JUST BACK :( Stroller& Personal Space PROBLEM

[bigmac5]

We were there Aug 28-Sept3 and yes we were wacked a couple times with strollers(my DH is still complaining about the bruises from them) but the most annoying thing was strollers being abandoned. We were leaving MK after Wishes. The crowd moved along well until bam an empty stroller, Bam another Bam another. I couldn't belive it It was an obsticle course. If you are going to leave your stroller please leave it to the side.

 

[Paisleyjane]

Have to share this. Years ago, we were waiting for the Sky Ride in Fantasyland and a Japanese girl kept creeping up against my son, who was only 4 or 5 at the time. Well, he never was one to mince words, and finally turned around and said th her, "Will you please stop touching me" I guess a little kid can get by with that. By the way, he is now 21, and still has just as much moxie!

 

[minniedisney1]

Pls. don't flame me, I am usually a very nice considerate stroller mommy. This time I was more like stroller commando. It was our last trip (11/04) and we were trying to leave MK after Wishes. My 1yr.old DS was in his stroller. The CM's are redirecting us thru a small shop to get around some kind of incident. As we are going thru the doorway back outside (by the way, we were 3/4 of the way thru) this guy comes up pushing his way outside. He put one foot in FRONT of the stroller and was getting ready to LIFT HIS OTHER FOOT OVER MY SON & THE STROLLER!!!!! Meanwhile his bags were hitting DS in the face & he started to cry. Well Commando Mommy did not stop. Rude guy hits the pavement face first. He got right up shouting &%$*!!!!! and GRABBED THE STROLLER TRAY & STARTED JERKING THE STROLLER AROUND. I looked right at him (all 5' 0" of me) and shouted "Let go of my baby!!!" you can imagine how many people turned around. By this time, my DH (all 6' 8" if him) had gotten to us. The guy was still yelling %^$$#%% and asking if I had insurance. Until he & his wife saw my DH. Then they just turned around. Not a nice way to end a great day at the happiest place on earth.

 

[cpayne1997]

Pls. don't flame me, I am usually a very nice considerate stroller mommy. This time I was more like stroller commando. It was our last trip (11/04) and we were trying to leave MK after Wishes. My 1yr.old DS was in his stroller. The CM's are redirecting us thru a small shop to get around some kind of incident. As we are going thru the doorway back outside (by the way, we were 3/4 of the way thru) this guy comes up pushing his way outside. He put one foot in FRONT of the stroller and was getting ready to LIFT HIS OTHER FOOT OVER MY SON & THE STROLLER!!!!! Meanwhile his bags were hitting DS in the face & he started to cry. Well Commando Mommy did not stop. Rude guy hits the pavement face first. He got right up shouting &%$*!!!!! and GRABBED THE STROLLER TRAY & STARTED JERKING THE STROLLER AROUND. I looked right at him (all 5' 0" of me) and shouted "Let go of my baby!!!" you can imagine how many people turned around. By this time, my DH (all 6' 8" if him) had gotten to us. The guy was still yelling %^$$#%% and asking if I had insurance. Until he & his wife saw my DH. Then they just turned around. Not a nice way to end a great day at the happiest place on earth.

Gosh I hate that, that happened to you! I wish that people would be more careful! But he got what he deserved!! Why can't they just be a little patient????

 

[ChrisStef]

If I turn around and you get hit with my backpack, it's not my problem. You should not be close enough to me to get hit with my backpack.

Then would you kindly stay in one spot and not stagger back and forth whilst tending to your darling family, lest someday, one of these 6' 8" 280 lbs folks MAKE it your problem?

It's all about knowing where your own personal "bubble" ends and the "bubble" of others begins.


Chris
(A meager 6' 3", 185 lbs)
PS.... My wife says I should do the "double digit dance" because we're down to 93 days.

 

[JohnNJ]

lest someday, one of these 6' 8" 280 lbs folks MAKE it your problem?

I'm always up for a challenge.

BTW, if a 6' 8" guy is in my personal space when I swing my backpack around, he'll be lying on the ground holding his you know what.

 

[Shelly S]

I feel like I finally have to respond. Many who have posted to this thread state they are "usually" nice stroller pushers and I'm sure they are. I am not a stroller pusher, nor do I stop to look at maps, nor do I knowingly cut in front of a stroller, or walk slower than other people, but I have been hit by strollers multiple times per trip. It truly does hurt my heels and I try to avoid walking in front of them when I can. Stroller pushers seem to say that many non stroller people don't pay attention, but I feel that holds true for many stroller pushers also. I guess my point is whether you are a stroller pusher or not, it is Disney and there are many distractions along the way. There will always be people stopping to look around, read a map, or whatever. They will not always realize they are stopping in front of someone. Also, there will always be strollers and heel hits. For the non stroller people, try to keep out of the strollers way and for the stroller people keep your eyes ahead and don't follow quite as close. It's funny how this problem really does bring out the worst in people.

 

[Hodder]

I feel like I finally have to respond. Many who have posted to this thread state they are "usually" nice stroller pushers and I'm sure they are. I am not a stroller pusher, nor do I stop to look at maps, nor do I knowingly cut in front of a stroller, or walk slower than other people, but I have been hit by strollers multiple times per trip. It truly does hurt my heels and I try to avoid walking in front of them when I can. Stroller pushers seem to say that many non stroller people don't pay attention, but I feel that holds true for many stroller pushers also. I guess my point is whether you are a stroller pusher or not, it is Disney and there are many distractions along the way. There will always be people stopping to look around, read a map, or whatever. They will not always realize they are stopping in front of someone. Also, there will always be strollers and heel hits. For the non stroller people, try to keep out of the strollers way and for the stroller people keep your eyes ahead and don't follow quite as close. It's funny how this problem really does bring out the worst in people.

True, True. This will be our first trip and I will apologize in advance but if my kids get amazed and stop in there tracks I certainly won't worry about it. If you accidently bump into us then I'll excuse us as I believe you should and that would (in my opinion) be the end of it. Accidents happen.

 

[madscrapper]

I have to say we just returned home Friday and I have never had such a problem with people being oblivious to the double stroller. Really. It wasn't crowded but between folks coming to a dead stop in front of me, trying to cut in front of me and then tripping on the front portion and just general rudeness I had a hard time not running into people (I didn't, but more than once I wanted to).

I know strollers are a pain but being aware of your surroundings helps.

Jeannine

 

[Kitcat]

That guy sounded like such a jerk. I guess having eyes all over your head is not enough anymore..!!

 

[Laura22]

Hmm I've never really noticed any problems with people running into my stroller or any other strollers running into me. I'll be on the lookout next time though.

But the thing I do notice is the people standing behind you in line who lean right up against you. What is wrong with people? They think by standing on the back of your feet and running into you that they'll get to the front of the line faster. That is my huge theme park pet peeve!

 

[k5thbeatle]

??? Why is so hard to believe that someone on vacation with all there is to see at Disney wouldn't stop? In a traffic accident the one who does the rear ending gets the ticket.

Or, walking around and spying something one wants to look at, are we supposed to turn while still walking and wave while saying, "warning I will be stopping in approximately 5 seconds!"

Ridiculous!

 

[jann1033]

??? Why is so hard to believe that someone on vacation with all there is to see at Disney wouldn't stop? In a traffic accident the one who does the rear ending gets the ticket.

Or, walking around and spying something one wants to look at, are we supposed to turn while still walking and wave while saying, "warning I will be stopping in approximately 5 seconds!"

Ridiculous!

i don't have a problem with someone stopping either, big deal you walk around them. expect stops and plan for it by not running up some one's rear end. i don't have a problem with some one responsibly pushing a stroller either , i watch for them and hope they return the consideration. if you accidently run into someone apoligize just like i would do to tyou if i stepped in front of you by mistake. i do have a problem with someone using their stoller as a battering ram and i would never have pushed someone down with it ...rudeness doesn't give me the right to lower my self to their standards and be rude to them ..if it did there would have been a few stroller ramming daddies with big fat black eyes when we were there. and i am amazed so many people don't care about being so violent in front of their kids

 

[MaryKatesMom]

??? Why is so hard to believe that someone on vacation with all there is to see at Disney wouldn't stop? In a traffic accident the one who does the rear ending gets the ticket.

Or, walking around and spying something one wants to look at, are we supposed to turn while still walking and wave while saying, "warning I will be stopping in approximately 5 seconds!"

Ridiculous!

As another poster mentioned, the strollers do not have brakes like a car. The crowd level can make it IMPOSSIBLE. If every stroller requires a radius of 100ft to stop the theme park would have to stretch miles across.

I alway keep a safe distance between myself and the people walking in front of me and you know what happens? People cut across all the time and eliminate the safty distance. If you are driving down a road and someone pulls out of a driveway and you hit them, it isn't your fault.

I was walking down Main st and a family stopped on the sidewalk completely blocking the sidewalk and in order for me to avoid hitting them, I jerked the stroller to a halt and the wheel hit the curb tipping the stroller. I took everything I had not to overturn the stroller. A double stroller with two 35 lb toddlers and a diaper bag can easily be 100lbs.

Pushing the stroller is easy, but my arms ache by the end of the day jerking to a sudden stop because someone crossed in front of me. I now just say "Careful" when someone comes close.

What is ridiculous is stopping in a moving crowd and being surprised when the pixied dust doesn't make us fly over your heads.

 

[zookeeper]

Since this will be our first trip I can't speak from experience, but I think part of the problem could be that there seem to be 2 major schools of thought in visiting the parks. There are those who feel the need to follow touring plans and zigzag across the park so as not to waste one minute on the atmosphere as they run to obtain their Space Mountain fastpass, and there are those who seem to go with the attitude that they want to go slow and take it all in. While I would definitely put myself in the latter group, I say to each his own. It's your vacation so do it the way you feel best. That said, just because someone wants to vacation in a way that is different from you it doesn't make them wrong...just different. Can't we all just get along ?? It sounds like everyone needs to take a deep breath and find their happy place!! With these kinds of angry reactions taking place in front of our kids I can only imagine the lessons they're receiving on tourist etiquette. Now, to all those who are probably thinking that I'm a naive rookie, I may very likely stand corrected. Check back in 2 weeks after my trip and see how jaded my views have become!!!

BTW...I'll have a couple of strollers so stand back I'm likely to stop and take it all in A LOT!!!!

PEACE

 

[tinawv]

OK, maybe because I've been to Disney so many times and not rushing from one thing to the next, but I actually expect people to stop dead in their tracks. If you have never been to WDW the sight of the castle is enough to stop anyone. We actually look for people who are doing this. We love to see the look on their faces! I think too many people are in too much of a hurry and are way too close to the person in front of them. We walk slow (which bothers a lot of people) and keep a good distance between other people. We did this when our kids were in strollers and now that they are long out of them. I think the key is respect, which is sorely lacking in most people today.

I so agree. There are so many reasons why a person may need to stop in their tracks. When you are at a location like WDW with all the attractions around, it is to be expected that people are going to stop and look around. Especially those who have never been to WDW. Granted, it is a pain at times, but that is just the way it is. Ramming other people in the ankles just because someone else made you mad seems so unfair.

 

[Andrew Bichard]

I alway keep a safe distance between myself and the people walking in front of me and you know what happens? People cut across all the time and eliminate the safty distance.

What is ridiculous is stopping in a moving crowd and being surprised when the pixied dust doesn't make us fly over your heads.

My view is that good driving skills shouldn't be abandonned when pushing strollers in the park. When I learned to drive a car, I was taught that I should always leave a safe stopping distance between myself and the vehicle in front. This distance should allow for reaction time (the distance travelled in the half second it takes before you react to the person in front stopping), plus stopping distance taking into account the weight of your vehicle (momentum) and road surface conditions.

If you can't stop without hitting the person in front, you are travelling too close. In an accident the fault always rests with the person behind. When I am in the parks, I always look to the front. I don't have eyes in the back of my head. I don't have mirrors. How am I to know someone is tailgating me? I would never cut in front of someone else, any more than I would suddenly change lanes and cut in front of someone else on the highway.

And yes, I do sometimes stop to read a map look in a shop window or take in a view. After all, I come to WDW to relax and enjoy myself, not to rush around like a commando trying to do everything in one day. If I get rammed, I will certainly tell the person who rams me that I don't approve. If I am hurt, surprise and anger may well make me express myself forcefully.

Andrew

 

[glawgirl]

My mom (81) dad (67) husband (43) and I (34) I go to Disney the first week of Christmas every year. My parents are Cuban but speak perfect English. My husband and I were born in the U.S. We were coming out of the Main Street Bakery one behind the other. My mom turns around and asks me where we are off to next in Spanish all of a sudden I see this huge man with red hair - overalls and rainbow suspenders screaming at me saying "SPEAK ENGLISH"!!!!! I thought that was hilarious! Not even in Disney World is this poor soul happy - you gotta feel bad for him and his family - imagine living with that guy???? AGH!

 

[Deedee]

You think people in wdw are rude we have been to disney Paris twice, now they are rude. They will walk straight through you there. We have never had any problems in Florida and always find people very friendly

 

[kizmac]

My mom (81) dad (67) husband (43) and I (34) I go to Disney the first week of Christmas every year. My parents are Cuban but speak perfect English. My husband and I were born in the U.S. We were coming out of the Main Street Bakery one behind the other. My mom turns around and asks me where we are off to next in Spanish all of a sudden I see this huge man with red hair - overalls and rainbow suspenders screaming at me saying "SPEAK ENGLISH"!!!!! I thought that was hilarious! Not even in Disney World is this poor soul happy - you gotta feel bad for him and his family - imagine living with that guy???? AGH!

Oh my goodness! What did you say back to him? Some people shouldn't be let out into the public population.