Disney Guests Are Getting Into Fights Over This Line-Cutting Behavior

Line cutting has long been one of the most frustrating issues for Disney park guests, but lately, the behavior appears to be causing more than just annoyed looks and complaints.

Guests are increasingly speaking out when they believe someone has unfairly joined their party farther ahead in the queue, and in some cases, those confrontations have escalated into heated arguments and even fights, with videos going viral online of recent confrontations of the behavior. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the first look at the new Villains Land coming to Disney World and the reveal of the new NFL Disney collaboration.

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Issue of “Line Cutting” at Disney Parks

When it comes to issues of guest behavior that Disney fans care about, the issue of “line cutting” remains at the top of the list.

At Disneyland and Walt Disney World, line cutting is usually defined as intentionally moving ahead of other guests who have already been waiting in a queue. This includes walking past a large portion of the line to meet up with friends or family or having someone hold a place in line while a larger group joins later. Seeing a massive group join the line ahead of you when they didn’t wait the same amount of time can understandably be frustrating, and this can lead to some tense moments in line.

Just this summer, a large fight broke out in the queue for Avatar Flight of Passage, which went viral online with many Disney fans sharing it in Reddit fan groups. Some of the comments spoke to the “line races” that tend to happen in some queues at Disney, especially when there is a moment when you can potentially get ahead of the crowd. This was something we saw addressed at EPCOT’s popular Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind attraction as guests were having a tendency to push and shove to get ahead of the crowds in the pre-show room.

Another incident took place at Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland during the busy holiday season this year and even made the news due to injuries a guest sustained from the altercation. According to police, a man was assaulted while passing by another group in line to catch up to other friends or family.

This has become a common topic of conversation in Disney fan groups, with a recent Reddit post in the Disneyland group highlighting the frustration many members have with the issue. Some posters shared potential solutions like posting Cast Members throughout various queue points at the attractions. One commenter did share a moment when a Cast Member intervened when someone was caught jumping into the Lightning Lane entrance for Radiator Springs Racers: “When we got to the cast member stationed at the merge point, he very efficiently said “you two cut the line, you’re going to have to leave now.” Unhooked a chain, sent them down a path leading away from the ride. No fuss, no muss. We appreciated that, having just paid $29 each for the LL.”

When it comes to the standby queue, many commenters note that it’s hard to enforce, especially when guests are rejoining their parties ahead.

Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed several times during our recent trips how guests take advantage of this, creating the illusion they are rejoining their party to cut the line, with some walking straight to the front without meeting anyone. One of the most shocking incidents we’ve witnessed was a group cutting a Lightning Lane queue that had backed up with a long line of about 30-40 people after the ride came back online from a closure.

The leader of that group walked straight up to the scanners and directed the rest of their large party of 8 or so to ignore the objections of those in line who tried to call them out for cutting. We have also seen similar situations on other rides, where some have skipped the line at Rise of the Resistance and cut past several people in the queue without meeting a group. My assumption is that the people cutting have perhaps realized that most don’t want to initiate an altercation while they’re on vacation, letting it roll off their backs, and they take advantage of this.

But what are the official rules around the practice, especially when it can be the cause of so much tension?

What is Disney’s Official Policy on Line Cutting?

But is this against the rules? Well, not quite. According to the official website, Disney does not currently lay down a standalone “no line cutting” rule. The official language does point out that designated attraction entrances are not intended to be used to bypass the wait, and in its accessibility guidance, Disney explicitly states that auxiliary entrances “are not intended to bypass waiting lines,” and its attraction-specific instructions direct guests to enter through the standard queue.

But yet, there are also specific procedures for guests who need to leave a queue or meet up with members of their party, including having a Cast Member assist with re-entry or the meet-up. Disney’s exact current language surrounding the Attraction Queue Re-Entry Policy is: “Guests with specific needs that may arise while waiting in an attraction queue may exit the queue while the rest of their party waits in the queue. The Guest may then re-enter the queue prior to boarding the ride.”

And for guests who are joining a party already in line, Disney goes on to say: “Other members of your party must join the queue, and you should make sure your party can call or text you to meet up.” And then Disney instructs the returning guests to go to the front of the attraction and inform a Cast Member they are using the Attraction Queue Meet-Up accommodation. The Cast Member then helps them meet their group.

So in other words, joining someone who is already far ahead in a queue is technically not the same as using Disney’s approved queue re-entry or meet-up procedures. The official language for Attraction Queue Meet-Up does not say that guests can simply walk through the queue to meet their party.

Since Attraction Queue Meet-Up has become somewhat of an “unofficial” replacement for DAS (Disability Access Service) after the initial crackdown on the program, it’s also clear that Cast Members are not there to question guests about why they are using the Queue Meet-Up alternative. Disney’s own policy says guests do not need to discuss their reason for waiting outside the queue with the Cast Member, which makes sense given that this accommodation is also meant to support guests with disabilities that have been denied DAS.

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So there is no clear answer here, but based on the tensions and arguments that have broken out, there might be a clear need to define some boundaries around these policies.

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