Super Abnormal Things That Are Normal in Disney World

Psst! Hey, you! We’ve got a secret to share, and it might be something of a shock: Although Disney will tell you SOME of what you need to know before you get to Disney World, they’re definitely not sharing the whole picture.

There are some things that happen in Disney World that are just…well…not normal. We’ve seen our fair share of first-time visitors looking around like, “What is going on? Am I in a dream?” Nope – you’re just in the very unusual land of Disney World, where a LOT of abnormal things are simply accepted as the way things are. To avoid that moment of surreal confusion, take a look at 7 WEIRD things that are actually quite common in Disney World.

You can get a lot of good information about Disney World before your visit. We’ve got menus and reviews of ALL the restaurants, tips and tricks for saving money, and a guide to which hotels are the best. But you may also need a quick heads up about some general things you’ll see happening that might come off as quite strange. Don’t worry – these are all NORMAL in Disney World.

Goofy and Pluto Are Both Dogs…What?

We all know Mickey’s dog, Pluto, right? The adorable yellow pup who barks and wags his tail? You know.

But it turns out Pluto isn’t the only canine member of the Fab 5 — apparently Goofy is also a dog! Now, he’s not a dog the same way that Pluto is a dog. At the very least, he’s an anthropomorphic dog whereas Pluto is just a normal dog.

We did some digging to really get to the bottom of this issue, and we found an interview conducted by USA Today with Bill Farmer — Goofy’s voice actor since 1987. According to Farmer, Goofy “seems to be in the canine family without explicitly being labeled as a dog.” Apparently, the technical term for Goofy is “Canis Goofus.”

However, we have to point out that Goofy’s original name (in a comic strip that began in 1932) was Dippy Dawg. So clearly Goofy is, in fact, a dog (or at least he was at some point).

We don’t need to talk about the fact that he may or may not be dating Clarabelle Cow and how does that work, especially since Clarabelle herself has a puppy (named Bella).

So Pluto is a dog owned by Mickey the mouse who is friends with Goofy the dog who may be dating Clarabelle the cow who has a pet dog as well. And everyone’s just OK with that?

In Disney World, anything is possible.

See a FULL LIST of character meet-and-greets currently available in Disney World here.

Cast Members Treating You Like Royalty (Literally)

Shake off the confusion of the whole Goofy and Pluto debate, because the next unusual thing in Disney World is much simpler. The Cast Members treat guests like royalty — sometimes literally.

We’re not talking about little magical moments, like when a Cast Member draws pictures of Disney characters on the ground with water and a broom. Or even when they randomly break out in a dancing flash mob! (Although we love both of those things.)

We’re talking about how Cast Members will sometimes refer to guests as “prince” or “princess.” If someone calls you that in Disney World, don’t be alarmed. They don’t think you’re 3 years old. They’re not confusing you with someone else. They just call people that because hey, we’re in Disney World, so why not?

Remember that you won’t always be called princess, though. In some lands, you’ll have a different role to play. For example, as soon as you enter Toy Story Land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you become an honorary member of Andy’s toys. Yes, that means you’ll be referred to as a toy!

Over in Galaxy’s Edge, you may be greeted as a “traveler” passing through Batuu. (Remember, it’s polite to greet Cast Members here by saying “Bright Suns!”)

Wherever you are in Disney World, you’re inside an elaborate story. And sometimes you get to be part of it as well!

Find out why Disney World Cast Members are the BEST.

Paying a LOT of Money to Walk 10+ Miles a Day in 80+ Degree Heat

Alright princess, let’s get real here. Disney World vacations are NOT cheap. So of course, once you arrive it’s a perfectly relaxing, smooth ride, right? Sorry…no.

Actually, you’ll probably walk 10 to 15 miles per day (maybe more) to get to all the rides, shows, restaurants, and gift shops that you want to visit. Disney World parks are BIG and sometimes they’re pretty spread out as well.

Our reporters — who are in the parks every day — walk 10 to 12 miles each time they visit. And they’re not walking in breezy 65-degree weather either — get ready for some HOT days if you’re visiting Orlando any time between March and October (although there will be the occasional hot days even past that).

The heat is no joke. Right now, as we’re writing this post in August, Orlando is a balmy 83 degrees with pop-up thunderstorms expected this afternoon. It’ll get up to 90 degrees tomorrow once those storms clear away the clouds. This radical change in temperature and weather is to be expected in Central Florida, but there are some ways you can prepare.

First, make sure you’ve packed all the essentials you’ll need in your park bag. We never visit the parks without our trusty rain poncho, and on super hot days we might pack an extra t-shirt to change into in case ours gets too sweaty.

The most important thing you should have, though, is GREAT walking shoes. PLEASE don’t buy your shoes a week before your Disney World trip and expect them to be perfect — no matter how great the shoes are, you’ll need to break them in ahead of time. Try walking a couple of miles a day for a few weeks before your trip to prepare yourself and your shoes.

As people who LOVE Disney World, we honestly don’t mind the sweat, storms, and sore feet. And we know a lot of people who feel the same way! But you’ll be happiest if you prepare ahead of time with great gear to get you through the day.

Find the BEST shoes for your Disney World trip.

Waking Up Before Sunrise…On Vacation

Similar to the previous point, you may find yourself wondering why you can’t sleep in on your very expensive vacation. If you’re hoping to take advantage of everything Disney World has to offer (and skip some of those long lines at the popular rides), you’ll probably have to be up before 7AM each day. WHAT?

First of all, you may want to rope-drop the Disney World parks. Rope-drop means you arrive at the park well before it opens (at least a half hour before opening time) so that you’re ready to go RIGHT when Cast Members let guests inside.

Remember that people who are staying at a Disney-owned hotel can get inside the parks 30 minutes BEFORE the official opening time. That means you should be at the park entrance a full hour before park opening!

Don’t forget to plan for transportation time, too. The line for buses between the parks and hotels can get very long in the morning, so you’ll want to be at the bus stop early. The same is true for the Skyliner stations at certain hotels.

And if you’re going to purchase Genie+, you’ll need to wake up before 7AM to buy it for everyone in your group who’s going to use it. You need to get it ready before that time because 7AM is when you can make your first Lightning Lane reservation to skip the line at a ride.

If Genie+ confuses and scares you, we don’t blame you. Check out our full guide here to master the Genie!

Whether you’re Genie+ing it up or rope dropping, you probably shouldn’t count on sleeping in at Disney World…like, at all.

Learn how to make the MOST out of Early Theme Park Entry in Disney World.

Adults “Dressing Up” like Disney Characters

Being an adult in the normal world is NOT the same as being an adult in Disney World. You can hug a giant mouse, dance along to the parade music, and full-on sob during fireworks shows (don’t judge us — we know you’ve done it too).

And you can ALSO “dress up” like your favorite Disney characters! We put “dress up” with quotation marks because you can’t actually don a full costume to become a Disney character. Little kids might get confused as to why there are multiple Cinderellas in the park, everyone would be asking for your autograph all day, it’d just be a disaster. (And Disney won’t let you, is the main reason why you can’t.)

However, adults CAN Disneybound, which means wearing outfits that are inspired by Disney characters. That could look like a bright yellow dress with a red belt and a honeypot-shaped purse to Disneybound as Winnie the Pooh. Or maybe you put on a red shirt, khakis, and a leather belt to become Gaston.

Whichever character you want to pay tribute to, know that your Disney-inspired outfit is allowed — and in fact encouraged — as long as it’s subtle enough to not be mistaken for an actual costume.

Learn the ins and outs of Disneybounding here.

Wearing Matching Outfits with Your Whole Family

Speaking of dressing in unusual ways, you might look around in Magic Kingdom and see a veritable sea of t-shirts that are all the same color. Upon closer inspection, you find that there are quite a few people all wearing the same shirt! They’re not Cast Members, they’re not children on a school trip, so they must be regular guests!

It’s very common to see families wearing matching outfits in Disney World. Sometimes that’s for practical reasons — if you’re traveling with a large group for a family reunion, it’s nice to be able to spot each other from far away so no one gets lost. And sometimes it’s just because the family wants cute photos together for their Christmas card.

Maybe in the real world, you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same outfit as your siblings and parents. But in Disney World, that rule goes out the window. Grab those matching tees! And if you can add your names in the Disney font, even better. Of course, Dad needs his token “Most Expensive Day Ever” shirt to wear to the parks — classic.

See our best tips for visiting Disney World with a large group.

Trash Can Tables

We were taught from a young age to not eat out of the garbage can. But nobody specified that we shouldn’t eat ON the garbage can. So that’s what we do in Disney World. And we do it quite a lot.

Especially when Disney World is very busy, it can be tough to find a seat and table outside if you just grabbed a quick snack or meal at a counter service restaurant. Maybe all the tables are full, or maybe that restaurant just doesn’t have any seating — some of them don’t! In that case, don’t feel bad about turning to that trusty friend, the Disney Trash Can.

This strategy of using the top of a trash can as a makeshift table is so common that people have actually created Disney trash can tablecloths. Seriously. One of the most common times when you’ll see this unusual dining setting is during EPCOT festivals. During those festivals, there are a lot of festival booths around the park and not a lot of tables and chairs.

But at any point when you find yourself with a delicious snack, no table, and not enough hands to hold your food and eat it at the same time, know that you can always use a trash can and anyone who’s in the know will never judge you — in fact, we’ll be proud of you.

Check out 11 Disney World restaurants where it matters where you sit!

So if you see any or all of these things happening in the parks, DON’T WORRY. Just embrace it. It’s all part of the “Disney magic” ;).

If you’re heading to Disney World soon, we’ve got you covered with all kinds of planning resources to get you ready. Take a look at some of those here:

• Complete Guide to Planning a Disney World Vacation
• How far in advance should you plan a Disney World trip?
• 8 NEW Things You Need to Plan for During Your 2022 Disney World Trip
• Menus for ALL the Restaurants in Disney World
• Ranking ALL the Table Service Restaurants in Disney World
• The Best Restaurants at Every Price Point in Disney World
• AllEars readers voted on the BEST hotels in Disney World — see the results!
• 4 Disney World Hotels With the BEST Food
• Disney Genie and Genie+: The Ultimate Guide
• Disney World’s Park Pass Reservation System: What You Need to Know
• Full Guide to the My Disney Experience App and Online Tool

And, of course, keep following us on the blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube so that we can let you know about all the latest news and updates from Disney World.

Rice cookers and painter’s tape? Find out what WEIRD things people pack for Disney World.

What other weird things are completely normal in Disney World? Tell us what you think in the comments!