No more smoking or vaping in the parks

[DISNEY1975]

I admit the ice thing puzzles me too. The "freezers" in those tiny fridges are pretty sad, so I doubt bringing the gel packs would work very well. - Maybe Disney just hopes people give up bringing coolers in because they'll buy more park food and the security lines will move faster?

My guess is they dont want to be digging through all the ice to see whats at the bottom of the cooler.

As for the strollers, it could be an inconvience to some I read a post from one mother who said her 3 kids fit in the wagon, now she will need 2 strollers. That would be a pain. In 2001, right after the 09/11 attacks, airfare was practically free. I saw a great deal (like $40/night) on a nice hotel on I Drive and jumped on it. My husband couldnt go on short notice so it was just me and my boys. Luckily I hadnt had my 3rd yet, so I only needed one stroller, but Im guessing many parents may bring their kids without a "helper" and this could make things very difficult.

 

[billlaurie]

I admit the ice thing puzzles me too. The "freezers" in those tiny fridges are pretty sad, so I doubt bringing the gel packs would work very well. - Maybe Disney just hopes people give up bringing coolers in because they'll buy more park food and the security lines will move faster?

I agree. The ice in combo with the stroller/wagon ban probably is to discourage people from bringing in so much stuff. For what reasons? Security, free up space, speed up park entrance, encourage people to buy more. Probably a little of each.
As far as the smoking ban, Disney is following a practice that his been in place for years at public spaces in most states. I am more surprised that it didn't happen sooner.

 

[maxiesmom]

My guess is they dont want to be digging through all the ice to see whats at the bottom of the cooler.

As for the strollers, it could be an inconvience to some I read a post from one mother who said her 3 kids fit in the wagon, now she will need 2 strollers. That would be a pain. In 2001, right after the 09/11 attacks, airfare was practically free. I saw a great deal (like $40/night) on a nice hotel on I Drive and jumped on it. My husband couldnt go on short notice so it was just me and my boys. Luckily I hadnt had my 3rd yet, so I only needed one stroller, but Im guessing many parents may bring their kids without a "helper" and this could make things very difficult.

I agree with you on the ice. I also bet some people complained when it was searched. Who wants someone you don't know touching your ice?

Wagons have always been on Disney's banned list. I'm glad they are making it clear even the ones people referred to as stroller wagons are banned. They always should have been. Unless someone has 3 small kids really close in age a double stroller should work.

 

[Colleen27]

Why all this talk about the economic classification and generalizations about people who smoke?
It's almost as if people are responding with these economic "facts" as a reason why there won't be any impact on Disney's bottom line.
Perhaps it somehow justifies the condemnation of smokers. It's as if it is being suggested that lower socio-economic groups need to be "guided" in their personal substance choices.
Disney treated these people with no regard. Giving 30 days notice is a joke.

I think what Colleen is pointing out is that a good percentage of smokers in the United States are low income earners. That’s a fact. Low income earners typically aren’t taking vacations to the Disney parks. Nothing she said did I take as condemning any one. She stated that her own husband smokes.

Dish Rag got it right - I am not aiming to "condemn" smokers (I'm married to one, and I was one of the first to express disappointment about the new policy on this thread). But as much as we like to think otherwise, Disney is first and foremost a business. Banning smoking isn't them taking q moral stand or striving to protect their guests' health. It is a business decision - Is the lost revenue from smokers going to hurt the bottom line? Can it be offset or exceeded by revenue gains from marketing the parks as smoke free? And the demographics of smoking absolutely factor into that decision.

Agreed Col! I think people are losing sight of PEOPLE (maybe think beyond themselves for a split second) and just googling stuff to “win” a debate. The original “poor people” post inferred negativity and “put downs”.

The original post inferred that Disney isn’t marketing to the Average Joe and marketing to the upper echelon. And that the upper echelon doesn’t smoke because it is “low brow” and “no smoking” will keep the blue collar folks at home and lure the white collar. (I noted that I personally know more white collar smokers vs blue collar...including my father specifically). Sorry but they are marketing to the AVERAGE American family not the rich. Disney World vacations are as much of the American Dream as the white picket fence.

I didn't infer that. I stated it outright. For several years now, all of the changes at WDW have been aimed an increasing per-guest profits, which does generally go hand-in-hand with aiming for a higher income target customer. "Free" EMH are cut back and watered down by the inclusion of the Disney Springs hotels, while high-priced "Disney After Hours" and "Early Morning Magic" replicate what EMH used to provide... for a price. Prices have increased exponentially faster than either inflation or wages. Discounts have been scaled way back. Room rates are at a point where Pop Century costs as much as the all-suites hotels we favor in many "real world" destinations. Merchandise has evolved in a clearly upper-income way, with Dooney and Vera Bradley and Pandora and other upper-middle-class trend brands coming to dominate their shops. And the ice and wagon/stroller rules are a clear step toward discouraging people from packing lunches to eat in the parks. I don't think there is anything in the least bit controversial at this point in saying that Disney is no longer particularly concerned with that "for every family" vision that we like to associate with Uncle Walt's parks.

And FWIW, I'm not saying they're marketing only to the rich. They're marketing to the top half of the income distribution and seem to be deliberately squeezing out some of the budget-savvy travelers who grew accustomed to Disney casting a broader net to stay busy through the double blow of the post-9/11 lull in tourism and the Great Recession, but that's a far cry from being only aimed at the rich.

(And again, before you take this all personally - I'm a long-time SAHM turned underpaid professional, and I'm married to a blue-collar smoker. But just like I can recognize that we're not the target market for Lexus's car-with-a-bow holiday commercials, I can recognize that we're not the target of the Disney Parks current marketing focus.)

Thing is, while the (CDC) data includes percentages, they don't provide many numbers.
21% of persons with incomes under 35K smoke, while only 8% of those earning over 100K do.
But if there are 10,000 people in the lowest income pool, and 30,000 in the highest (actual numbers made up because it's not in the stats, but percents are accurate), that's 2,100 smokers in the lowest bracket and 2,400 smokers in the highest.

True, but the demographics are actually the other way around. I don't have the numbers in front of me at home so these are estimates, but if IIRC, households under $35K make up about 30% of the population and households over $100K make up about 25%.

 

[PollyannaMom]

My guess is they don't want to be digging through all the ice to see whats at the bottom of the cooler.

I agree with you on the ice. I also bet some people complained when it was searched. Who wants someone you don't know touching your ice?

I don't actually bring in a cooler myself, but that makes sense. I guess asking people to put the ice in freezer bags so it could be moved would also have worked.

 

[LSUmiss]

True. Data is unbiased information gathered from a large sample of people. It may or may not match the individuals we each personally know.

That smoking is a low-income choice is a fact. We all know individuals who don't "fit the mold", but that doesn't mean the data was wrong. So, again, true.
I think you're overthinking this. Most non-smokers don't like smoking, and they'd rather not spend $$$$ for a day where they have to walk through smoke. They complain.
Lucky you. I do know drug addicts.

Your boss is a Functional Alcoholic. My father was one too; he successfully held a professional job. Until -- suddenly and finally -- he couldn't do it any more. All Functional Alcoholics (if they don't kill themselves with drink first) will hit a wall.
These Juuls things are bad news, yet our teens think they're no big deal. They like bringing them to school because they can "use" in a bathroom stall without producing smoke or smell, making it easier to get away with them. Some of them look like ink pens, so they're super easy to hide.

I was sadly ignorant of this phenomenon until we had a training on them at school. We saw a video of a kid in our own school pass out after "using" in the bathroom. Our school nurse says they scare her to death: she says they'll have a heart beat of 200+ per minute, yet the kid reports, "I feel fine -- better than fine!" Every high school in my county has sent multiple kids to the hospital in an ambulance after "using". They are more dangerous than cigarettes.
Eh, maybe. But both of my children (both rabidly anti-smoking) have tooth implants; both were born missing teeth, and they both received implants as high school seniors. I think being born missing teeth is uncommon, but certainly not rare. My aunt (a non-smoker) has lost several teeth to age, and she's in the process of having a couple dental implants. Yeah, smokers may be a part of this group, but they're not the whole story.

I agree. But, they also do things to keep certain populations out too. My local 6 flags had to close b/c they didn’t do this. The price of a 1 day ticket is meant to maximize profits but also to accomplish this.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I agree. But, they also do things to keep certain populations out too. My local 6 flags had to close b/c they didn’t do this. The price of a 1 day ticket is meant to maximize profits but also to accomplish this.

Are you talking about six flags new orleans?

 

[arminnie]

I don't actually bring in a cooler myself, but that makes sense. I guess asking people to put the ice in freezer bags so it could be moved would also have worked.

On the DISability board it has been reported that a 1 gallon zip lock with ice will be allowed. That info has been given by phone CMs so who knows if it is valid.

 

[disneyseniors]

Doubtful. I think the point is to highly discourage smoking & make it as big a PIA as they can. There are some who are so addicted that they’ll go through whatever hoops necessary to smoke but a lot won’t. I think it’ll cut down on the overall amount of smokers in the DSAs.

I just read on another site, the response from Disney emailed to the guest, about this new policy. Apparently the person is 3 days out from their paid for vacation and not happy. She said she was concerned about getting back into the parks and would there be a re-entry line for smokers who already went through security. The answer was, No they will have to go back in line to get in.
So that answers that question, apparently.

 

[LSUmiss]

Are you talking about six flags new orleans?

Yes. Katrina was the official death of it. But, it was a place many families had stopped going long before for a reason. I think Disney faces this dilemma...being just costly enough to keep out certain groups but affordable enough for the “average family”. Walt Disney wanted a place families could go. Ppl get hung up on the affordability of that. But, he mostly wanted a place families could go b/c places like the boardwalk had become not family friendly. It has to cost a certain amount & have certain policies to stay “family friendly”. It’s just the way it is. I’m not saying this necessarily has to do with smoking, but I do think WDW does things to control who their population is.

 

[mummabear]

Your approach is fabulous. I think it’s shameful for all of that hate put on “smokers” in this thread. It hurts my heart that people just because they don’t like it or don’t agree can belittle and throw out their thoughts, opinions, solutions so rudely. (There have been some that had lovely and compassionate replies so credit given where credit due <3).

I personally don’t believe in alcohol. I don’t like the smell of it, the smell on people’s breath, or the way people act around it. But, I live in a “do you” world. I “do me” and you “do you” and we’re cool!

And before people say that alcohol isn’t a direct comparison to smoking. Alcohol consumption has proven to cause liver disease and addiction. And before you say it can’t hurt anyone else, it can. I’ve been trampled by drunk people on more than one occasion (I’m super short), someone was so drunk they puked on my feet (in Epcot actually), even broke all my toes when a blatantly drunk woman on an ECV ran me over (Downtown Disney in front of Portobello’s) and outside of the park —- are they driving a vehicle?

At the end of the day, they aren’t me. If that’s what someone chooses to do, it’s their choice, their vacation. Sometimes it puts a bump in mine but not enough to make me come unhinged or preachy about their choices. Even when they broke my toes! It hurt but in hindsight we laugh hysterically over how it went down!

Let us be not so judgemental, offended, and just live in our own lanes!

Well alcohol in excess can effect others, someone having a single drinks does not. Someone having a single smoke does.

Why all this talk about the economic classification and generalizations about people who smoke?
It's almost as if people are responding with these economic "facts" as a reason why there won't be any impact on Disney's bottom line.
Perhaps it somehow justifies the condemnation of smokers. It's as if it is being suggested that lower socio-economic groups need to be "guided" in their personal substance choices.
Disney treated these people with no regard. Giving 30 days notice is a joke.

Disney regularly treats people with no regard, particularly at DL. I had 30 days notice that the entire castle would be closed off and under a scrim for our trip, there was also less then 6 weeks notice for multiple ride closures and F! Being taken down on top of WOC, these all impacted our trip, way more than saying you have to leave thr park to smoke.

I don't think so. People will just have less family time because they are out smoking, or more will just light up wherever.

And that is because they are choosing g to do so, not because of Disney. If you put your smoke before your family, that's on you.

Agreed Col! I think people are losing sight of PEOPLE (maybe think beyond themselves for a split second) and just googling stuff to “win” a debate. The original “poor people” post inferred negativity and “put downs”.

The original post inferred that Disney isn’t marketing to the Average Joe and marketing to the upper echelon. And that the upper echelon doesn’t smoke because it is “low brow” and “no smoking” will keep the blue collar folks at home and lure the white collar. (I noted that I personally know more white collar smokers vs blue collar...including my father specifically). Sorry but they are marketing to the AVERAGE American family not the rich. Disney World vacations are as much of the American Dream as the white picket fence.

If they are trying to lure in only the rich, white collar they hired the wrong marketing firm. Even the Grand Floridian doesn’t meet “luxury” standards and the smoking sections there always have occupants. My father actually refers to the Grand as Disney’s very own Red Roof Inn when we stay there lol. But then again, apparently because my father smokes he’s poor, low brow, stupid, uneducated, selfish, inconsiderate, among other insults being slung his way. But, like myself, he doesn’t like or approve of alcohol consumption especially in public and even more so if you’re drinking while taking care of your kids. Even though he doesn’t like or approve of it he doesn’t sling insults, offer unsolicited advice, or pass judgement at those who do. Instead he pulls up a chair, gets to know you, jokes and laughs, make napkin animals for your kids and tells you he’s a gas pump attendant because he’s sensitive people will treat him differently or be intimidated by his actual career. He’ll even pay for your cab ride home or a hotel for the night to make sure you and others are safe. But again...so many want to categorize him and make him out to be the Boogie Man because he enjoys sauntering over to a DSA, relaxing a bit and enjoy a smoke on his vacation. By the way, he’s met some of the most fascinating and nicest people in those DSA’s.

If Disney decided to go dry (which obviously they won’t but...), the outcry would be greater as would the empathy, compassion or heck, even just being supportive and kind.

Again alcohol in excess can effect others, someone having a single drinks does not. Someone having a single smoke does.

Well many if not most people drink responsibly there is no such thing as responsible smoking, right from your very 1st smoke you are making a bad choice, you can't say the same for a si gle glass of wine with dinner.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I know a certain somebody who would be rolling in his grave right now!



While searching for a picture to accompany that lame joke, I came across this article explaining why smoking pictures of Walt are hard to come by, along with the origin story for the two finger point. Is it true? I have no idea, but it was an interesting read if it is:

https://petapixel.com/2016/10/12/disneyland-used-photoshop-cigarettes-portraits-walt-disney/

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Wrong thread lol oops

 

[Col.W.Deering]

I just read on another site, the response from Disney emailed to the guest, about this new policy. Apparently the person is 3 days out from their paid for vacation and not happy. She said she was concerned about getting back into the parks and would there be a re-entry line for smokers who already went through security. The answer was, No they will have to go back in line to get in.
So that answers that question, apparently.

Thanks so much for that information!
Basically, they're not providing any accommodations for guests that will have to leave the parks to smoke.

Ok...so glad we changed our minds about becoming DVC members before it was too late.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I just read on another site, the response from Disney emailed to the guest, about this new policy. Apparently the person is 3 days out from their paid for vacation and not happy. She said she was concerned about getting back into the parks and would there be a re-entry line for smokers who already went through security. The answer was, No they will have to go back in line to get in.
So that answers that question, apparently.

I wonder if that’s going to impact entrance lines now having X% of guests going through security for re-entry multiple times a day instead of just once upon arrival.

 

[LSUmiss]

I know a certain somebody who would be rolling in his grave right now!

View attachment 391933

While searching for a picture to accompany that lame joke, I came across this article explaining why smoking pictures of Walt are hard to come by, along with the origin story for the two finger point. Is it true? I have no idea, but it was an interesting read if it is:

https://petapixel.com/2016/10/12/disneyland-used-photoshop-cigarettes-portraits-walt-disney/

Maybe not now considering he died of lung cancer.

 

[Summer2018]

Maybe not now considering he died of lung cancer.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[superme80]

And that is because they are choosing g to do so, not because of Disney. If you put your smoke before your family, that's on you.

It is not that easy, and I find it extremely rude for you to say so! We will never agree on this issue, but I find your comments rude and hurtful to others.

 

[LSUmiss]

I guess I’m curious what some of the smokers do in their workplace. A lot of work places are smoke free & do not allow smoke breaks. How do you get through a day & could not this same strategy work at wdw?

 

[maxiesmom]

Thanks so much for that information!
Basically, they're not providing any accommodations for guests that will have to leave the parks to smoke.

Ok...so glad we changed our minds about becoming DVC members before it was too late.

In order to have a separate entrance for smokers they would have to have a holding pen of sorts set up for smokers.