WDW says Heelys not permitted in Parks

[TinkerbellMama]

You know, I read posts like this and wonder how I ever survived.. I rode my bike with no helmet with my best friend on the handle bars! *gasp* I roller skated on uneven pavement with no guard pads and fell and got scrapes and broke my leg! *gasp* I rode in the front seat of the car before I was 13 and learned to pump gas at 8!! *faints*

Anyway, I digress... I'm really less concerned about heelies (a 8 year old slamming into me is going to do more damage to them than me when they fall backwards) then getting my eye poked out by wayward umbrellas....

I am honestly not trying to be rude, but do you have children of your own? If not, you can't possibly understand what it means to accept new research, information, and technology to protect your child. Yes, I survived also...without benefit of MANY of the safety precautions my son enjoys. However, I would never consider not employing them, just because, "it was good enough for me." If you do have a child, would you honestly accept a broken leg (if it could have been prevented) as one of those "oh well" things? I sure couldn't. It might happen, but if it happens because of my neglect...for a reason I could have prevented by following safety guidelines...I'd be sick over it.

 

[patsal]

You know, I read posts like this and wonder how I ever survived.. I rode my bike with no helmet with my best friend on the handle bars! *gasp* I roller skated on uneven pavement with no guard pads and fell and got scrapes and broke my leg! *gasp* I rode in the front seat of the car before I was 13 and learned to pump gas at 8!! *faints*

Anyway, I digress... I'm really less concerned about heelies (a 8 year old slamming into me is going to do more damage to them than me when they fall backwards) then getting my eye poked out by wayward umbrellas....

Are you related to my ex BIL? He lets the kids peel their own apples they are two and three--don't want them to be afraid of stuff he says--he puts the two and three year old in a canoe without a life jacket and when it tips says they'll learn to hold their breath better, and don't even get me started about the jet ski. As for feeding or changing the two year old--one meal a day is enough don't want her to get fat, I don't have diapers so we'll change you when you get home. CPS seems to feel he is not fit to parent and have removed the children from him without strict supervision. As far as it was good enough for me and I survived--lots of kids didn't and that is why there are new regulations and safty precautions.

 

[CleveRocks]

You know, I read posts like this and wonder how I ever survived.. I rode my bike with no helmet with my best friend on the handle bars! *gasp* I roller skated on uneven pavement with no guard pads and fell and got scrapes and broke my leg! *gasp* I rode in the front seat of the car before I was 13 and learned to pump gas at 8!! *faints*

Sure, we used to do just fine without seatbelts, without impact-absorbing car bodies, without air bags, without bike helmets, without the knowledge that smoking is harmful, without the knowledge of lead poisoning, and so on. Funny thing is, our life expectancy is higher now than it ever was. COINCIDENCE???

I work with survivors of traumatic brain injury. Motor vehicle accidents comprise about 50% of such injuries, and 25% are caused by non-motorized wheeled contraptions, such as bikes, skates, skateboards, etc. Every day, I see the tragic, sad, life-shattering, family-shattering, life-altering effects of NOT wearing helmets, NOT wearing seatbelts, and NOT paying enough attention. People's recklessness and carelessness puts food on my table. God, I wish there wasn't a need for my job -- I'd happily do ANYTHING else!

 

[curiouser]

Oy, you can all stand down now. I was being sarcastic. I fully understand the need for helmets and such. I just find humor in how we all ever survived without all the protectants available now.

 

[bluejasmine]

Uh... you do realize that skating is excercise? And DO NOT get me started with the "kids today" stuff.

Yes I realize skating is a exercize but you cant tell me kids want them so they can get excersize they want them mostly so they dont have to walk!
Anyone who doesnt mind them in the parks or any public place has never been pushed over, run over or into. I feel fairly certain your opinion will change once you experience it.
Also why is that lately almost anything will cause a war on these boards. It is ridiculous we are all here because we love WDW and to voice our opinions. Which can be done WITHOUT getting snippity or nasty with each other.

 

[BroadwayGirl]

Uh... you do realize that skating is excercise? And DO NOT get me started with the "kids today" stuff.

Yeah...I have a feeling actually walking around the parks rather than rolling on your heels is a bit more healthy as excercise. Seems to me that leaning back on your heels and letting the skates do all the work (which is apparently how these shoes work) is less physical exertion than actually lifting your feet to walk. Think of it like being in a pool. Just being in the water playing with your friends is not a great form of excercise. However, swimming laps in that same pool is going to give you a good workout.

With regard to some of your other posts I don't think anyone is giving a blanket condemnation of the heely shoes. Rather, most intelligent people just recognize that there is an appropriate time and place for them to be used and those appropriate places DO NOT include WDW parks and resorts. Nor would the list of appropriate places include school hallways, grocery stores or indoor shopping malls.

I'm all for going out and having fun...we had the old fashioned metal skates that attched to your shoes when I was a little kid (inherited from my older siblings) and we never wore helmets or knee pads but then again, those skates didn't get you moving much faster than a brisk walk.

But all this is beside the point. The facts are that Disney rules prohibit skating in the parks and at the resorts. It is therefore inappropriate to use heelies as skates in these locations. Children who persist in using the heelies as skates at WDW, as well as the parents who allow them to do this, can be classified as rude and inconsiderate.

 

[Becky_Boop]

No kid wants them so that they won't have to walk. It's so they can skate and have fun. You don't have to intend to excercise for the excercise to work. Everywhere I've seen kids with Heelys, they stay out of the way, in a place where no one is around. I have never seen a kid crash, and believe me, I've seen a lot of kids with them.

 

[Mickey&Donald]

No kid wants them so that they won't have to walk. It's so they can skate and have fun. You don't have to intend to excercise for the excercise to work. Everywhere I've seen kids with Heelys, they stay out of the way, in a place where no one is around. I have never seen a kid crash, and believe me, I've seen a lot of kids with them.

No insult intended, but how old are you Becky? By the sound of your posts, I'm guessing around 13?

I work for the Disney Store. In my store, we have very smooth tile floors, which attract kids in Heelys all the time. Not only have I seen Heely-wearing children bump into other guests in our store, I've also witnessed them being careless and knocking into our displays. There are kids in Heelys in our mall every day, and believe me, it's a lot harder to keep from bumping into someone when you're whizzing around on wheels than walking.

Heelys are also not conducive to "exercise" as you claim -- they're actually known to cause injury, even without falling down or crashing! Read here for more information: http://www.livinghealthysite.com/CripplingourChildren.htm

 

[Becky_Boop]

I'm not saying that they're excercise. I'm saying that wearing Heelys is not being "lazy".

It's not the fault of Heelys, it's the fault of the kids wearing them, or the parents not enforcing the rules. If you crash and fall a lot, don't wear Heelys. If you never look where you're going and/or can't stop well, don't wear Heelys. If you think that Heelys should be worn with the wheel in at all times, don't wear Heelys, or learn that you should only use the wheel sometimes. If you use Heelys responsibly, you can use them. Simple as that.

Have you ever worn Heelys? For me, it's very easy to stop. If someone can't stop within a moment's notice, they shouldn't use Heelys.

We've been over the health risks before. There's other risks in life, high heels are similiar... the list goes on. It's not your responsibility to tell someone that wears Heelys that they shouldn't, unless you're their doctor. It's their choice.

 

[dkostel]

One of the big online shoe stores sends me emails, and I recently got one advertising new Heeley styles for adults and kids. Obviously they are very popular.

I was just at MCO and saw a family w/3 kids all in Heelies. The were skating around like Olympic champs, very much in control. That isn't the point. The airport is a very inappropriate place to wear these (as is Disney) because there are other people who don't know that the wearers are in control and they think they are going to be slammed into. No one should have to worry about that outside of a roller rink.

 

[daisyduck123]

I stated this many pages ago, but for anyone who hasn't read thru this whole thread, I'll say it again...

Just google "Heelys injury" if you think they are so safe. You're in for an eyeful of reading material.

 

[Becky_Boop]

I stated this many pages ago, but for anyone who hasn't read thru this whole thread, I'll say it again...

Just google "Heelys injury" if you think they are so safe. You're in for an eyeful of reading material.

I've read about this many times. Just remember that Heelys are not meant to be worn constantly.

 

[DisneyChristmas]

I personally am glad to see all of these responses, WDW's in particular. When I took my elderly, frail parents to WDW this past October, I remember more than once when some kid wearing those type shoes almost wheeled/rolled right into one of my parents.

My mom who is in her 80s got knocked down on a ramp inside of The Land by two boys wearing these. They pushed into her from behind, her legs went out from under her, and she fell backward and hit her shoulders and head. I was walking right beside her, and there wasn't time even to block her fall. I'm amazed that she wasn't more injured that just some bruising. Oh yes...the boys never stopped to see if they'd hurt her.

 

[RickinNYC]

OK, I'm very sorry. But, anyone else? This is obviously a stupid parent, who lets his child crash into other people, and steps on people's feet. Not everyone is like that.

Just because it seems as if, miracle of miracles, you have not seen a single heely accident occur doesn't mean they don't happen. And just because, even bigger miracle of miracles, you seem to be surrounded by fellow kids who all, each and every one of them, have an increidbly high respect for authority, does not mean that there are others who do not. Anyone who thinks otherwise is rather naive.

"Anyone else?" Beg your pardon? Last year, as I was walking through Cosmic Ray's carrying a tray of food and drinks, a kid, about 12 yrs old or so, smashed into me, resulting in food on the floor, (thankfully) all over him and on my feet and legs. What does he do? Apologize? Nope. The little snot takes off and heads for the table where his parents were lounging about happily eating their lunch, ignoring their lovely son.

I follow, place my tray and resulting smashed food on their table with the receipt, explain what happened and demanded that they reimburse me the entire cost. They friggin' refused initially but after some "gentle" pursuading, they changed their tune.

Same vacation, another kid about the same age goes flying in front of us, smashing into my partner's side. We helped him up and asked if he was ok and he took off like a shot. No parents around.

This past February on a solo trip, I was standing with friends and another kid stopped short doing exactly as you described, lost her balance and fell on a smaller kid, effectively pinning him against a railing and smacking his head.

So that's three I've share. A couple of others have shared other personal experiences. How many would you care to hear?

Heely's do NOT belong in malls, shopping plazas, theme parks or any other public space that is not specifically designed for them. To think you are entitled to do so because it's exercise or simply convenient is, quite simply selfish. And parents that allow their children to do are the purest example of selfish, self centered behavior.

 

[SaraMc]

Im a retail manager. Its a big store, with Cement floors, gets lots of people, hangers fall on the floor ect. Kids go zooming through there on those wheely's all the time. We stop them, if thier parents are near we explain that they are not allowed in the mall. If the child falls and hurts themselves on private property or hurts someone else we really dont want that. Some parents understand, others have told me to mind my own buisness. Being 10000 months pregnant I have a very short fuse and I usually call Mall security at that point. That usually gets the parents to understand that we are looking out for the saftey of all our customers. All my associates will stop anyone on those things. While I know first aid and am willing to help someone who is hurt in my store, I would rather not and have a safe enviorment.

 

[Tink In Training]

I can't believe how vicious and vulgar ADULT people can be... Let me start off by saying if any of the people on here ever had the courage or audacity to "clothes line", knock over, or push my child for any reason you would have one heck of a problem on your hands in the form of a very very angry 5'2" Irish woman and even more so the Sicilian husband that comes along with her.

Since when do you as an ADULT have the right to raise your hand to anyone’s child? Where is the common sense of being the ADULT and knowing better? There are many reasons why any child could / would / or may run into an adult, with or without Heely's on their feet. Last I checked we were still in the world where accidents happen... In any case what qualifies you to become the enforcer of all "rotten" children? Grow up and stop assuming you know what is best for every child you may ever encounter.

I will also let it be widely known that I am a very educated person, just to elaborate, making me by no means stupid and I have three daughters who all own and use Heely's.

Not once have any of my children run into, slammed into, run over, taken anyone out, or knocked anyone over while using their Heely’s. When each of my children got their Heely's they had to show that they could use them responsibly and also that they could keep themselves in control before being able to use them in public.

Yes, my girls have worn them to the store, they love going to the grocery store in them. Yes, my girls have worn them outside. And yes, my girls have worn them to Disney. I'd like to let it be known that I have not ever seen a sign at any of the Disney theme parks stating they could not wear them. Never has anyone come up and asked them to take them off or they would have. They have had many people come up and ask them where they got them, and yes those people did include CM's.

Why would I let them wear them there or any where else for that matter? First of all, they're not roller-skates which are harder to control and stop. They can walk in them and skate. Second, they are always in control and are never more than 2-3 feet away from me and DH. Third, they're fun, they like to wear them. And lastly, because they are responsible with them and they have shown that they can handle themselves with them they have been allowed to wear them. They never fly through crowds of people or just zoom around out of control.

If Heely's are not allowed then my girls will not wear them there again, but I will find out myself by speaking to a park official whether or not they are allowed.

My girls have never worn them to school, even before we were notified that they were not allowed in school. School is a place to learn and the environment is not one for Heely's. But the grocery store is fine as long as they're not out of control. I didn't have a problem with them wearing them at Disney either, but the same rules applied.

Just as the woman somewhere in this 9 page post stated, not all people with strollers are rude, well not all kids with Heely's are rude. Talk about assumptions being made and judgments being cast...really now.

Just to further satisfy everyone that I am not a “stupid parent”… I am a very responsible mother of three; I follow most all rules all the time. We drive with seatbelts, eat health food, play sports, have honor roll children, enforce education as the golden key, and all and all have very good kids. But they do not live in a bubble...they live in the real world where stuff happens and just because you may have followed every rule that doesn't mean you'll be safe. We teach our kids judgment, responsibility for your actions, accountability and respect.

Not all Heely’s kids are bad and neither are their parents.

 

[mapmakerj]

My SIL and family just got back from DW. My nephew tried to wear his heelys to the MK one day and was stopped at the gate and told that he had to remove the wheel. My SIL asked why and the CM told her that if it has any wheels on it, it is considered a skate which is not allowed in the parks.
And I think that is the real point of the issue, not whether this kid is good on them or that kid is trouble on them. They have a wheel which you skate on which makes them against Disney rules.

 

[bluejasmine]

It is good to hear your girls are responsible while wearing them and your post almost changed my mind until I went back and read other ppls posts who have had their elderly parents knocked down or had their food knocked out of their hands. You know how one bad person can ruin it for everyone else and I guess thats the situation here. I agree that there is probably many children that wear them to WDW who are responsible and courteous but unfortunately those are not the ones the rest of us have encountered. I can honestly say that if I see a child on heelys that wasnt putting themselves or anyone in danger you wont hear a protest from me. Its the rest of them that get me started.

 

[maxiesmom]

Has anyone ever tried sending Disney a letter or e-mail asking why they have rules if they are unwilling to enforce them??? I wonder what their answer is?

As to the mom who will ask a park official, there already was an official Disney e-mail explaining that they are not allowed. Just because the rule is not always enforced does not make it less a rule. Or are you hoping you will get someone at the gate who just does not want to deal with it and so tells you it is ok? Should Disney have to "post" all of their rules on a billboard for people to read? And what good would that do? Some people already can't read the signs by the refillable mugs stating that they are good for the trip they were purchased only.

 

[Tink In Training]

I am the mom who will ask and that's just due to the fact that I like to have the information from the source. I don't know who wrote or replied or even where that email went or came from. I will ask an official and not so I can try to get around it but because I like to get my information first hand...call me silly…always trust primary sources…just something I’ve learned along the way.

And yes, for something like this I'd like to see the rules posted. Why should anyone have to assume what the rules are...post them so emphatic people can be sure everyone knows what they are…I didn’t know it was a rule until this post “enlightened” me…

Just because people don't always abide by the rules doesn't mean that they shouldn't be posted so those of us who do could see them. Why would you assume that everyone should just know that something like Heely's aren't "allowed"?