Changes to Third Party Drop Off, and This Site

"The only way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." - Walt Disney

We have several pieces of news and announcements today. We'll start with some Disney news since we know that's what you come here for.

Disney lit the internet on fire last weekend with the announcement that they would stop allowing third party vendors to drop off items with Bell Services for pick up by guests of Disney Resorts. This announcement met a lot of resistance. So what is changing?

Third party services EXCEPT Scooterbug will no longer be able to drop off mobility devices like strollers, scooters, and ECVs with Bell Services for bookings made after October 1st. Guests can still physically be present to collect the items, but they cannot be dropped off without the guest present at Bell Services. In addition, guests using mobility devices from any vendor other than Scooterbug can't drop the items off at Bell Services to be picked up by the vendor.

This does NOT impact grocery delivery, as confirmed by Garden Grocer, or vendors that deliver things other than mobility devices, but it is important to note that as of April this year, Walt Disney World instituted a $6 handling fee on groceries left with the front desk without a guest present to pick them up. The fee can be avoided if the guest picks it up directly.

So why is this happening? Basically, the bottom line is Disney has entered an exclusivity deal with Scooterbug for mobility services.

Bottom line: Check with your stroller/ mobility device company on what the terms of pick up and drop off are. Some are offering pick up and drop off at the Orlando International Airport if that is an option. Otherwise, you may have to arrange a meeting with a representative to pick up your devices.

Now, on to other news...

Sassagoula-Times has received a facelift (and a whole lot more). In addition to redesigning the look and layout of some of our pages, we've made changes that should make it easier to find the content you want. Here is a summary of changes:

• We've used a simplified version of our logo at the top of the page to reduce scrolling to get to content.

• We've removed the busy and practically unusable "tag cloud" and replaced it with categories, which now appear on every page at the upper right of a blog post. Click on any category and see a list of posts on that topic.

• At the bottom of each blog post, you should now see "related posts" to help you find similar articles to enjoy.

• We've implemented an email list. If you would like updates directly to your inbox, join our email list by typing in your email in the upper right of any page.

• Our social bar (and social media presence) has expanded to include Instagram and Pinterest.

• We are really excited about Instagram given our passion for photography and have already added lots of beautiful pictures. Check us out on Instagram as sassagoula_times.

• Our Pinterest presence is growing. As we release new blog posts, we will be adding an image to Pinterest. Find us there as sassagoula-times.

• Or just use the social bar in the upper right of each page to see our content in either place!

We worked hard on these updates and hope that they help you find the content that you enjoy and that is useful to your Disney vacation planning.

And finally... it's throwback time!

We have to take a short break from generating new content for the next couple of weeks, but the good news is we've made it so much easier for you to explore our archives.

For the next couple of weeks, we will be featuring some of our best posts from the past on our social media. We have many new readers and would hate to see them miss out on this great content.

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So, how are the changes to this site working for you? Do you have suggestions to make this even better? Share with us in comments or on our Facebook page.