In late November, a Walt Disney World Resort guest allegedly defecated on the “Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid” ride at Magic Kingdom Park and walked away, leaving Disney cast members to clean up the mess. The event was caught on video and shared by an Instagram user, showing cast members working quickly to sanitize the affected ride vehicle as guests waited for the attraction to resume.
On November 26, Instagram user @cee_702_ posted a video showing Disney cast members halting “Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid” to address the situation. The constantly-moving ride was temporarily paused while custodial staff took care of the cleanup; in the footage, guests can be seen waiting to board. It’s unclear how long the attraction was down, but it was back up and running shortly after the vehicle was cleaned.
This incident at Walt Disney World Resort follows a similar situation at Disneyland Resort last month. Around the same time, a video surfaced from Disney California Adventure Park, where a young boy allegedly jumped out of a raft and defecated in the water on the Grizzly River Run ride. @therichbabymomma shared this video on TikTok:
@therichbabymomma It’s Thanksgiving day at Disneyland And this kid jumped in the water and shut down grizzly river run ! #disneyland #californiaadventure #thanksgiving #onthisday
The incident sparked a heated debate about parental responsibility and safety at theme parks. Some urged Disney Parks fans to have compassion for the child’s family, as he may have autism or another disability.
“My boy on the spectrum RUNS to bodies of water because he loves to swim and splash around so we have to hold him close around water,” @rxsemvry24 commented. “I’m so glad they were kind to him it’s not his fault, I empathize with the parents.”
“For the people saying that if he’s on the spectrum it shouldn’t matter, you obviously don’t know what a parent goes through with a child with a disability,” said @kitty_scorsese. “At times our kids are super fast that even when we are helicoptering them they get away fast.”
Others blamed the child’s mother, who reportedly didn’t help first responders coax him out of the ride’s water.
“Spectrum or not parents have to do a better job of controlling the situation,” @burntwater6 argued. “He could’ve seriously been hurt then what?”
“I’m seriously so sad how the spectrum has become an excuse for child endangerment,” @xomiss.brittany replied. “There’s literally blades on that track.”
Has another guest negatively impacted your visit to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your story with Disney Dining in the comments!
Disney is not for everyone.
Whether your child is on the spectrum or has another diagnosis, any behaviors like this are dangerous to them and others .