TThe Walt Disney Company has now released some new rules that will affect its guests effective May 1, 2019.
The Gemma says…
I have to say, this one had me scratching my head in confusion. What hazard could loose ice pose, particularly in the Florida sunshine? But dumped coolers evidently were not the basis of this new ban. The problem is the bag check. Ok, I get it. I have, in fact, dug my hand into a cooler filled to the brim with ice in search of an elusive can of Diet Coke. Getting to the bottom of the cooler bag is not that easy. Even worse, would be having the security person get a dry ice burn. So, to keep all of us, including the security staff, safe from the “guest” that might decide to keep a weapon on ice, I’ll give Disney a pass on the new rule.
However…as one who has a tough time packing light, I know that every square inch of suitcase space is precious. And now we have to tote ice packs? Well, even that is not going to work because the newly refurbished rooms no longer have freezers with fridges. Disney folks are saying you can take a small bag of ice for the cooler but in the Florida heat that may not be enough.
Disney needs to think that one through a bit more. In the meantime, my suggestion would be to take metal water bottles, fill with resort ice, and use them as cooler ice packs.
The Newbie says…
I have a hard time understanding why this is a needed rule. I wish Disney would put some context around why they are banning loose and dry ice, because I’m having a hard time coming up with anything– which leaves me skeptical once again of Disney’s motives. As The Gemma pointed out, I can see security guards having a hard time checking coolers when they are filled with ice. I rarely bring food into the parks since my husband and I usually opt for the meal plan or stay on property where we don’t have access to a kitchen. However, I know plenty of people who choose to camp at Fort Wilderness, rent a house, or stay off property and bring in food as a way to cut costs. Not to mention the number of people who rent villas through the Disney Vacation Club, where they advertise the fact that you will have a full kitchen you can make food in. What’s the point of having a kitchen and paying extra for it if you’re going to make it difficult for me to transport the food? The fact that you can no longer bring in ice would be very frustrating, especially if I had already budgeted my vacation with bringing my own food into the parks in mind. Bringing in your own ice packs would work. However, with regular ice you can just drain the cooler once it melts. With ice packs, it’s just another thing you have to lug around all day. I’m not really sure the reasoning behind this rule either. Is Disney just trying to make it more inconvenient to bring in your own food and save money? Are they hoping this will deter families from this practice in an effort to get more people to buy food or the meal plan?
To me some of these new rules seem like Disney is fishing for money. I am left to wonder if the company I used to work for that truly had a company policy of making magic for the guest, has changed and gotten greedier as time has passed. I hate to say that because I do love this company, however, with the new parking fees at resorts I am skeptical of Disney’s motives lately and this just doesn’t sit well with me.
Collectively, we say…
Let’s “Imagineer” some other more effective options for cutting down wait times at bag check. While reducing the amount of coolers and not having security guards have to dig around in ice may help, in the long run there seem to be better options. What about:
- Creating separate bag checks for those with coolers.
- Creating a “coat check” type of system for coolers. Rather than having a line for a security, you simply hand your cooler off to a designated cast member and they will check the contents while you enjoy the park. Then you can go back to a designated “picnic” station when you want to access your cooler.
What are some of your ideas for cutting down lines in the bag checks? Tell us what you say in the comments below!