Oversized Strollers Banned at Disney World & Disneyland
Walt Disney World and Disneyland have instituted a number of controversial rule changes that limit use of strollers, ban smoking in the parks, and prohibit loose ice. This post discusses the polarizing policies, what led to them, and “rumors” or urban legends that have arisen since these changes. (Updated October 2, 2022.)
For starters, you might wonder why we’re revisiting this topic over 3 years after these rule changes were made at Disney’s theme parks in Florida and California. Honestly, we were just as confused when noticing that this was suddenly one of our most popular posts yesterday. Usually, posts about old rule changes that have long since been forgotten by most visitors to Walt Disney World and Disneyland don’t see a sudden spike in views.
Then it came to our attention that there’s a viral TikTok video making the rounds, which claims that Walt Disney World and Disneyland are banning all strollers in October 2022. (I’m not going to link to the video, because attention is exactly what these people crave. I hate that I’m even addressing this nonsense.)
This TikTok video has over 3 million views, 90k likes, and over 6,000 comments–many of which are treating this as real news. Despite that, the video hashtags include #fakenews and #babylonbee, which seem to suggest it’s satirical. However, nothing about the video itself would give this impression. It’s just stupid, which is about par for the course with TikTok, in my experience.
In fairness, as someone over the age of 13 who doesn’t want the CCP accessing (more of?) my data, I do not use TikTok. So I’m not the best arbiter of what happens on TikTok or what passes for humor on the platform. In its defense, I’ve “heard good things” from friends about the creativity of creators on TikTok.
Yet, whenever I see TikTok come up in the context of Walt Disney World or Disneyland, it’s for the dumbest possible things–challenges to drink water out of toilets or whatever, “satire” like this, and the most obnoxious dances ever. But you’re probably not here for my old man yells at cloud schtick.
Presumably, many of you finding this post saw that viral video, freaked out, and frantically searched whether or not it’s true.
It’s not true. Neither Walt Disney World nor Disneyland have any intentions of banning strollers completely in October 2022…or ever. A Disney spokesperson has directly debunked this “rumor” as something that will not happen.
As a general matter, it’s always a good practice to consider whether any rumor passes the smell test. Disney has done a lot of things that defy common sense in the last few years, so this isn’t always easy. However, banning all strollers would be implicitly sending a message to the company’s target demographic that they are not welcome at the parks.
It’s true that there have been rule changes in the past to limit strollers–and the company arguably went a bit too far with that–but it was done as a measure to address the ballooning size of them. A cottage industry of novelty stroller rentals was popping up, with guests bringing in royal carriages and starfighters that took up entire walkways. That was a crowd and congestion issue, and one that the narrowly tailored rule change addressed without alienating Disney’s bread and butter.
In short, Disney won’t even ban children from bars and nightclubs–there’s no way they’re going from that to banning strollers. It’s utterly inconceivable.
As for the past rule changes, here are the details if you still want or need them for whatever reason. All of these rules that follow took effect on May 1, 2019 at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
These rules all remain in place as of October 2022. However, there have been questions about inconsistency with enforcement or lack thereof. Some visitors to Walt Disney World and Disneyland have reported success in using larger strollers, including wagons, in the last couple of years. There are even groups on social media and other sites that recommend breaking the rules and using the banned strollers.
As a general matter, we don’t recommend breaking rules. Setting that aside, we think it’s terrible advice to break this rule and bring an oversized stroller to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Even if it’s true that enforcement is hit or miss, the risk outweighs the reward. If you take a stroller that’s banned and you’re stopped at the gate, it’s going to be a significant and costly disruption to your trip.
Why even risk it? Is the upside of using a wagon really that attractive? Purely from a cost-benefit perspective, breaking the rule does not make sense. The problems you’ll have if you’re stopped far outweigh whatever perceived advantage exists in using a contraband stroller.
Digging into the details, there are big changes to stroller size rules.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland are banning oversized strollers. The rules now require strollers to be no larger than 31″ (79cm) wide and 52″ (132cm) long. Additionally, stroller wagons will also no longer be permitted, which includes the Keenz strollers that have become popular with Disney fans.
Most strollers on the market, including some double jogging strollers, fit within these size guidelines. Of course, Disney’s rentals on both coasts fit within the parameters, and we’d assume third party stroller rental companies will scramble to add and remove strollers to their fleets to ensure full compliance.
Disney indicates that these updates are designed to help guest flow and ease congestion, making the parks more enjoyable for everyone. We’ve heard that, more specifically, Disney is aiming to tighten up operations and smooth traffic flow for the crush of crowds.
This is not the first time both Disneyland and Walt Disney World have done something to tighten up stroller rules. The same policy was on the cusp of being implemented last year, with size check stations outside of security, and a guest recovery protocol. For reasons unbeknownst to me, that enforcement never began and was shelved.
This would eliminate the large novelty strollers (the royal carriages that are more like undersized parade floats than oversized strollers), which have become a burgeoning small business around Walt Disney World. It’d also ban the stroller wagons that are pulled and loaded with enough rations to traverse the Oregon Trail.
Presumably, the goal is to roll out enforcement before bigger crowds arrive so that word starts to circulate about the new stroller policy so people leave their kids’ Cadillacs at home. For all parties involved, it’ll be better if the crush of crowds is reduced as much as possible.
As a non-parent, I’m not about to touch this topic with a 10-foot pole in terms of offering commentary. I will say that I’ve unintentionally locked eyes with a parent trying to navigate an oversized stroller amidst the gridlock of post-fireworks crowds in Magic Kingdom, and seeing the desperation and dejection in their face is something I can never unsee or forget. You could call it a cautionary tale, I suppose.
Next, smoking areas have been eliminated inside Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks, water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports, and Downtown Disney in California. Designated smoking areas will be available outside the park entrances, at resort hotels, and Disney Springs.
An all-out ban on smoking at Walt Disney World and Disneyland seemed like an inevitability, especially as American societal norms have rapidly changed. Real world smoking restrictions have become more stringent, with a growing number of states and cities, enacting laws that require all workplaces and public places to be smoke-free. While some Disney fans are lauding this change, I’m a bit apprehensive.
I’ve never smoked and question why anyone would start vaping or smoking knowing what we know now. However, our societal views about smoking are only a little over a decade old, and there are still plenty of older smokers who predate America’s more “enlightened” attitude towards smoking. Moreover, smoking is still viewed very differently throughout the rest of the world, and many guests visit Walt Disney World from those countries.
Like many non-smokers, cigarette smoke bothers me. I rejoice at the prospect of walking my favorite trail in Grizzly Peak at Disney California Adventure without having the serene sense of nature spoiled by smoke. I’d love to never smell cigarette smoke in the parks again.
However, I’m also a realist. I question to what degree this ban will be effective and to what extent smokers who previously were willing to jump through some hoops to light up will now just say “screw it” and smoke wherever. Out of my own self interest, part of me wonders if we’re better off with avoidable in-park smoking areas than an outright ban with guests violating that ban.
I also have a bit of empathy for the older generation, that started smoking decades ago and has been unable to kick the addiction. Yeah, it’s gross, annoying, etc., but for many people it’s not quite as simple as “just saying no.” I can’t think of an example of any popular habit about which public opinion has soured quite as quickly as smoking.
Despite many addicts taking up smoking before we knew the extent of its addictiveness, smokers are now vilified in a fairly unprecedented way. I’d hazard a guess that this is due to the unique second-hand effects of smoking, coupled with misplaced anger over how Big Tobacco deceived the public for so long. That’s all well beyond the scope of this post, though.
Anyway, I can already foresee the comments section of this post having a strong anti-smoking slant. I can also foresee a smoker chiming in, feeling upset or ostracized. Before piling onto that person, pause for a moment of empathy…and if you can’t muster that, at least pause to think about whether you’re truly better off with people breaking the rules and smoking wherever because they have an addiction and feel the new restrictions are too onerous.
Finally, there’s a ban on loose or dry ice that has been implemented starting today. This means that if you plan to bring a cooler or cooler bag to store snacks and drinks for theme park or water park adventures, you need to use reusable ice packs instead.
My first reaction to the “no loose ice graphic” was huh?! I didn’t realize this a problem, and thought maybe I missed some news about the social clubs of Disneyland having turf wars with ice cube fights at Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port.
In reality, it seems this rule is being implemented so cooler checks are easier for security to conduct at bag check. Apparently, it’s difficult to check the contents of a cooler with a bunch of loose or half-melted ice. This makes sense, and I can’t imagine many people being outraged over this one…but I’m sure there will be a few people.
To recap all of this, loose ice and smoking are banned at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and have been for over 3 years. Similarly, oversized strollers and wagons are also banned. Enforcement of the stroller rule is much more hit or miss, and some people might advise you to break that rule. We think that’s a risky recommendation and not worth the hassle, but you do you.
However, there is no rule on the horizon banning all strollers at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. That’s a nonsense “rumor” that was made up solely for the purpose of generating fake outrage and controversy in the name of supposed satire. Unfortunately, it has fooled a lot of people, who are now concerned that it is or will be a real rule. It is not and will not. Mark our words: Disney will never ban strollers.
For additional information about Disney’s park rules, see: DisneyWorld.com/RulesFAQ and Disneyland.com/RulesFAQ.
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 are your thoughts on stroller size limits at Walt Disney World and Disneyland? Pleased or displeased that smoking is no longer allowed in the parks? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments of these rule changes? 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 am not a smoker, my husband is. However, I think it comes down to money. People do not buy cigarettes in the parks. If they need one they will either turn to food or a drink, alcoholic or non. So Disney is getting money that way and also encouring obesity with fizzy drinks and sugary buns. That leads to more problems health wise. I personally think they are not thinking abou the health of people. As to the size of strollers, yes they have got bigger and many of the children could walk. It is on the buses they cause a problem a lot more than in the parks. I won’t mention mobility scooters as that is a controversial separate issue.
This next visit in May will be our last after being very loyal guests for over 20 years.
At some point it will backfire
I’m surprised about the smoking ban. Because, majority of the visitors is from abroad. We visited WDW first time last year – we are French. My wife is a smoker. She has respect for non-smokers. As an example she never smoke in our house, always outside, and never in presence of kids. Finding smoking areas in Parks was quite a challenge sometimes, but she never complained, we respect the culture and the policies when we’re in a foreign country. But, from my “old-european” point of view, I really don’t understand the total ban. It’s against business, regarding the international guests… And Walt Disney himself was quite addict, but that’s an another story ;). Smoking is a bad thing, but it’s still legal, as alcohol (and you can see guests in AK drinking a cold beer at 10 am !).
“Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.”
I can see the smoking being a problem. Right now for the most part we know what to avoid…. that being said our last trip 3 years ago we had multiple times when I had to say ” hold your breath and run” as the smoke or vape came wafting out of somewhere unexpected. My daughter is a severe asthmatic and it can be down for the day if the atack is bad enough. She is extremely sensitive to cigarette smoke sometimes I can’t even smell it before she goes into an atack. I have to watch out for the people who vape, I have hypersensitivity to the chemicals used in them. They causes me to break out in hives and can bring on an asthma atack as well. I don’t want to keep anyone from enjoying the parks I don’t know what the happy medium is. I just wanted to share ano side some might not have considered.
This is very sad. Just like everyone else, we smokers look forward to our trips to Disney World and we pay the same amount to stay there. We were looking forward to going to again this fall, but with the new smoking ban, we will not. There were plenty of smoking places in the past, then Disney World lessened them, but at least we could still smoke. We never smoked outside of those designated areas nor did we break any rules. I think Disney banning smoking is one way to lessen the crowd. If a child shouldn’t see people smoking, then maybe they shouldn’t see people drinking either. It’s just my opinion and my opinion is not up for debate.
doubtful that disney is going to do anything to lessen the crowds, that means less money for them. their bottom line is all that matters to them. more likely, they’ve gotten enough complaints from non-smokers about smokers who do break the rules and threatening not to return (thank you if you aren’t one of them, but they are plentiful).
As a non smoker I respect a person’s right to smoke. But that has to work both ways. The smoker must also respect our right to have a smoke fee environment. Having a roped off 30 x 30 section does not contain the smoke and anyone who walks near the smoking area has to ingest a lung full of harmful smoke if the wind is blowing their way. While for me this just means smelling something that I find offensive, but there are many people out there, young and old, who have severe allergic reactions to the smoke. Have you ever seen anyone have an asthmatic attack because of cigarette smoke? Not a pleasant site to watch let alone live through. Knowing that smoking is killing you and the people around you I do not understand why anyone would choose to smoke, but we all have our bad habits. I still like my red meat and a beer on the weekend. But my bad habits don’t harm other people. Disney may lose a few customers because of this rule but Kudos to Disney for putting the well being of the customers ahead a few dollars. This is also just my opinion and my opinion is also not up for debate.
As a family with higher order multiples, I find the new stroller rule very frustrating and not well thought out. We are going to Disney with kids for the first time this year. I have no idea how we’ll get by with the stroller situation.
This has started to go off the rails, and I’ve already deleted a handful of comments that are personal attacks or generally antagonistic without anything constructive to add to the conversation.
I don’t care if you’re for or against any of these policies–just express your perspectives in a civil manner. If you don’t have anything of substance to add, don’t comment.
Just like U.S. politics, you’ll have 1/3 of the people on each side attacking each other and not listening. With how often you go to the parks, would you be able to do a follow up somewhere down the road on if your prediction of guests smoking in non-designated areas has increased?
Spot on. I mean, do we really want to increase the number of irritable guests because they are jonesing? Maybe City Hall can pass out patches and gum…..
I’m am older smoker. I can go a few hours with no issue. If I’m there from 9a.m to midnight i’m going to need at least 3 or 4 cigs. More dedicated smokers will need more than that. None of us are going to want to waste the time walking to the front of the park several times during the day. Who pays hundreds of dollars to ride 3 or 4 rides? Some of the old areas were stupid. I remember being able to smoke right next to the castle 15 or 20 years ago. But tucked away near the speedway.. that was my go to spot.
I agree with you. I am a long time smoker and have tried to quit many times. I have been to Disney at least 35 to 40 times. I’ve lost count of how many friends and co-worker I helped plan their trips. Now that I am retired I planned to go a couple of times a year. That has now changed. I am what you call a polite smoker, I never smoke around people who do not smoke and only in designated areas. Why should we be punished for those who break the rules. Simple solution, escort them out of the park. I will never go to Disney World again. Not because of the smoking ban, but because of all the changes in the last few years. It’s getting too expensive. Some examples, the cost of parking at the resorts since we always drive down , selling alcohol is a big one for me since I grew up with an abusive alcoholic, the increase in food and souvineers have been huge in the last few years. Last time we were there we stayed at the Yacht Club and most of the wheelchair buttons were not working, making it difficult for my husband who has mobility issues. When paying top dollar for a resort I expect most things should be working. I will be switching to the “other parks” since the cost is a lot lower.
Completely agree! Too expensive to stand outside the park and go through security and then walk all the way back in to say Fantasyland. It would take you a good 45 minutes round trip. I really don’t think they care and as time goes on I do not like the direction Disney is taking the parks. I have no interest in Star Wars land, don’t like Guardians of the Galaxy and could care less about Tron. I may be in the minority and was going to plan an extra expensive trip with my family in two years for a big anniversary (we have been going every year anyway) but no more. They don’t care though. And for the strollers and scooters I have no issue. We all go to have a good time and all need to accommodate other’s needs/wants/preferences. Too bad Disney could not work out some better solutions but would rather make so certain people just don’t come anymore. I have honestly been beyond upset and just wish, wish, wish I wasn’t stuck going there in a couple months.
Tom, thou hast foreseeth correctly.
Honestly, I don’t see why they can’t keep the few designated smoking areas that were available in the parks. Often families visit in large groups and there is often at least one smoker in that group. Would WDW rather people just sneak their smokes? or have to clean up the nicorette gum people discard on the sidewalks?
The ice thing is ridiculous. It’s Florida, after all. Who wants to stand in a long time to get ice? The food lines are already long and this will make it worse.
I read in another article they were doing these things to reduce congestion? Really? Then
just limit the number of people in the parks each day. That would do it. They we could all
have a good time without dodging mobility scooters going full speed and running over my feet.
A better solution would be to move smoking areas off stage. A perfect example is the walkway between Space and the train station. If they made an off-stage area by the bathrooms near Space where most people wouldn’t notice, with fans to blow the smoke away instead of on the (now gone) nice path, i’d be fine with that. Same with the one by Japan. Move it farther off the main pathways.
This ban will do more harm than good. Now instead of smokers being in designated areas smokers will be sneaking cigs everywhere. They should actually make more designated areas.
You are right about that and they have just compounded the problem, they did not solve it. If they couldn’t control the few who did it wherever they wanted to anyway, how are they going to control this? All the people who are against the DSA’s in the park will now be exposed to it in the bathrooms, bushes and wherever. If the areas were not in good locations they could have relocated them. 14% of the population smokes, that is not that small of a number. They are going to lose business and now everyone is going to have a much higher chance of being exposed.
Nobody is asking you to quit smoking. How about you man up and stop for a few hours. Talk of cancelling vacations etc. is almost beyond belief and quite frankly just sad.
The smoking ban inside the park is unreasonable. I am a Disney annual pass holder but this will be the last year. It just isn’t worth the hassle to walk all the way out of the park to smoke. There are currently very few smoke areas in Disney World parks, now they expect folks to walk completely out of the park to smoke – nope, I just won’t go to Disney parks.
I completely agree. I have too much money invested for my upcoming trip that I cannot get refunded to cancel it but had I been informed of this ban months ago before I made my arrangements, I guarantee I would not be going. I did send a message to guest services about that, we will see what they say. It is really, really unreasonable to have to spend 45 minutes to walk in and out of the park several times a day for a 5 minute smoke. It is not worth the hassle and that will be hours of not getting what I am paying for. I have been there over 15 times but sadly my time with Disney is over. I have no respect left for the company at all. There were so many other ways they could have handled this to keep everyone happy. I know guest services will say “for the enjoyment of all guests”, well I am guest that paid money too and now I get to miss out or be a completely irritated impatient person. This is supposed to my VACATION. Spending hours walking in and out and going through security every time sure does not sound like a vacation to me. I will not watch their movies, buy their merchandise nor go to the parks. They only care about the comfort of some people. I am fine with going anywhere reasonable so that I do not impose my habit on others but having to completely exit is just too much. My hope is others who feel the same will complain and perhaps they will come up with a better solution.
New smoking areas outside the park, eh… I guess the “walkway to nowhere” mystery is solved! 😉
I do think it’s a little unnecessary – all the smoking areas are fairly well placed, such that you have to detour significantly to reach them. Where my opinion strays, however, is in recognition of the fact that Disney is a product highly frequented by kids – I’m not sure any exposure to smoking is a good thing. Like I say, I’m very ambivalent.
I actually wonder if this is less to do with any of the above, though, and more to do with maximising the amount of space within the parks available to guests. These smoking areas will presumably become generic seating areas, something parks are often lacking during busy periods.
The problem with the strollers comes with kids with disabilities. (Some of those school aged kids many think could be walking). I dont mean that they need some grand caravan, but the keenz was nice for like a spectrum kid to hide out in to avoid excess sensory stimulation. And they arent THAT big. I never thought of this before I was a parent to one of these kids, so it is understandable that people who dont have this experience probably have trouble relating. Let me tell you, I’m a little anxious about the number of meltdowns that we will experience this trip. This was his safe place. People have the same complaints about electric scooters. But of course they wont be banned because they are recognized as for someone with a disability.
Mallee, as a teacher, I 100% understand your concerns. Would a bob stroller work well for your needs? Bobs have oversized canopies that may provide a fantastic safe space for your child. Just an idea, as I understand you may have already tried this solution.
Well they never should’ve allowed the motorized scooters into the parks in the first place. That was a poor decision. And yes, I have been to the parks with a family member in a wheelchair. It sucks. But the scooters are a huge hazard.
My husband uses a scooter in the parks because he has mobility issues. Please do not tell us to use a wheelchair, I am too old to be able to push it and he is too old to move the wheels himself. I challenge you to watch them. I can’t tell you how many times he has had near misses with people that think they can walk in front of them. These are people that cut him off from the side and he is too busy watching in front of him.
Nick, pray you never need a scooter and thank God for two legs you can walk on. We would gladly trade a scooter to be able to walk all day.
I’m pretty sure the Keenz are still allowed, and as for children with disabilities, that would fall under the ADA and Disney must make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.
They outright banned stroller wagons. I’d assume this means Keenz are not allowed.
My husband and I are finally bringing our 2 boys to WDW this summer for their first visit. My husband and I have not been since 2005 so I don’t know exactly where the smoking sections are located in Disney World. However, we have been annual pass holders at Disneyland for 20 years and the smoking sections there are in terrible locations. At California Adventure it takes a beautiful walking path and makes it somewhere you don’t want to walk through let alone stop and enjoy. At Disneyland it’s on the trail going by Big Thunder to Fantasyland. I’m not sure if this is a problem in Florida, but in California so many people are smoking pot in the smoking sections and it reeks. It’s so bad that many times while we are on Big Thunder you can smell it on the ride. I don’t care if someone wants to smoke pot, just don’t do it at Disney in the middle of the park. I’m wondering if this is part of the reason for getting rid of smoking areas. Also, yes marijuana is legal in California, but not in public places. One day when my kids are in high school they will be at a party, someone will light up, and they will be reminded of all their trips to Disneyland. By the way, thank you so much for this blog. I am so excited about our upcoming trip I’ve barely slept in months and stay up reading all your posts!
Right.In CA, only about 10% smoke anyway….Now, if you wanted to argue that more people will light up in out of the way places, maybe causing fire danger, then you’d have a point. But honestly, when I pass thru the smoke area at the end of Frontierland, I have to hold my breath. It’s nasty. Secondhand smoke kills 50,000 Americans a year. Fifty Thousand. Smoking kills 500,000. Time to end this killer.
That’s pretty funny about the party kids. I’ve been good friends with serious stoners, long before any state decided to legalize it. One guy I worked with in college in the 90s used to buy by the pound for his personal consumption. He’s the only guy I know that smuggled pot INTO Mexico… How about that idiot Ricky Williams that couldn’t stop smoking it for a few months and screwed up a lucrative NFL career… Weak sauce.
“He’s the only guy I know who smuggled pot INTO Mexico…”
LOL. Oh man… thanks for the chuckle. I needed that. 🙂
I think all of the new items Disney implemented today. I am not a smoker, but wonder how it is going to look to bunch of impressionable children walking thru the gate, seeing adults smoking? I also wonder if this will encourage smokers to say screw and smoke wherever they want? Not dissing you smokers, i do not know the power that nicotine holds. I can honestly say, being at Frontierland and walking to the front gate to smoke would suck! I also wonder if these rules came into effect for the new Skyliner opening in the fall and Galaxies Egde.
Well, first I think it is wrong of Disney to implement the smoking ban in parks without notice. I have my vacation already booked and it has been for many months. I have plane tickets I cannot change and my package itself is over $5,000. I am seriously considering canceling my vacation for this year and I DEFINITELY will not book a future vacation. If they were going to implement such a policy they should have announced it a YEAR IN ADVANCE so that those affected by it could make an informed decision about what they were purchasing. To me that is only fair but of course they want the money. There should be at least ONE area within each park! Most of them were not in any areas that affected non-smokers. But to say you have to completely exit the park is unreasonable. If I am paying thousands of dollars for a vacation and I have always respected their rules on their designated areas, then I expect some respect in return. It is easy for you all who do not do it to say it is a great thing, however many of us started before it widely known that it was harmful and it is not easy to quit. Also all of you are now going to have all the smoke concentrated in one area in a place you can’t avoid – the park exit!! They have not only made it unpleasant for smokers but non-smokers as well. It is not the happiest place on earth when you are irritated walking around in the crowds and the heat. Good Luck on this policy Disney! Not that they care but they will no longer my preferred vacation spot! They blew it on this one!
i don’t mean to sound insensitive, but they did announce it in advance. it’s not going into effect tomorrow. but my main point is this- your anger is misdirected. be mad at your fellow smokers who did not abide by the smoking sections. when you have a rule, and enough people ignore the rules over time, that leads to a straight-up ban. if someone can’t go all day without smoking, and refuse to walk to the place where it is allowed, then clearly they have some bigger issues they should be addressing, namely their overall health. someone’s decision to smoke does have an affect on people who don’t choose to smoke. being mad at disney is not being mad at the correct outlet.
I booked my trip long ago. This has not even been “officially” announced on the Disney site and the ban is only 1 month away. For people who book a trip a year in advance, the month before is not notice. I do not mind walking to a REASONABLE location. Outside the park is not reasonable. You obviously do not what it is like to be in our situation of course it is easy for you to dismiss it. My health is my issue. I am just asking for reasonable accommodations for something that at this point is still legal. Furthermore they did not do this because people were smoking in places they shouldn’t. I have never seen any one do that in Florida in a non designated location. Also smokers have no effect on those who don’t smoke if it is a out of the way location like it has been in many places at Disney World for several year. See how well it works when you are gonna enter the park and see a big group of people smoking. Not a great image, the previously tucked away locations in Florida at least were better for everyone.
That’s not true at all. The smoking area near the speedway ruined that back walkway around to the train station. Last year, the CMs manning two merchandise booths at Food and Wine were stuck in a constant stream of smoke from the location near Japan. They weren’t happy at all, breathing that crap all day.
the reason you didn’t see people ignoring the rule is because you weren’t looking for them. a smoker isn’t going to notice people smoking where they shouldn’t, but it happens everywhere, all the time.
and you think disney is going to have smoker’s corner right next to the entrance? try again, they will be unseen, no way are they going to create that image. they aren’t stupid.
smoking does affect people choosing not to smoke, hate to break it to you. it doesn’t magically disappear into the air if you’re in a designated section. disney doesn’t stop the wind…
You people really do not get it. You breathe in all the bug spray they spray the park with, you inhale the firework smoke, the fog in the rides and ton of other stuff! Walking one time past someone smoking can happen anywhere, the grocery store included. It is just a shame that every other group can be accommodated except this group. And by the way if you say people smoked in non designated areas anyway when there were spots, don’t you think it is now going to get worse?
I agree -nasty to give a months notixe-only way to get their attention is to hit them in pocketbook
No pun intended but I think the new smoking rules are a breathtakingly bad idea. You already have enough grumpy and grouchy people in the parks. Now add to that number a lot of nicotine deprived people who may very well also have been drinking. Expect to see a noticeable increase in the number of meltdowns you observe.
Also, the only way I can see this not being a royal headache compliance-wise is if smokers are given a special lane to reenter the parks without having to go through lines or security again.
On the other hand, there will probably be a lot more people taking mid day breaks now, so maybe that will lower some of the crowding during that part of the day.
I wonder if this change in policy on smoking will allow me to cancel my travel reservations and DVC membership w/o a huge loss. Doubt it.
Good point on the re-entry line! If they don’t do that expect people in bushes or bathrooms or wherever doing it anyplace! Their new policy is going to expose everyone to it unless they have security every 50 ft. all over the park.
Regardless of the opinion on whether the ban of smoking in the park is good or bad, this is in response to people speculating about those folks sneaking their smokes. It already was fairly common, however, now the ban will probably allow confiscation at the gates. If you’re not allowed to use it in the parks, you might not be allowed to take them in. Many places have a “check your bag or anything you can’t use in the park” locker section. Wouldn’t be surprised to see a designated area around the corner from the entrance, with a bunch of lockers for folks. Or even a smokers vendor allowed to set up daily around the corner. Right or wrong, wouldn’t be surprised if this ban on smoking quickly turns into a new item on the prohibited items list.
I’m glad to see the size reduction on the strollers. They have gotten increasingly huge over the years and do block walkways, as well as make it difficult to watch parades since they take up so much curb space. I have also noticed people pushing school age kids who could probably be walking. We first went to Disney World in 1985 with a 3 year old and an 18 month old. My husband and I each had an umbrella stroller, and I carried a bag with snacks, water and diapers. Worked fine. We went back in 2015 with grandkids, ages 5 and 3, and they walked everywhere.
The problem is when you have 5 two-year-olds. It would be great if we didn’t need to bring a big stroller, but that’s where we’re at now. I do try to be considerate and feel like we don’t disturb the traffic flow anymore then families looking at maps in the walkways.
We need to know the facts before we make remarks though. My great nephew looks of school age and walks as much as he can but with spina bifida, the stroller is needed.
My partner and I used to make these assumptions before he was born!
Not all disabled children “look disabled”. You can’t make an assumption based on a three second snapshot of someone’s life.
Also, umbrella strollers are not safe for young babies. As someone who has three children spaced out with 4 years between each (not on purpose lol), we need a real stroller for the 6 month old. We will take a double stroller so our 5 year old has somewhere to rest since we have to have a stroller for the baby anyway. This is the first year we actually have the money to go and it isn’t fair to our 9 year old to make him wait another year or two.