HUGE increase in rental stroller fees [merged threads]

[Pixie Power]

Thats a good question - you would think they would offer the same benefits to all Disney Visa card holders at all of the parks. It must have something to do with either testing the discount to see if they get the lift they want before rolling it out everywhere or perhaps their info shows that they want to target Disney Visa card holders in CA only for some reason.

I highly doubt it's a test-run @ DL b/c they've offered the free strollers for Disney Visa Holders for several years. That'd be an awful long 'test period'.

[Mickey91]

Someone earlier in the thread made a good suggestion. Disney ought to consider putting on an external carrying device where folks could put their strollers. Buses in New haven have these for bikers to put their bikes in so Im sure something could be designed to carry fold up strollers.

Imagineers can do anything right?

The biggest flaw I see with that is it would make it too easy for you not to pay them mucho dinero just to rent one. It is all about the $$$$$. Not about making guests happy.

[DizneyRox]

Hmmmmm... makes one wonder if the price is too much now?

If you look at the bottom line, I doubt it...

Assume there is a 25% reduction in the amount of strollers. Using easy numbers, 100 strollers at $10 each is $1000. 75 strollers at $15 each is $1125.

So, in this case, less is more!

[LoriR]

People who are bothered by all the strollers in the parks are apt to be MORE bothered by lots of running, out-of-control kids who would be better off in a stroller!

[Brainiak5]

I highly doubt it's a test-run @ DL b/c they've offered the free strollers for Disney Visa Holders for several years. That'd be an awful long 'test period'.

Wow- if its been that long then its probably my second point being true. Someone earlier mentioned that the DL visitor tends to be in state and more likely to bring one from home while the WDW visitor tends to fly in. To increase the stroller use, they probably offer the discount - I don't think they're free. Supply and demand seems to be dictating the situation in both cases.

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

I don't mean to be a doubting Thomas, but has anybody confirmed this extreme rate increase. Has anybody been since the increase, or have any of our WDW cast members confirmed this. I just know you can't trust everything you read on the internet.

We went to the P&PP on the 6th... and I looked to see for myself and sure enough... $31 for a double... It is on the sign overhead when you walk under the train station thing as you go into the rent.

[Pixie Power]

Wow- if its been that long then its probably my second point being true. Someone earlier mentioned that the DL visitor tends to be in state and more likely to bring one from home while the WDW visitor tends to fly in. To increase the stroller use, they probably offer the discount - I don't think they're free. Supply and demand seems to be dictating the situation in both cases.

It's been at least 2 years b/c when we went to DL in Jan. 2006, we got a FREE stroller every day by showing our Disney Visa Card, so I am sure it is the 2nd point indeed. It would be nice if WDW offered some sort of Disney Visa Card Member discount for stroller rentals, esp. now that the cost has been jacked up to ridiculous heights.

I look forward to getting a free stroller @ DL this summer as well.

[Ian]

Yes, there must have been a press release to announce the price increase. What I hadn't heard, up until looking into it, was that there is going to be an increase in the cost of renting ECV's too.

I'm not at all surprised by this. Raise one, you're going to raise the other. Especially if the goal is to reduce the number in the parks and weed out those renting them that shouldn't be renting them.

This may be a stupid question....but why would they give strollers free to Visa holders in Disneyland, but not Disney World?

My guess is because of the profile of the visitors. The guest population in DL is very different from that of WDW.

But this does highlight one of my major issues with the way Disney runs its domestic theme parks ... the fact that they're run completely independently of one another, with no attempt at any kind of consistency, is a little irrititating.

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

Along the lines with the DL strollers being free for Disney Visa holders...

Passholders get them free as well, or at least they did when we went there with my aunt and her great niece. AP holders at WDW don't even get a discount on strollers, let alone free strollers.

[KAT1811]

If it becomes too much of a burden, you can always bring your own stroller. That's what we do.

I mean in reality, renting strollers at WDW is nothing more than paying for convenience. It's not like it's some kind of necessary social service. Disney should charge whatever the market will bear for it and convenience services always cost more.

Ian, I agree completely. We just bring our own, not because of the pricing but because personally public rental strollers, in general, (no matter how much they clean them) skeeve me.

I agree with the theory that Disney will raise the prices to whatever the market will allow. Putting my business degree to work, why not? After all if it increases profits they are doing their jobs and raising shareholder's profits.

IMHO people who go to WDW are going to do two things. One, bring their own stroller if they feel their budget does not support the prices of a stroller rental (or for a general want to boycot stroller rental at WDW). Or two, keep on renting because it is easier for them. Whatever the reasoning it is what it is.

[mook3y]

People who are bothered by all the strollers in the parks are apt to be MORE bothered by lots of running, out-of-control kids who would be better off in a stroller!

Or.. on leashes instead?

[Sunshine1010]

I went to YouTube to look up Disney vacations in April 2008. Hardly anyone (in the background) had Disney strollers.

[MickeysEars]

My guesses:
*They need a new "fleet" of strollers - and this is a quick way to get it;
*They can charge what the market bears & get away with it; and
*Goofy-4-Disney is right - stroller rental for the "older" kids has gotten out of control.

IMOP, we've seen kids upwards of 8-10 years old lounging in the strollers, and it may be Disney's way of getting things back under control. Especially at peak times, including the summertime, this may be their way of "stroller control".

However, I will say this: If you need the stroller, either bring it from home or rent one.

I don't understand why it is unreasonable for an older child (7-8) to be sitting in a stroller with all the walking around. We planned on renting one for our 7 year old just to give her feet a break. This is insane. $31 a day. I can rent a car for $31 a day