If you’re “THAT” person in Disney World, well…we gotta chat.

We get it. Disney World is magical, but it can also be incredibly stressful and hectic. You’ve only got a limited amount of time to ride all the things you want to get on, eat the treats you’ve had on your bucket list for months, and check off everything else on your to-do list. This can all lead to you becoming “that” person. And even Disney regulars or experts can get swept up in the magic and become “that” person. Who is “that” person and how can you avoid becoming them? You’re in the right place to learn all about it.

You’re likely already familiar with Disney World’s written rules in terms of costumes, height requirements, and what you can and can’t bring in the parks. But did you know there are some unwritten rules at Disney World too? Fail to follow these rules and you risk becoming “that” person — the person who ruins rides for others by shouting through the pre-show, the person who blocks small kiddos from seeing their favorite characters in the parade, or the person who *groans* talks on their phone all throughout a ride. Many of these rules simply come from the idea of being kind to other guests (and Cast Members), helping create magic for them, and remembering that you’re not the only one trying to have the best trip ever.

Today we’re going through some of the BIG unwritten rules of Disney World so you can make sure you follow them on your next trip!

Rule 1 – Don’t Hold a Spot in Line for Other People

We’ve all been there. You’ve been waiting to ride Peter Pan’s Flight ALL day long and the ride’s wait time has somehow miraculously dropped to a reasonable amount of time. You’re ready to get in there and wait for your turn to see Peter and Wendy, when suddenly Bobby says he’s got to use the restroom. Oh, and so does Aunt Lisa and Uncle John and Grandma Sue. UGH. Okay, fine. You’ll just wait in line and when the 4 of them are done they’ll just skip past dozens of other guests who have been patiently waiting for their turn and they’ll magically not have to wait in line. All good right? WRONG!

We understand that a family member may need to step out of line to use the restroom or something else may occur that causes them to have to leave the line for a minute. If you’ve all already been waiting for a while, you may be able to ask a Cast Member if you can step to the side and allow other guests to pass you as you wait for your party to come back. But simply sending 1 person or a small part of your party ahead to wait in line while a large amount of your party does something else, only to then have them join you later and skip a whole bunch of other guests is, frankly, not cool. If you know that some of your party won’t be able to join you until later, wait until the entire group is ready before joining the line so they don’t end up skipping (and angering) lots of other guests.

Note that this is sort-of a written rule as well as Disney World’s website asks guests to show courtesy to others by NOT jumping lines or saving places in lines for others.

Click here to see if the longest wait times in Disney World are worth it!

2 – Don’t Be Rude to Cast Members

This is another one that is sort-of written into Disney World’s rules as they do ask guests to show common courtesy to Cast Members by not using profanity or engaging in offensive behavior, but we have all too often seen guests be less than pleasant to Cast Members, particularly in stressful situations.

We know that Disney can be stressful, and it’s easy to get frustrated when rides go down, you experience technical issues, or something else sets your trip “off.” But that’s not a reason to get angry with the Cast Members. Remember that the Cast Members are just trying to do their job. Their goal is to keep you safe and make your trip magical! They do an exceptional job making magic despite the things that may be going on in their own lives or the difficult guests they’ve had to deal with. And just remember, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

The next time you’re in Disney World and you get frustrated, try to remember that being mean to a Cast Member won’t help you solve that problem. Instead, it’ll likely only make things worse. Take a deep breath and, when you can, try to show some extra kindness to the Cast Members!

Click here to see the easy way to give a Cast Compliment!

3 – Don’t Swear Like a Sailor

Again, this is sort-of written into Disney’s rules as their website asks guests to not use profanity or engage in offensive behavior. But we wanted to give an extra emphasis to this one. If your vocabulary typically includes some colorful language it’s best to leave that language at home during your trip, or limit it to your hotel room and other places where you will be alone!

Throughout Disney World, your odds are pretty high of being within hearing distance of a young child. Using foul language around them is something you’ll want to try your best to avoid so you can help keep the parks friendly for the whole family. Feeling the need to swear? Try a Disney-fied alternative! A few options for you: Oh, Bother! (Pooh); Sweet Niblets! (Hannah Montana); Zetus Lapetus (Zenon); or Santa Mozzarella (Luca). Family friendly but still lets your language be colorful — win, win!

Click here to see the new Disney series and movies coming in 2022

4 – Don’t Ruin the Magic for Others

You may have been on the Haunted Mansion a million times and know that pre-show script by heart. Or maybe you could shout all the words to Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate’s Life for Me! We get it. You’re a Disney pro and maybe you just want to show off your Disney expertise by singing along loudly or reciting the pre-show. Or maybe you just get swept up in the moment. Either way, it’s important to remember that you aren’t in Disney World all by yourself.

Unless you’ve got the rides all to yourself for some reason, there will likely be lots of other guests in those attraction spaces with you. Some of them might also be Disney pros who (like you) could recite all the words to the attractions. But some might be experiencing their very first trip to Disney World! Imagine how you would have felt in the Haunted Mansion’s stretching room during your very first trip if, instead of hearing the carefully crafted and beautifully recorded narration, you could only hear Joe from Montana (who, by the way, was NOT cast as the Ghost Host) reciting those keywords.

In short, keep your singing and your shouting and your pre-show reciting to yourself. Don’t spoil those experiences for others. And if you simply MUST move your mouth in sync to the narration, mouth the words but don’t say them out loud so as to not spoil the moment for others. (Unless you’ve somehow magically got the entire ride to yourself — in that case, sing away!)

Click here to see Disney World phrases only the true OG nerds can quote!

5 – Help Keep Things Clean

Whether you choose to snack on a corn dog, Nutella and fruit-filled waffle, or turkey leg, you’ll likely finish your meal with some kind of trash — be it napkins, a stick, a paper plate, etc. Disney’s parks are known for their general cleanliness, so to keep that up you’ll want to do your part!

Pick up after yourself after each meal and be sure to throw things away in the trash or recycling bins, as appropriate. And if you want to go the extra mile, you can take up the tradition of the Cast Members themselves, who pick up trash if they see it in the parks. That doesn’t mean you should necessarily be dirtying your hands and picking up the trash from the floor to throw things away (there’s a line here ).

But if you do happen to sit at a table and see some trash there that hasn’t been thrown away — maybe a park map or a napkin or something — and you could pick it up without making things too gross, it’s a kind gesture to throw it away when you toss your own trash. In a sense, it’s a small way of contributing to the magic.

Click here to see why Disney won an award for trash!

6 – Be Kind to Other Guests and Create Magic for Others When You Can

You’re not a Cast Member, so it’s not like you can go off and hand out free Lightning Lane passes to other guests or anything like that, but showing just a bit of kindness to other guests can help create a general sense of magic for them and you. And you never know — it might inspire them or others to keep it going and pass along some magic to other people!

It can be as simple as holding the door open for another guest, or sharing a free Mickey sticker with a little kiddo when a Cast Member has given you 2. Maybe you just shout a quick “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations” when you see someone with a celebration button in the parks. If you see a family struggling to get everyone in their photo, you could offer to take the photo for them. Simple, little things can really make other people’s day and encourage a continued sense of kindness in the parks.

7 – Don’t Hold Tables

We know that the divide-and-conquer method can be popular, especially on very crowded days, but sending part of your group to hold a table at a super busy quick service restaurant (while the other part of the group goes to order food) creates a bad situation. If just one person does it, it probably won’t impact anything. But if everyone does it, then that limits the amount of available tables for those who didn’t think they needed a special 5-poiny strategy just to find a place to eat their chicken nuggets.

Sitting at a table for hours and hours after finishing your food on a busy day in the parks can also be less than ideal for other guests. If there are loads of tables available, then no stress. But if it’s a jungle out there and guests are desperately in need of a table, it’s best to get up and allow others to use your table once you’re done eating, just as a matter of courtesy. You likely know how it feels to stand next to a table waiting for a family that is CLEARLY done with their meal to get up, only to find out that they intend to sit there for the next 5 years.

If you’ve got a big party, it’s also a common courtesy not to redecorate the entire dining room just to create a single table that has seating for 20. In some cases, pulling up a chair or two is necessary — that’s totally understandable. But be sure to move tables and chairs back to their original positions before leaving so that Cast Members don’t have to do that for you.

8 – Keep Things at Eye Level or Give Warnings

EVERYONE wants a good view of the fireworks. EVERYONE wants to see the parade. EVERYONE wants to wave at Mickey as he floats by on the cavalcade float. If you’ve got a little kiddo and you’re near the very back of a viewing area for one of these entertainment offerings, getting them a good view can be difficult. And we know the temptation will be there to lift them on your shoulders so they can see above the crowd.

Or maybe you’re recording the entertainment for your family back home and want to lift that iPhone or (giant) iPad well above your head so they can see clearly. But, in doing so you’ll likely end up blocking the view of tons of fans behind you. Not great. So, what do you do?

Well, there are a few options. First, you could stake out a spot well ahead of the show to make sure that you get a seat up front, where you’ll likely have a much better view and won’t need to obstruct others. If you’ve got to lift up your iPad or child, consider lifting them only to the height of your own head. By doing that, you won’t be obstructing guests behind you too much more than what you would have already been obstructing them with your own head.

If you’ve simply GOT to lift your kiddo over your head for the show, put them on your shoulders well ahead of the show or warn those around you so other guests can be aware that this is happening and can move to another spot if necessary. And, if at all possible, try to position yourself in a spot where there are not many guests behind you so you won’t block too many.

9 – Let Kids Stand in Front

While Disney World can be a magical place for people of all ages, it can be an especially special experience for young kiddos. One way that you can make magic for the younger guests is by letting them stand in front of you for parades and other entertainment offerings as a sort of sign of kindness.

If you are standing in the front row for a cavalcade, parade, etc. and happen to turn around and see a child peeking out behind you, you could allow them to sneak just in front of you to give them an A+ view. Since children are shorter, they generally won’t block your view (meaning you’ll still get all the joy of seeing the parade/cavalcade just as you want to) and you can create a super special memory for them by giving them an unobstructed view of Mickey and friends.

10 – Pull to the Side

Got an important text or email you need to respond to in this moment? Need to make your next Genie+ Lightning Lane selection? Want to consult your map to search for a particular restaurant? Gotta check that to-do list to see what you want to cross off next? There are a lot of reasons why you might need to pause during your time in the parks to look at your phone or something else, and that is totally fine! But stopping right in the middle of the walking path, and thereby forcing other guests to awkwardly maneuver around you is a no-go.

If you need to stop to tie your shoe, check a map, or anything else, the courteous thing to do is step to the side so other guests can continue to walk on the path without being blocked.

11 – Don’t Take up More Space or Seats Than You Need

If you only need 5 seats at your quick service table, pulling up 5 extra seats (just to hold your bags or something like that) means you take those spaces away from other guests who may need them. If you only need to save a spot for one family member for the parade, trying to save up a full block along the sidewalk means less spots for little kiddos to sit and enjoy the show too. You get the idea — hold an appropriate space for what you need, but leave room for others too!

Now, we understand that this can be a difficult one in an age where social distancing is gone, yet you may still be seeking a bit more personal space from others. If that’s the case, try to sit in a slightly less crowded area to get that sense of space, or perhaps wait to be seated last in something like an indoor show so you can have your pick of the seats that are left (and maybe get one that has a bit more space between it and other guests’ seats). But, ultimately, if you’re heading to Disney World anytime soon, you’ll need to be prepared for a LOT of crowds or consider changing your travel plans if the crowd levels are something you’re not willing to deal with.

Click here to get a look at some of the crowds we’ve seen in Disney World recently!

12 – Giving Up Your Seat

It’s 11PM. You’ve just finished a SUPER long day at Magic Kingdom. You and tons of other guests are piling into a Disney bus as quickly as possible so you can get back to your hotel, shower, and finally get to SLEEP. Your feet are tired. Your bag feels so heavy. But you’ve got a nice, cold, seat. Ahhhhh. Then you turn around and see a mother holding her 6 month old kiddo weren’t able to snag a seat, so they’re just holding on to the pole and doing their best to stand.

Your time to make magic has arrived! While it is not a written rule (hence the title of this article) and isn’t technically required, giving up your seat on the bus, monorail, etc. to a kiddo, a mother or father carrying a young baby, an elderly individual, or someone else who you think could benefit from the seat is a kind, generous, and wonderful thing to do. If you’ve ever been on the other side of the equation, you’ve probably thanked your lucky stars for the kind person who has done that for you. When your chance arrives to show that kindness to others, don’t let it pass you!

13 – Carefully Park Your Stroller

Traveling with a stroller comes with its own set of challenges. You’ve got to drag it around everywhere, get it on Disney transportation, etc. And before you hop onto a Disney attraction or sometimes walk into a Disney pavilion, you’ll need to park your stroller in the appropriate stroller parking. If you will be traveling with a stroller, be sure to park it in the appropriate, designated stroller parking space.

If you simply drop your stroller in a random spot, you may block other guests or create a strange obstruction in the path. Incorrectly parked strollers will also likely be moved by Cast Members to the right spot. So if you left your stroller in a spot that wasn’t marked as stroller parking and you come out and find that it is gone, the odds are pretty good that it has been moved to the closest stroller parking area by a Cast Member. Save yourself the stress and the worry of a missing stroller (and save the Cast Members the need to move it) by parking your stroller in the right spot!

Click here to see everything you need to know about stroller rentals in Disney World

14 – Be Aware of What Your Children Are Doing!

This might sound like a simple one, but keeping track of every action of a 5-year-old, 10-year-old, or other kiddo in the parks can be a lot harder than you’d expect! There are a LOT of things going on at once in the parks — attractions to go on, cavalcades passing by, other guests walking around, etc. And after a long day, you might need just a second to close your eyes and take a break. But keeping an eye on your kiddos is critical!

Carefully watching your little ones ensures that they stay safe. But it also ensures that other guests can enjoy their trip. If your little one is running in zig zags throughout Tomorrowland, it could be great fun for them, but it could also lead to a grandma tripping and falling (and potentially getting very injured) as they zoom by. Not good. Or a young kiddo’s sudden movements could knock a snack out of someone’s hand, or cause them to get lost or even hurt. It’s a tough thing to do, but watching your kiddos closely will help ensure a safe trip for everyone.

Click here to see what happens when a kid gets lost in Disney World

15 – Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

We know that Disney food can be tempting! Heck, we eat something from the Disney parks nearly every single day to bring you the latest reviews. BUT we do our best to not be wasteful, and you should too! If you know you’re not going to eat all 5 turkey legs, consider maybe just ordering 1 (or bringing containers that’ll let you hold onto the rest of the food items and take them back home/to your hotel). If you know that you’ll fill up with just the 2 plates at the buffet, don’t fill up a 3rd and 4th plate, just to send all of that food into the trash.

Of course, that’s not to say that you have to stomach food that you end up hating or anything like that. But try not to eat with your eyes and bite off more than you can chew (literally). Ask about portion sizes, see if you can get (or bring) a container to take things to-go, and consider splitting a dish or ordering just an appetizer/kids menu item if you know you won’t finish your meal. The same goes with things like napkins, forks, etc. If you grab 500 napkins for the table and use 5, consider popping the rest in your purse so you can continue to use them throughout the day (when you inevitably spill your Mickey ice cream bar all over your clothes) rather than throwing them away!

Click here to see if one Disney World buffet is worth it WITHOUT the endless crab legs!

16 – Silence Those Phones

As much as we like to think of Disney World as an “escape” from the real world, thanks to cellphones, the real world is at your fingertips 24/7. You may have an important phone call you’re waiting on from work or from a family member, or some kind of emergency situation you’re handling from the Most Magical Place on Earth. We totally get it. But there’s a time and a place for your Soarin’ ringtone to BLAST into the ears of those around them, and (spoiler alert) it’s not in the middle of any ride in the parks (including on Soarin’ — though that would be a beautiful coincidence).

When you enter a ride’s queue, remember to take a second to silence your cellphones. You can place them on vibrate, airplane mode, whatever you’d like. The key here is that guests go into Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room to listen to the birds and flowers sing, not to listen to your cellphone’s ring tone! Having your phone go off can ruin the magic, take people “out of” that special moment, and otherwise distract from the show.

So keep those phones silent while on rides and don’t answer calls during the shows/rides either. If an emergency situation occurs and you’re in a show you can safely walk out of, carefully make your way to the exit so you can answer your call without disturbing others. If you’re in the middle of Splash Mountain, you could do your best to text the individual on the other side of the line to keep them updated, and remember that the ride will be over soon, at which point you’ll be able to talk freely without disrupting other guests. And if you know you’re waiting for an important phone call that you’ll have to answer IMMEDIATELY, skip the ride/show or wait to hop on that ride/in that show until later so you won’t have to answer that call in the middle of your adventure.

17 – Mind Your Bags and Strollers and Other Items

We already talked about stroller parking, but what about walking your stroller around the park? We’ve probably all been hit in the ankles by a stroller driver that thinks they’re in a race in the middle of Fantasyland, and it’s…not pleasant. So let’s all make an effort to drive those strollers like you’d (safely) drive a real car. Keep a safe distance between the stroller and the guests in front of you, try to carefully change lanes and maybe even signal if you can (a.k.a. move across spaces in the parks with caution), and stay within the speed limit (okay, there’s no stroller speed limit posted in Disney World — maybe there should be!– but you get the idea. This isn’t TRON or Cars).

The other things you’ll want to be mindful of are your backpacks, sweaters tied around your waist, and other items. If you’ve got a BIG backpack you’re carrying around the parks, it probably sticks out a lot from your back, meaning it’s like driving your own mini trailer. If you swing around too quickly and don’t consider the extra space your bag is taking up, you could end up whacking some people behind you. Again, not pleasant. While you’re in line or anywhere in the parks, be mindful of your bags and other items and the space they take up. Move slowly to ensure you don’t hit the guests around you and be aware of your surroundings. Again, other guests came to Disney World to eat churros and ride Dumbo, not get smacked in the face by a Jansport backpack holding 12 water bottles and 100 sweaters.

18 – Give People Some Personal Space

For some, the social distancing that came with the pandemic was a welcome addition to the parks. Having to keep 6 feet away from other guests in line meant you didn’t have someone standing behind you that, for some inexplicable reason, thought that pushing up against you would somehow speed up the unmoving line. It meant not being so close to other people that you could smell their sweat. It meant regaining a sense of personal space in an otherwise normally crowded location. Now, social distancing has largely been done away with in the parks. Guests can once again pack into buses, pre-shows, and lines like sardines. But that doesn’t always mean that they have to.

Now sometimes Disney Cast Members will tell you to pack in a pre-show space or bus, in which case you won’t have much choice. But otherwise, this is something to be aware of. It is another one of those “be aware of your surroundings” things. If you find that you’re so close to the person in front of you in line that you’re constantly bumping into them, you’re likely too close. Back up and provide them with a bit more space. Whenever you can, take a second to grasp the area around you and get a sense for how close you are to others. Is there a way that you could just hold back for a second and give the people around you some breathing room (even if it’s just a small amount)?

Giving people a little bit of personal space can trigger a continuous line of folks giving others just a bit more space, which can be nice for everyone. We’re all going to get to the front of the line at Thunder Mountain. Pushing up against the person in front of you for the 45 minutes you’re in line won’t get you there any faster. It’ll only get you there potentially with a person in front of you who is incredibly frustrated. Contrary to what some appear to believe, tailgating other guests won’t make the line go by quicker!

19 – Be Respectful of Those Who Have Staked Their Spot

Getting a good view of the fireworks, a parade, a cavalcade, a stage show, etc. can be difficult. Some folks will stake out their spot for quite some time ahead of the start of the entertainment to make sure they can see all they want to see. If you join an entertainment viewing area a bit later, be respectful of those around you who may have been waiting for an hour+ longer than you to get their spot. Don’t push those people out of their areas and start to take over the space. Instead, ask and recognize what space they’re holding and step back behind or around that area. If they’ve put the time and effort into holding their spot, then it’s best to respect that.

But (as we had mentioned above) if you’re the one holding the spot, be sure you’re only holding what you need and still giving room for other guests. But also, be sure that the spot is appropriate for your group. If you know you need a lot of space because you’re traveling in a big group, have a large number of guests from your party sitting there to hold the space with you. Don’t hold a tiny little space and then try to squeeze in 100 of your closest family members into that area, thereby pushing out other people who have also been there trying to hold their own spot.

Click here to see the best and worst places from which to view the EPCOT fireworks!

20 – Be Respectful of Service Animals

Let’s all admit it — service animals are SO CUTE. Sometimes there is nothing more adorable than seeing a good doggo doing their job, protecting their human, and keeping their BFF safe. You just want to hug them and squeeze them and tell them what a good doggo they are! But…you shouldn’t. Service dogs are just that — they’re doing a service, a job for their human. Maybe they’re monitoring for signs of an upcoming seizure, or sugar levels, or a number of other things. If you attempt to pet them or speak to them, you could distract them from their job and put their human in a very dangerous position.

The unwritten rule with service animals is this — don’t talk to them, don’t pet them, don’t call to them, and don’t take photos of them without permission. If you want to say anything about the animal or pet them, approach their owner first. Speak to the owner (not the animal) and see if the owner is letting the animal have a break of any kind where they could be pet. If they’ll allow you to talk to or pet the service animal, then that’s your green light! If they say “no” or ask that you step away from the animal, that’s your cue to say “thank you,” walk away, and let that service animal do their work. You wouldn’t walk up to a police horse and DEMAND that the police allow you to pet the horse while they’re in the middle of a patrol, right? The same applies here.

And this is a big one where (as we discussed above) watching your kiddos is key. Your kid might really want to pet the cute doggy, but watching your kid’s actions and making sure they understand the importance of the job the animal is doing is important to ensuring that the service animal can continue to do their work and keep their human safe.

21 – Don’t Take Photos of Kids or Guests Without Permission

While walking through Disney World and snapping your photos, you’ll inevitably get photos with other families in the background. That’s not what we’re talking about here! What we’re referring to is when you get a direct photo of a particular guest on purpose. For example, you might see a guest in a super cool costume/Disney-inspired outfit in the parks. Or maybe you spot a person dressed to the nines on Dapper Day. Perhaps it’s a guest with some homemade ears that have you screaming with joy! Or maybe you find a really impressive runner with tons of runDisney medals. If you want to grab a photo of another person (especially a child) that is wearing something cool, ask for permission first.

Sneakily grabbing a photo of that person is not the way to go. If you kindly go up and ask them for a photo, the odds are usually pretty good that they’ll say “yes” and you’ll have your approved photo in seconds flat. If they say no, then you avoid the awkwardness of capturing an image of someone else that they didn’t want you to capture. Either way, asking for permission ensures that guests (and most importantly children) don’t end up on Facebook, Twitter, or just your phone’s gallery without having approved that.

Click here to see some of the amazing outfits we saw during Dapper Day in Disney World!

And those are some of the BIG unwritten rules for Disney World. What do you think? Have you broken some of these rules before (maybe that ringtone during rides one)? Tell us in the comments what other unwritten rules you think guests do or should abide by in the parks. And, as always, stay tuned for the latest Disney news!

Click here to see the 5 BIG Disney World changes for 2022!

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Do you have another unwritten rule of Disney World you think people do or should follow? Tell us in the comments!

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