Walt Disney World Facts vs Myths: Part Two!

So many myths about Walt Disney World have been spread over the years that it’s often hard to separate these fantasies from fact. I couldn’t fit all of these myths and facts into just one article, so if you’ve already played my WDW “true or false” game and are looking for even more myths and facts, you’ve come to the right place!

Here are even more facts and myths about Walt Disney World. Can you spot the truths from the falsehoods? Let’s find out!

There’s a giant dome over Walt Disney World.

Let’s start with a freebie. For years, there’s been an enduring “fact” circulating that there’s an invisible, giant dome over all of WDW that allows Disney to control the weather. We can only assume that anyone who believes this one has been sprinkled with a little too much pixie dust.

Yes, Disney is magical and innovative, and one of the most well-known companies on the planet.  But it can’t control the weather. For the record, there is no dome over Walt Disney World (WDW property is so vast, this would be impossible), and as anyone who has ever experienced the often fickle weather of Orlando knows, it does actually rain in Walt Disney World!

There are no flags in Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

Any Guest who has ever had the pleasure of entering Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park and walking down Main Street, U.S.A. has passed by countless flags. Or – have they?

It turns out every “flag” in the Park was designed to be missing a stripe or a star, so not a single one is a real American flag, and therefore they’re more accurately referred to as pennants. Why would Disney Imagineers do such a thing? Real American flags are bound by the regulations of the national flag code, meaning they’d need to be lowered and flown at half-mast on given days – by altering the “flags” in the Park, Disney avoids having to adhere to these strict regulations.

Cast Members aren’t allowed to say “no” to a Guest.

Walt Disney World has earned its reputation as the most magical place on Earth, and part of the reason for that magic is the legendary customer service provided by Cast Members throughout the parks, Disney Resorts, and Disney Springs. Cast Members go above and beyond to make dreams come true for Guests every single day, but is it true that they aren’t allowed to say “no” to Guests?

While it wouldn’t be their preferred response, and they’ll be polite and “Disney” in their answer, Cast Members are in fact allowed to say “no” to Guests, especially if a Guest asks about something that is against the Park rules or might endanger someone’s safety. That being said, there are three words Cast Members are not allowed to say to a Guest: “I don’t know”. If they don’t know the answer to a question, they must find out (or, in the case of a whimsical question about a Disney character, they can simply make it up!).

A Guest was decapitated on Space Mountain.

It’s not pleasant to think about, but occasionally Guests are injured or, tragically, die on Walt Disney World property – often, but not always, due to pre-existing conditions or natural causes. One of the enduring “facts” about Walt Disney World is that a Guest stood up on Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland and then lost his head.

Fact or fiction? This one falls squarely in the “myth” camp, happily! There’s zero evidence of anyone ever being decapitated on any WDW ride. It’s certainly understandable how such a myth came to be, though – Space Mountain is a terrifying roller-coaster ride through darkness, and Guests (especially tall ones!) often have a completely rational fear of hitting their heads on something as they zoom by in the dark.

There are no bathrooms in Liberty Square to keep it era-appropriate.

Walt Disney World excels at placing Guests in immersive experiences where detail is everything. And, in keeping with that detail, it’s long been held that there are no bathrooms in Liberty Square at Disney’s Magic Kingdom because in colonial times – the era the land is themed to – there wouldn’t have been indoor plumbing or public restrooms. The attention to detail even extends to the brown strip of pavement running through the area, designed to emulate the open sewer full of waste that would have run through a town at that time.

So, are there actually public bathrooms here? No. But also, sort of. There is a hidden bathroom upstairs at Liberty Tree Tavern, but it’s only available for Guests who are dining here.

Rain never falls off Spaceship Earth.

At first glance, the “fact” that rain never falls off Spaceship Earth in World Celebration at Disney’s EPCOT Theme Park seems to have been concocted by the same person who spread the “Disney dome” myth.  After all, as a geodesic sphere, anytime it rains, water should come streaming down Spaceship Earth, collecting at its base. 

Except, it doesn’t. Even during the worst rainstorm of the year, the base of Spaceship Earth stays dry.  How? It seems that EPCOT’s iconic sphere has a water collection gutter system that catches the rain, and then funnels it down into underground drains, and eventually out into the World Showcase Lagoon.

Bottom Line

At Walt Disney World, “real life” is put on hold, and dreams come true. So it makes sense that separating truth from fiction can be challenging here! How did you do? Could you pick out the blatant lies and enduring myths from the facts? If not, you can always start planning your next WDW trip to conduct some first-hand research!