In Defense of the Stroller Pushers

[The Mom]

I've been on all sides of this issue - pedestrian, stroller pusher, wheelchair pusher, wheelchair passenger, The only thing I haven't used is a scooter.

1. People pushing others do not always pay attention. You have to be constantly aware of the crowds around you.
2.People walking do not always pay attention. If you make a sudden stop, or change direction, the person near you pushing another cannot adjust as quickly as another "walker."

When the two groups meet accidents happen. Neither group is totally innocent nor totally guilty - just individuals within each group.

 

[Disneykidder]

EEk, some harsh statements. Kids=strollers. Should we never shop in a mall because there are, heavens forbid, children in strollers? I hope the stroller haters never step foot in a Disney Store or Toys R' Us because low and behold, there they are. Hershey Park, Six Flags...there they are again.

Amusement Parks are made for children and adults alike. I am not going to not take my children anywhere simply because they cannot walk yet or because they are too young to sustain a few hours of walking. While I agree that a 7 year old can walk (we've all seen the older children getting pushed by the rentals), a 2 year old cannot and thus needs a stroller. I am not one of those people who runs over people, but if everyone was a little courteous, then it would all be fine. PLus, your phone can wait, you're on vacation, so look up from your phone and enjoy the sights.

 

[networkpro]

Consider this, the pathways were designed for ambulatory and wheeled patrons one wide. Introduce double and triple wides theres friction. Parades and Groups more friction. Brazilians, Parade, tired parents, irritated little ones Trifecta!

 

[Susan Savia]

Most are too big for the little shops and counter service places as they block isles. They should be parked outside like the attractions.

 

[FireChiefGoofy]

Having a Cadillac stroller also does not entitle you to have rear door access to the transportation. The excuse of "it's too big" or "it doesn't fold up" doesn't cut it. You bought or rented it. It got in your car. I had to leave 40+ people in a load zone because all available space on the bus was taken up by these huge strollers that require a CDL license to operate. Total number of actual people on bus - 40. Total number of strollers - 17. Also, please have it folded and the kiddies out when the transportation arrives, do not block the front door with 100 people waiting behind you!

I understand the need, but it is starting to get out of control (same with ECV abuse).

 

[journ116]

Ah, another great stroller debate...and that's just it, this topic will forever be "in a debate." Honestly, there's no right or wrong answer, only opinions. And, unless you are of the divine nature, humans will continue to err. Granted, a vacation is no excuse to lose sight of common sense and courtesy, but understand that that guest might have other important things on his/her mind (both stroller and sans-stroller guests) the next time a near stroller collision occurs. Alas, whether a child 'needs' a stroller is a parental issue, not a societal one...you may shake your head in disapproval (because let's face it, all of us probably have) when you see an older child being wheeled around, but resign yourself to the fact that you don't know all the details of their family dynamics.

Now, as to the comment that families with littler kids should not even consider touring the parks until said kids are older, obviously has an opinion....and so do I. I love my children dearly, and Disney has made for some terrific memories for me, my DH, and our DD's (7 and 4 y.o.). We made the conscious decision to tour the parks when our children were only months old AND we knew that they "wouldn't remember it," but that wasn't the point. We were traveling as a family, plain and simple, making our own unique memories...and those memories necessitated a stroller. My DH and I have our own reasons for being "those people." You tour the parks your way, and we'll tour the parks our way...tomato, tamato. However, we don't leave common sense and courtesy at the gate simply because we paid thousands of dollars to be there...yet, we are lumped into a category of guests with strollers, some of whom could care less about you and me, and that's not entirely fair to let one bad egg stink up your experience touring WDW.

Lastly,what people fail to remember is that when Disneyland and Disney World first opened, the parks were not as big as they are now...guests were not rushed to see and do as much as possible...but, you know when you look thru some of those old photos, I bet you see families with younger children, with and without a stroller. Parks could be toured in a day's time and the pace was slower. Fast forward to the '90's when Disney World became a destination, not just a theme park, families with young children were still invited to flock to central FL...but there was one glaring difference than in the 70's & 80's: WDW was much bigger. What this all boils down to is: touring, how fast and how much can get done before the vacation ends. And if guests with young children want to take part in the fascination that is uncle Walt's dream, even with a stroller (single or double), then so be it.

Rant over, and possibly in before 'the lock?'

 

[Nubs70]

I do believe maritime rules should apply to strollers, ecv, and people. The largest mass must yield to the smaller mass. ECV' s yield to everything, strollers yield to people, and people have right-away.

 

[ford91exploder]

Example the pusher of the doublewide who ran over an old man and knocked my DW over as well at Epcot last year, Did not even stop she was so self absorbed Disney EMT's took the old man away on a gurney and my wife had a bunch of nasty bruises where hit by stroller.

No I don't like them at ALL, And it's no wonder kids are fat these days they never WALK anywhere, Go to India or China and see if you see a stroller in the cities or even the Nordic countries there are strollers there but I've never seen one with a child over 2yrs of age in one.

 

[Britt]

EEk, some harsh statements. Kids=strollers. Should we never shop in a mall because there are, heavens forbid, children in strollers? I hope the stroller haters never step foot in a Disney Store or Toys R' Us because low and behold, there they are. Hershey Park, Six Flags...there they are again.

Amusement Parks are made for children and adults alike. I am not going to not take my children anywhere simply because they cannot walk yet or because they are too young to sustain a few hours of walking. While I agree that a 7 year old can walk (we've all seen the older children getting pushed by the rentals), a 2 year old cannot and thus needs a stroller. I am not one of those people who runs over people, but if everyone was a little courteous, then it would all be fine. PLus, your phone can wait, you're on vacation, so look up from your phone and enjoy the sights.

Right?? And suggesting that a kid of ANY age shouldn't be at the DISNEY parks...a label for kids. Adults can love it too...we spend the money there. But ultimately....a place where kids can be KIDS. The idea that parents shouldn't bring kids, baby's, toddlers - to these theme parks because the strollers annoy adults, is just laughable.

 

[ford91exploder]

I just returned from 10 days of pushing a double stroller around the parks and the reason people are getting hit in the legs so often is because they are morons, plane and simple. I never realized how often people have their heads buried in their phones or are looking right and walking left. The next time any of us gets hit by a stroller, ask yourself what you were doing. I had one person, head buried in their phone walk straight into the front of the stroller. I saw them coming, stopped and put out my hand to stop him dropping onto my kids. This was a full grown adult. Another beauty was the guy looking right and walking left who fell over the front of my stroller which was once again still as I saw it coming.

Now my mom can be considered one of the terrorist stroller pushers but the only time she hit someone was intentionally. As we crossed the street before a parade people were blocking the walk way. This guy was asked to move by a CM twice and said he had nowhere to go...with no one behind him. so my mom ran over his leg. Life Lessons.

Even without the stroller the amount of people who can't manage to look where they are walking is unbelievable. IF we were to bury a shoulder into a few of them it might change things. Or maybe my bitterness comes from working in a college where no one has looked up from their screens in years, not even when crossing the road and not after 2-3 kids get hit each year. Natural Selection I believe they call it.

That was just my experience, but i generally pay attention to what I am doing. I did see some people rally car racing through crowds with their strollers and scooters, so yes there are some real winners. But I have to defend the generalizations as I could have hit many people if i hadn't stopped walking. By simply walking in straight line I could have hit probably a t least 2 people a day.

YOU HIT THEM ITS YOUR FAULT it does not matter if they are preoccupied with some other matter, And you THINK IT'S OK for your mother to physically ASSAULT someone with a stroller. If she had done that to me I would have pressed charges and made SURE they stuck.

I did have someone whacking me with a stroller at a parade because she wanted her kid to have a front row seat, I told her if she did it ONCE more I was going to call 911 and inform them I was being assaulted by a stroller.

YOU are the canonical example of why people despise strollers at WDW. Just think of the life lesson your mother is teaching your children, It's OK to assault someone if you can't get your way what a great lesson to be teaching your kids.

 

[unkadug]

Ban the strollers and ban the smart phones....


Problem solved.

 

[unkadug]

YOU HIT THEM ITS YOUR FAULT it does not matter if they are preoccupied with some other matter, And you THINK IT'S OK for your mother to physically ASSAULT someone with a stroller. If she had done that to me I would have pressed charges and made SURE they stuck.

I did have someone whacking me with a stroller at a parade because she wanted her kid to have a front row seat, I told her if she did it ONCE more I was going to call 911 and inform them I was being assaulted by a stroller.

YOU are the canonical example of why people despise strollers at WDW. Just think of the life lesson your mother is teaching your children, It's OK to assault someone if you can't get your way what a great lesson to be teaching your kids.

What a wuss. Man up...and quit abusing the legal system. People like you suing over every little perceived injustice is what is clogging up the judicial system.

 

[MarkTwain]

As a CM, I've seen it both ways. Just the other night I had to yell at a dad to slow down as he full-on sprinted through the park with a double-wide stroller; I thought he was going to kill somebody. I've also seen more carelessness from people with their noses buried in their phones than I can count. You can point fingers on both sides.

 

[ToTBellHop]

YOU HIT THEM ITS YOUR FAULT it does not matter if they are preoccupied with some other matter, And you THINK IT'S OK for your mother to physically ASSAULT someone with a stroller. If she had done that to me I would have pressed charges and made SURE they stuck.

I did have someone whacking me with a stroller at a parade because she wanted her kid to have a front row seat, I told her if she did it ONCE more I was going to call 911 and inform them I was being assaulted by a stroller.

YOU are the canonical example of why people despise strollers at WDW. Just think of the life lesson your mother is teaching your children, It's OK to assault someone if you can't get your way what a great lesson to be teaching your kids.

Eh, not really true. If you are driving and someone physically walks into your car and dies because they weren't paying attention, it is highly unlikely that you'll go to prison. Grandma running someone down is messed up, though.

It is certainly the case that people with smart phones don't pay attention while walking, driving, and flying airplanes. Unfortunately, Disney is now demanding the use of smart phones if we wish to do anything at WDW, so it seems we had better get used to the absence of focus. Of course, parents of children are also never entirely focused on the world around us, are we?

 

[ford91exploder]

What a wuss. Man up...and quit abusing the legal system. People like you suing over every little perceived injustice is what is clogging up the judicial system.

Not being a wuss - I'm not letting someone else to use violence to get their way no matter how 'mild' the violence appears, What I'd like to do would be get ME placed in jail, So I'll settle for pressing criminal charges and let THEM deal with the consequences of their actions.

 

[unkadug]

Not being a wuss - I'm not letting someone else to use violence to get their way no matter how 'mild' the violence appears, What I'd like to do would be get ME placed in jail, So I'll settle for pressing criminal charges and let THEM deal with the consequences of their actions.

I would hardly call being run over by a 15 pound stroller because I have my legs stretched out as violence. And every Judge in the country would laugh this case out of court and probably slap you with the court costs as well.

 

[ford91exploder]

Eh, not really true. If you are driving and someone physically walks into your car and dies because they weren't paying attention, it is highly unlikely that you'll go to prison. Grandma running someone down is messed up, though.

It is certainly the case that people with smart phones don't pay attention while walking, driving, and flying airplanes. Unfortunately, Disney is now demanding the use of smart phones if we wish to do anything at WDW, so it seems we had better get used to the absence of focus. Of course, parents of children are also never entirely focused on the world around us, are we?

At least in my state if you - made NO ATTEMPT to stop and there was sufficient distance for you to be able to ATTEMPT a stop yes you would be in a 'room without a view'.

In the case where someone darted out in 10' in front of you - no it would be considered evolution in action.

In our case it was a young woman in jogging clothes who ran down two people with her stroller, No pause no stop just kept going - we did not bother to chase as we were focused on getting the old man help as he went down hard I was at least able to catch DW.

 

[ford91exploder]

I would hardly call being run over by a 15 pound stroller because I have my legs stretched out as violence. And every Judge in the country would laugh this case out of court and probably slap you with the court costs as well.

With 2 8+ Year old kids it was a couple HUNDRED pounds which qualifies as a weapon in any jurisdiction. A bump with a stroller or grocery cart in close quarters it's inevitable that you will get bumped and it's an accident and falls under the c--p happens category

Someone repeatdly slamming a couple hundred pounds of weight into your ankles which left bruises for 3 weeks is an assault and battery situation

Sorry to burst your bubble.

 

[unkadug]

With 2 8+ Year old kids it was a couple HUNDRED pounds which qualifies as a weapon in any jurisdiction. A bump with a stroller or grocery cart in close quarters it's inevitable that you will get bumped and it's an accident and falls under the c--p happens category

Someone repeatdly slamming a couple hundred pounds of weight into your ankles which left bruises for 3 weeks is an assault and battery situation

Sorry to burst your bubble.

You and I are talking two totally different scenarios here.
If I'm sitting on main street with my legs sticking out and you run over my legs because I didn't move when told twice by a CM, then it is MY FAULT and I certainly have no leg to stand on (pun intended) in a court of law.

 

[The Tuna]

I understand the necessity of strollers in some cases. But most of the time they're unnecessary four-wheeled annoyances and hazards used by lazy parents and their spoiled kids. Look at old pictures of Disneyland and WDW. How many strollers do you see in them? Damn few. However did kids and parents manage to navigate the parks back then without a kiddie wheelbarrow to chaffeur the kids around in? What has changed since then? It makes me sick to look at Fantasyland buried under a sea of strollers. So no sympathy from me, sorry. If your kid is too small to walk around WDW, wait until he/she is older before you visit the park. If he/she is too spoiled/lazy/fat/whatever to walk around the park without a stroller then SHAME ON YOU AS A PARENT. JMHO.

What does me having a sick kid and a baby in a stroller have to do with people who can't look where they are going? At which point was I asking for sympathy for me? You should have sympathy for the morons who can't watch where they are walking? I have never been hit by anything as I keep my head up and watch where I am going. I also tell my children the same and tell my my family members to not be morons when they cut people off because they aren't aware of whats around them. Why should be people have to wait until there kids are 8 and can spend a week walking 5-10 miles a day to go to WDW? SO you can walk around with your head in your phone? a 1 and 5 year old arent allowed to go anymore because they can't walk or are sick? Ignorance abounds it seems. I actually had to rent a stroller on day 2 because my son was unable to walk due to getting sick on the plane down there. Playing two sports and swimming definitely doesnt make him fat or me a lazy parent. I think it would have made me a terrible parent to make him walk or make him sit in the hotel room so as not to get in your way while your aren't looking.