Your worst moment at a Disney park?

[buffettgirl]

We did the same thing!!! I didn't even know there was a dinosaur dig until my other child found him!! I bet it's happened to alot of us

happened to my mom. She was supposed to be watching my 5 year old while DH and I went on PW. He zoomed off and we returned from riding primieval whirl and she "knew" he was still inside there somewhere but she could not find him..and neither could we. Well he was on the other side..

 

[bell.of.the.ball]

Worst moment...
1 My daughter age 3 fell face first down rock steps at River Country and ripped up her top lip and put her teeth into the inside of her mouth. and btw we had th meet the DH boss for dinner that night at the POLY. The nurses there were great and she healed without a scar.

2 We were staying at the WL with the bunkbeds and my DS10 ate too much at a buffet for dinner. Well he wakes up in the middle of the night and says he feels sick, before I can get him into the bathroom he leans over the bed (top bunk) and "tosses his cookies" all over the floor. We did our best to clean it up with the towels but the next morning we had to call mousekeeping and warn them. They did an excellent job cleaning up!!!

 

[scarlet_ibis]

I like to schedule later flights so we can still get some enjoyment on our last day there. (Well, before I realized what a wreck this makes the kids because we still have a long drive back from the airport, but I digress.) One time, we had a flight that must have been around 8pm. We checked out of OKW and headed to DTD, where DH procedes to tell me doesn't feel well. Long story short, he came down with pink eye and some other lousy illness and we had nowhere to go but back to the lobby at OKW where we had to sit and entertain DD for HOURS without our bags until our 5pm ME. That stank!

 

[AliceinMaryland]

We did our best to clean it up with the towels but the next morning we had to call mousekeeping and warn them. They did an excellent job cleaning up!!!

I'm sure, judging by all these puke posts, that they must deal with it alot and are experts at cleaning up messes like this!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

DH and I went for our first adult trip in 20 years. We had all types of little problems that when added up were pretty long list. But my WORST moment was while watching Fantasmic.

We paid for the Fantasmic Package hoping to get regular seats since I always have to sit in the handicap area. Only place left was handicap area. We sat and we were happy. About 5 minutes before the show started it was stated "standing room only". Well a group of 4 adults decided to crash behind us to sit in the handicap area. One of them elbowed me very hard in the shoulder area and punched me in the neck/skull area. I was afraid to tell DH because everyone was asking these people to leave.

After the show, I told him. I had no movement in my neck. Guest services just gave me a card to notify Disney. We called the paramedics at the resort and lets just say that was a mistake. Got a hold of my dr. who put me on bed rest and light walking for the remainder of our trip.

That was the worst trip ever. I am still getting side effects and am on bedrest at home!

 

[BBG-BLT]

We went with friends in Sept 09 and me, my son, and 2 o the 3 daughters got the flu. I didn't realize it was the flu until the last day when I went to the Urgent Care thinking I had strep.

 

[Figmificent]

Hmmm... well while not particullarly awful moments, we have had a few mis-steps at Disney in our time.

Our trip to WL I spent one night in the hotel room . Thankfully was a passing thing and the next day was good to go again.

I went with my SILs and BIL (all much younger) and had an adult meltdown at one point. Yup the whole screaming, in tears, hands going meltdown... all because SIL wouldn't go on Splash!

Probably my WORST moment was we had staked out a curbside seat for the parade. A family came up and parked their double rented stroller next to us. The 2 kids were in it and it was loaded with 'stuff' on top of the shade. Well, parents are paying attention elsewhere, both kids get out of the stroller and there was SOOOOO much stuff on it, the stroller tipped sideways and wacked me across the head. I was not a happy camper.

Weirdest worst moment had to be the man I watched get angry (and that is beyond and understatement) at a broken wheelchair lift on a bus. We were waiting to go to DTD and there was a young girl (I'd guess about 5) in a powerchair, who was stuck on what I call the Tower of Terror Bus Lift. Up and down, up and down, but it would not lower all the way to the ground. The bus driver tried a multitude of things and I was just watching this guy get redder and redder (for you visual folks, he was short and stocky and got that classic red angry face, looked like it should be a cartoon). DH and I were in line behind angry, his wife and 2 boys. I was enjoying watching his ridiculous antics until he proceeded to PUNCH the bus shelter pole (we were at POFQ). The whole dang thing shook. I was no longer amused, and in my typical keep my mouth shut fashion I mentioned to the very lovely family behind us what a good example he was to his kids. They agreed So angry finds another bus that pulled up along the outside to DTD. My DH and the DH from the family behind us life the powerchair off the lift (there were no 'able-bodied' men traveling with this young child). We then had an enjoyable bus ride to DTD with the other nice family chatting the whole way... and to add to it, who do we pass when we get to DTD? You guessed it, angry! Apparently our bus driver was faster

 

[tinkerbelle8878]

One of my worst moments was when my parents used to take the family to the World. It was late May/Early June and hot and muggy. We were in Epcot and just finished eating dinner at the Italy Pavillion. I'm not sure what ownership the restaurant was at the time but it wasn't very good. But this is pre ADRs and all of the dining plan stuff, it was dinner time, we were hungry and they had tables available (the good old days of not having to book a place to eat almost a year ahead).

I don't know whether it was the food, the heat, or both but we were walking back to the Future World area, past the Oddessey, and Illuminations was about to begin. I started to not feel so well but figured it would pass. My family managed to find a spot to watch by the planters and after sitting for about five minutes, I couldn't stand it anymore. I made it to those Oddessy bathrooms just in time and . But thanks to the music piped in to the Disney bathrooms, I got to hear Illuminations that night.

A second worse moment was getting stuck in one of those flash rainstorms in World Showcase on a different trip. We got stuck under that outpost/snack area as it started pouring and lightning. It didn't provide much shelter but we weren't near anything else and none of us are fast enough runners to have made it elsewhere. We got soaked and for some reason decided to go to American Adventure afterwards. Soaking wet and cold air conditioning...not a good mix.

 

[kelma]

Our worst moment at Disney was also our worst parenting moment at Disney We've been to Disney many, many times and had ridden Ellen's Energy Adventure many times, but a combination of it being a long time since we had ridden it and our brains turning to mush with 4 kids, caused us to think it would be a good idea to take all of our kids, who were then 10, 8, 4 and 2, on it. Long story short, when we got to the dinosaurs, our poor, terrified 2 year old almost lost her little mind. This is the same child that will not go to the Butterfly House at our local museum because the flying butterflies terrify her She just screamed and we kept trying to put her head down in our laps and kept saying, "Just don't look, they're not real, just don't look". She just staring at me like I was crazy and kept saying "Are they going to eat us?!?!?! Are they going to eat us?!?!?!" It was clear she thought we had lost our minds. Why in the world would she just bury her head when she might need to get the $%#@ out of there!

Every ride we rode for the rest of the trip after that, she fearfully asked, "Are there dinosaurs? Are there?!?!"

The only not horrible part about it was that it was not busy and there were no other people in the rows in front or behind us and it was so incredibly loud that even our other kids in the same row didn't notice she was freaking out. So at least we only ruined the ride for her and us.

DH and I felt absolutely horrible and 2 years later, we still talk about our poor parenting choice

Kelma - mom to 2 little princes and 2 little princesses

 

[Mixie]

Ok - another couple of stories but neither of them are really bad.

First off - I believe that I had an ear infection on our honeymoon trip. We drove down to Disney right after our reception. Going over the mountains in Tennessee my ear started to ache. When we got to the hotel it really hurt but it was my honeymoon and the first time I had ever been to Disney so darnit, I was going to have a good time! I spent our whole honeymoon only being able to hear out of one ear. I think I'm lucky I didn't rupture my eardrum. I never did go see a Dr for it.


Second - on our last trip it was just DD and I. We had been at the Magic Kingdom all day and were really tired when we got on the bus back to our hotel (Swan). I forget where we stopped first - Boardwalk and someplace else, then the driver was to go to the Swan & Dolphin. DD and I were cuddled together, half asleep when I heard the automated announcement on the bus say 'We're almost at the Magic Kingdom' (or whatever it says). That's when I realized our driver had skipped stopping at the Swan & Dolphin altogether!

I tapped her on the shoulder and said 'we need to be dropped off at the Swan' and the other group still on the bus piped up that they were staying at the Dolphin.

Our driver apologised - she was tired too! She turned around and took us to our hotels.

Thank goodness for that automated announcer or we would have just made one long loop back to the MK!!!

 

[burberryplaid]

I've only had 2 really bad moments at WDW but the worst was at breakfast at Tusker house. I made a reservation specifucally to see Donald, my husband's favorite. We had the WORST waiter ever!! He totally ignored us!! I think we got such bad treatment because we were a couple with no kids as he seemed very attentive to other tables. To top it off, some characters skipped our table, again I think because we were a young couple with no kids. I was so upset I started crying! We've been to many character meals and were never ignored!

 

[JLVermillion]

our last trip last spring my kids walked by all the smokers and held their breathes and puffed out their cheeks then as we got by them said how they could not believe people would smoke near kids and started coughing. i was not expecting it at all. But we are non smokers and i have talked with them even at the young age about smoking so i was proud of them for making a statement

Then I am sure that you will not mind when someone makes a statement regarding the behavior of your little angels. If someone is smoking in the smoking section then it is fine and legal . They are well their right to do so and being considerate by staying in the designated smoking area. I do not agree some of the things I see non smokers do but to I do not make them feel uncomfortable. That is not good manners at all.

 

[dawne98]

It was MK and we got in line to see a character...we had two kids infort of us and then as those kids got done with the characters and as we went up the rest of the family ran up two more kids. I am sorry but I don't like that at all....it was like they had been at the other character and got done and then ran over to get in with that charater. The CM did not know what to do so I told the mom that it would have been nice if she told her other kids to wait until my DD got done and just not to ran pass her and get all over the character. She did not like me saying anything to her and then one of her kids was crying and it was just a big thing!!! I was so mad but I hate it when others cut the line!!!! I also hate it that the CM did not say anything about it!!! But when they family was done the CM told me he was sorry... I told him it would have been fine if it was just that one boy but it was just not one boy it was two more kids and the rest of the family all together 8! I was so mad and my sister was letting the mom know that I was not mad at her kids but her for letting them cut lines like it was OK. Anyway then I went into the bathroom and cried b/c I was mad at myself for letting her get me mad!

 

[klmall]

My worst moment was thinking that the Magic Place is automatic happiness! About three months before our last trip to Disney I had retired and thinking I was no longer under the horrid stress of prior years, I weaned myself off my anti-depression med (with my doctor's approval).

Turns out that even though I enjoyed most of the trip I managed to make some moments pretty awful for the rest of my family when I had some "meltdowns" of my own like our first dinner ever at Biergarten with a family and their two noisy toddlers. And pouting over not getting a decent seat for 'Soarin' and not enough time to take pictures of the Osborne lights at HS.

I should have known better; after all I help prepare Scout parents for summer camp by stating "Camp is not the time to change meds....". Guess I should have followed my own advice.

 

[book_junkie]

My worst actually happened on our long awaited honeymoon...
We were switching from the Contemporary to the Wilderness Lodge (back when the Contemporary was in the wonderful 80's color/patterns), so all our luggage was checked and guest services, and we headed out to Epcot for the day... First stop, Mission: Space! No options for green or orange back then, everyone had the same...

Two other people, then me, then hubby at the end. Strapped in, all good, going through the ride, almost done, then just when you go over the cliff the guy next to be throws up. ALL. OVER. ME. Hair, face, glasses, shirt, shoes... I keep from throwing up on my hubby, but just barely. They unlock the door and the poor cast member sighs, and they take the sick guy one way, and me another because I'm in tears . They help me wash off what we can in the back room of the ride, and they give me a new shirt from Mousegears, but I just want to shower and there's only so much you can do with the water hose...

We get back to the Contemporary (via bus), and the room's being cleaned, and we have to dig through for our luggage (which the bell staff can't find) for clean clothes, and finally have to beg for a spot to clean up at the Wilderness Lodge because no one at the Contemporary could seem to find ANYWHERE for me to get VOMIT off of me.

We have had wonderful service at WL and have stayed there ever since... and have ridden Mission: Space GREEN ever since as well!

 

[loveswdw]

Let's see...MK...October 2008. We had just had lunch at Pecos Bill's and my DH took the DS4 to the potty. While helping DS4 pull up his pants, DH threw out his back. Yep, just something that insignificant and his back goes out. The manager at PB's was wonderful. Got him a wheelchair and we went up to Guest Relations at Town Hall to see if we could get him back to the resort.

The CM at GR was from China and she and I had difficulty communicating. She finally got a manager who told us they would get a van to get my DH back to the resort. There was no way I was putting him on a bus in the shape he was in. The manager sent us outside to wait for the van and said he'd send someone to get us when the van got there. So off we go to wait outside. So we wait...and wait...and wait. After a half hour, I go back in and find the CM. She can't find the manager anywhere and says the van is still enroute. Go back outside and we'll get you. So I go back outside.

Another half hour and we are still waiting. I'm LIVID by this point. All I want is to get my DH back to the resort. I go back inside and the CM still insists the van is on the way. I go back outside and run into the manager. He looks at me and says, "You're still waiting?" and goes inside. Comes out with the original CM and she's saying that the van has come and gone again and we weren't out in front when the van came. I about went ballastic. We have been waiting over an hour and my DH was in extreme pain. The manager finally got the van but only after telling me that they were doing this out of good customer service and they were not obligated to take him back to the resort at all. Wow--that's some good customer service there. All we wanted was a trip back to the resort so DH could get out of the wheelchair and lay down without treking out the the bus stop and trying to get on/off the bus.

DH ended up riding in the van back the resort with some "big wig" from WDW and he asked my DH all about the experience. And DH didn't hold back with what he thought. I hope somebody, somewhere got chewed out at least.

Overall, that's probably the WORST WDW experience we've ever had and hopefully it will continue to be the worst. That whole trip was awful and we seriously thought that we'd probably never go back. The resort was terrible (SSR), a trip to the hospital for DH, 2 trips to a chiropractor in Orlando and a just overall horrible trip. At least the last couple haven't been bad.

DH did blow out his ankle at the beach the day before the last trip and I had to push him around in a wheelchair for the majority of the trip. But the trip itself wasn't too bad. I pushed DH and DS6 pushed DS2 in the stroller!

 

[retire2disney]

When I read the topic I actually DID LOL! We just got back from a week at Disney for our son's 16th Birthday. We took our in-laws and our son's friend. Our in-laws are not known for being nice people but we reluctantly said OK when they asked to come. They are not Disney lovers at all but we had hoped maybe they would find a little bit of that Disney magic...... we were wrong!! Everything went wrong from the time we got there. We stayed at POR and it wasn't good enough. There were kids everywhere, there were lines, the rides were to kid like.... HELLO you ARE in Disney! The first morning we were in MK and we got up to the castle and my MIL bends over and sticks her finger out and says to some poor family " Excuse me, can you move I want a picture!" it was said soooo rudely and I wanted to crawl away! It just kept going down hill from there. By the second morning we go to DHS. We wanted to be there for rope drop but that didn't happen either because she decided she needed breakfast. We finally arrived and got to TSM. My husband took our 5 tickets and got FP's for us. He asked me to ask his step mom for their tickets and I got a response that about made me pass out on the spot!!! She started yelling that she was sick and tired of screaming kids, lines, rude people, stuiped rides......I couldn't say anything. Scary thing is my FIL was even worse. We did learn that Disney is NOT the most magical place for everyone!

 

[pigletmom]

Oh, I feel for you!!! I've lived through one of those violent quick-acting stomach virus' only once in my life. It started with my 9 month old throwing up at my sister's who picked him up from daycare for me....he only did it ONE time, and we just thought it was a reaction to new formula. Before the weekend was over....my sister, my two nephews, my brother-in-law, me, and my husband had all been struck by puking & "the other end", if you know what I mean!! All from one little tiny baby!! I asked the day care facility on Monday if anyone there had been sick over the weekend. One of my son's caregivers said she was in the middle of a baby shower and was suddenly overcome with "that feeling" and didn't know where the bathroom was, so she ran outside to throwup on the front yard. We still talk (20 years later) about the weekend from he**. I cannot imagine if it happened during a visit to Disney World, that would be horrible. BTW, did your DH ever get sick at all?

Thanks!! We did make the best of it. We took pictures with the "healthy" kids pretending to have their arms around an invisible sibling. If everybody was present, one of the kids would be turned around pretending to be barfing. Since we spent so little money on food, we splurged for a few souveniers that we normally would have said no to, LOL!

And no DH never got sick. When I told him about this thread, he said "What worst day? The time it poured?" No. "The commando first trip?" No. "The other time it poured?" No, again. When I told him it was the time we were all sick, he laughed and said. "It was never a bad day for me!"

Since he is the whiniest baby when he feels even a little sick, in the long run we were all spared the dramatics. It actually could have been worse!

 

[SnDMommy]

Mine isn't really that bad, but just really stressful at the time. It was our 5th day at the World, and the last park day before checking out the next morning. We spent the entire day at MK, and had dinner at Cosmic Ray's right at closing. We were the only ones in the entire place. When we're finished, we're gathering up our things, putting on jackets, etc. I had put my purse over the back of my chair. After I put on my jacket, I was distracted with helping DH put DS3 in the stroller, and forgot to get my purse. As we're walking out of the park, it's literally closing behind us. We're waiting in line for the boat to WL and I suddenly realize I don't have my purse. DH stays in line with the boys, I tell him to just go when the boat comes - don't wait for me.

I go RUNNING back up to the park gates. Security sees me running up and meets me, I tell him I left my purse. He gives me this annoyed look, pauses a few seconds, and then reluctantly lets me come in (seriously??). So again, I go running, heading up Main Street. About half way I see a CM cleaning trash cans. She was super nice, but in retrospect, she misled me by telling me to keep going up to CR's and see if it's there. Naturally, I get stopped going over the bridge by another CM (looked to be some sort of management). I tell him what happened and he says that my purse is probably already on its way back to City Hall. Ugh. So I go speed walking ALL the way back down Main Street.

Get to City Hall, and the woman asks for a description. She heads into the back for several long minutes. Meanwhile, DH is texting me to see what's happening. I tell him I'm at CH and if the boat comes, just go. All I could think about was making sure the boys get back to hotel and get into bed.

CM comes back out and says no purse. BUT, not everyone has reported back in for the day, so it might still be on its way. She says I can wait, but it might be another 30 minutes at the most. I ask when the boats stop running to WL (couldn't remember if it was an hour or 1.5 hrs past closing). Another CM next to her says it's an hour past. Look at my clock - you mean in 5 minutes?? She goes off to check for my purse again, but still nothing. So now I'm freaking out trying to figure out what to do. She has me start filling out a description card, and says anything not picked up tonight, will get sent to TTC to be picked up first thing in the morning. SO now I start panicking thinking about all the things I have in my purse that I will have to go without for a night (medications, etc.). She goes to check again. Still not there. I start filling out the card, while she helps someone else. Meanwhile my head is spinning, wondering how the hell I'm going to get back to WL since I'm clearly going to miss the last boat, along with ten million other thoughts. DH texts me to say the boat has arrived. I again tell him, just go, get the kids back to the hotel, I'll find a way. After helping the other couple, and I'm still filling out the card (whats my phone number??? ACK!!), she checks again. And guess what just arrived?!?! I was SO glad to have it back, I was about to just grab it and run. She says, Dont you want to check to make sure everything is still in there? Umm oh yeah Quick scan though it, yep it's all there, Thank You Thank You Thank you! I go running out of the park, up the boat launch. The boat is there waiting, along with my DH and two boys PHEW!!

He had asked the CMs at the boat launch and there WAS going to be another boat coming, so he had decided if I didn't make it, he was going to wait anyway. He said our poor 5 year old was worried sick over what was happening with me and if I would come back. The poor thing clung to me like glue the whole boat ride back!

Another random story, the one above about being slammed by a grumpy woman's shoulder make me think of this....

The four of us were walking from Liberty Square near HM, up towards Fantasyland. It was off-season, so the parks weren't too crowded. As we're walking up the path, coming in the other direction is a group of about 7-8 people, all walking side by side in a line, coming in our direction. Nice. DH is pushing the stroller, and DS5 is walking right behind him, with me to the side nearest the group. We all kind of shift over some, but we only had so much room to move over. The man on the end nearest me, was looking right at me, and made no effort at all to move over, or fall back for a second so we could pass each other. So I confess, as we passed by, I shoulder checked the jerk.

 

[Granfan]

I got separated from my eight year old son at typhoon lagoon. I tried to get get CM's to help find him or call around to see if any of the others had a lost boy and nobody would help me. They just looked at me in a disintersted way and told me to wait by the exit and he would probably come out at closing time which was hours later! I didn't know what else to do so I did what they said. But I'll never forget the terror I felt that something bad had happened to my son. He finally came out at closing and said he had told cm's he had lost his mother and they told him the same thing they told me.