Anyone NOT bring a stroller to MK with toddler?

[disneypolybride2008]

I just LOVE it when i walk with my DD2 holding hands with her and when DH comes to, it is just too sweet having her in the middle holding each of our hands. I want so bad to have that feeling walking around MK.. but that isn't going to happen if we have a stroller with us. Is it possible to go without one? She is 2 but we do not use a stroller at all at home. She is used to walking everywhere. She can get cranky at times though.

 

[SEA333]

We brought a stroller when DS was 5 because he gets crazy-painful leg cramps at random times that leave him unable to walk for about 1/2 hr-1 hour after, especially in the evening, and we didn't want to be stuck carrying him around (thank goodness he was only 39 lbs at the time, but still!!! LOL).

Since we didn't really need the stroller after all (thank goodness!), it really just was a great way to hold our jackets and water bottles. We parked it in each "land" at MK, did all of the rides we wanted to do, then moved it to the next land. I think I mved the stroller a total of about 7 times the whole day. It really just ended up being a luggage rack for us, but it was nice to know that DS could have climbed in if his leg was in pain.

At age, two, I would bring it, but leave it parked when you don't need it. It would be a really great way to quickly get from place to place, then park it when you don't need it.

 

[Shelby109]

We haven't brought a stroller for the past two trips to MK. (DD was 2.5 and just over 3). We did fine without it we are not big "shoppers" so we didn't have extra stuff to carry and we brought a small backpack for her stuff. The only thing was that toward the end of the day we carried her a lot because she was tired and also for speed when we wanted to make it to a part of the park at a certain time. It worked out well.

 

[tlseege]

I would recommend bringing one. You'll still have the experience of walking hand in hand. What we do is park the stroller in the land (just like the last poster said) and then walk throughout that area. But it's very nice to have the stroller for snacks, longer walks (like walking from Peter Pan to Buzz Lightyear), and at night time when my daughter was just too darn exhausted. It can be a VERY long day for a little one.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

i didn't think of parking it for an area, rather than for each ride. that is a good idea!

 

[CuteAndFluffy]

We did a largely stroller free trip at 18mo and 3. It is very possible! (Especially if you have a grown up or two willing to carry the kid on shoulders when needed.)

You can always try it for a morning and then bring the stroller in later after nap time.

Make sure you prep the little one for some long, long walks so that legs are strong and feet are tough. You'll be fine!

 

[disneypolybride2008]

wow stroller free sounds great! i think we'll try it out but we'll have it at the hotel just in case.

 

[happymommy]

I brought a stroller until my DD had just finished kindergarten (I think - maybe first grade?). I always would rather have one and not need it, than need it and have to rent one. It was a good call - both she and her brother got sick that trip - we were staying at the Dolphin, and she got a super high fever (turned out she had strep throat) and fell asleep in it at DHS, so it was good that I could just stroll her right back to the room in it (and call the doctor that comes to the room - what a God send!). She gets tired easily, and fell asleep in it a couple of times even at that age (7 or so).

We hadn't used strollers at home for years, but I held onto one that we just used for Disney and nothing else. It is a lot of walking!

 

[ParrotBill]

When our daughter was 3 and no longer being strollered at home we took a stroller to WDW but I parked it in the room closet. We walked to the bus, and into the park each day. When she got tired I let her ride on my shoulders for a "break" but she had to get down and walk again after her break.

It worked out great and we never got out the stroller again.

 

[LMN]

My youngest used her stroller at WDW long after she ceased using it at home. It is good to have "just in case." I'm too cheap to rent one in the parks. Park it in each land, like PP mentioned and it will be there *if* you need it. We found it was good to have so that we didn't have to go at her pace all day. Of course she did have an older brother and sister who were walking much faster due to all the excitement of Disney!

 

[Woodmnky]

We are taking one, but hope to remain stroller free most of the time. DS will be just shy of 3 and is used to walking a mile or more at a time (sometimes more than once a day). We also have several toddler carriers for him, so I can wear him if he gets tired. My concerns are more about extra stuff, particuarly if we need full coats as we are going in Dec. DS does love riding in his new stroller, but I honestly think that we will use it more to get in and out of the park at the most.

 

[Angel Ariel]

At age, two, I would bring it, but leave it parked when you don't need it. It would be a really great way to quickly get from place to place, then park it when you don't need it.

At age 2, this is what I'd do if I really didn't want a stroller. Park it in a land, walk around a bit, then pick it up when you move on. I wouldn't want to not have a place for her to sit and rest at all during the day.

 

[ktlm]

You need the stroller, and I wouldn't leave it in the room the first day and see how it goes either. DD (now 7) would not set foot in a stroller after the age of 12 months when she took her first steps. She walked at the zoo, the mall, and anywhere else that required quite a bit of walking and we never took the stroller. She is a high energy kid. WDW was an entirely different situation. She was 2 on her first WDW trip. After a few minutes she realized how huge the place was and happily jumped in the stroller and let us wheel her around. WDW is the ONLY place she has ever used a stroller from the age of 12 months and she used it there up through her 5 year old trip. Plus, if you are trying to get somewhere quickly- like an ADR, show, etc., it is a lot easier to go fast with a kid in a stroller instead of a 2 year old slowly toddling along on those little legs or trying to carry a kid. Also, we didn't take afternoon breaks. We stayed in the parks from open to close, and DD always took naps in her her stroller in the afternoon (and this is the kid who entirely gave up naps before her 3rd birthday). We also found that at night she might get tired and fall asleep in the stroller occasionally, and DH and I could keep going. DH and I would often take turns riding the big rides when she was asleep in the stroller.

I would take it with you and take it to the park- at least the first day. My plan would be to park it in an area, and then just do that area walking and then get the stroller, put her in and move over to the next area (or ADR or show or character meet you are trying to get to on time). You will still get plenty of walking and handholding time, but you might be surprised at how much she winds up using the stroller. When DD was 2 and 3, we used it a lot. When DD was 4 and 5, we might park it for a couple of hours and come back to it, but she always needed it at some point during the trip. Little legs can get really tired at big WDW!


To give you an idea, to walk entirely around World Showcase at EPCOT is approximately 1.2 miles, and that is only about 1/2 the park! You can walk MILES during a day at WDW.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Take the stroller. It's a rare two that will not need it a lot! You can park it in each land and walk around in that area, then let her ride to the next area. She can also ride to and from the bus stop and back to the resort at the end of the day, and through the CS line etc. Trust me, your back will be glad you have the stroller. If you do photo pass, try to get a picture of her walking between the two of you holding hands....I agree it's a precious picture, it can just get old fast!!

 

[disneypolybride2008]

great advice. where are 'land' area parking spots?

 

[stormyR]

We just parked ours outside rides with large stroller areas.

We parked it outside Town Hall when we went to see Mickey early afternoon, then went to Harmony Barbershop without it- while there it poured down so it ended up staying there til we left the park at midnight.

 

[dsneygirl]

My DS is 21 months and he didn't WANT to ride in the stroller the first 3 or 4 days, he also wanted nothing to do with holding our hands so nothing really magical about that But he climbed in when he was tired and would nap for 1.5-2 hours every day and fell asleep at night which was a godsend.

Not sure how big your DD is but my DS is 28lbs and I carried him in the Ergo quite a bit as well.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

great advice. where are 'land' area parking spots?

Trust me. You'll see them. You can't miss them. There will be 100s of strollers in each area.

Our kids only use the stroller to go from land-to-land. They really don't spend too much time in the stroller. But it is invaluable to have, especially when you're leaving the park with a crush of people at the end of the day.

 

[kirstenb1]

Trust me. You'll see them. You can't miss them. There will be 100s of strollers in each area.

Our kids only use the stroller to go from land-to-land. They really don't spend too much time in the stroller. But it is invaluable to have, especially when you're leaving the park with a crush of people at the end of the day.

OMG, yes, about the end of the day!!! Think about being really hot and tired. Then think about hot, tired, and carrying a 2 yr old all the way to the busses, monorail, or your car. Also, kids will often feel really good after a 20 or 30 minute brief nap, or just chill-out in the stroller. So it allows you all more time in the parks.

 

[msmama]

At Disney, it's not just about the walking (though lets be honest, if someone offered to push me in a stroller all day, I'd jump at the chance).

Think about walking around crowds of people and everyone around you is a giant. That's what's it like for kids. Plus, Disney is SUPER DUPER SENSORY OVERLOAD!! My son needs his stroller still just to sit and chill out for a few minutes (because of this, I recommend strollers with large sun shades).