Woman Falls Asleep on Disney Ride, Unprepared by What Family Does Next

A woman who fell asleep on a theme park ride was recorded by her family, making for a hilarious viral moment.
Taylor Gagliardi, 30, from New Jersey, was in the Tomorrowland area of the Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, with her mom, dad, and sister as part of a larger family trip when the video was taken by her sister.
“We had gotten to the park early that day so the kids could experience everything,” she told Newsweek. “However, when we landed the day before, the first day was a little rough. Everyone was getting adjusted, especially the babies.”
Gagliardi, along with the other adults on the trip, were particularly tired after the kids found it hard to settle on the first night of the vacation. “So none of us really got a good nights sleep in. The result of that is what you see in that video,” she explained.
“I used to work for Disney for quite a while, and lived in Orlando for a good chunk of my 20s, so I’m used to the heat, the crowds, etc. What I’m not used to is doing a fully park day sleep deprived.”
The video shows Gagliardi fast asleep on the “People Mover” ride after her family decided to leave her on it. She can be seen leaning to the side with sunglasses on as the ride slowly moves, with her dad waving her off as she takes another spin.
The video has received over 718,000 views since it was shared on October 28 and was posted with the text overlay: “That time I fell asleep in Disney and my family left me on the ride.”
“Disney exhaustion is a different kind of beast,” she wrote in the caption. “In my defense, it was a long first day going into the second. Between the heat and the comfort/relaxation of the People Mover, I couldn’t fight the sleep.”
“Since I used to work at Space Mountain, I spent a lot of time in Tomorrowland where I rode that ride frequently,” she told Newsweek. “So for me, it’s always been a very relaxing, rock-yourself-to-sleep, power nap kind of ride. I just didn’t think I would be knocked out so hard that I wouldn’t wake up when it was over.”
“It’s definitely in our vault of funny Disney memories that we will share with our whole family,” she added.
Magic Kingdom was the most visited theme park in the U.S. in 2023, attracting an impressive 17.72 million attendees last year. It beats out Disneyland Park in California, which received 17.25 million visitors in 2023.
Gagliardi’s video received hundreds of comments from amused viewers.
“People mover and carousel of progress are both excellent nap spots,” said @rachelalexis.
One user wrote: “I had my toddler asleep on that ride 12 years ago and they let me stay on three times so he got a decent nap!”
“Nobody ever mentions the other best nap spots. MUPPETS 3D,” said Sue.
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