No more smoking or vaping in the parks

[dish rag]

It’s easy to gang up on smokers. I am very guilty of that. I hate smoking more than any one I know. I hate haveing the driver in front of me the smoke coming into my car. I hate seeing someone at the beach using the sand as an ash tray. I hate smelling it on people. It’s a gross and nasty thing and for the life of me I cannot understand even trying it to begin with. I wish any one who smokes good luck I really hope you can stop. If you do you will see and understand what people are saying. I think Disney was wrong in their approach. I think a 6 month notice would have been the right thing to do. Then, the ban should have been on the entire property. I sincerely wish all you smokers to please give it up.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Seems misguided to worry about the money smokers will "throw away" on a vacation they choose not to go on, when they willingly pay thousands of dollars to engage in an activity that will end up killing them.

Key word there. Willingly. Nobody willingly paid thousands for a vacation where they cant enjoy their habit...good or bad.

 

[Hikergirl]

Nowhere on the WDW site does it specifically state that smoking is allowed IN the parks.
In fact it states that they are smoke free.
Seems like there has never been a guarantee you were going to be able to smoke inside the parks, just that there were DSAs in the area.
Outside of the park at the gates is in the area of the park.

What areas of Walt Disney World Resort permit smoking?

A.

Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Disney resort hotels are smoke-free environments except for designated smoking areas.

 

[Jennasis]

As all the other changes WDW has made over the years that has caused an uproar...this too shall pass and eventually it will just be how it is at Disney.

 

[Hikergirl]

Key word there. Willingly. Nobody willingly paid thousands for a vacation where they cant enjoy their habit...good or bad.

Give me a break, they can still enjoy their habit. Smoking isn't being banned entirely.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It was a part of the experience they expected at the time they paid, yes.

Unfortunately that's on the person then and I don't mean that in an inconsiderate way.

Disney never promised, wrote or expressly stated you would be able to smoke inside the park. Your theme park ticket does not guarantee that just as it doesn't guarantee someone gets to ride every ride there is to offer. Disney has confined smoking to DSAs which have always been able to be moved or reduced at the discretion of Disney. Your theme park ticket doesn't even guarantee there are DSAs. That's part of the park rules.

If one truly from the bottom of their heart paid for admission into Disney, planned their trip to Disney with a salient point being able to smoke inside the parks then unfortunately they misunderstood how DSAs work. I'm really not certain anything will be able to make that easier to accept if they misunderstood how DSAs in general work and I'm not sure what I can even say to make it better.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

To me it would make the most sense to not allow them past security/bag check, otherwise you just end up with the exact scenario that happens right now, which is the people who don't follow the rules regardless light up wherever they want. I did actually notice several on my last trip.

It's a good policy, too many rule breakers who lit up anywhere they pleased.
I hope that the smoking area is far enough away so that the rest of us don't have to walk near it when entering the gates.

Disney is simply resorting to "bans" because they fail to enforce their own set of rules... They really need to train staff to deal with guests who won't play nice. It wrecks it for everyone else who does!

Selfie stick abuse...Ban!
Wagon size abuse...Ban!
Smoking out of area....Ban!
Ice issues??....Ban!
(I'm sure there are more examples too)

I hate smoking more than I could ever describe (personal reasons) and yet this policy annoys me because it does nothing about the problem - and people smoking in the DSAs is not the problem! It's the ones who smoke in lines and crowds that is the issue. There is no way they are going to keep people from bringing cigarettes and vapes in and in my experience CMs will only ask once for a person to comply with the smoking policy; if they fail to comply the CM will just shrug and walk away.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

You believe a stay at a monorail resort doesn't come at a premium because it includes onsite monorail transportation? I suppose the resorts with direct connection to the upcoming gondola line won't see price increases associated with the gondola either? I suppose Disney has never and will never promote the convenience of resort direct monorail or gondola connections, not ever.

The idea of paying a premium for a specific hotel's amenities isn't WDW specific.

Not at all what I'm saying. People pay for something with the expectation that they will be able to use the amenities available at the time of booking and plan their trips as such. Whether Disney up charges monorail resorts because of the ability to use the monorail is irrelevant since the use of the monorail is not guaranteed, they don't discount the resorts when the monorail is down, and they don't charge non-monorail resort guests to use the monorail. Sure, people may choose to stay in a monorail resort so they can use the monorail, but they are not paying a different price whether the monorail is working or not, so I don't get why you're so hung up on people paying more for something they can't use.

 

[Hikergirl]

I hate smoking more than I could ever describe (personal reasons) and yet this policy annoys me because it does nothing about the problem - and people smoking in the DSAs is not the problem! It's the ones who smoke in lines and crowds that is the issue. There is no way they are going to keep people from bringing cigarettes and vapes in and in my experience CMs will only ask once for a person to comply with the smoking policy; if they fail to comply the CM will just shrug and walk away.

There is no way to know what is going to happen until the policy takes effect. I'm optimistic that CMs will take this policy seriously.
Only time will tell.

 

[cabanafrau]

Not at all what I'm saying. People pay for something with the expectation that they will be able to use the amenities available at the time of booking and plan their trips as such. Whether Disney up charges monorail resorts because of the ability to use the monorail is irrelevant since the use of the monorail is not guaranteed, they don't discount the resorts when the monorail is down, and they don't charge non-monorail resort guests to use the monorail. Sure, people may choose to stay in a monorail resort so they can use the monorail, but they are not paying a different price whether the monorail is working or not, so I don't get why you're so hung up on people paying more for something they can't use.

Smokers aren't paying more to use the in park DSA's, but it's understandable to be upset that they will now have to use park adjacent DSA's -- still for no charge.

If I choose to book a monorail resort, which does bear a premium price in part to do with onsite monorail access I shouldn't be upset because it's not guaranteed. If I book a resort elsewhere because of an amazing pool and spa complex I shouldn't feel frustrated if I arrive and find out that they are unavailable during my stay because a private group has booked their exclusive use during my stay. It shouldn't matter that I paid more to stay in a smaller room at this resort because of those amenities when I could have paid less across the street for a suite style room set up with an ocean view that doesn't have the amazing pool and spa complex.

 

[luvsJack]

Is my statement about DSAs being able to be moved and removed untrue? Is anything I said about smoking being confined to DSAs untrue? Is what I said about still being able to smoke at Disney untrue?

I'm sorry you're being negatively impacted but you've always been confined to DSAs whereever they were located at which was always available to change. For MK in 2015 the DSAs were reduced to 4, in 2016 DSAs were reduced to 3 with one of those 3 being a DSA now located by the ferries outside the entrance (so two inside the park), in 2019 there will be 1 which is one located outside of the park; not sure if they will move it from the ferry location or not. This has been a gradual change for at least MK.

I know that you're frustrated with the change but it's always been Disney's decision what to do with DSAs. It will always be your decision if you can adjust to any reduction or moving of the DSAs or if you're opting to stop going to Disney. I have my things that would make my desire to go to Disney less (paid FP is one of them). I may not stop going completely as in I swear it away for the rest of my life but it's been by sheer chance that I've gone about every 6 years of my life. I don't have a set schedule though so it could be a lot longer in between trips for the future. My husband and I both love going to many other places and exploring around and we rarely plan vacations to the same destination twice.

At this point you aren’t getting what anyone is saying because you simply do not want to. You said you couldn’t understand why anyone was frustrated, upset, etc and went on to mention Disney Springs and the resorts. I told you the difference for us and you refuse to even try to get it.

INSIDE THE PARK VS OUTSIDE. my goodness. If you can’t see the time difference that I made very clear, I don’t know what else to tell you.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

I know I'll be in the minority here but I was so sad to read this morning's announcements. We have had so many really great trips to Disney, but I know my husband won't go back with a no-smoking policy in place. It isn't reasonable in the least to expect smokers to hike all the way back to the parking lot to have a cigarette, on top of all the walking that is already involved in a WDW vacation. Disney has to know this and I'm sure they don't care - they are busy enough that losing the ~20% of Americans who still smoke is a loss they're willing to accept. But on a personal level, I'm so disappointed that we'll never take that adults-only trip we've been talking about for years or give DD her 21st birthday wish with a Food & Wine trip.

Wow, I feel really sad for you that your husband makes a disgusting habit like smoking a priority for your vacations over family time.

 

[cabanafrau]

Wow, I feel really sad for you that your husband makes a disgusting habit like smoking a priority for your vacations over family time.

I'm going to guess they'll thrive just fine in other destinations where they'll still happily spend quality family time together.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

At this point you aren’t getting what anyone is saying because you simply do not want to. You said you couldn’t understand why anyone was frustrated, upset, etc and went on to mention Disney Springs and the resorts. I told you the difference for us and you refuse to even try to get it.

INSIDE THE PARK VS OUTSIDE. my goodness. If you can’t see the time difference that I made very clear, I don’t know what else to tell you.

There's no refusing to get anything here. I get it. I guess you are refusing to accept is that you were never guaranteed access inside the parks to smoke. You assumed you would but in reality you were always confined to whereever the DSA was located at.

Let's get this straight-where did I say I couldn't understand why anyone is frustrated? Are you confusing me with another poster? I'm fairly certain I actually said having to go outside the parks I'm sure is frustrating. Now I think you might be trying to put words in my mouth and I don't appreciate that.

You have a specific way of touring. Others have their own specific way. I never asked you to explain in detail what your touring plan was. I said you were and still can smoke when you go to Disney. When I mentioned Disney Springs and the resorts its because I was explaining that in the context that Disney still allows one to smoke on their property. I'm certain speaking with you previously you got that point.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned multiple times over, to you actually and to other posters, that yes more time would be involved.

When the DSA was moved from Fantasyland to next to Space Mountain to accommodate Tron construction I'm sure it messed with someone's touring style too.

The location of the DSAs have always been up to Disney. Were you one of the smokers who smoked whereever or did you adhere to DSAs? If you adhered to DSA I'm thinking you were aware they could change at any moment or be removed at any moment. If you cannot accept that you were only permitted to smoke within DSA areas and as such were at the mercy of Disney's decisions to locate the DSAs whever they want to I'm just not sure what else I can say.

FTR I get your frustration but it does not change how smoking at Disney has operated at Disney which is that it was permitted only in DSAs wherever those DSAs are located at at any given time. You can still smoke at Disney in the DSAs wherever those are located at. That has not changed for the present moment.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Smokers aren't paying more to use the in park DSA's, but it's understandable to be upset that they will now have to use park adjacent DSA's -- still for no charge.

If I choose to book a monorail resort, which does bear a premium price in part to do with onsite monorail access I shouldn't be upset because it's not guaranteed. If I book a resort elsewhere because of an amazing pool and spa complex I shouldn't feel frustrated if I arrive and find out that they are unavailable during my stay because a private group has booked their exclusive use during my stay. It shouldn't matter that I paid more to stay in a smaller room at this resort because of those amenities when I could have paid less across the street for a suite style room set up with an ocean view that doesn't have the amazing pool and spa complex.

People have every right to be upset for not getting the amenities that were available when they booked. That's the point here. People booked a monorail resort expecting to use the monorail and were frustrated when it went down and they could no longer use it. Other options were still available (bus/boat), though it wasn't ideal and would take longer. The price of their trip did not change, though the perceived value of the resort has decreased as they no longer have the benefit of the quicker access with the monorail and it will take longer to travel to and from their resort, eating into time at the parks.

People booked a trip to Disney and planned their days taking into account the DSAs that were in place, expecting to be able to use them. With the ban, they can no longer use them, but other options are available (outside the park), though it's not ideal and will take longer. The price of the trip has not changed, but the perceived value of their trip has decreased as they no longer have the quick access to DSAs and it will take longer, eating into their time at the parks.

 

[maxiesmom]

And I thought the napkin discussion got ugly!!!!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Good riddance. It's a disgusting, smelly habit that lowers the quality of experience to other people at the park and is a health issue. If you are under 40 and smoke, your education system failed you.

 

[cabanafrau]

People have every right to be upset for not getting the amenities that were available when they booked. That's the point here. People booked a monorail resort expecting to use the monorail and were frustrated when it went down and they could no longer use it. Other options were still available (bus/boat), though it wasn't ideal and would take longer. The price of their trip did not change, though the perceived value of the resort has decreased as they no longer have the benefit of the quicker access with the monorail and it will take longer to travel to and from their resort, eating into time at the parks.

People booked a trip to Disney and planned their days taking into account the DSAs that were in place, expecting to be able to use them. With the ban, they can no longer use them, but other options are available (outside the park), though it's not ideal and will take longer. The price of the trip has not changed, but the perceived value of their trip has decreased as they no longer have the quick access to DSAs and it will take longer, eating into their time at the parks.

No, the monorails didn't "go down". Disney either scheduled mid-day maintenance on them or elected to save money by operating them on a reduced schedule. They didn't inform guests with reservations booked at those resorts along the line. They didn't inform guests booking those resorts after the decision had been made. They didn't lower the cost to the guests. It didn't get mainstream media coverage alerting prospective guests ahead of time.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

And I thought the napkin discussion got ugly!!!!

Napkin? Ohh do tell lol

 

[cabanafrau]

There's no refusing to get anything here. I get it. I guess you are refusing to accept is that you were never guaranteed access inside the parks to smoke. You assumed you would but in reality you were always confined to whereever the DSA was located at.

Let's get this straight-where did I say I couldn't understand why anyone is frustrated? Are you confusing me with another poster? I'm fairly certain I actually said having to go outside the parks I'm sure is frustrating. Now I think you might be trying to put words in my mouth and I don't appreciate that.

You have a specific way of touring. Others have their own specific way. I never asked you to explain in detail what your touring plan was. I said you were and still can smoke when you go to Disney. When I mentioned Disney Springs and the resorts its because I was explaining that in the context that Disney still allows one to smoke on their property. I'm certain speaking with you previously you got that point.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned multiple times over, to you actually and to other posters, that yes more time would be involved.

When the DSA was moved from Fantasyland to next to Space Mountain to accommodate Tron construction I'm sure it messed with someone's touring style too.

The location of the DSAs have always been up to Disney. Were you one of the smokers who smoked whereever or did you adhere to DSAs? If you adhered to DSA I'm thinking you were aware they could change at any moment or be removed at any moment. If you cannot accept that you were only permitted to smoke within DSA areas and as such were at the mercy of Disney's decisions to locate the DSAs whever they want to I'm just not sure what else I can say.

FTR I get your frustration but it does not change how smoking at Disney has operated at Disney which is that it was permitted only in DSAs wherever those DSAs are located at at any given time. You can still smoke at Disney in the DSAs wherever those are located at. That has not changed for the present moment.

People have every right to be upset for not getting the amenities that were available when they booked. That's the point here. People booked a monorail resort expecting to use the monorail and were frustrated when it went down and they could no longer use it. Other options were still available (bus/boat), though it wasn't ideal and would take longer. The price of their trip did not change, though the perceived value of the resort has decreased as they no longer have the benefit of the quicker access with the monorail and it will take longer to travel to and from their resort, eating into time at the parks.

People booked a trip to Disney and planned their days taking into account the DSAs that were in place, expecting to be able to use them. With the ban, they can no longer use them, but other options are available (outside the park), though it's not ideal and will take longer. The price of the trip has not changed, but the perceived value of their trip has decreased as they no longer have the quick access to DSAs and it will take longer, eating into their time at the parks.

Guests of monorail resorts could elect to switch to another resort and lower the cost of their trip -- if they were given notice.