29 Apirl 2019
Josh Fiallo
Keep your ice at home now, too.
If being able to light a smoke at Walt Disney World was on your bucket list, Tuesday may be your last day to do it.
Starting Wednesday, all forms of smoking — vaping included — will be banned from all of its U.S. parks and at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Previously, park guests were able to smoke in designated areas inside Disney’s parks. Now, smoking will be limited to designated areas outside of park entrances.
All Disney employees will be in charge of smoking enforcement, spokeswoman Erica Ettori said in March when the ban was first announced. She said Disney does not plan to punish visitors if they are caught breaking the rules. They’ll be led to the designated areas outside the park and then granted re-entry.
If it feels like it was already rare that you saw smokers in the sea of Mickey Mouse ears, it’s because smoking at Disney was already extremely limited. Magic Kingdom — the world’s busiest theme park — only had two designated smoking areas.
While the ban on smoking has grabbed the most attention, it’s not the only change going into effect Wednesday.
Also joining the list of things banned from Walt Disney World will be strollers larger than 31 inches wide and 52 inches long and bags or coolers of loose ice.
Why the bans?
“Walt Disney World Resort makes updates from time to time and the removal of smoking areas is intended to provide a more enjoyable experience for everyone who visits,” the company said in the release. “The reduction of stroller sizes is intended to ease guest flow and reduce congestion, making the park experience more enjoyable for everyone who visits.”
Disney says the ban on ice is to “streamline the bag-check and entry processes.” They recommend guests use reusable ice packs.
While these changes are new, they’re hardly the first.
In recent years, Walt Disney World has also banned folding chairs, drones, wagons, pogo sticks, wrapped presents, selfie sticks and ashes.
