Disney World is the Most Magical Place on Earth! But, did you know that it can be one of the Scariest Places on Earth, too?? (Dun dun DUN!)
Cinderella Castle at Night
Although Disney creates SO much magic for guests of all ages, there are a few things in the parks that might creep you out when you’re visiting.
It doesn’t matter how old you are — these 10 things could scare anybody that dares to visit Disney World.
Meeting Kylo Ren
The moment you get to hug a Disney character and say hello is SO magical (and we miss it a LOT). And although many of the meet-and-greets in the park are super friendly, Kylo Ren is basically…the exact opposite.
Kylo Ren and Stormtroopers
Yeah, we get it — he’s a Dark Side villain and all. But, he’s a little terrifying since he just circles around you and gets up in your face. His voice is modulated and ominous, and he’s not exactly “huggable.” Plus, you can’t see anybody underneath all the black capes and Kylo’s iconic mask (so don’t expect any smiles, folks!).
Kylo Ren
Although he may look sinister, the actual dialogue he says is also pretty unnerving, too, like, he “will be the cause of destruction,” and he “senses the Dark Side within you.” YIKES.
However, while Kylo Ren can totally give you the creeps, he’s surprisingly sweet with your little ones.
A little Stormtrooper meets his character counterpart!
So, don’t be too afraid to bring them to meet one of the big baddies from Star Wars! But don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Navigating Your Way Through Crowds After Fireworks
Whether you’ve experienced this or not, trust us — the moment everyone is trying to exit the park after fireworks is one of the scariest parts of your Disney vacation. Especially on those crazy busy days!
While you’re hanging onto your party members’ backpacks, trying to see the exit over the sea of people, keeping your hands on any of your kids trying to go rogue in the crowds, and making sure you don’t trip over anyone, it can feel like you’re in an actual nightmare.
Fireworks Crowds
However, if you’re not in a rush to get back to your resort or leave Magic Kingdom at the end of the night, we recommend swinging back in the gift shops to wait for the streets to clear a bit. Or, you can even skip the fireworks and hop on some rides with shorter wait times instead (if you catch them before the park closes for the night!).
Magic Kingdom Crowds
We promise, waiting a bit for the sea of humanity to thin out will mean a more stress-free escape, less waiting for transportation, and an overall better experience (plus you can grab some pics of a near-empty Main Street, U.S.A.!).
No matter what you choose to do, we can still say that the relief of finally exiting the parks and being free of all that uncomfortable squished person-to-person contact is REAL.
Losing Members in Your Party
It can also be a pretty scary moment if you lose someone in the parks. While we are luckily living in the age of technology, sometimes your phone runs out of battery from all those snack photos, and you can’t contact your family or friends (we recommend grabbing a FuelRod for these times!). Or even worse — maybe you lost your child!
The Fountain is a Great Meeting Spot!
In a place as big as Disney World, it’s full-on freak-out time when you lose your kid. However, if you let a Cast Member know what happened, they are well-versed in finding little ones.
Walt Disney World Cast Members
Since it’s hard to set a meeting spot with young kiddos, let your children know to go to a Cast Member if they get lost. Tell them to look for the nice people with oval name tags and inform them that they’re lost.
Cast Member
We promise if this happens it’s WAY more nerve-wracking for you than it is for your kid (we’ve BEEN THERE! Cast Members are incredible at keeping your kiddos calm!), but trust that this happens more than you might realize and Disney World has a system in place to deal with it.
Your child will be taken to the Baby Care Center in the park if they’re under 10, and if older, they’ll be taken to Guest Relations to wait for you. You should be reunited with your child in no time. That said, keep an eye on those kids, Mom and Dad. You’ll be surprised how easily they can get away from you in Disney World!
Claustrophobia, Anxiety, and a Fear of Heights
While Disney World might be the Most Magical Place on Earth, it can also be stressful in certain situations for people who struggle with severe anxiety, get claustrophobic, or even have a fear of heights. Since there are constantly crowds around you, it might be difficult to really get a “breather” in the parks.
Toy Story Land crowds
Plus, some of those rides have very narrow queue line areas or put you in confined spaces for a long timem– not to mention that some of the ride vehicles themselves are pretty tiny (Mission: SPACE, anyone??).
Mission: SPACE
A few rides like the Tower of Terror and Expedition Everest or even the Skyliner Gondolas can also be rough for guests who have a fear of heights. If a member of your party could possibly feel claustrophobic or anxious, make sure to let a Cast Member know and they will help escort you out of the ride.
Tower of Terror
While you’re planning, you may want to keep in mind that rides like the Haunted Mansion, Dinosaur, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Splash Mountain could cause some distress if you happen to have any of these fears as well. Look up what each ride entails, watch a youtube ride-through, and decide before you go if you feel up for riding so you’re not caught off guard in the moment.
DINOSAUR
Disney World was intended to be a happy, enjoyable place — NOT a cause for stress and strife! So if you run into any worries on your vacation just speak to a Cast Member and they’ll do all they can to help you feel comfortable.
Constance Hatchaway
Haunted Mansion is just one of those rides that COULD give you the creeps in general — I mean, it’s a haunted house with ghosts, after all! 
While jump scares in the graveyard and the “huuurrryyyy baaaackkk” dialogue can give you hot and cold running chills, Constance Hatchaway’s story is possibly the creepiest thing about the ride.
Haunted Mansion Graveyard
Once you make your way into the attic, Constance makes it very clear that she decapitated all of her husbands after she married them (anybody else a little surprised that nobody noticed she was a murderess IRL sooner??). And, when she lets you know that she’s looking for her next victim, we SWEAR she’s looking right at us when she says it. YIKES!
Haunted Mansion
This makes us think back to our childhood days of covering our eyes for any frightful scenes in rides. If you’re more than a little unnerved by the murderous bride in her attic, just close those peepers for the few seconds the ride traverses through that scene (but we promise, it isn’t THAT bad! The older bride with no face? THAT was really creepy! 
).
A VERY Creepy Hidden Ventriloquist Doll
The Tower of Terror is another attraction that has terrifying twists, turns, and killer drops. Although the plot of the Disney themed The Twilight Zone episode is nothing less than eerie, it’s the exit of the ride that creeps us out the most.
Tower of Terror Sign
As you’re leaving the elevator, you can spot the Caesar ventriloquist doll from the show’s episode “Caesar and Me.” In case you haven’t watched it, Caesar is a demonic doll that convinces people to do harmful things.
Demonic Dummy
Yeah, so it’s on THAT cheery note that you get to go explore the rest of Hollywood Studios after you “drop in” to the Tower of Terror and spot Caesar!
(Oh and here’s a fun little piece of info! Tower of Terror cast members believe that if you don’t say hello and goodnight to Caesar each day, bad things will happen!)
Disney Basically Knows Where You Are 24/7
My Disney Experience is a REALLY helpful tool when it comes to vacation planning. You can book FastPasses for rides, keep track of your Advance Dining Reservations, and even check the wait times in the park. But, My Disney Experience also is a teensy bit stalker-ish if you think about it.
Capacity Message pop-up on My Disney Experience
During the times we’ve been in the parks, we’ve received push notifications and pop-ups welcoming us and suggesting activities to do nearby.
Plus, in combination with your MagicBand, if you’ve made FastPass+, dining, or room reservations, Disney practically knows where you’re going to be at all times.
If that majorly creeps you out, you can choose not to share your location with the app or only share it when you’re using My Disney Experience!
My Disney Experience screenshot
While a MagicBand can be incredibly useful while at Disney World, you can also opt to receive a room card in lieu of a MagicBand if you don’t want that full “big brother” vibe while you’re there.
Villains Taking Over Space Mountain
Villains After Hours is a BLAST! It’s one of the few times you get to see all the villains out in the parks. This extra-ticketed event happens on select nights in Magic Kingdom once the park has closed for the night, giving you access to shorter lines, great photo ops, and exclusive treats.
Queen of Hearts Photo Op
But, it wouldn’t be a party without some of those Disney overlays on rides! Although there are some pretty cool spots to check out (we LOVED seeing all the REAL buccaneers out at Pirates of the Caribbean), there are a few that we found to be a little frightening for the villains themed event.
Pirates of the Caribbean
During Villains After Hours, the stars are shut off in Space Mountain and the attraction is in complete darkness. Oh, and did we mention that it comes with a soundtrack of villains laughing and screaming (Yeah, they’re the kind of sounds that keep you up at night.)?
So, if you’re with your kids, you might want to skip the Villains After Hours overlay of Space Mountain if your little ones get scared easily.
Space Mountain
We’ve got to admit, we’re grown-up (kind of) and we STILL found this super scary!!!
Nanny Chairs
If you try to think of the most terrifying thing on earth and then multiply it by two, you’ve got the Nanny Chairs at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. They’re based on real chairs from 19th-century carousels that nannies used so they could sit down while the kids they watched rode on the horses. But, they’re just terrifying looking with almost evil faces (look at that scary grin!!).
Boardwalk Nanny Chair
And, since Disney likes to pay attention to details, they’re VERY authentic to the original Nanny Chairs you could find on the carousels. You can spot four of the chairs, named Todd, Paul, Alix, and Carrie.
BUT, there are usually only two out by the fireplace in the lobby, so you never know where the other ones are lurking (AKA in our nightmares).
Boardwalk Inn Nanny Chair
In all truthfulness, these are really fun to watch “move” around the resort (Cast Members often move the chairs, so you never know where they’ll end up!). They’re pretty creepy to look at but they’re a fascinating piece of history!
Being Alone at Nighttime
It’s not a super common occurrence to be alone in a Disney Park — after all, there are usually crowds and Cast Members around! However, on an off chance you get to experience this, it can be kind of spooky. It’s that same feeling of “in space, no one can hear you scream,” but in a theme park.
Cinderella Castle
Plus, those moments where you’re waiting for one of the last Disney buses, walking to your car in a nearly empty parking lot, or making your way back to your resort room alone late in the evening can make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.
Main Street, U.S.A.
Like Peter Pan says, just think of the happiest things!! But remember to be safe. Just because it’s Disney World doesn’t mean nothing bad can happen. Stay aware.
There are so many experiences in Disney World that might give you the heebie-jeebies. Disney tries its best to be full of magic and happiness at every turn but sometimes, it’s still easy to get spooked! If you or a party member gets frightened easily, keep these in mind before you plan your next trip!
What are some of the scariest things you’ve experienced in Disney World? Let us know in the comments below!
From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney Entertainment, disney parks, disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, anxiety, caesar dummy, claustrophobia, Constance Hatchaway, Disney, disney crowds, Disney fireworks, disney news, Disney World, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, fear of heights, Galaxy’s Edge, Haunted Mansion, Kylo Ren, magic kingdom, My Disney Experience, nanny chairs, seasonal overlays, space mountain, space mountain overlay, Star Wars Land, Star Wars Launch Bay, tower of terror, villains after hours
