Strollers on busses and monorails.

[Darklord77]

My kids and I now play "Who can spot the oldest looking kid in a stroller" when we are at Disney. Banning strollers would completely ruin our fun!

 

[BlackMagicWoman]

The solution is clearly to put the adults in strollers also. If everyone is in a stroller, you can't complain about the strollers. Solution courtesy of Harrison Bergeron.

I actually don't understand the logic that granted people with folded up strollers seats on the monorail. I would just walk around with a folded umbrella stroller.

 

[OKW Lover]

Disney is for kids

Disney is also for adults.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

didn't even get to 2nd page before the "Disney is for kids and not for the rest of you" got pulled out.

Honestly, no matter what you have on a bus you will have to take the kid(s) out and fold it. Right now on the monorail you will only have to do that if you have one of those triple width ones the size of a Sherman tank and you can't get it through the doors. That does happen occasionally. There's also that big ferry boat, you could drive a Volkswagen onto that.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

recently been run over by strollers with no effort at apology by the parents pushing them

1) We have a solution for this.
2) AND IT WORKS.
3) We carry a glass, of water, without a lid), with Grape Koolaid added.
4) When we are hit my a stroller or ECV, we turn around "startled" and SOMETIMES the grape Kooliaid lands on the stroller or ECV.
5) OF COURSE, this is a reaction to suddenly being struck.
6) it is a shame, but operators of ECV's and stroller pushers should be able to watch out for other guests.

 

[BlackMagicWoman]

I'm usually pretty laid back about getting hit by a scooter or stroller. Especially since it's usually my mother intentionally hitting me with the scooter.

Seriously, as long as it isn't repetitive, it happens. It's crowded. I don't really let it get to me.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Whatever happened to umbrella strollers? I had one that has a sun visor and small storage basket. It folded up super small and was very easy to maneuver through WDW crowds - that thing could turn on a dime.
Why do folks have to use strollers larger than some compact cars?
This is truly a genuine question, absolutely no snark intended.

 

[cranbiz]

Wheelchairs and scooters on buses have to be a certain size, this size is defined by the ADA. This is because the scooter or wheelchair has to fit in the space allocated for the tie downs.

Strollers do not have a legally defined size limit. While the condition of the stroller can be enforced for transportation on a bus (folded) for safety reasons it becomes very difficult to enforce an arbitrary size limit. Buses are regulated by the DOT. Rules and regulations are mostly set by the DOT. The monorail, while also regulated by the DOT has different rules because the space inside.

 

[peg110]

A little bit of courtesy and respect can go quite a long way...

EXACTLY. I so agree with this. The problem is, that it's lacking a lot.

Disney could move a whole lot more people quickly if it weren't for the large, unfolded strollers. I would suggest banning unfolded strollers from the non-resort monorail as parents can use the ferry instead. For monorail guests, how about having a couple of cars dedicated to people with unfolded strollers, again so more people can be moved quickly? Parents would then have the choice of folding their stroller or waiting for room on the "unfolded stroller" car.

What about guests that are not staying on property? If they are going to "BAN" they need to do it across the board. Your suggestion is like saying that selfie sticks are banned except for Guests who sty in the Deluxe resorts. Either ban them or don't. As Andrew015 points out, it's more of a courtesy thing then anything else. Even if someone did have a triple wide stroller.

The solution is clearly to put the adults in strollers also. If everyone is in a stroller, you can't complain about the strollers. Solution courtesy of Harrison Bergeron.

I actually don't understand the logic that granted people with folded up strollers seats on the monorail. I would just walk around with a folded umbrella stroller.

Having a folder up stroller doesn't grant anyone the right to a seat. Courtesy is what should allow someone who should need a seat (regardless if they are older, a small child or a parent with a large load of items to keep track of including stroller, kid and bags). As far as I am aware, it's really only mandated for those with handicaps. Everything else is courtesy. Chivalry is not dead for all of us and nor should it be.

Whatever happened to umbrella strollers? I had one that has a sun visor and small storage basket. It folded up super small and was very easy to maneuver through WDW crowds - that thing could turn on a dime.
Why do folks have to use strollers larger than some compact cars?
This is truly a genuine question, absolutely no snark intended.

I agree but let's face it, when you have kids AND you are on a budget, the larger stroller to carry the diapers, food/drinks/snacks, camera, change of clothes (depending on weather, time of year, etc..) Sun Screen, or whatever it is you feel you need, it's MUCH easier to push it around in the basket underneath a big stroller as opposed to an umbrella stroller which can essentially only hold the Kid (not much else)

Before the argument expands on this, it's like your right to choose an Audi A5 over a Chevy Spark or vice verse. Do whatever works for you but do it with consideration of how it can impact others and not JUST yourself.

 

[peg110]

1) We have a solution for this.
2) AND IT WORKS.
3) We carry a glass, of water, without a lid), with Grape Koolaid added.
4) When we are hit my a stroller or ECV, we turn around "startled" and SOMETIMES the grape Kooliaid lands on the stroller or ECV.
5) OF COURSE, this is a reaction to suddenly being struck.
6) it is a shame, but operators of ECV's and stroller pushers should be able to watch out for other guests.

I like this. While I haven't been run over too much (either by ECV's or Strollers) as I try to be aware when they are around and stay out of their way, if it becomes an issue, I would seriously consider this as an option.

 

[smiths02]

With the size of our stroller (smaller for a double stroller) and twin toddlers and a 9 year old...I think we took up way more room riding the bus with the stroller folded, trying to hold on to the stroller, 3 kids, and our stuff than we did on the monorail with the twins and our stuff in the stroller.

ETA: That is why we drove everywhere except MK.

 

[missbrooke06]

I'm sort of shocked this is a discussion. It would never occur to me to leave my stroller unfolded on the bus. Where do they go so others can get through?

 

[peg110]

With the size of our stroller (smaller for a double stroller) and twin toddlers and a 9 year old...I think we took up way more room riding the bus with the stroller folded, trying to hold on to the stroller, 3 kids, and our stuff than we did on the monorail with the twins and our stuff in the stroller.

ETA: That is why we drove everywhere except MK.

That's a good point too, The stroller doesn't necessarily take up less room folded. I know ours (when we did use it) would fold flat taking up a larger foot print when folded. Only if held up and balanced on the 2 front wheels would it take up less space. If dealing with carrying kids and "Stuff" I can definitely see taking up more space.

Again, I think the key is courtesy. No one solution is right. In some cases folding it up is the right choice, in others, maybe not, in ALL cases courtesy (from both the person with the stroller and others around) is important.

 

[7series]

This conversation is amazing. And sad. There are some good suggestions here, but other comments are so sad. Strollers and the like are not just transportation for kids, they hold a lot of stuff. Stuff that you need when running around with kids, which is a challenge. If Disney required that they all be folded, then people be complaining about having to wait while people got all their stuff situated. Any time you are in a place full of crowds you are going to have people invade your precious space. I have only had one stroller run into me, and I survived with no hospitalization or lasting injury, but I have had dozens of walking adults run into me or someone in our group because they weren't looking where they were going, or because they just had to be in front of us in line, even though we were there first. Why don"t they just ban people from the parks? Then no one will have any reason to whine or fuss about what a horrible inconvenience others around them are, and no one will have to come up with responses like intentionally throwing drinks on people's children. Amazing. And sad. Why has our society become so self-centered?

Sorry for the rant, but one of my pet peeves is the way America has turned into a nation full of people looking for things to be offended by, or things to complain about as thought they are huge problems when in the grand scheme of things they couldn't be less significant.

 

[BlackMagicWoman]

Having a folder up stroller doesn't grant anyone the right to a seat. Courtesy is what should allow someone who should need a seat (regardless if they are older, a small child or a parent with a large load of items to keep track of including stroller, kid and bags). As far as I am aware, it's really only mandated for those with handicaps. Everything else is courtesy. Chivalry is not dead for all of us and nor should it be.

I don't know the law in FL in NYC and NJ certain seats are for the elderly and handicapped by law. I still don't get the idea that the person with the stroller should get the seat out of courtesy. Why? Probably half the bus, has kids or bags or strollers, or sciatica. It becomes very subjective with people looking for obvious disabilities. That being said when dd was younger, I folded up the stroller, even if she was sleeping. That is the courteous thing to do IMO. I could decide not to fold up my stroller but then someone else who is tired at the end of the night might have to wait for another bus. I'm not really willing to do that.

 

[kollerbear]

I'm sure many of you have experienced the flip side of this, too, but my eyes were genuinely opened when I began pushing my grandmother in a wheelchair in crowded public places. Now that my eyes are opened to it, I see it happening all the time, especially at the parks... People in a crowd cut off and step in front of wheelchairs, ecvs, and strollers constantly. If you leave room ahead of you to avoid clipping ankles in the case of a sudden stop, people force their way into that spot. School aged kids especially are liable to jump in front, weave in front of you... Gosh once a kid almost sat in my grandma's lap. Try to pay attention to large wheeled "vehicles" and give them a little room. Try to let them stay with others in their party if you can as a courtesy. I honestly think a lot of this goes both ways... In crowds, wheeled "vehicles" move so so so slowly relative to everyone else, try to be considerate and let them move with traffic, even if that means giving them extra space. These days I will purposely slow down and "block" my lane of foot traffic to let large ecvs or strollers merge, move, or stay with their party. Without these courtesies people can become truly stuck and trapped in crowded situations. Not that there can't be inconsideration on both sides, but I truly see and have experienced people being inconsiderate of those in chairs and strollers more often than the opposite. Slowing down and not crowding those in vehicles, including ecvs, wheelchairs, and strollers helps everyone stay safe.

 

[DDLand]

I will say this, WDW draws from areas from all across the country and world. People have a wide set of expectations and understandings of what is appropriate at WDW. Think about this, you have the same people who live in New York who are frankly just natives of the crowds next to people who have lived in small towns most of their lives with little to no experience in crowded scenarios like WDW. Having done a fair amount of traveling and living in DC, NYC, and across America it's amazing how different people's behaviors are. I did some things in NYC that I would never even think of doing in a different place. It would horribly rude, but in big cities like London it's the norm. Mass transit like Monorails are fairly commonplace for a large chunk of WDW guests, but another huge amount hardly ever ride Monorails or trains.

Expectations are different.

Some may get angry about getting cut off by stroller, some may get angry that their stroller got cut off. A big contributer to that is WDW is a major cultural melting pot from all across it's region. There's no way everyone's going to be satisfied, but I think the stroller put away crowd are probably on the right side of history.

I'd say Disney should probably consider implementing this ban for three reasons, and not because I hate strollers.
1) Attendance is continuing to rise by leaps and bounds each year, it may have been okay when the monorail and ferry had to transport a large chunk of 14 million a year, but now that MK is pushing 20 million+ the infrastructure is being strained. If the monorails feel more crowded, that's because they are. Saving valuable space would improve the experience for everyone while also allowing for greater capacity. If you can fit 4 people in the space of one stroller that's just hugely inefficient.
2) Liability is always a problem, and having the strollers open seems like it could be a source. Why would Disney crack down now when they had allowed for decades? Good question. Why did Disney ban riding in the cockpit after decades? Because it only took one event to set them off. A crash, a sudden jerky stop, guest complaints, etc.
3) Disney can boost rentals of their strollers at the gate = $. Just a thought.

Of course all this is pure conjecture, but interesting nonetheless. There's been no signal yet, so no worries.

Though I certainly wouldn't rule it out in the future.

 

[BlackMagicWoman]

The Walt Disney World Monorail System operates from one hour prior to earliest park opening until one hour after latest park closing. Please note that no luggage or alcohol of any type is permitted on the monorail. All strollers must be folded and stowed out of the aisle. Medical strollers for Guests with disabilities will be treated as wheelchairs.

Apparently they are also supposed to be folded on the monorail.

 

[DDLand]

Apparently they are also supposed to be folded on the monorail.

Well props to you for actually doing a little research, and I'll keep that in mind

 

[dinolounger]

It's crowded. I don't really let it get to me.

You have a stronger constitution than I do. Sights like the below have led me to rethink why I spend money on being a DVC member.