UPDATE: Policy Change for Stroller & ECV Delivery at Disney World Hotels
Walt Disney World is again changing its resort delivery policies, this time restricting drop-off of third party strollers, wheelchairs, and ECVs at hotel Bell Services. In this post, we’ll take a look at what’s impacted and what is not–at least for now–along with the likely motivations for these new restrictions.
September 30, 2019 UPDATE: What had previously been reported by stroller and ECV rental companies as an outright “ban” on drop-offs and pick-ups at Walt Disney World resort Bell Services is now something very different. It’s an exclusivity deal with ScooterBug, the company that already provides all such devices at Walt Disney World’s theme parks and Disney Springs.
This new exclusivity deal begins October 1, 2019, and only impacts bookings made with existing, authorized third party mobility device services made after that date. This means that, theoretically, you could make a reservation today for a Walt Disney World trip in March 2020 with your preferred vendor, and they’d still be able to drop off your stroller, ECV, wheelchair, etc. Ultimately, it’s not nearly as cataclysmic restriction or change as previously reported or feared…
This new restriction focuses on ‘mobility’ rentals, and is a good news, bad news scenario. First, the bad news is that as of October 1, 2019, Walt Disney World will no longer allow third-party vendors for strollers and mobility aids to be dropped off at Bell Services prior to guests arrival at the hotel, nor can they be left with Bell Services by guests for vendor pick-up at the end of a trip.
The good news is that third party scooter and stroller rentals are still allowed from vendors that previously did the drop-offs and pick-ups. For reservations made after October 1, 2019, the only difference is that you’ll need to be present in person for the drop-off and pick-up of these devices. This will cut into vacation time, but it’s the same type of workaround that some guests have been utilizing with grocery delivery to avoid paying the handling fees.
The other bit of good news is that, per Garden Grocer, this does not apply to grocery delivery. Garden Grocer “managers have spoken to several different WDW resort bell services managers and employees and we have been assured that this new policy only affects mobility vendors (scooters, strollers, etc.) and that grocery orders will still be allowed to be left at bell services.”
Same goes for Owner’s Locker and other vendors that are not in the ‘mobility device’ business. Since this new exclusivity deal with ScooterBug only pertains to strollers, ECVs, wheelchairs, and that sort of thing, unrelated vendors are unaffected. At least, for now. As we’ve seen, Walt Disney World has recently made several policy changes in this area.
This isn’t the first change of the year concerning deliveries at Bell Services. As we relayed in our Tips for Grocery Delivery at Walt Disney World post, a $6 per item handling fee was implemented in April for each package that is received through the front desk or delivered to your room at all Walt Disney World resorts. Previously, this fee only applied to resorts with convention centers.
As huge advocates (and users) of grocery delivery, this is a relief to us…for the time being. We do worry that Walt Disney World will want to clamp down this more, and a similar exclusivity deal there wouldn’t be surprising. But for now, that is not the case.
Even with the latest update about Scooterbug, this is still a developing story and we’d caution against jumping to dramatic conclusions or worrying about the worst.
As of right now, the details of this story are still coming from third parties. Namely, the vendors that deliver mobility (and other) devices. We won’t know the full details until Walt Disney World publishes the official text of the new policy. (We’ll keep you posted on any new developments on this front!)
It’s been a tough year for third party vendors and guests who utilize these items. To us, it’s not all that surprising that Walt Disney World is implementing more onerous rules with regard to third party vendors. There are a couple of obvious reasons for this, with the first being the burden all of these deliveries pose for Bell Services.
With the proliferation of third party vendors and resources about them, these have become increasingly popular. There are now countless stroller, ECV, grocery, etc. services, and we see their trucks doing drop-offs at Walt Disney World resorts all the time.
Purely anecdotal, but I seldom recall seeing these vehicles a decade ago. It’s likely that the time Bell Services spends dealing with all of this has increased exponentially in recent years. Parking and moving all of these mobility devices and refrigerating all of that beer requires time Cast Members could be spending on other tasks.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, these companies are direct or indirect competitors of Disney (or in this case now that we have more details, Disney’s exclusive third party vendor, ScooterBug). Albeit at much higher prices, Walt Disney World also rents such devices. It should go without saying, but Disney also sells food (thought we’d let you know just in case you missed the hundreds of restaurants pretty much everywhere).
In large part, Walt Disney World guests are a captive audience, and their options for these things are either via third party delivery or directly from Disney. Creating barriers between vendors and guests nudges guests towards Walt Disney World’s own, more convenient options–be that stroller rentals or even dining out instead of preparing breakfast in their hotel rooms.
This is the kind of change that could impact vacation plans for many guests, resulting in new costs either in terms of time or money. It’s unlikely to prompt the type of outrage as occurred in response to last year’s snack price increases or hotel parking fees, but it will nonetheless result in guest behavior shifts. It remains to be seen what the actual, long-term outcome of this new policy is for Walt Disney World guests. We’ll keep you posted!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of this rule change? Does this make you more likely to rent directly from Disney, or just waste valuable vacation time dealing with this new policy? Do you think grocery delivery will be next to go? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I know they say all but does this definitely include the 3 Disney approved stroller rental places. Like Kingdom Strollers ??
I love this move by Disney.
Anything that could possibly lower the exploding number of ECVs around property is fine with me.
Those who really need them can still get them, and the many, many, many who use them because they’re lazy and/or out-of-shape may possibly be discouraged from using them, or maybe even from coming to Disney at all.
Very pleased.
I highly reccomend Gold Mobility Scooters. They already personally meet and deliver scooters at your convenience. VERY reasonably priced. I have am also unable to enjoy Disney without the aid of a scooter. It saddens me to read comments from people who feel that people like me should “just stay home”. Why? Should I just stop living because i was born with a birth defect that hampers my ability to walk long distances or exercise extensively without risk of stroke? Or my rights as a human being less because of my health? Disney is our family happy place. The EVCs offered by Disney are clunky, hard to maneuver and very expensive. And as one lady said, they must be left in the park. For me, the distance from the bus to the rental location is overwhelming.
@Jeff, SMH. Not cool. Heartless in fact.
Unfortunately, Jeff, there are people who do not have an obvious disability and are thus judged as using a scooter because they are “lazy and/or out-of-shape.” I would give almost anything to be able to step onto a bus instead of having to drive a scooter onto a bus as people in line have to wait for me. Most people are kind and patient. Many, though, make sure I hear how much I am inconveniencing them by making them wait and then taking up seating space on the bus. I would love to be able to walk around the parks instead of having rude remarks directed at me about how I’m in the way and could walk if I wanted to. I will never be able to walk more than a few feet at a time. Yet you don’t know that just by looking at me. Therefore, I must be lazy. It is getting to the point where the difficulty of using a scooter at Disney World combined with the judgmental way I’m treated by so many people will overshadow the joy of being at Disney World. At that point, I will stop going. I’m sure you will be “very pleased.”
Jeff, I’m with you! I have no problems whatsoever with people who actually NEED ECVs to use them (ie: paralyzed or unable to use both legs/feet effectively). If I’m being honest though, I see the vast majority of ECV users are obese. I try not to be judgemental, but I can’t help to think that their obesity is what’s causing them to “need” the scooter. I’d bet a good 50% of scooter users fall under the lazy/out of shape category! I’m sure many people will be offended by my assumption, but that’s truly not my intent! I want everyone who goes to Disney to have a magical time…but that includes me too! As someone without a disability, I get to walk 10+ miles a day, wait in the standard line (standing the whole time), then wait some more for a bus, only to have to wait even longer once the bus shows up for the handicapped people to load first (even though they may have arrived 14 seconds before the bus came). The point is, if the ECV users could be decreased in ANY way, I’m all for it!
How ignorant! I have Degenerative Disc disease, failed back surgery syndrome, radiculopathy, and osteaarthritis with spine spurs contacting nerves and at times I’ve been on medications that made me gain 50 pounds. So NO, NOT EVERYONE is just lazy. Some of us, can’t move. I’ve fought hard to lose weight and I’m in CONSTANT PAIN to be able to lose weight and stay as healthy as I can for my heart. To you, I would look just like a normal, middle aged woman, YOU have NO CLUE as to what you are talking about. I’m pretending look normal, not sick. I’ve been on every medication they have and I’m still seeing neurosurgeons who just pass me to the next one.
The problem with judging a scooter user based on size, is that being a person with a mobility issue means a lot of exercises are unavailable. So if you need to use a scooter or wheelchair regularly, you will often put on a good bit of weight.
Wouldn’t this be a violation of the ADA laws?
I’m not sure how. They are not banning them, they are only saying someone needs to be there to accept it or hand it off to the vendor. I guess the best analogy is a rental car. They want someone there to personally accept the responsibility for it. It seems they could have just added a small surcharge at bell services to offset their time to accept and store them and kept doing what they are doing.
Nope, not a bit. ECV’s are still allowed, third party ECV’s are still allowed, personally owned ECV’s are still allowed. They are just saying that if you want to rent an ECV from someone outside of property, don’t ask the bell service desk to receive it and store it until you want to pick it up.
ADA ensures accessibility, but it doesn’t guarantee your choice of vendor for accessibility or how it gets delivered. Much of the extra accessibility provided at the parks is a matter of customer service standards as opposed to ADA compliance.
I agree it is not really possible to wait around in a hotel lobby for a mobility scooter to be delivered. The handicapped person cannot stand at the bell desk and might not find a seat either. So stopping on your way to hotel at the renters office should work for a lot of people. It if you have the free ride from Disney from the airport this means paying extra. Maybe the renter can arrange drop off at a different nearby hotel? Or rent before flying in your hometown…you can te the other to gate in airport, and return home with it. Renter in hometown probably can drop off and pick up from your address if you are in a medium to large city.
It all makes me want to open a new 24 hr scooter and stroller rental company in Orlando!
One of the reasons we loved staying at the Poly. Scooter was there waiting for us and not cutting in to the very expensive relaxing vacation waiting to sign for a scooter to be delivered and picked up at the end of the trip. Totally irritating and another reason Disney is losing us as customers staying on property.
I too rely on a scooter. Yes, you can rent them at the parks, but you also have to leave them there. It doesn’t do me any good because can’t walk far enough to get from the park to the monorail or boat….plus it’s quite a bit more expensive to rent everyday from Disney.
We are looking at a 2020 vacation in the early spring and this really puts me over the edge for staying offsite. As much as I love staying on property, it is getting to a point of insult to be taken such advantage of.
I have a couple suggestions, Rent scooter at home and take on the plane. I own mine and take it. Easier onaboard too. You go to gate and they take it onboard. Second thought is go to the scooter rental place to pick up and drop off. Maybe some of these places are open to midnight, or will be with this decision? Maybe they can drop off at some other major hotel in Orlando? I have had scooters delivered here in Las Vegas to a hotel I was not staying in. They delivered to the bell desk, and when I picked up I just said I had not checked in yet. For return it could be dropped at a bell desk in another hotel or at the renter? Check with renters to see if they can drop off anywhere at the airport?
I think Disney is going to get flack on this regarding mobility scooters.
Strollers are easier because most people own them and they are not so absolutely necessary.
Final thought, buy your own. How much is a week of scooter rental? How often do you travel? I paid about $1000 for a new transportable Pride, comes apart and fits in any trunk. Sometimes you can find slightly used ones for sale in Facebook Marketplace section or eBay, local papers.
Good luck.
Hey Laura. Looks like no one is listening to you. You are absolutely right and if folks that need to rent can’t be there to sign why?? Are they in the park without stroller or wheelchair they need???
i don’t know why this is rubbing me the wrong way so much. i think people see the word “ban” and don’t read any further and assume everything after that point. i’m not going to speculate why they aren’t there, there are many reasons, but i am positive the third party company are already working on what adjustments they can make. likely they’ll hire more drivers and shift to 24-hour delivery and work out a system to allow people to let them know when they’re on their way to their resort. people assuming they’ll have to wait around for hours are overreaching. the companies won’t want to lose business, they’ll figure out new alternatives. it’s business 101.
No, some of us have read it all and still think its ridiculous. Until you have had a severe disability, you don’t know the half of trying to handle logistics of planning what is a very, labor intesive and expensive vacation.
i had a feeling someone would try throwing that out there… yes, we have visited WDW with someone who needed an ecv. there are a lot of logistics, yes, i’m not denying that. but times change. the third-party businesses will adjust accordingly and thereby guests will still get what they need. i’m amazed people are being this short-sighted. i started out pointing out what people seemed to be missing as a favor since people seemed upset but over incorrect things. guess i just won’t try helping people out next time.
Laura, thank you for the points you are making. While I’m sure you are correct that the scooter rental companies will make adjustments, I fear their biggest adjustment will be to charge us a lot more money per day for renting a scooter. As you said, “they’ll likely hire more drivers and shift to 24-hour delivery.” The companies are not going to hire more drivers and make numerous deliveries at different times of the day to several resorts without needing to increase their prices. It’s business 101.
jan, fair point. fingers crossed it isn’t too severe.
This is crazy. Disney makes everything more and more difficult. This is so convenient for us to have the stroller delivered. As a single parent and a season passholder im done going for awhile. Room checks. Fast passes. Stroller rentals. Everything has to be an appt. Our last trip all we did was wait for people. Just trying to extend one night was a nightmare. 3 hours because port prleans was full and had to be moved to carribean beach. They overbook and never any extra rooms if there is a flight cancellation. Wish we could bring back the good old days
The bottom line is that Disney wants a monopoly on all these services. The Magic Kingdom is no more… It is now The Greedy Kingdom.
This is ridiculous on Disney’s part. Both my mother and I require wheelchairs and it is not possible to bring 2 with us. Nor is it possible to rent them at Disney. My mother cannot even walk from handicap parking to the entry nor will we be able to travel with Disney transportation considering you cannot take their rentals from park to park. As disabled friendly as they have been in the past, that is how disability unfriendly they are choosing to be now.
they are just saying you have to sign for the delivery yourself, not that you are not allowed to rent one. it’s not a ban on using them, it’s that they will no longer sign on everyone’s behalf.
Our flights usually make arrival at a time that the “meet and greet” in person is impossible. Is Disney going to start renting from the resorts themselves so that we can use them at the resorts for those long walks, etc.? Also, would they have reasonable prices for length of stay?
The person(s) creating this new rule must not know and associate with anyone who is handicapped in any way.
if people think the companies won’t adjust accordingly, that makes me laugh. these companies who rent makes money hand over fist that they don’t want to lose. if disney makes a new policy, these companies will adjust, and quickly, so that they don’t lose customers. they will hire more people to deliver to guests and come up with a way to deliver so people have them. the companies would be complete idiots to not make adjustments.
This is exactly the situation my family is in! You can’t fly with electric scooters! But my handicapped wife can’t walk from the bus drop off to the scooter rental, even if there’s no line, and generally she can’t walk to our hotel room either.
But when we fly in, how are we to meet the vendor? Even if I could accurately guess when the plane will land, I can’t guess when our Disney bus will get us to our hotel! And I doubt vendors are sitting around awaiting our call. This is a disaster.
How about a rollator? That might be easier to travel with and she could sit on it when she couldn’t walk (or someone might even be able to get her to the scooter rental sitting on it. Just a thought.
Just so you know, I fly with my electric scooter all the time. It’s actually way easier to deal with airports now, since I can be in my own scooter all the way to the gate. I mean, it’s up to the airline whether they take it at check in or at the gate, but I’ve never had any of them check it. The battery just has to be a dry cell for it to go on the plane. We rented scooters on several trips, then decided it was much easier and cheaper in the long run to buy one. I love traveling with it now. We got it used for only a few hundred, about what I paid for rental for two trips total. So you do have options still!
love people’s reactions to news like this when they haven’t read the whole announcements- folks, third party rentals are NOT BEING BANNED. disney just will no longer sign for the delivery or be responsible for giving them back to the third party companies. people have to be responsible for that moving forward. i get people who are upset from a mobility aspect, but can i suggest while you wait for your delivery you request a wheelchair from the resort front desk? my sister in law does this for her mom every visit without issue.
i think it’s a staffing problem… disney handles more of these kinds of deliveries than any other hotel pretty much anywhere. their people have other job responsibilities they have to do, but it’s almost like they’d have to hire more people to exclusively handle accepting all of these deliveries, whether it be grocery, stroller, wheelchair, other packages… if they are faced with having to hire additional people, or decline the deliveries they aren’t making anything from, what is any business probably going to choose? i fault disney for a lot of poor choices, but i don’t see fault on them here. it could come down to liability also- if a scrupulous person damages a rental, what’s to stop them from trying to blame disney for the damage? disney is just saying “nope”.
and from what i’ve read, the south americans send ridiculous amounts of deliveries ahead of them when they visit in large numbers. all of this factors in.
i’ll add, since i’ve seen it come up- the rental companies will adjust their policies. they will hire more people. if they want the business, they will make it work. probably 90% of their business comes from people using at disney- you think they want to lose out on those dollars? they’ll come up with ways to make it work and come up with new systems to deliver and have people sign for them. if i had to guess, they’ll probably have some kind of check-in app for when you’re on your way to your resort so they can meet you. they’ll figure it out- as mad as people are who are misunderstanding the new policy, those companies are working just as hard to avoid losing your business.
As someone who is disabled I think this is very cruel of Disney for people who want to rent mobility scooters. Disney does not own enough of their own ECVs to guarantee availability for everyone, but by renting you are guaranteed to have it. Also renting allows you to use it for your entire trip, whether on Disney property or off, and also getting to the resort restaurants and buses.
Fortunately I own my own scooter now. Some people may now find it more convenient [and cheaper, since Disney rentals are much more expensive than the norm] to rent in their own home town and take the rental scooter on the plane! Return when you arrive back in your home town.
I am actually kind of shocked at this decision since Disney was always so helpful to disabled people.
I am not sure if you mentioned when this will take effect. Hopefully they have given a few weeks advanced notice to those who already have made plans.
they are not banning renting of these items. they are saying they will no longer accept the delivery on your behalf, that someone from your party has to sign for the delivery. they are not saying you cannot rent from outside companies.
We are going next year with a 2 year old and a 4 year old. No way we can without a stroller (double). Now we have to purchase one, rent one and one of us has to spend the time waiting for delivery/pickup, or hope to find someone we can borrow one from (and measure it to make sure it complies with the size restrictions). Once upon a time, a vacation to Disney was marked outstanding by service to guests. Guess not so much now.
bring one with you? that’s what we do. i prefer my own, i know it’s clean, plus it’s necessary at the airport.
Bob Iger is a shareholder and is retiring in 2021. I believe he is doing everything he can to slash expenses and draw in crowds so he can cash out when he leaves. I maybe wrong, but those two aren’t always compatiable. Since when is the Disney standard of service compatible with a Holiday Inn? My guess is that this is not the last we will see of customer service slashing. How nice it would be to have permanent areas at the resorts dedicated especially for guests with disabilities, but that would cost too much. This cuts out the middle man and any responsibility Disney would take on by pre-accepting these devices. Not good for those who maybe able to fly on a plane, use a wheelchair at the airport provided by the airport, but not walk far. They rely on those devices waiting on them when they get there. 🙁 Clearly a Win for Disney accounting, and a Loss for Disney guests.
Ugh. We rented a scooter last year for our kid who a) still had not recovered from a broken foot on one leg, and a sprained ankle on the other foot, and b) has had lifelong tight Achilles tendons, resulting in walking for substantial distances quite painful (ironically, we’re going this Monday to the orthopod to check to see if surgery is going to be needed). So while the kid looked fine hopping on and off, to do the walking need on a WDW trip was an impossibility. WDW’s scooter rentals were…deficient. Meaning, you can’t take them out of a theme park, which makes it hard for people who need it for traveling in WDW outside of the parks. Sure, you can get another one at another park…IF AVAILABLE. Meaning, they often DO (as we checked on our trip) have ZERO ECV’s available for rental.
Bell Services was really great about this, both for drop-off and especially for pickup. Because of when we were leaving, without Bell Service holding the scooter, we’d have had to turn it in the evening before we left, leaving the kid without it that evening and the part of the last day before we left for home.
This is a sucky move, and one that will have an impact on people (and in case you’re wondering, no we didn’t use it to cut ahead of lines or the like).
This is absolutely craziness on their part. Yes it kept bell service busy but that means job security. As one who uses ECVs it’s a convenient item for me. I can’t walk long distances after back surgery and now I’ll need to rethink how to get it there. Now they charge you to park your vehicles at the resorts and depending on which resort you stay at the costs differ. It seems as though they don’t want anyone to come there at all. Sap e on their part.
i think it’s a staffing problem… disney handles more of these kinds of deliveries than any other hotel pretty much anywhere. their people have other job responsibilities they have to do, but it’s almost like they’d have to hire more people to exclusively handle accepting all of these deliveries, whether it be grocery, stroller, wheelchair, other packages… if they are faced with having to hire additional people, or decline the deliveries, what is any business probably going to choose? i fault disney for a lot of poor choices, but i don’t see fault on them here. it could come down to liability also- if a scrupulous person damages a rental, what’s to stop them from trying to blame disney for the damage? disney is just saying “nope”.
I’m rather confused, as a DVC member and an ECV user I feel that these changes were implemented years ago. I maybe wrong but for the last past years I have called my rental companies when near and meet them at our Resort and finished. Issues have arisen when we want to go off grounds and where we can park my ECV. For awhile valets insisted that they had to park it inside and take my key at other times there had usually been a parking area out of the way and was left to my desecration. Parking areas for me have been much more convenient for when we return it’s there awaiting me and you will not await a valet to retrieve it from inside. Disney only makes their ECVs available with in the Parks so what is a visitor to do but go to a third party vendor. I hope for our next visit that WDW makes this issue more difficult than it has to be.
Great! We arrive tomorrow and are having a stroller delivered! Will they be allowed to come back and pick it up when we leave??
I have two kids under 4-years old and used the stroller delivery on five different occasions. I was considering a vacation in January/February to Disney World. With Disney cutting out stroller delivery, I don’t expect to schedule this vacation.
Disney wants to make my trip less convenient and more difficult. I need to schedule a delivery while juggling my kids, or hope Disney still has strollers at the park when I arrive. Guess what, I can go to Miami in February/March and hang out at the hotel pool. My kids will enjoy that just as much and my wallet will be happier for it. Or I can go to Universal Studios. I bet they still have stroller delivery, and the park ticket is cheaper.
Disney seems to be on a mission of harming the guest experience. Hotel Parking Fee. Grocery Delivery Fee. No Strollers, Wheel Chairs, or Scooters. No big Strollers. At some point potential guests will get the clue, Disney doesn’t want guests.
I’m sort of confused as to why people rent a stroller at all. (And before anyone gets offended or thinks I’m being judgemental about strollers or something, I wouldn’t think of bringing my 2 young kids to WDW without a stroller)
Every airline I’ve ever heard of allows you to check a stroller (even a double stroller) at the gate FOR FREE so that you can use it to get your kids through the airport both ways. I always just bring a stroller and gate check it so that I can pick it up at the gate after we land and don’t have to carry my kids through the airport when we land.
Also, when I was at WDW in August (I gate checked a stroller then too), I ordered grocery delivery from Amazon PrimeNow and wasn’t charged a $6 fee. Per WDW’s website, “grocery delivery order pickup in the Resort Lobby from Bell Services or Luggage Assistance is available at no charge.” (link here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/mail-services/)
Hope that info helps someone out and happy strollering!
I’ve always been confused about this as well. After giving it some thought here are my assumptions:
1. I live in a big city and we took our kids everywhere in a heavy-duty, foldable strollers. But those in rural or suburban areas who drive most places don’t always have a need to own a high-quality stroller. But with all of the distances to cover at Disney World, often that old tiny umbrella stroller isn’t gonna cut it.
2. If you’re flying you’re going to take advantage of the free stroller check. But if you’re driving (and have packed your car to the gills with people and luggage) you might not have enough room for that big stroller in the car, and just bank on being able to rent one.
3. You might not realize how much you need a stroller until you get there. Our kids had outgrown their strollers — or so we thought and didn’t bring them on our last WDW trip. But once we saw them wilting in the 100 degree heat index at Epcot last August, we made the decision to rent a stroller to be able to cover the long distances (and the stroller also kept the kids and personal items dry during the downpours we experienced). It felt weird to have school-age kids in a stroller but it was the “cost of doing business” at Epcot for us.
i don’t understand it either. travelling with our own stroller is a MUST on any vacation. we fly, it’s necessary in the airport each way, and they gate check it for free. if i drove, i’d make sure the stroller was included in what was packed. i know my stroller works and how it works and i know it’s clean. why rent?
What about people who have a double stroller that does not fit the new Disney specifications? Are they suppose to go out and buy a brand new double stroller for a vacation because Disney changed their specs for strollers?
Here was my situation. I had a 5 year old. Yes, that’s too old for using a stroller, so we got rid of the stroller. But when I realized how big WDW was and how we had some tight FP+ connections, I realized that putting her in a stroller would be easier for all involved. Rather than buying a new stroller that we’d never use again, I rented one for a week. It was very easy to do. And it was really helpful. She had’t taken naps in years, but she dozed in the stroller. We could stay out a bit later so she could doze as we took the monorail back to the hotel.
I agree 100%
What in the world kind of stroller is too big for the new specifications on strollers? Honest, not being snarky question. Because those new guidelines are absolutely huge. The only ones that they really limited where those gigantic wagon strollers which to be quite Frank are too big to be in the Parks anyway. I saw plenty of double strollers 2 weeks ago when we were there. Weona sit and stand and it worked perfect for our two kids and was well within the new guidelines. In fact our exact stroller is what Disney is going to be renting in the future based on what was posted a couple months ago.
And for what feels like the dozenth time pointing this out, they are not Banning anyone renting a third-party stroller or wheelchair. They are saying that they will no longer sign for them on your behalf. You simply have to have somebody in your party arrange to pick it up. That’s all this is. People are getting all up in arms over nothing.
I can understand where they are coming from with this but I disagree with it. Open a designated area and hire people to fill this need. The convenience Disney was once concerned about and pro guest experience is gone.
i fault disney often, but i can’t fault them here. with the volume of deliveries they accept, if it was your business, would you hire more people or just opt to decline accepting the deliveries?
Our last trip the resort had no wheelchairs available. What happens then?
As for renting at the park, which I did as I tried not using one out of pride, the wheel of Disney’s wheelchair FELL OFF with me in it.
i’m sorry that happened on both accounts. but this move is not disney banning third party rentals- they are just saying they will no longer accept delivery on your behalf, someone from your party just has to sign for it when delivered. renting from outside companies is allowed.
If Disney doesn’t have mobile items available at the resort and can’t guarantee them at the parks, then we should be allowed to rent from outside sources. That’s the only reason I’m renting from an outside source… so I’m guaranteed to have one.
I can understand the food delivery since Disney provides food (though at a higher cost).
You can rent from any source. You just have to be there to accept deliver and return to the vendor.
EXACTLY ! nicely said.
they aren’t banning them, they are just saying they will no longer accept delivery or return the items for you. i understand the volume of deliveries they accept is astronomical. that takes manpower and also requires space.
laura,
We get it…they aren’t banning them. I think most people are commenting on the inconvenience of this new rule. Who wants to spend an hour or more waiting in the lobby for a delivery? Or worse….waiting for it to be picked up when you have a plane to catch and they are late?
and i’m simply trying to point out that i think people are being very short-sighted in their anger over this. i am certain the third party companies will come up with new ways of doing things things so they don’t lose the business. if they don’t, they won’t have a business anymore. honestly, plenty of comments here seem to be thinking this is a flat-out ban when that’s not what it is at all.
i don’t like spreading misinformation, that’s why i keep pointing out what this is and what this is not, and for whatever reason, i’m getting jumped on when all i’m trying to do is calm people down. i’d delete my comments and just let people believe what they want since i’m being misunderstood, but this site doesn’t allow that.
Does Disney actually have a more convenient stroller rental situation? The only option I’m aware of are the steaming hot plastic carts that you can rent for $20 daily. You can rent a legitimate and quite nice stroller for $60 for the entire week through outside vendors, and the best convenience compared to park strollers is that these can leave the park. So if you’re walking around Disney springs or a large resort you don’t have to find an alternative.
Agreed. The whole reason we rented through a third party (besides being a better product) is because we weren’t allowed to take them out of the park. Lugging little ones through Disney springs or on a bus without a stroller isn’t an option. I’m surprised that Disney banned all of them instead of picking one to be the *exclusive” stroller partner for WDW (at a pretty penny of course).
again, they are not banning these rentals. they are saying they will no longer sign for deliveries of these items on guests behalf anymore.
Yes, Laura. My fault. Not a ban on the strollers, but a significant shift in policy that affects how many people function. Still surprised that Disney didn’t ink a deal to have an exclusive dealer. The most efficient thing for you to do would be to respond to everyone on this thread and let them know it’s not a ban.
I guess I just have a thing with pointing out the obvious.
Laura,
I don’t think you understand. How exactly are we going to be there for the delivery? Let’s say I arrive at 10 pm, as we did last time when our 8 am flight was delayed for ten hours.
Obviously the ECV isn’t going to be delivered at 10 pm. So I guess the next day we’ll wait…for hours…meaning I can’t schedule ADRs or FPs for that day. Ditto on return. We’ll have to wait around…maybe miss the plane? Or skip the last day of our vacation too?
kathleen, the companies will adjust. they’ll adjust their hours, hire more drivers and do whatever is necessary. they will not want to lose any business over this. your exact scenario is a perfect example. if a company isn’t willing to adjust how they do business with disney guests, they will fold and they don’t want that. they’ll probably do 24-hour delivery to meet needs and probably come up with some sort of app you check into to let them know you’re on your way to meet them at your resort. i think people are getting too upset about this without seeing how things will adjust, that’s my point. people see the word “ban” and assume everything after that.