Disneyland Has Strictly Banned Filming

Something unusual is happening inside Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland, and it’s changing the way guests experience the attraction. Visitors boarding the ride are now being told—firmly—that everything in their hands has to be stowed before the cartoon train can leave the station. Phones, cameras, hats, Mickey ears, purses—nothing is exempt.

Disney hasn’t made any official announcement about the shift, but the news has spread quickly through fan communities online. The first-hand reports are consistent: Cast Members won’t dispatch the train until every guest complies. One rider summed it up on Reddit with a simple but telling observation:

“Was just at Railway; the Cast Members spieling to everyone that all belonging must be put away. Like they won’t even start the ride until everything is put away.”

For guests used to snapping photos or holding onto their ears, it’s a noticeable change. For Cast Members, it’s a battle worth fighting.

Why This Is Happening

The move may seem sudden, but regular visitors aren’t surprised. Runaway Railway uses a modern trackless ride system, where vehicles glide through elaborate show scenes without a visible track. That freedom comes with a catch—the technology is extremely sensitive.

Dropped items aren’t just unsightly. They can trigger emergency stops, known as “E-Stops,” that shut the ride down completely. One fan explained the cycle bluntly:

“It’s because the second something is on the ground they have to stop the ride and they’re probably tired of it. Then they have to get everyone off the ride, give them a free multi experience lightning lane, clear the obstruction, and then get it back up. If people just put their phone away/take hats and ears off from the get go it would eliminate a lot of the e-stops.”

These stops can bring the attraction—and hundreds of waiting guests—to a halt. For Disney, eliminating preventable breakdowns is more than convenience; it’s operational survival.

Fans Sound Off

Reactions online range from relieved to skeptical. Many fans have long complained about phones and cameras disrupting the experience. As one guest cheered:

“Yaaa! No more camera lights on during dark rides.”

Another echoed the frustration, pointing out that even without flash, the glow of a phone screen breaks the immersion:

“Thank god. Honestly even the screen from a camera with no flash is insanely annoying/distracting/‘magic’ killing.”

But not everyone is convinced the new rule will stick once the train departs. A skeptical commenter quipped:

“At least for the first 5 seconds, till it’s grabbed out of their bag. Gotta get that video for the followers, like and subscribe.”

And indeed, others confirmed this is already happening:

“Yes I noticed that. Props to the CMs for enforcing it but the moment the vehicle past the load station everyone had their phones out again.”

The reality seems to be that enforcement is strict at the station—but once the train pulls away, guests bent on filming aren’t easily deterred.

The Incident That Sparked It?

Some fans believe this change wasn’t born out of routine breakdowns, but a very specific moment earlier this year when a guest reportedly jumped out of their ride vehicle to retrieve a dropped phone. That moment happened in the “dance room” sequence and quickly spread across social media.

As one Redditor put it:

“Probably that girl that jumped out of the car to get her cell phone not that long ago in the dance room.”

The connection may be speculative, but the timing fits. A single high-profile safety breach can be enough to force a quiet but strict policy shift.

Similar Moves in Florida

This isn’t entirely new for Disney attractions. At Walt Disney World in Orlando, Cast Members have been known to take similarly hard lines. One rider shared a recent memory from Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster:

“I experienced a similar thing at WDW two weeks ago. Guests had phones in hand on Rock N Roller Coaster. The CMs made an announcement and stopped the ride. Guests did not comply. Then the soundtrack stopped. Then CMs had to walk to the launch area and give a final warning.”

The pattern is clear: Disney will stop a ride in its tracks if guests won’t cooperate.

Social Media vs. The Rules

The push-and-pull between Disney and guests with phones isn’t going away. Social media filming has become a regular part of the theme park landscape. For every guest who wants to experience the ride distraction-free, there’s another determined to capture it for TikTok or YouTube.

One rider described a frustrating example:

“Yeah, saw it on Saturday when we were on M&MRR. Woman in car in front of us was repeatedly told to put her phone in her pocket, held up the ride, cm opened her gate walked over to her and stood there until she complied. As soon as the train took off she took it out and filmed for the entire ride.”

It’s a snapshot of the ongoing struggle—Cast Members can delay, lecture, and enforce at the gate, but once the ride begins, compliance is far from guaranteed.

What Happens Next?

Whether this “hands-free” policy expands beyond Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway remains to be seen. Some fans are already calling for it to apply to every dark ride—and even preshows—across the resort.

One voice summed up the pro-policy stance bluntly:

“GOOD! No more loose articles dropping on the floor and causing the ride to break down every 10 minutes.”

For now, Runaway Railway is the test case. Disney hasn’t formally acknowledged the change, but guest reports make it clear: Cast Members aren’t budging until every item is put away.

In a park where guests are constantly juggling food, merch, ears, and phones, it’s a big shift in behavior. But for fans tired of ride breakdowns and glowing screens, it may feel like a welcome step toward protecting both the magic—and the ride itself.