Are strollers being abused in Disneyland ?

[rocketrodryan]

I just wish the stroller pushers would not be so reckless. And for the motorized carts, I wish they would'nt stop an inch behind you and beat their horns.

[innerSpaceman]

If Walt had wanted families to stay away from DL, he would have built a much different park.

Well, we can speculate all we want on WWWD, but it's clear from the physical evidence that he built Disneyland without room for strollers.

He did not build it without room for kids and families. He built it without room for strollers.

Strollers do not equal kids, and no one who is against strollers in the Park is against kids in the Park.

[Reaver]

And what is good for DL is good for DCA, especially when it comes to money. The argument for charging a fee for people to bring strollers in to DCA would fall flat. There is enough room over there. The walkways are wide enough to hold a stroller marathon.

Are they really, or does it just seem that way because they're always empty? Have you ever been on foot on a 4 lane freeway when it's closed? It looks like a friggin runway! It doesn't look that big when it's filled with cars...


(that was a meant to be humorous, btw...) :confused:

[SoCal]

Secondly, I don't care what the cultural differences are between nations, there is just NO ROOM for strollers at Disneyland. The walkways are too small, and there is not enough "storage" space at the attractions to leave strollers while guests are experiencing those attractions. Strollers end up left all over the already-clogged walkways.

I am really at a loss of words, lol. There is no room for storllers in DL? May I ask which DL you go to? We really must go to different parks

Granted it can get overly-crowded and room gets tight for EVERYBODY, and if you think the reason is because of strollers I think you need to re-think that.

And have you never seen CMs moving stollers out of the way? Go stand by IASW for a few minutes, they are always moving strollers to make more room. And I see this done at many of the more busy kids rides. I have also seen CMs ask parents to move their stollers out of the way if it is too close to an entrance and they happen to see them parking it there.


bottom line - strollers *as a group* is not the problem. As pointed out in a previous post the problem is the bad apples. Making a blanket statment is wrong, and 100% wrong.

[xfkirsten]

I have to agree with some of you. It is a small minority of the people with strollers who make me upset. I have been in crowds (both at WDW and DL) where a parent tried to use their stroller as a means of pushing their way through a large crowd, up to and including deliberately running into people and yelling at people to get out of their way. They are by no means the majority, and it doesn't happen all the time. I certainly wouldn't go as far as to generalize their behavior to the rest of the families who bring strollers into the parks. However, anyone who tries that around me hears exactly what I think of them.. okay, not exactly... I have to edit what I say because it's a family park... :devil:

[mamabot]

Strollers do not equal kids, and no one who is against strollers in the Park is against kids in the Park.

But if Disney starts to charge people a tax for bringing a stroller through the front gates of Disneyland, they will be seen as being against kids specifically and families in general. All it will do is create a huge public relations nightmare the compnay does not need.

As for families using their strollers as a way to store packages, would you rather those packages be seated next to you on Jungle Cruise, take up an extra row on POTC or IASW? Yes there is a package check system at DL, but I don't ever remember using it once in all my visits to the park. It's not like they advertise the system.

This is a subject that will be debated until the end of time. As long as there is a family oriented Disneyland in Anaheim, there will be strollers to contend with.

[Tigertail777]

Exactly IM, take a look at some of those older park shots from the Walt Disney presents tv program, strollers were a definate rarity compared to today. The osmands haunted mansion special one in particular has a very fast montage of the whole park, its actually shocking how few strollers there are. Somehow god forbid my parents sucked it up and brought me as a whiny little kid there without a stroller when I was five. Strollers are not a right they are a privelage, of course in the old days it was far more common to rent a stroller than to bring one in the park from home. I love seeing kids at disneyland running free (or relatively so) , I dont love seeing mini cars running around with wild abondon to such a degree that puts Mr Toad to shame. I do actually partially blame Disneyland itself, for not having more "transportation" rides like in the old days to alleviate the continual crowding and get people from point A to point B more efficiently (such as the skyway which was a great deal of releif during parades because you coudl actually cross the parade route without danger).

I had thought my deeply sarcastic mutterings were not sugar coating anything, but I suppose I was wrong I will have to really say what I think in the future in terms to curl someones hair I suppose.

Lets make a deal; you can have your strollers, yes even the god awfully big SUV size ones if I can have some rock hard boots with metal spikes so you know how I feel if you run into me. Oh dear I am sorry I caused your heels to bleed by running into you, but I am so very careful where I steer my feet. Sounds like a great deal to me. Or is that not sarchastic enough? Am I sugar coating again?

[Reaver]

As for families using their strollers as a way to store packages, would you rather those packages be seated next to you on Jungle Cruise, take up an extra row on POTC or IASW? Yes there is a package check system at DL, but I don't ever remember using it once in all my visits to the park. It's not like they advertise the system.

Very true. The only park I've ever seen push this was DL Paris, and I saw it so often, I did actually use it. And it was great! And I don't mind people putting stuff in strollers. the people that annoy me are the ones who have strollers specifically for that purpose. If you have that much stuff, use lockers. Take it out to your car. Whatever. Strollers are not meant to be shopping carts.

[Alan]

Funny how this all kind of breaks down to the people that have not bred yet that don't have that automatic squelch feature, and the parents that feel just because they copulated, think they have a certain entitlement. Thus is how the world is and will always be.

[mamabot]

Very true. The only park I've ever seen push this was DL Paris, and I saw it so often, I did actually use it. And it was great! And I don't mind people putting stuff in strollers. the people that annoy me are the ones who have strollers specifically for that purpose. If you have that much stuff, use lockers. Take it out to your car. Whatever. Strollers are not meant to be shopping carts.

On our last trip with family, we did use the stroller as a means to helping my mom, who is diabetic, cart around her snacks she must have to keep herself going through the day.

I applaud Disney for being conscious of allowing families with small children the opportunity to bring small snacks in for their children. I do still purchase meals there too, but I do try to keep snacks on hand for the kids so I donn't have to break down and buy them sugary snacks. I think Disneyland is a much happier place when Ali does not have sugar in her system.

[innerSpaceman]

There is no room for storllers in DL? May I ask which DL you go to? We really must go to different parks.

Pfhft, have you ever seen the scene outside the attraction featured in your avatar? It's horrific on a busy day. Stroller parking nightmare.

But if Disney starts to charge people a tax for bringing a stroller through the front gates of Disneyland, they will be seen as being against kids specifically and families in general. All it will do is create a huge public relations nightmare the compnay does not need.

Oh, I agree it could never be done. But like a lot of taxes, the point would be to encourage certain behavior rather than to raise money.

[Cuzco-topia]

I'm surprised they haven't already started charging the the rental strollers...or do they?

[Mousekiteer]

The only real problems I've had with strollers are in the holiday season when Fantasmic! just ended. Of course everyone is trying to pile out either by the Adventureland of Frontierland gates and it's ridiculously slow. Not to mention, Believe! In Holiday Magic is almost done, Main Street is packed and then it's massive chaos from there. I swear, every step I took, I was tripping on strollers. Only two sets of parents apologized and I to them. The others just rudely kept pushing out running into me again. I know everyone's tired and cranky, but please, try to maintain your sanity.

There's also that massive hedge of strollers in Fantasyland, but hey, what're you gonna do?

[mamabot]

I'm surprised they haven't already started charging the the rental strollers...or do they?

The rental strollers are something like $7 or $8 per day. You can park hop with strollers, if you so choose, but you cannot take them to DTD or the Resort hotels.

[Cuzco-topia]

The rental strollers are something like $7 or $8 per day. You can park hop with strollers, if you so choose, but you cannot take them to DTD or the Resort hotels.

Yikes, seems a lot for a stroller...but then what else is new?

[DznyVan]

We've just finished our eleventh straight year with a stroller at DL (and every other park, mall, campground, etc) that we have been to since we started having kids. As it turned out, as soon as one "graduated" from the stroller, another one was ready to take his/her place. Funny how that happens. They are a necessary item when you have kids. Most of our kids gave up the stroller between 3 1/2 and 5 years old. I do understand why folks prefer to keep using them beyond that age. Each child and family is different. Peoples needs are different.

Yes, we have also carried along an icechest, snacks, towels, jackets, supplies and the eventual souveniers that we pick up during the day in the stroller, but the main reason for the stroller is for the comfort, safety and convenience of having a child in it. Any large or fragile items that we got during the day we had sent over to the DL Hotel (one of the many benefits of staying there).

I have never purposely ran into anyone with the stroller. I have bumped into folks that all of a sudden change directions or stop all of a sudden in front of me (for no apparent reason), but I always apologize (even if it was their fault). We usually try and wait for the majority of the crowds to dispurse before we head on out (after a parade, Fantasmic, etc). Hey, we're on vacation. There is no reason to rush around.

I hate the comma-cozzie stroller pilots as much as the next guy/gal. They ruin it for the rest of us, but no worse than the "tourists" that run right in front of our kids (bypassing the line) to get an autograph/picture with one of the characters. But that is another story.

That being said...

Our week-long trip last Thanksgiving was the first time that we went stroller-less as a family of six. It was different... We used the storage lockers for our evening clothing and we left the icechest in our room. It did make entering the Park a lot more convenient. We just hopped right on the Monorail and went in. Previously, with the stroller, we had to pass-up that luxury, since we would have had to fold it up and store it next to us. It wasn't worth the hassle.

As we enter the next stage of our DL lives, I will somewhat miss the stroller. Or maybe the memories of stroller days gone by. I know that I already miss the "baby" years of our kids. That is something that all of these non-parents on this posting have yet to discover. Maybe their minds will be changed once parenthood catches up with them. Oh my gosh, I just realized; I have become my parents!!!

Can't we all just get along???

[dsnylndmom]

First of all, I am a parent and my kid has been going to Disneyland since she was an infant. As soon as walking was possible, stroller-be-gone.

Secondly, I don't care what the cultural differences are between nations, there is just NO ROOM for strollers at Disneyland. The walkways are too small, and there is not enough "storage" space at the attractions to leave strollers while guests are experiencing those attractions. Strollers end up left all over the already-clogged walkways.

I know there's a legitimate use for them, but there's no room for them. If they charged $25 to bring one in the gates, would you, Mr. or Mrs. Parent, suddenly be able to find a way to do without them?

I never thought I'd say this but I have to totally disagree with you here Ism. Kyler was walking at 9.5 mths, there's no way I would've try to take him to the park with no stroller at this age. That's just way to young. I don't see how it's even remotely logical to try and cut out ALL strollers from the park. Yes, I would pay $25, when my kids were younger to be able to bring my stroller into the park. For the last few years, I haven't brought one but have paid to rent one, if I felt it was necessary.

Also, as annoying as a sea of strollers is, near or in front of, an attraction, so is a huge group of people that stop in the middle of congested walkways to chat away or make plans, while a flood of people attempt to get around them. There is more to the congested walkways problems then just strollers.

[mamabot]

Lets make a deal; you can have your strollers, yes even the god awfully big SUV size ones if I can have some rock hard boots with metal spikes so you know how I feel if you run into me. Oh dear I am sorry I caused your heels to bleed by running into you, but I am so very careful where I steer my feet. Sounds like a great deal to me. Or is that not sarchastic enough? Am I sugar coating again?

MiceChat does not condone that our members resort to violence. This post is a bit over the top for the discussion. Please watch your tone.

Both sides of the discussion have been able to keep the debate civil. I know that we are on opposite sides of this debate, please try to keep repsonses non-threatening.

[sir clinksalot]

I have been caught with my kids on Main St. at fireworks time without a stroller. It can be a scary experience. It wouldn't take much for a child to get swept into the sea of the crowd. Would you prefer that the park get locked down because a child has gone missing?

I feel you there. One night my wife and I were doing child switch on Space Mtn., so I decided to take the kids (who were both not yet 40") on the train. AFTER getting on the train the tell us it will not be returning to Tomorrowland, it was being put away.

So, with a 1 and 3 year old I had to walk all the way up main street, during fireworks to meet my wife back at Space Mtn. Not a fun thing.

I see some very good points here made in all directions. I think it's safe to say that Strollers will never be banned from the park.

People just need to use common sense (I know that's a foreign word these days).

[sleepyjeff]

I think it's safe to say that Strollers will never be banned from the park.

With our Nations population getting older and older, and with the popularity of motorized scooters increasing every year; I think the only safe place for kids to be in crowded places is in a stroller lest they be run down by one of these devices