Thousands of Disney fans descend on their amusement parks each day. From Disney World to Disneyland and even across the pond at Disney Paris. We can't leave out Shanghai Disney or Tokyo Disney either. Needless to say, there are a lot of people.
Recently I made the mistake of going to the opening day of EPCOT's Festival of the Arts. Yes, it was crowded and the wait times for food were long but what made those lines longer was waiting with some of the worst people in the world. Influencers.
Sorry, not all "influencers" are bad people and I would even go so far as to say none of them really are. I knew I was in for a long day the second I entered EPCOT and waited for some girl's partner to snap 100 photos in front of the Festival of the Arts sign.
Every pose was twisted just enough to make it different and every time someone else tried to capture the moment for their own family, she had a snide remark and darting gaze. At one point, a Disney guest had enough of the waiting and sat his family on the wall right next to her. He took their picture and she yelled, "I better not be in that!" He never said a word and walked away. A moment later, she was all smiles for the camera.
Further into the park where the festival kiosks began to pop up were people talking about the drinks and food they were trying out. "Oh this is a wonderful blend of cheeses" one woman quipped to her phone as she ate a toasted cheese sandwich.
They were everywhere. Next to the "Walt the Dreamer" statue that debuted at the park last month, were several others. I give them one thing, they know how to stay out of each other's way. Just not out of the way of the rest of Disney's guests.
So how do you navigate around them? How do you move in for your family shot or get by them when they abruptly stop to take a quick video because the monorail is coming around the corner...and of course, that is a perfect opportunity to video blog.
The simple answer is you don't change your day. You remain polite and treat them like any other guest that might annoy you or block your route. Say "Excuse me" and keep on going. If you get in their frame and they politely ask you to move, move. If they give you attitude, don't fire back.
Disney loves that influencers come to the parks. It's free advertising and promotes their agenda. As one cast member told me, if push came to shove, you are more likely to be removed before they are. Unless of course, it is really bad on their part.
Whether you find value in what they do or not doesn't matter. It is a public park and as such everyone has a right to be there and do what they want to an extent when they are there. If you are waiting longer than normal because someone is trying to 'VLOG" the perfect angle or take a hundred photos, just take yours and remove them later.
While walking past Spaceship Earth a girl was live "vlogging" as she walked. Apparently, my daughter and I were in her frame. She said, "Could you move your in my shot," I replied, "Could you walk faster, you're in my way." She moved, I walked by and she went about her day and I went about mine.
Vloggers are becoming a problem at Disney parks and it isn't going to change on busy days and first-day events, they will be someone we all have to deal with...just like the 30-year-old guy who feels it necessary to stand in front of kids for the parade.