Phone Screens in Dark Rides

[WondersOfLife]

Yes. But no park guest is going to listen. It's the same situation with selfie sticks. Signs prohibiting them on attractions and everything, but people still didn't listen. Therefore, they were just all out banned, which could have been avoided if people would just follow the rules.

Sadly, phones can't be banned. xD

 

[ewensell3]

Do like the movie theatres. Have the MDE app detect state of device and location. Guests are rewarded whenever they go through a ride without turning on their device.

 

[JennSmith]

Part of the issue isn't that they are "phone" screens, they are using their "phone" as a camera and that has a lit up screen.

15 years ago if you wanted to take a photo/video on a dark ride, you looked through the viewfinder of your camera or video camera.

Now even if you have a compact camera, it has a large screen and no viewfinder. and of course many people just use a phone instead of a compact camera. Additionally the rise of digital cameras mean people will photo anything, whereas when you only had 36 photos on a film camera and therefore each photo was more valuable and you might not waste it on a dark ride that may not come out anyway.

Good point!

 

[Nick Wilde]

It's not that bright. It really doesn't hinder the experience enough to not allow them. I think some are just over reacting. Flash photos are a totally different story, though, because those are extremely bright flashes pointed at the part of the ride that shouldn't be illuminated. I don't think it's a fair comparison.

 

[danyoung56]

Speaking from my personal experience, cell phone screens are most definitely bright enough to hinder the experience.

 

[Flippin'Flounder]

It's not that bright. It really doesn't hinder the experience enough to not allow them. I think some are just over reacting. Flash photos are a totally different story, though, because those are extremely bright flashes pointed at the part of the ride that shouldn't be illuminated. I don't think it's a fair comparison.

Speaking from my personal experience, cell phone screens are most definitely bright enough to hinder the experience.

It also depends on screen brightness. If it's all the way up, that's completely different than all the way down.

 

[Kate Alan]

It's not that bright. It really doesn't hinder the experience enough to not allow them. I think some are just over reacting. Flash photos are a totally different story, though, because those are extremely bright flashes pointed at the part of the ride that shouldn't be illuminated. I don't think it's a fair comparison.

It depends on the phone. There are options to change the brightness level and I agree that there are times where ambient lighting is very minimal - that doesn't bother me. However, when people have their phones out and that brightness level hasn't been altered, some of them can be exceedingly bright, which does in my opinion affect the ride or show experience, and can be distracting or downright irritating. Ride vehicles like Doom Buggies can actually make it worse, because the light fills the curved bowl of the ride vehicle and creates a larger area of light versus, say, someone peeking at their phone during PotC.

Bottom line, if I'm riding in the Haunted Mansion, I'm in the seance room to see Madame Leota, not the the people in the vehicles three cars down from me.

 

[JohnD]

Here's a thought. Put the phone away and enjoy the ride. The texting/gaming/facebooking/commenting on WDWMagic can wait.

 

[JohnD]

My question is this: Do you think it would be reasonable for Disney to start asking people to keep their phones away during dark rides?

Please understand -- This is not aimed at you. But the fact that this even has to be asked says a lot about our society today. Of course, it's reasonable! I didn't board a dark ride to look at someone else's bright screen, flash, etc.

 

[EpcoTim]

It's not that bright. It really doesn't hinder the experience enough to not allow them. I think some are just over reacting. Flash photos are a totally different story, though, because those are extremely bright flashes pointed at the part of the ride that shouldn't be illuminated. I don't think it's a fair comparison.

It does hinder the experience, they stay on a lot longer than flash bulbs and Walt wouldn't have wanted it.

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

Part of the issue isn't that they are "phone" screens, they are using their "phone" as a camera and that has a lit up screen.

Right. I think this every time I am on a ride. But sometimes, I question the rider's choice in taking a picture at all, like people who think they can get a good shot of the climax of Spaceship Earth or during the Ursula scene in VotLM with their phones. I think people are so used to using their phones that it's second nature to them. I have to stop myself from checking my phone when there's a lull in a conversation (unless I'm working.)

But I always think about how much has changed. We can snap a picture in a matter of seconds and have it posted to the internet in a few more. It's incredible how far technology has come.

Here's a thought. Put the phone away and enjoy the ride. The texting/gaming/facebooking/commenting on WDWMagic can wait.

Exactly!

 

[ToInfinityAndBeyond]

I'm more interested in your next chapter with the guy and his phone on TT.... Go on...

Long story short, when we're in the interior portion of the ride, he has his phone in front of him to the side (right in the line of vision of myself and the person next to me in the back row). It's annoying, but tolerable, since you're not confined to looking straight in front of you during the ride. Then, when we start to get to the exterior portion, he sticks the phone out to the side. I mean, he's probably got his arm+phone 1-2 ft outside of the car. Luckily, he had a vice grip on the thing, but had he let go, the phone could have either: 1. hit the person behind him (or me, to their side) or 2. hit someone below. When we get out of the car, nothing is said to the guy. Since they have those big blocks over the ride photos now, it was hard to make out what happened, but you could see his arm was outside of the car. The guy was long gone and I didn't feel like reporting a random guy to a random CM.

Something very similar happened on RSR in DCA. However, this time, it was on a Galaxy Note, so the screen was HUGE. I'm actually surprised something was not said to her as she exited. I wish I had taken a photo of the picture that was taken of our vehicle during the ride. You can plainly see a gigantic phablet that is seconds from flying back and knocking out the person behind.

 

[Mickey5150]

This has gotten ridiculous. I think Disney needs to ban phones on rides all together. The flash pictures are out of control, the phone screens being illuminated is out of control, and there could potentially be a reason to ban due to safety concerns. Dropping the phones on ride tracks, dropping phones and injuring other guests, and overall annoyance of phones beeping, buzzing, and lighting up everything is enough to just ban them.

Banning phones will NEVER happen and would never work, but I certainly wish they'd take the safety angle and at least try to ban them on rides, particularly rollercoasters and an attraction like Tower of Terror. You could easily drop your phone, fall faster than gravity, and have it land on someone's head.

On a rollercoaster, a phone dropped and landing on a track wouldn't be great.

The use of any regular point and shoot digital camera is as much the problem as a smart phone. The screen is always on and the flash can go off just the same. So if you have a problem with people using their phones as cameras then you also have a problem with people using digital cameras. The only solution is banning all photo and video on rides.

 

[mousehockey37]

The use of any regular point and shoot digital camera is as much the problem as a smart phone. The screen is always on and the flash can go off just the same. So if you have a problem with people using their phones as cameras then you also have a problem with people using digital cameras. The only solution is banning all photo and video on rides.

I keep my screen off on my DSLR, as well as I keep the setting on for no flash. People, such as myself, do exist that can tame their equipment. You'd never know we were taking pictures...

 

[ItlngrlBella]

When I was on a haunted attraction production team we had a rule for people to turn off their phones (and other light emitting sources such as lighters and flashlights) and we would not shut down the attraction to find lost phones.

The reasons we gave:

- It ruins the experience you paid for - for yourself and others.

- Safety, it disrupts the vision of the scare actors.

-We cannot and will not halt the attraction to look for lost phones.

All good reasons, right? Well, about half didn't listen because "I'm scared!"

A few lost their phones and were mad we wouldn't halt the show to immediately find their phone and said they "weren't using it" and "it just fell out."

Wrong answer: we have video of you using it. Morons.

 

[Mickey5150]

I keep my screen off on my DSLR, as well as I keep the setting on for no flash. People, such as myself, do exist that can tame their equipment. You'd never know we were taking pictures...

I have no flash and use a viewfinder as well. I'm not against photography on rides but I don't like how people only accuse smart phone users and not point and shoot camera users. A cheap point and shoot camera and a smart phone are exactly the same when it comes to disruption on rides.

 

[mousehockey37]

I have no flash and use a viewfinder as well. I'm not against photography on rides but I don't like how people only accuse smart phone users and not point and shoot camera users. A cheap point and shoot camera and a smart phone are exactly the same when it comes to disruption on rides.

Well, this is why I, at one time, wondered if Disney was starting to do the "Glow with the Show" stuff at WDW.... to drown out the sea of LCD screen/iPhone/iPad/Tablets, etc...

 

[matt9112]

I'm a huge phone tech person but at disney I almost never use it.

 

[SW_matt]

I can't see why people are glued to their phones when somewhere like WDW. I bring my phone only for travelling to the airport the morning of leaving the UK and then it stays in my suitcase for the whole trip and i literally cut off the outside world and won't check Facebook and emails until I arrive back in the UK. The only devices that I use in the parks/resorts is my iPod touch (which only has music apps on) for MDE and a compact camera.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Yes.