Selfie sticks are no longer welcome at Disney theme parks

Posted signs and verbal warnings from staff members have failed to contain the selfie stick epidemic at Disney World, so now the company is implementing a park-wide ban on the smartphone accessory. Beginning next week, Disney's employees will start looking for selfie sticks during bag checks. Visitors who attempt to carry one in will have two options: leave it at the park entrance and pick it up on the way out, or just keep it in your hotel or car to begin with.

The new policy goes into effect at Disney World and California's Disneyland on Tuesday, according to the Orlando Sentinel, and will expand to Disney's parks in Hong Kong and Paris as of July 1st. Disney will spread word of the ban through announcements at its own hotels and audio messages that can be heard in the parking lots.

Disney initially tried to accommodate selfie sticks, forbidding users from taking them out on rides but allowing them elsewhere on park grounds. And yet people kept bringing them onto popular rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad anyway, which led the company to put up prominent "No selfie sticks" signs at some of its biggest attractions.

But even that has somehow failed to halt the annoying trend; just this week, a roller coaster at Disney's California park was put out of commission for an hour because someone decided they had to have that killer selfie at the ride's highest point. It was just the latest, careless delay in what has become a long list — too long for Disney's liking, it seems. Selfie sticks have already been barred from a fair number of locations including some museums and glitzy film festivals like Cannes.

• SourceThe Orlando Sentinel
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