A video that would have seemed unremarkable in any church fellowship hall is generating significant conversation precisely because of where it was filmed.
The footage, posted to Instagram by @itsprincesspresley, shows roughly two dozen women seated at outdoor tables in the Backlot Express dining area at Disney's Hollywood Studios. A speaker addresses the full group. Smaller clusters of four or five women at each table then discuss what was covered. The caption frames the gathering as a bible study aimed at “girlies who love Jesus and Disney.” The organizer behind the meetups, Instagram user @leightonnelizabeth, runs a group called Girls Disney Bible Study. Its FAQ states that gatherings happen one to two times per month at Disney parks. The format: scripture study, prayer, a snack, then rides. Attendees are asked to bring a bible, a notebook, and a pen.
A separate video shows a similar gathering at Magic Kingdom.
The reaction online has been, to put it mildly, a lot.
Some guests have welcomed the idea with genuine enthusiasm. Others have questioned whether a religious gathering belongs in a theme park dining area. Comparisons have been drawn to other organized guest traditions at Disney parks. Questions have been raised about what the official rules actually permit or prohibit. And Disney, as of the time of publication, has not commented.
The Comment Section, Represented Honestly
The online response to the video captures the genuine divide that exists when religious practice and shared public space overlap at a place as culturally loaded as Walt Disney World.
Supporters were vocal and specific. “Oh my goodness! This is amazing! I am in Orlando somewhat frequently and would love to lead a devotion sometime about my book on waiting and trusting in God's timing. I would love to send you a copy!” wrote one commenter. Another asked: “I really need a group like this at Disneyland! Please let me know if you know of one already!” A third shared a personal connection without being able to attend: “I've yet to be able to attend the Disney Bible study but I did find a hidden Jesus at Poly gift shop a couple weeks ago and it made me so happy.” Others wanted practical information: “How can I find out when they are scheduled?” and “I would like to join soon. As I'm at Disney often and I love Jesus.”
The critics were equally direct. “Can't you do this at church? Why are you guys obsessed with shoving this in our face?” wrote one. Another offered: “Fastest way to steal joy at Disney is bible studies.” More hostile responses included: “This is pretty disgusting. Keep this garbage out of Disney!” and a brief: “Cults are weird.”
One comment occupied the genuine middle: “This is cool, this is nice. I am Christian, but Disney should be used for Disney things. Otherwise it will become so much crowded that no visitors will have places to enjoy.”
A legally detailed comment made the California-specific case that similar gatherings at Downtown Disney in Anaheim would be protected under the state's Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins ruling, which established that privately owned public-access spaces in California can be treated as public forums for certain forms of expressive activity. The commenter noted carefully that this protection applies only to California law and public-access spaces.
Reading the Park Rules Carefully
Walt Disney World's official park rules do not produce a clean answer on the bible study question. Both sides of the debate have overstated the clarity of the rules in ways that do not hold up to a close reading.
The rule most directly relevant to religious activity covers unauthorized solicitations of any kind, whether commercial, religious, educational, or otherwise, and extends to any unauthorized commercial activities including solicitations of money or contributions. The video showed no solicitation of money. That rule does not appear to apply.
A second rule covers unauthorized events, speeches, or use of flags, banners, signs, or other materials. This is where the gathering enters murkier territory. An organized meeting with a designated speaker could be characterized as an unauthorized event or speech. But the rule language specifically ties that prohibition to material used for commercial purposes or as part of a demonstration. The footage does not show either. Whether a structured religious gathering meets the threshold of an unauthorized event under a rule written to cover commercial activity and demonstrations is genuinely debatable.
What is not debatable is the underlying authority. Walt Disney World is private property and the park rules explicitly state that Disney can deny admission or remove any guest at its sole and absolute discretion. That discretion exists independently of whether any specific rule has been technically violated.
Blog Mickey reached out to Disney for comment. Disney had not responded at the time of publication.
Where This Sits Among Other Organized Disney Gatherings
Dapper Day organizes guests to attend Disney parks in vintage-inspired formal attire on coordinated dates, generating large gatherings in dining areas and throughout the parks. Gay Days has operated at Walt Disney World for decades, with large groups of LGBTQ guests and allies attending on coordinated dates wearing red shirts. Disney fan communities and influencer accounts have hosted meetups in the parks regularly. None of these involve formal Disney authorization in the sense of Disney-produced programming. All of them exist in the same interpretive gray zone as the bible study, which is to say that they depend on the assumption that guests choosing to gather in a public dining area are not violating rules that were written for other purposes.
The question the comments are really debating, though few have framed it this clearly, is whether a religious gathering carries a different character than these other organized traditions. The park rules as written do not obviously treat it differently. Whether Disney's discretionary authority would be applied differently is a question that has not been answered because Disney has not commented.
The Dining Area Question That Actually Matters for Other Guests
Setting aside the debate about religion and theme parks, there is a more practical concern embedded in several of the comments that deserves a direct response.
The Backlot Express outdoor seating area at Disney's Hollywood Studios is a quick-service dining space. Guests who have purchased food and need a table to eat it are the primary intended users of those tables during operating hours. A group of roughly two dozen women occupying a significant portion of the outdoor seating for an organized meeting, regardless of the content of that meeting, reduces available seating for other guests who are there to eat.
The commenter who wrote that “it will become so much crowded that no visitors will have places to enjoy” was identifying a real and guest-facing consideration that exists independently of any view about religion or appropriateness. The same concern would apply to any organized gathering of similar size in a dining area during peak park hours.
Whether the gathering is appropriate, whether it violates park rules, and whether other guests' table access was materially affected are three different questions. The online debate has largely collapsed them into one.
If you have thoughts on organized gatherings in Disney park dining areas, religious or otherwise, share them in the comments. And if you have attended or hosted a meetup of any kind at a Disney park, tell us how that experience went and whether you felt it fit within what the parks are designed for.
