Walt Disney World may be known as “The Most Magical Place on Earth,” but for some recent visitors, the spell is being broken — not by long lines or summer heat, but by cell phones.
A recent Reddit thread is sparking passionate discussion among Disney parkgoers who say phone use in ride queues and even during attractions has gotten completely out of control. From flash photography on Pirates of the Caribbean to guests holding up entire lines while texting, many longtime fans are saying enough is enough.
“I just got back from Disney and it was not as enjoyable as I remember,” one frustrated guest wrote. “This couple who were like 25… were on their phone in line for Peter Pan on Thursday and stood there for about five minutes… as people kept moving up and created about 30 METRES of space between them.”
The guest, who identified themselves as a passholder, shared their exhaustion: “Keep the line steadily moving please, my feet are dead.” The post quickly resonated with other users, racking up over 300 comments and a flood of shared experiences.
Phones on Rides: Flash, Facetime, and Missed Roles
One of the most common complaints? Flash photography in dark rides like Pirates of the Caribbean — which completely disrupts the immersive experience. “People filming the whole pirates ride WITH FLASH on and then taking a phone call?” the original poster added. “Like, people have no respect at all anymore and it made me so angry.”
And it doesn’t stop there. On Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, one guest reported: “The person next to me FaceTimed someone who was at home and the ride was so loud the lady couldn’t hear the person on the phone. So what I got to hear the whole ride was ‘WHAT?’ ‘WHAT?!’ ‘WHAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU.’ Maybe you shouldn’t be taking calls on rides.”
Another rider recounted their experience on Jungle Cruise, where a guest “loudly took a business call… the entire trip. Really annoying.”
Over in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, things weren’t much better. Multiple users reported having their Smuggler’s Run missions derailed due to guests more interested in staying connected than participating.
“Mom chatted and chatted and chatted loudly on her phone, ignoring even the CM’s announcements,” one rider said. “We get on the ride and… the mom was seated in the engineer role and was too busy trying to talk on her phone… and missed ALL of her role cues. It was terrible.”
Another added, “Dad just filmed [his kids] the whole time. I finally reached over next to him and pressed his buttons for him just so we could at least experience part of the ride.”
Frustration Among Frequent Visitors
While many guests try to stay polite and let it go, frequent visitors are reaching their limit.
“I never want to speak up and ruin people’s experiences because I’m a passholder and I can come back,” said the original poster. “But I’m getting pushed to my limits.”
Several commenters pointed out that speaking up to Cast Members might actually be the best route. “I’ve seen people on here share that they had a ride ruined by another guest… they told the ride CM and were permitted to ride again or go through the Lightning Lane,” one guest said.
They added, “I feel like this would be especially good to report given that it wasn’t ‘just’ filming with flash on or having a phone convo… You were being straight up verbally harassed or even verbally assaulted.”
One reply took it a step further, calling for structural changes to the experience itself: “I wish they had a ‘young kid friendly’ version of the ride where the ride autopilots no matter what the kids do… I never get to pilot because there’s always young kids and they always end up in the pilot seat.”
A Growing Call for Action
While Disney parks have long discouraged flash photography and disruptive behavior on rides, enforcement has been hit or miss — and many guests say the problem is only getting worse with the rise of livestreaming, TikTok, and in-ride content creation.
Several Reddit users even suggested the idea of light phone restrictions or designated “no phone” zones for certain attractions.
Until then, guests can only hope for more awareness—and more respect—from those around them.
As one poster put it bluntly: “It doesn’t matter that there’s nowhere to go, just keep the line steadily moving… and please, for the love of magic, get off the phone.”
