We are going to cover this fairly. That is our commitment upfront, because this story is exactly the kind of thing that gets covered unfairly in both directions and we are not interested in doing that.
Here is what happened. An Instagram video posted by @itsprincesspresley shows an organized bible study happening at Backlot Express, the quick-service restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Roughly two dozen women are seated at outdoor tables in the dining area. A speaker addresses the full group. Then smaller clusters of four or five women at each table discuss what was covered. The caption describes it as a bible study for “girlies who love Jesus and Disney.”
The organizer is Instagram user @leightonnelizabeth, who runs a group called Girls Disney Bible Study. The group meets one to two times per month at Disney parks. The format is scripture study, prayer, a snack, and then rides. Attendees are asked to bring a bible, a notebook, and a pen. A separate video shows a similar gathering at Magic Kingdom.
That is the whole thing. That is what happened. And the internet had a lot of feelings about it.
The Responses, From Both Ends, Because You Deserve the Full Picture
We are going to give you all the comments. Not just the ones that support one narrative. All of them.
People who loved it:
“Oh my goodness! This is amazing! I am in Orlando somewhat frequently and would love to lead a devotion sometime about my book on waiting and trusting in God’s timing. I would love to send you a copy!”
“I really need a group like this at Disneyland! Please let me know if you know of one already!”
“I’ve yet to be able to attend the Disney Bible study but I did find a hidden Jesus at Poly gift shop a couple weeks ago and it made me so happy.”
“How can I find out when they are scheduled?”
“I would like to join soon. As I’m at Disney often and I love Jesus.”
People who did not:
“Can’t you do this at church? Why are you guys obsessed with shoving this in our face?”
“Fastest way to steal joy at Disney is bible studies.”
“This is pretty disgusting. Keep this garbage out of Disney!”
“Cults are weird.”
The nuanced middle:
“This is cool, this is nice. I am Christian, but Disney should be used for Disney things. Otherwise it will become so much crowded that no visitors will have places to enjoy.”
And the legally specific:
One commenter made the case that similar gatherings at Downtown Disney in California would be protected under state constitutional law, specifically the Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins ruling, which established that privately owned public-access spaces in California can function as public forums for non-disruptive expressive activity. That protection is California-specific and does not apply at Walt Disney World in Florida.
The full range. There it is.
What the Park Rules Do and Do Not Actually Say
This is the part that matters most for the factual record, so we are going to be precise about it.
Walt Disney World’s official park rules address religion in one specific context: unauthorized solicitations. The rules prohibit unauthorized solicitations of any kind, whether commercial, religious, educational, or otherwise, including solicitations of money or contributions. The video showed no solicitation of money. This rule does not appear to apply to what was filmed.
A second rule covers unauthorized events, speeches, or use of flags, banners, signs, or other materials. This is where the discussion gets more interesting. An organized meeting with a speaker could theoretically be characterized as an unauthorized event or speech. But the rule specifically ties that prohibition to material used for commercial purposes or as part of a demonstration. The bible study as shown does not appear to meet either of those conditions.
What is clear is this: Walt Disney World is private property and Disney can deny admission or remove any guest at its sole and absolute discretion, per the park rules themselves. That authority exists regardless of whether a specific rule has been technically violated. Disney has not commented on the gatherings. Blog Mickey reached out and received no response.
So the honest answer on whether this breaks the rules is: probably not clearly, but Disney could address it anyway if it chose to.
The Dapper Day, Gay Days, and Fan Meetup Comparison That Keeps Coming Up
The comments drew repeated comparisons to other organized guest traditions at Disney parks and we think those comparisons are worth taking seriously.
Dapper Day organizes guests to wear vintage-inspired formal attire on coordinated dates, generating significant gatherings throughout the parks and in dining areas. Gay Days has operated at Walt Disney World for decades with large coordinated groups attending in red shirts. Disney influencers and fan sites have hosted meetups at Disney parks regularly for years. None of these are formally Disney-authorized in the sense of Disney-produced events. All of them exist in the same gray zone: groups of guests who have chosen to gather, wearing or carrying a shared identity, in spaces that are technically available to all park guests.
The bible study operates on the same logic. The question being debated online is whether religious content changes the character of the gathering in a way that makes it different from these other traditions. The park rules as written do not obviously treat it differently. Whether Disney’s discretionary authority would be applied differently is unknown because Disney has not said anything.
The Table Access Issue Nobody Is Talking About Enough
We cover Disney dining. We are going to be honest about the thing that has not gotten enough attention in this debate.
Backlot Express is a quick-service restaurant. Guests who have purchased food need those tables to eat. A group of twenty-plus people occupying a significant block of outdoor seating for an organized meeting, regardless of what that meeting is about, affects the table availability for guests who are there to have lunch.
This is not a comment on the religion. It is a comment on the logistics. The same concern would apply to any organized gathering of similar size in a quick-service dining area during busy park hours. The commenter who noted that “it will become so much crowded that no visitors will have places to enjoy” identified a real and guest-facing consideration that exists completely independently of anyone’s views on faith or theme parks.
The debate about whether the bible study belongs at Disney is a different debate from whether a group of two dozen people should occupy a quick-service dining area for a meeting during peak hours. Both are worth having. Online they have been collapsed into one.
Were you at Hollywood Studios and encountered this gathering in person? Tell us what it was like from the guest perspective in the comments. And if you have thoughts on where organized meetups of any kind belong in Disney’s dining spaces, we genuinely want to hear how other Disney food and park lovers are thinking about this one.
