Golf Cart Rental - What I Was Told by Bike Barn

[Lehuaann]

We are checking into our 4th FW trip next weekend (during Halloween) and had no choice but to rent an on-site golf cart last minute as an off-site rental cancelled on us, also, last minute because of the crack-down. Our arrangement was to pick up the cart off-site and tow into FW with our SUV. Anyways, surprise-surprise, no golf cart avail on the 31st, which is fine. However, I thought I would ask the Bike Barn CM questions I personally had.

**To be clear, I understand that Disney is a business. The money-making kind. I also understand that in order to have what you need, you must book in advance. I was also very honest with the CM concerning our situation prior to asking questions. For reference - we have rented twice from FW and once off-site**

Some of my questions included -

Q - Why aren't off-site companies allowed to deliver if there are no on-site golf carts available for paying guests?

A - The policy has been there forever.

Q - Why was I able to have my cart delivered to me in 2011?

A - The golf cart company was breaking policy back then.

Q - Again, why aren't off-site companies allowed to deliver if there are NO on-site golf carts available for paying guests?

A - With 700+ campsites, x amounts of cabins, etc. they lack the storage, capacity, and the infrastructure to host that many within the campground (no where to park them), so there is not enough for every site to go around. If I need one in the future, I will need to book in advance.

Q - So if every paying site had *legal-policy access* to either renting or bringing one in, you lack the infrastructure?

A - Yes, there is not enough resort space to drive and park that many.

(...not even at the overflow parking lot? )

Q - Why is Halloween day completely booked-up, yet the days preceding/following Halloween are open/available for me to book? Are "off-site" guests booking these to trick-or-treat and take advantage of "on-site" perks?

A - No, just about every FW guest with an on-site reservation is in your same predicament. There is a 5-page waiting list.

Q - Am I able to have a scooter or wheelchair delivered to my cabin?

A - Yes, that is a different division. It doesn't carry the liability issues that the golf carts do.

Q - So the other reason for not allowing off-site golf cart rental companies to deliver is liability issues?

A - Yes, that is correct.

Q - Am I allowed to bring my own personal golf cart?

A - Yes.

Q - Am I allowed to rent from an off-site vendor and bring it in myself?

A - I cannot give you permission to do that, but if there are any distinguishable markings or logos from a business present on the golf cart - it will be confiscated.

And there you have it.

Thoughts?

 

[Teamubr]

Sounds like they were prepared (or quickly got up to speed) for the conversations that would come up once they started enforcing the "forever policy".

The CM did a good job rehearsing the script.

Now here is the reality to the conversation.

As noted, there are a huge number of sites, cabins and guests.
Given the hesitation to confront guests to enforce other policies that address safety or annoyances for fear of a complaint, I doubt you would have a cart "confiscated" as you carried it in for having a rental sticker on it.​

It may be a new day at the Fort, but I would rather them confront the 45 mph cart driver or the 6 kids under 10 driving a cart on the sidewalks and weaving on and off the road than I would have them try to correct bad cart behavior by limiting the overall number.

Either way, time will tell.

j

 

[Lehuaann]

It was very rehearsed and slightly on the defensive side, I might add.

It just seemed like a lot of excuses. Why after so many, many years is this only now being enforced? Are golf cart rentals the only banned delivery?

It would be nice to have resources available to on-site resort guests before they are booked off to off-site guests just wanting to trick-or-treat, especially if cart deliveries are banned. After all, we are discouraged from using our vehicles. And with a family that consists of 2 seniors, it would've been nice to have the extra mobility of an off-site golf cart ALONG with an off-site scooter/wheelchairs...since FW cannot provide either for me.

Golf cart liability issues? It's a campground; anything can go wrong at FW. Bus accidents, perverts (yes, there was one our last trip ), and the list goes on way beyond golf carts.

Infrastructure? I know there's limited cart parking at the Marina, campfire, and etc., but I see people parking them everywhere. They are not always IN a parking space. And they are not that big/heavy to cause concern.

 

[SamRoc]

I had a similar conversation with the bike barn a few weeks ago. I still don't understand how Halloween could have been sold out for months. there are plenty of people who bring in their own carts, i do think they don't have enough carts for the actual people staying at the fort. i was also told there was a long waiting list for Halloween. i have no idea who is renting all of the carts at the fort, can it really be everyone who is staying there? or is it people from other hotels renting them. they should have other companies come in and let them deliver carts, especially since they are sold out.

 

[StormyCA]

I think it's the result of Disney's 'never ACTUALLY say no' policies. Instead let's just change the parameters of what we DO allow to 'minimize' the problem. Thus, as someone said previously, the solution is to reduce the number of carts by forbidding off-sites, rather than enforce the safety rules.

The same is true for golf carts being all rented out on Halloween. It's entirely possible that they are all rented out to onsite guests of the resort hotels. Or perhaps they are trying to curtail possible 'traffic' problems by not renting the 'surplus' out for Halloween (other than the ones that are already rented for the duration of a stay).

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I think it's the result of Disney's 'never ACTUALLY say no' policies. Instead let's just change the parameters of what we DO allow to 'minimize' the problem. Thus, as someone said previously, the solution is to reduce the number of carts by forbidding off-sites, rather than enforce the safety rules.

The same is true for golf carts being all rented out on Halloween. It's entirely possible that they are all rented out to onsite guests of the resort hotels. Or perhaps they are trying to curtail possible 'traffic' problems by not renting the 'surplus' out for Halloween (other than the ones that are already rented for the duration of a stay).

I think your second paragraph sums it all up.

 

[bama_ed]

Q - Again, why aren't off-site companies allowed to deliver if there are NO on-site golf carts available for paying guests?

A - With 700+ campsites, x amounts of cabins, etc. they lack the storage, capacity, and the infrastructure to host that many within the campground (no where to park them), so there is not enough for every site to go around. If I need one in the future, I will need to book in advance.

Oh there is PLENTY of parking available. That's what the grass if for, right?

I took these pictures of the golf cart parking lot up by the Outpost/Checkin area bus stop in March 2014.





Bama Ed

 

[ABitDistracted]

We just left the Fort yesterday and the cart parking situation was like nothing I have experienced in the 7 years we have been there.... People were parked everywhere!!!