Should Disney Allow People to Scatter Ashes on Rides?

A women was seen in the second week of November scattering an unidentified powdery substance overboard on Disneyland's Pirates of the Carribbean ride. One passenger thought it was baby powder. However, Disney officials ended up shutting down the ride to further investigate and make sure that the substance was no threat to other visitors. They also had suspicions that the women could have been throwing ashes - the remains of a human - into the water.

Given the park's history with requests from people to throw their loved one's ashes somewhere in the park and then the instances of people actually throwing stuff overboard without permission (particularly on the dark rides where it's more difficult for other people to see what they're doing), is somewhat common. It certainly doesn't happen all the time, but officials told media of the most recent incident that stuff like this does occur. Some people's favorite seems to the be the Haunted Mansion ride - how fitting.

While it is nice and respectful to grant the wishes of someone who is dieing or is dead, the ploys to spread people's ashes in the park is ridiculous, rude, thoughtless and just, well, nutty - especially considering the park doesn't allow it. Not only are they doing something extremely unthoughtful for everyone who breathes that stuff in, but they're doing something illegal and disrespectful to Disney.

It's hard to believe that some people would even put in requests to spread human ashes in the park. Disneyland isn't a cemetary. It seems nearly as absurd to actually make such a request as it would be to end up illegally spreading the remains without permission.

However, people tend to make requests all the time of large companies. It could be something as small as demanding what they consider to be better "customer service," to asking if they can leave someone's remains where everyone else is trying to enjoy their vacation.

The lengths to which some people's behavior has sunk, is just sad.