Disneyland Advances Garage Plans Amid Solicitation Complaints

Visitors to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, have raised concerns about aggressive solicitation on public walkways along Harbor Boulevard, where individuals approach pedestrians with merchandise, religious materials, and animal photography offers. The complaints have attracted renewed attention following an encounter between an Anaheim code enforcement officer and a bird handler near the resort's entrances, as Disney advances a major transportation project to reorganize visitor arrivals.

A video shared by TikTok user @carolinekingdom shows the officer speaking with a man carrying two macaws and a cockatoo near the Harbor Boulevard pickup and drop-off area. The footage appears to show the officer directing the man away, but it does not establish the reason for the interaction.

Reports by Disneyfanatic and WDWNT identified no publicly confirmed arrest, citation, or criminal charge arising from the encounter. Anaheim authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the incident resulted in formal enforcement action.

Visitors on social media have alleged that the bird handler offered photographs before requesting payment, sometimes placing birds on people without permission or pressuring them to pay. Other commenters questioned the animals' treatment, alleging prolonged outdoor exposure in hot weather without sufficient food or water. Neither the solicitation allegations nor claims of animal mistreatment have been independently verified or established through an official finding.

Disneyland's urban surroundings complicate the issue because the resort sits among hotels, restaurants, businesses, and public sidewalks that pedestrians use to reach the parks. Unlike Walt Disney World, Disneyland operates within a more densely developed area rather than an expansive resort property.

In an October 10 report, Mickey Visit described encountering various solicitors during a weeklong visit, including people distributing religious and political materials, selling bottled water and illuminated toys, and offering photographs with tropical birds. The publication also described religious groups using amplified voices along pedestrian routes.

One Disneyland visitor described an uncomfortable encounter with a religious solicitor using a microphone in a Reddit comment.

"I put my fingers over my ears because the guy was on a microphone and SUPER LOUD. It was hurting my ears. So, he started harassing me about not wanting to hear the truth blah blah blah.

I said, 'You're just too loud!' He continued to rant about how I needed to find Jesus etc etc. I was like dude, I used to sing in the praise team at church.

What I NEED is for you to stop being obnoxious!" the commenter wrote.

Disney's published property regulations prohibit unauthorized solicitation and the sale of goods or services without prior written approval. However, those rules do not automatically cover every sidewalk bordering the resort, and the property boundary relevant to the bird handler encounter remains unclear.

Anaheim also regulates sidewalk vending through its municipal code. The City Council revised Chapter 4.52 in 2024 to establish operating standards and enforcement mechanisms for sidewalk vendors, although the officer's presence alone does not establish which provision, if any, applied to the encounter.

Separately, Disney is advancing its $1.9 billion DisneylandForward project, which includes a new parking structure and transportation hub east of Harbor Boulevard. The Orange County Register reported on October 12 that revised building permits reduced the planned garage from eight levels to seven and cut its overall area by approximately 4% to 3.1 million square feet.

The updated plans increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations to 316, approximately 5% more than in earlier submissions. The structure will also feature 18 shade canopies covering 14,000 square feet.

Construction on the eastside parking structure and transportation hub began in August. According to project details in the reporting, the facility will accommodate shuttle buses and rideshare pickups and drop-offs, while a pedestrian bridge will connect the new parking area with Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

The project also calls for relocating the existing bus pickup and drop-off area to Disneyland's former Manchester employee parking lot near Interstate 5. Disney has not announced an opening date for the garage, which is expected to be ready for the planned Avengers Campus expansion and the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Other developments identified in the reporting include an Avatar-themed land, a Coco boat ride, and a reimagined Tomorrowland. The new bridge and revised arrival routes will alter pedestrian access to the resort, but their effect on solicitation along public sidewalks remains uncertain.