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Disney World Cracks Down on Unauthorized Third-Party Businesses With Cease & Desist Letters
Walt Disney World has begun sending cease and desist letters to a number of unauthorized third-party businesses operating across the resort, signaling a much firmer stance on outside services being offered on Disney property.
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The impacted vendors include private photographers, personal chefs, stylists, hotel room decorators, and similar services, many of whom built their businesses through the Ear For Each Other Facebook group that originally launched in 2020 to help furloughed Cast Members share side hustles during the pandemic. According to statements collected from affected vendors, the letters are coming directly from Walt Disney World Security and cite long-standing property rules that prohibit unapproved commercial activity anywhere on Disney property, including resort hotels, theme parks, water parks, and Disney Springs.
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One personal chef shared that he has now been flagged by Disney and will move bookings to off-property locations, while a Central Florida photographer confirmed that third-party photo sessions at Disney resorts are no longer allowed, despite previously receiving verbal approval from resort management. The letters reportedly instruct vendors to immediately stop operating on property, remove Disney-related advertising, and warn that continued activity could lead to trespassing bans and possible legal action.
The move echoes similar enforcement actions in late 2023, when Disney trespassed several third-party tour guides for operating without authorization, and underscores Disney’s position that any sale of goods, services, or commercial photography on property requires prior written approval from the company.
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