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Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicWalt Disney World is known as the place where dreams come true, but sometimes, getting from A to B can be an absolute nightmare. As crowds flood the streets of the Magic Kingdom on a daily basis, multiple guests are getting mowed down by the dozens, and parents with strollers are to blame.
Families with children are Disney’s primary audience, and that’s been the way of the world for the last century. However, it might be time to start enforcing a few more regulations pertaining to how younger guests transverse the Parks, as multiple incidents involving strollers have ended in catastrophe.
Strollers Reportedly Wreck Disney World
Without sugar-coating it, all guests will be walking if they choose to vacation at any of the Disney Parks. Young or old, the property is immense and it will take some effort to get from one place to another.
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However, parents who try to relieve their tired tots with the aid of strollers might actually be doing more harm than good. Not only are some of the larger ones responsible for clogging up foot traffic between attractions, but multiple guests are reporting painful injuries as well.
A recent post on r/WaltDisneyWorld brought this to the forefront of the subreddit, and was very quickly met by hundreds of responses. A dangerous combination of overcrowding and negligence has earned the ire of Disney’s incredibly vocal fanbase, and they certainly have the right to be upset.
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u/DoctorSnape starts the conversation by writing,
We have been in WDW for eight days and I have been run over 4 times: twice in MK, once in Epcot and once at Hollywood studios. People don’t pay a single bit of attention and don’t care to look directly in front of them. They take up too much room outdoors and especially in stores.”
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At first, this might sound like the typical guest complaining about the crowds, nothing people haven’t heard before. However, 404 Redditors currently experience the same sort of problems.
u/dmancrn adds,
“The stroller people probably think you are the one that’s not payng attention. I’ve been hit by strollers and just got an eyeroll instead of apology.”
To which u/nerfherder813 adds,
“I used to dread crowded days when my child was in a stroller. People would literally step over the front of the stroller to try and cut through the crowds and force me to either stop short or run into them. At least 2-3 times someone actually fell on top of the stroller trying to jump over it – and then got angry with me for somehow not moving out of their way…”
With that all in mind, it’s not as simple as a one type of person problem. Many commenters on the thread state how it blatantly goes both ways.
u/CobraTI writes,
“It 100% goes both ways. Our stroller is a 2 seater, but its a front seat and back seat which means when I’m pushing it I can’t easily see the front. It’s also incredibly heavy with both kids (4 and 6) in it at this point so its virtually impossible to turn or stop quickly if already moving forward (yay physics).”
And
“The worst is when walking in a crowd. I try to walk at as steady a pace and straight a line as possible. Doesn’t stop people from filling in the 6″ of space in front of me, blissfully unaware that a giant stroller with 2 kids and bags and weighing well over 100lbs all together is directly behind them when they STOP to see if everyone else in their party is going to follow them in front of me. I’m normally pretty good about not killing anyones heels but sometimes there’s literally nothing I can do.”
While the commentary above does apologize for lack of control, it only reiterates the need for a stroller ban at Disney World. The subject of an age recommendation for Disney has been brought up before, and it might be time to revisit the matter again.
That’s not to say “if you can’t walk, don’t go to Disney,” but something needs to be done if hundreds of people are reporting injury or losing control of bulky wheeled objects all over Disney property. The Reddit is full of instances of Guests stumbling, falling, and getting barreled off the path.
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It’s only a matter of time before a lawsuit happens, and that will not be a good look for the place where dreams come true. Hopefully, Disney will take notice and review their policies before someone gets seriously hurt.
Do you think strollers should be banned at Disney? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!