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Credit: DisneyInside the Magic recently reported that a proposed Florida law would prevent many Walt Disney World Resort guests from using social media apps on vacation. Days later, talks of a phone ban at Disneyland Resort alarmed Disney Park fans who are happy with the current rules.
HB1, awaiting a signature from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, would prohibit anyone aged 16 and under from using social media apps like Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more. While no specific application is named in the bill, it explicitly targets platforms that track and store user data or use “addictive, harmful, or deceptive design features or any other feature that is designed to cause an account holder to have an excessive or compulsive need to use or engage with the social media platform (such as autoplay or infinite scrolling).” These broad rules would apply to nearly every popular social media network.
As young Walt Disney World Resort fans pondered how this could impact their future trips, Southern Californian Disney Parks fans floated their own ban. Redditor u/One-23 posted a poll on the Disneyland Resort subreddit on Wednesday, asking if anyone would visit Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and Downtown Disney if they “banned cell phones” for a day.
59% of respondents said they would visit Disneyland Resort without cell phones compared to 41% who wouldn’t.
“Disneyland is about nostalgia,” one Disney Park fan wrote. “Phones ruin the illusion.”
“Cell phones have turned out to be a severe annoyance,” said another.
“I think it would be pretty sweet,” u/ducky743 replied. “Not in a ‘phones are the worst thing ever created’ way but just to have a different experience…Just one day where there are no fast passes at all. Print some paper maps. No discounts.”
Many users who voted in favor of a “no-phone” day said they felt neutral about cell phones at the Disney theme parks but would be willing to go without them for a day if required.
“Idk how they’d do it considering how much you rely on your phone, but sure,” one commenter said. “Might mean carrying more stuff than if I did have a phone tho: bring my regular camera and my magic band and a book for lines, have to wear a watch probably, have to bring all my actual CCs instead of just ID (which is usually, you guessed it, in my phone case lol). It wouldn’t be convenient but it’d be fine.”
“WOULD I attend a day where cell phones were banned? Sure,” another wrote. “But zero chance they would ever try such a thing with how much sales and crowd control rely on them these days.”
“Given how your pass, discounts, map, really any and all information ABOUT Disneyland is in their app on a cell phone, I don’t know how you would be able to do much without a cell phone at Disneyland these days,” u/pianoman857 agreed.
Still, there were many vehemently against banning cellphones at Disneyland Resort.
“I cannot live without knowing the wait times,” u/ItsPhoenix5 explained. “I never have an organized plan when I go to the parks, I jump around based on wait times. Also mobile ordering is too convenient. It would be nice to unplug, but they’ve given me a taste of power and I can’t go back.”
“I use my cell phone to take pictures of me and whomever I’m there with,” another fan argued. “It only comes out of my pocket for those instances. Take that away and I can’t remember the good times I had. Memories of past adventures are priceless.”
Disneyland Resort hasn’t issued any statements suggesting that it would add a phone ban to its rules.
Should Disneyland Resort have strict phone rules? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks guest experiences. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.