After a series of incidents, many theme parks are setting up chaperone policies

Disney has a distinct greeting for visitors to its parks on both coasts, nearly 70 years after Walt Disney invited the public to “this happy place” during Disneyland’s official opening in July of 1955. To remind visitors what is expected of them when they visit a Disney park, Disneyland and Walt Disney World placed courtesy sections on their websites in December 2022.

The page on the website for Disneyland states, “We ask all who come to this happy place to treat others with respect, kindness and compassion,” and includes a link to the park’s rules and regulations. The same advice is given to visitors at Disney World: “Be the magic you want to see in the world.”

You would assume that adults would be on their best behavior when visiting amusement parks with thousands of children. However, the polite warning was likely prompted by a spate of violent occurrences and aggressive conduct at numerous amusement parks.

One incident involved a prime site for seeing fireworks, while the other involved a violent brawl that broke out in front of Peter Pan’s Flight at The Magic Kingdom. Both incidents were reported by Orlando television station Fox 35 in the summer of 2022. According to the Orange County Register, a fight between numerous visitors who were lined up to watch Fantasmic, which takes place every night, broke out at Disneyland during the same time period.

However, this isn’t just a Disney issue. Physical fights are becoming more frequently reported in theme and amusement parks countrywide.

Theme parks across the country have taken notice of the rise in inappropriate conduct. Disney’s sole notable response to date has been the posting of warnings, but some have gone a step further by enforcing rigorous chaperone requirements.

The company Cedar Fair, which owns and manages a number of parks including California’s Knott’s Berry Farm, is the largest to establish chaperone requirements. In response to “unruly behavior and altercations involving a number of teenagers,” Knott’s Berry Farm was forced to close early on July 16, 2022, according to a park statement.

On July 20, 2022, a few days later, the park made the announcement that it will only enforce the chaperone regulation on Fridays and Saturdays. It also added information about the police to its code of conduct page.

Initially, only Saturdays were covered, but eventually, Sundays were added. The park’s chaperone policy went right back to Saturdays, according to The Points Guy, and has been updated once more for April 2023, reading as follows: “all guests ages 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21 years old in order to be admitted to or remain in the park after 4 p.m. local time to close.”

“The safety of our guests and associates has always been our top priority,” the park shared via the website. “Over the past two years, there have been increasing incidents of unruly and inappropriate behavior across our industry and at other major entertainment venues.”

Since then, other Cedar Fair parks have done the same. Following violent occurrences, several amusement parks have adopted comparable chaperone regulations, including Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia; Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri; Kings Island in Mason, Ohio; Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina; and California’s Great America in Santa Clara, California.

Following “a fight involving multiple juveniles” that had transpired inside the park, Worlds of Fun imposed the policy. None of the 100 to 150 juveniles who were allegedly involved in the disturbance, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, appeared to be accompanied by an adult.

Despite these events, Disney World and Disneyland have not altered their policies. They have already made it clear on their websites that “guests under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a guest age 14 or older to enter a theme park.”

There is no set minimum age to enter Universal Orlando’s theme parks unattended. On the other hand, it advises that “guests under the age of 14 have a supervising companion that is age 14 or older.”

The Universal Orlando website does note, however, that “guests under the age of 18 need to have an accompanying adult after 10 p.m.” in CityWalk.

The presence or absence of a chaperone policy at a certain theme park or amusement park can be verified in multiple ways. Most parks feature a “code of conduct” or “park rules” page on their website in addition to providing contact information. The park’s chaperone policy and other information related to the supervision of youngsters will be included on those sites.

Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of any developments within it. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all.