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We know it’s hard to believe certain parts of Disney World do not smell good, but it’s true!
In a previous article, we covered the 7 Best Smells at Walt Disney World, because we all know there are certain scents that Disney nerds simply LOVE! Here, however, we are going to talk about the very worst scents you can encounter at the parks.
Some are intentional scents and others are not. Here are the ones we think are the worst.
Table of Contents
Worst Smells at Disney World
Skunk Spray at Journey Into Imagination with Figment
The Imagination! Pavilion at Epcot has been through a few iterations with its main attraction, which is Journey into Imagination with Figment. The current version includes the mischievous little purple dragon, Figment, who inevitably causes chaos on our tour of the Imagination Institute as we explore the five senses.
When we arrive in the smell labs, Figment turns into a skunk and, you guessed it, sprays the audience with an awful smell. It’s quite unpleasant, but thankfully guests are moved along fairly quickly after that experience.
Here’s one of our “classic” videos with a full ride view of Journey into Imagination with Figment.
Tomorrowland Speedway
Although it’s a Magic Kingdom classic and kids treat it as a rite of when they are finally tall enough to steer and control the gas pedal, we all must admit that the Tomorrowland Speedway just stinks! Night and day, the area surrounding this attraction has an overpowering smell of burning rubber and fuel exhaust. Those who are particularly sensitive or have asthma may not be able to tolerate the smell at all while waiting in the queue for the attraction. Even from outside the queue, the smells are unmistakeable and impossible to avoid completely.
Here is a video from the Tomorrowland Speedway.
Stitch’s Chili Burp at Stitch’s Great Escape! (Now Extinct)
Stitch’s Great Escape! is thankfully now an extinct attraction at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park. It was widely regarded as one of the worst attractions in Disney Parks history. In addition to being strapped into uncomfortable harnesses and held in complete darkness, Stitch prolonged his torture of the audience with a big, gross burp. The burp itself may have been funny and more tolerable if it hadn’t been accompanied by the smell of a chili cheese dog! Yuck! This was just awful.
Stink Bug at It’s Tough to be a Bug
It’s Tough to be a Bug is a short 3-D film at the base of the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. The show uses both 3-D animation as well as practical special effects and animatronics.
It’s a cute show with a lot of bug puns. Once such pun is in the name of the stink bug who Flik introduces as Claire de Room. As you may have guessed, shortly after we meet Claire, she passes gas and the audience is (mis)treated to an unpleasant smell! Of course, the kids love it!
The Oasis Exhibits at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
We completely understand that nature sometimes, well, smells! Unfortunately, The Oasis smells strongly of birds and their habitat. It is rather pungent and really smacks you in the face as soon as you walk through the main entrance at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
This can be off-putting for first time guests who suddenly feel like they’ve walked into their local petting zoo! Thankfully, that unpleasant odor is mostly confined to that small area and you don’t really experience much else in terms of the scents from animals or their habitats in the rest of the park.
Perfume Shops in World Showcase
Ok, we admit this one is a little more subjective than the others on the list. But the overwhelming scents of perfumes in the fragrance shops of World Showcase are not something we enjoy. If you, too, dislike being in small enclosed shops with heavy smells of perfume or cologne, steer clear of Il Bel Cristallo in Italy, The Plume et Pallette and La Signature in France and the Norway Pavilion shops.
Monorail
Have you ever noticed that petting zoo smell when you board the monorail? Yeah, us too! On hot, Florida summer days and especially rainy and humid days, the monorail really just smells!
We won’t gross you out by speculating the causes of the smells here, because if you’ve visited Walt Disney World before, you already know the causes and the effects at play here!
So those are the worst smells you can encounter at Disney World in our opinion. But we would love to know what you think. Are these the worst or do you have more to add to our list?
