The happiest place on earth is not extending its welcome to selfie sticks. The monopod positioning devices are prohibited at all four Walt Disney theme parks in Orlando, at Disney water parks and Disney Quest starting June 30. By July 1, the ban will also be enforced at Disneyland in California, Paris and Hong Kong.
Disney officials announced that sticks brought into the parks will be confiscated during bag checks. Visitors can reclaim their devices when they leave the park. They will also be allowed to return to cars or hotel rooms to leave the sticks behind.
Disney theme parks have posted signs outside attractions warning guests not to use the picture-taking devices while on rides or attractions. However, some guests have not heeded the warnings. The Orlando Sentinal reported this week that a roller coaster was halted for an hour at the Disney California Adventure park after a passenger attempted to use a selfie stick.
The selfie stick joins Disney’s list of other banned items deemed harmful or disruptive to other visitors. These include skateboards, inline skates, wagons, folding chairs and glass containers.
Selfie sticks have been banned in a number of other public places. SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Studios do not allow them; Six Flags amusement parks allow the device on park grounds but not while on rides. In April, the Kentucky Derby joined the growing list of venues that prohibit selfie sticks. Museums, music festivals and sports stadiums already enforce a ban on them after injuries have occurred to other patrons. The list includes Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Wimbledon Stadium, Coachella and Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Selfie stick users place cameras or smartphones on the end of the poles to extend their reach for taking self-portraits.
