As fights erupted across both Disney World and Disneyland, the Disney corporation issued new behavior guidelines for patrons. If patrons fail to adhere to the guidelines, they may be expelled from the premises.
On Disney World’s website, a new courtesy section was added in mid-December. The section reads:
“Be the magic you want to see in the world. You must always remember to treat others with respect, kindness, and compassion. Those who can’t live up to this simple wish may be asked to leave Walt Disney World Resort.”
Just one month prior, Disneyland issued an identical notice, The Washington Times reported.
The courtesy policies further outline that “using profanity or engaging in unsafe, illegal, disruptive, or offensive behavior, jumping lines or saving places for others” is prohibited.
The stricter policy comes after an uptick in violence at Disney theme parks, some of which made headlines.
One fight at Disneyland occurred over Memorial Day weekend. A video posted to Twitter appears to show a brawl breaking out within a crowd while several children are present.
Another brawl allegedly occurred at Disney World in May. During the incident, a woman allegedly pulled another woman to the ground by her hair for refusing to move while viewing a fireworks show. Within three months of the alleged incident, another fight occurred between 20 people, after which a woman was hospitalized.
As Disney scrambles to keep their parks “The Happiest Place on Earth,” some wonder why there is an uptick in violence at The Magic Kingdom.
“Who’s throwing fisticuffs waiting in line just to get on Magic Mountain or whatever — Splash Mountain?” asked a perplexed Brad Smith, an anchor on Yahoo Finance.
The cost of a single ticket to Disney Parks can cost as much as $189 a day — the second price hike this year, as reported by The Dallas Express. Perhaps the strict courtesy guidelines, the threat of expulsion from the premises, and the price of the ticket will discourage Disney theme park patrons from trading their Mickey Mouse gloves in for boxing gloves.