No more smoking or vaping in the parks

[Carolrita]

I did read the article linked above. According to the article:
1. Cigarette smoke exposes people to second hand smoke. It says nothing about making them sick.

2. This is a quote, “PM2.5 is a toxic pollutant produced by cigarettes, wood-burning stoves, diesel engines and other forms of combustion," Ott explained. "It contains benzo(a)pyrene, a carcinogen, and many other toxic chemicals that can penetrate deep inside the lungs."
This is why it is so difficult to know if second hand smoke is harmful. As I said before, there is so much pollution I. The air, the can not know for sure where there this pollutant is from the cigarettes 6 feet away or one of the several other places they mentioned. It’s not an authentic study.

"You prove it" says everyone trying to push fake science and who does not have empirical evidence to back up their claims.

Trying to compare smoking, which harms innocent people nearby, to obesity which can be harmful only to the individual is ridiculous. And not everyone who is obese is consuming ungodly amounts of calories.

Here is a great article explaining scientific evidence. It may be interesting to you.

https://phys.org/news/2013-07-scientific-evidence.html

If Disney wants to ban smoking in their parks, they have every right to do it. As financially savvy as the company is, you can be that they are confident it will not only not hurt the bottom line but might increase it due to the prevailing and emerging world view about smoking.

I just read your attached article and it seems to prove my point. Read the “enduring results will be valid and accurate” part.
It is your belief that second hand smoke makes people sick...but it is NOT proven by any measure. There is no authentic study.
Alcohol kills, but Disney continues to (over)serve.
As far as the worlds view on smoking, someone posted an article below which seems to say different.
In any case, I just think people should tolerate each other. You dont like smoke? That's totally fine and understandable. Why not walk a few feet out of the way so you aren’t exposing yourself to smoke as you pass a smoker’s section? I have no problem walking out of my way to go to the smoking section to avoid exposing you to my smoke. It should go both ways.
...but we are all entitled to our opinions.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My point was that many people claim to be worried about their health because of second hand smoke, but how worried can they be when they continue to overeat and are overweight to begin with? I’m not taking a shot at overweight people. I, too, need to lose a few pounds. I just think it’s silly to worry about passing a smoker OUTDOORS if that same person has bigger (legit) health problems like being overweight.
IMO these people are just intolerant of smokers and like to complain about other people’s flaws instead of looking at themselves. Some people feel good about themselves by putting other people down.
Remember, blowing out someone else’s candles won’t make your own burn any brighter.

You know one can be concerned about inhaling smoke/being around it, even outdoors, and also concede that they are not in the best of shape

It doesn't have to be an either or situation.

But just in case you were also wondering I drank water 90-95% of my time on my trip as I knew I would need it.

I'm not sure it's worth a discussion over your statement of "bigger and legit" health problem (I guess smoking isn't a legit health problem?) "bigger" I suppose is in the eye of the beholder.

Respectfully I'm pretty sure you were putting down other people. Maybe we should rephrase your comment "IMO these people are just intolerant of people who are overweight and not eating the healthiest and like to complain about other people’s flaws instead of looking at themselves. Some people feel good about themselves by putting other people down. Remember, blowing out someone else’s candles won’t make your own burn any brighter." There I fixed it .

 

[TCRAIG]

I feel for the CMs. This won't be pleasant.

As I mentioned on the Theme Park board, I am more of a pessimist when it comes to the ice. Yes, it is a pain for security, but IMHO it's just another way for Disney to make money. It's like the bench thing. Slowly, more and more benches have disappeared from the parks. Without places to sit, people will spend more time in the stores. This means more profit for Disney. If people can't keep food cold without jumping through hoops, many will stop bringing food into the parks. Instead, they will have to buy food from Disney. Win, Disney!

You can use the cooling packs and cubes

 

[Klismania]

I think that's exactly what Disney is counting on! That'd rather people just figure it's not worth it to light up.

Actually, my thinking wasn't that it wasn't worth it to light up. My thinking was that it wasn't worth it to go to WDW at all.

Typically when I go (and I used to go once or twice a year), I stay at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. That whole smoking on my porch thing in my bathrobe was really nice! On my last trip, however, because of the crowds and lack of DSA, I was thinking maybe I'd spend more time at the resort rather than in the parks. Now with the smoking ban in the parks, I'm beginning to think, "Why am I spending almost $4K to go at all?"

I'm researching the Keys for my next Florida trip. Even in winter, the Keys are a hell of a lot cheaper than WDW and I can smoke pretty much anywhere I want there.

 

[Carolrita]

People can control and decide for their own what they consume.

People cannot control when they are put in harm's way with second hand smoke.

See the difference?

And nowhere in this 8 page discussion did anyone or Disney propose that they were moving the DSAs to outside the parks for health reasons. Disney has decided that allowing smoking, ice, and large strollers, are no longer in the company's best interest. Their right to make those decisions.

It is their right to make those decisions. I respect that. And, it is my right to voice my opinions regardless of how you feel about it.
You can’t control being put in harms way???
That’s a little dramatic.
Oh right, because it’s mandatory to pass the smoking section in the parks.

 

[Carolrita]

You know one can be concerned about inhaling smoke/being around it, even outdoors, and also concede that they are not in the best of shape

It doesn't have to be an either or situation.

But just in case you were also wondering I drank water 90-95% of my time on my trip as I knew I would need it.

I'm not sure it's worth a discussion over your statement of "bigger and legit" health problem (I guess smoking isn't a legit health problem?) "bigger" I suppose is in the eye of the beholder.

Respectfully I'm pretty sure you were putting down other people. Maybe we should rephrase your comment "IMO these people are just intolerant of people who are overweight and not eating the healthiest and like to complain about other people’s flaws instead of looking at themselves. Some people feel good about themselves by putting other people down. Remember, blowing out someone else’s candles won’t make your own burn any brighter." There I fixed it .

If you need to be a victim, knock yourself out. I’m not going to fight you for that title.
I think you understood my point perfectly well. Maybe that’s why you’re reacting. You can have the last word my dear. I’m done.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

If you need to be a victim, knock yourself out. I’m not going to fight you for that title.
I think you understood my point perfectly well. Maybe that’s why you’re reacting. You can have the last word my dear. I’m done.

Okie dokie

 

[Hrhpd]

This peaked my curiousity, just because as I mentioned I seem to know a lot of smokers, although some of them are cigarette with a drink types. So I looked it up and this article at least agrees, and Science Daily is pretty reputable.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180709143909.htm

I see it in my city all the time. Stricter and stricter smoking bans keep coming. There are only 12 states that still don't have some sort of statewide smoking bans for restaurants, work places, etc. As time goes by and smoking is becoming less popular, more and more laws banning smoking are becoming more common place. As I mentioned upthread, our little city is pretty strict. In the business district, which houses most public places, there is absolutely no smoking. Not in buildings, not on sidewalks, not in alleys, not in parking lots. If you want to smoke within the city limits, you have to go find your car. No stepping outside a restaurant, even in the alley, to smoke.

 

[Hrhpd]

I did read the article linked above. According to the article:
1. Cigarette smoke exposes people to second hand smoke. It says nothing about making them sick.

2. This is a quote, “PM2.5 is a toxic pollutant produced by cigarettes, wood-burning stoves, diesel engines and other forms of combustion," Ott explained. "It contains benzo(a)pyrene, a carcinogen, and many other toxic chemicals that can penetrate deep inside the lungs."

This is why it is so difficult to know if second hand smoke is harmful. As I said before, there is so much pollution in the air, they can not know for sure whether this pollutant is from the cigarettes 6 feet away or one of the several other places they mentioned. It’s not an authentic study.

Please enlighten us with your scientific credentials where you can make determinations that peer reviewed research are not authentic studies.

 

[Hrhpd]

It is their right to make those decisions. I respect that. And, it is my right to voice my opinions regardless of how you feel about it.

Absolutely your right. No question about it. Unfortunately for smokers, Disney has decided that your opinion about moving the DSAs outside of the parks has no bearing on their decisions nor their bottom line. It seems they have determined that they can afford to lose some smokers over their decision.

Do I agree? No. I think accommodating even small groups of customers is the right thing to do. But then I am not Disney's CEO.

You never know. If there is a big enough uproar, they may change their policies. But with the global movement towards limiting smoking areas, I am not confident it would work.

 

[Hikergirl]

At the risk of being attacked, and perhaps thrown off the board, I’ll give my thoughts. First, second hand smoke, outdoors is harmless. It’s unbelievable how many people worry about passing a smoker outdoors, but at 50 pounds overweight (or more) think nothing of walking down Main Street with burger in one hand and s Mickey Barr in the other.
I a aware that many people don’t like to pass the smoking areas. The easy answer is, as smokers had to walk out of our way to the smoking area to smoke, why not go a few steps out of their way to avoid passing it? Oh, right, many are too out of shape to take 5 extra steps...but they’re worried about my second hand smoke. Really??!

The easy answer is for WDW to keep smokers out of the park

 

[Cubbiecakes]

My point was that many people claim to be worried about their health because of second hand smoke, but how worried can they be when they continue to overeat and are overweight to begin with? I’m not taking a shot at overweight people. I, too, need to lose a few pounds. I just think it’s silly to worry about passing a smoker OUTDOORS if that same person has bigger (legit) health problems like being overweight.
IMO these people are just intolerant of smokers and like to complain about other people’s flaws instead of looking at themselves. Some people feel good about themselves by putting other people down.
Remember, blowing out someone else’s candles won’t make your own burn any brighter.

*BZZT* Fallacy of relative privation. Try again.

 

[Hrhpd]

*BZZT* Fallacy of relative privation. Try again.

 

[501]

Just want to say thank you to Disney for helping me make up my mind. My wife was a major Disney fan and we went every year to Disney spending a minimum of $5000 for the trip along with a few thousand more on movie, video games house decorations, etc. She passed away in January and my children and I was thinking of going again this summer but wasn't sure if we'd enjoy it without her. Thanks to the smoking ban we decided not to go. Disney has decide we are not welcome there any more so we will spend our money else where. No more Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, etc. I know I will save $5000-$8000 easily this year and my 4 grown children will too. Hopefully every smoker out there will make the same decision we have. We know it's Disneys option but it's also our option to #BoycottDisney

Thanks for the memories.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Years ago when my state banned smoking in restaurants, there was a huge uproar. Smokers were never going to restaurants again! Restaurants and bars were going to go out of business because of this! Nope, many years later things seem to be a-okay. Restaurants and bars are still going strong here; if anything the ban helped them - in fact the restaurant association had even lobbied for the ban.

Disney did not do this without examining the potential effect to their bottom line, and they must have decided at a minimum it would not hurt them.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What this means to me is people can light up, take their few puffs until a CM asks them to move. By then, they have had their "fix" and just dump the cigarette on the ground. Disney has now basically given a green light to smoke anywhere in the park. Only loss to the smoker is about 1/2 a cig, but I heard the prices in FL are super low, so it might not make a difference.

That's just stupid. If they're not going to enforce or punish smoking violaters, nobody should pay attention to the wagon or loose ice bans, either.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This is why it is so difficult to know if second hand smoke is harmful.

Oh, I believe it's harmful. I just don't believe walking by a smoker creates he hazardous condition several posters claim.

 

[Hrhpd]

Oh, I believe it's harmful. I just don't believe walking by a smoker creates he hazardous condition several posters claim.

I don't think a brief encounter is going to give me future lung cancer. However, there are plenty of people where walking by a whiff of smoke could possibly trigger life threatening asthma attacks, be it asthma, allergies, or some sort of lung disease.

That said, I really don't think Disney is concerned with health and putting the small population of people with lung complications over all smokers in their decision to move the smoking areas.

Not a Disney suit, but I will bet dollars to donuts that they did extensive research and determined banning smoking, along with ice and big strollers, will not impact their profit margins. And that banning smoking may even help them as more and more people like the thought of "smoke free" environments. It is the way of most entertainment venues. Disney is actually behind everyone else in moving DSAs outside of their venue.

I thank my lucky stars every day that it was relatively easy for me to quit and never had a desire to start again. Except sitting on a beach and smelling smoke. For some odd reason, even 40 years later, that is a trigger. Thankfully not a strong trigger. The world is not very accommodating of smokers anymore.

 

[luvsJack]

Just want to say thank you to Disney for helping me make up my mind. My wife was a major Disney fan and we went every year to Disney spending a minimum of $5000 for the trip along with a few thousand more on movie, video games house decorations, etc. She passed away in January and my children and I was thinking of going again this summer but wasn't sure if we'd enjoy it without her. Thanks to the smoking ban we decided not to go. Disney has decide we are not welcome there any more so we will spend our money else where. No more Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, etc. I know I will save $5000-$8000 easily this year and my 4 grown children will too. Hopefully every smoker out there will make the same decision we have. We know it's Disneys option but it's also our option to #BoycottDisney

Thanks for the memories.

And if you really like Orlando, just go right down the road. Universal still has DSAs (much nicer little out of the way areas than Disney had anyway). Or at least they do for now.

 

[Jennasis]

The smokers were soooooooo much worse at USO when we were there last. People just walking around lighting up anywhere they darn well pleased. I'd be happy if they banned smoking there or at the very least enforced the DSA's.