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Guest have had enough! Another day, another Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade where guests stand stunned by issues at Disney World.
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is a magical place where nostalgic adventure waits around every corner of Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT. Disney, who is known for its expertise in bringing our treasured stories to life, has capitalized on our love of Disney characters for years, including them in shows, attractions, and parades.
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Although Disney World goes to great lengths to ensure its guests are entirely immersed in the “Most Magical Place on Earth”, sometimes things still get out of control. It’s understandable that a huge operation like Disney World, or even one of its four parks like Magic Kingdom, would experience daily kinks that don’t go according to plan.
With multiple attractions, shows, and parades running simultaneously across the 28,000-acre resort, one guarantee is that there will be unexpected issues. Disney World does its best to ensure guests are kept in the dark when things go sideways, but often, it happens right in front of their eyes.
Related: Walt Disney World Quietly Makes Tons of Changes to Fan-Favorite Parade
As technological advancement has opened the door to new experiences like Rise of the Resistance, or even lent itself to existing shows like the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom, things happen, but guests are noticing it more and more, exclaiming loudly that “the magic is dead!”
Issues Plague the Parks
Within Walt Disney World, guests will find a variety of shows, rides, and attractions they can experience during their Disney Park day. The only issue is that as Disney invests in more expensive and complex technologies, the newer interests aren’t always reliable. On the other hand, old shows and rides are plagued by malfunctions and break-downs.
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Two opposite examples would be the Rise of the Resistance attraction at Hollywood Studios and the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom. Rise of the Resistance, Disney World’s second newest attraction, is an entire experience with complex ride systems and show elements that often do not work. On the other hand, the Festival of Fantasy Parade has been in operation since 2014 but still experiences a lot of technical (and sometimes dangerous) issues due to age, such as Maleficent’s dragon, which famously caught on fire in 2018.
Festival of Fantasy
Festival of Fantasy is a highlight to any day at Magic Kingdom. The lengthy parade begins promptly at 3 p.m. each day, to the dislike of those who’d prefer to use that time navigating the park to take advantage of shorter wait times.
Related: Guests Watch in Horror as Goofy Faces “Near-Death” Fall During Disney Parade
This long-running theatrical sight brings fan-favorite Disney characters like Peter Pan, Rapunzel, Prince Phillip, and more center stage. Complete with floats, iconic music, elaborating dressed dancers and performers, the parade is a huge hit and all but shuts down Magic Kingdom each and every day, weather permitting.
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As the parade makes its way through Frontierland all the way through Liberty Square, ending down Main Street USA, unlike other Magic Kingdom shows, guests have little problem finding a spot to enjoy Festival of Fantasy. As the parade makes its way in front of Cinderella Castle, it’s a great way to enjoy your favorite Disney characters, grab amazing photos, and make memories that’ll last forever.
Related: Another Major Change Comes to Festival Of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom
“Celebrate the spirit of Disney as Magic Kingdom park comes alive with music and dance during a tribute to the tales of Fantasyland. The unbridled enchantment and vivid pageantry of Fantasyland—and its many inhabitants—winds its way through the park in a thrilling parade spectacular. The dazzling mix of floats, motion and original music will keep you humming along for days to come… Be a part of this grand gala, with spectacular, state-of-the-art floats starring some of your favorite Disney Characters from Tangled, Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid. It’s a festival of fun for everyone!” – Walt Disney World.
Festival of Fantasy Has a History of Failures
We already mentioned the hallmark of Disney World’s Festival of Fantasy Parade catching fire back in 2018, but there are other issues the elaborate parade has faced over the years. The internet is full of misadventures during the parade, where things just don’t go according to plan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_xmZXCAhJ8
Another Incident Frustrates Guest at Magic Kingdom
Guests have high expectations when it comes to Walt Disney World. Rightfully so, Disney possesses a long history of above-average customer service. Ensuring guests have a magical time, going above and beyond to meet needs, is part of Disney’s brand. For this reason, as many consider Disney World to be a shell of itself in terms of customer satisfaction, dependability, and even magic, the last thing Disney World needs is constant malfunction during shows and rides.
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Despite their best efforts, according to Inside the Magic, another incident at Magic Kingdom during the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade had guests frazzled as one of the Fairy Godmothers made famous in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty became frozen on their gliding platform. The incident occurred recently and was captured by TikTok user @mainstreetmagic1971.
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Flora, sister to Fauna and Merryweather, was stuck on the parade route directly in front of Frontierland shortly before turning into Liberty Square. Cast Members can be seen scrambling to fix the situation as parade viewers look in astonishment at the unexpected sight.
It isn’t uncommon for these situations to occur, and Disney does their best to rectify them quickly. However, it’s still shocking to guests as the reputation of Imagineering and Walt Disney World is still, despite claims of falling standards, held in high regard. Still, this isn’t the only time this exact situation has happened at Magic Kingdom.
In 2022, Merryweather, Flora’s sister, experienced a strikingly similar issue in front of Casey’s Corner on Main Street USA. A TikTok video posted by user @el_2133, caught the event as it unfolded during the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
@el_2133 Poor Merryweather got stuck today during FoF. Show stopped for about 3 minutes! #disney #waltdisneyworld #festivaloffantasy #merryweather #parade #magickingdom #sleepingbeauty
In both situations, Cast Members can be seen struggling to push the actors away from the view of parade-goers. The task of getting them out of the way doesn’t necessarily look easy, as it could be that their costumes have become stuck within the gliding platforms they use down the parade route. Unlike other actors who are perched on a float, Merryweather is in full view of the crowd as she sits stuck on Main Stree USA.
Guests Continue to Be Concerned Over “Falling Standard” at Disney World
Things happen! It’s ridiculous to expect Disney not to have unplanned issues and errors as it operates its massive resort. However, the “magic is dead” crowd may have a recognizable gripe in other trends seen around the parks at Disney World.
Despite the mishaps with the Festival of Fantasy, other standards seem to be failing at Disney, including overflowing trash, rude guest behavior attributed to high alcohol consumption, and even unmagical inside looks on social media of things Disney fans were never supposed to see.
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There is a large majority of Disney World faithful who feel strongly that Disney as a company has lost sight of what made it so valuable in the first place. As attending prices keep increasing, many are deciding to take their money elsewhere.
One could say it’s all about your personal perception and expectations for Disney World, but as Disney itself set the bar high for what guests demand, it’s tough to blame them when they’re let down by constant mechanical error, less-than-magical Cast Members, or penny-pinching measures like Disney Genie+.
Related: “Drinking Around the World” at Disney World Claims Another Victim, This Time a Child
Although it’s unknown when exactly this latest incident happened at Festival of Fantasy, according to the My Disney Experience app, the parade is back in full swing, happening at Magic Kingdom daily at 3 PM. Despite the current issues highlighted on social media, it’s still one of the best ways to experience your favorite Disney Princess, fairy, or mouse.
