Disney Guests Claim Parks Are "Hell on Earth" as National Advisory Strikes

The Most Magical Place on Earth is turning into “hell on earth”, according to Guests.

Traveling to Walt Disney World Resort is always an exciting and magical experience. Driving under the Disney World entrance will get the magic flowing, and then, passing different theme parks, and seeing all of the Disney Resorts around as you go to yours only shares a small tease of what the next while will look like for you while you are at the theme parks.

The one downfall? Heat.

When Walt Disney picked Orlando to be the spot that would house Disney World, it seemed like a great option due to the fact that the land was well-priced and that Florida did not have to encounter snow, which meant the rides would be able to stay open year-round.

There were two negatives, though, the first being that it rains a lot in Orlando. During the summer months, it is not uncommon to see rain every single day. In order to combat this, you will see a lot of rides at Walt Disney World indoor, with an indoor or covered queue. Good examples of this are Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, “it’s a small world”, Peter Pan’s Flight, and more. The other issue that is at hand is that during the summer it can get quite hot.

Unfortunately, Inside the Magic has reported on multiple Guests suffering from heatstroke and other heat illnesses last summer at Walt Disney World. Additionally, we have seen Guests going to extreme lengths to cool down at the Parks, shamelessly breaking Park rules and forcing the Parks to introduce additional ways to help Guests cool down during this season.

At the moment, Orlando has been under a heat warning, one that seems to simply not end.

With temperatures above 90 degrees being the norm, heat index values up to 115, high humidity, and heat advisories posted by National Weather Service throughout Florida, Guests need to drink plenty of fluids, try to stay in air-conditioned rooms when necessary, and try to stay out of the sun as much as possible, as well as using and reapplying a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Orlando, Florida, is now under its first-ever Excessive Heat Warning after a notice was issued by the National Weather Service. The Excessive Heat Warning includes Orange County, meaning the Walt Disney World Resort falls under this warning.

Even with the heat warning in place, the crowds continue to flood the theme parks. Even the first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was a sold-out event, and had Guests sweating through their costumes before the party even began. Paramedics have been on the scene every day, treating Guests with heat stroke and dehydration, which can be a major downer on a Disney vacation that you paid for and planned for months.

Fast Company recently wrote on their experience at Walt Disney World during this advisory and called it “hell on earth”. Not due to having a bad time, but simply because it feels like the temperature one may imagine hell to be. When Guests get out of their cars at the Ticket and Transportation Center and walk to the monorail to get to Magic Kingdom, the black cement of the parking lot can cause it to really feel like you are nearing the surface of the sun.

Wilson, the theme park goer and article author, also noted, “And it’s all made worse by the fact that Disney is increasingly a ghost town, staffed with fewer employees to make moments magical—many of whom, quite understandably, don’t seem to be so happy working there in the first place.” On top of the low staff, it seems that heat was the major challenge.

That heat is a real business challenge for Disney. Attendance has reportedly been down this year, which is speculated to be due partially to temperatures, and partially to Florida politics. Speigel recalls a stint in the ’90s when temperatures hit 95 across the Southwest for two weeks and “people just stopped going [to parks]; it was too damn hot.” Now those temperatures aren’t so rare. He says that the industry’s ever-increasing push of Halloween as a marquee event of the year is in part a response to our warming climate.

Wilson noticed that there was also a large lack of shade for Guests walking through the park, “What was surprising to me wasn’t that Disney World was scorching or lacking much greenery, but that Disney offers such minimal shade for its guests across its built environment. If you aren’t in line or in a store, you’re likely exposed. Around noon I saw legions of people in Frontierland scurrying like palmetto bugs to scant strips of shade to survive.”

Related: Disney Experiencing Drinking Water Shortage, Report Claims

This has typically been true for the theme park mogul, and some parks are much worse than others. For example, if you go to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and visit Toy Story Land, you will realize there is little to no shade. The land has minimal shops, and nearly every activity is outdoor, forcing Guests to pray their line goes under coverage soon, or they try to find refuge under one of the scattered umbrellas Disney added for shade. Overall, it is easy to understand how heat can be an issue for Guests.

If you are looking to avoid the heat, and any insane heat advisories like the one that is currently in place, be sure to play your trip at a cooler time, like November – January.

Would you visit Walt Disney World Resort at 115 degrees? 

If you are looking to visit Walt Disney World Resort for a magical vacation, the Walt Disney World Website can be a great tool to begin planning your trip! You can begin exploring their theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. You can also take a look at their water parks where you can splash around in the chill of Disney’s Blizzard Beach (alongside new Frozen characters, Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Kristoff), or hit the waves at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. When you get hungry or want to go shopping, Disney Springs is the place to be, especially with World of Disney there ready to help you pick up some souvenirs! You can also begin looking for your Disney World Resort! If you are looking to stay at a Deluxe monorail Resort like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or a Value Resort where you can hop on the Skyliner like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, it is always fun to begin looking for a room that would best suit you and your party. Plus, it has all the information you need to know on Disney Genie+ so that you will be ready to go on your My Disney Experience app once you download it! Click here to check it out today.