Unexpected Things You Can't Bring To Disneyland And Disney World

It's no secret that marijuana has been prohibited at Disney parks for decades. Just ask actor Robert Downey Jr., who once got busted for getting high on a gondola ride. "The very first time I went to Disneyland, I was transported to another place—within moments of being arrested," he told his audience in 2019. Ironically, Downey was accepting the coveted Disney Award when he told the story. And the pastime remains quite popular to the extent that the Disneyland Stoner's Guide provides a handy list of places to chill at various Disney parks while waiting out your high. But what about edibles and CBD products?

Marijuana-derived products have become huge over the last several years, to the extent that it's sometimes difficult to discern what will get you buzzed and what will not. Don't ask a Disney World employee (called a "cast member") the difference either; in 2019 somebody's great-grandmother was arrested at the bag check for having CBD oil recommended by her doctor. Biz Pac Review reports that 69-year-old Hester Jordan Burkhalter was charged with a felony for possessing the oil, which she used for arthritis pain. The trouble, according to Fox News, was that even though CBD oil was sold in stores across Florida, it remained "technically" illegal in the state without a prescription. And, as WDW New Today explained, CBD typically contains only small amounts of THC, the stuff that gets you high. The charge against Burkhalter was eventually dropped. 

Every child fantasizes about being their favorite Disney character while actually visiting a Disney park. But adults beware: Disney rules strictly forbid anyone age 14 or older from replicating any other Disney character. They seem pretty strict about that, too. In 2012, 15-year-old April Spielman was denied entry to Disney World for wearing a Tinker Bell costume, including hair, makeup, and wings. It didn't seem to matter that Spielman had actually made her costume from scratch, which anyone looking closely enough could surely see. "It ruined my dream, because I just wanted to be Tinker Bell," a tearful Spielman told Hollywood Reporter. At least the park bought the teen and her friend non-costume clothing to wear into the park, explaining later that their dress up outfits "were disruptive to our operation and possibly confusing to our other guests, as children were asking to take photos with them."

In the years since, Disney has pretty much refused to relax their policy. iHeart Radio suggests something called "Disney Bounding," where you dress up like your character of choice without wearing the exact same costume. And now, according to Disney World, Character Couture will make your face and hair up like anyone from Cinderella to Snow White. Still, the park's statement that "Character Couture can enhance your already fabulous wardrobe with hair and make-up, making you look and feel picture-perfect" is rather misleading. It's just kind of hard to picture Snow White wearing stretch pants and a t-shirt.

This all started with the company's 1998 effort to limit flyovers to keep the residents of Animal Kingdom from getting spooked, according to Reader's Digest (via MSN). The idea turned out to be a good one for Disney, which requested the FAA to ask that planes stay at least 2,000 feet above and two miles from the parks to cut down on noise but also to prevent in-air advertisers from flying overhead. Then in 2003, due to 9/11, no-fly zones over Disneyland and Disney World became permanent for safety reasons. The FAA rules were expanded to staying three miles from and 3,000 feet above the parks. That included drones.

Fast-forward to 2014, when Disney figured out that drones would be great for filming their nightly fireworks shows. According to Engadget, in 2014 Disney went back to the FAA, saying they now wanted to use drones "to carry screens or light pyrotechnics themselves." The company explained that it wanted to fly drones during the fireworks show, "with several employees monitoring dozens of autonomous drones." After working for two years, Disney's request was approved on a trial basis only: The deal would remain in place until November 2020 at which time the request would be revisited. Meanwhile, as of 2014 drones fall under the recreational devices visitors cannot bring into Disney parks. The rule applies to Disneyland Paris as well, where a guest was recently arrested for flying a drone over the park, according to WDW News Today.

It's been a standard rule at Disney parks for many years: no wrapped gifts are allowed inside. Mouse Planet reports that as of 2016, even Downtown Disney in Anaheim checks everybody for wrapped items, even they are not planning to visit the theme park. They won't even allow an employee (in this case dressed as a character) to bring the birthday boy or girl a gift if it is wrapped. One person on DISboards theorized that the reason was "because another child might see and not understand why Cinderella gave your child a gift but not them." But that's not it.

The plain and simple reason Disney does not allow wrapped gifts is because security has no idea what might be in the packages. Disney Fanatic confirms employees must search every purse, every bag, every backpack, and anything else that may be concealing a prohibited item. And if you do bring a gift, no matter how cute or fancy it appears, it "will be promptly unwrapped before you are granted admittance." Don't count on having the item gift wrapped on Disney property either, whether or not it was purchased onsite. Another DISboards writer advises that gift wrapping of any sort is unavailable in the parks, although some have suggested bringing wrapping paper separately and wrapping the gift while there. Safer yet, just get creative and bring the gift in an open container such as a beach bucket or gift bag.

In an effort to reduce plastic pollution, the state of California banned plastic straws as of January 1, 2018 according to CNN. Governor Jerry Brown stated the fact that plastic is responsible for the deaths of thousands of marine animals each year. The new law decreed that customers could still have a straw at restaurants if they asked for one, and the law did not apply to fast food chains. Disneyland followed suit, but Forbes reported in 2019 that Disney decided to take larger steps by eliminating "single-use plastic straws and drink stirrers" at all Disney owned locations by mid-year. Doing so would reduce the items by 175 million straws and 13 million stirrers each year.

According to Chip and Co., the new ban soon included plastic lids as Disney produced paper straws bearing the words "Earth Day" on them. Plastic reusable straws were offered at certain parks, but Disney rules explicitly state that bringing one-time use straws in by visitors is strictly forbidden. What to do? Shortly after the new rule went into effect, Disney Parks Mom's Panel recommended bringing reuseable straws, including the silicone or aluminum variety. In fact, Disney encourages guests to bring their own—although it was noted that they should check with security about aluminum straws, lest the items be construed as a danger to others. The post also boasts Disney reduced its net greenhouse emissions by 41 percent beginning in 2017, long before the straw ban.

Are you thinking of bringing a folding chair so you have a way to sit while you wait in line for a ride or a show? Think again. Folding chairs are prohibited within Disney parks. Still, according to Disney Park Mom's Panel, rollators (a walker with wheels and a seat) and cane chairs (a cane with a seat) are acceptable because they accommodate those with a disability, although there appears to be "no hard yes or no" on the issue. The simplest way to make sure your visit runs smoothly may be to rent a wheelchair or "electric conveyance vehicle" (read: scooter) from the Disney park you are visiting. Undercover Tourist advises that these items cannot be reserved in advance, however, and are rented on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Also, rider beware: Once you go through finding an comfortable or acceptable way to sit or get around, you are no longer eligible for Disney's Disability Access Service Card. The guidelines specifically state that the DAS Card "is designed to accommodate guests who aren't able to wait in a conventional queue environment." A chair of any sort means you can wait, so figure it out before you go. Giving the rules a thorough read-through really is the best way to ensure a great day in the Magic Kingdom. Just remember this bit of advice from Tip Hero: security at Disney has the right to "confiscate any other items that [they] determine may be harmful or disruptive."