Just back Tour Groups, EVC's and Strollers

[wtccheermom]

The South American tour groups were in full effect but it really was not that bad . They do make lines a little longer, are pretty loud with their chanting, and have no idea of personal space or boundaries but for the most part they were pretty mild. I saw very little line cutting and the only really thing that I noticed that bothered me was that when they were done eating rither in a CS restaurant or outside snacking they got up and left their trash everywhere.
As for ECV’s hardly saw any and I think that during our entire 10 day stay at POFQ we were on a bus where twice a EVC or needed to be loaded on and I can tell you that in both cases there was no abuse of the system they were elderly people. In fact strollers were more of a problem than EVC’s you would not believe the number of people who did not think that they needed to take their sleeping snowflake out and tried to wheel their stroller onto the bus. I think Disney should have a stroller size rule like airlines do with carryon bags.

 

[sharadoc]

I have to agree that the strollers are what have bugged me the most on our last couple of trips. They are getting bigger and bigger and take up twice the room as a person does on a bus, even when they are folded.

I'm one of those people who think you should wait to bring kids until they are old enough to experience it, not tiny ones who just sleep, eat and poop all day and really have no concept of where they are. I understand the folks who bring strollers for little ones who can also walk, those strollers are usually smaller and fold up nicely. It's those infant 18 wheelers that drive me bonkers!!!!

 

[crabbygal902]

I love it! Sleeping Snowflake!! We call them 'precious flowers' around my house...my own kids are NOT precious flowers, of course!

Sharadoc, I hear what you're saying about the strollers the size of small cars. I have been taking my kids to WDW since they were 6 months old, but I wore them in a baby sling and only took them on trips in late fall or winter when the weather was cool and the crowds were lower. It was much more pleasant for everyone, I'm sure!

 

[stargazertechie]

I'm one of those people who think you should wait to bring kids until they are old enough to experience it, not tiny ones who just sleep, eat and poop all day and really have no concept of where they are.

I understand what you're trying to say, but what about families with several children? Should Janie, Johnnie and June have to wait until they're teenagers so that little Joanna is old enough to walk the parks?

FI and I plan on taking a couple years' break from Disney after this trip, but honestly, if my sister and her husband take us up on the offer to take our niece in 2014, and we just so happen to have a child at that point, I have NO qualms taking a baby to Disney.

I mean, the babies are better behaved than the BTG anyway

 

[adisneymama]

I have to agree that the strollers are what have bugged me the most on our last couple of trips. They are getting bigger and bigger and take up twice the room as a person does on a bus, even when they are folded.

I'm one of those people who think you should wait to bring kids until they are old enough to experience it, not tiny ones who just sleep, eat and poop all day and really have no concept of where they are. I understand the folks who bring strollers for little ones who can also walk, those strollers are usually smaller and fold up nicely. It's those infant 18 wheelers that drive me bonkers!!!!

Wow, I happen to take my children when younger because I love to experience the excitement in their eyes. Not for them to remember it. I also have multiple children so have a large stroller. Also, one of my kids has medical problems that can't be seen with the naked eye. What should I do with her not take her?

 

[ses1230]

I agree with the pps. A baby is easy at WDW and I wouldn't wait to take them, but we go every year. If it was a once in a lifetime trip, I would wait.

FWIW, Disney does have a stroller policy. Per disneyworld.com:

Items that you may not bring into the theme parks include but are not limited to:

Items with wheels, such as:
Wagons
Skateboards
Scooters
Inline skates
Shoes with built-in wheels
Strollers larger than 36" x 52" (92 x 132 cm)
Suitcases, coolers or backpacks with or without wheels larger than 24" (61 cm) long x 15" (38 cm) wide x 18" (46 cm) high. (Coolers required for medication may be stored in a locker or at Guest Relations.)
Any trailer-like object that is pushed or towed by an ECV wheelchair or stroller

Whether or not it is enforced is another issue.

 

[Buckimion]

 

[kaytieeldr]

Strollers larger than 36" x 52" (92 x 132 cm)

That's pretty big, though. A yard in one dimension by almost a yard and a half in the other? Heck, I'm only 60" tall!

 

[puddleduck]

I have to agree that the strollers are what have bugged me the most on our last couple of trips. They are getting bigger and bigger and take up twice the room as a person does on a bus, even when they are folded.

I'm one of those people who think you should wait to bring kids until they are old enough to experience it, not tiny ones who just sleep, eat and poop all day and really have no concept of where they are. I understand the folks who bring strollers for little ones who can also walk, those strollers are usually smaller and fold up nicely. It's those infant 18 wheelers that drive me bonkers!!!!

Let's just say I'm glad you don't make the rules.

 

[twinboysmom]

I have to agree that the strollers are what have bugged me the most on our last couple of trips. They are getting bigger and bigger and take up twice the room as a person does on a bus, even when they are folded.

I'm one of those people who think you should wait to bring kids until they are old enough to experience it, not tiny ones who just sleep, eat and poop all day and really have no concept of where they are. I understand the folks who bring strollers for little ones who can also walk, those strollers are usually smaller and fold up nicely. It's those infant 18 wheelers that drive me bonkers!!!!

Wow! And at what age to you believe a child is old enough to experience it? Should those with children of multiple ages just stay home until the youngest reach this magical age?

This is my opinion. I think Disney shares mine as well. Disney parks are for
all ages, young and old. Who are we to decide when someone is old enough or too old to enjoy a trip?

On another note, I am one of those who own what many refer to as an 18 wheeler stroller. I am not sure why my stroller causes problems for others. It is a stroller. My boys were very comfortable in it. It steers better than cheap strollers thereby decreasing the chances of me running into somebody else. It has a great recline for my boys to nap, has a huge sunshade, and I can push it one handed while holding one of my boys if needed. What gets me is that people are at WDW and complaining about strollers.

 

[brerbear]

Wow! And at what age to you believe a child is old enough to experience it? Should those with children of multiple ages just stay home until the youngest reach this magical age?

This is my opinion. I think Disney shares mine as well. Disney parks are for
all ages, young and old. Who are we to decide when someone is old enough or too old to enjoy a trip?

On another note, I am one of those who own what many refer to as an 18 wheeler stroller. I am not sure why my stroller causes problems for others. It is a stroller. My boys were very comfortable in it. It steers better than cheap strollers thereby decreasing the chances of me running into somebody else. It has a great recline for my boys to nap, has a huge sunshade, and I can push it one handed while holding one of my boys if needed. What gets me is that people are at WDW and complaining about strollers.

+1

 

[SueM in MN]

That's pretty big, though. A yard in one dimension by almost a yard and a half in the other? Heck, I'm only 60" tall!

That is bigger than my DD's wheelchair. She is an adult, so does not have a tiny wheelchair. Hers is 24 inches wide by 48 inches long from the tips of her feet to the back.

Even those huge WDW park rental scooters are less than 30 by 48 inches, so 36 by 52 for a stroller is not an unreasonable standard.

 

[twinboysmom]

I am not sure what the dimensions of my stroller are but since OSR is renting them it must be ok. In May, lots of people had their own along with the rentals. It's a BOB duallie so its probably close to the max size.

 

[StitchSpawn]

I don't have personal experience, but my Aunt has five boys. Last year, the youngest two stayed with our grandparents while the older three went to WDW. Some ppl would say thats unfair, but the youngest two didn't know the difference. They had fun hanging out at grandma's house for a whole week. Now that they are all older. The oldest three and the youngest are going. The fourth child, my cousin, has some disabilities and he is very frightened of loud noises and doesn't usually do well with ppl he doesn't know, like large crowds, so Disney would be more like a nightmare to him. I will be taking care of him when they go to Disney next year, since my grandmother is getting to old to handle him on her own. I think it's perfectly fine. If my cousin could handle the parades and crowds, they might take him along, but, he can't.
I know not everyone can do this, but I don't think there is anything "wrong" with leaving a small child at home with other family or whoever, while the others get to go.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

As for ECV’s hardly saw any and I think that during our entire 10 day stay at POFQ we were on a bus where twice a EVC or needed to be loaded on and I can tell you that in both cases there was no abuse of the system they were elderly people. In fact strollers were more of a problem than EVC’s you would not believe the number of people who did not think that they needed to take their sleeping snowflake out and tried to wheel their stroller onto the bus. I think Disney should have a stroller size rule like airlines do with carryon bags.

You state that the people in ECV's weren't "abusing the system" since they were elderly. How are you supposed to judge anybody's condition and whether they qualify to use an ECV or are abusing it?

 

[stargazertechie]

You state that the people in ECV's weren't "abusing the system" since they were elderly. How are you supposed to judge anybody's condition and whether they qualify to use an ECV or are abusing it?

Somehow I knew the thread was going to go here...

 

[marivaid]

Those huge strollers are everywhere. I take the city buses everyday and they are there too, taking up all the standing space. It's a huge annoyance. Don't tell me a 10lb baby needs a stroller the size of a shopping cart for a 20mn bus ride!

That said, if Disney had not raised the prices of stroller rentals in the parks so much, people wouldn't need to bring their own. I've noticed a major change in the number of strollers on buses compared to 2007-2008 when rental fees were more affordable.

 

[twinboysmom]

Those huge strollers are everywhere. I take the city buses everyday and they are there too, taking up all the standing space. It's a huge annoyance. Don't tell me a 10lb baby needs a stroller the size of a shopping cart for a 20mn bus ride!

That said, if Disney had not raised the prices of stroller rentals in the parks so much, people wouldn't need to bring their own. I've noticed a major change in the number of strollers on buses compared to 2007-2008 when rental fees were more affordable.

Our decision to bring our own stroller had zero to do with the price of disney's strollers. They could have given me one for free and I still wouldn't have taken it. They are hard plastic, don't even have a full back, and zero recline. No thanks. Also, they can't leave the parks. The resorts are huge. Who wants to carry children all through the resorts. And btw, 10 pound babies don't do well in lightweight umbrella strollers and many people do not have the money to spend on some of the pricey lightweight smaller strollers that fold nicely. Generally the graco strollers (an example) which are quite common are more affordable but are large and bulky.

As for leaving young children at home, not everyone has this opportunity. It is fine if it works for you but some people simply don't have the family support to do so. I can't get our parents to watch our children for a couple of hours much less long enough to go to Disney. I am sure plenty of others fall in the same boat.

 

[marivaid]

Who wants to carry children all through the resorts. .

And who wants to be crushed between an army of mega strollers on a bus ?

There's a middle ground between a tiny umbrella stroller and something that's more like a bed with wheels.

 

[twinboysmom]

And who wants to be crushed between an army of mega strollers on a bus ?

There's a middle ground between a tiny umbrella stroller and something that's more like a bed with wheels.

Well, I have twins so my options are rather limited. I choose not to take the buses, mainly because of rude people who think that we don't belong there with our stroller. I didn't always have children. I rode Disney buses and had unpleasant experiences with people that had no strollers. I had very large obese people crammed next to me, people who carried more bags than I ever thought physically possible pushing up against me, and worst of all, tween aged children who almost pushed me down because they were trying to push their way past everyone getting off the bus (I was pregnant with my boys then, obviously pregnant). Also, some of the smaller strollers have very low weight limits. Sorry that some peoples lives are affected so much by strollers. I truly don't get it.