Does anyone else notice the lack of diversity at Walt Disney World as of late?

Status
Not open for further replies.

JellyMintJames

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 28, 2017
I don't know if it's just me but I was recently there at Disney World and noticed not to many people of my color there but it's probably just me. I know people from all over the globe come to Disney World but not too many black american's. That is probably why I feel singled out sometimes when I go or the cast members give me weird looks when I am the only one standing in line for character meet and greets lol I guess they don't see too many of my kind. I don't know but the cast members do need to open their mind a little more when single black adult guys stand in lines for character meet and greets.
 
I didn't notice a lack of diversity and I'm sorry you felt that way. I will comment on adults only at M&G. I think some CM are weirded out by it and others don't even notice. I visited with relatives a few years ago and my cousin at the time was maybe mid-20's and some CM gave her a side eye when she had characters sign her autograph book without any kids in tow. She certainly let them know how she felt. I love character M&G and enjoy them a lot- especially speaking characters that are fully immersed in the character they play. I follow a girl on youtube that "knows some of the characters" since she can't say who she's played at WDW and she's talked a good bit about adults and young adult interactions as Ariel, etc. It's neat to hear about all the people they get to meet.
 
@JellyMintJames - I totally have to agree with the very eloquent post by @TheSouthernBelle, on both counts.

First off, I'm so very sorry you feel anything but happy, included, and magical while at WDW. However, since I have not personally experienced what you're referencing for the same reason, I have to also say your feelings are your feelings, and you are entitled to have them, and have them be validated.

Secondly, I have to say that since I really didn't start going regularly until I was 32 years of age, I have also gotten some "looks" - especially earlier on (I think it's more common now to have adults sans kids, doing M&G's/character meals, etc. alone - at least it seems that way to me) but I also have to say that most of the looks I noticed directed at me were usually more from other guests, and not CM's. I've even had parents push their kids in FRONT of me - sometimes even when I was on a scooter (so a much bigger "target") while waiting in a M&G line, saying "My kids go first, it's a character, and you;re an adult", or "Obviously you have no kids with you, so you're not here to meet whomever" or something along those lines. Yeah - I got a tad "verbal" in return, I did. :mic:

Whatever the case is, I certainly hope you feel much more included, relaxed, and "into" your next experience, whenever that will be. Everybody deserves to feel special and magical, and yet just like everybody else while at WDW. At least IMHO, and that's part of the reason I love it. :)
 


No, it's not just you. I've been on trips in the past where it's striking to go from west coast (where I live in LA) to Florida. You're usually ok once you're inside the Disney bubble, but Florida itself is the deep south. Some CMs are locals to that deep south. And once in a while you will cross a CM who may give you a look or they may be more aloof with you. Before anybody tells JellyMintJames that he is imagining things - yes, this happens. I haven't had this kind of treatment at a meet and greet (no kids with me either), but I have had this happen to me while shopping, browsing, checking out. China in Epcot was probably my worst experience.

I had wanted to try on a china dress and had asked for a dressing room please, but it did not go very well :/ The older CM gentleman had made it pretty clear that he didn't want me trying it on, and also that it was "expensive." I could read the price tag fine, and I wasn't a kid - I was 28 at the time. I tried it on after basically having to persuade him to let me have a dressing room, and while I was in there changing, I just felt awful. In the end, I still purchased the dress anyway. But it was on his face as he checked me out - there's no mistaking that expression. And although I still love that dress and still have it, there isn't a time I see it hanging in my closet that I don't think about that experience, at least for a split second.

I never brought this up back when I had my old disboards account because well...someone is just going to explain to you that 1) it's all in your head and 2)you're overly sensitive. Then there's the ever popular 3) not everything is about your skin color. Hey, I get it. Sometimes people are overly sensitive. Sometimes someone is just having a bad day, and how you look is the last thing on their mind. But other times, it's just kind of painfully obvious, and you have to decide in that moment whether or not you want to handle a situation with grace or confront someone. It's usually just easier to smile and move on.

Since someone else on these forums actually bothered to post about lack of diversity at WDW, of which I have never seen in my many years lurking here, here's my $0.02:

Disneyland is much more diverse than Disney World, at least when it comes to the locals. I don't ever feel out of place at DL because there's so many people of color that no one really cares. At WDW, mind you, it is a big deal if I see another family of color (black specifically) during my stay. I'm leaving for my first cruise and then return trip to WDW in a few days. It'll be interesting to see if there is any diversity on the cruise at all, or if things have changed at WDW since my last visit.

But anyway, I guess my point is, feeling out of place from time to time at WDW has never stopped me from wanting to go back. JellyMintJames, just brush it off and keep doing those M&Gs.
 
Like NoWindows mentioned, not all CMs are created equally. One day I was reading through the posts in the DIS LGBT board and several people mentioned CMs whose entire demeanor changed when they realized that the two people they were talking to were actually a couple. Others also mentioned that many CMs feel uncomfortable with single men at character M&G. Way back when my now teen son was a toddler my (Hispanic but could pass for Arabic) husband was stopped from getting on the carousel at Fantasyland because he was by himself. Mind you, there was absolutely no one else in line and my son and I were the only two people riding the carousel during MK EMH. The CM finally let him go when he pointed at us and we waved back. I don't doubt that even in the happiest place on earth prejudice still exists, but don't discount the fact that you are a man traveling without children. As far as diversity goes, I actually find that there are a lot more foreigners visiting WDW than DL. Maybe because my first language is not English my ears perk up when I hear a foreign language spoken at DW. My husband and I even play a game of "guess which Latin American country they are from" based on their accent.
 
I don't know if it's just me but I was recently there at Disney World and noticed not to many people of my color there but it's probably just me. I know people from all over the globe come to Disney World but not too many black american's. That is probably why I feel singled out sometimes when I go or the cast members give me weird looks when I am the only one standing in line for character meet and greets lol I guess they don't see too many of my kind. I don't know but the cast members do need to open their mind a little more when single black adult guys stand in lines for character meet and greets.
Could be true.

Could also be due to what else you have been posting about.
 


Disneyland is much more diverse than Disney World, at least when it comes to the locals. I don't ever feel out of place at DL because there's so many people of color that no one really cares. At WDW, mind you, it is a big deal if I see another family of color (black specifically) during my stay. I'm leaving for my first cruise and then return trip to WDW in a few days. It'll be interesting to see if there is any diversity on the cruise at all, or if things have changed at WDW since my last visit.
I get where you are coming from. I live in a neighborhood that became primarily black (in Carson), and now it's just a mixture. Every now and then I notice that I'm the only non-minority in the area, and can imagine that that is just a taste of what people of color usually feel. I think I get it. I just laugh at myself, and am really glad that my kids are in a generation and social group where it truly doesn't matter, and they will think it odd that anyone notices or cares.

But anyway, I guess my point is, feeling out of place from time to time at WDW has never stopped me from wanting to go back. JellyMintJames, just brush it off and keep doing those M&Gs.
:thumbsup2

Maybe because my first language is not English my ears perk up when I hear a foreign language spoken at DW. My husband and I even play a game of "guess which Latin American country they are from" based on their accent.
I play this game, too, though I add in 'or Spain.' ;)
 
No, it's not just you. I've been on trips in the past where it's striking to go from west coast (where I live in LA) to Florida. You're usually ok once you're inside the Disney bubble, but Florida itself is the deep south. Some CMs are locals to that deep south. And once in a while you will cross a CM who may give you a look or they may be more aloof with you. Before anybody tells JellyMintJames that he is imagining things - yes, this happens. I haven't had this kind of treatment at a meet and greet (no kids with me either), but I have had this happen to me while shopping, browsing, checking out. China in Epcot was probably my worst experience.

I had wanted to try on a china dress and had asked for a dressing room please, but it did not go very well :/ The older CM gentleman had made it pretty clear that he didn't want me trying it on, and also that it was "expensive." I could read the price tag fine, and I wasn't a kid - I was 28 at the time. I tried it on after basically having to persuade him to let me have a dressing room, and while I was in there changing, I just felt awful. In the end, I still purchased the dress anyway. But it was on his face as he checked me out - there's no mistaking that expression. And although I still love that dress and still have it, there isn't a time I see it hanging in my closet that I don't think about that experience, at least for a split second.

I never brought this up back when I had my old disboards account because well...someone is just going to explain to you that 1) it's all in your head and 2)you're overly sensitive. Then there's the ever popular 3) not everything is about your skin color. Hey, I get it. Sometimes people are overly sensitive. Sometimes someone is just having a bad day, and how you look is the last thing on their mind. But other times, it's just kind of painfully obvious, and you have to decide in that moment whether or not you want to handle a situation with grace or confront someone. It's usually just easier to smile and move on.

Since someone else on these forums actually bothered to post about lack of diversity at WDW, of which I have never seen in my many years lurking here, here's my $0.02:

Disneyland is much more diverse than Disney World, at least when it comes to the locals. I don't ever feel out of place at DL because there's so many people of color that no one really cares. At WDW, mind you, it is a big deal if I see another family of color (black specifically) during my stay. I'm leaving for my first cruise and then return trip to WDW in a few days. It'll be interesting to see if there is any diversity on the cruise at all, or if things have changed at WDW since my last visit.

But anyway, I guess my point is, feeling out of place from time to time at WDW has never stopped me from wanting to go back. JellyMintJames, just brush it off and keep doing those M&Gs.
China Epcot is the WORST!!! And its my kids favorite because they sell “squishies” and pandas but they definitely treat you like crap. And I’m white so...
 
Never noticed a lack of diversity at WDW at all. I see people of all kinds of different ethnicities everywhere. Have never noticed any of them being treated any differently by a CM because of it.
 
I'm going to WDW for the first time in seven years and now I'm really going to look around me. To be honest, it's so easy to be mesmerized by all things Disney that you really don't notice those around you, unless they are being rude to you personally. I mostly remember the CMs and the performers. But I also acknowledge that it's an easy statement to make when everyone else looks just like you do.
 
I'm going to WDW for the first time in seven years and now I'm really going to look around me. To be honest, it's so easy to be mesmerized by all things Disney that you really don't notice those around you, unless they are being rude to you personally. I mostly remember the CMs and the performers. But I also acknowledge that it's an easy statement to make when everyone else looks just like you do.

That was very much my thinking (and you said it better than I had it worded in my head) - it's not something I noticed but also I understand it's not something that would impact me so I am sure I am focusing on other things

There certainly going to be some people that are (even passively) prejudice (be it to race, sexual orientation, etc.) but also it could just be a case of someone having a bad day or looking "funny" at any single males be they black, white, or purple .... but I have found (and heard from many others) that overall Disney is viewed as more inclusive than the *real* world - but that definitely doesn't mean it is immune from these sorts of things and I am sorry that the OP experienced this/felt this way
 
China Epcot is the WORST!!! And its my kids favorite because they sell “squishies” and pandas but they definitely treat you like crap. And I’m white so...

i have to second this. i think the workers in China are like this with everyone. i was there with my cousin and they gave us the worse looks while we were looking at kimonos. i was 21 at the time, and look really young, but they we're still very rude about it.
 
i have to second this. i think the workers in China are like this with everyone. i was there with my cousin and they gave us the worse looks while we were looking at kimonos. i was 21 at the time, and look really young, but they we're still very rude about it.
They were like that with us as well.

And we were two older (50's) white women.
 
I can understand why you think this way, OP, and I don't think you are wrong. Crowds at WDW do tend to be somewhat homogeneous, seemingly mostly white and Asian. In relation to the Americans, there are certainly economic factors at play with that. While I will say I've never really seen any hostility from CMs, I have seen people being a little surprised when a frequent travelling friend and I are in a party together because he is African American. He did say that on this recent trip how nobody would ever sit next to him on the bus, though I think that probably has more to do with him being a rather large fellow. I am sorry to hear that some CMs made you feel uncomfortable doing meet & greets and such as that's definitely not in the Disney spirit. Everyone should get to enjoy everything equally.
 
he is African American. He did say that on this recent trip how nobody would ever sit next to him on the bus, though I think that probably has more to do with him being a rather large fellow.
I have also had this be the case, also being a "Pooh-sized/shaped" person. Sadly, and all too frequently. Both at WDW, and in everyday life. Even when I'm seated there FIRST, and there is ample room for the smaller person to sit next to me. I can kind of understand if I sat next to them, if they were already there, and they were (although rather rudely and stpuidly) concerned aobut being "squished", or if there were NOT ample room next to me. I have also seen, quite frequently, people on public transportation (or the Disney bus), or a plane, or the train - do the "lean towards the window" move, when I'm walking down the aisle, like I am some kind of massive Jabba the Hut stomping towards them, looking to sit ON them. Hurts my feelings, every single time. Sorry - you hit a sore spot with me on this. This is also why I told the OP while I may NOT be able to relate due to RACE, I can certainly relate due to FEELINGS.
 
Last edited:
Hate when I mess up a quote, and can't figure out how to change it, and it leaves the whole "blue box" thingie" like this did. :(


(Fixed it for you.... Mary Jo)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As a fellow POC who is always conscious of my surroundings, I can relate to your sentiments. Thankfully, when I go to WDW, for some reason, it doesn't bother me as much. Maybe because it's my place to "escape" so I'm not as conscious of it?? But like you mentioned, it could just be the single visitor/M&G thing, as well. Regardless, I hope that you don't let the discomfort bug you and enjoy your time there!
 

Oh, no, it's totally understandable. He said it made him angry as well because he thinks of himself as a very friendly guy. In fact he is. I was only pointing out to the OP that I didn't think that my friend experienced any poor treatment because of his race since that is what the OP is concerned about. Arguably, I think it is more likely that one could experience discrimination based on size moreso than race at WDW, because of the close quarters that we all share. That said, as the person sitting between him and my other big-guy buddy, I do understand nobody quite wanting to volunteer for that. My other friend there, who actually could not ride FoP because of his size, and while I didn't hear any snarky comments from anybody, I can imagine what people thought. The CMs were all super nice about it though.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top