• The new WDWMAGIC iOS app is here!
    Stay up to date with the latest Disney news, photos, and discussions right from your iPhone. The app is free to download and gives you quick access to news articles, forums, photo galleries, park hours, weather and Lightning Lane pricing. Learn More
  • Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
    Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.

Do Guests Ever hide in the park after hours?

civileng68

Account Suspended
Original Poster
I know this question sounds so completely stupid to most of you, but it's very realistic.


Before I moved to South Florida I lived in Charlotte, NC and through college worked as an intern at night for Paramount Movie Company in the Paramount Carowinds theme park. It is like a 6 flags, just smaller. (just to give an idea of what it is like).

I used to work in the accounting department. Each night we would walk through the park during the night collecting the money from the restraunt safes and games and things of that nature. This was very cool because I got to see an amusement park and what it is like at night closed.

We drove through the park with a golf cart with a hauling bed on the back of it for the money. it was eery for much of the night because until nearly 2 am the park music ran and it was just wierd feeling. It was very cool though. We played the basketball games they have just for fun. We went out in two man teams through the park.

I can say it is something very cool., However, there were times where occassionally after the park "sweep" of guests, to officially call the park "closed" as we were walking we would see a guest sneaking through the park. I was wondering if this happened at Disney at all.

this presents a major danger to people doing the job such as I did because even though the money was locked in safe's after we got it, we were not escorted by guards after closing. Guards walked through the park but were not directly with us. In most parks such as Carowinds, there are lots of trees and hideaways and it just presented a danger.

Not directly asking about carrying the money at the parks, I ask...............................are there any ever known issues of guests hiding in the parks and getting away with it until either late at night or even until lasting until the morning?
 

The Mom

Moderator
Premium Member
Yes. I know of one incident where they hid, and took one of the trams (minus the passenger cars) for a joy ride. And yes, they were caught.
 

civileng68

Account Suspended
Original Poster
avatar

Originally posted by objr
I've wondered myself...and knowing how immature people can be at times...I will guess....yes.

:brick:

Please take your avatar down, you're breaking my heart. :(
 

One Lil Spark

EPCOT Center Defender
I've always wondered the same thing... Even wondered if I could get away with it. It's kind of scary though to think of the whole park shut down with no one in it. You'd not ride any rides b/c they'd all be closed.

I just keep remembering a thred a few months back saying that the AA's keep going with their movements like on Dinosaur and IASW without the music. That would creep me out.
 

civileng68

Account Suspended
Original Poster
yes

I saw a show on the AA's.

they do in fact keep moving. Imagine being in POTC and riding through by yourself with the show playing at 3:00 am. That would be creepy but cool.

I know i know, you couldnt ride it if you snuck in at night. Just wishful thinking.

I think that it would be cool to stake out the park at night though.
 

bucklmd

New Member
No, you couldn't ride pirates, but maybe you could just swim through?? I think it would be pretty easy to stay in the park. I know someone mentioned staying on Tom Sawyer's island in another thread. But, you know that Disney, like any company counts heads. They know how many go in and when you go through the turnstiles on the way out, it counts you again right?
And I'm sure if the number at the end of the day doesn't match the beginning of the day, then some kind of search would begin?

On a similar note. I was there for the weekend of the marathon. We had 4-day hopper tickets and the morning of the marathon, we did the Keys to the Kingdom tour, so we had to get to MK before official opening time. Well, assuming we were just there for the marathon finish, we were given wrist bands and ushered in and we didn't have to use our tickets. We certainly weren't counted on entering that day. So, my guess is that we were undetected. It was also really tempting to not go to any of the other parks that day so we would essentially have had a free day in the park and still had another day left on our tickets. That day was our last chance to see Fantasmic, so we went to MGM later. It would have worked out great though!!
 

popkid

New Member
i doubt if the turnstiles numbers actually add up at the end of the day. every so often when i would exit a park i would somehow end up going thru the gates reserved for wheelchairs and stollers and i'm sure i'm not the only one.

there must be a technique disney employs for sweeping the park of 'overnight' guests, but i bet with a little determination, you could pull an all-nighter in the park - and i'm sure with all the visitors to WDW and all the nut cases - that it has been attempted numerous times...

i would imagine the biggest problem being the cleaning crew that combs the park nightly. you might have to keep on the move to avoid being swept up by them...

i would love to do it for the photo opportunities :)

but i bet if you get caught they take you over to 'its a small world' and make you ride the attraction over and over... all night long....
 

NowInc

Well-Known Member
It happens more than you think (id say at least one person attempts it per night)...and they ALWAYS eventually get caught..one way or another. Its not like disney doesnt do constant walkthrus of the parks at night...
 

AllThatsJoey

Active Member
On the night of my Grad Night back in 97 a guy from the 96 class hid in the park between regular closing and Grad Night opening to be able to hang out with his younger friends. But that was only a couple of hours and not a regular nightly closing.
 

imagineersrock

New Member
i think it could be done pretty easily.. especially when we're talking AK for example.. my guess is that that park is hell for the crew of people who need to do the final "sweep" of the park..:lookaroun
 

Mr Bill

Well-Known Member
I remember reading something a while back, I think it was at Snopes. Two kids stayed on Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland and hid in a cave after closing. When they tried to leave later, they eventaully drowned.
 

mandib

Member
Reading this I thought of an awesome idea let's have a sleepover at MK. lol I can dream can't I? I've always looked for places to hide though. I don't think I would have the guts to.
 

mkt

When a paradise is lost go straight to Disney™
Premium Member
it's not really worth it IMO...

everything closes after hours, so you'd have nothing really to do other than walk around aimlessly for 10+ hours
 

Tom

Beta Return
Originally posted by mkt
it's not really worth it IMO...

everything closes after hours, so you'd have nothing really to do other than walk around aimlessly for 10+ hours

Yeah, it would be pretty boring! However, I don't predict it would be hard to hide overnight. There are a lot of bushes and trees and fences and walls. Sure, you wouldn't be able to move around much, or do anything, but you could surely stay in one place overnight.

As for the turnstiles counting people, the earlier post was right. Their intent on counting is for attendance records only, not for making sure everyone gets out. I have been there also when people left through the wheelchair gates or other openings. They roughly count how many people leave so they know at any given time how many people, approximately, are in the parks, because they close admission when they reach capacity.
 

DSpear456

New Member
If you spent the night in the park, it'd have to be in one place. I've pulled a couple all nighters at the MK (working that is) and it is not as empty as you might think. All the walkways are hosed down with water, various repairs are done, etc. If you hid overnight, you wouldnt be able to go anywhere without getting caught. I could think of several places where you could hide and not get caught, but you wouldnt be able to actually go wander around. But would you really want to do this if nothing was open?
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom