News Disney's Animal Kingdom tests a new stroller parking system

beertiki

Well-Known Member
I do not think the problem is guest bringing strollers. 20 years ago, there was not enough room in the car for one of those massive double wide things, and no parent wanted to haul one in the airport too. We had one of those kid backpack things or a small umbrella stroller.

Now, these parents are not bringing their normal stroller, they are renting them. And, if you are going to rent one, its going to be the biggest.

The problem now is, moat of these strollers take up the standing pace of either 2 or 3 people. That's 2 less people on a bus, or 100 people standing and blocking a path. At some point this becomes an issue where crowd flow backs up, or is too unsafe due to exits blocked, ect.

Disney will deal with the rental companies when they need to. If they told the rental companies that they would not be allowed to drop of strollers above a certain size, there would be a very quick reduction in the amount of square feet needed to store strollers.
 

MrPromey

Well-Known Member
While I'm not trolling, I will say, I'm continuing to engage because I feel my point is reasonable and perhaps additional clarification will allow folks to see that I'm not a child hating monster.

Perhaps I'm just bad at conveying my point. I'm more than willing to concede that, but there seems to be a willful disconnect in what I'm saying and what people are responding to on the other end of this conversation.

I completely understand what you're saying, here. I've been in the very situation you're in and it's a conversational death spiral, unfortunately.

I know what it's like to try to dig myself out of the hole I feel others have put me into with words, only to find the hole getting dug deeper with everything I do, making me just come off as irrational and crazy when all I want to do is prove that's exactly what I'm not.

My unsolicited advice is to make sure you're stating that "I'm not a child-hating monster" in response to others, too, so they see it and to remind them that this is just your opinion, based on your own experiences in the parks.

Obviously, nobody's changing anyone's minds on this subject but at least you can make clear to the rest that you're not deaf to other's perspectives and would just like people to acknowledge your own.

We all have a shared interest and I think (nearly) all of us would get along famously if we were in some dorky club that met once a month in person but behind computer screens, it's so easy to get the wrong idea about each other. :/
 
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jakeman

Well-Known Member
What you fail to state is "why"? Why should we consider if a WDW vacation is right for us or not because we have an infant? We had a wonderful vacation last month with our 7 year old and 11 month old. And we all had a great time (yes, our 11 month old was fascinated by all the sights and sounds. He was fully entertained. Will he remember it? No. Did he enjoy himself in the moment? Absolutely.). And yes, we needed a lot of gear. But that's the case anywhere we go. So why is WDW different than somewhere else? What makes WDW, in your mind, not a suitable place for infants? It's more suitable than most places to be honest, because WDW makes an effort (moreso than most places) to provide for the needs of parents with infants. So in my "evaluation", WDW is a great vacation for bringing an infant.
I guess because at the end of the day you (plural) don't enjoy WDW in a vacuum and more often than not with these massive strollers with the entire nursery on board the "needs" of your (plural) child trumps the enjoyment of others.

I don't know what constitutes "a lot of gear" nor do I care to get into a semantics argument that will quickly devolve into sardonic postings about the weight of various items.

I don't dislike kids. I dislike parents who feel the need to bring the kid's entire room to the parks with them (whether that be for entertainment or maintenance purposes, I don't really care to differentiate). Those are the cases where I question whether this was the appropriate vacation choice for them.
 
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PaulZ

Well-Known Member
We bring a 1 child stroller with 2, maybe 3 bags that go beneath it. There are 3 of us who can grab said bags when we get on the tram, or wherever. We have it down to a science to try and not cause so much disruption to everyone else.

If we are ever charged for a stroller to come in, that will be the last time we are back until the 2 year old can walk.
 

Amos1784

Well-Known Member
Hopefully these stroller areas will be well planned out and help the crazy that it is to find your stroller that might have been moved multiple times while on a ride. Although I agree, last time we were there we saw multiple families with wagons, to the point their toddlers/kids 2-5ish were able to completely lay down and have fans attached to the top of them. How they got through I have no idea.

Regarding the fact that no child under three really should be at Disney just because they wont remember always makes me a little sad to think that way. My sister and I are 9 years apart. We went many times before my sister and continued to go with her as little as 2 months. We never had a problem, and to think that while I was the ages of 9-13(ish) that we couldn't have went because we were waiting for my sister to figure out how to stop being a child and feed herself and use a bathroom so many memories would have been missed. My grandmother used to travel with us each time we went every year, she stopped coming around the time I was 13-14 because she could not do the parks anymore. While an annual trip to Disney is not a right of passage if we would have stopped going while my sister was "growing up" we would not have all those photos and memories. Disney was our once a year getaway that everyone was happy and the stresses of the outside world did not exist. One of my absolute favorite photos is of me holding my sister meeting Mickey while she is about 1 year old, does she remember? No, but do I? Absolutely, and that picture will always be there.
 

SteamboatJoe

Well-Known Member
We bring a 1 child stroller with 2, maybe 3 bags that go beneath it. There are 3 of us who can grab said bags when we get on the tram, or wherever. We have it down to a science to try and not cause so much disruption to everyone else.

If we are ever charged for a stroller to come in, that will be the last time we are back until the 2 year old can walk.

This is the considerate, proper, and non-self-centered thing to do and I think is all most people who are concerned about strollers are really asking for. Kudos for your efforts and self-awareness. I am sure it's not easy.

If there are new rules put in place, they need to address the true issues and abusers of the system and not people like yourself who are acting completey reasonable and respectful.
 

mikejs78

Premium Member
This is the considerate, proper, and non-self-centered thing to do and I think is all most people who are concerned about strollers are really asking for. Kudos for your efforts and self-awareness. I am sure it's not easy.

If there are new rules put in place, they need to address the true issues and abusers of the system and not people like yourself who are acting completey reasonable and respectful.
I think most people are considerate. Unfortunately there's a minority that isnt. And they make things worse for everyone else..
 

SteamboatJoe

Well-Known Member
Hopefully these stroller areas will be well planned out and help the crazy that it is to find your stroller that might have been moved multiple times while on a ride. Although I agree, last time we were there we saw multiple families with wagons, to the point their toddlers/kids 2-5ish were able to completely lay down and have fans attached to the top of them. How they got through I have no idea.

Regarding the fact that no child under three really should be at Disney just because they wont remember always makes me a little sad to think that way. My sister and I are 9 years apart. We went many times before my sister and continued to go with her as little as 2 months. We never had a problem, and to think that while I was the ages of 9-13(ish) that we couldn't have went because we were waiting for my sister to figure out how to stop being a child and feed herself and use a bathroom so many memories would have been missed. My grandmother used to travel with us each time we went every year, she stopped coming around the time I was 13-14 because she could not do the parks anymore. While an annual trip to Disney is not a right of passage if we would have stopped going while my sister was "growing up" we would not have all those photos and memories. Disney was our once a year getaway that everyone was happy and the stresses of the outside world did not exist. One of my absolute favorite photos is of me holding my sister meeting Mickey while she is about 1 year old, does she remember? No, but do I? Absolutely, and that picture will always be there.

The three and under thing is and should be a personal choice. My brother and his wife brought their three year old a couple years ago and now say she was probably too young. Age five went much better but each kid is different. For some, the hassles and costs simply are not worth it. My wife has told me she does not want us to be changing diapers at WDW (we'll see if she actually sticks to this). Again, personal preference.
 
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dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Now, these parents are not bringing their normal stroller, they are renting them. And, if you are going to rent one, its going to be the biggest.

We rent the same exact stroller/jogger we have at home. Which is far from the biggest on the market, and was got specifically because I run alot of miles pushing our DS.

If color coding helps to speed up the locating of strollers by a few minutes, that's more time on rides and such with our family.
 

Amos1784

Well-Known Member
The three and under thing is and should be a personal choice. My brother and his wife brought their three year old a couple years ago and now say she was probably too young. Age five went much better but each kid is different. For some, the hassles and cost simply is not worth it. My wife has told me she does not want us to be changing diapers at WDW (we'll see if she actually sticks to this). Again, personal preference.

Completely get that and agree it is definitely family based and a personal choice. Honestly I love Disney just about as much as anyone and I actually think for some families whether the kid is 1 week or 10 years old, it's too much for them, totally what you can handle. I just don't like the argument don't take them because they won't remember.
 

Incomudro

Well-Known Member
I guess because at the end of the day you (plural) don't enjoy WDW in a vacuum and more often than not with these massive strollers with the entire nursery on board the "needs" of your (plural) child trumps the enjoyment of others.

I don't know what constitutes "a lot of gear" nor do I care to get into a semantics argument that will quickly devolve into sardonic postings about the weight of various items.

I don't dislike kids. I dislike parents who feel the need to bring the kid's entire room to the parks with them (whether that be for entertainment or maintenance purposes, I don't really care to differentiate). Those are the cases where I question whether this was the appropriate vacation choice for them.

This is all a product of the times we live in.
Few people travel light anymore - and that goes for their physiques as well.
Search some images of the Disney Parks from the 70's or 80's and take a look at the people.
Look at how little they had with them and on them.
 

SteamboatJoe

Well-Known Member
Completely get that and agree it is definitely family based and a personal choice. Honestly I love Disney just about as much as anyone and I actually think for some families whether the kid is 1 week or 10 years old, it's too much for them, totally what you can handle. I just don't like the argument don't take them because they won't remember.

I completely agree but I am not sure that is really what was meant by that statement. Plus, I simply cannot believe a parent who brings a kid that young, particularly ones that can't even walk or talk and who do not have any older siblings or cousins with them, isn't doing it, in part, for themselves. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with that, because there really isn't. I just don't think some people who say that isn't the case at all are being realistic.
 

Prince-1

Well-Known Member
Out of every theme park in Florida, Disney's are the only ones consistently suffering from stroller issues. You don't see this problem at either Universal park, Bush Gardens, Lego Land, or Sea World.

Disney can't start charging for something like this, the same way they can't really stop people from bringing in bottles of water without a slew of bad PR.

Last weekend at Sea World, I even saw them let in someone with a wagon and hard-sided cooler. I rolled my eyes but I saw them around the park a couple of times and there were no apparent problems being caused.

Now we can argue the whys and of course, Disney's are the busiest, most popular, etc. but that indicates they have the most resources to deal with something like this and frankly, there is plenty of room for them to innovate, here.

I'm glad they're doing a test in this park which at least shows they're attempting to look into solutions to the problem but more needs to be done.

As a parent, I can tell you the only thing I've loved more than parking our stroller in direct sunlight to come back and find it uncomfortably hot enough that my child doesn't want to sit back down in it, is coming back to find out that it rained while we were in line for more than an hour for an attraction and the stroller is now soaked.

The direct sun problem isn't exclusive to Disney but as the place that has parking lots and full-time employees to manage strollers, they're the ones that are in the best position to improve this experience for guests.

Even in the Safari where they are testing this, you go through a covered line where you drop your stroller off to be parked by a cast member in an uncovered area. You don't even get the chance to try elaborately draping a rain poncho or trying to pick the one or two shaded spots that might be available. How is that guest friendly? Why not put a roof or a canopy or anything over that area that could still blend nicely into the theme?

Feels like low hanging fruit to me.

Disney rents out strollers and for a lot of kids in the 5+ range that can't handle a full day of walking in the parks the way you have to now when uitlizing FP+, these are a solution but they also add to the problem, especially when you see a family with everyone walking and a parent pushing an empty stroller because their kid doesn't need to and doesn't want to ride at some particular point in the day.

You can argue all you want that this is a problem with the guests and those parents should be making their kids get in the strollers or they shouldn't even be renting them in the first place but you know what? That's about as effective as complaining that young folks need to pull up their pants. Maybe you want to go outside and yell at the clouds a little while you're at it.

Anyway, why rent a single stroller for the whole day when you only need it for those points when you're trying to trek from one end of the park to another or at certain times like the middle of the day when your kid needs a rest or the end of the day when you need to get them out of the park? Why have to push it around everywhere, keeping track of it everywhere and making walkways and stroller parking worse for everyone?

I mean, if Disney can copy Uber and Lyft to get people around the property, why can't they do the same thing with strollers in a park... or across the property for resort guests?

Length of stay stroller access - does that sound so crazy? Wouldn't magic bands which all resort guests have be a great way to manage something like this?

If you can rent a movie from any Redbox and return it to any other Redbox, if even at Disney, you can buy a battery charger for your phone and exchange it for another one in any park, why not set up a stroller service that allows you to pick up the next available stroller at convenient locations around the parks?

If people have to lug a bunch of stuff in for their kids, why not create better locker options in the parks that are more centralized and conducive to being used throughout the day instead of just putting them in the front where they're only convenient upon arrival and leaving? Why not use these as part of a bundle when renting out strollers to encourage their use?

If too many people are bringing coolers with a day's worth of drinks and food in, maybe it's time to revisit the pricing and quality of the products they are offering in the parks.* The two Universal parks, Sea World and Bush Gardens all offer affordable refillable cup options in the parks. Disney only offers an oddly restrictive version of this in the resorts, themselves. Why can a resort guest buy a refillable cup only good for their staying at Disney but not use it in the parks?

The answer to some of these questions is obvious - clearly, some tactics like improving food quality and making prices more reasonable* cuts into their ability to print money. So does the idea of offering a cup for $10-$15 a day with unlimited refills. They aren't seriously going to start exploring options like this until they hit a breaking point that costs them more than the profit they'd lose.

That said, better stroller parking is a matter of planning and design and things like improving the stroller/locker rental situation could help reduce congestion in the parks while improving guest satisfaction and encouraging people to rent rather than bringing their own stuff, thus making Disney MORE money in these areas.

I'm glad they are making efforts to improve the situation. My hope is that they'll do more.

They need to continue to work towards solutions that try to make all (or realistically, most) guests happy. Otherwise, all they're doing is moving the dissatisfaction around from one group to another.

Charging for stroller access would be seen as so consumer-unfriendly, especially given the core market they target that I think even a park run by a cable company - I don't know, just hypothetically speaking, someone like a Comcast - would have a field-day trolling in a social media marketing campaign and with billboards around Orlando.

When Comcast can publicly mock you for unfriendly consumer practices, you are an existential threat to yourself.



*When they're charging 3-4x the amount for a burger meal (with drink) as the closest McD's and the food from the McD's actually tastes better (and comes with free drink refills), that's not a premium experience. It's not magical. It's not even consumer-friendly. It's expecting to get a "pass" for abusing their guests because... well, what else would you expect from a for-profit company that is trying to make money for their shareholders, right? Why blame them, right? If you don't like it, don't go, right?

Short and concise. Thank you.
 

beertiki

Well-Known Member
A far as the 3 and under not remembering...

The trip was not for them to remember, it was for ME to remember and experience with my young daughter. A child will not remember the relatives it meets for the first 4 Christmases, that's not the point. Memories building on memories, photos, and nostalgia. We don't keep coming back to see what is new and different, we come back because so much is still the same. My daughter was too young to remember trying to hula hoop and failing at 3 during dinner at Ohana, but I remember, and I have a photo too. Sometimes, its not just about one kid, its the whole family.
 

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
Short and concise. Thank you.
Oh. Sarcasm. Arr-arr.
sarcasm.JPG
 

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