Disney Issues Warning to Guests as TikTok Trends Encourage Dangerous Behavior

Keeping both Guests and Cast Members safe is a top priority at Disney Parks. As such, nearly every theme park attraction comes with safety precautions, whether in the form of Cast Member instructions to “keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the vehicle” and to “watch your children” or through physical safety restraints and seatbelts.

In theory, all of these precautions should prevent Guests from intentionally getting into some seriously dangerous situations, but in reality some have found ways to skirt these types of protection. Unfortunately one type of unsafe behavior has recently become a trend on TikTok, prompting Disney to warn Guests against such actions.

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Located at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! is the same ride system as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Guests seated in an elevator-style ride vehicle that drops, or rather pulls them down at speeds faster than gravity. (Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission BREAKOUT! was previously a version of Tower of Terror; however, the original theme was replaced with Guardians in 2017.)

The opening of Tower of Terror in 1994 brought with it one unique issue from a safety standpoint that could only exist on this type of attraction. Until 2002, the attraction had lap bars rather than seatbelts, and while they did still keep Guests safe, the lap bars offered more of a weightless feeling as Guests could float up slightly more during the ride’s drops.

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To replicate this feeling of weightlessness, Guests have occasionally been found to fake wearing their seatbelt properly, avoid wearing it altogether, or lock it in place stretched too loosely, all of which are against Disney’s rules on how to safely experience this thrill ride.

While this issue has been known for some time, few Guests typically partake in it because the tip for how to do it was not that widespread. The rise of social media platform TikTok has changed all of that recently; however, and with the seatbelt trick becoming a trend on the app, Disney has issued a warning to riders.

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ABC News reported that Disney installed signage earlier this week at Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! to prevent riders from interfering with seatbelts. The new signs read: “Keep seat belt securely fastened and tight against the waist. Failure to follow instructions may result in being asked to leave the park.”

Social media trends can often have widespread consequences in Disney Parks (think back years ago to the “Andy’s Coming” phenomenon and what that meant to the Cast Members who work with Toy Story characters.) Moreover, as the new signs mention, any interference with Disney’s safety procedures, or simply any refusal to follow Cast Member instructions is not only extremely dangerous but it could also get you escorted out of the Park.