How's the No Smoking Going?

They will take a strong stance but they won’t enforce it, in exactly the same way as they don’t stop people from queue jumping or any other bad behaviour.

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Can you blame them? Barely more than minimum wage, and if they confront a guest and make them mad, they risk their jobs. If they don’t confront them, there is no risk to them (the cast members) even if it makes some people annoyed.

I just don’t see Disney investing in additional security just to enforce this. Because I think they will have to enforce it for a VERY LONG TIME since there is so much turnover (first time guests, repeat guests who weren’t here after the change, etc).

Exactly why they need to go back to EASILY ACCESSIBLE designated smoking areas.

I’m not necessarily saying I blame the CMs, because I don’t believe Disney would support them if the guest made a complaint. But low paid teenaged staff in my local theme park are expected to do it, and they do. It’s part of their job.

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I will be dead by then, so do carry on.

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Yes…but local theme park employees aren’t expected to make every moment magical for their guests in the same way.

But Disney has rules. Rules aren’t magical but they still have to be followed.

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Disagree. Again, why do I have to be subjected to it when I’m not the one who chose it? A “designated” area is a band-aid at best.

There is a huge difference between smoking and a peanut allergy. Now if you had said no peanut-oil atomizers…then that’s more in line.

They are easily accessible. They’re not just not close by, and people are lazy. Sorry, not sorry that they have to walk a bit.

Still part of the job, and the “Prime Directive” doesn’t apply to those deliberately breaking rules. Just as it’s a part of the job to point out someone stealing or breaking something or being in a restricted area.

I don’t disagree. My point merely is that I just don’t see Disney supporting the additional resources it would take to adequately enforce this. It would mean regularly policing the restrooms, etc. It ain’t gonna happen.

I’ll admit, I don’t recall EVER in all my times at Disney being bothered by a smoker smoking (and I’m bothered by smoking in general very easily). Why? Because smokers had easy access to areas away from crowds.

When it is no longer easily accessible, they will find ways anyhow.

Amen.
Don’t have rules if you aren’t going to enforce them.

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Everyone always thinks it’s impossible until it actually gets done. When I went to college, smoking was allowed on campus but not in buildings. Guess where everyone smoked? Right next to the doors of buildings so everyone else had to walk through the smoke.

Gradually, they moved smokers away from the buildings and today the entire campus is smoke free. Around the perimeter of campus there are 20 smoking areas. That sounds like a lot, but let’s compare that to the Magic Kingdom. MK is around 150 acres. My university is 2500 acres. So we’re talking about similar sizes in terms of accessibility to smoking areas if MK has one area outside the gates. If they keep it inside the security perimeter, it shouldn’t be a big deal. Inconvenient for smokers, sure. But I don’t think making things convenient for smokers should be the priority.

I agree that Disney has to commit to this policy, and I suspect it will be security personnel not costumed cast members who will do the enforcing. It will take time, but they can make it happen. If they don’t intend to do this, why did they change the policy? Without enforcement, it was really stupid, and like I said earlier, I just can’t believe this change happened without any discussion.

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You can either make rules that take natural human behaviors into account, or you make rules that try to change natural human behaviors. The former will be far more successful than the latter. I’m not sure Disney wants to be in the job of being part of a smoking cessation program.

In all honesty, I never have been so far. But I won’t be surprised if that changes on this trip, firstly because of the designated smoking areas outside the parks when we arrive, and secondly because people won’t all leave the park to smoke.

That’s a full on out cop out. “We want to have rules, but only if people want to follow them.”

I don’t want to go through those stupid security checkpoints, but I do. I don’t want to stop at traffic lights, but I do. I don’t want to obey speed limits, but I [mostly] do.

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That’s exactly my point about speed limits.
Here, it’s 80 mph and they are enforced. Guess what? Everyone goes pretty much 80 mph.
I’ve been to many states where it’s 65 and guess what? Everybody still goes 80 mph. So then they come out here and are as surprised as hell that they get a ticket for going 83.

People want to travel right around 75-80 mph and you can accommodate that or you can just let them ignore the law. In which case, ipso facto you don’t have any laws, and then people just do what they want to do.

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I think the entire society is gradually becoming more and more smoke-free in nature. But we aren’t there yet, and it will be quite some time before we are. In fact, with the advent of vaping, young folks are picking back up smoking at higher rates than my own generation due to the perception that it isn’t as unhealthy.

I don’t like smoking. But I can accept that it is still a part of society and will be. As such, if DIsney won’t enforce the change in their parks, they shouldn’t have made the change. But enforcing it will be an on-going and expensive endeavor.

Would you go through the security checkpoints if Disney didn’t enforce you HAVING to? Probably not.

but it’s not that expensive. All you have to do is oust a few people without refund and you’re done. As @heidelj said, word will spread and fast.

Hell, Disney’s good for actors, get someone to put on a “show” for it. Make a ‘scene’ of someone getting ousted. Draw attention, make it known and it’ll go away.

Will it be 100% effective? Of course not. But then neither was the designated smoking areas. There were plenty of times people would try to hide it in line, or while walking.

I don’t understand your point, I literally just said that’s exactly why I do it.

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Exactly. And why it doesn’t apply in the case of the smoking areas UNLESS Disney enforces it. If they don’t, they shouldn’t have done it. If they do, fine.

I disagree there. I think a huge percentage of Disney-goers are not so well educated/informed about what the rules are. Many will show up expecting there to be smoking areas, and when there isn’t, find a way to smoke.

If they truly go to the point of ousting people, that would help. Sounds like, at least for now, they aren’t even bothering telling people to stop.

Sorry. Getting ready to head out. Bowing out of the conversation now. Heading for Cedar Point.

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