3. The clueless parent
Clueless Parents are easy to find all over the theme parks. They are often spotted yelling at Space Mountain employees for not allowing their two inches too short child to ride, or hanging out on their phones while their kids wreak havoc on a merchandise display. But the worst offenders are those who take their children into an environment that was never designed for them.
Fans of Disney’s Pleasure Island point to this tendency as one of the factors in the nightspot’s 2008 demise. At one time, Pleasure Island was fully enclosed and guests had to be at least 18 to enter. With the addition of Downtown Disney West Side, however, families weren’t too happy about having to walk all the way around Pleasure Island to move between shopping districts. So Disney opened up a walkway through Pleasure Island. Although the clubs themselves remained 18+, the adult party atmosphere was lost.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights is rated PG-13, and no children’s tickets are sold. But Universal leaves it up to parents to determine whether the event is suitable for a particular child. While this works well in most cases, with brave 10-year-olds enjoying the haunted houses and scared teenagers staying home, some parents don’t pack their common sense. It is both disheartening and annoying to see a stroller roll into the Rocky Horror Picture Show Tribute or a handheld infant screaming through a haunted house. Even worse, some of those clueless parents file complaints at Guest Services, claiming that they deserve compensation for their kids being traumatized!
4. The fake non-English speaker
We understand that theme park guests come from all over the world, and many do not know any English. We will go out of our way to communicate by whatever means necessary. But if you are chatting a mile a minute with your family in English, and then suddenly forget the language when we ask you for something, it is extremely frustrating. Interestingly, the other three types of worst guests often turn into Fake Non-English Speakers when confronted.
We expect you to relax and focus on enjoying your vacation, but we need your cooperation. Please listen and pay attention to the employees who are trying to help you out, and follow some basic rules of common sense. It will make everyone’s day just a little bit better.
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