Heelys - Should I let the kids use them

[RedsoxMickey]

Sorry All
Never realized how emotional some issues got.

It will obviously upset many people and thus my kids will not be wearing them. I will bring the wheels. At the end of the day when my DD is to tired to walk and I don't have the energy to carry her, I will be pulling her back to the hotel.

Is it ok to bring the Heelys when we go to pool hop? JUST KIDDING

 

[maxiesmom]

There was another thread somewhere about the Alligator Rule. It was a mom who told her kids that just because you can dance around with an alligator on your head doesn't mean you should. It was her way of covering all the bases and not having to make a rule about everything. I think this falls into that catagory. Just because there is not a specific rule for healys does not mean you shoud wear them to the parks. Not every kid who rolls around on them is a terror. But you cannot control who will stop right in front of you, or who will suddenly cut across your path. I would spend way too much time worrying about any child with me on them. Use common sense, leave them at home!

 

[maxiesmom]

Sorry All
Never realized how emotional some issues got.


Is it ok to bring the Heelys when we go to pool hop? JUST KIDDING

Only if you bring your Port Orleans mug to the Poly when you do so.

 

[twinklebug]

Sorry All
Never realized how emotional some issues got.

It will obviously upset many people and thus my kids will not be wearing them. I will bring the wheels. At the end of the day when my DD is to tired to walk and I don't have the energy to carry her, I will be pulling her back to the hotel.

Is it ok to bring the Heelys when we go to pool hop? JUST KIDDING

Sorry this is OT, just need to state the obvious:
If I recall correctly pulling is not allowed in WDW, but if you push it should be OK. You might want to bring your refillable mug from last year with you when you pool hop... dehydration might cause you to need medical attention and possible abuse of the WDW first aid system.

I love LIGHT-hearted threads!

 

[LadyOmega]

Sorry this is OT, just need to state the obvious:
If I recall correctly pulling is not allowed in WDW, but if you push it should be OK. You might want to bring your refillable mug from last year with you when you pool hop... dehydration might cause you to need medical attention and possible abuse of the WDW first aid system.

I love LIGHT-hearted threads!

By the way, I have the same ticker as you ( the beach one) on my hubby's gaming forum, its preeeeeety. Not that it's hard to make the same ticker as someone else on Ticker Factory of course.

 

[kaytieeldr]

and as an aside, we really do not know if he cannot wear his Heely's because there are reports of kids wearing them and not being spoken to by a cm... all the responses on this thread are subjective, not objective... nor is there an actual "rule" that anyone can point out...

Common sense. Skateboards (athletic equipment with wheels on the bottom) are prohibited. Roller skates (athletic equipment with wheels on the bottom) are prohibited. By extension, Heelys (athletic equipment - and they ARE, given that at least one poster in this thread states that these are the ONLY athletic shoes her/his child has - with wheels on the bottom are prohibited.
Simply because the CMs are do not see someone using the wheels on the Heelys to transport themselves does NOT mean this type of footwear is permitted.

if my son is asked to remove his wheels of course he will...

More common sense: Since the wheels are removable, have him remove them before leaving the room.

some things are just common courtesy/common sense/common safety (something my children are filled with -- must get it from their father ) and others that potentially infringe on the right of others... what brand of sneakers my kid wears does not infringe on others...

But how he USES them does.

also, i *could* just say "no you may not wear them" and will and do (i.e. camp... it's just not safe to climb a rock wall wearing Heelys!) but this is something i am not going to enforce if it's just a disboard "rule"

Again, it's just common sense - you have multiple thousands of people in a relatively small area. It's not safe to roll around on/in one's shoes.

It will obviously upset many people and thus my kids will not be wearing them. I will bring the wheels. At the end of the day when my DD is to tired to walk and I don't have the energy to carry her, I will be pulling her back to the hotel. Sorry this is OT, just need to state the obvious:

If I recall correctly pulling is not allowed in WDW, but if you push it should be OK.

Now, THAT'S innovative! At any rate, I think the 'pulling' issue only matters inside the parks. Once you're out in the parking lot...

Is it ok to bring the Heelys when we go to pool hop? JUST KIDDING

Uh, I don't think they're allowed IN the pool...

 

[TinkerbellMama]

As a mother, I have to say that I don't care if it's "not good enough" for there to be a rule my son has to follow...if he doesn't understand it, tough! That's the rule. It's not required that he understand the reasoning behind each and every regulation. If it were really something important or unfair, I would certainly assist him in contacting WDW or wherever else it may be to inquire as to their reasons, but as for something like wearing Heelys? Uh, he just wouldn't wear them! I'd LIKE for him to accept the rule, but whether he does or not, he would still follow it!

 

[Feralpeg]

gigi1313, please don't take this discussion personally. This is a subject that people feel strongly about. Because of that, we've all stated our opinions. You've stated yours. It isn't personal. If you decide to let your child wear his heelys while at WDW, that is your decision and your responsibility. Our opinions really matter very little in the grand scheme of things.

That being said, I had a "heely" incident today that might explain why I feel the way I do about them. I was delivering a gift basket to the Boardwalk resort this afternoon. If you are familiar with Boardwalk, the main entrance has big doors that open as you walk in. I was just about to set foot into the lobby area when a young man on heelys came flying through and almost nailed me. If I hadn't dodged very quickly, he'd have hit me and one of my customers would have lost a very nice gift basket. That is why I don't like them. It has nothing to do with my feeling about children or their parents. It isn't personal.

 

[tink1978]

They may not be allowed in the park, but when I was there in January, lots of kids had them and they were not watching where they were going and running into people. It would be safest to follow the park rules and not let your kids wear them.

 

[tink1978]

I have read this entire thread and I see parents who are being defensive of their children who wear Heelys and believe that they (the Heelys) are safe and I see parents who are concerned with their safety and the safety of others. I have also seen mentioned that Heelys are not unsafe. I would agree that Heelys themselves are not unsafe, however, it is when the kids are "driving" them that they become unsafe, whether or not your child is normally safe with them. At Disney, there are too many things to look at, some of which you have to look up to see and kids, whether normally safe or not, tend to become unsafe, especially when wearing Heelys. I hate seeing kids get hurt in the parks wearing these things and I hate seeing people get knocked over by the kids wearing them as well. In order for everyone to be safe, Heelys should not be worn unless they are worn with the wheel down or out.

 

[TinkerbellMama]

gigi1313, please don't take this discussion personally. This is a subject that people feel strongly about. Because of that, we've all stated our opinions. You've stated yours. It isn't personal. If you decide to let your child wear his heelys while at WDW, that is your decision and your responsibility. Our opinions really matter very little in the grand scheme of things.

That being said, I had a "heely" incident today that might explain why I feel the way I do about them. I was delivering a gift basket to the Boardwalk resort this afternoon. If you are familiar with Boardwalk, the main entrance has big doors that open as you walk in. I was just about to set foot into the lobby area when a young man on heelys came flying through and almost nailed me. If I hadn't dodged very quickly, he'd have hit me and one of my customers would have lost a very nice gift basket. That is why I don't like them. It has nothing to do with my feeling about children or their parents. It isn't personal.

Today in Target a boy whizzed right past me in Heelys. I didn't even know what was coming at me, before a Target employee told him he wasn't allowed to wear them inside. He could have easily knocked into me, and I was carrying ds1. His parents were nowhere in sight.
I don't care HOW coordinated a child is. Accidents happen! And something like this in a public place NOT intended for roller skating, etc. is DANGEROUS. Period. A boy in my area was killed CHECKING HIS MAIL because he lost his balance and rolled into the street at exactly the wrong moment and was hit by a car! Please don't be foolish enough to think it could NEVER happen to your child, or that they are "just as safe" as regular shoes.
No way!

 

[CleveRocks]

I e-mailed WDW yesterday to ask about Heelys. Below is the response they sent me [I made it red], which included the text of my e-mail to them [I made it blue] (so you can all see that my letter was not "slanted" against Heelys). So here is the official response:

Dear Eric,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

While we appreciate your interest, please note due to safety concerns, shoes with wheels are not permitted inside any Walt Disney World Theme Park.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all correspondence.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Gail Williams

WDW Online Communications

Original Message Follows:
-------------------------

Message:
I will be staying at POFQ in November with my family. I have read conflicting anecdotal information about whether or not shoes with wheels in them ("Heelys") are permitted inside the WDW theme parks.
I would like to know before we go, so I can prepare my kids in case they are not permitted to wear them inside the theme parks.

So, please answer my question: Are shoes with wheels ("Heelys") permitted insode WDW theme parks?

THANKS SO MUCH!

Debate solved. The official WDW stance on Heelys is now known, at least to DISers.

 

[mking624]

Thanks Eric! That should settle the "if it's not set in stone..." debate.

 

[twinklebug]

here is the official response:

...shoes with wheels are not permitted inside any Walt Disney World Theme Park.

You know that final door-closing BANG at the end of the "Get Smart" music (and he's gone through many many doors)?... Well, maybe most of you are too young to recall it... but that's what I'm hearing here. Case closed. Can we all hug and make up now?

 

[CleveRocks]

gigi1313,

I didn't know if a PM from a "stranger" would be welcomed or not, so I'm just posting this in public in case you read it. If you would trust me with your e-mail address, please PM me and I'll forward to you the original WDW e-mail, in case your kids would believe it more (and ergo take the pressure off of you!) than a post on a message board.

 

[gigi1313]

peggy, not taken personally at all... i just hate seeing people painted w/a broad brush (i.e. heely wearers are dangerous hellions! LOL!) and feel the need to defend them...

eric, i'm anxious to see if i get the same response... as another poster pointed out, 20 cms can equal 20 different answers! LOL! oh, and i'm jealous that you got a response before me! and sure, pm me, i like "strangers!" (besides i've read soooo many posts from you i don't consider you a stranger)

twinklebug... i heard the music too... thanks for the smile

thanks all for a nice well-mannered discussion... it's always refreshing when it's civilized and no name-calling!!

 

[Lizzybee]

That last line sounds like something I'd say to my kids...and they know if I said it I meant it.
To the OP: Don't worry that you caused a civilized debate. It was good and I think we learned from it. No one was upset by your question as far as I could tell. It was great that you asked. I'd have done the same thing because my kids would be mortified if they were corrected by a CM for doing something that's not allowed.
To the poster with the email from WDW: It makes sense to me. I don't think all kids on heelys are dangerous, that's not even the issue. The issue is when the wheel is out, it's very much roller skate / inline skate like and those aren't permitted. With the wheel in, it's a tennis shoe. The problem comes in with giving the child the choice to roll where it's not appropriate. To me that just doesn't make sense. Kids will be kids and they won't always make the best choices.

 

[heelybob]

As an adult who owns 4 pair of Heelys I use them with care (at parks, malls, grocery stores) and enjoy them. They are well made, stylish shoes even without the wheels. The other day while at the grocery store I was almost run over by a WILD WOMAN IN A MOTORIZED WHEEL CHAIR! I was wearing heelys and holding onto the the shopping cart at the time. You see wearing heelys is not the problem...the point here is to simply be careful and respectful of others whether you're using heelys, in a wheelchair or even walking. Most people I've met are just curious about them, I have run into nobody or have ever fallen. Don't be fooled...these are not "just for kids." Have fun, enjoy yourself and go out and buy a pair!

 

[100 acre wood]

Nope, sorry not allowed at the parks, in addition or maybe because they are a hazard to the user and those around the user, expecially in such a crowded place as the World.

 

[Becky_Boop]

Well, in one word- don't. I think they're fun, and should be fine to wear if they're used properly, but Disney says no.