Disneyland to ban smoking, wagons, and oversized strollers

With the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge expansion about to claim Disneyland's last remaining designated smoking area, the Disneyland Resort has announced that it will go smoke-free on May 1.

Starting that date, any Disneyland visitor wishing to smoke or vape will have to leave the security area, which includes the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks as well as the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district. (Update: The smoking ban extends to Walt Disney World theme parks and Disney Springs as well.)

A smoking ban is not the only new restriction coming to the parks, as Disneyland prepares for the opening of its new Star Wars land on May 31.

Also starting May 1, Disneyland will ban oversized strollers inside its theme parks. It also will begin strictly enforcing its current (but pretty much ignored) ban on wagons inside Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Strollers may be no wider than 31 inches, starting May 1. That's a reduction from the current 36-inch limit. The new stroller restrictions and wagon enforcement will go into effect at the Walt Disney World theme parks on the same day, as well.

(All of this information was provided to Theme Park Insider by senior Disneyland officials in a private presentation to five news outlets last week. The information was given under embargo until 3am PT today.)

To encourage visitors who want double strollers to use narrower units, Disneyland soon will begin renting double strollers. These will be tandem models, where the two children sit one behind the other rather than side-by-side.



Photo courtesy Disney

Disneyland has had an official ban on pulled wagons inside the park for years. But it's been lax about enforcing that ban, as it has allowed wagons that could be pushed like a stroller so long as adults pushed them through the front gate. Now Disney is closing that loophole by banning wagons inside the parks entirely, including popular Mac Sports and Siena models.

Disney officials hope that the new restrictions will help to clear often-crowded pathways inside Disneyland and California Adventure, especially around older building entrances in the original park, which were not designed to accommodate extra-wide strollers. The elimination of the last remaining smoking areas also should free up space within the parks, too.

Finally, Disney also announced that it is banning visitors from bringing ice or dry ice into the parks. Visitors who want to bring in coolers or backpacks with cold items should use a reusable ice pack, instead. However, Disney quick-service dining locations will continue to provide ice to guests upon requests, should you need to keep stuff cold after your ice pack loses its cool.

Follow the links below for more of today's "Project Stardust" news from the Disneyland Resort.

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