There is only one thing that can ruin a proposal at Disneyland. And that is an employee…
Wait. What did you expect? Kids? People screaming? The weather? The cliché setting? You stumbling on your own shoelaces, or, Lord forbid, your own words? Don’t be silly, that never happens at Disneyland.
But a wild employee is definitely a reason. Don’t believe me? Oh, it happened. Just watch.
Disneyland is a magical place, but proposing to your significant other is still something that is anything but ideal there
Image credits: qin linlin (not the actual image)
A video has recently surfaced on the internet of this one couple at Disneyland. In the video, we see the guy, Ante, with whom Bored Panda managed to get in tough for an interview, kneeling down on one knee and attempting to pop the question to his gorgeous significant other. I say attempting because not several seconds in, a Disneyland employee rushes in to ruin it all.
Why? Apparently, this particular platform in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle was fenced off. The employee snatched the engagement ring from the man’s hand and proceeded to slide down the stairs nearby, gesturing that they should relocate to the area he was pointing at.
A man was proposing to his girlfriend in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle when a Disneyland Paris employee ruined it for them
FYI, the reason why it’s fenced off, according to Disney Reporter Edith Gervin, is because the platform is used for the Dream… and Shine Brighter! shows multiple times per day in celebration of Disneyland Paris’ 30-Year Anniversary. It is surrounded by equipment and fireworks, which would pose a safety risk for anyone who's not supposed to be there. Reportedly, Ante proposed close to when a show was scheduled to start, so time was of the essence.
Before the 21-second video cuts off, we can see the Ante approach the employee to explain the situation, but the employee was having none of it and the moment was ruined. People could hear booing starting soon after.
"Me and my fiancée were perplexed. Our moment was destroyed. Me and my fiancée weren't even sure if she said yes. We settled on a nearby bench, and I put the ring on her finger. Together we watched the video of the proposal on my phone," explained Ante what happened after the video cut off.
However, Ante had approached another employee, a woman, and got her permission to propose beforehand. Just that the intervening employee was seemingly not aware of it.
Turns out, the area the couple was in was off limits to people, but the couple claimed they had permission
Image credits: Britini R (not the actual image)
In a Reddit comment under the now-viral video, OP, who is the proposing man’s best friend, explained “the other female employee said: ‘it’s not allowed to go up there’ he then answered that he want to propose on which she replied with ‘if that’s the case go for it’. He then went for it and the rest is on tape.”
In another comment, OP also elaborated that the employee vanished as quickly as he had appeared. His best friend also was fighting the urge to make the moment even worse by slamming the employee on the ground for ruining what was supposed to be the best day of his life thus far.
In a statement to Newsweek, a Disneyland spokesperson said that they regret how poorly this situation was handled, and they have apologized to the couple, offering to make it right.
"We got an offer for a weekend at Disneyland with a hotel of our choice. We refused the offer. Disney wanted to get back in touch, but haven't done so yet," explained Ante.
The platform is actually used for the Dream… and Shine Brighter! shows and is surrounded by various equipment and fireworks
Image credits: Erika Quitnana (not the actual photo)
"I thought it was very sincere of Disney to contact me by phone. I just want this one moment back but unfortunately that is no longer possible," added Ante.
All of this happened at Disneyland Paris, France, in front of the Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, on a fenced-off platform. So, yeah, heads up if you’re gonna be doing this.
As soon as the video hit the interspace, it went viral. It initially popped up on the subreddit r/IamATotalPieceOfS**t where, as of this article, it has a bit over 96,000 upvotes with about 60 Reddit awards. It was also covered by a number of news media outlets and the video also found its way to YouTube.
At the end of the video, folks can hear booing, and the internet was pretty much of the same opinion once it reached Reddit
As for the internet’s reactions, for the most part, it was the same as the people booing in the video. This was accompanied by criticism, pointing out the employee’s tone of voice as if he was more than happy to ruin the moment, even proud, perhaps. But the moment that people criticized him the most was him snatching the ring. You just don’t do that. Period.
Others gave credit to the proposing man for not losing it. And some speculate that the employee took the opportunity while he was kneeling to intervene so as to not get his butt handed to him. And that’s probably why he vanished soon after.
Yet others speculated that this employee will not last long in the company as Disney tends to take its image of “Happiest Place On Earth” seriously.