Downtown Disney to introduce designated smoking areas this week

Nov 24, 2014 in "Marketplace"

Posted: Monday November 24, 2014 8:32am EST by WDWMAGIC Staff

Downtown Disney will introduce designated smoking areas later this week in a move that sees the shopping and dining area following a similar smoking policy to the theme parks.

There will be four designated smoking areas that will permit smoking of both normal cigarettes and e-cigarettes:

  • On the West Side behind Cirque du Soleil
  • By the water between Wolfgang Puck Grand Café and Bongos Cuban Café
  • Near T-REX
  • By the Marketplace restrooms by stroller rentals.
  • Some restaurants with outdoor seating may offer additional smoking locations.

The smoking locations will be marked on new Downtown Disney guide maps later this week, with the new policy set to begin on November 27 2014.

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stevehousseDec 06, 2014

I am a smoker and I do agree that the location next to the castle isn't nessecary. I hate that it's there. My favorite spots in MK are the ones tucked away out of sight. The exit ramp area of BTMR is next to the exit ramp at the back of the park, a dead end. I also like the one tucked between Tomorrowland and Circus Land. It's a very light footed traffic path that many people don't really go down because it is almost hidden away.

Daniel JohnsonDec 06, 2014

The placement of the smoking area beside the castle and the one between fantasyland and Tomorrowland back by the train tracks is ridiculous. As a former smoker I understand the want to light up, but I never did it in front of kids, I never wanted a curious mind to take up such a costly and dangdroid habit. Disney days always been a smoke free day. I was a vaper up until a month or so ago, but as I wasn't technically smoking and didn't need to take 5-10 minutes at a time to smoke, I would discreetly take a drag while walking through a smoking ssection and hold in the vapor until it was fully dissipated and was no longer visable if I happened to leave the area before I had exhaled. I figured no harm, no foul. A lot of vapers fight having to be corralled into using a ecig in a smoking section because it isn't the same....honestly, the rules are perfectly legitimate. I do think it will be hard to enforce at DD with people freely being able to access the area, it's something I have no problem wit though...and I don't hate smoking. The smell of it to this day makes me want to light one up. If it ain't done right in front of me, I don't give it a second thought, heck, it's Disney, the last thing I want on my mind is nicotine or my cell phone.

NMBC1993Nov 27, 2014

Where's that smoking area? I'd be all for turning that into the new World Showcase pavilion "Blends Around The World"....has a nice ring to it;)

Texas84Nov 27, 2014

Yes. It's like a zoo attraction.

GoofGoofNov 26, 2014

No clue how they treat e-cigs or the gum used to help quit smoking. From my limited understanding it's not even legal in all states to restrict hiring based on nicotine use, but I think it may be in Florida. In PA it is legal and I think they say you will not fail the test due to second hand smoke, but you could fail from smoking just 1 cigarette. No clue how that works either. Good thing for Disney CMs is that they don't need to worry about it.

MaryJanePNov 26, 2014

Interesting. Especially for CM's who have to patrol/work near/enforce the smoking area limits. Recent employer (not WDW) we have seen specify pre-employment urine specimen testing for presence of nicotine. Does this get passed along in second hand smoke. Employment policies we have seen state no tobacco products, what about e-cigs. Don't they deliver nicotine, especially to user?

ford91exploderNov 26, 2014

I thought the whole park was a cigarette smoking area :hungover: are these areas for weed only :rolleyes:

GoofGoofNov 26, 2014

The bars sell frozen drinks already. What's the problem;)

Mike 1972Nov 26, 2014

Great idea WDW should close all bars and turn them into Frozen shops.

NormCNov 26, 2014

Don't get me wrong I think it is great for Disney to provide a space to accommodate smokers. I know it is a hard habit to break for many and also that there are many that do not want to quit beacause they enjoy it. If Disney wanted to however, they could ban smoking all together on their property as there is no "right" to smoke.

GoofGoofNov 26, 2014

You're living up to your name tonight;) I'm OK with "throwing out" or "banning" drunk kids in the parks who are also smoking. Outside of that I think the system works pretty well.

BuzzKillingtonNov 26, 2014

He said "banning kids" and those idiot drunks in WS are worse than kids. Disney needs to throw the drunks and the smokers out of their parks, period.

roj2323Nov 26, 2014

This really isn't any different than the theme parks. Im sure they will put up signage.

Adam NNov 25, 2014

This is gonna be a nightmare to enforce, mostly because Disney doesn't tell third party people a whole lot regarding changes who in turn don't tell employees who in turn, when asked by guests, will not know the correct answer.