So why weren't there many strollers back in the day?

[MomofPrincessGrace]

1/3 of the kids weren't also obese back then and were in better shape.

My 40lb athletic built 7 year old gets tired after walking over 5 miles a day. Being obese has nothing to do with it. Even if you are in good shape that is a lot of walking. We rented a stroller for my daughter last year, who was 6 at the time. She was happy because she could take a break or quick nap if needed, and I was happy because we could do more in the park without having to constantly sit down and take breaks because her legs were tired. Win win.

 

[OneofThree]

My 40lb athletic built 7 year old gets tired after walking over 5 miles a day. Being obese has nothing to do with it. Even if you are in good shape that is a lot of walking. We rented a stroller for my daughter last year, who was 6 at the time. She was happy because she could take a break or quick nap if needed, and I was happy because we could do more in the park without having to constantly sit down and take breaks because her legs were tired. Win win.

Not trying to be ugly here but back in the day, my then-overweight 8-year old sister had no trouble walking an entire day in the July heat and humidity without a stroller, or a break. Not sure what that says about your "athletic" son.

 

[GoofGoof]

My parents' adult friends were going to Disney in the 80's because of the adult activities they could do there like golf, Pleasure Island, fine dining, etc. The golfing and dining were considered some of the best in the country from what I remember. Now that I am an adult I don't view it the same way. It feels like the place to go with small kids and families but the viewpoint of it being an elite vacation destination for adults without kids is gone. Plenty of adults still go without kids, obviously, but I think there is more of a stigma attached to these types of trips by other people when they hear about them. This may have pushed a demographic of people without strollers out of the WDW vacation space and more people with strollers into it. That combined with adults of 2018 having gone to WDW their entire lives as opposed to their parents experiencing other types of vacations in their own formative years then visiting WDW later, possibly plays a role in getting younger and younger kids onsite.

This is definitely all true. If you see old advertising for WDW it was the vacation kingdom of the world and the marketing focused on golf, tennis, boating, entertainment and shopping as well as MK park. The resort hotel were designed to be places to visit on their own without even necessarily considering the theme park. Before EPCOT opened it was common for many guests to spend more time outside MK then in it on a trip to WDW. Today that’s definitely not the case.

Society has changed too. Back in 1971 it was still very common to have single income families and people in general had less disposable income. There were way less options for vacations on par with WDW. A lot of people did simpler vacations to local beaches, lakes or parks. Flash forward a few decades and it became much more common to have 2 income families with much more available disposable income. Flying with young kids is much more common today. Many more alternative vacation options to WDW exist today because of that demand. Disney had a huge advantage with the family vacation demographic and has thrived with that demographic but chose not to compete as hard for the non-family market. PI was the real breaking point. When they closed it for good it was a signal to anyone without kids that they were not the target demographic.

 

[MomofPrincessGrace]

Not trying to be ugly here but back in the day, my then-overweight 8-year old sister had no trouble walking an entire day in the July heat and humidity without a stroller, or a break. Not sure what that says about your "athletic" son.

You completely missed my point. 1, I dont have a son, I have a daughter. 2, I said she was an athletic build, not that she was "athletic". 3, I was replying to someone saying that obese kids/lazy parents are the reason kids are in strollers. If anything you proved my point. What I am saying, is if I am paying for a vacation, its my business if I chose to rent a stroller to make my vacation easier. She is perfectly capable to walk the whole time, as she did when we went when she was 5. But, I realized that we all have a better time when we arent having to stop constantly for breaks. Im really not sure what you are trying accomplish by comparing your sister to my daughter. All kids are different.

 

[OneofThree]

You completely missed my point. 1, I dont have a son, I have a daughter. 2, I said she was an athletic build, not that she was "athletic". 3, I was replying to someone saying that obese kids/lazy parents are the reason kids are in strollers. If anything you proved my point. What I am saying, is if I am paying for a vacation, its my business if I chose to rent a stroller to make my vacation easier. She is perfectly capable to walk the whole time, as she did when we went when she was 5. But, I realized that we all have a better time when we arent having to stop constantly for breaks. Im really not sure what you are trying accomplish by comparing your sister to my daughter. All kids are different.

You're right -it's not about my sister and your daughter, just. The point some are making here is that 20 or 30 years ago, kids of that age were put in strollers and did just fine. I and others have made the point here that a healthy child should have no trouble trucking around Disney without any more trouble than their adult parents. Some have provided suggestions as to what is at the bottom of the shift. I've forwarded the idea that parents are lazy and ineffective and that their kids aren't as healthy as kids were 20 or 30 years ago. Personally, I don't care what you do with your kid and am not one of those bothered by all the strollers (the scooters now, that's a different story). I do feel bad for the kids who are in them.

 

[TheDisneyMom]

I don't want it to be a big argument as there are people on either side of the debate who are strong willed about it. But we'll stick with strollers because in my opinion a lot of the debate about scooters is that we've gotten fatter and lazier over time and it has become normal (yes there are genuinely handicapped people who need it today and in 1971 of course). But let's keep it to strollers.

Old pictures pop up and just like today there were kids at WDW. I went in 1991 but was old enough to be out of a stroller (I was 10). I know full well there were kids when I went too. Families and such were all around us. But looking at old pictures not only is the park less busy, there are clearly tons of less strollers. So what do you think changed? To me it is kids being as lazy and obese as they have ever been and parents being as lenient as they've ever been. Which is a bad combo. We went in November 2017. My kids were 6, 3, 18 months. The only one who was in the stroller was the 18 month old. Our three year old is pretty light and at the end of the night she just slept in my arms for the final hour (even through Haunted Mansion). So if we didn't have our 18 month old there would be no stroller at all for us. Our kids can walk just fine. Plus it is a nuisance parking it and un-buckling a toddler over and over.

We probably are going in October of this year. This means my kids will be 7, 4 and 2 and a half years old. Chances are I am going to go without the stroller (there are other family members who will likely stay back at the resort and gladly take the youngest for the day). Even with her though, I am thinking of going without it. It likely won't be needed. She'll be bigger by then, that's 7 months. It was such a pain in the neck getting the stroller collapsed and up into the tram taking us back to our car.

Anyway, that is my take, so what is your take? Without getting into a battle with each other, what is the main cause for the spike in strollers in the parks? Is it just more families, lazier kids, enabling parents, a younger crowd than years gone by?

We folded strollers, much smaller than the double wides out there now, so that peoples’ toes were not casualties. People are babying their kids and using these monstrosities as Walmart buggies, carrying all their food, drinks and purchases. The worst is having these things pushed into monorails, into restaurants and other tight places. Back in the 80’s, we were told to fold them on the monorail, or it was simply the right thing to do. But I guess Disney can’t offend the millennials. They’re entitled to do whatever they feel they need or want to.

 

[TheDisneyMom]

As a mom of two littles, I can think of 2 reasons...

1. When I was a kid, we went back to the hotel for naps midday. Parks were smaller, crowds were smaller and tickets were cheaper, so we could do this. Now my kids are out for marathon open-to-close days. They still need naps, but now they take them in the strollers to save time.

2. Today's strollers are so much better at being mobile storage units than the strollers of the 70s and 80s. My kids are 7 and 4 so we are almost out of the stroller years and I'm already dreading having to carry all our crap in a backpack instead of putting it under the stroller.

Two things: first, these things aren’t strollers anymore. They’re sleep number beds on wheels. Secondly, lose the “crap.” I can now go to the park with just tissues and lip gloss in my jeans pocket. Use rules. If it’s your drink, you carry it or finish it. Same with food. Send purchases back to the room (free service). Stop the “ I must carry a picnic basket worth of snacks.” Buy a Mickey pretzel and split it among the 2 kiddos. Poof! Crap gone. Trust me, I’ve been there. But it had to stop after so many years.

 

[GoofGoof]

We folded strollers, much smaller than the double wides out there now, so that peoples’ toes were not casualties. People are babying their kids and using these monstrosities as Walmart buggies, carrying all their food, drinks and purchases. The worst is having these things pushed into monorails, into restaurants and other tight places. Back in the 80’s, we were told to fold them on the monorail, or it was simply the right thing to do. But I guess Disney can’t offend the millennials. They’re entitled to do whatever they feel they need or want to.

I thought the millennials all lived in tiny houses or in their parent’s basements. Where do they keep those giant strollers

 

[GoofGoof]

Two things: first, these things aren’t strollers anymore. They’re sleep number beds on wheels. Secondly, lose the “crap.” I can now go to the park with just tissues and lip gloss in my jeans pocket. Use rules. If it’s your drink, you carry it or finish it. Same with food. Send purchases back to the room (free service). Stop the “ I must carry a picnic basket worth of snacks.” Buy a Mickey pretzel and split it among the 2 kiddos. Poof! Crap gone. Trust me, I’ve been there. But it had to stop after so many years.

I have to admit that my first trip to WDW without the stroller I missed it more than my kids. I missed the cup holder and bringing a bag with a sweatshirt for night or throwing a bottle of water underneath for later in the day. My last trip we went no stroller and no bags (my wife just had a normal size purse). It is a lot more relaxing than lugging all that stuff around and you are right that we didn’t really miss it. I did not miss holding the thing on the bus or trying to find it in one of those stroller parking lots.

 

[OneofThree]

I thought the millennials all lived in tiny houses or in their parent’s basements. Where do they keep those giant strollers

 

[Rebel_]

Technology is the first answer I think. Strollers were not made for easy collapsible yet, and the material was not super light weight and durable. The cost of one was conducive to bringing on a vacation. Rentals had not taken off yet. The parks were still an amusement park mentality, so bring your older kids that can ride the rides. Yes there is a level of obese going on today, and I do believe a certain amount of laziness. Get a stroller and now you can trek around the parks with all your stuff like a gypsy caravan.

This is me!
I love my stroller. I won’t apologize for it.
I love being able to take as much as I *might* need. Strollers have so many bells and whistles and are lightweight. I can easily put 8 ponchos and four princess dresses in the bottom for just-in-case.

I remember my 2007 trip where I thought I’d only need my double with my four kids ages 7, 5, 3 & 1. Thirty minutes into our first park day at AK I was back over the oasis renting another double. I’m a commando tourer and I don’t do Disney on a 5 year old pace.

I’m dying a little right now bc we don’t have room to bring a stroller on our road trip from NY to SoCal and I may have to do DLR sans stroller. I might rent one just for my gear....

Viva los strollers!

 

[willtravel]

My parents' adult friends were going to Disney in the 80's because of the adult activities they could do there like golf, Pleasure Island, fine dining, etc. The golfing and dining were considered some of the best in the country from what I remember. Now that I am an adult I don't view it the same way. It feels like the place to go with small kids and families but the viewpoint of it being an elite vacation destination for adults without kids is gone. Plenty of adults still go without kids, obviously, but I think there is more of a stigma attached to these types of trips by other people when they hear about them. This may have pushed a demographic of people without strollers out of the WDW vacation space and more people with strollers into it. That combined with adults of 2018 having gone to WDW their entire lives as opposed to their parents experiencing other types of vacations in their own formative years then visiting WDW later, possibly plays a role in getting younger and younger kids onsite.

I do agree with you when it comes to WDW and adults not being a focus anymore. Pleasure Island was fun.... I do miss it. I can remember a commercial where there was a husband and wife saying goodbye to there son?, and then you see them at WDW by themselves having fun without kids. Loved that commercial in general just for the fact it focused on adults only. Personally I think WDW is missing out on marketing for the no child couple of any age.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I disagree but respect your opinion. Just keep in mind that parents will have memories of the time spent together as a family, it’s not just about the baby or toddler who might not remember it.

As for strollers, they were a must while our kids were under 5. I wouldn’t consider anyone in our family of four lazy, obese, or commando. It’s simply a convenience today that makes the parks more enjoyable for all of us.

With that said, I’m pretty pumped about our first trip without a stroller this summer. We’ll miss the storage more than anything, but parking it and dragging it onto buses won’t be missed.

The thing is, I guess, my selfish wishes also add into it. I took my Daughters, there husbands and my grandchildren on a family trip to WDW back in 2008. I did it for two reasons. The first was mostly to override my guilt about having to skimp and say no to things when my kids were younger. Our trips were on the cheap and had to be or they didn't exist. As it turns out my girls never once gave it a thought that they didn't do the things or stay in the places that their more fortunate friends were able to do. They had a great time and remember almost every step of that trip, the places we went, what we did see and how they felt. (The excitement and strong sense of fun) My wife and I made a decision that we wanted not only to see their joy, but, we wanted them to remember that experience and want to relive it at a later date. We accomplished that. That reason brings me to the second thing. I waited until my youngest grandchild was at least 6 year old. Why? Because I wanted them to remember that grandpa brought them to that experience and not just be a memory for me and not for them.

 

[Biff215]

The thing is, I guess, by selfish wishes also add into it. I took my Daughters, there husbands and my grandchildren on a family trip to WDW back in 2008. I did it for two reasons. The first was mostly to override my guilt about having to skimp and say no to things when my kids were younger. Our trips were on the cheap and had to be or they didn't exist. As it turns out my girls never once gave it a thought that they didn't do the things or stay in the places that there more fortunate friends were able to do. They had a great time and remember almost every step of that trip, the places we went, what we did see and how they felt. (The excitement and strong sense of fun) My wife and I made a decision that we wanted not only to see their joy, but, we wanted them to remember that experience and want to relive it at a later date. We accomplished that. That reason brings me to the second thing. I waited until my youngest grandchild was at least 6 year old. Why? Because I wanted them to remember that grandpa brought them to that experience and not just be a memory for me and not for them.

My wife and I spent nearly 10 years before we had kids visiting WDW once or twice a year. Once we started a family, we saw no reason to change that. We’re fortunate to be able to, so the tradition has continued. They’re older now and certainly can appreciate it more, but we don’t regret those early trips at all. It was some of the best family time we’ve spent together, and the pictures and video is plenty to remind us all of those trips.

If you’re going to do one “once in a lifetime” trip, I’d certainly agree with holding off until the kids are older.

Just leave the stroller at home if they’re 5+ and able to walk.

 

[Goofyernmost]

My wife and I spent nearly 10 years before we had kids visiting WDW once or twice a year. Once we started a family, we saw no reason to change that. We’re fortunate to be able to, so the tradition has continued. They’re older now and certainly can appreciate it more, but we don’t regret those early trips at all. It was some of the best family time we’ve spent together, and the pictures and video is plenty to remind us all of those trips.

If you’re going to do one “once in a lifetime” trip, I’d certainly agree with holding off until the kids are older.

Just leave the stroller at home if they’re 5+ and able to walk.

To be honest, when we took that trip, we expected it to be once in a lifetime. 45 times later, I guess we were wrong. I understand that some people get something out of it and I am not against it. I just don't understand it unless people think the place is strictly for kids. We got to do all the rides together, no one had to stay behind and watch the kids. That was important to us. I can see where that isn't necessarily a problem for others and if all had a good time then your decision is right for you. Just for the record though, I have never regretted our decision to wait.

 

[SourcererMark79]

Stroller parking permits? Easy money grab.

 

[spock8113]

Do they still rent strollers? We rented a stroller for two kids. The light blue ones with the chrome mesh basket and fold-down seat!
Remember the Shamu Strollers at SeaWorld.

There are also more strollers because more people use them as carry-alls for everything like those rain ponchos you probably won't use.
Disney is just more accommodating as are the airlines with all forms of personal requirements and people will take advantage,
even when they clearly realize they are.

Isn't walking supposed to help make you healthier?
Again it grays the area of true need vs. alleged need. Disney can't object for a slew of legal reasons.

 

[Rebel_]

Do they still rent strollers? We rented a stroller for two kids. The light blue ones with the chrome mesh basket and fold-down seat!
Remember the Shamu Strollers at SeaWorld.

There are also more strollers because more people use them as carry-alls for everything like those rain ponchos you probably won't use.
Disney is just more accommodating as are the airlines with all forms of personal requirements and people will take advantage,
even when they clearly realize they are.

Isn't walking supposed to help make you healthier?
Again it grays the area of true need vs. alleged need. Disney can't object for a slew of legal reasons.

Healthier? Maybe. But my kids can walk the other 51 weeks of the year. At WDW we don’t like to tour at a speed dictated by the slowest walkers.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

That's really good! Your stroller patterns sound like what I grew up with. By 3, my siblings and I were walking. I think if more people were like you, we'd see a lot less strollers for sure. You're doing good by doing that, though. Don't feel bad for making your kids walk at all. That is part of the problem today. People somehow think making a kid walk for 5 or 6 hours is cruel. But babying a kid can actually do more harm than good. Of course you don't want a 4 year old walking 15 hours in the Florida heat. But like everything, moderation and good judgement is key. But I think a lot of people lack good judgement now days for whatever reason.

I don't, haha. And to be honest, they are not what you would call "modern" kids either. Just like my wife and I are not your typical modern parent. No coddling, nurturing when needed, not overdoing it and babying them and enabling them. Loving them, disciplining them, having a routine, etc. In turn, guess what happens? Respect. Yeah, go figure. The more you discipline your kids the more they respect you. And then maybe we can have a good day with three kids 6 and under at Disney World because of that..................and we have!

Who knew huh?

By the way, our son voluntarily carried the knapsack all day for us. Just think, you teach the kid to load up the shopping cart with grocery bags at the check out and you make an honest kid out of him!

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Okay, hang onto your hats here. I just finished coincidentally re-watching the "Jaws" franchise. So does anyone remember Jaws 3 with Dennis Quaid? That was the one that took place at the Underwater Kingdom in Sea World. Filmed in 1983. Okay, not the best movie in the world, and they got a little dicey after Jaws 2, but it was a good glimpse into what we are talking about today. Here is a movie from 1983 about a theme park on opening day dealing with a shark. Other than the plot of the movie one thing is noticeable in the movie. People weren't fat. Kids walked. There aren't strollers around, no cell phones either. Yes it is only a movie, but movies do tell the story about the times as well and for those of us that remember 1983 (I was 3 but remember later on in the 1980s) that's what it looked like.

The funny thing is, there were always complaints about how "fat" Americans were back then. How much more out of shape they were compared to, say, Europeans. It is funny looking at it that way because people looked in good shape then.