Disney World is generally a safe place.
Cast Members are well-trained to keep guests safe, there is a significant security presence, and there is at least one first aid area in each park to help guests who experience everything from a skinned knee to heat exhaustion.
However, when you travel to Disney World, or anywhere for that matter, you should be extra vigilant about caring for yourself and those traveling with you – especially children. Being smart and remaining cautious of dangers will ensure that you and your family is safe.
Even still, parents do some pretty dangerous things while in Disney World assuming that nothing bad will happen.
4. Using strollers as a weapon
Even on the least busy days, Disney World is a crowded place, and it can be difficult to navigate. Adding a stroller and children into the mix can make it even more difficult. People will cut in front of you to avoid “getting caught behind a stroller.”
Although you have a stroller, you do not have a license to run about the park as you please. Watch for other guests, and don’t cut anyone off. Ramming your stroller into someone’s ankles will not get you to where you’re going any faster, and it could cause them to trip in front of or on top of the stroller resulting in your child being injured.
3. Sitting on chains and railings
Queue lines can be long, and sometimes standing is more exhausting than walking. Even adults get the urge to lean on or sit on the chains and railings, but we need to recognize the danger here.
Too often children sit or swing on these chains and end up pinching fingers or legs or, worse, falling and hitting their heads on the pavement. If a Cast Member sees anyone acting dangerously with the chains, they will ask you to stop, but the better thing to do is self-monitor and explain to your children why this is dangerous.
2. Leaving kids
“In Disney World, there is no such thing as a lost child – only lost parents.”
This is a common mantra in Disney, but the fact of the matter is that parents do leave their children – even if it’s for a short time. Usually it’s to ride an attraction that the child is too small to ride. If this is the case, use Rider Switch, which allows one adult to ride while the other stays with the child then the other parent can go through the FastPass+ line to get on the ride quickly.
You should also never leave your child unattended for any other reason. If they’re playing in a pool or at a water park or they want to ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant without you, you should always maintain at least visual contact.
1. Sneaking a child onto an attraction
Every ride in Disney has a height requirement, and it’s important that parents recognize that these requirements are not set arbitrarily. Highly qualified engineers have determined a safe height for the ride, and parents cannot override these rules. Your child could be seriously injured by any number of things including a harness that doesn’t fit correctly which could cause them to fly out of the ride vehicle.
Have you ever seen parents acting dangerously at Disney World?