Strollers, lockers, and backpacks

[Texasfam4]

I suspect this topic is covered almost daily, but after searching through threads and not coming up w a plan, I decided to post my own questions.

My boys are 6 and 8 yrs old, so renting a stroller hadn't even crossed my mind....until a friend told me that they rented a double stroller last yr (her kids were 7) and it was a lifesaver. They didn't have to carry backpacks around on their shoulders all day, and when they wanted to get across the park QUICKLY, their kids would hop in the stroller and away they went. I'm also concerned, because our 6yo is a very SLOW and complain-y walker. There's just not much we can do to change that. When we go to other amusement parks/zoos, after after 3 hrs, he is hating life. Lol Does anyone else w elementary aged kids do this? Are there always strollers available later in the day, in case we want to wait until late afternoon to get one? We might not necessarily want one ALL day.

As far as backpacks/bags go, I'm assuming that all the rides let you carry those on, rather than having to leave it unattended w the stroller?

Lockers...are they worth renting, or do you find yourself wishing you had your things with you, rather than having to walk across the park to your locker?

 

[mpadilla89]

When we have gone to Disneyland with DD she has been 3, 5, and 8(going in 10 days). We took a stroller the first time. A very small and slim one which she only used when she fell asleep for about 45 min and that was it. she was too excited to see everything that she could run all day. We never used the stroller for the other days or other visits. My daughter has a lot of energy and plays sports so she doesn't get tired quickly or at all.

Backpacks can be carried on the rides as long as they are not huge or pose a safety risk. Your kids are my daughters age and im not sure what else you are taking that you would need a locker for?

 

[figment_jii]

As far as backpacks/bags go, I'm assuming that all the rides let you carry those on, rather than having to leave it unattended w the stroller?

I've always taken my bag with me on the attractions (although, I haven't ridden Screamin' in a long while), but I did leave my bag in the locker when heading for the water rides (I didn't want all of my stuff to get wet on Splash and/or Grizzly). They do ask you to leave any bag that won't fit in the under seat compartment on the floor for Soarin', but that's a little different. Just remember, you have to be able to lock the safety equipment, so you will probably have to take off your backpack and put it on the floor or wear it forward facing.

Lockers...are they worth renting, or do you find yourself wishing you had your things with you, rather than having to walk across the park to your locker?

I always rent a locker, even when I have a stroller. The locker is a great place to store things that you don't want to leave in the stroller (e.g., purchases), or things that you won't need for a bit (e.g., jackets). The parks are small enough that I haven't really found it terribly inconvenient to return to the locker when needed.

 

[Texasfam4]

After I got to thinking about it, I'm not sure that we will need a locker. When I think of the things we will need to take, I don't really come up with much. Phone, wallet, small snacks, water bottles, sunscreen, maybe Tylenol and bandaids...not much else. For a while I was thinking that I'd pack a cooler of sandwiches, chips, snacks etc for food through the day. But honestly, our hotel is right across the street, where we will plan on eating lunch...and since we aren't frequent Disney go-ers, we will want to get fun Disney snacks inside the parks while we're there.
Now I just need to get a good/comfy bag that I can easily ride with....and decide if we want to get a stroller for our big kids. Lol!! I swear....my 6yo can play 12 innings of baseball in 1 afternoon during a hot, Texas tournament, but the parking lot walk to and from the car is what he can't handle. HA!!

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

If you have a slow, complainy walker, a stroller might be a good idea. It's also a good place to store your stuff.

Obviously, wallet, phones, passports should stay with you. That being said, I've never had an issue with leaving our bags with the stroller while we went on rides, so with the above exceptions, I've never worried about leaving things with the stroller.

 

[MommyLove]

When our kids reach 4 or 5, we stop using strollers. The kids are having so much fun, they don't notice the walking around the park during the day. They may do some complaining on the walk to the hotel at night, but it's a short walk (we also stay right across the street) and then they fall asleep fast at night!

It helps to explain to them before the trip that they're "big kids" now and if they want to go to Disneyland they have to "be brave" and not complain about being tired of walking.

 

[ehrawn]

If you have a slow, complainy walker, a stroller might be a good idea. It's also a good place to store your stuff.

I may have a different view about this. First, trying to move a stroller through a crowd is difficult, but add the weight of a 7/8 y/o and you've just described my idea of torture. Second, a "slow complainy walker" is good feedback. The most miserable time you can have in the Park is when you try to force fun down your kids' throats. Let them lead (after you give them good guidance), but definitely go at their pace. If they want to stop to listen to a band and you miss your FP window, so be it. If you schedule says you're supposed to do HM next but they want to stop at Tarzan's Tree House, who cares? Lastly, if you have so much stuff that you need a stroller to store it all, then you have too much stuff. There is no unpredictability at Disneyland Resort. Anaheim weather is easy to predict; CA doesn't have freak rain storms like FL. And you'll probably want a mid-day break, anyway, because no 7 or 8 y/o has the endurance to go from gate opening to closing, in which case you don't need to bring a full day's worth of snacks/meals.

 

[Nevada Jen]

I really don't think you will need a stroller. Certainly not for the 8 year old. You can always decide on the spot for the 6 year old but it would be very out of the ordinary to see a 6 year old in a stroller at DL.

 

[travelgirl06]

My kids are younger (2 & almost 5) but we find a stroller very useful. We've done two single strollers, one single stroller and a double on various trips. We do like to try to "park" the stroller in a land to exPlore the land on foot and not get the stroller again until we're ready to move. I bring a backpack with snacks, extra clothes, water bottles, etc. and usually store it in the stroller or stroller basket. I keep my phone, credit card, etc. in my pocket so there are no valuables in the stroller and I'm not worried about leaving it.

Once we get firmly past the age of naps, I'll be more inclined to ditch the stroller, but right now the inconvenience of pushing around the stroller outweighs the risk of having to carry around a sleeping almost-5YO.

In your case you might consider just one single stroller. We had to do this the other week as we only had access to one single stroller and just had the kids take turns. There was a little complaining but it was good to have the option for someone to take a rest (without us having to carry)

 

[Disney Lvr of Old]

I loved having a stroller for my almost 6yo. I could bring the kitchen sink with me (even though we were staying on site) and I could move so much faster. (My son is a bit of a slug when walking too). I rented from city strollers and it was the best thing ever. It was waiting at the hotel when we got there and I just left it at the bell desk at the end of our trip. It only cost $55 which was well worth it. If I knew we were only going for a few hours I could leave it in the room but it was great for when he got sleepy. And honestly it worked as a "horse blinder"- he couldn't see all the souvenirs he thought he had to have. Lol and I agree with PP- we could park it to explore different areas but it was invaluable when going back to the hotel at the end of the night. I put a bright ribbon on it so I could find it in the sea of strollers.

I'm actually in a bit of a tizzy trying to figure out how I'm going to carry the kitchen sink on this trip since he's 8 1/2 now and doesn't need a stroller.

 

[LisaT91403]

We have had annual passes since DS was almost 3. We used a stroller until he was 5 (going on 6), and I almost had a panic attack the first time we decided to go without a stroller. Whatever would I do without my "locker on wheels?" But I have to say...we not only didn't miss it one bit, we actually regretted that we hadn't dumped the stroller sooner. It was so much easier to move quickly without having to go get the stroller from the parking area, load it up, navigate through the crowds (this is the worst with a stroller!), and then go park it again.

We do rent a locker if we have jackets for the evening, as none of us wants to carry those around all day.

 

[Kirbie]

I have a question about lockers. It looks like on the map there are two lockers sections for DLR - one outside to the left, where the picnic benches are, and one inside the park on main street, in the section that turns right, it looks like a water fountain is there as well.

Does anyone have any advice for which ones to use? Do I have a better chance of getting one inside the park if I go there right away at opening? Are the sizes different between the two areas?

I'm planning on using a locker to store my backpack with sweater, sandals, snacks, and putting souvenirs in there as I purchase them (Han Solo in carbonate bucket from Galactic Grill!) That way I can carry a smaller bag with me with essentials.

Thanks!

 

[magic458]

Am I the only one that likes the stroller for the fact that it can haul stuff and occasionally haul a kid?

PS My legs are double the length of my DD7 and I won't tell her to suck it up and deal with it. Physics dictates she take many more steps than I and while she is WAY more active than I - physics wins.

 

[maltdizzy]

We always rent a locker. Super handy. Hoodies for everyone for after sundown, and other essentials...sunblock,etc.

We had a stroller stolen at DL before and it was the one time me wife left her bag in the stroller. Total damage was ~$3000. Anaheim Police (they were set up in backstage Tomorrowland) said the chances of theft of, or from, a stroller at DL is 1 in 20 (which aren't favorable odds for the guest).

Stroller need varies per kid. I think you know the answer. We took the stroller for a WDW trip and at age 4, our DS did 15 hours every day for 5 days and we never used the stroller. Sold both strollers as soon as we got back. It's heaven not having to push one, not having people step in front of them, not having to park one, etc.

 

[rentayenta]

We like lockers too. I rented a stroller when my kids were little. I wouldn't chance them having a stroller later in the day during the busy season. You could always rent one, put some sort of identifier on it (a bandana, etc) and leave it parked near a ride where they park strollers if you wanted. It may get moved around but its a thought.

Like the above PP stated, stroller theft is common. We didn't have our stroller stolen but they did steal the contents. Thankful it wasn't $3,000 worth but still, not fun. I have heard of people putting seemingly dirty socks etc on their stroller handle to make it less attractive; not sure if it worked or not.

 

[maltdizzy]

Like the above PP stated, stroller theft is common. We didn't have our stroller stolen but they did steal the contents. Thankful it wasn't $3,000 worth but still, not fun. I have heard of people putting seemingly dirty socks etc on their stroller handle to make it less attractive; not sure if it worked or not.

Were you distracted by ? We were. I think the SOB was in on it.

 

[magic458]

Ours will likely be snacks and such. Can't think of anything valuable we would leave in the stroller.

Might do the dirty diaper trick (pour coke in diaper) in a back on top of everything to discourage them.

 

[Keels]

Lockers...are they worth renting, or do you find yourself wishing you had your things with you, rather than having to walk across the park to your locker?

I always rent a locker on the DL side of the Esplanade and find it very worth my $8 or whatever it costs. Unlike WDW where you have to have a key, the lockers at DL have keypads where you enter the locker number and the PIN code you create for it. I usually stash my big bag in there with bottled water, etc., and swing by as I hop back and forth (to grab or drop off a hoodie, grab a water, grab my iPad if I'm heading to DCA to hang out and have a happy hour drink or something, swap out shoes if my feet get tired as I'm usually there during race weekends).

 

[maltdizzy]

...Unlike WDW where you have to have a key, the lockers at DL have keypads where you enter the locker number and the PIN code you create for it.

They still use keys at WDW? Wow. That means they are a solid 7-8 years behind DL (and Universal).

 

[Keels]

They still use keys at WDW? Wow. That means they are practically a decade behind DL (and Universal).

Yup - or at least at Epcot they do (that's the only place I've rented a locker - back during Marathon and Princess Half weekends). It's a real beating.