A day at Disney World can be exhausting. Most guests spend the majority of the day at the parks. It’s possible to spend upwards of 16 hours inside a Disney Park in a single day. Oftentimes people bring in backpacks full of items to help survive the long day at Disney. However, there are now rumors that Disney World will ban all guest carry-in items.
Rumors just started swirling that Disney World will be banning all guest carry-ins for their four theme parks and Disney Springs. This new carry-in ban would not apply to the two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. Disney has extremely loose carry-in policies at those parks because they are waterparks.
Why is Disney changing their carry-in policy?
According to financial reports, Disney is losing significant revenue due to carry-ins. In fact, in 2022, Disney generated the least revenue from food and drinks in the last 10 years. We assume that is due to a drastic increase in prices. Guests are now bringing in their own lunches and dinners because of the high food prices. Recently we even saw a man try to sneak a microwave into Disney World to make Pizza Rolls. You can read our story on that here.
Disney also catches hundreds of thousands of people trying to sneak alcohol into their parks every year. This is much harder for Disney security to catch because it can often be hidden inside a water bottle or countless other places. While alcohol can be snuck in, we advise you not to. First off it’s against park rules and can get you banned. Also, Disney may ban alcohol in their parks as we reported here. If that happens, you may also be arrested for bringing in alcohol.
We don’t know a potential date Disney will ban carry-ins. We also don’t know if it’s confirmed that they will ban carry-in items. At this stage it’s just a rumor, however, it makes sense. Disney would do this to decrease the amount of food and drinks entering their parks, thus increasing their sales on those items. This would in hand also lessen the number of guns and other dangerous items that get through security. The last thing Disney wants to do is let a microwave or gun through security on accident.
What can I bring into Disney World?
If Disney officially bans carry-ins, can you bring anything into the parks? The answer is yes. However, there will be numerous limitations. Disney will continue to allow guests to bring in items that are “medical necessities”. This could be for diabetics, people with breathing devices or any other approved medical device. Disney is required by Florida law to allow these specific items in.
There will however be changes to the security process for those that need to bring in items. The items would need to be in a clear bag and go through a strict bag search at security. This heightened security will be Disney’s way of increasing revenue and ensuring the safety of all guests. If a guest tries to bring in a bag and doesn’t have a medical necessity, Disney will require them to check it at the entrance and retrieve it at the end of the day.
For those who like to bring snacks, drinks, deodorant, makeup, cameras, hats, umbrellas, and other common articles, they cannot be brought in a bag. If you want to bring any of those items into Disney World, you will need to carry them in your hands. This means Disney will still technically allow food and drinks into their parks, but this severely restricts what can be brought in.
If Disney does make this change, it will certainly have a negative impact on the park experience. We love to bring snacks and drinks into the park for consumption while standing in line. Disney prices are a ripoff. $8 for a soggy Mickey pretzel?! It’s much nicer to be able to eat our own snacks. There are also plenty of small items guests use during the day. It would be a shame if you couldn’t bring those in.
This begs the biggest question, what about young kids? Kids in strollers and young children have many needs. Parents often bring in diaper bags or backpacks full of items for their kids. It seems a big problem that Disney would not allow any of those items in. That’s unless they are considered medical necessities. It seems like Disney needs to find a middle ground if they do ban carry-ins.
There is a lot still unknown about Disney’s new carry-in policy. As we mentioned above, it’s still just a rumor. We will report more as we know it. What are your thoughts on Disney World banning carry-ins? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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