Disney Park Guests' Behavior During Nighttime Show Causes Other Guest to Have Dangerous Seizure

Sometimes, Disney fans and Guests to the Disney theme parks may not be thinking of how their fun affects others.

Related: Disney Park to Implement Paid Viewing Areas For Nighttime Entertainment

There are many popular nighttime entertainment options over at the Disney Parks around the world. Filled with beautiful colors and dazzling performances, nighttime offerings at the Disney Resorts span the globe, from Disneyland Resort in Anaheim California, to the Walt Disney World Resort and the Magic Kingdom, as well as within the international Parks like the Disneyland Paris Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, and the Tokyo Disney Resort. These nighttime spectaculars, fireworks and parades all act as a major draw for Guests visiting the Parks at later hours.

The Walt Disney Company has always touted its theme parks, often dubbed “The Happiest Place(s) on Earth”, as also some of the Safest Places on Earth, with dedicated Cast Members trained to respond to Guests’ needs. The Walt Disney Company has tried its best to cater to every Guest, including those with disabilities or differently abled, to enjoy their days at the Disney theme parks. This year, Epilepsy Awareness Day was even held at the Disneyland Resort’s Disneyland Park, on November 3, 2022, with free events running from October 31st at the nearby Disneyland Hotel. However, what Disney might not have expected was the behavior of Park Guests posing a risk to others with medical conditions, such as epilepsy.

Coming forward on Twitter, user @ma____s_a opens up about their recent trip to the Tokyo Disney Resort which turned dangerous. The Tokyo Disney Resort houses both the Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks. They had arrived at Tokyo DisneySea for a day of fun, but instead experienced something that almost became life-threatening as the day drew to a close.

The following account includes descriptions of epileptic seizure and associated symptoms.

@ma____s says in a tweet:

 

(translated) Please share this:
Regarding the smartphone lights coming from Tokyo DisneySea’s Hotel MiraCosta.
Because epilepsy is a condition that’s often prejudiced, I’m posting here instead of my real name account, sorry about that.
It’s badly written, but I’d be glad if you read this statement.
#PleaseShare
#DisneySea #TDR__now #TDS__now
#TDR_now #SeaOfDreams

拡散希望
京ディズニーシーのミラコスタからのスマホライトの件です。
癇という病気は偏見があり本垢では公表ができないためこちらにて失礼します。
下手な文章ですが読んでくださると嬉しいです。
#注意喚起
#ディズニーシー　#TDR__now #TDS__now
#TDR_now #シーオブドリームス

拡散希望

東京ディズニーシーのミラコスタからのスマホライトの件です。

癲癇という病気は偏見があり本垢では公表ができないためこちらにて失礼します。
下手な文章ですが読んでくださると嬉しいです。#注意喚起#ディズニーシー　#TDR__now #TDS__now #TDR_now #シーオブドリームス pic.twitter.com/LwKfx0BLbH

— 固ツイも合わせて読んでくれると嬉しいです (@ma____s_a) November 14, 2022

The account, posted in Japanese, details the Guest’s personal experience as someone diagnosed with epilepsy as a result of Guests who were excited because of the new Fantasmic! nighttime spectacular show replacement, the brand new Believe! Sea of Dreams show. This nighttime show takes place on top of the large lake in the center of Tokyo DisneySea, surrounded by the themed lands, or “Ports of Call”, as Tokyo DisneySea calls them, right in front of the Mediterranean Harbor area. The buildings of the Mediterranean Harbor are a facade that actually house the ultra-luxurious, on-property, official Disney Hotel — the Hotel MiraCosta — which is where the dangerous incident took place. An image of the themed land and hotel are below.

Preferring to remain anonymous, the Guest with epilepsy describes their situation at the end of the day at Tokyo DisneySea in the following statement, translated from Japanese:

I’m using a popular hashtag so that many people can see it.

I have epilepsy. It depends on the person, but it is a disease that causes sensory disturbance and convulsive seizures as a result of flashing lights, insufficient sleep, etc.

I went to DisneySea the other day. As I was leaving, there were Guests staying at Hotel MiraCosta in the evening, who were using a smartphone light and waving it around. We tried to ignore it, but the couple to our left was attempting to catch the attention of the Guests in the Hotel with their phone lights. It was because of these Guests behavior that I felt the signs of a seizure, because they started turning on and off their smartphone lights at close range.

The Disney Guest then details a rather harrowing account.

Explaining that their friend luckily noticed their symptoms, the Guest with epilepsy had to be pulled out of the swarming crowds that had turned up for the new Believe! Sea of Dreams show:

Luckily, I had told my friend about my condition, so they pulled me aside (it took a while because there were so many people) and they helped me rest, but I still experienced a seizure. After the seizure, I was hit by nausea and fatigue. Fortunately, I remained conscious, because if I had lost consciousness, it would have been life threatening.

I know how you all feel about spending a fun day at Disney, but please, please stop shining phone lights from the Hotel MiraCosta windows.

There is no way to protect yourself, and I searched on Twitter, but I could only find people who reported a standstill or injured their arms. This is a life-threatening problem for those with epilepsy, so please stop it.

The Guest with epilepsy takes to essentially begging other Disney fans for help to spread the word. Unfortunately, this likely happened too fast for Cast Members to stop the incident, however if the Hotel Guests (or other Park Guests) have been known to wave or flash lights from their room windows or their position while viewing the shows or parades, perhaps it is time that Disney and the Oriental Land Company (who technically own the Tokyo Disney Resort) step up their safety measures.

What do you think of these medical risks due to Guest behavior at the Disney Parks? Share your thoughts in the comments below.