Disney Bans Smoking, Stroller Wagons and Ice
Earlier this week Disney announced a few changes to park operations at Disney World and Disneyland. Starting May 1, guests are no longer permitted to smoke within the parks. They are also no longer allowed to bring ice, stroller wagons or certain types of “large” strollers with them. These rules aren’t exactly related to each other, except maybe in song lyrics. (Ice, Ice, Baby?!?) Today’s post takes a closer look at these new rules and what they mean for Disney park guests going forward.
Smoking Rule
After May 1, if you want to smoke (or vape) at Disney World or Disneyland you will be required to leave the park. New designated areas will be located outside of the parks’ entrances.
Effects
Disney already limited smoking to certain areas before May 1. After the new rule takes effect, guests will spend more time commuting for smoke breaks depending on how far away they are from the park entrance and how long the security line is to re-enter.
If you’re not a smoker or traveling with one, than this new rule doesn’t effect you too much. There’s a chance you could see the smoking areas while traveling in and out of the parks, but you’ll no longer accidentally wander into one of the them once inside. (Maybe that was just me?) Some guests probably didn’t realize smoking was still permitted.
Stroller Rule
After May 1, Disney will also ban “large” strollers and stroller wagons from entering Disney World or Disneyland. “Large” means strollers wider than 31″ or longer than 52″. Current policy already prohibits strollers longer than 52″ so the only real change here is width.
The stroller wagon ban includes all wagons, regardless of their size. If you have a wagon that is less than 52″ long, you still can’t bring it into the parks per the new rule.
Effects
The vast majority of strollers fit within these new size parameters.
Really. I checked.
There are maybe ten options out of 100+ on Target.com right now that are wider than 31″ or longer than 52″. The few that DON’T meet the size requirements tend to be double-wide jogger strollers (too wide), double tandem strollers (too long) or strollers designed for 3 or more kids (too wide AND too long and too crazy!).
Disney claims the new stroller rule will free up additional space within the parks. Specifically, the reduced sizes and elimination of wagons should help with park congestion in walkways, lines and stroller parking areas. It should also help free up space (and make parents’ lives easier!) on buses and monorails. How much it actually helps with spacing is questionable though, since the vast majority of strollers rolling around the parks today fit these parameters.
Another potential effect of the change is to shorten the time it takes to pass through security. The smaller the stroller the less stuff packed onto it and therefore the less time it takes for the security guards to check.
Ice Rule
The third new rule is a ban on loose or dry ice in coolers. After May 1, guests are no longer permitted to bring ice into the parks.
Effects
This one is the smallest change of the three, but could still help lessen the time it takes to get through security. Currently, security guards have to dig through un-bagged ice in guests’ coolers to see what else is in there. The new rule should make this process much more efficient. You can still use frozen ice packs or request free cups of ice from quick-service restaurants once you’re inside the parks if needed.
If you’re confused why anyone would want to bring ice in the first place, it has to do with bringing your own food into the parks. Disney is surprisingly (shockingly?) generous in this area. It’s actually a great way to save money during your trip. Basically you can bring whatever drinks or food you want into the parks as long as they are non-alcoholic and not in glass containers. (Baby food jars are permitted.) You can still bring coolers with food into the parks after May 1, just remember to use an ice pack instead of loose ice.
Conclusion
So that’s it. Three new rules for Disney World and Disneyland. What do you think of the changes? Great, awful, who cares? Let me know in the comments below.
If you want to read more about these rules and the official park policies, you can check them out at disneyworld.com/rules or disneyland.com/rules.
I’m going to go try to get Ice, Ice Baby out of my head now.
Add a little magic to your world!