Theme Park Etiquette and Safety: Part I

When we visit Walt Disney World and other theme parks, our biggest concern is usually to have fun. Many of us forget to take our common sense and politeness with us, taking risks and doing things we would normally never do back home. In Part I of a two-part series, let's look at theme park etiquette and safety at Walt Disney World, and learn how they work together to help you a fun and safe vacation.

What better place to begin a discussion on safety than the Walt Disney World Transportation network of buses, boats, trams and monorails? The better informed you are with WDW transportation, the faster you will get to your destination.

When using any mode of transportation, always listen to the operator for instructions. The operator is there to help you get to your destination as quickly as possible - and in one piece.

Be courteous whatever transportation you're using.

When a vehicle arrives to pick you up, first allow those passengers already on board to exit from the vehicle. Give them plenty of room, as they want to get to their own destinations quickly just like you.

As you enter, remember that there are people behind you waiting to board as well, so locate an area to sit down or stand so that you are out of the way of the aisle. When you enter a monorail car and sit down, slide all the way across the car to make room available on the seat.

Finally, wait until your vehicle stops and the cast member instructs the guests to exit.

When you drive to a WDW theme park, your best friends are the cast members directing traffic as you enter the parking lot. Once you pass the toll booth, look for these cast members to help direct you through the traffic flow, and to point you to where you should park. These cast members must park thousands of cars per hour, and are expert in directing the cars quickly. Do not park in a stall unless directed to; at best you could cause a back-up or bottleneck that affects those behind you; at worse you could create a safety hazard as you undermine the efficient parking method used in the lots.

After you park your vehicle, open your door carefully. Another car will be pulling in next to you on one side, while on the other side, people will be getting out of their vehicles. You don't want to have to deal with someone taking your door off, nor of slamming your door into another car's door that is already ajar.

When walking to the parking lot tram loading area, stay close to the parked cars and continue to follow any instructions given to you by any of the cast members working the parking lot or tram.

Following Castmembers directions helps to ensure safety.

Stay behind the designated line while you wait for the tram to stop. Do not get on the tram until it comes to a complete stop. When you get on the tram, slide all the way to the end of your seat to allow room for others. Listen for any announcements from the tram's cast members. The tram may be getting ready to depart, and attempting to get on such a tram results in your holding up an entire tram. Don't worry; trams arrive all the time.

If you have small children with you, make sure they are seated in the middle of the tram seat, and not on the outside of the tram where they could fall off - even if your children insist on sitting on the outside.

Finally, be sure to wait until the tram comes to a complete stop before getting off.

The security checkpoints at the WDW theme parks are new since 9/11. Following a few simple guidelines will make this necessary process as bothersome as possible.

Security checks at Epcot's main entrance (Photo by Sheila Hagen).

Theme park security checks all bags before they enter the parks. To help move this security check along as quickly as possible, have your bags ready before you get to the Security cast members. For example if you are wearing a fanny pack, opening up all of its zippered pockets and compartments, making sure you open all areas of any bag you have before you get up to the checkpoint. Doing so makes going through the checkpoint a breeze, and keeps the traffic moving smoothly in to the parks.

Remember that no one really enjoys these inspections, so be polite and as helpful as possible.

Do you ever wonder what is most important to WDW's Castmembers? You might guess "the customer is always right," but there is something even more important: your well-being, as well as those of fellow cast members.

WDW cast members are devoted to helping guests have a good time, which includes making sure you have a smooth and safe experience. For this reason, it is your responsibility to listen to their instructions, and to support them in their many roles.

Let's look at some specific things you can do to improve your vacation experience.

On a recent trip to WDW, I was very fortunate to spend quality time with an experienced and senior cast member whom I'll call "Mr. Main Street." Mr. Main Street told me that there has been an increase in the number of accidents in the Magic Kingdom with guests who failed to pay attention either while entering or exiting an attraction with a moving vehicle because they were busy talking on their cell phones.

We are all aware of the hazards driver causes when they are too busy talking on their cell phones. I guess the same can be said about the lack of attention as we climb on or off an attraction. Apparently, guests may be injuring themselves because they were not be paying attention to their footing.

Mr. Main Street pointed out how much emphasis is placed on both guest and cast member safety, and that this increase in the number of accidents has caused such great concern that the theme parks may have to take action to prevent these accidents from happening. I can only speculate as to what improvements they could make. My fear is that if this problem continues, we may find our favorite attractions retooled to include doors or gates, which cannot be opened by guests.

I don't relish the thought of such changes, as they would obviously add time to the loading and unloading of guests on all attractions that go through this kind of change.

Minimize business calls. If you are using your cell phones to stay in touch with family members within the parks, take an extra moment to make or finish your calls when you are not on an attraction.

"Please slide all the way down..."

Does that sound a bit familiar? It should for anyone who has experienced a WDW show attraction such as Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, The American Adventure, MuppetVision 3-D, and the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.

Crowds waiting to enter MuppetVision 3D.

What may be more familiar to you is, "Please choose a row and move all the way to the end of the row, making room for those behind you."

Here, etiquette and safety work hand in hand. As you enter the seating area, there are guests walking behind you who also need to sit down. During the most crowded times of the year, the attractions need every seat possible. Of course, if everyone did what was asked of them, then everyone would be seated quicker and the attraction would start in a timely manner. Fortunately, Disney is very good about engineering the theater seats to make sure everyone has a good view.

If you choose to ignore the announcements, and stubbornly sit in the middle of the row, you are forcing others to climb over you. You are risking your own safety, as well as theirs, since your feet, knees or other parts of your body could be the receiving end of someone who trips over you. Does being in the center of the row really mean that much to you?

Cast members at the Voyage of The Little Mermaid attraction at the Disney-MGM Studios enforce this rule pretty strictly. Because this attraction is very popular, every effort is made to fill every seat for every performance.

The next time cast members ask you to move all the way down to the end of your row, remember why, then scoot your bottom as far down the bench as you can go.

Next Time

In Part II of our discussion on theme park etiquette and safety, we look at character interaction, parades, and protecting cast members.

Class dismissed.

CREDIT:

Photos on this page by Brian Bennett unless otherwise noted

Here's a list of the trip reports that Mike has written that are part of MousePlanet's archives!

Michael Scopa -- August 1999 -- Walt Disney World (CSR)

Michael J. Scopa -- July 1997 -- Walt Disney World (WL/CBR)

Mike Scopa -- July 1994 -- Walt Disney World (WL / CBR)

Also, don't miss Lani Teshima's column, "The Trip Planner" for more travel planning information!

Brian Bennett, author of MousePlanet's WDW Trip Planning Guide (and publisher of the Disney Trip Report Archive), writes:

The first Disney trip report that I ever read was a report by Mike Scopa that I downloaded from the America Online travel library in late 1994. The report was a detailed description of the Scopa family's trip to WDW in the summer of that year.

As soon as I was done reading it, I was hooked.

I picked my own brain and documented my own trips and the things I'd learned from my own experiences. Then, in 1995 I actually wrote a report as the trip unfolded. I took a laptop with me and spent some time in the evenings documenting what had happened that day. (I've repeated that process for my own reports ever since.)

In July 1996, I started my Disney trip planning Web site. Besides including my own reports, I asked for permission from the authors of several other reports and added them to the offering. Since then, the number of reports has expanded greatly. In 1997, I added an information summary for each report to make it easier to sort through the reports that are available.

I still 'blame' Mike for hooking me on this Disney habit.

Thanks Mike!

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