Credit: Disneyland ParisAn international guest recently exposed a “humiliating” experience while visiting a Disney Park for the first time.
While Disney Parks worldwide are the birthplace of magical memories for visitors of all ages, a guest was recently disappointed in how a cast member treated them and their partner during a visit to Disneyland Paris, commenting they felt “belittled” and that the experience had been humiliating.
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Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park are full of fun rides, attractions, entertainment offerings, and activities for the young and the young at heart, including Sleeping Beauty Castle, Avengers Campus, Toy Story Land, and upcoming expansions inspired by Frozen, Peter Pan, and Tangled. Unfortunately, despite all there is to see and do, one guest recently lived a less-than-magical experience at Disneyland Park.
Redditor u/Awkward-Repair-2968 recently took to the social media platform to ask fellow Disney fans if they should escalate their unpleasant experience after feeling belittled at Auberge de Cendrillon — one of the most expensive and exclusive dining locations in the Parisian Disneyland Park.
The user commented they had just ended their trip and had a magical time, except for their character dining experience at said location. They admitted they didn’t do proper research before their visit and commented that a line longer than two hours to meet their favorite Disney Princess at Fantasyland’s Princess Pavilion would be unbearable.
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This led the parkgoers to consider dinner at Auberge de Cendrillon a good alternative, as the restaurant is a “fairy-tale Character Dining experience with Disney Princesses.” Despite the location being highly demanded, with reservations selling out months in advance, the Redditor commented: “While we were queuing for rides, I refreshed the booking page again and again until it finally happened. Someone canceled and we got a table.”
The Redditor commented that the restaurant looked “posh and snobby” when they arrived, adding, “which is fine, we expected the atmosphere to be like this after looking at the menu.” However, the parkgoers commented they were not prepared for what followed.
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Upon arriving at the restaurant, the guest mentioned that the hostess had been “incredibly rude,” allegedly looking up and down at the guests, which they interpreted as a judgment of their clothes, and bluntly asked if they had seen the menu.
“I said yes?” the guest continued, “Because obviously, it’s a high-end booking-only restaurant – what an odd question, I thought to myself. Then she proceeds to ask me if WE CAN AFFORD IT?!?!! I felt so speechless, we are both in our 20s, were dressed up as typical Disney adults… I was shocked. All I managed to say was yes and walk to my table.”
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The shocked guest commented that “the actual waiters and the princesses were incredible,” but that this interaction had been in the back of their mind the whole time and was considering submitting a formal complaint “as this is just not okay.” “I get people who work in hospitality, I get anyone can have a bad day, but this just felt so… evil? As I said, everything else was great, super expensive, of course, but the princess meetups were worth the humiliation, I suppose.” The user added that they had stayed at a Disney Hotel during their trip.
The incident sparked a debate among Redditors, with some saying that the guest should submit a complaint to Disney, hoping it would result in additional hospitality training for cast members. However, most Redditors commented that the interaction had probably felt harsh due to some language barrier and cultural differences and that the cast member probably meant no judgment during this interaction.
User u/fiyerotiggular commented: “I think it’s easy to misinterpret unfortunately (and they should be more careful!) I went to Plaza Gardens solo for character dining and they were all friendly but it came across as “you know it’s €80?”. I kind of interpreted that as “you know McDonald’s is €10, that looks more your scene” but put it down to lots of people being shocked at the price and it being lost in translation.” Redditor u/paintingcolour51 shared a similar experience.
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Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks guest experience. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.