Future change to allow strollers on buses (with kids still in them, possibly sleeping)?

[Henlady]

I have been on many crowded Disney buses having to stand while the huge folded strollers clutter the aisle. Those strollers can be dangerous to those standing. If the bus motion throws you off balance you can easily slam against the stroller. That causes pain and sometimes scratches and scrapes. Some parents are considerate and careful. Many are not. I believe strollers belong in the underneath hold of the bus.

 

[lockets]

I have been on many crowded Disney buses having to stand while the huge folded strollers clutter the aisle. Those strollers can be dangerous to those standing. If the bus motion throws you off balance you can easily slam against the stroller. That causes pain and sometimes scratches and scrapes. Some parents are considerate and careful. Many are not. I believe strollers belong in the underneath hold of the bus.

True.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

Last trip to the parks DD was in a wheelchair - we waited multiple busses most of the time, sometimes well over an hour. It was not a good introduction to needing a wheelchair.

I much preferred when I could take her on a bus sleeping and undisturbed in a sling or snugli type carrier. We used a child-carrier backpack and even both at the same time. I've worn a baby and toddler both - one front and the other back - it can be done without waking anyone for commuting. We always folded and stored our stroller in between or under seats - we only tried a large stroller once before buying a more city/small style. Children are not a disability. DD and DS are 26 months apart, but now in and graduated college - you can do this and will get through it even though it seems more difficult than it needs to be at the moment.

 

[Lumpy1106]

A 3-time parent, youngest is now 8 - to the OP; you don't want this. Get a quality umbrella stroller, pack everything in bags, take the bags out, take the kid out, fold down the stroller (should be easy if you buy a good one), pick up the bags, pick up the kid (if needed), get on the bus. You will quickly learn; It's not the kid who you want the non-folded-down stroller for, it's your stuff. Don't bring so much stuff.

 

[LilyWDW]

No.

If you go to Disney with small kids in a stroller, then you plan for folding up the stroller.

There are just TOO many strollers for this to work!

 

[DVC Dom]

Good feedback from everyone! I like the recommendation of a dedicated stroller area under the bus to prevent walking passengers from tripping over folded strollers. Would require a full replacement of buses, so would have to be a long-term decision by Disney.

Agreed on the packing light....we've learned that just from our city living! Usually a bag or two. Our post was mainly regarding our experience with sleeping children, and we've ultimately adjusted to using boats and monorails (and staying a monorail resorts, or resorts within walking distance to a park) just for these bus reasons.

But lots of valid concerns about various sized strollers taking up space, especially some of the larger dual side-by-side strollers.

I will push back on the viewpoint of learning to deal with the struggle of packing up a stroller while managing kids. While, yes, my wife and I have become adept at singularly managing several children while having a stroller...it's not ideal, and increases the risks to the younger children if they get distracted because the parent could be physically unable to react quick enough if they are in the middle of carrying/folding equipment. While it's definitely doable (and parents do accomplish it), if there are ways to make it safer and easier for parents (esp. single parents), I'm interested in those improvements.

While strollers are busy at Disney; the parks are designed/intended primarily for kids' enjoyment, so that should be expected...but I also agree the stroller sizes have increased in years, but so have the existence of ECVs to replace smaller wheelchairs. Not a bad thing, just an evolution of modern advancements in mobility for both children and mobility-limited people, and something for Disney and society to plan for.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Yeah it took longer but was much much better than expecting others to get up or worrying about holding my child.

Shame on those "others."

 

[CaptainAmerica]

No.

If you go to Disney with small kids in a stroller, then you plan for folding up the stroller.

There are just TOO many strollers for this to work!

I think it could be viable midday. I've been on MANY Disney buses that are entirely empty except for my family. There's no reason to require people to fold strollers then.

Rope drop, park close, of course.

 

[Lumpy1106]

The hardest time I ever had in a park was DL as a single Dad. I would do that occasionally when DW had things to do and we had APs. The kids were young because I had them in a double stroller - DL so we weren't trying to get on busses. I think I actually walked from Mickey & Friends so I could keep both kids in the stroller and avoid the tram. The biggest problem I faced was NOBODY would even consider helping a struggling Dad. The Main Street train station was the hardest - hard to believe but there are only stairs up to the station there - no ramps, and I wanted to take the double stroller to the other side of the park. Try that with all your stuff, a double stroller and two young kids! It would have been easier to walk but the train seemed like fun.

 

[bumbershoot]

If they allowed that, there would be no room for seats, since most families in Disney have a stroller, and many of the strollers are massive. It works in other places because it's a much smaller number of strollers than in Disney.

Yep.

to allow their kids to continue napping/sleeping (which can be a struggle at times for those who remember little babies at that age

I wouldn't know, as I got my son onto the new schedule and didn't ever try to "keep" him asleep. If he was THAT tired, he was OUT. He slept through Disneyland's Fantasmic once, which was great because he didn't want to see it but we did. And by the time we hit WDW he was 6.5 and had zero interest in a stroller. (we literally only used the umbrella stroller for disney and the jogger for JOGGING). He walked or I wore him (not when he was 6 LOL) everywhere else.

I always give up seats and space for expecting mothers and parents with infants and little children.

How nice that you are 100% ambulatory and strong and never ever have pain or difficulties.
I hope you're aware that there are people who do not want to be thought of as too weak to stand, and there are people who do not want to sit. Given that I had pushback on many a city bus when I refused to sit I know that there are people out there who see it as an ego thing ("I am a Nice Guy and MUST give up my seat no matter if the person wants it"). And I hope you're not one.

Sorry no one gave up their seat to ensure you had a seat for you and the baby

She said the buses were already standing room. Sounds like she was looking in, not ON the bus.

She keeps getting pushback from government because their argument is, if not strapped down, open strollers can go airborne and pose even more safety risk to all.

It’s a challenging topic.

Nothing challenging at all. A stroller going flying will harm a lot more people.

I wonder if there could ever be a disability only (+family members?) bus for ECVs that go to all or a bundle of resorts vs just having two spots on every specific bus. Or maybe not instead of but in addition to - as a supplement during busy times?

Separate but equal doesn't work.

You will quickly learn; It's not the kid who you want the non-folded-down stroller for, it's your stuff.

Yep.
On our first DL trip we had something stolen from under our stroller, and that made it very clear that we could only bring what we carried. Then I watched squirrels eating food left in strollers and even gnawing on the caps of water bottles left in the stroller cup-holders. (and the owners of the bottles of water had no idea) That's when I got the Igloo cooler backpack and we truly carried everything with us. Makes it a lot easier to go stroller-free when you realize the stroller is mainly for stuff.

While it's definitely doable (and parents do accomplish it), if there are ways to make it safer and easier for parents (esp. single parents), I'm interested in those improvements.

Babywearing. You're ambulatory and obviously healthy. No reason not to start babywearing.

Trust me. In about 5 years you'll be totally done with strollers. If in the meantime what you want has been implemented you will be HATING life as you wait multiple cycles as people in your previous shoes take up all the room on the buses. Then you'll get older and perhaps won't be able to move as well, and you'll see those strollers taking up spots you could have had in your wheelchair/scooter.

IMO, get the kids on the new schedule or change the schedule to match the kids if they aren't flexible.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

think most sensible people know exactly what my post meant anyway!

Most people aren't sensible, most people are rude. Most people don't have the courtesy to offer their seats to a mother, a senior, a veteran, or someone who just looks beaten down and exhausted. I won't be cast as a villain for suggesting that people should be kinder to one another.

 

[MinnieMSue]

Honestly I didn’t mind waiting. I know how tired people are leaving the park and wanting to relax and was completely fine with it. I was never comfortable with someone giving up their seat to begin with. Also maybe some people would have given up their seat. I just never or rarely got in the bus hoping for it. Plus I’m sure plenty of other people were on the bus with littles who maybe got seats from kind people. It worked for me. I guess my philosophy is take care of myself. Now I can give up my seat or at the very least my daughter does as I have some disabilities. It was not an issue for me. It is great to know there are so many kind people in the world

 

[MakiraMarlena]

the idea of offering seats to veterans is a new one. should it be obvious that they are veterans?

 

[DVC Dom]

the idea of offering seats to veterans is a new one. should it be obvious that they are veterans?

As a military member myself (still in the service), this veteran idea I think lines up with Captain America's overall "thinking about others" viewpoint. In looking back on history, America has had mixed views on returning veterans from war (and we seem to learn from each):

WWI: pretty agnostic to their plight
WWII: pretty good (GI Bill was pretty revolutionary at the time)
Korean: pretty good
Vietnam: fairly bad (viewed as bad people even though some were drafted), PTS was not a thing, and led to dishonorable discharges vs getting mental health treatment
Gulf War: pretty good (but not much mental health treatment)
Post 9/11: very supportive, better mental health recognition

Some older Veterans (not all) like to wear their service hats, so that can make it easy. Some veterans also have wounds/injuries incurred in combat/service on behalf of our country (I.e., for us all), and they tend to be quiet about them (apart from physical wounds, think also of agent orange exposure, burn pit exposure, excessive blast/noise exposure, etc.), so it's nice to offer a seat to them, since it might take the edge off the pain/permanent discomfort.

But I think it's the same for offering it to a mother, senior, or as Capt A said...someone who just looks like they need it. More of kind gesture. Overseas, in Europe and Japan, I have seen plenty of signs on transportation that identify the front seats for not just ADA folks, but also elderly, expecting mothers, and new-born mothers. They realize that these groups just have it harder to move around then more able-bodied folks. Not a fair-unfair thing...just more of a "that's just the hand life dealt me" thing.

Reminds of "The Giving Tree" book, where the stump offer a nice seat for the elderly boy at the end.

Anyways, as the OP....my though was just to gather viewpoints from others on this stroller topic. It's not just a Disney culture thing, but an America culture thing, on what type of societal support structure do we want for supporting little children (and their parents). Much like all the conversations about what type of structure do we want for ADA people, mentally-impaired people, etc. These are all societal discussion on how we want to live together vs. always defaulting to "it's up to you to manage your own affairs"...which, in my view, is not a very healthy society. But I also don't want a fully socialized society where individuals don't have personal choice...so again, just a conversation about balance and how DisBoard community viewed strollers (with sleeping babies in them) in buses

....and based on the current poll: Less than 1%!

 

[RoseGold]

It’s the same reason they strap in wheelchairs, which aren’t that different from strollers, just bigger. They’re a big hazard when they throw on the brakes and the chair goes flying.

You can get a stroller as wheelchair tag from Disney that they might honor, if you’re using a stroller instead of a wheelchair. But they’d have to load it like an ECV and strap it down. They even block the wheelchairs on the skyliner with blocks. If you can fold your wheelchair and the rider is mobile, you can board like a stroller on a bus.

 

[RoseGold]

I have been on many crowded Disney buses having to stand while the huge folded strollers clutter the aisle. Those strollers can be dangerous to those standing. If the bus motion throws you off balance you can easily slam against the stroller. That causes pain and sometimes scratches and scrapes. Some parents are considerate and careful. Many are not. I believe strollers belong in the underneath hold of the bus.

The normal Disney transport buses don’t have room for this, or luggage. That’s how they get so low so fast to load all the ECVs. Compare to the bus formerly known as ME, which requires the much more complicated elevator lift to accomodate all that luggage space. It really pretty amazing how fast Disney loads all those ECVs.

 

[SteveMouse]

The current busses kneel (lean to the side) to make it easier to load wheelchairs and ECVs. Dinsets busses are the same as what cities purchase.

For kneeling to work, the floor must be low. Adding underfloor storage would require a huge re-engineering effort and be pretty expensive.

Getting the right stroller out at the right destination would also likely be cumbersome, especially if 8 or 10 strollers were loaded.

There isn’t a financial return for Disney. Why would they pursue it?

 

[Callie]

I don't think it should happen. With how often there is standing room only, if there is a kid in a stroller, and an adult standing next to the stroller or in front, they could easily fall onto the top of the kid crushing them.
Also the stroller would be a flying object in the case of an accident.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Yes, shame on able-bodied adults who don't stand up on a bus for a mother with child in-arms. If you husband is not "able-bodied," due to infirmity or age, then obviously this wouldn't apply to him. In fact, shame on able-bodied adults who don't stand up and offer their seat to you or your husband.

Me: You should hold the door for someone coming up behind you, especially if their hands are full.

You (basically): HOW DARE YOU! My husband's arms were cut off in a wood chipper incident and I don't need to listen to this insult!


Yes, the world would be a much better place if we were all bigger *******s to one another than we already are.

can you be sure that "younger able" person is that for sure? if you need a seat wait for the next bus. you can only be in charge of yourself and your kids. from teen years I have had a knee that could give out at any time. could this be seen by another person of course not can not tell you how many times I was asked to give up my seat until I got to the older age. of course I got looks when I said no

 

[CaptainAmerica]

can you be sure that "younger able" person is that for sure? if you need a seat wait for the next bus. you can only be in charge of yourself and your kids. from teen years I have had a knee that could give out at any time. could this be seen by another person of course not can not tell you how many times I was asked to give up my seat until I got to the older age. of course I got looks when I said no

I'm making a general statement that people who can comfortably offer their seat to others should do so. I would never ask an individual person to do so because, like you said, I don't know their circumstances.

If you can, you should, if you can't, that's fine too!