/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/E6KOPLGIHUI6TGNIIBWI6S7HAY.jpg "In this June 5, 2012, file photo visitors stroll along Main Street at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. A regional director of the National Labor Relations Board last week ruled that about 60 drivers who pick up Disney World guests using the Lyft app can be represented by the Teamsters local in Orlando. The Lyft drivers are Disney World employees who earn extra money by driving guests around the resort that is roughly the size of the city of San Francisco. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File) NYBZ114")
It's time to put those butts out at the mouse house.
Beginning May 1, Walt Disney World will ban smoking in all of its parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports, according to an official Disney parks blog. The theme parks are also instituting a ban on strollers over a certain size.
According to Lisa Mendillo, communications manager at Walt Disney World Resort, designated smoking areas in its Florida theme parks will be going the way of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride as the parks make plans to reduce congestion. Designated smoking areas will be available outside park entrances and at Disney Springs. The ban will also cover parks and Downtown Disney in California.
In addition to the smoking ban, Disney on Thursday also announced changes to its stroller policy. As of May 1, stroller wagons and strollers over 31 inches wide or 52 inches long won't be allowed in the parks.
"The good news," Mendillo said in the post, "many strollers on the market, including many double jogging strollers, fit within these size guidelines."
The changes come ahead of a changing landscape at some Disney Parks. The new Star Wars-themed Galaxy's Edge area is set to open in Florida and California this summer. The 14-acre addition to Disney's Hollywood Studios is set to open Aug. 29. The California version opens May 31.
Contact Daniel Figueroa IV at dfigueroa@tampabay.com. Follow @danuscripts.
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