Walt Disney World is officially banning the use of selfie sticks within the premises of its theme parks after a roller coaster ride had to be stopped mid-ride when a man violated a rule against whipping out selfie sticks during the ride.
On Friday, Disney announced that taking portraits of oneself with the use of a smartphone attached to the end of a long rod will be prohibited at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and Disneyland in Anaheim, California beginning Tuesday. The ban will also take effect at Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Paris on Wednesday.
Beginning next week, Disney safety officers will be checking guests' bags for selfie sticks, which will have to be surrendered to a storage facility or returned to their cars or hotels. Disney says it will update it official park rules to include selfie sticks to the list of prohibited items, including skateboards, folding chairs, glass containers and wagons, among other things that Disney considers "harmful or disruptive."
"We strive to provide a great experience for the entire family and unfortunately selfie sticks have become a growing safety concern for both our guests and cast," says Kim Prunty, spokesperson for Disney, in a statement.
Disney already bans the use of selfie sticks in certain rides, such as Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom. There have also been a number of guests violating the no-selfie-stick rule, but were only verbally reprimanded by cast members.
Disney seems to have snapped, however, when an unnamed man whipped out his selfie stick during a ride on the California Screamin' roller coaster, forcing the ride's operators to stop the ride just before it reached the biggest drop and leaving the riders waiting an hour before they were back on the ground.
California screaming is shut down for 2 hours and stopped right at the top before the drop because someone pulled out a selfie stick
