Forget Star Wars — these days it’s Stroller Wars at Disneyland

Big strollers lead to heated discussions between parents who need them and adults who get tired of dodging them

Tempers flare and things get heated occasionally at Disneyland these days, as the issue of how large strollers should be has divided the park’s multitude of fans.

Parents bringing strollers into the parks was never an issue in the past. But that was before both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure became increasingly crowded, and strollers continued to grow in size, so now there’s a good chance that any park-goer could be stuck behind and struggling to get by a family with a behemoth double-wide stroller that can accomodate a pair of kids, plus snacks, sweaters and everything else needed for a fun day out.

Nowadays, Disneyland’s many fan pages and blogs are frequently full of acrimony over the issue. Disney responded recently by announcing a new ban, starting May 1, on strollers wider than 31 inches and longer than 52 inches, and the type of folding wagon carts that allow parents to pull kids and a day’s worth of stuff along with them. The ban will be in effect in both Anaheim and Orlando.

“We are seeing these gigantic monster truck strollers rolling through the parks, and I don’t think parents think about the consequences of that,” said Todd Regan, who runs the popular MiceChat.com blog under the pen name Dusty Sage. Regan, who does not have children, said that Disneyland’s new ban should have gone even farther, and that his readers agree, based on the results of a poll answered by 2,989 of his fans.

“It’s was overwhelmingly supportive of Disneyland, with many guests saying they wish Disneyland would go even farther,” Regan said. “Fifty-three percent said the Disneyland ban doesn’t go far enough, 41 percent said Disneyland’s solution is perfect, and only 5 percent said it went too far.”

Regan said that Disneyland was never originally designed for babies or toddlers, and that the streets and walkways are narrow, making access difficult. Disneyland has been on a systematic campaign over the last year to making walking easier in the park in preparation of the massive crowds expected when the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land opens in May, including removing planters and benches, relocating queues and, now, putting new limits on strollers and carts.

Disney’s updated regulations web page states that the “reduction of stroller sizes is intended to ease guest flow and reduce congestion, making the park experience more enjoyable for everyone who visits. Many strollers, including many double jogging strollers, still fit within these guidelines.”‘

Also, stroller wagons will not be allowed in any park, nor in Downtown Disney. Visitors can expect to have their sizes checked at the security checkpoints entering the zones, and possibly be told to put away items that don’t comply. The park has also prohibited dry ice and loose ice cubes, although ice packs are still permitted.

The company that makes a popular version of the folding wagon, Keenz Stroller Wagons, wrote on its Facebook page that “the news of this recent policy change by Disney has been very heart breaking to us, the Keenz Team, as we ourselves are frequent customers at Disney and have season pass holders within our company.

“We are also parents and have families with children that find solace with this product. Speaking for myself, I am a mother to a child with Special Needs that finds a NEED in our Keenz 7s. My son, aside from his disabilities, also finds comfort in his wagon when visiting a place that brings him so much overwhelming joy and happiness,” the Facebook post read.

On Facebook, Keenz posted a Facebook photo Sunday of a mom at Disneyland with her wagon, and it sparked a heated debate.

“So angry about Disney! I hope you guys are trying to fight it,” Facebook user Delaine Chmelyk commented on the post. “I signed the petition and will be sending an email to guest relations.”

Disneyland currently rents strollers for $15 per day. According to Regan, the park plans to add double strollers, with one seat in front and another in back, to its stock of single strollers.

Heather Anne, who runs the Disneyland CALIFORNIA Resort — Past, Present and Future Facebook fan page, said she constantly brought a double stroller into the park when her children were younger, but it was the narrower version with seats in front and back.

“My kids grew up in the park, but I agree with the ban,” she said. “I know that upsets some people, but it has become hazardous, especially with those Keenz wagons that have big canopies that people even hang things from. It obstructs vision.”

Heather Anne said she’s sometimes trapped in a store by an oversize stroller or wagon that can’t maneuver the aisles.

“Many times, I literally could not move,” she said. “I understand that people say their special needs kids need to go inside the Keenz (to have a quiet place to calm down,) but what are you going to do?”

Disney wrote on its web post about the new rules that it will continue to make accommodations for guests with disabilities and that people could contact Disability.Services@DisneyParks.com or call 714-781-4636 to address their needs.

Some people speculate that the popularity of the nighttime “Disneyland after Dark” events that require a special ticket are because most kids have gone home, and adults don’t have to dodge strollers at night. These events regularly sell out.

David Koenig, author of Mouse Tales: A Behind the Ears Look at Disneyland” and other books, said that he brought his now-adult children into the park in strollers when they were small, but it was “a normal, kid-sized stroller.”

At one time, the only people who complained about strollers in the park were those without children, Koenig said. Also, Disneyland has been forced to create larger and larger stroller parking areas to accommodate the need for storage while people go on rides, he said. People are often unaware that strollers are stolen regularly from the parks — a problem that has become worse as they have grown more expensive.

“Now, it’s just turned into a square footage issue,” Koenig said. “People bring mobile condos into the park with everything from their houses. There might be a blender in there, who knows?”

Koenig said Disney “sort of had a trial balloon when they made wagons illegal last year, but they never really enforced it. The question will be, “How do they empower the front-line cast members to enforce it? Because they try to do anything they can to keep people from being upset.”