Disney Says No to Selfie Sticks
As an amusement park nut enthusiast I am always interested in the latest trends. Many of you know that selfie sticks have sort of become a sensation, especially for those who travel. Well that sensation has also spread to amusement parks and it is not good.
I know a lot of fellow enthusiasts who visit parks often and they all have reported how much of a problem selfie sticks have become. Sure they can ruin the ride experience, but they can also become very dangerous. Roller coasters and other rides are designed to standards that don’t account for a six foot long stick that you can extend while on a ride.
For example most roller coasters are designed with clearances that are beyond a human’s reach. Unfortunately selfie sticks extend well beyond that threshold. Imagine rolling along the track and your selfie stick hits something. That isn’t going to be fun for you or anyone else.
The Disney Ban
For that reason Disney moved to ban selfie sticks on rides. In fact, that ban went into effect in May and the company put signs in place on many rides. Then yesterday it was reported that the California Screamin’ roller coaster at Disney’s California Adventure was stopped when a guest pulled out a selfie stick mid ride. Are you kidding me?
I’m sure that was probably just the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it is being reported that Disney is going to ban selfie sticks altogether at Disney World, Disneyland and even the Hong Kong and Paris resorts as well. This move hasn’t been confirmed by Disney, but many people with inside knowledge are reporting it.
Attractions Magazine says that the Disney World ban will go into effect on June 30 and the Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong bans will start on July 1st. I have also seen various reports of a ban coming to Disneyland, but no date yet. I’m fairly certain it can’t be far behind.
Selfie Sticks A Problem
I get it that some people love selfie sticks and I totally understand their allure. It makes it super easy to take photos of yourself and your friends and capture everything in the frame that you want. While I am not personally a huge fan, keeping them off of amusement park rides seems common sense.
Unfortunately it seems that Disney and other companies are finding it hard to enforce these rules. At amusement parks safety is important and I can’t stress enough just how dangerous a selfie stick on a ride is. Even if you are at a park that allows them, make sure your stick stays packed away during a ride. Eventually someone is going to get seriously hurt.
Conclusion
The phrase, “Too much of a good thing” applies here I think. Is it worth putting yourself and everyone else at risk just to get that perfect shot on an amusement park ride? No it isn’t and its stupid. I’m glad Disney is banning these sticks, because as a Disney nerd they sort of ruin the atmosphere of the parks anyway.
What do you think?
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[…] Disney Is Reportedly Set to Ban Dangerous Selfie Sticks from the Parks (Miles to Memories). The tide is turning, I am seeing fewer in NY this month. […]
I just read the top comment on that link and it’s too good not to re-post here.
“The way I see it carrying a selfie-stick is the same as carrying a sign that says, “I am a competely self-absorbed narcissistic moron.””
As a family, it’s tough finding people than can take good group photos of us sometimes. Half the people don’t know how to run a camera, and the other half can’t take a good photo to save their life. The selfie sticks help out in this regard.
That is a good point and they certainly have a valid use. I think people went overboard and forced Disney into this decision. Obviously banning them from rides wasn’t enough, so they felt they had to keep them out of the park altogether.
I see no problem whatsoever if you’re taking a picture when not on any rides. As with many other things what usually happens is some people abuse a privilege and it forces their hand and they have to make a change. In this case over safety concerns.
In general I’m not usually siding with Disneyland when I’m reading stories about them I’m the news but I don’t see what other options they had here because know people would just sneak them on rides.
We bring our Canon t3i and hand it off to people wherever we go and almost never run into problems even though it’s not a cell phone camera. Sometimes people get intimidated at first but when I explain all you have to do is click this button and twist this part to zoom in/out they’re good with it. Everyone there is having a good time just like you and I are and don’t be afraid to flag someone!
Wow, I feel stupid but when I read the headline I thought it was referring to stickers!
I agree it’s dangerous. That thing looks like a phone on a broomstick and can definitely do damage to anyone behind or below them.
Going to Disneyland next year. If I’m going to overpay to go there I definitely don’t want to worry about getting an eye bludgeoned out of it’s socket by a flying phone on a broomstick.
As usual, this is why we can’t have good things – a small minority of idiots who don’t have the common sense to not pull out a selfie stick in the middle of a freaking roller coaster ride ruining it for the rest of us.