A guest at Disneyland Resort started acting unusually before a recent fireworks display, forcing Disney cast members to get involved.
Disney does its best to keep its global theme parks as family-friendly as possible, with the likes of Space Mountain, “it’s a small world,” and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway designed to be varied enough to amuse every guest and strict rules in place to keep things harmonious during operating hours.
But even Mickey Mouse’s magic can’t control the guests themselves. That’s why, when dramatic headlines do emerge from the parks, an unruly guest typically sits at the heart of the story.
In recent months, we’ve seen guests go rogue and start yelling at characters for, well, being characters, start fights over tables, and even get arrested after punching fellow guests on the ferry to Magic Kingdom Park.
We’ve even reported on guests being told off by cast members for deciding to twerk in the parks, as well as being banned for getting drunk and “acting loud and belligerent” on property and being escorted out of the parks after trying to sneak their children in for free. (It goes without saying: don’t try this. You will get caught).
Now, another story has emerged about a guest who recently clashed with cast members after deciding to start taking down equipment to improve his view of the fireworks.
As per one Reddit user – who was trying to watch the Fire of the Rising Moons fireworks from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort earlier this week – the man in question was clearly disappointed by his blocked view, so decided to take matters into his own hands.
“We found a nice spot outside Docking Bay 7 that overlooks the Falcon to relax and wait for the fireworks,” they recalled. “Naturally, as the showtime approached, more people started filling in, grabbing tables and chairs. By 8:30, it was getting crowded, so some guests started standing around the area. All good so far.”
Then the guest arrived. “In walks this weird guest, probably in their 60s, pacing back and forth, asking people if the seats around them were taken – even when it was obvious they were being saved,” they said. “They even asked my wife if my seat was available when I stepped away to take a photo for two seconds. She told them it wasn’t, but they kept on pestering.”
After they found an open chair, they decided to remove a patio umbrella that would have blocked their view from its stand. “They placed it by a tree near us,” they said. “It made some of the other guests and us nervous, as it looked like it could fall and hit someone. Thankfully, a Cast Member saw it and put the umbrella back in place.”
But the guest wasn’t to be deterred so easily. “They sat there quietly for a while, but then, just one or two minutes before the show started, they got up again and removed the umbrella again, laying it on the ground! I had to say something at that point and told them, ‘People will trip.’ They heard me and then picked it up again and tried leaning it against the tree again.”
Unsurprisingly, cast members get involved this time. “A Disney Manager (with one of those trash grabbers) and security came over,” they said. “They told them to stop and put the umbrella back in its place.”
Fortunately, this time, the umbrella remained in its rightful place. “The weird guest just sat there pouting because the umbrella blocked their view of the fireworks,” they noted. “Glad it didn’t turn into a bigger scene though.”
It’s for this reason that we’re eternally grateful for Disney cast members. Keeping thousands of guests in check each day is no easy feat – and, as they say, they’re the true magic makers.
Have you ever witnessed poor behavior at a Disney theme park?