee, using a compression brace and it was tired. He was over all of the kiddie rides at Disney and wanted more exciting rides. He decided he would pout while walking around the parks. I sternly told him he was with his family on a family trip and he should just suck it up for the "children" of the group LOL Man, I was pi$$ed...

 

[Kippa-Dee-Do-Dah]

I guess you could say I had a meltdown last year at Disneyland. It was our third trip and we were about to move from SoCal so we probably won't be back for a long time. DH prefers that I do all the planning and prepping, which is fine, I enjoy it. And then we go over our "plan" together and with the kids. So we were going to try to get to the rides we hadn't ridden yet and spend more time meeting characters and just soaking up the Land.

So we went last February for President's Day weekend, which turned out to be 50 degrees and rainy and gray clouds the whole time. We were cold and wet (had ponchos and umbrellas but it was a LOT of rain), but tried to make the best of it because we were at DISNEY!!! The kids weren't in great moods because of the weather, so DH and I were trying to keep things positive. Until the last day of our trip.

I was already getting tired of the kids' attitudes (they were 4 and 6), and DH started to get snippy with me. And by snippy, I mean we'd get done with a ride or something and he'd huff and puff and say, "Ugh, where are we going next?" And I'd remind him of the things we said we wanted to do and what did he think? And he'd say, "Whatever, I don't care, let's just pick something." And other remarks like, "We aren't going to stand in that line to meet the princesses again are we?" (To which I have to respond, "Well I guess not..." to keep the peace.) Just very combative and basically leaving me to be the tour guide/cheerleader. So we get in line to meet Jasmine - my son doesn't want to but DD does, so DS and DH stand off to the side. I'm juggling autograph books and pens that we put in a ziplock bag and DH is just standing there mad because....the weather, I guess. And then I drop the ziplock because I only have two hands and other stuff in it gets wet in a puddle. DH, who, remember, is standing right there, starts getting angry with me because I dropped it and didn't IMMEDIATELY pick it up. Meanwhile, I'm trying to stay calm so DD has a lovely experience meeting Jasmine (who you could tell didn't want to be there.) Awesome.

So we're done with that and we head off to a corner and DH is all, "Ugh, now where are going?" And I just couldn't take it anymore. I don't remember exactly what I said (yelled?), but it was something like, "You know what? I'm done. Let's just go back to the hotel. I don't want to be here anymore." And I started crying because I was so frustrated. So we move to the tunnel in-between Fantasy and Frontier Lands and out of the rain and he gives the kids a snack and has me drink water and then lets me vent and cry (which I did, quietly). He held me, apologized, and had the kids apologize and after that we were able to return to being a Happy Disney Family. Third day curse indeed!

 

[JennLTX]

I guess you could say I had a meltdown last year at Disneyland. It was our third trip and we were about to move from SoCal so we probably won't be back for a long time. DH prefers that I do all the planning and prepping, which is fine, I enjoy it. And then we go over our "plan" together and with the kids. So we were going to try to get to the rides we hadn't ridden yet and spend more time meeting characters and just soaking up the Land.

So we went last February for President's Day weekend, which turned out to be 50 degrees and rainy and gray clouds the whole time. We were cold and wet (had ponchos and umbrellas but it was a LOT of rain), but tried to make the best of it because we were at DISNEY!!! The kids weren't in great moods because of the weather, so DH and I were trying to keep things positive. Until the last day of our trip.

I was already getting tired of the kids' attitudes (they were 4 and 6), and DH started to get snippy with me. And by snippy, I mean we'd get done with a ride or something and he'd huff and puff and say, "Ugh, where are we going next?" And I'd remind him of the things we said we wanted to do and what did he think? And he'd say, "Whatever, I don't care, let's just pick something." And other remarks like, "We aren't going to stand in that line to meet the princesses again are we?" (To which I have to respond, "Well I guess not..." to keep the peace.) Just very combative and basically leaving me to be the tour guide/cheerleader. So we get in line to meet Jasmine - my son doesn't want to but DD does, so DS and DH stand off to the side. I'm juggling autograph books and pens that we put in a ziplock bag and DH is just standing there mad because....the weather, I guess. And then I drop the ziplock because I only have two hands and other stuff in it gets wet in a puddle. DH, who, remember, is standing right there, starts getting angry with me because I dropped it and didn't IMMEDIATELY pick it up. Meanwhile, I'm trying to stay calm so DD has a lovely experience meeting Jasmine (who you could tell didn't want to be there.) Awesome.

So we're done with that and we head off to a corner and DH is all, "Ugh, now where are going?" And I just couldn't take it anymore. I don't remember exactly what I said (yelled?), but it was something like, "You know what? I'm done. Let's just go back to the hotel. I don't want to be here anymore." And I started crying because I was so frustrated. So we move to the tunnel in-between Fantasy and Frontier Lands and out of the rain and he gives the kids a snack and has me drink water and then lets me vent and cry (which I did, quietly). He held me, apologized, and had the kids apologize and after that we were able to return to being a Happy Disney Family. Third day curse indeed!

Although that's a meltdown, it's a "we have ALL been there and done that" kind of meltdown. Kudos to DH for the save.

Wishing you all the in the world for your upcoming trip to WDW and (I assume!) POR, which was our first resort, and the place where I lost my heart to the Mouse.

 

[Kippa-Dee-Do-Dah]

Although that's a meltdown, it's a "we have ALL been there and done that" kind of meltdown. Kudos to DH for the save.

Wishing you all the in the world for your upcoming trip to WDW and (I assume!) POR, which was our first resort, and the place where I lost my heart to the Mouse.

Thanks so much! I think DH knew when I said I'd rather be in the hotel room than at the park that I meant business haha. Yes, we are staying at POR and we are so excited!!!

 

[Mumketeer]

The worst meltdown I ever saw was on the Animal Kingdom bus from an All Star Resort. This kid started yelling and carrying on that he did not want to sit next to a woman because she was not from his country. It was embarrassing for the woman and for her family and it should have been embarrassing to that kid's parents. The kid was with his parents and grandparents.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

The worst meltdown I ever saw was on the Animal Kingdom bus from an All Star Resort. This kid started yelling and carrying on that he did not want to sit next to a woman because she was not from his country. It was embarrassing for the woman and for her family and it should have been embarrassing to that kid's parents. The kid was with his parents and grandparents.

What did his parents do?

 

[Mumketeer]

They did absolutely nothing, they just let him get louder and louder. I felt so bad for her little boy he was about the same age and he looked humiliated.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

They did absolutely nothing, they just let him get louder and louder. I felt so bad for her little boy he was about the same age and he looked humiliated.

Well I guess he had to learn it from somewhere. How horrifying.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

The first time we took our boys to Disney it was 2003 Dinosaur was pretty new. I remember out front of the attracton it had a cute dinosaur thought ok. My oldest son has Aspergers. So I thought well I'll ask the CM what the ride is like. He said Oh its a bumpy ride in the dark...ok . Needless to say by the end of the ride my son was hysterical ....the lady in front of me turns around and tells me what a horrible parent I'am and I need to read before putting my child on a attraction such as this.....Oh heck noooooo Nope No and NOOOOOoo you didn't. Security had to be called...they are probably still talking about me

On our first ever trip to WDW I had DS3. I had never been. We get to the MK and I see "Snow White's Scary Adventure." I think to myself "oh it's Disney.....they wouldn't have anything scary." We get on the ride and my son lost it. He clawed me, climbed all over me, screamed, cried. I felt HORRIBLE. Luckily no one was there to witness this. It was bad.

Years later DD3 wanted to go on it. I kept telling her it was scary but she insisted. We rode that ride 5 times in a row at RD. She loved it.

 

[KenHutch]

I saw one really epic meltdown that I sort of shut down. It was 2006 (our 1st trip) and we were in the Stand By line for Splash Mountain with about a 75+ minute wait. In front of use were 2 younger couples (well younger than me) and one of the couples started arguing. Quietly at first but it escalated to screaming, finger pointing and f-this and f-that. Well to keep calm in lines I take pictures and I mean a lot of pictures. Well this seemed interesting so I started clicking away. One of the couples friends pointed out to them what I was doing and the woman said Great Now Were Immortal for this idiot. But they stopped fighting and cussing in front of a lot of families. My then 5 year old asked me to stop as well she said "daddy what if they want to fight you?". I grew up a little and realized that while the Marine in me would not have been bothered by one or more wanting to fight it would have mortified her.

 

[Mrs Geek]

While I've seen plenty of kid meltdowns at Disney, I'm able to forgive and forget them, because Disney is overwhelming, kids get hot and tired, sometimes they just need to cry.

But adult tantrums? That I can't stand.

On our honeymoon, Hubby and I had an ADR at the Germany restaurant at Epcot. We checked in at the counter about 15 minutes before our time slot and stood aside to wait. There was quite a line at the check-in counter. An older gentleman behind us didn't have an ADR; when he stepped up to the counter, he asked for a table for 4, and apparently they did have an opening, they told him it would probably be a 30 minute wait, he was cool with that, and so he stepped aside with the rest of his party.

Doors open for lunch time, and CMs are starting to call names. A party of 4 who were in line after the ADR-less man is called forward he frickin LOSES it. He strides up to the CMs who are seating people and yells "EXCUSE ME! EXCUSE ME! I WAS HERE FIRST, YOU SHOULD NOT BE SEATING THOSE PEOPLE BEFORE ME." I felt so bad for the CMs- about 3 or 4 of whom have converged on him to calm him down, trying to explain that those people had reservations. He just wasn't listening. Finally the poor girl at the check-in counter scribbles something down and tells him they'll have him seated momentarily.

This is a family-style restaurant, where they seat multiple parties at the same table. The next name to be called? "Pouty-Pants, part of 4." [whatever their name was, that is] Dude is super sarcastically happy about it- "Oh-ho, look at that! Not a 30 minute wait after all! What WONDERFUL SERVICE here at DISNEY FRICKIN WORLD." The next name? Ours. They seat us at the same table. Urrrrrrrrrrrrrgh I'm thinking this will be a terrible lunch. The man tries to strike up a friendly conversation with my husband and I, as if we hadn't just witnessed his tantrum. Instead, we focused our attention on the party on the other side of us, a guy in his mid-twenties (like us) who was treating his little brother on his 21st birthday to a beer flight. It was quite a nice lunch after all!

 

[KenHutch]

While I've seen plenty of kid meltdowns at Disney, I'm able to forgive and forget them, because Disney is overwhelming, kids get hot and tired, sometimes they just need to cry.

But adult tantrums? That I can't stand.

On our honeymoon, Hubby and I had an ADR at the Germany restaurant at Epcot. We checked in at the counter about 15 minutes before our time slot and stood aside to wait. There was quite a line at the check-in counter. An older gentleman behind us didn't have an ADR; when he stepped up to the counter, he asked for a table for 4, and apparently they did have an opening, they told him it would probably be a 30 minute wait, he was cool with that, and so he stepped aside with the rest of his party.

Doors open for lunch time, and CMs are starting to call names. A party of 4 who were in line after the ADR-less man is called forward he frickin LOSES it. He strides up to the CMs who are seating people and yells "EXCUSE ME! EXCUSE ME! I WAS HERE FIRST, YOU SHOULD NOT BE SEATING THOSE PEOPLE BEFORE ME." I felt so bad for the CMs- about 3 or 4 of whom have converged on him to calm him down, trying to explain that those people had reservations. He just wasn't listening. Finally the poor girl at the check-in counter scribbles something down and tells him they'll have him seated momentarily.

This is a family-style restaurant, where they seat multiple parties at the same table. The next name to be called? "Pouty-Pants, part of 4." [whatever their name was, that is] Dude is super sarcastically happy about it- "Oh-ho, look at that! Not a 30 minute wait after all! What WONDERFUL SERVICE here at DISNEY FRICKIN WORLD." The next name? Ours. They seat us at the same table. Urrrrrrrrrrrrrgh I'm thinking this will be a terrible lunch. The man tries to strike up a friendly conversation with my husband and I, as if we hadn't just witnessed his tantrum. Instead, we focused our attention on the party on the other side of us, a guy in his mid-twenties (like us) who was treating his little brother on his 21st birthday to a beer flight. It was quite a nice lunch after all!

Ouch bet that was a fun meal. I have one along those lines and try not to laugh to hard. In 2006 (1st trip) I had researched things on this site and had made an ADR for Cinderella's Royal Table. Well I had just checked in and was told there would be a 10 minute wait (no problem). Well a gentleman behind me steps up and say he needs a table for 8 and any time in the next 10 min would be fine. The sweet CM looked surprised and asked for his ADR number. His reply wo don't have one, we don't need one we are staying CL at the Grand Floridian. The girl looks at him and tells him they don't take walkups there and everyone here at made their ADR's at 180 days. He looks around and says in a very annoyed voice "You expect me to believe everyone here made a reservation 6 months ago?" Well she replied in the affirmative and he called her a liar and that was the 1st time I got to see Disney Security. He was not going to leave without eating and he paid more than everyone around him.

 

[londontime]

There was an awful physical fight between a family on the MK entrance of the Monorail of the TTC last week. There were punches being thrown between Dad and Daughter, Mom and Daughter 2, then Son & Dad. Its the only time I've seen Disney security run. It really shook my boy up, and we were almost at the Ticket gates. He kept asking about it for ages.

 

[Spencer Wright]

We were outside of Soarn and some lady and her husband (maybe husband, but seems like a couple probably early 30's), were going to use their FP and the lady realized the man scheduled it for a different day and this chick went crazy!!!! She basically went off saying (insert the f-word into at least every other word): This is the one FP I wanted, and you are too stupid to even do that, this is the one ride I wanted to do and now my trip is ruined, and she went on and on.

It took the man a couple minutes to start yelling back, and which point several CM's intervened.

It was pretty funny!!

 

[chuff88]

There was an awful physical fight between a family on the MK entrance of the Monorail of the TTC last week. There were punches being thrown between Dad and Daughter, Mom and Daughter 2, then Son & Dad. Its the only time I've seen Disney security run. It really shook my boy up, and we were almost at the Ticket gates. He kept asking about it for ages.

Wow.... I feel like this would shake me up too. I would probably have trouble enjoying my day after witnessing something like that.