Mass Rule-Breaking Ignored at Disney Parks, Guests Become “Aggressive”

Guests are complaining about mass rule-breaking at two Disney theme parks.

Like all places, rules exist at theme parks for a reason. While some are more frequently broken than others (is it really a Disney day if you don’t spot someone trying to cut the line?), all are – theoretically – enforced with as much vigor as possible.

However, that doesn’t mean that guests don’t still try to push the limits.

In recent years, we’ve seen Disney take action against the most determined rule-breakers. For example, in May 2023, Disneyland Paris installed new signage to prevent guests from trying to climb onto platforms in front of Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (AKA Sleeping Beauty Castle).

Last year, security was quick to remove a guest who jumped into the World Showcase lagoon in EPCOT from the Italy pavilion bridge, while in January another guest jumped off the boat at Tom Sawyer’s Island and was in the river at Magic Kingdom (which is frequented by alligators in it) where he refused rescue. A cast member claimed he was in “big trouble” with security banning similar perpetrators in the past.

While these kinds of incidents are swiftly tackled, one rule that seems to continuously slip through the cracks at one Disney resort is smoking.

As Inside the Magic has reported multiple times in the past, guests at Disneyland Paris have been known to openly smoke both cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (or vapes) at both Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park (soon to become Disney Adventure World). Unlike Walt Disney World Resort, these parks do actually have designated outdoor smoking areas in the parks – but many still insist on smoking in other areas.

Guests recently turned to Reddit to complain about the lack of action to prevent this behavior.

“Just sat through the entire fireworks show near a man chain-smoking the entire time in the middle of the crowd,” wrote one Reddit user. “We tried to move away, but it was packed, and we waited an hour to have a decent view. A cast member said there was nothing they could do despite 2 security guards just standing next to her.”

Related: Game Over – Disney Park Permanently Axes Fireworks as of Today

According to the official Disneyland Paris website, smoking is banned everywhere throughout the resort, except designated smoking areas.

Theme Parks covered and uncovered areas are non-smoking, except for designated outdoor areas specially created and equipped for smokers. This rule also applies to electronic cigarettes.

Inside the Magic has visited Disneyland Paris on multiple occasions in the past and had a similar experience. Judging by multiple responses from other users, so have many other guests at the resort’s two Disney theme parks.

“We had the same experience,” wrote another user. “Woman near us smoking during the fireworks show and ignoring us, asking three times in three different languages. Eventually got aggressive with us and started threatening us.”

Meanwhile, another user relayed that “it was difficult to find places to sit with my daughter whilst she napped in the stroller, when I did get to sit I was always quickly joined by a smoker (and not in the smoking areas).”

As one guest noted, this is an experience exclusive to Disneyland Paris. “I’ve been to Shanghai a few times, and despite people smoking all over the place in China and it being very popular, very, very few people were doing so inside the park and then in designated areas.”

While some have called for cast members to get involved, another user made the very good point that “if this person doesn’t have the common decency to not smoke in a crowded place, it is unlikely they would listen to an employee asking them not to smoke.”

Not only that but there’s also the risk of guests becoming “hostile and verbally aggressive when politely asked not to smoke. People are just rude.”

Do you think there should be tighter rules around smoking at Disneyland Paris? Let us know in the comments!