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Disney World In “Crisis Mode,” Character Rushed Away From Guests

Disney World, a beloved and iconic theme park, is best known for its ability to create magical experiences and bring joy to millions of guests. However, like any large organization, it can face challenges that may cause a crisis response.

Disney World, often referred to as the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” is a magical destination in Orlando, Florida, that consists of four distinct theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. One of the most enchanting experiences at Walt Disney World Resort is the opportunity to meet and interact with your favorite Disney characters. These character meet and greets are a fun and exciting part of the Disney experience and offer guests a chance to create cherished memories.

Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park
Credit: Disney

Each Disney park has its unique character meet and greet opportunities. Magic Kingdom, the most iconic of the four parks, features classics like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Cinderella, and guests can meet them in enchanting settings like Princess Fairytale Hall and Town Square Theater. EPCOT, known for its cultural diversity, offers meet and greets with characters from around the world, such as Belle from France, Mulan from China, and Elsa and Anna from Norway.

Mickey Mouse meet and greet
Credit: Disney

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a haven for Star Wars fans, with characters like Darth Vader and Kylo Ren making appearances in themed settings like Star Wars Launch Bay. Additionally, Toy Story Land allows guests to meet Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and other beloved characters from the Toy Story franchise. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can see characters like Mickey and Minnie in their safari outfits, along with characters such as Moana and Pocahontas.

Moana meet and greets Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney Parks

Holidays at Disney World add an extra layer of magic to the character meet and greet experience. The parks undergo a stunning transformation during special occasions like Halloween, Christmas, and other seasonal celebrations. Not only can you meet traditional Disney characters in holiday-themed outfits, but you can also encounter rare characters that make special appearances during these festive times.

A Disney World guest recently shared an experience during their meet and greet when they overheard cast members talking about how they were “in crisis mode.” @ThatJakeKid91 tweeted that he was meeting Duffy, the Disney Bear, when other guests at the back of the line started jumping in front of him. That is when he overheard cast members saying they were in crisis mode.

Duffy
Credit: ITM

While we are unsure what happened with the Duffy meet and greet, they ended up moving Duffy to an unknown location.

Yo, Disney is wild. Did I just wait an hour to meet Duffy, and then they moved him to a different location? Everyone at the back of the line just jumped us. The CMs are saying they’re in crisis mode, which idk what that means.

Duffy is a unique character in the Disney universe, as he was not originally created by Walt Disney himself but rather by a Disney Imagineer named Joe Rohde. Duffy the Disney Bear came to be in 2002 for the opening of “Once Upon a Toy” at Walt Disney World Resort. At the time, he was known only as “The Disney Bear.

mickey mouse and duffy the disney teddy bear
Credit: Disney

Duffy made his debut at Tokyo DisneySea in 2005, where he quickly became a sensation. He is a teddy bear who was brought to life by the love and imagination of a young girl named Minnie. She gave him a special bear hug, which magically transformed him into Duffy. Since then, Duffy has been a popular character in Disney parks around the world, including Disney World.

Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney parks guest experience. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Disney Dining’s personal views on Disney Park operations.

Brittni Ward

Brittni is a Disney and Universal fan; one of her favorite things at both parks is collecting popcorn buckets. While at Disney World Resort, Brittni meets the princesses and rides Kilimanjaro Safaris. At Universal, Brittni enjoys the Minions and watching Animal Actors on Location! When not at Disney World Resort or Universal Orlando, Brittni spends time with her family and pets.

5 Comments

  1. Disney does not do enough to stop line cutters, particularly the obnoxious “I’m catching up with my group” cutters. If they would really crack down on things like line cutting and using EVs, which were supposed to be for guests with actual disabilities, as a zippy transport for lazy people ( running over the rest of us), the parks would be much less frustrating.

    Rude guests are destroying the Magic, while Disney sits back and watches. Be better Disney.

  2. Guests need to be better, this is another example of deplorable behaviors and manners. I would have moved this character to a safer spot too. You have no idea the mean repulsive behaviors many Disney characters put up with. Disney is doing as well as it can with all the cast cuts they have made over the last several years. They need to hire a lot of their people back to watch the lines. They also need a raise in salary, far to many of their workers are homeless and can’t afford food or a place to live. Shame, shame, on this company. De Santis and his foolish war has helped to make it worse.

    1. The whole homeless thing is union talking. If you can’t afford to live with a job at Disney then get a new job. People need to take responsibility for themselves.

  3. This incident happened at the ticketed Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend After Party on Sunday, 11/5. This is not a normal occurrence. The pamphlet distributed to racers indicated Duffy would be on the World Showcase landing and then he was moved 50-ish feet away. There was no official line set up. Party goers created one in the area indicated on the map and then the CMs assumed the back of the line, which was now closest to the area Duffy was set up at, was the front. So the CMs are responsible for pulling most of those people to the front. Those people should have known better and said they were the end, but many adults aren’t really adults. Source: myself. I was there.

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