A mother reportedly waited ten hours to report her 11-year-old daughter and friend missing at Magic Kingdom Park. Florida law enforcement officers descended on Walt Disney World Resort within minutes, working with security cast members to find the missing girls.
Walt Disney World Resort has a robust security system to protect its tens of thousands of guests in Central Florida, including clothed and undercover officers. They work closely with the Orange County and Osceola County Sheriff’s Departments, who station deputies on Disney property to assist in apprehending unruly guests, searching for weapons, and more.
Former Disney cast member Marissa (@marissadeanne on TikTok) witnessed the two agencies’ partnership firsthand when a mother calmly notified her that her daughter was missing. Following Walt Disney World Resort’s strict protocols surrounding missing guests, she sprung into action.
@marissadeanne i hope they all got some chargers 🫠 #disneystorytime #castmemberstories #disneyworld #disneycastmember #disneycollegeprogram #dcp #magickingdom #disney #waltdisneyworld
The incident occurred while Marissa worked on her Disney College Program in 2017. She’d just “Earned Her Ears”-completed training- and worked at the Space Mountain gift shop at Magic Kingdom Park.
Marissa noticed a confused-looking woman walking around the gift shop for someone to speak to. The Disney Park guest didn’t appear distressed or concerned when the cast member approached her and asked about her day.
“I’m good,” the woman replied. “I haven’t seen my daughter in a little bit. She was supposed to meet me here, and she hasn’t yet, and I can’t get ahold of her.”
Shockingly, the Disney Park guest couldn’t remember exactly what her daughter wore that day. Both the woman’s and her daughter’s phones were dead.
“I haven’t seen her since around 9:00 a.m.,” the guest explained. It was around 7:00 p.m. when she entered the Space Mountain gift shop.
Given the mother’s carefree attitude, the Disney cast member assumed she was referring to an adult daughter. Then, the Walt Disney World Resort guest mentioned that a friend accompanied her daughter on the trip to Central Florida: “I don’t know why I let them walk around by themselves.”
The Disney cast member asked how old they were and was shocked to find out the girl was only eleven. She immediately called security and her manager.
Walt Disney World Resort security, multiple managers, and an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy arrived within minutes.
“When there’s a missing kid, or anybody’s missing, Disney takes it super seriously, and so everybody shows up,” Marissa explained. “This made the mom really freak out with how many people showed up, but I explained to her that this was routine and it was for the best interest of everybody.”
The woman told security that she allowed the eleven-year-olds to explore independently when they arrived at Magic Kingdom Park that morning. They promised to meet her at the Space Mountain gift shop before the fireworks. All three guests’ phones died during the day, and none brought extra chargers.
Marissa returned to work, letting security and law enforcement handle the situation. A few minutes later, a security cast member arrived with the two girls in tow.
“Turns out they were just chilling,” she recalled. “With the descriptions she was able to give, someone noticed them…She was reunited with her daughter, and they went to go watch the fireworks together.”
“At the end of the day, I’m glad her daughter was okay and safe and healthy,” Marissa concluded. “I hope they both got some chargers.”
Children under seven must be accompanied by a guest 14 years or older to enter a Disney theme park or water park and ride attractions, but Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort don’t have specific rules about children roaming the theme parks alone. Make sure to charge all devices, set up an emergency meeting spot, and remind minors to find any Disney cast member if they get separated from their grown-ups.
Would you allow your kids to roam unaccompanied at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney Springs, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
