Okay, it’s time to give our reporters a huge shout-out because they do the impossible almost every single day.

From hitting every single food booth at EPCOT festivals (which is how we got all our great reviews of the EPCOT Festival of the Arts recently) to visiting what could be Disney World’s WORST restaurants to eating turkey legs when it’s required of them (and y’all know how most of us here at DFB feel about turkey legs), DFB reporters go above and beyond in the parks every single day in Disney World and Disneyland. So we’re going to give you a little peek inside the life of a reporter when things get HARD.

Fighting birds and other wildlife

Sometimes when we’re trying to try a new snack or food in Disney World, some of the park’s wildlife seems to think we should share. We even once had an incident where a bird flew into a reporter’s head trying to get its hands on some meatloaf. Then there are the bees. We’ve been to EPCOT festivals (it’s usually the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival) where bees have climbed into our food and drinks…and just…ew. But our reporters carry on because it’s what they do.

Sometimes, squirrels wait around just to sneak off with a morsel of something we’re munching on. It’s an ongoing battle, y’all.

Hilarious things that have happened to DFB Reporters

Riding Disney Transportation ALL Day

Our reporters are REAL pros when it comes to navigating Disney transportation, and they spend a great deal of their day riding Disney buses, the Monorail, boats, and the Skyliner. One of our reporters tracked how many times she rode Disney transportation, and it was 12 times (!!!) in one day to visit Disney World hotels and check out holiday decor and offerings.

Sure, it can be a lot, but at least for that reporter, it made her appreciate Disney World hotels even more (not to mention just how efficient Disney transportation is!).

4 Rookie MISTAKES People Make Using Disney World Transportation

Melted food and drinks

It gets hot in Florida, which means if you get a frozen drink or snack, it’s going to melt quickly. That becomes a challenge for our reporters because they’re trying to get photos before the treat becomes a liquid mess. Sometimes you just can’t help it, though — that ice cream or Dole Whip is just going to melt before you ever get a bite.

So often, we’re drinking our ice cream and Dole Whips, but we hope we got a decent shot before it falls apart completely. Note that this also happens with some chocolate treats — the chocolate will melt!

Our Team’s Most Embarrassing Photos from Disney World

Fighting the wind

It’s not just animals we have to fight off in Disney World — we also often have to deal with weather, including windy conditions. That means we’ve had toppings fly RIGHT off our food, or even worse — our FOOD just flies away while we’re trying to get a photo of it. Here’s an example:

Oh, the perils of reporting in the Disney parks ???️ pic.twitter.com/5QaQ2Wmph3

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) January 25, 2025

It’s just another thing that comes with the job, and we usually just roll with it. It takes quick reflexes to be a reporter!

How Your Trip to Magic Kingdom Could CHANGE on a Windy Day

Ordering EVERYTHING on the menu

When we do a restaurant review, particularly for a new restaurant, we want to give you a good idea of ALL the food and drinks available there. That means we will order nearly everything on the menu, and yes, we’ll taste all of those things to make sure we give you a good idea of what you should order there.

The good news is that our reporters will often visit restaurants together, so we have more mouths to try all that food. But sometimes, we just eat a LOT of food (it’s okay, though — everyone knows you’ll walk it off, so calories don’t count).

REVIEW: This EPCOT Restaurant Proves That Simple is Best

Counting Steps and Doing Math

No one around here wants to do math (EW!), but our reporters occasionally do it anyway. Case in point: one of our reporters went on a research mission to find out what Disney World hotel rooms were the best. The reporter was given a list of numbers for rooms to discover which is closest to the Skyliner stations.

To find those rooms, the reporter had to visit each of those hotels and then physically count steps from that room to the nearest station. The reporter didn’t have a fitness tracker, so those steps were physically counted OUT LOUD. This reporter then did that for Magic Kingdom hotels. What a trooper!

Look What My Editor Made Me Do in Disney World

Getting the shot

We pride ourselves on our amazing food photos here at DFB and that’s because reporters go out of their way to get the BEST photo possible. That means they’re carrying snacks across Magic Kingdom to get that shot in front of the castle or traipsing from one end of Animal Kingdom to another to get that shot with the Tree of Life in the background.

Our reporters have admitted to putting their phones in all kinds of weird places, making little hats for treats to block out harsh sunlight, waiting to order food until the light is JUST RIGHT, and more.

The Weirdest Things DFB Reporters Have Done to “Get the Shot” in 15 Years of Disney Parks Coverage

Getting wet ON PURPOSE

We’ve managed to get ourselves soaking wet in Disney World on rides…deliberately. We’ve ridden Kali River Rapids (so you don’t have to), and we went on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as early as we could before the ride opened. Granted, we usually break out our handy dandy poncho on water rides, so at least there’s that.

We’ve also been to the parks before and after hurricanes and in the middle of rainstorms. Sometimes, we’re testing out a new product (like those waterproof shoe covers we’ve told you about).

A Disney Cast Member Reveals the Secret Way To Avoid Getting Soaked on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Thanks for coming along with us to see what life is like for a DFB reporter. We’ll keep reporting in from the parks (and elsewhere), so stay tuned to DFB for more.

“I Don’t Know Why I Didn’t Do This Sooner” – Experts Share Their Life-Changing Disney World Tips

How do YOU avoid getting wet in Disney Parks? Let us know in the comments!