A growing trend of bad guest behavior is emerging at Disneyland and Walt Disney World attractions. What started as guests fearing large drops and evacuating ride vehicles may now be escalating into a troubling social media trend.
Keep reading for the roundup of all the recent issues with guest behavior on rides and what Disney does when guests break the rules, plus the most recent viral incident. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disney Princess meet-and-greet changes and mobile ordering now available for breakfast at a popular Disney restaurant.
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Guests Exiting Ride Vehicles at Disney Becoming More Common
The problematic trend of guests exiting ride vehicles first made headlines earlier this summer when a 13-year-old guest left their ride vehicle on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland and fell down the ride’s major 50-foot drop. After the incident, the ride closed, and the guest was evaluated at a local hospital and released. Cal/OSHA inspected the ride and approved its reopening the next day.
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A similar situation took place at Disney World’s version of the attraction a few months later, when an adult guest jumped out of their log before the final drop onto the utility path to the right of the ride’s waterway. The caption for videos circulating about the incident described the man who exited the vehicle as “scared” of the upcoming drop.
As more stories began circulating of guests standing up before the final drop continued to circulate on social media, Disneyland updated their signage to warn guests that standing will result in their removal from the park.
At that time, Disneyland officials shared with us at Mickey Visit that their teams are looking at actions to help enforce the safety rules on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and updated safety spiels and refreshed signs are meant to help guests understand expectations for the ride. They also mentioned how safety warnings will vary depending on the nature of the ride, and similar signs appear for other major thrill rides.
Bad Guest Behavior Now Spreading to Other Rides
This behavior is starting to happen on other rides, with a video circulating on social media in early October of a guest jumping into the water during EPCOT’s Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros attraction. The video showed footage of a guest leaving the moving boat and then diving into the water while the others from his boat cheered him on. At that time, a Disney representative told People Magazine: “This behavior was unsafe and a clear violation of our park rules. The guest and his party were trespassed.”
Now, a recent Reddit post has shared yet another incident on Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure. The video shared was a recorded interaction a group had with cast members, and after one family member from the group climbed off the attraction before the drop, citing an anxiety attack as the reason.
However, commenters have been debating whether the behavior was intentional to create viral content and pointed out the woman’s use of a lapel microphone, which is a device commonly used by content creators. Based on the woman’s social media profile who filmed the interaction, she appears to be a content creator, but there’s no proof this was a staged incident.
A top comment on the thread who witnessed the behavior praised how the cast members handled the situation: “Just wanted to say how professionally this was handled by the managers and security team. Asked for their account of events, in case there was some context missing, asked if medical attention was required and explained why expulsion was necessary. Slap on the wrist for only getting a one-day ban. Considering the safety, disappointment, inconvenience and financial loss their stunt cost other guests and the park, very mild.”
The group recorded the interaction with the cast members and security, and you can hear the cast member telling the woman who climbed out of the ride that she was going to be escorted out of Disneyland for the day. The cast member stated that if she re-entered Disneyland Resort, including Downtown Disney or the resort hotels, it would be considered trespassing.
The cast member repeatedly told the group that they need to close an entire attraction and evacuate all guests when any guest climbs out of a ride vehicle because it creates “a big safety issue and they don’t want guests to get hurt.” The family asked if she would be able to return the next day, and security clarified it was just a one-day removal.
The family recorded the woman being escorted out of the park, making jokes about it being a “walk of shame.”
Another commenter on the thread shared that “this same group got the Cars ride shutdown the day after. They recorded that one as well and they thought it was hilarious. Disney needs to ban them.” In that video, no one climbed out of the ride vehicle, and they made jokes in the video that they “might have exceeded the weight limit” for the ride. The group filmed the interaction with cast members, with the flash on, before being told to turn off the flash on the loudspeaker. The group was evacuated from the vehicle, but this shutdown appeared to be triggered by the ride’s own mechanisms and not by guest behavior.
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Unfortunately, jumping out of ride vehicles appears to be on its way to becoming a viral trend. When people see others jumping off rides to avoid a drop, especially on these water rides, it may plant an idea that this is an option for them too.
As each incident generates more viral videos, the behavior receives even more attention and could be encouraging others to follow suit. Whether it’s due to anxiety or social media clout, it’s hard for Disney to essentially put the genie back in the bottle.
We strongly ask that anyone considering doing something like this first take a moment to consider the harm to your own safety and others and how much it hurts the experience of so many other guests who are visiting.
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