For many people, Walt Disney World really is the most magical place on Earth. But even they will admit that sometimes you have to bring your patience with you, because a trip to the theme parks often sees lengthy wait times for popular attractions. It looks like someone didn’t get the memo to practice patience, though. A viral TikTok showed a woman with some serious “Karen” energy swearing up a storm in front of kids after the Skyliner broke down.
The Skyliner provides an easy mode of transportation between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and a handful of resorts in Disney World. So when it broke down recently, some guests were understandably frustrated. That didn’t excuse the behavior of one woman, who was captured in a viral video by TikTok user @abigail_stl. She displayed a toxic attitude and repeatedly used the f-word in front of the other guests, including children. Her behavior had fellow guests and TikTok viewers labeling her “Karen” – and in the following video, you can see why:
@abigails_stl
♬ original sound – Abigails Boutique
No one would say that Walt Disney World gets everything right when it comes to creating a perfect guest experience. We hear stories all the time about situations that could have gone better – like when guests waited for almost four hours to meet The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Jack and Sally during Disney’s recently (and possibly pre-emptively) launched Not So Scary Halloween Party festivities.
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However, when there’s a technical malfunction on one of the rides, there’s not much the Disney cast members can do besides work quickly to get it back up and running. So it’s not really going to help anything to spread this negative energy when there’s little anyone can do around you to speed up the situation. In the TikTok clip, it’s easy to see that the “Karen” in question’s attitude wasn’t helping the other guests stay calm. If anything, it was adding to their own frustration as they waited for the Skyliner to be repaired.
This was unfortunately not the first act of “Karen-ing’ caught on video at Disney World this summer. Back in June, another woman went viral on TikTok after she jumped out of a Cosmic Rewind cart and stalked off across the Guardians of the Galaxy ride’s platform after it broke down. She did that in spite of numerous pleas from nearby cast members to stay put. At least the situation at the Skyliner didn’t escalate as much as it could have. After all, heated exchanges at Disney World have gotten physical in the past, including a recent brawl over photo opps in front of the Disney Garden.
If you’re planning your own trip to Walt Disney World, there are enough exciting new and upcoming attractions to keep you busy that even if you do have your own unfortunate “Karen” encounter, you can still have a magical experience.