Stroller rules to be enforced

[DGsAtBLT]

Just be aware that a lot of double wide stroller that are very popular in the parks, including models that most of the rental companies use, still fit within these guidlines.

Obviously this will impact wagons and some oversized strollers, but just don't want people to think that all of a sudden there will be like 50% less strollers or something - I think this will have a minimal impact (other than the wagon aspect impacting that you will see more regular strollers and less wagons)

Not going to lie, it makes me laugh how happy some people are about this not realizing they likely are going to notice no change in the parks.

The wagon people will likely bring strollers, the rest of the strollers will remain save for the ones that are a smidge too big (which is hardly noticeable to the rest of us), and people will behave how they always have. There is no rule against using a stroller how you see fit, whether that’s jam packed with stuff or your 10 year old NT child. That isn’t changing.

At the end of the day Disney is almost always crowded and is a major destination for families with young kids. That = strollers. Lots of them.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Made the news in Minnesota, and the absolute hysterics have been fantastic to watch.

I understand strollers (reasonably sized ones) for kids <4. Above, I do not (except special needs, etc.).

"But it helps me carry all my stuff......" BUT, you don't NEED all that stuff...you only bring it because you have the space to store it.

Even when my kids were in diapers and drank bottles, we fit everything we needed into a backsack. That included a blanket or sweatshirt for the kid(s), bottle, bottled water, formula, diapers, wipes, snacks, change of clothes, camera AND phone (cuz back in the day, they were not one in the same!). I miss that particular backsack - it was strong like ox

I think everyone is different - that sounds like way, way too much to me to fit into a backpack (I don't know what a backsack is, I assume same as backpack?) and would be really heavy to carry ... I'd rather have somewhere else to put it. But if it works for you, that is great. Plus we always have plenty of snacks and water bottles, etc. Just easier to keep with the stroller. Our youngest is starting to age out of strollers (currently 4) and will be 5 if not 6 before our next trip so I suspect we will not have a stroller, but it was convenient to have one and keep things in

 

[DLgal]

I think everyone is different - that sounds like way, way too much to me to fit into a backpack (I don't know what a backsack is, I assume same as backpack?) and would be really heavy to carry ... I'd rather have somewhere else to put it. But if it works for you, that is great. Plus we always have plenty of snacks and water bottles, etc. Just easier to keep with the stroller. Our youngest is starting to age out of strollers (currently 4) and will be 5 if not 6 before our next trip so I suspect we will not have a stroller, but it was convenient to have one and keep things in

The great thing is, when your kids are all out of the strollers and walking, you give each one their OWN backpack to carry their own water bottle, snack,hat, sunglasses, poncho, etc. We use lightweight nylon string/cinch bags in bright colors. They are like $5 each on Amazon and the kids love to choose the color and it makes them easy to spot in a crowd. (Mine likes yellow and neon green). Once we ditched the stroller, if a kid wanted to bring something, he needed to carry it himself. Never had an issue with it.

 

[skullsplitter]

We always used an umbrella type of stroller. I can't imagine trying to navigate a larger stroller wagon through the crowd. Some of the stollers now look more like a status symbol instead of practical use. The last couple of times we went during our stroller days we'd just buy a cheap one at a wal mart or toys r us then give it away to a random person in line at the stroller rental on our last day.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not going to lie, it makes me laugh how happy some people are about this not realizing they likely are going to notice no change in the parks.

The wagon people will likely bring strollers, the rest of the strollers will remain save for the ones that are a smidge too big (which is hardly noticeable to the rest of us), and people will behave how they always have. There is no rule against using a stroller how you see fit, whether that’s jam packed with stuff or your 10 year old NT child. That isn’t changing.

At the end of the day Disney is almost always crowded and is a major destination for families with young kids. That = strollers. Lots of them.

Yeah I don't think it will be like night and day but if they do enforce it and well enough I'll look at it as an 'every little bit helps' type situation.

When we were in WDW in 2017 I saw this woman struggling really hard with her jogging stroller. She was having issues maneuvering it, trying to look around it for clearance reasons, trying to figure out where people were, trying to get it to turn the corners and the windy pathways, etc all while presumably her husband held their child. The whole time watching her I kept thinking "why are they doing that to themselves" meaning bringing in this bulky stroller.

Now I can't tell you if it was more than the allotted size back then with 100% certainty but I do feel like it was more than 31inches wide though I don't know if it was more than 52inches long. With enforcement that stroller wouldn't be allowed under the new rules..who know maybe it could be a blessing in disguise even just looking at the parents/guardians/adults in the travelling party.

 

[smiths02]

The great thing is, when your kids are all out of the strollers and walking, you give each one their OWN backpack to carry their own water bottle, snack,hat, sunglasses, poncho, etc. We use lightweight nylon string/cinch bags in bright colors. They are like $5 each on Amazon and the kids love to choose the color and it makes them easy to spot in a crowd. (Mine likes yellow and neon green). Once we ditched the stroller, if a kid wanted to bring something, he needed to carry it himself. Never had an issue with it.

My youngest are both 6 now, so I just couldn't justify the stroller any longer. We are headed to Universal on Sunday, and our nylon string backpacks just came from Amazon yesterday. I think we will be so happy not to have to park the stroller, lug in on transportation, figure out how to pack our car just right to fit the stroller, etc. that it will be worth losing the mobile storage unit. I think it will also force us all to rest and take breaks and go at an enjoyable pace more.

 

[OSUZorba]

If they try to bring them into the park, yes

How about the Main Street Trolly Car? Looks like a wagon to me.

 

[tlmadden73]

I saw these "wagon" strollers at Animal Kingdom during my trip this week. Oddly, only noticed them at AK -- not at MK or DHS.
I was shocked because of how big they were. It didn't feel like they were a nuisance, but it is hard enough to navigate certain areas of the parks with just PEOPLE, let along really long wagons.

Disney just has a stroller problem due to the popularity of its parks. They keep getting bigger and bigger. Imagine how much easier it would be to navigate the parks if that giant section behind the carousel in Fantasyland wasn't filled with strollers. I felt like stroller parking this past week was okay -- but maybe the parks weren't super crowded. We never had issues finding parking in the designated spots.

I feel Disney could use some of its queue for stroller parking or hide it away like they do for the safari at AK. Or have more "zone" parking like they have in Fantasyland. We left our stroller there probably for 2+ hours while we did attractions and had lunch.

I mean, I'm guilty of bringing a stroller in the parks, but we try and keep it small. We did double once (when my daughter was 5mo and son was 4) - I vowed to never do it again. So, instead of a double, I brought a small jogging stroller (City Mini) with an umbrella stroller folded up and hanging on the handle of the bigger stroller. If my 6 yo son wanted a break or we needed to cover long distances) we popped open the umbrella stoller. When we parked .. we folded up the umbrella.

My parents (and I) survived MK and Epcot with a small umbrella stoller (because that is all they pretty much made back in the 80s). I think most people could too if forced too and would be able to enjoy a better experience in the parks with less congestion.

If I had to push my 2 year old around all day in JUST an umbrella stroller -- we could do it. (need to find a taller one though so I don't have to lean over ).

Disney also has an ECV problem, but they can't go banning those without probably getting sued.

 

[monkyby87]

When the size of the strollers/wagons begin to look like the merchandise carts that CM's push around, you know it's getting bad

 

[Weedy]

How wide are the double strollers that Disney rents? They look big to me?

 

[Gingerfun1]

My husband said he saw it on the news here in MA too, but I didn't ask if it was local or national news. He said it seemed to misrepresent the stroller part at least, more like "strollers now banned in WDW!" as opposed to changes in policy or enforcement, etc.

Saw it in CT too and the newscaster totally made it sound like "No strollers allowed at WDW!!!" Which is obviously not the case, at all.

Mom of 2 here and personally, I'm thrilled to see this announcement. The last time we went, the wagons were being towed behind the parents, clogging walkways and some were big enough to be like mini hotel rooms. Really, how much does one family need to bring??

Super unpopular opinion but I would be for a ban on the double wides too. I know, I know, many people use them and navigate just fine (don't jump down my throat) and they are just as wide as a family walking together. But man do they clog up stores.

 

[danielleburns]

As much as I can understand a parent's need for a stroller I can also understand the need for a size limit most Theme Parks already have such rules in place with strollers becoming so large now days people also should be able to walk through the parks without being smashed into by large strollers .I wish the stores and cafeterias had stroller parking also some of the stores and cafeterias just aren't large enough to be jammed with large strollers plus unless you have a child with disabilities, it's ridiculous that anyone needs to push an 8 year old around in a store or cafeteria clearly they should able to walk around it just fine.When I was 8 we used to walk almost 3 miles to school and back every day in the freezing cold of winter even because the school didn't have enough buses so I have to chuckle that kids now days can't walk around a theme park at that age without a baby stroller plus I would have been embarrassed to be riding around in a stroller at that age even if it was Disney .

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

On the topic of national news I've seen headlines that read "no strollers"

My dislike for eye catching headlines continues..

 

[rteetz]

How wide are the double strollers that Disney rents? They look big to me?

They are within these new guidelines.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Most definitely a guess, but I would think something similar to how airports do it for baggae - build a box to the parameters and see if it fits in. It would be easy to build a 3-sided box to the dimensions that you push the stroller into. If it fits, great, if not...

Too inconvenient. Better would be to just paint boxes on the ground.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

How wide are the double strollers that Disney rents? They look big to me?

I couldn't find any dimensions on them, but looking at the pictures, since there isn't a divider between the seats and the wheels are within the edge of the frame, so while more bulky and rigid it doesn't appear any wider than most regular double strollers

 

[GeorgeG]

I'm guessing the Disney parks have more strollers per acre than any other place on earth. That ends up causing a lot of ankle injuries, especially when rude guests insist on plowing through the crowds. I see no need for huge strollers. A baby or toddler plus a diaper bag is one thing, but I see some with what could be luggage for the whole family. More that one kid? A small stroller for each would be easier on everyone. Yes, I'm an old codger, but I have a handful of great grandsons including one set of twins.

 

[ChipnDale79]

A small stroller for each would be easier on everyone

I've done a trip with 2 strollers and a few with a double stroller.

Our personal preference was a double stroller. When we had to keep up with 2 strollers and us both pushing a stroller the entire time, it was too much for us. We went back the next year with a double, it was a lot easier on us. We could trade off who was pushing and only had to keep up with one.

But, personal preferences.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm guessing the Disney parks have more strollers per acre than any other place on earth. That ends up causing a lot of ankle injuries, especially when rude guests insist on plowing through the crowds. I see no need for huge strollers. A baby or toddler plus a diaper bag is one thing, but I see some with what could be luggage for the whole family. More that one kid? A small stroller for each would be easier on everyone. Yes, I'm an old codger, but I have a handful of great grandsons including one set of twins.

one double or two single strollers I think comes down to how many people you have to push. When just my immediate family when my 3 kids were young, a double worked a lot better as one parent was with the one kid not in the stroller and the other pushed.

This past trip we went with extended family and had 4 kids (2 of which were just 4 and 3 respectively) and went with 2 singles as we had more people to take turns pushing

 

[embracejg]

I wish there was better self-policing among Disney park guests about using strollers for kids who are way too old to need them.

I see and hear too many parents justifying putting kids 6, 7, even 9 years old in strollers only because they feel they'll get tired and cranky by walking too much at Disney. That's contributing to the overcrowded feeling in the parks, and honestly, it's poor, selfish planning if you know your child doesn't need a stroller in their every day life or any situation outside of a Disney park, but you're going to clog up walkways because you're not taking enough breaks or pacing yourselves.

And just to head off the parents who are going to jump down my throat over this:
-I'm not talking about any kids with disability or mobility issues.
-I understand there's no kind of enforcement Disney could legally impose to solve this problem. It's a matter of etiquette and you should recognize that your child is too old to be pushed around in a stroller. It's the same concept as putting your kid on your shoulders during the fireworks -- you should know better and appreciate how that action negatively affects others around you at the park.
-This is not me telling anyone to leave their kids at home.
-Your child's enjoyment at Disney parks does not have to come at the expense of other people by contributing to overcrowding.