“To all who arrive at this happy place: Welcome.” Walt Disney said these words during Disneyland’s grand opening on July 17, 1955.
Now, nearly 70 years later, Disney has another greeting for guests at its parks on both coasts. In December 2022, Disneyland And Walt Disney World more tab “polite” on their website, reminding guests of what is expected of them when they visit Disney parks.
On Disneyland’s website, the tab reads: “We ask all who come to this happy place to treat others with respect, kindness, and compassion,” followed by a link. to park rules and regulations. Similarly, Disney World reminds guests to “Be the miracle you want to see in the world.”
Amusement park visitors should know how to treat others and don’t need to listen to this reminder. However, a series of incidents of violence and unruly behavior at various theme parks may have led to a gentle reminder.
During the summer of 2022 alone, news station Orlando Fox 35 covered two separate conflicts at Disney World – one on one fireworks viewing point and other thing A big scuffle broke out before Peter Pan’s Flight in the Magic Kingdom. Around the same time, Disneyland saw a scuffle between several guests waiting to see Fantasmic’s nightly performance, according to the Orange County Register.
However, this is not a Disney-specific issue. Theme and theme parks across the country are seeing an increase in recorded scuffles.
Related: Airplane survival guide: How to handle everything from fussy babies to unruly passengers on a plane
It’s hard to say whether there really are more conflicts now than there used to be or if we’re just documenting them more on social media. Either way, the increase won’t go unnoticed by theme parks. So far, Disney’s only notable concerts and actions have been extra caveats, but others have gone a step further by implementing strict policies on chaperones.
Which theme parks have a chaperone policy?
Cedar Fair Park
The largest group that implements chaperone policies is Cedar Fair, which owns and operates many parks, including California’s Knott .’s Berry Farm. Knott’s Berry Farm was forced to close early on July 16, 2022 due to “unruly behavior and altercations involving a number of teenagers,” according to a statement from the park.
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A few days later, on July 20, 2022, the park announced that it would only implement a chaperone policy on Fridays and Saturdays. It also updates it code of conduct page to include police details.
This policy was later revised to include Sundays and then scaled back to include Saturdays only. As of April 2023, the park once again amend the accompanying policy states that “all guests aged 15 and under must be accompanied by at least 21 years of age to enter or remain in the park after 4 p.m. local time for closure.”
“The safety of our guests and associates is always our top priority,” the park says on its website. “Over the past two years, there have been increasing incidents of unruly and inappropriate behavior in our industry and at other major entertainment venues.”
Since then, other Cedar Fair parks have followed suit.
Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia; Fun World in Kansas City, Missouri; Kings Island in Mason, Ohio; Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina; and California’s Great America in Santa Clara, California, now both have similar chaperone policies after witnessing incidents of violence.
Worlds of Fun put the policy into effect after “an altercation involving multiple minors” broke out inside the park. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office An estimated 100 to 150 teenagers were involved in the disturbance, none of whom appeared to be accompanied by adults.
Disney Park
Disney World And Disneyland did not change their policy after these incidents. Their website states a policy that “guests under the age of 14 must be accompanied by guests aged 14 or older to enter the theme park.”
universal park
Universal Orlando There is no specific published minimum age to enter the park without supervision. However, it recommends “guests under the age of 14 should be accompanied by a supervisor aged 14 or older.”
However, at CityWalk, Universal Orlando’s website stipulates that “guests under 18 years old need to be accompanied by an adult after 10pm”
What does the chaperone’s policy state?
Chaperone policies vary from park to park.
To enter and stay at Cedar Fair park after 4 p.m., guests 15 years of age or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old. This means that the supervising adult must stay with the younger visitor for the entire time they are in the park.
The policy also stipulates that a chaperone cannot accompany no more than 10 guests aged 15 and under per day. Guests found inside the park unaccompanied may be asked to leave the park.
How do I know which parks have a chaperone policy?
There are a few options to determine if the theme park or theme park you plan to visit has a chaperone policy. You can call or email the park, but most have a “code of conduct” or “park rules” page published on their website. Those pages will provide information about supervising children, including whether the park has an accompanying policy.
bottom line
Understandably, the response to these accompanying policies has been mixed. Some guests commented on Twitter that “the park is not a nursery” and that “the park is not supposed to look after your children.” Others feel policies that unnecessarily punish all visitors based on the actions of a few.
However, many parks are moving to implement chaperone policies to keep guests and staff safer. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the park’s chaperone policies if you have teens and young adults who want to join the theme park this year.
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