16 Ways To Be A Considerate Guest In The Disney Parks

We love to take a Disney vacation. The Walt Disney World Resort feels like home. Nothing compares to the fun and magic to experience in Lake Buena Vista. However, other Disney Guests can impact your Disney experience positively and negatively. 

We often find ourselves considering what other Guests could do differently to improve our Disney experience. Likewise, there are things that we choose to do to enhance the experience for other Guests. Ultimately, being a considerate Guest in the Walt Disney World Resort can help everyone. Here’s how to be a considerate Guest when visiting the Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts during your upcoming Disney vacation.

Be Kind to Cast Members

It’s fair to say that your Disney experience wouldn’t be what it was without Cast Members. They help every one of us when we’re spending time in the Walt Disney World Resort. Character attendants add to the magical experience with Disney characters. Cast Members in the Disney restaurants help you refuel during days in the Disney Parks and Resorts, whether dining in quick-service or full-service restaurants. Cast Members ring up your purchase efficiently when shopping and help you find merchandise you need help finding. Custodial Cast Members help keep the Walt Disney World Resort clean, adding a little extra magic. Housekeeping Cast Members tidy your room to provide you with a comfortable stay. And that’s not all that Cast Members do!

Whenever you encounter a Cast Member, remember to be kind. They’re there to help and keep you and other Guests safe. While you may encounter frustrating situations during your Disney vacation, it’s likely not to be a Cast Member’s fault. Remember to say thank you, treat them with respect and celebrate excellent Guest service using Cast Compliments on the My Disney Experience app. 

Take Photos for Other Guests

Disney PhotoPass Cast Members are available throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. However, there are unique photo spots around the Disney Parks and Disney Resort hotels where Cast Members may not be. If you see Guests taking a selfie, offering to take their photo can help to make their day. They may feel uncomfortable to ask, so your offering will ease their experience. Offering to take another Guests photo is a great way to have them take yours too. Don’t be surprised if the Guests offer to reciprocate the kindness you have shown. Sharing is caring and will help capture the memories you make during your Disney vacation. 

Keep Children Off Your Shoulders

We appreciate that plenty of younger Guests visit Walt Disney World. Standing in crowds can make it particularly difficult for young Guests to have a clear view of Disney fireworks and shows in Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. As such, it can be tempting to put children on your shoulders. While this may offer them a great view, it affects the view for plenty of other Guests behind. We also expect that it causes you a fair amount of pain, particularly if you plan on having them on your shoulders for the entire nighttime spectacular, parade, or Cinderella Castle stage show. Therefore, please reconsider your choice of action.

May we recommend lifting them and carrying them in your arms instead? Alternatively, secure a spot to the side, checking behind you for any Guests who may be affected. If you plan on watching the Festival of Fantasy Parade in Magic Kingdom, secure a viewing spot ahead of the parade starting, and you should find that you can get a space at the front of the parade route edge, so there’s no need for shoulder sitting.

Take Your Mouse Ears Off

Mouse ears are a popular accessory for Guests to wear in the Disney Parks. However, do you need to continue to wear them during a show? Speaking from experience, we welcome the opportunity to remove our ears when watching a show to give our head and behind the ears a break from the headband. Removing your ears at such times will make for a more pleasant viewing experience for anyone sitting or standing behind you. It’s a good idea to remove your ears during the following performances:

• Magic Kingdom Park – Happily Ever After, Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Country Bear Jamboree, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, Enchanted Tales with Belle, The Hall of Presidents, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
• EPCOT – Awesome Planet, Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, Canada Far and Wide in Circle Vision 360, Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, Impressions de France, Reflection of China, Turtle Talk with Crush, Voices of Liberty
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage, Fantasmic!, For The First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, Muppet*Vision 3D, Vacation Fun – An Original Animated Short with Mickey & Minnie, Walt Disney Presents, Wonderful World of Animation
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!, The Animation Experience at Conservation Station, Feathered Friends in Flight!, It’s Tough to be a Bug!

Stop At The Side of a Walkway

Whether you need to check the guide map, are looking for something on the My Disney Experience app, or need to find something in your bag or stroller, make your way to the side of the walkway before stopping. Doing so will reduce the chance of somebody walking into you. Doing so will also help other Guests. They may be unable to change their course of direction quickly or maybe in a rush to get to a Lightning Lane reservation or otherwise. 

Offer Your Table To Other Guests

When eating during peak times of the day, quick-service restaurants are busy places to be. Guests often secure a table before ordering their food to allow them to eat as soon as possible. However, this can cause other Guests to wait around for tables to become available. Help other Guests out by offering your table when you are almost done. Clearing the table as you leave will allow them to enjoy their food as soon as it’s ready. 

Similarly, if your party size is smaller than the table you are sitting at, consider offering spare seats to other Guests. Movable chairs can be moved to other tables. Alternatively, another party could join you at your table if there’s space. You can make magical moments for other Guests, making their Disney experience memorable. 

Don’t Queue Jump

When entering a line for a Disney attraction, you should join with the rest of your party. Doing so is essential whether you are entering the main queue line or using the Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane. Entering ahead of the rest of your party causes queue jumping, which is not allowed, and causes unhappiness for other Guests. If you are entering a long line, consider using the restroom before doing so to avoid the need to leave the line and re-enter. Likewise, keeping bottled water with you reduces the need to exit the line to rehydrate. 

Lower Your Balloon

Having your own Disney balloon is a fun experience around the Disney Parks. Disney balloons can add to your photos and help you quickly identify your stroller after riding an attraction. However, balloons can obstruct the views of other Guests. Please lower your balloon when watching Happily Ever After, the Festival of Fantasy Parade, Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire, Fantasmic!, and EPCOT Forever. Holding the balloon in your hands during the show will significantly improve the viewing experience for Guests behind you. 

Make Your Stroller Easily Identifiable

When riding Disney attractions in the Disney Parks, you must leave strollers in the stroller parking nearby. This is an excellent service… until you realize that you’ve collected somebody else’s stroller and now, can’t find your own!

Making your stroller easily identifiable will help you to find it quickly after disembarking the ride. Similarly, it’ll help other Guests, as it should reduce the chance of them collecting your stroller rather than theirs. If you plan on using your own stroller around the Disney Parks, consider using ribbon to tie around the handles or decorating your stroller with decals. Initials can work well to avoid another Guest confusing their stroller with yours. Should you plan on hiring a stroller in the Disney Park, your name will be written on the back. Ensure you check the name on the stroller before walking away from the stroller park. A Disney balloon may be useful for all strollers to identify your own.

Keep Your Distance

Personal space is needed, especially when you are surrounded by Guests all day. While you can expect to wait in lines and stand in crowds during your Disney vacation, keeping a little distance from the person in front goes a long way. If you are standing in line, try not to stand right behind the person in front; they don’t need you breathing down their neck. When standing in a crowd, ensure you keep a little space between you and the people around you. Just don’t leave enough space to let someone push through!

Offer Help if You Can

Cast Members are available throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. However, they can only be in some places! If you see a Guest who seems panicked, lost, or upset, offer your help. Kindness goes a long way. Noticing if someone is in need may mean that you’re the voice they don’t feel they have at that very moment. Guide them to the nearest Cast Member if you aren’t able to offer the help they need. However, you may have the answer that they need.

Move to the Back of Disney Buses

If you’ve been a Disney hotel Guest before, you’ll be familiar with the long lines for the Disney buses at the beginning and end of each day. In particular, the buses will be busy when leaving the Disney Parks and Disney Springs. Early Theme Park Entry can also result in longer bus lines in the morning. To help get as many Guests on board, remember to move as far back as you can when you board. While it can be tempting to sit down in the first seat you see, there will likely be seats further back too. Likewise, sitting further back can prevent the bus from filling up from the front, causing buses to leave the station despite having room for other Guests. We’re all tired and ready to get to bed at the end of the day!

Offer your Seat

Additionally, when boarding the Disney buses at busy times, consider if you need to sit. There are likely to be other Guests who would benefit from a seat more than you. While your feet and legs may be tired, if you can stand, offer your seat to somebody who will benefit from it. Likewise, when boarding, you may choose to stand and leave seats free for other Guests.

Turn off your Flash

There are many dark attractions in the Walt Disney World Resorts. Favorite dark rides among Disney Guests include Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and Na’Vi River Journey, to name a few. Before boarding the dark rides, you are reminded to turn off the flash on your camera. However, there’s always one Guest who doesn’t follow or ‘misses’ the instruction. Your eyes have just adjusted to the dark, then a flash of bright light is blinding! Additionally, it reveals features of the ride that are meant to be hidden from Guests. Therefore, we would like to remind you to keep the flash off when you are riding the Disney attractions. 

Lower your Phone

We love to take photos and videos as much as anyone when visiting the Disney Parks. However, we are mindful of how doing so can affect the Guests behind us. As such, you won’t find us holding our phones in the air for the entire fireworks display in Magic Kingdom or EPCOT theme park. We kindly ask you to do the same. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to watch Happily Ever After or EPCOT Forever through the screen of another Guest’s mobile phone while they enjoy the view (and get a sore arm while recording). In these situations, we are distracted, wondering if they will ever watch the video again, as they’ve actually missed most of the display as they have been zoomed in on the clock of Cinderella Castle!

Set an Example

Doing all of these things will make you a considerate Walt Disney World Guest, so you’ll set an example for others. After all, we’re all taking a Disney vacation to have a magical experience, make memories and experience all of the fun!