There are quite a few things that you won’t find in Disney World or VERY specific rules about what guests and Cast Members can and can’t do. But, there are some other things that we think should just be flat-out ILLEGAL in Disney World!
From certain ride-related things to actions some guests take — today we’re sharing our list with you of the 16 things we think should totally be a one-way ticket OUT of Disney World!
1. Being Mean to Cast Members
At the very top of our list of things that should be illegal in Disney World is being mean to Cast Members. We’ve talked about this before on our list of things that people do in Disney World that make ZERO sense, but we had to bring it up here again.
Cast Members are there to help guests. Part of their job is to literally make your stay more magical. Now, everyone can have a bad day, but being mean to a Cast Member is really only going to make them feel bad, and probably make you feel bad too.
No matter how worked up you get, it won’t solve whatever issue you’re dealing with in the park, help you get to the front of the line, or get you any nice perks. Instead, the opposite is true, and being kind to the Cast Members could actually end up getting you some awesome “magic moments” and more (though it’s not guaranteed).
While being rude to Cast Members isn’t actually banned in Disney (and unfortunately we see it happen a lot), Disney is starting to take action against those who might use profanity towards Cast Members. Back when face mask mandates were in place at Disneyland, the website noted that “Guests must properly wear approved face coverings, refrain from using offensive/abusive language and follow all other Park rules. Disney reserves the right to require a Guest to leave if they fail to comply.”
Currently, the website says, “Please show common courtesy to follow Guests and our Cast Members by not using profanity or engaging in unsafe, illegal, disruptive or offensive behavior, jumping lines or saving places in lines for others.” Disney World’s rules are similar.
So, be kind to Cast Members — remember that they are PEOPLE too and could have had a rough day dealing with upset guests while trying to make magic for them when they can!
Click here to see our list of the 10 things people do in Disney World that make ZERO sense!
2. Parade and Firework Woes
There are quite a few parade and fireworks actions that we think should be TOTALLY banned in Disney World too. For starters, squeezing in front of people at the very last second before a parade or fireworks show starts, and then basically taking up all of the space or even potentially blocking the person who had originally been standing there, reserving their space, for HOURS, should simply NOT be allowed. (Yes, we saw you, person that thought they totally got away with it! Did you feel your neck burning from all the glares of others behind you?).
If you want a great spot for the parade or fireworks, make the time to sit down well in advance. Guests who try to shove themselves and their family of 17 into one tiny spot 2 seconds before the fireworks start, and effectively squeeze out or block people who have been there for hours, is not a cool move.
Now for the dreaded shoulder child. Putting a kid on your shoulders at the last second before fireworks or a show starts in turn blocking the view of EVERYONE behind you is the Disney equivalent of cutting someone off in traffic. People stand in their spots ahead of time, trying to find the perfect view so if you’re going to put your kid on your shoulders to help them see, try to find a spot where you really won’t be blocking anyone. Or, you can put them on your shoulders with about a 15-minute warning so that the people behind you can move or otherwise adjust themselves to get a good view. We want your kiddo to see everything too…but just think of others when doing it.
Click HERE For Our Top 10 Tips to See Disney World Fireworks WITHOUT Crowds
3. Spoiling the Magic for Others
Spoiling the magic for others is something that is both annoying and rude. What are we talking about here? Well, we’re talking about people who LOUDLY recite the scripts to rides while on them, essentially preventing guests from hearing the original audio. Or guests who sing loudly along to the rides, again preventing guests from hearing those classic, beloved songs.
Even worse is the guests who loudly want to make fun of a ride. Ever heard someone joking and whining about how booooring “it’s a small world” is? They likely think they’re entertaining the boat when in reality everyone else is about to maroon them in the Australia scene.
And, we’re also talking about those who loudly talk about behind-the-scenes stuff or how certain things are done in Disney World. While we love to learn what goes on behind the scenes, there are plenty of guests who just want to suspend disbelief and surround themselves in the magic. Knowing how things actually work can ruin that for them, and it can be especially earth-shattering if a child hears those secrets.
So, be mindful of others when you’re visiting Disney World. This may be your zillionth trip, but it might be the very first for the person next to you! Mouth the words to the Haunted Mansion stretching room without saying them out loud, sing like a pirate when you’re washing off the day in the shower, and talk about how it’s possible for Mickey to be in 5 places at once in places where others can’t hear you. Everyone experiences Disney in their own way, and it’s important to let them do that!
Click HERE to See 3 Annoying Things People Do in Disney World, According to YOU!
4. General Disney World Guest No-Nos
We’ve already done a post and even shared a video about some of the WORST things that people do in Disney World and quite a few of those could certainly be added to this list too. We’re talking about holding 2 or more dining reservations for around the same time and then canceling one at the last second, not paying attention to your surroundings and bumping into others, or forcing your kids and family to do things they don’t want to do or aren’t ready to do.
It doesn’t seem too bad until YOU’RE the guest dying to get a special reservation at a restaurant and can’t while Karen has 6 different dinner ressies at the top spots and will decide last minute where to go. Or until you see a child sobbing hysterically cause mom and dad didn’t care that their 4-year-old said they weren’t ready for Tower of Terror. There are quite a few things we’ve mentioned in there that a LOT of guests do that should just frankly not be done in the parks.
Click here to see our list of the 10 WORST things everyone does in Disney World.
5. Saving a Table at a Counter Service Restaurant
Okay, this is something that a lot of people reading this have probably been guilty of in the past because it is SO easy to do. Picture this — it’s a busy day and you know finding a table at a packed Counter Service restaurant isn’t going to be easy, so you split up and one person goes to find a table while the other goes to order the food. Sounds smart, right?
You may think this is a totally harmless behavior, but especially during PEAK busy times in the parks — this can be really bad for other guests and the general flow in restaurants.
In the 15-20 minutes that it’ll take for a person’s family member to get through the line to either pick up their Mobile Order or place their food order and wait for it, the person holding the table will just be sitting there, not really using it. During that same amount of time, another family could have sat at that table, eaten their food, and potentially even finished their meal and been on their way. But, because the table was being held, that poor family is still wandering around the restaurant with 3 trays full of food and overfilled soft drinks trying to find a seat.
If everyone did this, then that would significantly cut the number of available tables for people who actually have their food and want to sit and eat. If you’ve done the Disney shuffle through a packed restaurant with a tray of massive sodas (without lids, of course!) you know the struggle is REAL. Table after table with one person (with no food) playing on their phone waiting for their party to show up is no fun. 🙁
We’ve seen Disney take some action on this, particularly during really busy times, where they won’t allow you to sit until you have your food, or they’ll hold people in line and assign tables to help the flow of things. Even so, you should try to do your best to keep things moving smoothly and not hold things you don’t need to. (P.S. — when you’re done eating, try to not hang out if it’s a peak time of day! Move along and hang on a bench if you still want to rest a bit, freeing up your table for others).
6. When Disney Just Makes Every Single Dessert in Disney’s Hollywood Studios into a Verrine
Okay, we mean this one kind of as a joke, but seriously what goes on at Hollywood Studios sometimes?! A verrine is a layered dessert in a cup, like an individual parfait, and for some reason, there seem to be times where they can be found EVERYWHERE in Hollywood Studios! In early 2020, we had a Chocolate Verrine, a Strawberry Shortcake Verrine, and even a Tres Leches Verrine just to name a few at Hollywood Studios (and trust us, there were MANY more!).
Now, don’t get us wrong — some of the verrines we’ve had in Disney World have been absolutely delicious! But we’ve still got to wonder — what’s with the need to turn everything into a verrine?! Were there no other ways to serve or create these desserts? Why JUST Hollywood Studios? What about old Hollywood says layered dessert in a cup?? Was Disney trying to make this the next spirit jersey-type trend? The world may never know, but at least a lot of them were very yummy!
And at least we’ve still got our carrot cake cookie in Hollywood Studios!! Click here to see more about it!
7. Changing Bus Loops
Ever find yourself at a Disney hotel, particularly a moderate resort, and find that the bus loops keep changing so you NEVER know where the buses will be picking up first or last?! Yeah, we think that should be a BIG no-no!
Some Disney pros like to request the location of their room at the hotel based on the bus loop route and when you THINK you have one of the first bus stops at Caribbean Beach Resort, only to find you’re actually now last and the bus is full…that can REALLY stink. And, if you’re the type of person that likes to schedule things out (or at least know in advance how much time you’ll need to get places), and you base that on things staying the same, these changes in bus loops can be verrrry frustrating. Luckily, this doesn’t seem to happen TOO much, but it still does at times and can be hair-pullingly frustrating.
See What The BIG Problem With Disney World’s Moderate Resorts is HERE!
8. BIG Food Changes
Okay, we’ve already spoken about the verrine dilemma, but there are some other big food changes or things that we could do without in Disney World. For example, taking away some of our FAVORITE food items, or constantly removing them and then bringing them back in new places so you have NO idea where to find them and/or never know if you’ll be able to get them, should be 100% illegal!
We’re talking about you Carrot Cake Cookie, Butterfinger Cupcake, and Sweet Cream Cheese Pretzel! 💔
Plus, can Disney please explain to us why we need to travel SO far for some of the tastiest treats? Why hide those incredible Zebra Domes and the Nyala Brownie — AKA Peanut Butter Brownie ALL the way out at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge?!? At least if they were over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, we could grab them a bit easier. Anyone know of a personal Zebra Domes instant delivery service?
Click here to see how you can make Zebra Domes at home!
9. Ridiculously EXPENSIVE Merchandise
Sticking to a budget can be difficult in Disney World. Sticking to a budget when you want to grab souvenirs, but all of the ones you want to get are SUPER expensive, can be even harder. Disney sells some hoodies and sweatpants for $44.99 each (and that’s considered cheap, by Disney standards!), spirit jerseys for $74.99, and even just regular shirts for close to $40 each sometimes! Plus, for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary they’ve been releasing SUPER expensive items like $1,000 Mickey Ears 😱 (seriously, we can’t make this up).
Some of the designs are really cool, and (of course) you might want them all, which makes them so difficult to resist. But, in the back of your mind, you KNOW you can also just get a Disney shirt from Target, Walmart, or even sometimes Amazon and other places for WAY way cheaper.
While some of Disney’s prices can be reasonable, there are a whole bunch of just CRAZY expensive things there. Does a simple sticker really cost almost 10 bucks? Or a pen cost upwards of $12? Not in the real world. Check out our video below of some other shockingly expensive things in Disney World.
Click here to see our list of 12 essential items you need in your park bag!
10. Ride Struggles
There are some serious ride struggles and things that we also think should NOT be part of the Disney experience. For example, how DARE Disney seat anyone in any row on Soarin’ Around the World other than B1?!?! Seriously — no dangling feet, you get to be right in the center so the Eiffel Tower doesn’t look quite as much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and you get to just escape into the amazing details on the ride. Sitting in any other row in Soarin’ should be absolutely prohibited!! (Obviously, this is in jest — they gotta sit peeps everywhere they can, but maybe do it like some roller coasters at other parks and add a special line at the load area for people who want to wait for the best seat!).
Also, closing Spaceship Earth for an extended period of time should be banned. Haven’t we been through enough with all of the changes that have been made to it and the times we couldn’t ride it?! The Spaceship Earth refurbishment has currently been postponed, and Disney hasn’t yet shared what their future plans are, but c’mon how can you expect us to go a single day without smelling the burning of the Library in Alexandria?! Also, how could we NOT say hello to our friendly computer lady and her EPIC outfit every day?!
Now, we’d be upset over a long-term closure of Spaceship Earth, but how about when Disney closed the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover for OVER. A. YEAR?! And then continuing to extend that closure just days before its reopening date?? Just cruel. We get stuff happens and sometimes, things need to be closed longer than they intend, but a little heads up when something is, you know, MONTHS behind is always nice.
Also, we’d like to throw in the “new Goofy” design that you can see on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway — where he looks like a bit of a madman — as something that some think should be totally illegal in the parks. (Seriously, WHY are his teeth and eyes so yellow? He looks ROUGH.)
And last, but certainly not least on our list of ride woes — laughing at people as they try to get out of the Space Mountain vehicles should be entirely prohibited in Disney World!! Why do we bring this up? Oh just because nobody (us included) can seem to get out of those rockets without looking and feeling so awkward!
Seriously, WHY is it so weird to get out of those sometimes?! Between trying to make sure you’ve got your bags, stumbling to get the proper footing, and then making it from your vehicle to the platform next to you — let’s just say it’s not always the most graceful thing to do. (STOP LAUGHING! YES, we’ve totally done the not-so-ladylike grab and roll out of these cars…in a skirt…sigh.)
11. Hotel Struggles
There are a few things at Disney World hotels that should be banned too, like those LOOOOOOONG hotel walkways to get to your room. At the end of the day, the walk back to the hotel room can be the most exhausting thing in the world. We’re looking at you, Animal Kingdom Lodge — Kidani Village — this hotel can feel like the hallways in The Shining at times…NEVER ending and disorienting (no scary ghost girls that we know of, though!).
Also, can we talk about refillable resort mugs for a second? How many have done the “just got back to the room at the end of a long day cup refill” walk? ✋ Yeah, not so good when you gotta clock an extra mile on your shoes just to get there! 🙂
12. Disappointing Treats
Y’know those treats that look so amazing and make you want to buy them and plaster them on your Instagram feed…but then you find out that they taste bad or just “alright?” Even we could do without those and we’re the Disney Food Blog! Take the Sea Turtle Cupcake for example. The treat was a Graham Cracker Cupcake with Key Lime Pie Filling and Guava Gelée topped with Vanilla Buttercream and a Fruit Snack Sea Turtle. This thing is totally Insta-Worthy. BUT, the flavor combo was just flat out weird!
The gummies were spearmint and peach which combined with the rest of the flavors to make for one very strange cupcake. We didn’t really even taste the graham and there really wasn’t much of the lime filling. So, while it was cute and parts of it were good or fine separately, it was far from the best cupcake we’ve had in Disney World.
And there have been a whole lot of other treats that have been similar in the past. It’s nearly impossible to resist getting these for the ‘gram, but always be on the lookout for our reviews where we’ll let you know if they’re really worth upwards of $6.
Click here to see Disney World’s funniest food fails!
13. The Bright Bus Lights at Night!
Okay this is one that seriously needs to be deemed illegal ASAP, as in right now, this very second. Picture it: it’s late, you just finished a VERY long day in Magic Kingdom. You hop on a Disney bus to go back to your hotel, the lights shut off, and you close your eyes to slowly drift in and out of sleep. Then, you finally arrive at your hotel and BAM! The BRIGHT lights of the bus turn on and you feel like you’ve just stepped onto the sun!
Seriously, folks, this must be outlawed immediately. No one needs to see our squinty, we-just-spent-15-hours-in-a-theme-park eyes. Can we just get some soft transition lights before our eyes are burned by the lights pretty please?
14. Flash Pictures and Using Your Phone on Rides
Several Disney rides warn that flash photography is not permitted, so it is largely prohibited on rides already, but we just wanted to mention it here again because we still see guests doing it. Seriously, no one wants to see your giant flash go off in Pirates of the Caribbean! (Plus that photo will come out likely looking like a mess!)
And, what might be even worse is guests who have their bright phone screen on while riding an attraction or watching a show in a dark theater. Sometimes the brightness of a phone screen can be just as distracting, if not worse than, taking flash photography. If you do need to use your phone on a Disney ride because of work or an emergency, it’s best to try and sit at the back (and lower your screen’s brightness) so you don’t impact others.
15. Holding Spots in Line
We’ve all seen it done — one person in the family joins the queue for a ride, the other part of the group goes to do who knows what, and then some time later you’re stepping to the side so that 17 people can get past you and over to their family member up in front. This is another one that is technically not allowed in Disney World, but it’s still done all the time.
We get that emergencies happen and a child or someone else may need to leave the line at some point to use the restroom or for some other situation. But, in those circumstances, it’s best to just step to the side and let others go past you until your party is able to re-join the line and follow it normally to catch up to you. Or, simply address the situation before you enter the line so you can ensure that you are only entering when your entire party is ready.
16. Cringy Merchandise and Food
And finally, there are a number of cringe worthy souvenirs and cringe-worthy foods that should also probably be banned, outlawed, and otherwise made totally illegal! We’re talking about all of that original Baby Yoda merch that looks DIY or that shirt advertising your relationship status. Oy.
When it comes to cringe-worthy food in Disney World, we’ve got a whole video on it! And yes (of course) we’re talking about the Guardians of the Galaxy burger with the buns that looked like they had mold on them (they didn’t, but the coloring was v. strange). Check it out below!
Click HERE to See What 15 Things are Out of Control in Disney World!
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What do you think should be illegal at Disney World? Tell us in the comments!
Laura says
Aww I think one of my favorite ride memories from this last trip was the family behind me with little girls on Frozen and the dad was chanting/singing with the music ✨ I know it can be annoying, but it was adorable and magical and added my my happy tears 😂
DFB Gigi says
Thanks for sharing that sweet memory with us, Laura! I’m so glad you had a great time!
David Dominie says
Bob “Paycheck” and his cash grabbing buddies that are killing the Dream of Walt Disney.
Sandi says
For years I have attended wow in eco due to health issues . I think there should be a ban on people cutting you off , or cutting you off and then stopping in front of you. I can’t tell you how many times each day it happens. Just a reminder that I’m handicap and elderly and I get yelled at for hitting them when they’re not watching where they’re going