From public arguments in queues to guests literally hopping out of moving rides, it’s clear that many have forgotten the idea of common courtesy—and Disney’s Cast Members are left to deal with the consequences. But there’s one form of misbehavior that’s standing out lately: filming on rides.
Despite repeated warnings not to record during certain attractions, guests continue to ignore the rules. Social media is filled with clips from dark rides where guests have their phones out—sometimes with flash on—capturing moments meant to be experienced, not recorded. And while some of these videos rack up views, they’re also contributing to a growing problem that could lead to major changes across the parks.
Right now, the rule-breaking is mostly met with verbal reminders or public announcements. But that might not cut it for much longer. If guests continue to treat classic attractions like content farms, Disney may have no choice but to follow a strategy that’s becoming more and more common: making everyone store their stuff in lockers before boarding—whether you’re riding Space Mountain or “it’s a small world”.
Lockers Might Become the New Normal
We’ve already seen the shift. Universal Orlando led the charge years ago, requiring guests to use lockers on intense thrill rides. Disney joined in with TRON and Flight of Passage. And the upcoming Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster appears to be following suit. At first, it seemed like lockers were only meant for the big, fast, high-tech rides. Now? There’s chatter that even classic rides could be next.
The reason goes beyond thrill levels—it’s about what guests are doing once they get on board. The more people pull out phones mid-ride, distract other guests, or cause stoppages by dropping devices, the more likely Disney is to introduce more restrictions. And if that day comes, it’ll likely be because guests left them no choice.
Nobody wants to see lockers outside of Peter Pan’s Flight or The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. But it’s getting harder to imagine a future where Disney continues to allow guests to bring phones on every ride, only to see the same rules ignored again and again.
All it would take is one serious incident, one too many viral moments, or one injury caused by an object flying loose—and we could see a new rule sweep across the parks overnight. And at that point, it wouldn’t matter if fans liked it or not. It would just be the reality.
For now, Disney is still offering a lot of freedom on most rides. But if you want to hold on to that freedom, it might be time for all of us to put the phones down, follow the rules, and remember why we came in the first place. Because the next rule change? It might not be one you can just scroll past.
