You Might Be Breaking These 4 Disney World Rules Without Even Knowing

There are a lot of rules to follow when you’re in any theme park, but especially Disney World.

Some of them are a little more obvious, like not bringing in weapons or causing fights/arguing with Cast Members or other guests. However, there are also a lot of more obscure rules that you may not even realize you’re breaking. If you’re heading to the parks soon, keep these rules in mind!

Buying Fake Weapons

Has your kiddo ever begged for one of the fake swords in the gift shop after you get off Pirates of the Caribbean, or while you’re in the Emporium? Or maybe wanted one of the katanas in EPCOT’s Japan Pavilion? We know many members of our team have been there, but we’ve always found it interesting that Disney sells these in the parks, because as it turns out, it’s against the rules to bring/carry around anything that resembles a weapon.

Yes, that technically means that if you purchase one of those swords and then it’s being carried around the park, it’s breaking the rules! Now, is anyone going to come up and take it out of your hand? No, that’s extremely unlikely, unless someone is swinging it around in a way that could hurt someone. However, if you go to park hop, it’s very likely you’ll have to explain that you just purchased the item in the parks — you may want to keep your receipt just to be safe.

Being Rude or Inconsiderate to Others

Now many people don’t realize that this IS a Disney World rule, but it is! Stated plainly on their website, Disney says, “Please show common courtesy to fellow Guests and our Cast Members by not using profanity or engaging in unsafe, illegal, disruptive or offensive behavior, jumping lines or saving places in lines for others.”

Yes, that means that if someone chooses to be rude and curse out a Cast Member or another guest, Disney absolutely reserves the right to remove that person from the park, or potentially even ban them. Even if it wasn’t a rule though, it’s always a rule of life to remember that there are so many other people on vacation around you. Don’t take up a Cast Member or character’s time by being abrasive or attempting to get something viral on social media. It’s perfectly fine to video your interactions with characters to remember them, but don’t say inappropriate things, and just be courteous to all those around you!

Pool Hopping

A few pools in Disney World require you to show your hotel reservation or room key to an attendant and get a wristband to confirm you’re allowed to use the pool, but even if your hotel pool doesn’t use wristbands, or you don’t need to use your key to unlock the pool gate door, you aren’t allowed to pool hop!

Now, there are a few exceptions to this rule, such as guests staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort are more than welcome to use the pool at Bay Lake Tower and vice versa, as well as guests at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort can use Cove Pool over at Island Tower and, again, vice versa. However, if you’re staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and want to check out Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, unfortunately, that’s not allowed even though it’s just a ride away on the Skyliner. The same thing goes for if you’re staying at Art of Animation and want to pop over to Pop Century. We know, it can be tempting, but it’s important to stay at the pools your hotel offers.

Thinking Hotels Are ONLY for Those Staying There

Now, on a similar note, but also the total opposite, while hotel pool hopping isn’t allowed, you are absolutely allowed to hotel hop and check out different resorts!

This includes trying out restaurants at other hotels by grabbing reservations, stopping by quick service spots for a bite, or just checking out their lobbies and seeing if you’d like to stay there in the future. In fact, if you work from home, or have to work on vacation, and want to find a nice spot to sit and work on your laptop, that’s allowed as well.

If you are staying at a Disney World hotel this year, remember that you get FREE water park entry on the day of check-in, and Disney just announced that Blizzard Beach AND Typhoon Lagoon will be open later this year to better accommodate the larger crowds taking advantage of this deal.

There’s also a lot of construction going on in Disney World this year that could easily result in new rules. We’ll be keeping an eye on it all and will be ready to tell you what’s changed at a moment’s notice!