Mother Goes Viral in Controversial Experience With Disney Cast Member

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Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort after a rainstorm

Credit: Brett Kiger, Flickr

An angry mother recently shared her less-than-magical experience at Disney World after a Cast Member “ruined” her family’s day.

When you wish upon a star — and can fork out a large budget for the multiple upcharges — you can have some of the most magical experiences while visiting Walt Disney World and the four theme parks the Orlando-based Resort is home to — Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. But what happens when a Guest refuses to pay extra for some experiences?

Family at Disney World looking down at a mobile phone
Credit: Disney

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For a mother, declining Disney’s PhotoPass and Memory Maker offerings during a recent visit to the Parks caused her daughter’s experience to allegedly be ruined by a Disney World Cast Member — as it happened for a child with special needs — leaving her fuming on social media against the employee.

Jessica (@jessicaheartsmakeup) shared a video on TikTok showing how her daughter’s interaction with Cinderella, one of the most popular Disney Princesses, was ruined by a Photopass Cast Member. In it, the mother asked viewers what they would have done in her position, commenting that the photographer ruined her video by walking in front of her multiple times, covering her daughter’s interaction with the beloved Disney Princess while taking pictures of the not-so-magical moment from the mother’s perspective, “even though I told him I would not buy their photos.” You can see the video below:

What would you have done? #disneyfail #disneyfails #disneyfailed #disneyfailedme

@jessicaheartsmakeup

What would you have done?😂 #disneyfail #disneyfails #disneyfailed #disneyfailedme

♬ original sound – Jessica

Related: Guests Criticize Disney’s Costly PhotoPass, “My iPhone Takes Better Pictures”

While the mother was furious at the Cast Member’s actions, he was only doing his job trying to capture the magical moment for the family. Many viewers agreed with this stance, taking the Cast Member’s side and questioning the mother’s reaction. “I don’t see how this is rude?? I mean he is just getting the photos just in case I didn’t buy the photos either but it was nice to look at them,” commented @l_26_l_e, while @lacagapalos2 added, “Mam, he’s doing his job. He didn’t ruin anything. This isn’t your world. Stop being a KAREN.”

TikTok user @namo05 shared some insight into the situation, commenting, “Most of the time they have a required amount of photos per interaction they need to take. Most theme park photogs are REQUIRED to do this.” User @jillj00 added, “Most of the time they are still required to take pictures so then they show up in the my Disney experience app in case someone wants it later, which happens a lot.”

Two Disney PhotoPass Cast Members stand back to back in front of Cinderella Castle wearing lime green costumes.
Credit: Disney Parks Blog

Related: Former Disney Worker Shares How Some Cast Members Ruin the Magic

When viewers questioned the mother for being rude to the Cast Member, she replied she “was very kind.” “I didn’t yell at the photographer or make a scene,” she shamelessly commented, adding that she thought the scene was funny.

Disney Parks offer different experiences for Guests’ convenience that require additional payments, including the divisive Disney Genie+ service — which recently suffered a major change after receiving severe backlash from Guests— Individual Lightning Lane for some of the Park’s most popular attractions, exclusive viewing areas for some entertainment offerings including parades and firework shows, and, of course, Memory Maker to capture every magical moment of their Disney World trip.

Do you think this Guest is wrong for reacting this way? Share your opinion with Inside the Magic in the comments below!

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