Parents Abandon Child in Disney Park, Resulting in Cast Member Warning

Disneyland Resort, known as the “The Happiest Place on Earth,” is a popular tourist location, seeing thousands of guests daily. It’s no surprise that guests head to Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park in California, or one of the four theme parks located in Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort, to experience magic and memory-making moments that will last a lifetime!

But, amid the Disney Park magic – sometimes families get carried away, distracted, and forget the most important thing they brought with them…their child! A story about a Disneyland child has surfaced on social media.

Unattended Children

While some attractions do not allow guests under a certain height to ride, Disney asks guests not to leave children unattended, no matter the circumstance. Guests have been caught leaving newborns alone and other children with “responsible parents” nowhere in sight. This may seem like an easy task to ask an adult to stay with a child, but over time, children have been spotted waiting for missing parents who have promised they will be right back.

Cast Member Warning

In a social media post, a former Disney cast member talked about how many times cast members had to tell parents not to leave children unattended. This former Disney cast member talks about one situation where a child was reportedly left in Toontown at Disneyland Park and was told to wait for the parents there.

It wasn’t until the parents were parked hoping that they realized they had more tickets than people. The cast member had to take the child to the other park to reunite with the parents. Here’s the story:

“Former DL cast member – this is true, kind of. The amount of times parents were the ones that wandered off from their children is astounding! When kids would tell us that ‘responsible adult’ told me to wait here (usually at a table) and didn’t come back -the parents is in fact the lost one. Often times the parents wouldn’t realize until they were at the front of the line for a ride or the front of the park. These were also the parents that then screamed at the child when reunited.”

“I once had a lost kiddo help me host Goofy in ToonTown for the full 30 minute set (girl wouldn’t leave ToonTown where she was supposed to be waiting). At the end of the set security told me come with him to take her to Guest Relations in DCA because the parents didn’t realize she wasn’t with her until they we’re switching parks and had more tickets than people.”

Disneyland Child Safety 

Disneyland takes the safety of its guests seriously and has implemented various measures to address the issue of lost children. When entering the park, parents are encouraged to take advantage of resources provided by Disneyland to ensure their children’s safety. Furthermore, Disneyland’s Guest Services has posted on its website:

Please report lost children to a Cast Member so Disneyland Resort security personnel can assist you. Children who become separated from their parents while in the park will be escorted to the nearest Baby Care Center and Lost Children facility by a Cast Member.

Lost children found in the Downtown Disney District are taken to the Disneyland Hotel or the Baby Care Center and Lost Children facility inside Disneyland Park.

When a lost child is reunited with their parents, there is an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude. The tears of fear turn into tears of joy, and the family embraces in a tight hug, knowing that they’ve found each other again.

Have you ever seen a lost or abandoned child while visiting a Disney Park? Let us know in the comments! 

This post is originally appeared on Disney Dining.