Disney World’s 50th anniversary kicked off on Friday, October 1st, and we were in the parks to take in all of the celebrations.
Cinderella Castle in its 50th Anniversary decor
We tried a ton of new food items, saw new entertainment, checked out a new ride, and more! The day was exciting and historic, marking a huge milestone for Disney World — but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have its issues. We noticed some not-so-magical things happening on the 50th anniversary, and we’re here to share our experience and what could be done to fix or avoid these issues in the future.
Merchandise Issues
Let’s start out with something that was probably obvious to you if you were in Magic Kingdom on the 50th — there was a problem with how the merchandise was being handled. SO many people wanted to get their hands on 50th anniversary merchandise that there were huge lines starting before the park even technically opened.
Morning line to get into The Emporium
The Emporium saw long lines to get inside and once you actually made it IN the store, it was PACKED with people basically standing shoulder to shoulder at points. Tensions rose due to the demand for merchandise and the large crowd, and a fight actually broke out inside the store, which resulted in security being called, according to a Cast Member.
A much calmer Emporium on October 3rd
And, a good majority of the merchandise at the Emporium for the 50th anniversary wasn’t even limited edition and had been in the store for days, if not weeks, already. Much of this merchandise should be around for the whole 18-month celebration, or at least a decent portion of it. But of course, it ran the risk of selling out, which increased demand even more.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
There WAS some more exclusive merchandise back at Big Top Souvenirs in Fantasyland, and because of that, it was not a great situation either. The store used a virtual queue system, as they were probably the most in-demand store in the whole park due to those exclusive items. And, by 7:25AM, the virtual queue was full. And we mean FULL! This lead to angry guests being mad they couldn’t get into the store (more on that in a minute).
Virtual Waitlist
Then, there were new items released that day for the celebration, like popcorn buckets, that Magic Kingdom just simply did not have enough of to meet the demand there. Plus, they should’ve been located in more locations so as to not have one massive line waiting for these items. This isn’t their first rodeo — Disney knows the merch people WANT on days like this and they could have been a bit better prepared.
Mickey Balloon Popcorn Buckets
In the future, when there will be big event days or days known for being crowded in Magic Kingdom, Disney needs another plan of action! They should have stricter capacity limits for the inside of stores and they should spread out the merchandise to MANY different stores around the parks so everyone isn’t trying to get into the same place. They also should be prepared with a higher supply of items they know will be in major demand, like the popcorn buckets.
Lines everywhere on Main Street!
Disney historically has not handled limited releases smoothly, and this is no exception. Limited releases on shopDisney are still regularly plagued with issues, special merchandise drops in the parks can also still often lead to LONG waits and poorly managed crowds. The one area we DID see Disney make a change recently was implementing the 2 per guest limit on merchandise. That has helped a bit with the initial burst of people buying out a given piece of merchandise, but wrangling crowds and meeting demand is another issue entirely.
One of the days we roasted away in the sun for hours to see Minnie Ears
More virtual lines might be the answer to avoid crowding as well. More Cast Members stationed to help manage crowds would have likely been welcomed. But, it is not Disney’s fault for the behavior of guests that got angry and were fighting because of merchandise — that’s on the guests, which brings us to our next issue.
Rude Guests
A tale as old as time! Some people just don’t know how to be nice to others, and it is NOT okay. There were far too many times on October 1st we heard our mothers in the back of our heads saying, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!” We witnessed many, many guests being rude to Cast Members in Magic Kingdom for things that weren’t even in their control. Even if they WERE in their control, it is unacceptable to yell at a Cast Member. They are the people that keep Disney World running and help make your trip magical! Without them, there would be no Disney World, so they deserve to be treated right.
50th Anniversary Cast Member Name Tags
Because of the virtual queue limiting who could go into Big Top Souvenirs to get that day-of-only merchandise, we saw guests getting extremely angry with the Cast Members there. Guests were screaming at them, and eventually, several managers were handling the situation. While guests should not act like that toward Cast Members, Disney could’ve possibly alleviated some of this if they didn’t put the only super-exclusive merchandise in one location. Spread it out!
Big Top on October 1st
We also repeatedly witnessed Cast Members getting yelled at by guests over things like those popcorn buckets being out of stock or long mobile order waits. If you’re in Disney World on the 50th anniversary — which you already knew was going to be insanely popular — didn’t you think you would have to wait longer than usual for food and merchandise? Hate to break it to those folks, but we had been bracing for this madness for over a year — we KNEW it would be rough. We were right.
Lots of Lines
And, again, the new food items people were waiting for are going to be in Magic Kingdom for the next 18 MONTHS. They were not exclusive to that singular day. We’ve been hangry in Disney before too, but we don’t take it out on Cast Members! We will say though that this was definitely NOT the case for everyone. Many guests were simply there enjoying the day and their ability to say they were there on the historical day.
But as they say, “one bad apple can spoil the bunch.” In this case, it was a fair number of bad apples and they were mad they didn’t get their tumblers or cheese fries. We spoke to far too many Cast Members close to tears over the course of the day due to unruly guests taking out their frustrations on those magical people that are just trying their best to help.
Things can get stressful in Disney World. We know. You can be hot, hungry, and tired. But please take a deep breath, pause for a moment, and do your best to handle a difficult situation with kindness. It will make the situation better for both you and the Cast Member.
Click here to see the new way to give Cast Members a compliment!
Crowd Control
If you were following along with us on October 1st, you probably took notice of the large crowds in Magic Kingdom. When we first entered the park, Main Street, U.S.A. was filled with people everywhere. And we mean EVERYWHERE. This leads us to the first big problem we noticed of the day with the crowds.
It’s a BIG anniversary, so naturally, guests expect some sort of pomp and circumstance to go with it. Someone coming on stage, a rededication for the public — something! But an incredibly brief good morning from Mickey and Co. was all they got. If there was no real intention of having a special welcome at the Castle in the morning, Disney should have prepared guests.
That’s a LOT of humans
Station signs at the entrance if needed or have Cast Members informing the crowds what would or wouldn’t be happening. But guests’ imaginations ran wild with what could be and the result was overwhelming crowds waiting for something that was never really going to happen. This, ultimately, led to a lot of disappointed guests.
50th Anniversary Morning Crowds
Like we said, there were long lines for merchandise, but also incredibly long lines for food. We waited almost two hours at a few locations for our Mobile Orders and that seemed more common than not. This led to gaggles of guests crammed at the entrance to fast food locations. And, people started staking out their spots for the new fireworks show that night VERY early on, so the area in front of Cinderella Castle had a lot of people there basically all day.
Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary crowds
One of the issues with crowds has to do with Disney letting people into Magic Kingdom before the park opened. The park was officially supposed to open at 8AM, with Disney hotel guests allowed in at 7:30AM, but by 7AM, Main Street was already crowded with people. Yeah, before the sun was even up. This was not great for other Disney hotel guests who thought they were going to get an early start, especially for those who specifically stayed on property for that perk.
The sun isn’t even up yet, people!
Disney could have done a better job at crowd control throughout the entire day. Since the main new offerings were all food and merchandise, that’s where the crowds were for the most part — waiting in line. There was also the new cavalcade and fireworks, but those took place on Main Street as well, where it was already crowded due to the food and merchandise situation. So, that whole area was just slammed all day.
The Busiest Place on Earth?
If Disney had more new offerings around the park, maybe that would have better distributed the crowds. New entertainment or special ride overlays could have created a demand in more areas of the park, which would have alleviated the huge crowds in line for merchandise and food. And, again, they could’ve spread the 50th merchandise out way more so guests could get it at stores all around the park. We noticed other sections of the park, like Tomorrowland, downright pleasant with lower crowds for big portions of the day!
Tomorrowland Crowds were chill!
Better yet, if a brand new ride had opened in Magic Kingdom that day, it would’ve been a HUGE draw for crowds! Imagine if TRON: Lightcycle Run had been ready, then more people probably would’ve been over in Tomorrowland instead of waiting in line for merchandise. The good news for fans of rides was that, because everyone was waiting for other things, there were super short lines for all the rides, which was awesome and very unexpected! A headlining new attraction would have been the big draw the center of the park desperately needed.
Seven Dwarfs
All of this is to say we genuinely enjoyed most of the 50th Anniversary. Did it go off without a hitch? Nope. Not at all. But at this point, it’s a teachable moment. What can we take from this so we don’t make this mistake again? Disney is a master at crowd control, merchandise drops, and more, so we know this is very much something they can get under control. And remember — days like this are few and far between. So, we hope Disney considers these issues when planning for future major events — or even busy holidays. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news and updates!
Click here to read more about our experience in Disney World on the 50th anniversary
Check out our video for more of what the 50th anniversary was like in Disney World:
Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Details and Info
Click HERE for Your Guide to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
See Everything That Has Been Announced For Disney World’s 50th Anniversary
Check Out Everything Happening in Disney World on October 1st, 2021
Click Here to See The 50 Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary
What Does Hotel Availability and Pricing Look Like for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary?
Here Are the 5 News Bombs You May Have Missed Related to the 50th Anniversary Celebrations!
Check Out 10 Things You Need to Bring If You’re Going to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary
See How Each of Disney World’s Park Icons Will Transform During the 50th Anniversary Celebrations!
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Did you notice any of these issues in Magic Kingdom on the 50th? Let us know in the comments.
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I stood in line for an hour at the Emporium before a cast member told us about the Big Top then got caught in a 4 hour glitch telling us to come get in line but not letting us confirm. That’s another story in itself!
You seem to have forgotten the fact that this anniversary is coming after 18 months of pandemic related issues including (but not limited to): supply chain issues, labor shortages, and an extended period of time where they had to stop construction on everything. It’s incredible that anything was even able to get off the ground for this at all.
We were so disappointed in the anniversary day. Nothing special except badly handled (and mostly ugly) merchandise. Disneyland’s 50th was a PARTY and we were hoping for something similar. They really dropped the ball on this one.
The lack of a “ceremony” was very disappointing. We were there at the 40th anniversary and the 60 minutes of pomp and circumstance in front of the castle was heart felt and moving…but on the 50th, nada. It was great for attractions, as we walked on all of them, except for Seven Dwarfs, where it was a 20 minute wait.
Once you realized that the celebration was more about selling merchandise, and less about the guest experience, it was fun.
I think the simplest fix is to NOT have anything that you have to purchase be exclusive on just THAT day. That fact alone is going to drive people to be crazy. Have ‘exclusive’ things….but like the rest of the exclusive 50th food and merchandise…have it available for the entire year and a half. Not one day. And make doubly sure that everyone KNOWS IT. Perhaps having a show or cavalcade for JUST a particular day would be a better choice. Seems like Disney, of all companies, should have been able to figure this out.
I’m sorry, but this article was written poorly. Badly written sentences like “Many guests were simply there enjoying the day and their ability to say they were there on the historical day.” Were distracting and made me not want to finish the article. Not trying to be rude, just giving some feedback 🙂
That’s Bob Chapek in charge!! They’ve literally cut hours, thousands of people in the parks & he’s limited staffing. What a complete joke. And I & a couple other cast members got yelled at by guests in Epcot because we didn’t have the 50th anniversary popcorn bucket before October 1
We were there on Oct 1st, and guests were not only being rude to cast members, but to other guests, particularly some of the disabled ones. We were in front of the train station for the fireworks and some jerk deliberately pushed my mother in law, who was standing in front of her mobility scooter, leaning on a cane. Another woman cut right in front of my FIL’s scooter as we were heading towards the bus, and tried to yell at him when he couldn’t stop in time (fyi to non disabled people: scooters do not have brakes or the best stopping time).
While there were some handicap areas near the castle, that was the only area set aside for that purpose. I think Disney could have roped off the circular area in front of the train station for disabled guests that did not want to be in the crowds up near the castle. With the increase of older guests visiting the parks, it would be really helpful to have a little more space set aside so everyone can enjoy the new shows and fireworks, not only at MK, but the other parks, too.
Agree with all of this. This 10/1 was the last day of our trip. It left a bad taste in our mouths unfortunately. With three kids they were witness to a bunch of pushing and choice words. Also missed out on the memo of being there at 5:00 am and thought our 30 minutes earlier as a resort guest would help us. Buses were 30 minutes late to AofA and a huge line for the first bus. With the reservation system they should have known how many were staying and going to Magic Kingdom that day. Thought that was the point of the reservation system.
The 50th was my best day ever in MK. Met many friends, many rides were walk-ons, hassle for food no more than usual, the excitement was palpable. My secret? I don’t obsess over merch and don’t like Disney popcorn. 🙂
It seems like Disney is off there game I’m not sure if it’s new management or just short people sad to see looked like opening day at Disney land
Thanks for the feedback, M.
Yes, Disney is NOT the Disney of years ago, and yes much of the 50th Anniversary mess was due to the event itself – and I think being poorly planned – but people are generally hateful these days. From driving to shopping in most stores to dining out, people have just activated HATE mode for all sorts of things. If only a chill pill could be handed out to keep people mellowed out, maybe things might be better, but we all know that’s not going to be happening anytime soon. Maybe if parents and teachers got together to once again teach and reward things like courtesy – and that age old golden rule – instead of all this silliness about wokeness and cancel culture the next generation might actually be better. Yeah, I know — not holding my breath… 🙂
I agree with the comments about Chapek. He obviously doesn’t care about what Walt wanted for the parks. Just turning them into a cash cow. Funny thing is, they always were. Other leaders found a way to do both. Chapek seems to be one of those people who refuses to learn from others, and will destroy the Disney brand to prove it.
I was there on the 1st as well. I was disappointed that the welcome ceremony was so quick, it felt like any other ordinary performance. Once I learned that they had a special VIP show the night before, it all became apparent to me, it’s all about the THEM, and then the sheep. I saw more than one guest waiting right in front of the castle, waiting for the next thing, the big speech. I was thinking that a flyover would happen too. I kept on looking up and thinking, where are the jets ? I dunno, I went on the 1st, more for emotional reasons, to say that I was there on the 1st. I did have fun, I got on more rides than I thought possible, that was a plus. I did not care of merchandise or popcorn. As I was going to get on the People Mover ride, I saw the huge line beside it, so I thought no way. But I got curious and I asked someone that was standing in line, what was it they were in line for. She said popcorn. I just kind of gave her a smerck and then I realized the line for the People Mover was basically a walk on. I had fun, I stayed throughout the fireworks and then a bit more. I was thinking, sheepishly, that maybe there is one more special thing that could happen on the 1st, just as it was pretty much done, but nothing. I had just enough energy to stay till 11:15 pm, then made the decision to head on out, back the Disney resort. As I went to bed, I contemplated on the whole day. I drifted into the land of make believe, knowing full well, that I no longer felt as special as the day before, sadly. Look, I will go back more and more, I will be present many more times, God willing. I know that Walt was happy for us, that is more than enough for me.
It’s all corrected by ONE word, accessible. But they won’t make things accessible because demand equals higher prices. All I wanted in October was the Minnie Halloween backpack as a birthday surprise for my sons girlfriend. I made the mistake of promising him I could get it. I checked everywhere to find out MK was the only place I could get it, but I wouldnt be there for 3 days. Sure enough, I was told it was sold out when I got there. My son had kept her from buying it because I said I would get it for her. The look of horror on my face must have been evident. That sweet cast member said wait a minute. As I stood there trying not to cry, she came back with a sack, said don’t take this out and follow me. It was a backpack. She said it was back there waiting for a very special guest, and I must be that guest. Of course I began crying! She took me to a register rang us up with a discount as well. It had no stuffing or foam in it. Not sure if it was a return or maybe it was a cast member purchase and they gave it up. I will NEVER know. What I do know is just for a moment that Disney Magic I have loved for 20 years love was back. And Rayleigh had the most special birthday when they joined us that weekend. Many many thanks to that cast member!
Wow! I wonder how many people had a great time during their “Historical (hysteria) Day” at Disney World, and how many people got Covid-19 being in those huge crowds. I’m glad that we missed out on all of the “excitement” and I’m glad that we got the “Pixie Dust” passes so that we can visit the parks on the days when they aren’t so crowded.
I knew better than to be in MK on Oct 1, we also had asked ahead if there were any special guests who would be there, and with nothing highlighted, we chose Epcot for day 1, with early entry. The 50th Magic bands were sold out before noon, but we snagged 2. Luckily got Ratatouille virtual queue (group 74) and had Chef de France dining reservations. Epcot was actually enjoyable despite day 1 of these celebrations. Oct 2 we went to MK at 11:30am and it pretty darn quiet for anniversary weekend, and hopped later to HS at 5pm where it was a relative ghost town (RotR standby 30 minutes!!)
As someone who could not get a park reservation for magic Kingdom, we went to EPCOT, rode Remy and then park-hopped to Magic Kingdom before they closed that down. We found the park very manageable. The ride lines were not very long, we ate at Be Our Guest and saw the premier of Enchantment (which was very crowded). It honestly seemed like many people were more interested in merch than Disney. So first blame goes to the “Disney adults” who give the rest of us adult Disney fans a bad name. I also know the park reservation system is designed to lower and control crowds, but it seemed like the stress of getting in (FOMO) drives a huge new level of stress.
We were not there on the 1st, but on the 7th and it was much of the same. There seemed to be fewer cast members than I have ever seen (we thought maybe pandemic related, but who knows). We also noticed that there were plenty of rude guests. We were standing on Main Street to see a cavalcade & a gentleman pushing a toddler in a stroller and holding another little child’s hand came us behind us. We moved over and asked him to allow the children to come in front of us for better viewing. About the time the cavalcade was in front of us, this woman pushed through the crowd behind us, stood directly in front of the children and started videoing. My husband politely tapped her on the shoulder and she started screaming ‘DON’T TOUCH ME!!!!! DON’T TOUCH ME!!!!! And continued to scream. I’m sure the kids were terrified. She never moved until the cavalcade passed & continued to scream and video the parade. She had no problems touching us when she shoved in front of everyone. Weird and rude behavior. We are both senior citizens and were disturbed by the situation.
Not surprised by any of this. High expectations with the fervor of Black Friday combined with the ‘Age of Rage’ we live in… Humanity at it’s finest. Nice to see though the remainder of the park was pretty quiet. I’d love to see what many of the savages think of their useless piece of plastic a year from now when the moment is long gone.
Disappointing isn’t enough to describe it and much less justify the cost of visiting Disney. They are stripping the place of “the Magic” and only the high price tag is left. Disney needs to feel it on their pockets and soon enough it would happen, wait and see they are going to crash that plane, so far NO fast passes No tram No parades NO special parties No Magic Hours, NO free hotel parking, heck even Stacy is out!
No surprise that guests were willing to strike out loudly. Many who keep up with the Disney antics, thecharge for parking now at resorts, The increase in food and merchandise prices, the limitations of events and attractions, the short staffing. If they were trying, they could not succeed more in alienating Disney enthusiasts.
The whole thing was an embarrassment. Resort guests, myself included, got conflicting information as to when MK would open that morning. The Opening Ceremony was pathetic, many of us were expecting something grand, especially after the announcements asking everyone to head towards the Castle. Seemed like guest were particularly rude in the morning, and things seem to calm down a bit once the EBayers and Personal Shoppers left. Ride times were surprisingly short. Getting food was a complicated affair. I thought the reservation system was supposed to eliminate this type of chaos. I did not stay for the fireworks, it got way too crowded for me and I have plenty of time to see them. Every Cast Member that I greeted or complimented had tears in their eyes. They were so excited to be there but the way they were treated by some guests was disgraceful
Watched the opening on YouTube here in Indiana. I understand that Iger and Chapek might not have wanted to appear in person for fear of being booed. It would have been nice though to have a prerecorded message maybe with some of Roy’s dedication speech included. Anything to make the 50th opening morning special.
While there are always opportunities for improvement, I’m not confident that any organization could have handled this situation well. The best answer would have been to significantly lower capacity and prevent the crowds from occurring, but then everyone would have been screaming that they couldn’t get in. There is no winning with the public. I’m been visiting since the late 1970s and never recall so many guests behaving as poorly as they do today. I truly feel sorry for the cast members. A large percentage of guests don’t behave in a manner that they deserve to be in the happiest place in the world.
So guests should have been informed by Disney that something wasn’t going to happen that was never communicated to be happening? Those expectations about the opening of the park seem a bit unreasonable. How many of us reach out to tell others that we aren’t doing something that we never told anyone we were doing to start with?
This is so sad to hear! Disney is known for their ability to handle and disperse the crowds, that is the only reason Disney was even doable in the past.
Husband and I had booked our anniversary trip and only after the fact realized the end of the trip coincided with the 50th. Since I hadn’t seen much of anything about announcements for anything special going on besides a change in the fireworks and some rampant consumerism, we ended up moving the past few days of our trip from the Poly over to Portofino and having a great time a Universal with low crowds and HHN.
You really have to wonder who is making the decisions……who? Who decided not to complete Tron during the pandemic when Florida allowed construction to go on. Think about it, Walt’s favorite railroad could,not run because Tron wasn’t finished. Then who decided there shouldn’t be a castle ceremony? Who decided that? Who decided it was a good idea to put those barges for the replacement fireworks show in epcot? Who decided on the music for that show? WHO? Disneyland had a great 50th…..where was ours?
There were so many preventable issues with Oct 1 in the Magic Kingdom. The 2 per person limit on merchandise is 2 of each SKU, so resellers were buying 2 of every size, color, and type. I believe this added to the shortages and frustration. I saw people walking around with 8 popcorn buckets around their necks!
If WDW followed the policy of Disneyland and scanned AP’s and tracked buying, I think several issues could be solved.
I was impressed by the sale of Ratatouille merchandise at EPCOT in one large location.
I went to Epcot on 10/1 and Animal Kingdom on 10/2. I didn’t intend on being in the parks during the 50th and was hoping it wasn’t a mistake. Every ride at Epcot except Frozen (35 min) was a walk on. I snagged a boarding group for Ratatouille at 7am also.
Animal Kingdom was the same except for Avatar rides (20-30 min) and EE (20 min) tops. We had a good time and my wife found the tumbler she wanted at the World of Disney store Saturday night.
I feel that one of the main issues was Disney’s lack of communication with not only the guests, but with their cast members.
I didn’t go for the merch, more for the atmosphere. We were disappointed in the Welcome show. Nothing that said Happy Birthday WDW!! That’s what stood out for us.
Trying to be early, we asked transportation cast, as well as the resort front desk, what time transportation would start. We were told around 6:45. Nope. Found out that when the buses arrived at the resort at 5:45, there was a line of guests so they just started shuttling. That makes sense, I guess.
We knew there’d be food lines which is why we mobile ordered early for an 11:50 lunch. By 1:15, we still hadn’t gotten our order, and the food was just stacked behind the counter under lamps. The poor cast members couldn’t keep up with the kitchen. Meanwhile there was a line for walk ups who could go on inside and just order at the register .
Would I do it again. Heck yeah! But I wouldn’t wait 45 minutes for a castle show or “save time” by mobile ordering.
I was up at 4:30am, was on the first bus at Boardwalk, and in line at the turnstiles by 6am. We were through the gates at 6:15 and I was up at a rope in front of Cinderella castle by 6:30am, with a quick stop for a photo pre-dawn. Then…I waited an hour and a half there to watch Mickey and friends dance. It was highly disappointing.
The REST of the day was a lot of fun, but I could have had the same amount of fun and not been one of the first people in the park…
This could have all resolved if they limited the number of attendees at MK throughout the 50th Anniversary celebration or have the other Parks carry the same merchandise.
Also there were limited amounts of everything. Their 50th Anniversary Christmas ornaments sold like hot cakes. We decided to return later for one of them and they were completely sold out after lunch.
Extremely bad planning on Disney’s part.
Part of the whole shopping problem is people buying to sell on eBay. I happened to go on Disney Store online the night before the next morning I received an email that the 50th Anniversary crocs had just been released. I immediately went to the store only to see that many sizes were pressure sold out ! I checked EBay and sure enough there were tons of them for sale at double or more the retail price. I missed the Haunted Mansion crocs but can now buy them on eBay at upwards of $200 a pair. One seller said they had 100 pair for sale 🤬. Halloween crocs are the same way.
I broke down and bought the 50th for $99. Guess this is how I will have to get my crocs.
I wasn’t there, but after reading this, I have no desire to go. What a mess, and it’s not just this. This is not the Disney World I know and loved. Things are not running well from what I can read here. Prices are outrageous and this Genie +, not good. Along with paying extra for some of the attractions. I have no plans to ever return.
My only issue that day was having to wait two hours for mobile order food. There’s never going to be a guarantee you can get the merch you want, but the parks should have been prepared to get food to everyone. They were promoting the mobile order system for quick service restaurants, but then we had to wait for two hours after clicking that we had arrived, meaning it would have been better to just walk up order like normal. Waiting two hours for fast food is pretty outrageous.
We were staying at a WDW resort and was in MK on the 1st. I expected the huge crowds but trying to get into any store was crazy and yes, Big Top was handled horribly. I didn’t get in and decided there really isn’t anything material with getting aggravated over and went o with our day what really surprised me ( and we come a lot during high peak times) was how people laid blankets down on side walks and the street 9 hrs before the fireworks event and parked there all day and no one said anything to them. It was very difficult to get around. My husband is handicapped and had the the delusion there would be space in the normal area. We went there 3 hrs in advance and we’re shocked at the mobs. We had to find a place far away and park our butts for 3 hrs Standing all that time was not easy for me but survived. Sorely disappointed in the lack of fanfare and celebratory event for 50 years. It could have been much better. We did meet lots of folks while waiting and was enjoyable chatting ignored all the rude people pushing past to get couple inches closer but that is everywhere. Thankyou for the article and confirmation of all we saw. Sad people can be so rude and crude and still wear it’s their happy place shirts, oh the irony of it all😂😂😂😂
Maybe the items were restricted to one store because it was a way of limiting how many of those items an individual could purchase and number of stores that would have long lines. If you have them at multiple stores, then people who want to sell them on eBay would go from store to store, buying the limit at each store and creating long lines at more stores.
If you really want to lower hoarding, buying for resale, and disappointed guests and customers, don’t make limited runs (or only on high priced items). And sell them on shopDisney.com.
A lot of the merchandise that I see in the picture of the front of The Emporium were sold on shopDisney.com. I bought a couple (the limit) of the dark blue soap dispenser with the gold Mickey pump there. Also had free shipping if over a certain dollar limit.
Thank u for reminding everyone to b kind to the CM. We were at Disney 10/2-10/9 and every CM we encountered were so nice and friendly. We appreciated every single one of them and they helped make our trip magical.
It’s about the money not our experience any more. I’m always surprised by the amount of Disney fans that keep going back for more punishment.
I loved WDW 10 years ago. It’s been spiraling downward for many years now. It’s a shame.
First world problems. People seem to be generally more rude & angry these days; did anyone think Disney would be different? Way to go people — great example to set for the littles.
The greed is off the charts and I’m not talking about Disney now! The behavior is bad enough for many Disney guests even on a regular day so I’m not surprised by any of this. People cursing at CMs, pushing and shoving other guests, and a fight breaking out over a freaking, stupid mug! I have even got to the popcorn buckets yet! No one person needs more than 1 popcorn bucket! Pick your favorite color and move on. One per guest is sufficient! Personally, I don’t give a rat’s &^% about buying a popcorn bucket! Never have before when in WDW, and I have no plans to in the future, but there are other people out there that would appreciate just one of those buckets. Some selfish people have to buy several so they can resell them on the secondary market for 4-5x what they paid for them. That really angers me! You can maybe hold Disney somewhat responsible for the planning and logistics, but fellow guests’ rudeness and entitlement are what has been a problem for quite a while now, particularly in MK.
Okay was there and like many others disappointed overall. There was no special rope drop the one Monday morning was better. We waited an hour and fifteen minutes for our mobile order and watched countless people walk up to the counter order and then get their food five minutes later. And our food was COLD when we finally got it. Watched the manager deal with an upset person with their wait and they got 2 cake pops and their food 15 minutes later after already waiting n hour. We expected lines but those merchandise ones were worse than crazy. And after waiting 3 hours for enchantment I am still waiting for the grand finale to show the end. Repeating movies and no true tribute again to the beginning. But glad to see Chernabog finally get a spot in the villains segment. And do not me started on how they neglected dvc members. So disappointed after waiting 4 years for that day. All I saw was greed of Disney and disappointment. Oh I love the water bottle with the price tag of $35 but the had a price of $28 on it too. Never had that happen before. No Disney magic that day.
We were there last week and I can honestly say that people were so angry and rude. I have gone to Disney my whole life and have never witnessed the amount of rudeness as I did last week and that goes for guests and cast members alike. I was shocked to say the least and sad.
What a nightmare.
That is a disgrace how cast members and disabled guest were treated those cast members work very hard to make park guest day a happy one how dare people treat them like that and to treat Disabled guest like that is unforgivable one of the many times that we have gone to Disney world was an incident that a young woman’s family was with her and she going to have her second brain surgery after that trip she was n a scooter and people that were mean evil jerks were mad cause she slowed them down with her being n a scooter how mean and rotten of them people need to think we never k ow what when r how our life can change and b a disabled person my family would never do that to people we treat people with respect we pray that the young woman that had the brain survey is ok
Indeed Madison, there is no reason to be rude to Cast Members who are the magic behind the Magic Kingdom. During one WDW trip I witnessed a grandfather hoisting his granddaughter up to touch the moving blades of a ceiling fan at the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. Seriously, this is the sort of guests that Cast Members have to deal with. Cast Members are beyond nice and helpful and should be treated respectfully and praised when warranted.
This day and anniversary was pretty important to me because my parents took me when I was little when the park opened. My Mom told me that if I saved all my pennies we could go and she let me think that I paid for that trip. I debated much over taking my family on this day and I have to say I’m so glad we decided to wait for another day during the 18 months and not to go on that day. That’s not at all how I would’ve wanted that special day to be for my children and grandchildren, and that be their special story to tell in 50 years.
It’s such a shame that people wasted a great memory and day over standing in line, fighting for merchandise and food. Really?! When are people going to learn, you can’t take it with you. What you do take are those memories. And shame on those of you that were only there to score merchandise, act like that only to turn around and make a buck off of it later.
Shame on everyone that acted so ugly and created that memory for everyone else there watching especially the children. And shame on everyone that was rude, mean, ugly, and yelled at the cast members. They are what make that place happen and magical. They are doing their best and are there for you, to make your experience magical, and that’s the thanks you gave them. What’s happening to everyone? So very sad.
My family and I were extremely disappointed with the 50th celebration on 10/1 too. We are DVC members and annual passholders who who fly down at least 3-4 times a year. There was NOTHING special about the day at all. We got stuck in the emporium BC the crowds were so bad and people were so mean. You couldn’t move. When we finally squeezed out the door cast members were roping things off so a line could start to form. By that point it was too late. That should’ve been done before they let guests in the park. Regarding the exclusive merch at Big Top, other than the magic bands and some mugs it wasn’t exclusive. I saw the same jackets, tumblers and shirts in EPCOT the next day. The merch wasn’t even cute. I had my husband return it once I realized we didn’t get anything special that was truly “day of”. Yes ride lines were short but I didn’t go there that day for rides. I went there for special shows or sightings or something. There was just nothing special about the day. We left the park at lunch and came back for dinner and then waited 3+ hours for the new fireworks show (which was not worth it). Happily Ever After was SO much better. The new show does nothing for me. Overall I was left with a bad taste for Disney. As someone who enjoyed planning the next trip with my kids as soon as we got home I have no desire to return to Disney for awhile. Much to kids dismay. ☹️