Anne Taylor
With Disney World recently reopening to the public, people are heading back in. The Disney parks have some strict rules for guests to follow, and while you’ll usually get a warning or two before you’re escorted out of the parks, it’s best to play things safe. Here are a few ways to get thrown out of a Disney park. Maybe try to avoid them.
Sneak Onto Rides
Whether you’re trying to cut in line or padding your kid’s shoes to get them to reach the height requirement, sneaking onto rides can definitely get you kicked out of the parks.
Disney’s theme park employees (called Cast Members) are everywhere, and they will notice if you hop into a line and cut off fifty people behind you. If a Cast Member doesn’t notice right away, the people you just cut will let you know, and a Cast Member will be brought over to resolve the situation, even if that means kicking you and your family out of the park.
Some Disney World and Disneyland rides have height requirements, the highest being 54 inches. Some parents can get understandably frustrated when their child is just a couple of inches from meeting the height requirement, but those are safety measures based on the size of the seat, the harness system, and the intensity of the ride. People can be seriously injured on a ride if they don’t meet the height requirement. If a Cast Member catches you stuffing socks or packages of fruit snacks into your kid’s shoes (they’ve seen it all) as you stand in line, they can ask you to leave as you are posing a safety risk to your child. And remember, the Disney parks have a service called Rider Switch for parents of kids who can’t or don’t want to ride something. This system gives everyone in a party the ability to ride a ride without waiting in line multiple times. Check in with a Cast Member at the front of the ride in question, and they’ll walk you through the process.
Scatter Your Dead Loved One’s Ashes
Yep, this has happened enough that Disney had to make a specific rule about it. For some reason, many people think it’s appropriate to scatter the ashes of a dead relative or loved one in the Disney parks, but it just causes a huge hassle and will get you thrown out of the parks. While Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s a Small World are a couple of hotspots, the Haunted Mansion seems to be the most popular place for ashes to be spread.
If you’re thinking about attempting this, first of all, please don’t. Second, keep in mind that when you do the entire ride will be shut down and cleaned, causing inconvenience to others. And those ashes you scattered will just end up in a dump somewhere far from the parks, so it’s much smarter to spread them somewhere legal.
Set off Fireworks
Unless you’re an official Disney pyrotechnician to run one of the fireworks displays performed nightly in the Disney parks, don’t even think about setting off your own bottle rockets or spinners. Disney prohibits guests from setting off fireworks anywhere on Disney property, which includes Disney hotels and campsites.
Have Too Much to Drink
Disneyland and Disney World have been sort of infamous in the past for not selling any alcohol in the parks, but that’s not the case anymore. In Disneyland, guests can find alcoholic beverages inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Club 33, and some hotels. In Disney World, there are dozens of places to grab a drink as all four parks sell alcohol. It’s the most sparse in the Magic Kingdom and the most abundant in Epcot, where you can complete the “Drink Around the World” challenge popular with locals.
It can be a little trickier for employees to monitor the number of drinks someone has had in the parks since it’s easy to bounce between restaurants and even parks. However, if you’re acting even the slightest bit tipsy, staff will likely stop serving you and throw you out of the Disney park if you start to cause a scene.
Bring a Giant Stroller or Cooler
In mid-2019, Disney World updated a few park rules which touched on some sore subjects for many park-goers. Previously, guests had been able to push around three or four-seat strollers, but the new rule prohibits strollers greater than 31 inches in width and 52 inches in length. This was presumably due to the large numbers of strollers blocking pathways and causing congestion in the parks, but Disney never specifically said why they added the new guidelines.
Coolers got a size limit of 24 inches long by 15 inches wide by 18 inches high. Disney also said they no longer allow loose or dry ice in the parks and recommend bringing reusable ice packs. The ice rule was probably for the safety of guests (loose ice cubes are a slipping hazard, and dry ice can be dangerous to touch), but once again, Disney never made an official statement on the reason behind these changes.
Go For a Swim
Between Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World, and plenty more, the Disney parks are well-known for their water rides. But the water is for your ride vehicle and nothing else. Employees are monitoring the ride vehicles at all times and will stop the ride immediately if anyone stands up on a moving vehicle. Attempting to get out of a moving vehicle is a sure-fire way to get thrown out of a Disney park. Maybe it’s the enticing smell of bromine, or maybe it’s how slowly the water rides move, but people just can’t seem to stay in their seats as they’re floating through a dark tunnel.
The water is only about a foot deep on any given ride, so it’s not worth getting kicked out of the parks for anyway.
Sneak Backstage
There is some pretty cool magic happening in the Disney parks, and many guests understandably want to know how it’s done. But don’t let curiosity get the best of you–sneaking backstage or into an employees-only area can get you in a lot of trouble. Some VIP tours do take guests backstage to witness the technology behind some rides and attractions, so you’ll have to pay for this privilege.
Harass Characters or Cast Members
This really shouldn’t need to be said, but please don’t punch Pooh if he won’t lift your baby in the air for a photo. Disney takes the well-being and safety of their Cast Members very seriously, and unfortunately, they go through a lot when it comes to unruly or upset guests.
Disney employees dressed as characters have been inappropriately touched and harassed in the past. Disney princesses say they get hit on all the time, which can be cute from a six-year-old but very uncomfortable from a father with his wife and kids around. Even masked characters, like Mickey and Minnie, can get yelled at, pushed, and punched because they won’t do things for guests like hold a baby for a photo. (P.S. Those characters can barely see out of their costumes, so it’s not safe to hand them a baby!)
Park employees who aren’t in costume often get poorly treated as well. The Disney parks are full of hot, tired people who feel like taking out their frustration on whatever employee is closest to them. Cast Members routinely get yelled at and have even been hit by angry guests. That behavior is entirely unacceptable, and along with probably getting a lawsuit, you’ll be kicked out of the parks and banned from ever coming back.
