Credit: DisneyWalt Disney World, also called “The Most Magical Place on Earth,” is known for creating magical memories that last a lifetime.
The Orlando, Florida, park opened with the Magic Kingdom in 1971, followed by EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom over the course of the following two and a half decades. At Walt Disney World, guests can stroll down Main Street, U.S.A., experience 11 different countries around the World Showcase, fight the Galactic Empire, and see dozens of live animals. In addition, the resort also offers two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, Disney Springs, which is an entertainment, dining, and shopping district, and several themed hotels around the property.
For many people, a trip to Disney World is a lifelong dream and for others, it’s a typical Tuesday night. The Disney parks are the most popular theme parks in the world, with locations in California, Paris, Japan, and China. However, their attendance numbers as a whole have been declining in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic due to a variety of factors.
Since reopening in 2020, the U.S. parks have enacted various policies and procedures including requiring guests to make park reservations on top of purchasing their tickets and not allowing park-hopping before 1 p.m. Although these policies will end at the beginning of next year, they’ve been an additional hurdle for many guests trying to book their vacations.
In addition to the new rules, prices have skyrocketed over the last few years, including park tickets, resort stays, and prices for food and merchandise. The newer Annual Pass systems for both Disneyland (now called Magic Keys) and Walt Disney World have also seen major price increases as well as more blackout dates, leading many pass holders to decide against renewing their passes or purchasing them at all.
In a recent Reddit thread, one guest stated that due to the price of the Magic Key, they would not be renewing their pass in the coming year. However, they also pointed to Disney’s seeming drop in standards when it comes to routine maintenance, cleanliness, and the overall experience of the parks, claiming that they saw rats and roaches while visiting the park.
Now, another Disney fan took to Reddit to ask about a different cleanliness issue. In the r/WaltDisneyWorld subreddit, u/ScarHand69 asks
“Former CM’s of reddit, how often were rides shut down because a kid defecated in/on it? I feel like I’ve read 2 or 3 stories in the last week about kids crapping in/on rides or ride queues. Is it really this common? We talking once a day per park? Once a week?”
Former CM’s of reddit, how often were rides shut down because a kid defecated in/on it?
byu/ScarHand69 inWaltDisneyWorld
While the responses are mixed on rides actually shutting down due to this issue, it is apparently a common occurrence throughout the parks.
“I was a CM at Pop Century in the food court and entertainment photography in DLR. All. The. Time,” u/JayneTrazom stated.
“Most of the time if a kid poops in a ride vehicle 1 or 2 custodial cast members would get in the vehicle with all the necessary tools and, if safe to do so, will ride the attraction while cleaning up until the situation was taken care of. All while continuing normal operation of the attraction,” said u/jsmoothjazz.
One area of the parks, however, seems to be a pretty consistent area for kids to utilize. “Boneyard we had to shut down a slide a few times in the year I worked there for kids basically sliding down in poo,” said u/pprbckwrtr.
“Former Boneyard CM. Had to call custodial way too many times to clean out #2s from that digsite. Also the slides. Still fascinated by how they cleaned out those slides. Another story from working in Dinoland. Walked by a grown adult man standing in a corner with his hand down his pants (not an uncommon occurrence at Disney). 5 minutes later walked back by that spot and saw a napkin with a suspiciously brown substance on it. Never stepped foot in that corner again,” recalled u/lauvious287.
The Boneyard is a dig and play area in the DinoLand U.S.A. area of Animal Kingdom. The area has become less and less popular over the last few years, eventually leading to the closure of half the area last year. At the recent Destination D23 expo, Disney shared some possibilities about what could eventually replace the dinosaurs, including inspiration from Encanto (2021) and Indiana Jones. The Boneyard is essentially a sandbox that kids can dig through to find bones and fossils.
Overall though, it seems as though rides rarely ever shut down completely when a child relieves themselves. Disney’s custodial staff is well-trained and quick to respond when it comes to issues like this. While Disney’s standards on the appearance of its attractions seems to be up for debate, thankfully its custodial standards seem to be much higher.
Have you ever experienced a “code brown” while at Disney? Let us know in the comments below!