Knives in Disney World?

I'm heading to Disney World in September. Does anyone know if there are any regulations there against carrying knives? I was planning on carrying my Izula and a folding knife (pretty much like in town).
Thanks.

Welcome aboard!

The latest I've read is that they do inspect bags, but don't send visitors through a magnetometer. Don't clip anything where it can be seen. My understanding is that there are no signs forbidding knives but that if security sees one they'll ask you to bring it back to your vehicle.

Obviously whatever you carry needs to be legal in that jurisdiction.

The good thing about places like Disney is that you can easily get an anvil that materializes out of thin air. Bring your own pans and pots, though. The ones there tend to take on the shape of any head you hit with them. DB

They have a no weapons policy. If they see/sense it, they will ask you to remove it from the park, or may let you store it with security. I would leave the Izula where you're staying and take a small folder in the pocket (don't use a clip) you carry your keys/etc, so it doesn't show. And keep it there inside the park.

I've always had a SAK climber with no problems, but I don't go waving it around, either.

You can also decline the fingerprint scanner, as long as you have a govt. id such as a driver's liscense.

I've never even questioned bringing my normal daily carry stuff into a theme park or anywhere else. I just walk right on in as normal. Because there is nothing "abnormal" about anything I carry. The exception is if they have a sign posted disallowing concealed firearms (as they are required to here in Colorado, if they wish to prohibit them). Then I walk away and give my business to somebody else. I can't remember the last time I had to walk away from any place. There are very few places that prohibit firearms around here. Knives? I've never seen them prohibited anywhere. And here in Colorado nothing is a "knife" unless its blade is 3-1/2" or longer. My pocket knife is not that, so technically I guess it's just a piece of steel that few would think to ban.

I was at Disneyland last November and they check backpacks going in. It is nowhere near TSA level. They just ask you to open it. I didn't have to do a thumb scan.

As I have mentioned on here many times, I carry a backpack every time I leave the house and I had my entire EDC kit in my pack each day I went in, including a RSK Mk1, Leatherman, Swiss steel, zippo and mini bic. (Items they might have problems with, IDK if a lighter is all that big a deal)

I didn't hide anything but I didn't offer anything while being fully compliant with instructions. They didn't ask if I had any sharps. Had they said I couldn't bring it in, I'd have taken back to the room.

Once at security they noticed the clip in my pocket and called me out, but then let me go in anyway. they don't scan or pat down, so you are cool if you just keep it in your pocket. I know this for certain I've been more than 10 times in the last 10 years!

Thanks for the advice and replies all. I guess I'm not used to being without a knife (usually have at least 2 on me for EDC) and was concerned. Sounds like I should be fine with at least my folder (IWB) and possibly a small SAK.

Disney will not search your person, only bags and backpacks. They usually don't have a problem with knives 5 inches or under if not seen. The main thing is do not let them see out in the open you are carrying a knife. They may ask you to either put it in your pocket or take it to your car. If you have your neck knife on you and you go on a coaster, just make sure it doesn't come out. And do not under any circumstances get caught with a gun in the park (even if you have a Fla. Concealed permit or even it you are a undercover LEO,FBI or what have you. Disney security has a direct com with Orange County SO and they have a office on property at all locations.

Their security is like a parrot in a coal mine, all they are suppose to ask you politely and if you do not cooperate then they let the Orange County Sheriff take over. There is a lot of Sheriffs that walk the park dressed as cast members or tourist. If the security gives you a hard time you can report them and they will get into trouble, they will not mess with you as long as they do not see anything.

This is the policy bellow but the bottom line is they want the guest to feel safe and secure and for everybody to come back and spend money. They will be polite if they see it so the main thing is keep it out of sight and you will be alright. Have a killer time and just plan accordingly.


Description
Certain items are not permitted into the Theme Parks and Downtown Disney. This includes, but is not limited to:

Wagons, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, and shoes with built-in wheels
Any trailer like object that is pushed or towed by an ECV, wheelchair, or stroller
Note: Guests are not permitted to pull items behind them. Any item that requires a Guest to pull it behind him, including a stroller, is not permitted into the Park.
Suitcases, coolers, or backpacks with or without wheels larger than 24" length x 15" width x 18" height (which mirrors the large locker sizes)
Note: Coolers required for medication may be stored in a locker or at First Aid.
Strollers larger than 36" x 52" (which mirrors the rental stroller sizes)
Weapons of any kind
Alcoholic beverages and any illegal substances
Folding chairs, except certain portable seats that can be used as mobility aids
Glass containers (excluding baby food jars and perfume bottles)
Pets are not allowed. Service animals are permitted.
At Disney's Animal Kingdom (for the safety of the wildlife), balloons, straws, and lids are not permitted

My family and I were in Disney World last November. The first day the guard noticed my leatherman wave on my belt and only asked (and I emphasize asked) if I would consider putting it into my bag. I told him no problem. The rest of the week we were there it was in my bag and seen every single day. Not a word was said about it.

Can I ask why you would want to take a knife in to the 'happiest place on earth'? I suspect that the man rat chimera might be considered to be quite frightening but I've been told by a buddy (who has actually been there) that he is actually quite a friendly little chap. He even went on to say that he wasn't as scary as the cheese salesman (on a tricycle!!) at the nearby Walmart in Orlando.

Opening packaging & slicing lunch are the first two that come to mind. I'm sure those of us with kids can come up with more.

Come to think about, I would definitely want to carry because I'm suspicious of anyplace that is open to the general public near Los Angeles while calling itself "The Happiest Place on Earth".

Seriously, I'd want to carry a knife for the same reason I carry a knife outside of Disneyland. I don't undergo self-reflection throughout the day to assess my reasoning for carrying a knife. There are items I always carry as a habit, and I really need the items occasionally. A pocket knife is one of these items. There is nothing particularly unique about Disneyland to make me not want to carry. The better question is, why should I not want to carry my unobtrusive pocket knife that's with me as a habit?

Can I ask why you consider a knife a weapon rather than a tool, and therefore not worthy of carrying in a "happy place"?

I've carried a knife since I was a child. Even in school when I was a kid (back then it was perfecty OK to do this, before the sissy ninnies took over). I can't think of a day in my life when I haven't pulled out my knife to do something. Cut a string, trim a coupon out of the newspaper, cut open a stubbornly packaged bag of peanuts, whatever. I've never stabbed anybody nor even thought about doing so.

I don't understand the fear some people have of one of the oldest, most useful, and most mundane of tools ever invented.

Guys who responded seriously: you know Liath is just kidding, right?

Anyway, the happiest place on earth is obviously where I get occasions to show off my survival savvy and equipment:

Little boy: "Oh, no! I can't open my Mickey Mouse packaging! I shall never play with Mickey and hold him in my hand! Waaaa!"

Me: "Never fear, ETS Man is here!" *I whip out my Benchmade and do what comes naturally. While I'm at it, I notice a man in a Porsche having a bit of problem breathing with that tight seat belt, so I open up my Seat Belt Cutter of Death and, again, do what comes naturally*

Little boy's sexy single mom: "Oh, you are my hero, ETS Man! How can I ever repay you? I'll do anything!"

Porsche man: "Thanks for saving my life, ETS Man. Here, you can have this Porsche. It's been killing me anyway. And I'll babysit the kid with the Mickey Mouse tonight!"

Me: "Good thing I didn't have to smash your window to get to you, because you have a convertible. But I'm prepared to do that, too, with the other end of my rescue tool!"

Later, ETS Man demonstrates for the sexy single mom the non-survival uses of his inflatable latex water container. It's good to be equipped. In more sense than one.

Should we sell this movie script to Goldwyn?

Da Bing

Last I went (about 4 years ago), they did a quick check of your backpack, they never questioned my leatherman that was in it, and just moved it aside to check further. Disclaimer here - at the time I worked for a company owned by Disney, and was entering on my employee vacation pass (NOT my work ID, but it's fairly obvious you are a 'fellow cast member' with his family) - never said a word to me, and even gave me a couple of quick tips for the day

Strangely enough thats how it all plays out in my head too!

What is the point of reading fingerprints when visiting an amusement park, or for that matter, any ID whatsoever? It's been several years since I went, but the only time ID was an issue was for a Disney cruise, where passports were required due to a stop in the Bahamas.

As long as you've got cash or valid plastic, I see no valid reason for an amusement park to demand any kind of ID.

Yes, like any self-respecting terrorist wouldn't have a decent ID.

Sue

It's been on the news in Fla for awhile Mark, I think (but don't quote me on it) that Disney is using it to cut down on the scalping of tickets being sold. There are a lot of these stands that sell tickets to Disney that are nothing more than used tickets from guests who do not stay the full length of there tickets. If you buy say a 4 day pass and stay 3 days and sell your ticket to one of these places for a small fee, then they turn around and sell it to me (lets say) as I am visiting. Then I go to the park on a used ticket and when they ask for a id or fingerprint (your choice) and it doesn't match the original purchaser, they assume it was stolen or scalped. That is my understanding according to one of our news station. Correct me if I am wrong.

It's because of their parkhopper pass - they REALLY don't care WHO you are, just that "person with fingerprint that reads on OUR scanner as #123456 who bought pass #12" is still the same person trying to use pass #12 later that afternoon at another park

Nope, you're right. As I said, I worked for a company owned by the mouse, and actually met folks involved with the fingerprint scan - the database is purged (or was) when your ticket expires - pure ticket scalping issue

The only reason for using the fingerprint is that the first time you go through the turn style your print is assigned/associated with the pass that you hold, making it unique to you.
Your pass + your finger print = admission. You run your card and scan your print each time you enter the park.
This is so the passes cannot be stolen or if lost can be replaced and it also prevents you from giving over the last day of your ticket to some lucky person.

Just read KG2V entry, sorry to repeat.

Hey Matt,
No problem.

Who Knows, you may have to help cut a distressed Micky Out of his Costume when the zipper gets stuck.

I've carried different knives into Disney World for years without even a comment. Just be low-key about it and you're likely to never even hear a peep from them. I've seen other guys walk right in with obvious large folders visibly clipped on their jeans pockets, but I at least drop mine down inside my pocket or inside my waistband. I get a lot of use out of a small Swiss Army knife throughout my Disney trips, especially the scissors.

About the fingerprint thing: I believe you can decline to have your finger scanned and present photo ID instead. If you ask nicely you might not even have to present ID.

Disney cast members are usually pretty accommodating and will bend rules for you if you ask nicely and look like you're just there having fun with your family (and spending money).

Mack ... I support personal freedom as much as the next guy. But I can't see any reason for you to carry a large folding knife into Disneyland. Disneyland is a pretty safe place - it's not like you're going to get trapped in a roller coaster for several days. You can take an exit and escape (!). Try to remember ... Disneyland is a family establishment. Think "Moms and kids" and adjust your gear to be compatible with that objective.

It is possible that when they search you - on entering the park - that they might object to a knife with a large blade. I don't know exactly what that policy is - but why test it?? If there is a problem, I'm guessing that they would either ask you to store the knife in your car in the parking lot, or alternatively place it in some sort of secure storage and pick it up when you left Disneyland. Either option is good ... I can't imagine a need for a large folder in that environment. In the event of a major emergency inside Disneyland, the place is FILLED with items that you could use to improvise survival techniques for just about contingency. Seriously.

Some amusement parks actually sell knives. Knottsberry Farm definitely has a vendor inside their park that sells knives and long-bladed weapons. The assumption, of course, is that you would pack up the item and take it home. Not all the parks are paranoid about this gear.

Pete2

The mayors of NY and Boston agree with you.


Hopefully that wasn't too political but its quite an easy step from "no reason for anyone to need a gun/knife" to ban a gun/knife.

I haven't needed my leatherman, my fire extinguisher, my PSK, my BOB, my air bag, etc but I still have them.

Respectfully, this is a decision that shouldn't be up to anyone other than the individual. I could come up with at least a dozen good reasons to carry a large folding knife at an amusement park, and while my reasons might not apply to you, they might apply to someone else. We're talking about a basic tool here, not WMD.

As I understand you correctly, you are assuming carrying a large folding knife into Disneyland serves no purpose other than to cause a possible danger. I guess we can say that about a lot of things then. For example, the only purpose for high-performance running shoes in Disneyland would be for a person to run from security. That type of person is potentially dangerous to the kids. So, Disneyland had better prohibit high-performance running shoes. Walking shoes are sufficient for Disneyland.

As another example, Disneyland should make sure MMA fighters and similar athletes have a legitimate reason for being in the park. Their bodies are their weapons. Disneyland should only allow these athletes in the park if they can prove they are going to spend a significant amount of money. Otherwise, the risk of having their weapons in the park is unjustified.

Seriously, I have been carrying a relatively large folding knife for over twenty years. Never have I hurt anybody with my knife. Never have I thought about hurting anybody with my knife. It's a tool. It's not a bizarre tool either. I may have a need for this tool in Disneyland, as others have also pointed out above. Anyway, I should not need a reason. If carrying a knife is not outlawed by state or federal laws, then it's unnecessary for Disneyland to impose additional restrictions.

Last but not least, criminals will smuggle whatever weapons they want. Knives and other weapons are plentiful in prison, which is an environment that is way more controlled than Disneyland. Accordingly, even if Disneyland had a policy of not allowing knives, the policy would only regulate honest people and make the simple-minded people feel safer, while actually providing no additional safety whatsoever.

Knives are very compatible with families. Families cook with kitchen knives, which absolutely dwarf any "large folding knife." (A large folding knife, in my impression, has no more than a four inch blade.) Families require knives for picnics, in order to cut cheese, bread, meat, etc. I once saw children who refused to eat food that hadn't been cut to a size suitable for their little mouths. I gladly whipped out my knife, wiped it clean, and offered it to the parents. The handier members of the family like doing instant repairs (including sewing and such), and often a basic tool like the knife proves quite useful. So the safety of the location isn't terribly relevant, because the knife isn't primarily a weapon. Like most tools (hammers, screwdrivers, and such), it can be used as a weapon, though it wouldn't be as good as truly specialized weapons (swords, guns, bow & arrow). If you ban knives, you might as well ban flashlights, compasses, and thumb drives, just to take a few items I have on my keychain.

Da Bing

Somehow, I think this discussion is upside down. I would like to know why anyone would waste their time in Disneyland, with or without a knife, when they can easily visit locales where carrying a knife makes very good sense.

Within just a few hours of Dland, you have mountains, deserts, and oceans where reality beckons...

Well, the only problem with this is.... The first time I went to Disney, I didn't realize that I could refuse the fingerprinting. We had a weeklong pass, and I didn't like it. So, every day, I gave the scanner a different finger. I was let in every time.

Sounds like their databases aren't that good... Now I simply refuse the fingerprinting - no problem.

[quote=Last but not least, criminals will smuggle whatever weapons they want. .............. Accordingly, even if Disneyland had a policy of not allowing knives, the policy would only regulate honest people and make the simple-minded people feel safer, while actually providing no additional safety whatsoever. [/quote]

Great quote, and it sums up the fatal flaw in all knife and gun control laws. Politicians continue to buy votes from the 'antis' and the only person who is actually safer is the violent criminal.

Where's the 'like' button?

I think Byrd Hunter is onto the right philosophy.
Disneyland is really expensive these days, and can be super-crowded. It's not exactly my favorite place to relax.

Pete2

Now, now. It is expensive and there are lots of more natural activities we could do with our family but kids are sucked in by Disney. I AM, sucked in by D-Land. Even outsdoorsy types need a fantasy day. Yours might be a trip back to your college for a big season football game, for others it might be antiquing or taking a weekend trip to Vegas. All of those outings can be or are just as expensive as a family 3 day to D-Land.

Plus, after almost 2 years of working urban map & compass with my son, when I gave him the D-Land map on Day 2, it all totally clicked in perfectly for him and he led us for an entire day. So its not a total waste of skill training.

I've never been to Disneyland or Disney World . . just never felt any desire to go.

Of course it's a zoo. They have mice, ducks, two chipmunks, a goofy dog. . . .

Sorry but your setup was too good to pass up.

Jeanette Isabelle

... and elephants, alligators, bears, badgers, toads, chimpanzees, leopards, deer, rabbits, pigs, foxes, vultures, organutans, tigers, pythons, etc.

Sue

The teenage girl shacked up with the 7 vertically challenged middle aged men is err.. slightly dubious though..

In the original fairy tail, Snow White was seven-years-old. This was part of the repetitive use of the number seven. The witch tricked Snow White on the seventh try. Her glass coffin had seven layers.

Jeanette Isabelle

I would call it downright impossible! I can see it now...

The seven shorties come home from the mine, and the first thing they do is dump their filthy mining clothes on the floor, and the stench from their boots can curl nose hair.

Then they empty the refrigerator of all the cold beer.

Then they fight over the remote control.

Then there is a roar that can be heard for miles:
"WHEN IS DINNER GOING TO BE READY???"

Meanwhile, Snow White is mixing a goodly amount of poison with the stew. When they're all dead, she pours ten gallons of unleaded throughout the house, then fires a flaming arrow through the open living room window.

Then she tosses her suitcase into the Miata and hits the freeway, because ANYTHING is better than what she just left!

And she lived happily ever after with seventeen cats.

Sue

I keep using the "well we can't afford to go this year, maybe next year" excuse and maybe if I can do that over enough years eventually they will get old enough that going to a place like Disney will be "thats lame, its for kids".

It has to be seven cats. Everything in the fairy tail is associated with the number seven or a number divisible by seven.

What I want to know is, what is with the prince?

Dude! The girl is in a comma!

Jeanette Isabelle

That doesn't work when your 40 year old Wife and her Mother are conspiring to go back again "before the kids are too old" Kids, sure honey.

I have to say, the claims of Disney World being the happiest place on earth are greatly exaggerated. Most of my time at Disney either required the forfeiture of my money or standing in absurdly long lines. It was tantamount to my experiences with hospital emergency rooms, only with a slightly more cheerful attitude.

Luckily though, like an appendectomy, it's one of those things you only have to do once.

When I went ot Dland, I was in the company of a trusted native guide (my wife) who had the routine down pat and knew how to avoid the absurdly long lines.

I don't know if Dland is indeed the happiest place on earth (I can think of many that appeal more to me) but it is way ahead of military boot camp, final exams, the local ER, or Death Row.

As fun as it was when I went as a teen, it would not be the same if I go back now.

Jeanette Isabelle

No, she caught onto that fact and changed it to a number that wasn't divisible by seven or anything else except one and itself.

Sue

I have a friend who is avoiding exposing his kids to Disney products from age zero. He also managed to find a school that intentionally avoids exposing the kids to Disney products and other commercial products. His plan is to have his kids prefer camping over going to Disneyland. As a new dad, I think that approach would be a great investment for MY future.

go to Disneyworld with a 7YO girl - You'll be happy, just because SHE is happy (well, it also doesn't hurt that I had free admission, and employee discounts on rooms, food and 'stuff' from the gift shop - for me, it was absurdly inexpensive)