Disney World Stampede Leaves Child Covered in "Scratches and Bruises," Guests Warned To Avoid Park

Walt Disney World Resort guests have warned fellow parkgoers to avoid one park after a recent incident.

Disney World is, by design, the “Most Magical Place on Earth.” However, that doesn’t mean things can’t go wrong within the Disney Bubble. We’ve seen several unexpected incidents unfold at Disney’s Orlando theme parks in recent years, such as the false gun scare that triggered chaos at Magic Kingdom Park last summer and a mass brawl that unfolded at Disney’s Contemporary Resort earlier this month.

To mitigate potential chaotic incidents, Disney’s rules are governed by strict rules. All Disney parkgoers are expected to “show common courtesy to fellow Guests and [Disney] Cast Members,” with those who don’t act respectfully on property often facing removal or, in extreme cases, a trespass notice that prohibits future visits.

Sometimes, however, the chaos is so widespread that even Disney cast members can’t control the situation.

Guests Report Rope Drop Stampede at EPCOT

That’s the case at EPCOT most mornings nowadays, according to recent Disney World visitors. One guest recently took to Reddit to warn others off visiting Disney World’s second-oldest theme park for rope drop if they want to avoid a total stampede in the rush to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the new-and-improved Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

“Since we were staying at a Disney hotel we were able to get in at 8:30,” they explained. “We arrived at EPCOT at 8 and waited for the park to open. The second they opened the gates it was pure chaos, everyone was running, we were getting shoved!”

They went on to claim that a woman ran past their party and knocked a 6-year-old to the ground, leaving her covered in “scratches and bruises.”

I grabbed my 9 year old and I was trying to get my 6 year old back up, but people were still shoving us!” they said, adding that when they finally reached Test Track (the top priority for rope drop) it was already around an hour wait. “Trust me people,” the guest concluded, “rope drop is not worth it, you have been warned!”

Other guests shared similar warnings against EPCOT’s rope drop – and rope drop at Disney World in general.

“It’s lethal out there,” one Reddit user wrote. “I can rush but would never push or bump into people like that in a crowd. So sorry your child went through that and hope yous enjoyed the rest of your time.”

However, some noted that both Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios typically experience calmer rope drops than EPCOT.

The latter introduced a new rope drop procedure in February 2025 – just in time for the introduction of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind’s standby queue – that involves separating guests by those who do or do not have Early Entry. Those with Early Entry are directed to the right of Spaceship Earth, while those without are held toward the back of Spaceship Earth, just past Guest Relations.

About an hour before EPCOT opens, Early Entry guests can tap in and enter World Celebration Gardens, while regular rope drop guests are moved to a new holding area. This occurs roughly 30 minutes before Early Entry begins.

If you do choose to rope drop EPCOT, some guests recommend arriving just before regular, non-Early Entry guests are allowed into the park. “I prefer to get there a few minutes before regular open time (in this case, enter around 8:45/8:50),” recommended one Reddit user.

“You walk right in and avoid the crazy rope drop crowds (plus don’t have to wait 30 minutes at the front to get in line to wait some more lol) but still get there before the main crowd crush. I usually do this at Guardians and wait ~30-45 minutes but have also done it for Remy’s and that one is usually like 20 minutes if you get in line at 8:55.”

Do you like rope dropping at Disney World?