New golf cart rules, you need insurance if not using disney carts!

[Mle8308]

yeah that was the old policy as well so no change. It's still allowing 3rd party vendor rentals (done off property) but now the vendors (cart only, cart-bundled-with-rental-trailer) will have to create a means to offer SPECIFIC insurance coverage for the cart rental part. Like rental car companies do.

There will be a pause now while the vendor community adjusts and can produce this offering. But they can and will.

The Bricker article linked above leaves out a few key facts.

What's left out is that the CURRENT insurance the vendors carry does not extend to the person who RENTS the cart. But again, if the car rental companies can figure this out, it's the same thing.

Note that for personal carts, they're not asking to see the sales invoice of the guest when he BOUGHT the cart. It's not about who owns the cart, it's whether or not the guest using the cart at the Fort has proper insurance coverage.

Geez, any one ever rented a car at the airport?

Bama Ed

Agree, pretty much what I said!

 

[Sjm9911]

Right, and it caught everyone off guard. I talked to the rental people, and they talked to thier lawyers this morning. They are still working on it. Meanwhile, I will check other avenues.

 

[bama_ed]

Oh and all this rigamarole will end up being another rule that's not enforced or checked after the 1st week or until there is an "incident" and Disney can wash their hands of any liability by pointing to the rule.

There's LOTS of Fort rules that aren't checked or enforced.

But they're there to cover Disney's rear end "just in case" when the need arises.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I plan to read and understand my liability while on Disney property and think it should be taken serious because Disney will .

 

[Sjm9911]

Ok , ordered a disney cart, gave them the dates I wanted it for, and it wasn't sold out. When the sent me the reservation, it was for my whole stay and not the dates I wanted. Lol. So tomorrow back to the phone......

 

[mco65]

Oh and all this rigamarole will end up being another rule that's not enforced or checked after the 1st week or until there is an "incident" and Disney can wash their hands of any liability by pointing to the rule.

There's LOTS of Fort rules that aren't checked or enforced.

But they're there to cover Disney's rear end "just in case" when the need arises.

ah, there's the rub!

 

[Becky Mouse]

Is it still 1 year in advance for booking DIsney golf carts?

 

[bama_ed]

Is it still 1 year in advance for booking DIsney golf carts?

Yes. From the FW website on disneyworld.com:



Bama Ed

 

[StormyCA]

Just looked at Meacham's website. They state they will no longer be doing golf cart rentals.

"Unfortunately, due to changes at Disney’s Fort Wilderness campground, we no longer can offer Golf Cart rentals, fire pit rentals or Grill rentals. If you already have one of those rentals on your reservation, we will be working to remove that from your reservation. If you have already paid for one of those rental items, we will refund your credit card on file. Sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused"

 

[happycamper47]

Our GC is covered under our homeowner's insurance. Check out your policy or call your agent.

Usually only on a Golf Course or off road, if it is on a roadway with traffic it requires as separate policy. As was mentioned above it is cheap, Progressive is less than $100 a year.

 

[tinkerjo]

Just looked at Meacham's website. They state they will no longer be doing golf cart rentals.

"Unfortunately, due to changes at Disney’s Fort Wilderness campground, we no longer can offer Golf Cart rentals, fire pit rentals or Grill rentals. If you already have one of those rentals on your reservation, we will be working to remove that from your reservation. If you have already paid for one of those rental items, we will refund your credit card on file. Sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused"

Oh no!!! So sad!!! This was going to save me a ton of money. Don’t know that I’m willing to pay Disney’s fee for a cart.

 

[bama_ed]

Oh no!!! So sad!!! This was going to save me a ton of money

I wonder how this went from just golf carts to fire pits and grill rentals ....

Are the vendors trying to lower their liability risk in the extreme?

.... what if they didn't check the tire pressure in all the rented trailer tires EVERY day (even on the rentals they have at the Fort). The tires might EXPLODE!

That means the only SAFE thing to do is to take the tires off the trailers once they're at the Fort.

It WOULD reduce the risk of tire explosion.

Bama Ed

PS - I'm just following over-reaching actions to their logical conclusions...
Helen Keller could see where this is going.
Ray Charles too.
And Disney don't care.
Not in Dapper Dans 4-part Har-Mo-Nee.

 

[tinkerjo]

I still have a year before my stay. Hopefully things will change back?? The golf cart was part of the reason we booked.

 

[Sjm9911]

I wouldn't bet on it going back. Disney was loosing money to fair value vendors. So they blocked them ro get all the $$$$. It will not change.

 

[team bradfield]

I rented from an offsite vendor years ago, when they actually bought it to your site, it was a 4 seater but extremely small, we always fit our 3 kids and us in a disney 4 seater, but this one, nope, returned it and did a disney one

 

[bama_ed]

Just looked at Meacham's website. They state they will no longer be doing golf cart rentals.

"Unfortunately, due to changes at Disney’s Fort Wilderness campground, we no longer can offer Golf Cart rentals, fire pit rentals or Grill rentals. If you already have one of those rentals on your reservation, we will be working to remove that from your reservation. If you have already paid for one of those rental items, we will refund your credit card on file. Sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused"

For vendors like Meacham, maybe it's not about risk assessment - although requiring insurance on non-Disney golf carts surely is. At first I thought it was about reducing risk (simple example is things that might go 'bang' like a propane tank or trailer tire).

For vendors it's more about their contract with Disney. If you are an approved rv/trailer vendor, I think that's ALL Disney is allowing you to provide and charge for: the trailer or rv. Not any add-ons for a cost like a fire pit or gas grill or cart - just the trailer or rv.

I don't think it's a competitive angle for the vendors since Disney doesn't offer their own fire pit rental or grill rental (and Disney had rules about allowable fire pits which I'm sure the vendors followed). And the vendors can probably still throw in a couple folding chairs to sit in outside since there is no additional charge for those. But the prior bundle was pretty attractive and I'm sure that add-on costs were reasonable.

Our sleepy little golden secret place at WDW is changing and the rate of change seems to be accelerating.

Bama Ed

PS - which makes me wonder how soon the construction behind Pioneer Hall will resume.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

@bama_ed Maybe some folks need to corner a bus driver and sweat the truth out of him/her

 

[Stratman50th]

@bama_ed Maybe some folks need to corner a bus driver and sweat the truth out of him/her

There are several bus drivers who live here in my community. Maybe I'll ask next time I see one.

 

[StormyCA]

@bama_ed

Our sleepy little golden secret place at WDW is changing and the rate of change seems to be accelerating.

I think you're spot on. And I think it has a heckuva lot to do with DVC coming in and not just 'liability' although that's a good excuse. With DVC I think the demand for carts is going to increase exponentially. DVC'ers are used to everything being within a convenient walking distance (or parking is available) and at FtW they simply aren't and there's no parking (at least for now). Frankly, I see either discounted cart rates or even cart included to make up for the 'inconvenience' since they're 'paying the big bucks' for DVC at FtW. So whereas you may have had a percentage of 'Cabin-ers' who were happy to ride the buses, you're going to have higher percentage of DVC-ers who are going to want/demand 'better' transportation (ie a cart).

I think DVC is going to add a lot of cart traffic. So they may be trying to counter balance by nixing off-site carts thinking that some people will end up NOT renting Disney carts due to the cost. And/or that some private cart owners won't or can't meet the new insurance requirement so will be leaving their carts at home.

"The times they are a-changin'"

 

[Stratman50th]

This whole thing makes me angry and sad. My first stay was at the Fort in 1976. I went with my then girlfriend's family. They stayed in their pop-up, her sister's boyfriend and I were in a pup tent.
FF to 1989. That was our first family trip of many. We always drove, (except once) and went down multiple times a year. Stayed at the Poly, Contemporary, OKW, Port Orleans, (back when it was Port Orleans and Dixie landings. You know, back in the days before everyone was offended by everything). Treehouse Villas. Between 2010 and 2012 I became disenchanted and disgusted by what Disney World had become.
I think it was around 2018 our friends talked us into taking the motorhome to the Fort with them during Christmas. We had a good time! Even bought 3 day park hoppers. Two meals we always did over the previous 30 years, 'Ohana and last night before heading home, Trail's End. 'Ohana had been going down hill for several years in our opinion so that made our never again list. Luckily we still had Trail's End. Not just for the food which we enjoyed but the nostalgia of past trips.
My last stay on Disney property was our Dismeet at the Fort just after the COVID. Now they closed Trail's End. Nothing left for my wife and I there on property so we will take our travel and vacation dollars elsewhere.
The only exception is if you all are meeting there. Being only 25 minutes away I have no problem driving over to spend time with friends!