Newbie Sailing. stroller ?

[AdaraRae]

My family is going on our first cruise ever this Sept on the Disney Dream. The website states they have limited strollers for use, should I take my own for my daughter, she will be just under 2 y/o??

[ladyj0212]

In my own personal experience, with taking a child that young, it was beneficial to have our own stroller from the time we parked our car till the time we boarded. Especially since we did not want to take the chance of not having one if they were out on board. Little legs tend to get tired easily. There is room for the stroller in either the closet in the stateroom, or under the bed on the new ships. I will be revisiting this dilemma next year when we board again...my youngest will almost be 2 then. Hope this helps

[AdaraRae]

Originally Posted by ladyj0212

In my own personal experience, with taking a child that young, it was beneficial to have our own stroller from the time we parked our car till the time we boarded. Especially since we did not want to take the chance of not having one if they were out on board. Little legs tend to get tired easily. There is room for the stroller in either the closet in the stateroom, or under the bed on the new ships. I will be revisiting this dilemma next year when we board again...my youngest will almost be 2 then. Hope this helps

Would it be better to take my regular jogging stroller or my umbrella stroller that's smaller and more compact? My husband wants to take our double side by side.

[Ginger Renae]

Definitely take the umbrella stroller, not the jogger and certainly not a side by side!

[vbgal]

Take the umbrella. The hallways and elevators aren't made for double strollers.

[breakingd_awn]

I would take the umbrella stroller. Our youngest DD4 likes to stroll in the mall, were usually there a while DH doesnt think we need to take it on vacation again. He doesnt understand she'd always rather stroll than walk in the mall , geez, i myself wish someone would stroll me around sometimes Soo, Im still taking it, there is alot of walking involved on vacation, plus... the extra storage is very usefull The airport itself is very busy and fastpaced for a 4 year old alone, even worse on younger ages. JMHO

[jdb in AZ]

With a stroller (hopefully) the kid won't be running around the airport or cruise terminal -- it's easier to keep track of her.

[Melissa S]

We travel with DD (age 2.5) very often (at least 6 vacations a year) and we never take a stroller. We borrowed one on the ship a couple cruises mostly just for port and for the upcoming one we are not using one at all. It's a pain to store it (either takes up half a closet or bathtub) and a hassle to use. The hallways are narrow and waiting for an elevator is annoying. We much rather just carry her and burn some cruise calories or have her walk. Being on a cruise is different that going to the mall. If they have been to the mall a hundred times there is nothing new to see. On the cruise she loves to look at the pictures, see characters, dance at events, not be trapped in a stroller.

If you are concerned about the airport they make travel carts for the carseat. You could strap her into the carseat and push her in the airport and fold up the wheels and put it in the overhead.

http://www.buybuybaby.com/product.asp?SKU=18444887&

[lbgraves]

I would take the umbrella to use before getting on the ship. Then you can store that easily and get one of the strollers on the ship. I say this because you want your child to be comfortable in it so they can sleep if it's nap time. It has big wheels so easier to get around with it in port also if there is sand or other surfaces. We took the kids to dinner in a stroller if they were sleeping at that time. Would dress them, put them in there and put them at the end of the table. The strollers onboard recline so they were more comfortable when sleeping. When they woke up, we either folded up the stroller or DH took it back to the room, and the server brought their food quickly. We didn't find it difficult to get around the ship with a stroller. Don't use the mid-elevators and that helps. Also, when waiting to go up, take the elevator that is going down if it is empty and visa versa. It's only a couple decks and then you will be going where you need to go.

[AdaraRae]

Originally Posted by lbgraves

I would take the umbrella to use before getting on the ship. Then you can store that easily and get one of the strollers on the ship. I say this because you want your child to be comfortable in it so they can sleep if it's nap time. It has big wheels so easier to get around with it in port also if there is sand or other surfaces. We took the kids to dinner in a stroller if they were sleeping at that time. Would dress them, put them in there and put them at the end of the table. The strollers onboard recline so they were more comfortable when sleeping. When they woke up, we either folded up the stroller or DH took it back to the room, and the server brought their food quickly. We didn't find it difficult to get around the ship with a stroller. Don't use the mid-elevators and that helps. Also, when waiting to go up, take the elevator that is going down if it is empty and visa versa. It's only a couple decks and then you will be going where you need to go.

Awesome advice thank you!!! We will probably bring an umbrella for each kid. My son is 4, and has some issues with walking a lot and my daughter will be 19 months old when we cruise so I know she will get tired. Thank you thank you!