The Ultimate Guide to Theme Park Safety

We know that so many families choose to vacation in Orlando because of the plethora of theme parks in our amazing city. We also know that a concern at the forefront of all mom’s minds when planning a trip to a theme park is safety — both for yourself and your kids. Theme park safety is something we at Orlando Mom are very passionate about. We have gathered knowledge from our extensive group of experienced theme park-going mamas to give you ALL the tips to keep your family safe.

I will not diminish the safety risks in the parks and say that it is completely without risks, but there are steps you can take to keep everyone in your party protected while you are enjoying time as a family!

Plan these measures ahead of time so that your trip can be free of additional stress and anxiety!

Our tips are broken into categories so that you can best plan for your party composition, so whether you are headed to Universal Orlando, LEGOLand, Disney World, Gatorland Orlando, or any other Orlando theme park.

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General Safety

Crowds can be overwhelming in theme parks, so be sure to implement these measures to keep everyone safe!

The items in this section are for everyone in your party, no matter who is with you.

• Talk about what theme park workers look like and how you can tell them apart from a visitor to the park — badges, outfits, behind counters, security, walkie-talkies, etc.
  • Examples of these people will greet you upon entrance to the parks. You can ask to see their badge so that your kids know what to look for!
  • Make it a fun game by asking how many workers they can spot from your location.
• Set a meeting spot — geared more towards your bigger kids and adults — this gives you a starting point if your party is separated!
• Take a picture before you go into the parks. Some variation of this idea was the OVERWHELMING top tip from our moms to keep your family safe. This way you can document what everyone has on to make it easier to communicate who you are looking for if your group is separated.
  • Dressing kids in matching clothes also does the trick so people have an immediate visual of the outfit you are looking for!
  • Dress in bright colors to make your party easy to spot!
  • Choose bright or unique color shoes.
  • Also think about color schemes that are associated with the parks (black, white, red at Disney because of Mickey and Minnie and Hogwarts house colors at Universal for examples) and pick colors that may be less popular. If you all dress in red at Disney, you will not be the only family in red — I can promise that. Bright blue, neons, or pinks will stick out better.
• Mark your stroller with something unique so that it is not mistaken by anyone.
  • Unique signs with your last name make your stroller less likely to be taken by someone.
  • An airtag works great! Not only will you be able to track the stroller if it goes missing, you can use it to help locate your stroller if you forget where it is! Also, workers will move strollers on occasion to make room for more and to keep stroller parking organized, so DO NOT worry if it is not in the exact spot you left it.
    • Buy more than one and put the extras in zippered pockets in your kids’ clothes!
• Have one adult dedicated to the electronic management of your party. This will allow the other adults to focus on being aware of the surroundings — navigating curbs, finding your way around, and other physical obstacles in the parks.
  • Take advantage of the park photography to help capture your trip. This means that adults will be less focused on phones and more aware of everything and everyone around you.
• It would be remiss of us if we did not also mention the health safety measures you should take into account in the parks.
  • Sun protection: Take protecting your skin seriously, even if you are visiting in the winter months! The Florida sun can take a serious toll on your skin and you can easily get burnt year round. Make sure you apply sunscreen in the mornings before you leave your hotel or rental, and reapply as the directions on the bottle suggest.
    • Some of our favorite sunscreens:
      • Beautycounter
      • Alba
      • Blue Lizard
      • All Good
    • Sunglasses: Make sure to plan for eye protection for both adults and kids in your party!
    • Plan some activities inside throughout the day to take breaks from the sun. We promise that even in the winter months this is an important measure as our winter months are much different than other places in the country and around the world.
  • Be sure to have a hydration plan for your party — the Florida heat can catch up to you quickly regardless of if you live here year-round or if you are visiting.
    • Bring cold water in refillable bottles to the parks. Here are some of our favorites:
      • Simple Modern
      • HydroFlask
      • ThermoFlask
    • Know where water fountains and bottle refill stations are in the parks. These will be marked on park maps!
    • Quick-service restaurants in Disney World will have free glasses of cold water. Pro tip: Add that ice to your insulated water bottle when you’re done with the water to keep all of your water cold!
• Also be prepared for rain — bring rain gear in your park bag and wear durable shoes. Our weather can be unpredictable, and it’s better to be over-prepared than underprepared.

Little Kids

• Teach them your real name (not just mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, etc.) so that if they are separated from you, they are not just calling out a term that could apply to any of the adults around them.
  • When they are able to memorize it, teach them your phone number. For littles not old enough to remember your phone number our moms recommend temporary tattoos, bracelets, writing it on the back of your ‘celebrating’ buttons (Disney) or another obvious place for a theme park worker to find it on them.
• Go over the people in your party and talk about how you are not expecting anyone else to join you.
• Talk about what the adults in their party have on that day and any identifying things about them. My girls know that I always have on leopard-printed glasses, so that is an easy thing for an adult to look for! Hair color, eye color, glasses, hats, and shirt color are all good things to talk about before entering the parks.
• Keep taking that stroller! This helps you navigate congested spots in the parks without the worry of being separated from your littles! Our moms recommend bringing it as long as possible.

Big Kids

• Enable some sort of tracking device on their phones — our moms recommend Life360 to help keep track of your family.
• Set firm boundaries with them about where they are able to go without you, how often they are to check in with you, and where/when to meet back up with you.
• Our moms also recommend not letting your older kids walk around the parks alone (or in a group) with cash or credit cards on them.

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