4 Rules Disney World Strictly Enforces During Spring Break

While we’ve been in spring break season for a few weeks in Disney World, there are still a few weeks left to go, so crowds aren’t going away anytime soon.

Spring Break Crowds

If you’ve never been to the resort during spring break before — perhaps you try to visit during less crowded times of year — it may be a bit of a shock. Sure, there are crowds and higher wait times, but there are a few other things you may be totally used to doing with no issues that you find you’re barred from doing during the busier season. If you’re heading to Disney World in these final few weeks of spring break, here’s your reminder that Disney is VERY particular about these four rules!

Taking A Bus From Disney Springs Has Gotten Way Harder

At the very end of March, Disney World implemented a temporary new rule that makes traveling to a hotel from Disney Springs much harder than it was before. Blockades were put up in front of all the bus station routes with Cast Members stationed at each one to check for hotel or dining reservations before allowing people to get in line for the bus.

Cast Members checking MagicBands

We were told the rule was only going to be put in place for that week, as it was one of the most popular spring break weeks as well as Easter, but it was mentioned that the new rule could be extended or brought back at other busy times of the year. Yes, this means that unless you had a hotel reservation at the hotel you were heading to, had a dining reservation to eat there, or had a specific plan at the hotel (you want to dine at a quick service restaurant or you’re checking out the recreational activities), you wouldn’t be allowed to board. Basically, if you wanted to head to a hotel just to resort hop and check it out, you very likely wouldn’t be allowed on board.

Blockades put up

The reason for this? To keep people from parking for free at Disney Springs, heading to a hotel, and then taking a bus from there to the parks, thereby bypassing the parking fee. It’s not great, and it’s certainly not ideal for many travelers, so it’s something to expect before your trip begins.

5 Tips For the NEW Disney Springs Bus Rule

Parking At Disney World Hotels

Parking at Disney World hotels is usually a little tricky if you don’t have a reservation at the hotel or a dining reservation, but during less-busy times of year, we’ve often noticed that parking at hotels is easier and more frequently allowed, even if you’re just popping in to snag a snack. That means, though, that during busy seasons like spring break? Yeah, parking at hotels is MUCH harder.

Parking pass

It makes sense! When the hotels are more full, there are already going to be more cars that need space, and those with dining reservations at the hotel are also given priority, and there needs to be room for them as well. Can you imagine if you showed up for your dining reservation at ‘Ohana only to be told you need to park somewhere else because there’s no space? Yeah, not ideal! If you want to visit a hotel just for fun and don’t want to worry about parking, we recommend allowing more time to use free Disney World transportation, such as the Monorail, buses, and Skyliner, to get where you need to go, even if it means allowing a little more time.

8 Disney World Hotels That Will ALWAYS Crack Down on the Parking Rules

Limiting Mobile Order at Disney World Hotels

Speaking of Disney World hotels, we’ve also seen during busy seasons that Disney World limits Mobile Order at the restaurants around the hotels to those who are only staying at the hotel. This is pretty easy to enforce, as you’ll be making the order through the My Disney Experience App, which is also where your hotel reservation would be, so the app just won’t let you make the Mobile Order.

©Disney

While you’ll see a pop-up in the app to let you know when this is happening at select restaurants, it’s hard to plan for, as it’s not something you can check in advance. This is part of the reason we recommend having a plan A, B, and C in Disney World, even when it comes to dining. That way, if your first option is limited or unavailable, you’ve got backup plans in place.

Your Guide to Using Mobile Order in Disney World!

Unruly Behaviour in the Parks

With so many people shoulder-to-shoulder, you very well may see Cast Members and security members shut down potentially unruly behavior, like roughhousing, running, or rowdy behavior, much quicker than normal. While this type of behavior is always against the rules in Disney World, sometimes Cast Members and security let it slide if it’s not overly dangerous. During these busy seasons, though? It’s more unsafe, and Disney’s committed to keeping everyone unharmed, even if it means cutting into someone else’s fun.

Roughhousing in these crowds would be extremely dangerous

We’ll continue to keep you updated on all the latest Disney World news throughout the spring break season and beyond, so stay tuned to DFB!

What I Wish I’d Known Before Going to Disney World During Spring Break

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