Losing your belongings

Image: DisneyPeople lose so many items at Disney theme parks that cast members benefit financially from these mistakes. After an item goes unclaimed for a certain period, Disney puts up for resale to company employees, meaning that the hat that would otherwise cost $20 in the store or $5 with an employee discount is an absolute steal (almost literally) at $1.50. That’s great for them.

Image: DisneyTheme park tourists, on the other hand, are out the $20 they spent on the hat. And a lot of losable items cost a lot more than $20. Sunglasses are a great example of something people need on outdoor rides on sunny days…right up until they go flying off your head on that final slide down Splash Mountain. That’s not even the doomsday scenario. Sometimes, people forget or drop their cellphones on attractions. In today’s society, that’s the equivalent of losing your back-up brain. It has all your contacts, texts, emails, and other pertinent data. While phone-finding technology sometimes solves the problem sometimes, it’s not automatic. Losing a phone is the absolute worst.

How often do guests lose stuff? Anecdotally, over the course of my last three visits to Disney theme parks (and at the risk of jinxing myself), I’m the only person who hasn’t lost something out of a traveling party of eight people. It happens that frequently, and it always disrupts the day. The person has to go back and look for the item. If/when that fails, they must find out where Lost & Found is in the park as well as how the timing works for when found items get transferred there.

Tragical Express

Image via Flickr user PrincessAshley
Image: Flickr (license)

I’ve saved this one for last because it’s unquestionably the worst. No matter how long you stay at a Disney theme park, you eventually have to leave. The park isn’t open for 24 hours (except on rare occasions). At closing time, the park speakers announce that you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay. And that’s just the aggravation for Florida residents who can visit at any time.

For those of us who live hundreds/thousands of miles away from a Disney theme park, our last sight is the saddest one. As soon as the park is out of sight, we know that we won’t see it again for a while. It’s a heartbreaking moment when the Disney Bubble bursts and reality returns.

Disney fanatics even have a phrase for the feeling. The bus that delivers guests to a Disney theme park has a cute name. It’s the Magical Express. So, it’s only fitting that the one that pulls guests away from the park is known as the Tragical Express. Anyone boarding this bus knows that the Happiest Place on Earth is now in the rearview mirror. It’s the saddest feeling imaginable.