Single Stroller Or Double?

[WoodysRoundup]

Hi!! We will be traveling to WDW with our 3 and a half yr. old and our just turned 2yr. old. Our 3.5 yr. old already likes to walk more than ride in the stroller. I KNOW that WDW is huge and he will probably need a stroller. My ques. is this...should we bring our huge double stroller or just bring a single for our 2yr. old and rent doubles in the parks? Also, do all 4 parks have the double strollers? THANKS FOR THE HELP!!

 

[Schmeck]

For such young kids, I'd take the double stroller - unless you don't mind carrying one child to the bus, around the resort, etc. Or you could do two umbrella strollers - that way, if the 2 year old falls asleep, you can sit in the shade and people watch while the 3 1/2 yr old and other parent can go on more rides!

 

[Kate-n-sam]

We are bringing our double for our 1, 3, and 7 year olds. The 3 and 7 year old will take turns riding. I like to have the double for the 3 year old for a couple of reasons. I know where he is in a crowd. I can move across the park/parking lot etc when I want to. I don't think you will regret bringing it, plus the extra storage is great! Have a great trip!

 

[WoodysRoundup]

Thanks so far for the responses!! Our 3 and a half yr. old is already 42" tall. I guess I'm not sure if he'll feel too squished in the double ?? Ours is a Graco Duoglider. Hmm... Any additional thoughts?

 

[my3princes]

Last year we drove in our bus (long story) pulling a Travel Trailer so we had plenty of room. We took both our single and double stroller with us for our 3 boys, 9mths,5 and 7. We ended up using the double the entire trip. It is a long day and the 5 yr old got tired especially at park closing when your trying to get back to your resort. If you rent the doubles in the park you still have walking to do outside of the park. The one time that we took the single stroller (we were only going into the MK for a couple of hours) we ended up doubling the younger 2 up for the trip back to the resort. So having tried it both ways I would strongly recommend your double stroller. Plus you'll save $$ by not renting.

 

[Kate-n-sam]

I have a Graco duo-something...it's the side by side. My 3 year old is definately squished in it, but he fits, as does my 7 year old. Their legs and head hang off both ends , but it works well enough to give them a break. I'm going to test it on the driveway to see how hard it is for me to push. This is our Disney stroller, last time we took it, my DD was almost 5 and DS was 18 mos. Worked great and she was definately at least 42 inches. Give it a try around the house, my oldest 2 think it's a hoot cause they never get to ride in a stroller anywhere else! Have a great trip!

Also I wanted to add to your original question, that all of the parks have double strollers. Expect your kids to nap even if they don't at home. The rentals are not that confortable for sleeping. Just so you know..

 

[peanutzmom]

I know I'm in the minority, but even with the 2-yr-old, I wouldn't bother bringing anything from home and just rent double strollers your entire stay. All the parks have them -- even Downtown Disney has double strollers you can rent. I've never thought it a "hardship" to carry my child the short walk from my resort room to the bus stop (and many times, especially in the mornings, they had enough energy to walk that far on their own). We've been to both WDW and Busch Gardens Tampa several times since the youngest was 18 months and the oldest was almost 3, and we've always left our stroller at home & rented doubles. They're much roomier than a regualr double stroller, and once my kids were in that 2.5 - to 3 year old range, they were always cramped up in the double stroller. The only double stroller I've found tht worked past that point was the side-by-side double umbrella strollers, but the rentals at WDW are SO easy to control and ride like a dream -- we always look forward to renting them, and my kids are 4 and 6!!

 

[peanutzmom]

Originally posted by Kate-n-sam
Expect your kids to nap even if they don't at home. The rentals are not that confortable for sleeping. Just so you know..

See, again, maybe I just have really weird kids, but they always pass out in the rental strollers without a problem!

 

[Katd52]

I wouldn't suggest bringing your double stroller. Duogliders are really bulky hard to maneuver strollers especially at Disney. I do reccomend bringing strollers though. Maybe 2 inexpensive single umbrella type strollers. I definitely think that would be the easiest option. When we went I brought 2 umbrella strollers for my 3 and 4 year old and boy did we (they) need them. Disney is BIG and can be tough on those little legs!

Katie

 

[Disneyolic]

We brought our Graco DuoGlider (front/back) on our last trip for our 2½ & 4yo boys. It is a bit bulky getting on the busses but it was wonderful for everything else. I couldn't imagine not having it. It was not hard to maneuver in the parks at all. I think side-by-side strollers are harder to maneuver. We were able to wheel it right onto the monorail w/o folding it and also onto the ferry from YC to MGM. It sure was easier to spot out when leaving it in a bunch of other strollers, especially because CMs "straighten" strollers out all the time and I saw many a parent looking at name tag after name tag of rented strollers to find theirs.

~DawnMaree

 

[HANDYMOM]

If I were you I'd rent a double... The Disney stollers glide better than any other and even big kids fit with ease. You'll also have room for a few (!!!) purchases...

 

[Irish9697]

We went in early March with a 3 & 4 year old (both turned in December, so newly 3 & 4) and took only one single umbrella stroller. It worked out great as the kids took turns or when they both needed it, we carried one. We did get a bit tired of carrying one, but it all worked out. I'd say start with just the single umbrella stroller and if you need another, rent it.

 

[WoodysRoundup]

Thanks so much for all your responses! I think we may be leaning toward renting...only b/c DS already looks cramped and we're not leaving for a while yet. Might bring one or two umbrellas to get through our massive airport though. THANKS AGAIN!

 

[Threegirls]

I have been trying to figure the stroller thing out myself. We have twind 5 1/2 year olds. We no longer have any strollers of our own so our options are rent a single (and share it), rent a double (but it may be to hard to push them both) or rent 2 singles.

Any ideas??? They haven't used strollers for a long time.

 

[my3princes]

When I see the great debate over bringing a stroller or renting one I have to wonder how long the trip is. In our case we alway go to disney for 2 wks. If I had to rent a double or even single stroller for that length of time I would have spent enough money to buy a nice new stroller at a store. We have always brought our own and I have made custom "saddle bags" that attach to both sides of our stroller. I can put everything we need in them and they are always ready to grab and run. They detach easily and have straps to throw over my shoulder so I can get onto the busses quickly. My husband collaspes the stroller and handles it on the bus. We have 3 sons (16 mths, 6 & 8). We have made 4 trips to WDW and have brought our own stroller each time. I has proven handy in the airports and we just gate check it and it is waiting when we get off the plane. My advise is to figure out how much your rental fees will be and go from there. There is no wrong choice as each situation is different.

 

[WoodysRoundup]

Bumping up for "THREEGIRLS"!!

 

[Dano1182]

Take the double
We leave for 4 trip tom 3 yo &6 yo we are still bringing double
Lots of room and the wait to rent or return park strollers is sometimes a nightmare.
you also have it for other things like thepools or dtd.The double is also helpful at airport.
If you are flying ask to check it at gate you will have it waitung when you get off plane right at gate.

 

[peanutzmom]

Originally posted by my3princes
When I see the great debate over bringing a stroller or renting one I have to wonder how long the trip is.

So far our trips have always been 3 days or less, but even on our upcoming 8 day trip, we'll be renting double strollers each day. I just love the way they handle and how roomy they are for my slightly bigger (i.e. over the typical "stroller age") kids. Part of our daily budget includes $15 for the stroller. Yes, it's expensive, but so is the convenience of eating overpriced food in the park -- we see it as one of our vacation expenses.

 

[spark_plug]

I have a question? Can an airport decline your request for a gate check stroller? After reading all these posts I've decided to bring my 3 wheel side by side stroller for our 4 and 2yr. But is it to big? thanks amy

 

[Disney_1derland]

as a matter of fact we went to look at strollers this morning. My almost 4 year old is tall (42 inches to be exact) and NONE of the strollers we looked at today at babies r us were big enough for her to be comfortable in. Her legs hung down and crashed into the wheels on all of them. Seriously considering buying a VERY expensive stroller but can't find one locally to try. Anyone here have a city twinner?? they are the ones that were specially made for Disney/MGM and I'm worried it too will not be big enough for my child.

Anybody out there have any ideas of strollers that MIGHT be a bit larger/more comfortable?