Newbie here with stroller question

[OneBoy/OneGirl]

Hi all,
We are going to WDW in Sept for the first time with kids (ages 6 and 3). We originally planned to rent a stroller there, but after thinking about that expense (7 days), figured we would bring the double jog stroller we already own instead and save money. But, after reading some stroller threads here, I get the impression that a double jogger isn't ideal. Can someone tell me why? It seems as if it wouldn't be any bigger/bulkier to push through the parks than the double rental. Plus, we would have a stroller for the trip back to the hotel (Pop) when my littlest one is exhausted.

Can anyone give me any advice?

TIA!
Jill
dd 3
ds 6

[annie1995]

If you are not using disney bus transportation, then it shouldn't be a problem. Disney busses are crowded!!! And having to lug a big stroller on a packed bus IMO would be a pain!!!! I have just a single stroller, but its kinda big also, and am really dreading taking it, but I like the fact that it has great storage and he can sleep laying down in it. Plus I'm too cheap to buy another one when there is nothing wrong with the one I have:lmao: !

[estherhead]

If your double jogger is anything like mine, it takes a minivan to travel with it. It will be tricky to have that on a Disney bus. However, we have stayed offsite & driven daily before & had a gigantic double stroller and LOVED it. So if you are driving: thumbs up to your own stroller. Staying onsite & busing: thumbs down.

[TimTanyaMichael]

I agree with past poster. If you are driving on your own, then take your own stroller. If you are staying on property, you may find renting is the way to go. Lugging a big stroller on to the busses, especially at the end of the day, when the busses are packed, can be a huge hassle.

[dburg30]

My brother and I were talking about this just the other day. He and his wife been to WDW a number of times, including taking their daughter when she was very young. He personally thinks that if you are using WDW transportation, you should have to rent a stroller at the parks. He said that it just slows the whole deal down for everyone when people have to deal with these big strollers. If you are driving / taking your own car, fine lug whatever you want, but if you are using the WDW transport system, you rent one in the parks.

[estherhead]

My brother and I were talking about this just the other day. He and his wife been to WDW a number of times, including taking their daughter when she was very young. He personally thinks that if you are using WDW transportation, you should have to rent a stroller at the parks. He said that it just slows the whole deal down for everyone when people have to deal with these big strollers. If you are driving / taking your own car, fine lug whatever you want, but if you are using the WDW transport system, you rent one in the parks.

The problem with this is that for a young child (my baby will be 6 months) the Disney strollers don't work. So they would have to have strollers for babies, single strollers, & double strollers, and maybe a double with one side for a big kid & one for a baby? It could get complicated. Tho I gave the above advice, we will be BOTH renting (for the bigger 2) & bringing our own (for the baby) this year. Just not a huge double one.

[OneBoy/OneGirl]

OP Here...thanks for all the replies. We are driving to WDW, but were planning on using the disney buses. I guess we could just drive to the parks, huh? I just worry about having to carry 2 very tired kids out of the park after we drop off a rental stroller. Plus the amount we would spend in rental strollers gives a little chuck of change to spend in the parks!

Anyone else have any input?

Thanks again!
Jill
dd 3
ds 6

[annie1995]

My brother and I were talking about this just the other day. He and his wife been to WDW a number of times, including taking their daughter when she was very young. He personally thinks that if you are using WDW transportation, you should have to rent a stroller at the parks. He said that it just slows the whole deal down for everyone when people have to deal with these big strollers. If you are driving / taking your own car, fine lug whatever you want, but if you are using the WDW transport system, you rent one in the parks.

Yes, big strollers do slow things down, but like another person posted, for young children, Disney strollers are not practical for them. We will be bringing our big stroller this year. Yes I'm sure it will be interesting on the busses. But my DS's comfort is more important to me then keeping strangers I will not ever see again in my life happy:goodvibes

[estherhead]

After reading your last post, you could always play this by ear. Take your stroller & see after the first day what you want to do. Then if you change your mind, you can always ride the buses & rent.

[Mickey-4-Me]

OP: Take your own stroller. Ask yourself what is best for you and your family, not what is best for someone else. We went last year and lugging a double stroller on and off the bus is a pain and you will get "those looks" but who cares. We bought a stroller last year because 1) It reclines, 2) It was a much needed necessity leaving the parks, 3) It was cheaper than renting. We are going again this year (ages 2 and 6) and are carrying the same stroller.

[joech]

Please check the WDW website for the Stroller dimension that you can bring your double stroller into the parks. I am not sure if any CM would stop anyone if they bringing in their oversize stroller. We had a Phip & Teds with the double kit for our trip this March and it worked out great. The only worry we had was have our stroller stolen since it costs over $400 US. But we always lock it up when we went for rides with our DD (3 years old) and DS (1 year old) everytime. We later found out Disney does not allow anyone to lock up their stroller. We also found getting our stroller (Took the second seat out and fold it up ) onto the tramp from our car to the DTC is not the easiest. For our next trip, we will bring 2 umbellar strollers and no need to worry if it went missing.

[joech]

OP Here...thanks for all the replies. We are driving to WDW, but were planning on using the disney buses. I guess we could just drive to the parks, huh? I just worry about having to carry 2 very tired kids out of the park after we drop off a rental stroller. Plus the amount we would spend in rental strollers gives a little chuck of change to spend in the parks!

Anyone else have any input?

Thanks again!
Jill
dd 3
ds 6

If you stay at the Disney resort, I would suggest you to drive to the park as well since the parking will be free. Getting the double stroller onto the tramp might take some work, but it is better than waiting for the bus at the end of the day when you 2 little ones get tired and cranky. Try to get on the 1st or last row of each tramp, the seat seems to be wider.

[stavidt]

Hi

Just wanted to tell you we took the double and it was fine. My hubby lugged in on and off the buses...but it was nice to be able to wait for a bus with the kids not hanging on us b/c they were tired. Then when we got back to resort we could move a lot faster with the two of the in the stroller. Yes the buses can get crowded but I wouldh't do it any other way.

[OneBoy/OneGirl]

Hi

Just wanted to tell you we took the double and it was fine. My hubby lugged in on and off the buses...but it was nice to be able to wait for a bus with the kids not hanging on us b/c they were tired. Then when we got back to resort we could move a lot faster with the two of the in the stroller. Yes the buses can get crowded but I wouldh't do it any other way.


OP here again....Was your double a double jogger?
I actually gave my dh the choice of lugging the stroller on the bus or a tired, heavy kid. He chose the stroller;)
I just don't know...even with a length of stay pass renting will cost us over $100, which isn't much, but is money I'd rather not spend when we have a perfectly good stroller that holds both their weights, you know?
I never thought I'd obsess about this like I am.

Jill
dd 3
ds 6

[Lil'DisneyMom]

Last year we took our stroller, and at that time it was only a single stroller. But DH lugged it on and off, and it really wasn't that bad. we did get looks from people, but anyone that has yound children should understand. Next year when we go I will have 2 kids. And the youngest one will be 10.5 months at the time. I know that the WDW strollers just won't work for us, so I will be taking a double stroller. I was thinking os the sit and stand strollers. I know it will be big, but who cares what people think. You have every right to take your stroller that will be best for your family!!!

[dburg30]

Also let me clarify my statment from earlier. While I really do like the idea of strollers not being allowed on WDW transportation, I'm not stupid enough to think it will happen. Again, talking to my brother and some other relatives that have been there before, their 2nd choice would be for folks to be ready to board the bus when it pulls up. Basically, once you get there, and know the bus is about to arrive, make sure the stroller is folded up, that you are ready to get on the bus. If it looks like you had done everything in your power, to get loaded as quickly and efficiently as possible, you wont get any looks from me (even with my 'dream :) ). But if you spend time unpacking the stroller, then getting it collapsed, then getting your bags situated so you can load, then I'll give you a look, and maybe even a little comment :).

:D

[disneyworldmom2]

We take our small stroller for DS,3, and rent a single at the parks for DD,6, if needed. It's much easier than dealing with a double, plus DD doesn't always need one. This way, we have 1 when leaving parks for either child to use. Plus, by having a single in airport, we're able to put DS in his carseat, which we put in the stroller, making navigating the airport much easier! If renting, don't forget the clorox wipes! (Another thing to consider would be 2 umbrella strollers with connectors.)

[emlutz23]

I would not recommend the jogging stroller as not only do they not fold well, but if it has a fixed front wheel like most, it will not maneuver well in crowds. I have a double jogger, but I leave it at home for running only.

The stroller we use is fantastic! We used on our last WDW trip in January. It is the Combi Twin LX stroller. It's only 21 lbs! My Graco Duoglider (which I gave away after buying the Combi!) was 35lbs. Also, it has a tri-fold design and can stand up on it's own. It also has a carrying strap. It really was not a burden to travel around the parks, resort or busses with (especially with my DH, BIL and FIL to help carry it! ;) ). The $300 price tag isn't cheap, but it's well worth it is as it's become our everyday stoller and the quality is great! We'll be using it again on our next WDW trip this September!
:thumbsup2

[GiGiJoeysMom]

We always use 2 small umbrella strollers, there are always enough hands to push them. Plus it is great to have as you are leaving the parks. As for the airport it is a savior.

[stm61]

just to clarify, you have to take the kids out of the stroller and fold it up or the cm's won't let it on the bus or the tram. Most jogging strollers won't fold up very easily, plus they're very hard to get in and out of doorways and thru crowded shops. My sister insisted on taking her Peg Perino (I think that's the brand name) single stroller last year. It's a large stroller and even with it being a single, it was still a major pain to get that thing on and off the buses, and she still ended up carrying a cranky kid on and off, holding her on the buses, and holding her while the stroller was unfolded after she got off the bus. Plus, she used the stroller baskets and her diaper bag to carry alot of stuff every day, which all had to be carried by various family members while the stroller was folded up. Also, balancing that stroller on the bus while your hands are full of kids and belongings ain't easy!

[dunbarfamily]

We will be taking our double stroller this year, because as many said, the rental strollers do not work well for tiny ones, and the baby will be nine months. We will be staying on site and using Disney busses.

I think there are ways to make hauling a stroller on and off busses better for everyone. Like others said, empty the stroller before the bus comes. This makes it easier for you because you're not racing around at the last second trying to unbuckle kids, get packages out, spilling stuff everywhere, etc. Plus, since you won't be holding up the line, you won't get any looks or comments from anyone ;). That way, everyone's happy! The crowded busses at the end of the night are a bit more challenging. Many times my husband sat with the stroller on his lap. You'll figure out a way to make it work.

Just another tip, if your stroller doesn't have cupholders, buy some. It makes life easier!

[zaza]

We used a Chicco umbrella stroller with the GrandPrincess in May and it worked great--folds up small enough that it's not hard to get on the buses. We had a small diaper bag that hung over the back but what really worked for us is that we had some of the large size ziplock bags (the ones with the reinforced handle.) We'd put everything we planned to stow in the underseat mesh compartment in the ziplock bag, except our softside 6-pack size cooler. When we were folding/unfolding the stroller, it was easy to just grab the ziplock bag by its handles. Plus, we could see what all was in it (and where) and it stayed dry if it rained or we walked through a puddle from a water fountain/sprayer.

[joech]

I have to say that it saved us. She is actually sitting on the front foot panel rest while our prince is sitting on the front seat. The back seat has a bag on it (but one of the kids sat in it most of the time) and you can see the basket underneath. If it helps anyone we used a strap that kept the stoller folded together while we boarded the trams. Since you only board in the morning and again at night it really isn't much of a pain considering the benefits of having it all day. Plus, we could always spot our stroller in the midst of all the rental ones. In the official "Your Handy Guide to all the Magic" pamphlet it states on page 31 that you may not bring strollers larger than 36"*52". But who knows if they enforce this rule.
(First time posting a picture so hope it works for you to see.)

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/151158doublestroller.JPG

[Nikki_Mouse]

I always bring my own stroler and my dd is 6- I do not care about what other people think- they should carry my sleeping daughter from the park to the bus stop for us if they do not like it!! I think that young legs get too tired after a long day at any park and a stroller is a life saver- and yes we did rent one a few years ago- for the ost I would rather bring my own. Another plus is preboarding at the airport,yes southwest lets me preboard with my daughter in the stroller even though she is "too old". It definately is a plus!

[CanadaKim]

We went last year with a 9 month old and an almost 3 year old and we were so glad we brought our stroller. I don't know if you're flying but we sure found it useful in the airports. In the parks both seats reclined when either child napped and gave them some shade from the sun (although it wasn't that hot in January). We stayed at Pop as well and the buses were great and not that crowded. I'm not sure about September but I'm guessing it won't be that packed on the buses unless you're staying right until park closing which we didn't (I'm guessing that's the busiest time). The one time the bus looked busy there was a second one that pulled in right behind it. I took the kids on and my husband collapsed the stroller and got on behind us. No problem. We had a Graco double stroller which may be different then the jogger. We're planning on going again in December with almost 5 and almost 3 year old and we only have a single now (Peg Perego Pliko P3). I think we're really going to miss the double.

Good luck. Have fun.

[webshark3]

We bought a Tandem stroller similar to this one:

http://www4.shopping.com/xPO-Safety-1st-Tandem-SF

I won't comment on it's "stearing". That differs for person to person, but I find it easy to push. It's also one of a few tandem's that's not much larger than a single, and folds up like a umbrella (great for the buses). The rear seat reclines and is very comfortable.

Another nice thing about it; unlike Disney strollers and side-by-sides, you can get this one though ANY tight store aisle easily.

Our's is a Eddie Bauer, but I think they just re-branded this Combi.