Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
Ron DeSantis may have used his powers as Florida governor to restrict Disney World Guests, but the Mouse is offering an exclusive daycare service that many will be interested in.
Credit: Inside the Magic
Since he returned from his failed GOP presidential nominee run, Governor DeSantis has been on an impressive streak of signing bills into law. Among other things, he has signed the following legislation:
- HB 601: Prevents civilian review boards from investigating individual police officers for alleged wrongdoing during employment.
- SB 1084: Prohibits the production and sale of lab-grown meat in Florida in a clear favor to the cattle ranching industry of the state.
- HB 429: Gives timeshare companies the same abilities as licensed hotels to call law enforcement for unruly guest behavior, including assaulting staff or other violent actions.
- HB 87: Allows Floridians to shoot black bears in perceived self-defense, despite the lack of recorded violence by bears and outrage from conservation groups.
- HB 433: Strips local governments of enforcing worker protections, like businesses being required to tell hourly workers their schedules in advance or provide outdoor workers with water and breaks.
- and perhaps most notoriously, HB 321: anyone in Florida who releases at least one balloon could face up to a $150 fine.
Credit: Inside the Magic
Obviously, very few parents want to risk potential multi-hundred dollar fines over a bunch of balloons, which children are famously not very good at holding onto. In effect, this has caused a near-ban on balloons at the Walt Disney World Resort from Guests, who are panicking on social media about getting hit with fines.
Related: Disney Quietly Relocates Operations from Florida, Putting DeSantis Alliance in Jeopardy
On Reddit, numerous concerned parents are discussing balloons and their potential legal ramifications. Some are even calling for Disney World to get rid of them entirely, thinking them too much of a risk. TheAceMan says, “Hopefully Disney will stop selling the balloons. I’m glad they passed this law. You would not believe the number of balloons I come across mountain biking in the middle of nowhere here in CA. I can’t even imagine how many are in the ocean.”
While the idea of a Disney World ban on balloons seems draconian, the DeSantis law actually does come from a place of environmental concern. HB 321 is intended to protect wildlife like sea turtles and marine birds, which are harmed when escaped balloons enter their ecosystems. It also removes an exemption for biodegradable balloons, which are better in theory but still harmful.
Credit: Laurie Sapp Photography
But a child holding a Disney balloon is a pretty iconic image of Magic Kingdom, so it is unlikely that Disney World is going to ban them entirely anytime soon. What seems more likely is that the park may expand its already existing “daycare” system for balloons that exists at Animal Kingdom and seems to have picked up steam since the DeSantis legislation.
Tiktok users have recently begun highlighting the Disney balloon daycare system, like in this video:
@myriamestrella8 Replying to @Kristie McLean is balloon daycare at disney real?? ????????????????
As we have previously reported, balloons are not allowed at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom because of the extreme likelihood of them escaping and being eaten by animals or popping and creating disturbance. Apparently, if you do bring a balloon into Animal Kingdom, a cast member will immediately greet you and take custody of the floating toy while you have fun; it will later be returned to you with an actual “report card” indicating whether the balloon had a good time while you were away. The slips even refer to it as “daycare,” in case you thought we were exaggerating.
Credit: Walt Disney World Tips and Tricks Facebook
Now that carrying a balloon at Disney World is a potential financial risk, it seems high time for the Mouse to expand the program.
Will you buy a balloon at Disney World now that you could be fined over it?
