$31 rental for a double stroller.

[mamasha]

It's unfortunate for sure.. but with the price of everything going up lately, I'd brace for some price increases at Disney starting with strollers apparently and probably including price increases on some menus and probqably a ticket price increase here before too long.

Nobody likes to hear that but that's what inflation is all about unfortunately.



Knox

Yes, we all know Disney increases prices all the time. At least you getting a ticket/room or food in exchange. Strollers are pure gravy money for them. I think that's why people get tick with these greedy increases.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm really sorry to say this, and I do have my flame suit on trust me, but this is really starting to make me kinda laugh and to be thankful I don't plan on taking anymore trips with the little guy until he's big enough to do 5 miles a day.

Everyone is mad because of the price going up, then they are mad because more strollers on the buses and longer wait times, they are angry because people will steal their strollers so they can't justify taking the $200+ stroller to the park.....

I have been in everyone's shoes, believe me. I have watched people put their strollers on the seat on the bus, and seeing a woman holding her baby, I asked the people to move their strollers, and I always give up my seat when it is me and my DH only. I don't run people over with the stroller I have, nor do I wait until the bus pulls up to start breaking down my stroller, and I try to have lots of patience with other people's children 'cause I know mine are not saints.

But, has anyone gone back to the beginning and read them again? Everyone cannot be pleased and WDW is a business that WILL make money, regardless of how many people complain. It's nice to vent, but until people become the solution, i.e.-bringing your own strollers and showing courtesy-like breaking them down before a bus comes, being patient in line for a bus to come-everyone else paid for a bus just like you did, remembering that others might not find your children's irritability "growing pains"-some people feel like they paid for a great time and that they shouldn't have to listen to anyone's children scream-face facts, I bet most of the people on this site want to go and tell some kids parents to get control of their children, and that everyone paid, just like you did, it is never going to be an easy solution for someone.

Please don't flame me-just pointing out that NOT EVERYONE CAN BE PLEASED! Common courtesy and basic economy get chucked out the window at WDW sometimes. WDW is only being a business-maybe people have ripped them off so many times that the god ones pay the price.

The thing is I don't believe Disney will make money, I think they will loose it. I, for one, planned on renting a double stroller for at least one day of my trip next month. Now I won't. That is money lost, not gained. And I can't believe that I am the only person who won't be renting a stroller who otherwise would have. I don't see how they will gain that money back, even if some people do choose to pay the higher price.

Plus I would think Disney would not want people taking their children back to their resorts for breaks. That is just more money lost on snacks and souvineers. Seems like this was a bad business decision. They have gotten too greedy for their own good.

 

[CanadianGuy]

As a separate note.. I've gotten an answer to how long it's been since the last stroller increase and similar to the ECV's.. it's been over three years since the stroller rental increased.

I'm wondering if perhaps a new fleet of strollers in the works or something? Certainly, even given the three years between price increases, I still think this increase is WAY too high...

The other idea being that Disney either a) wants out of the stroller rental business or b) wants to reduce the # of strollers in the parks ... makes more sense than ANY other option I can think of -- unless they are replacing all the current strollers with something new.

But regardles, knowing it's been three years since the last increase, does at least explain some things.

Knox

 

[kwelch10377]

I'm really sorry to say this, and I do have my flame suit on trust me, but this is really starting to make me kinda laugh and to be thankful I don't plan on taking anymore trips with the little guy until he's big enough to do 5 miles a day.

Everyone is mad because of the price going up, then they are mad because more strollers on the buses and longer wait times, they are angry because people will steal their strollers so they can't justify taking the $200+ stroller to the park.....

I have been in everyone's shoes, believe me. I have watched people put their strollers on the seat on the bus, and seeing a woman holding her baby, I asked the people to move their strollers, and I always give up my seat when it is me and my DH only. I don't run people over with the stroller I have, nor do I wait until the bus pulls up to start breaking down my stroller, and I try to have lots of patience with other people's children 'cause I know mine are not saints.

But, has anyone gone back to the beginning and read them again? Everyone cannot be pleased and WDW is a business that WILL make money, regardless of how many people complain. It's nice to vent, but until people become the solution, i.e.-bringing your own strollers and showing courtesy-like breaking them down before a bus comes, being patient in line for a bus to come-everyone else paid for a bus just like you did, remembering that others might not find your children's irritability "growing pains"-some people feel like they paid for a great time and that they shouldn't have to listen to anyone's children scream-face facts, I bet most of the people on this site want to go and tell some kids parents to get control of their children, and that everyone paid, just like you did, it is never going to be an easy solution for someone.

Please don't flame me-just pointing out that NOT EVERYONE CAN BE PLEASED! Common courtesy and basic economy get chucked out the window at WDW sometimes. WDW is only being a business-maybe people have ripped them off so many times that the god ones pay the price.

I totally agree with you. WDW is a business and I am sure that someone didn't all of a sudden decide, "Hey lets increase the stroller prices, so we can squeeze even more money out of people!" In any large corporation decisions like this are not made lightly and a lot of research is put behind making them. With this economy many companies are having to make difficult financial decision.

We can all speculate why they have made the price increase, maybe to decrease stroller traffic, maybe because their are too many dishonest people stealing strollers or maybe they did it instead of raising the price on something else that would affect everyone and not just those who use strollers, whatever the reason is they have every right to do it and we have the choice to pay for it or not pay for it.

 

[disneywith4boys]

I'm really sorry to say this, and I do have my flame suit on trust me, but this is really starting to make me kinda laugh and to be thankful I don't plan on taking anymore trips with the little guy until he's big enough to do 5 miles a day.

Everyone is mad because of the price going up, then they are mad because more strollers on the buses and longer wait times, they are angry because people will steal their strollers so they can't justify taking the $200+ stroller to the park.....

I have been in everyone's shoes, believe me. I have watched people put their strollers on the seat on the bus, and seeing a woman holding her baby, I asked the people to move their strollers, and I always give up my seat when it is me and my DH only. I don't run people over with the stroller I have, nor do I wait until the bus pulls up to start breaking down my stroller, and I try to have lots of patience with other people's children 'cause I know mine are not saints.

But, has anyone gone back to the beginning and read them again? Everyone cannot be pleased and WDW is a business that WILL make money, regardless of how many people complain. It's nice to vent, but until people become the solution, i.e.-bringing your own strollers and showing courtesy-like breaking them down before a bus comes, being patient in line for a bus to come-everyone else paid for a bus just like you did, remembering that others might not find your children's irritability "growing pains"-some people feel like they paid for a great time and that they shouldn't have to listen to anyone's children scream-face facts, I bet most of the people on this site want to go and tell some kids parents to get control of their children, and that everyone paid, just like you did, it is never going to be an easy solution for someone.

Please don't flame me-just pointing out that NOT EVERYONE CAN BE PLEASED! Common courtesy and basic economy get chucked out the window at WDW sometimes. WDW is only being a business-maybe people have ripped them off so many times that the god ones pay the price.

I agree with what you have to say, and of course people should break down their strolllers before the bus comes, showing courtesy, etc., but, you can't get around the fact that strollers will take up room, no matter how small and how compact. There will be more strollers on the aisles, etc. They cannot just disappear on the buses. They will be taking up room for someone to stand, or sit. Less passengers will get on, or more people will be pressed against others of against these strollers.

 

[disney-super-mom]

Hmmmm, well my autistic 8 year old DS has hypotonia, and I was going to rent a double stroller for him to ride in whenever he needed to rest (which is pretty much most of the time). Plus, our five year old could take a break too if he wanted, although he's full of energy and could go all day.

Well, looks like we'll have to rent a wheelchair for our 8 year old instead. He'll actually be thrilled that we're getting him a wheelchair because he gets embarassed to ride in a stroller. He's at that age I guess.

Not sure what's going to be worse though.....the dirty looks we got for having our 8 year old in a stroller.....or the dirty looks we're going to get when people see our "normal looking" but very thin 8 year old stand up and walk out of his wheelchair to stand in line for an attraction.

Still, that is a shocking price increase to say the least!

I mean......WOW......I'm speechless.

 

[MomtoGKC]

Wow - I can't believe it wasn't a typo. We are going for 7 days in May and were planning on renting a double for the whole trip. Disney would have made $112. Now I just called a friend to borrow her single and will buy one cheapo umbrella stroller. They've lost $112 and Target or K-Mart or the thrift store or someone will be making about $20.

I'm so annoyed because we loved the Disney strollers. We told all of our friends that it was our best advice to rent one and that it was the best money we spent there - now I'll never tell them that again! I liked how low to the ground they were so my kids could get in and out easily themselves. I also liked how sturdy they were so when my oldest got really tired she could hop in for a quick ride with her brother and sister.

Now we're going to have to lug two strollers on and off the bus and back and forth to our rooms, not to mention all the space they'll take up in our car. Yuck!!

 

[goofyernmost]

I think I have just decided no stroller rental for us.... we will just take a longer break... I cant pay that much... that is a heck of a nice stroller to buy for that kind a money... or maybe I will throw our umberella stroller on the plane for thoe few times my daughter will want to ride... this is crazy

I know that this opinion is unpopular, but, all I can say is hoorah! Six and Eight year olds riding around on their butts instead of getting exercise, in my mind, is almost criminal. We have a new generation of over-weight, lazy kids that expect everything to be done for them. The one's with the legitimate gripe are the one's with little tiny, young children. The first time I visited my kids were that age (6 & 8) and frankly it never even crossed our minds that a stroller would be necessary. And it wasn't. Taking a longer break is the answer, I'm sure.

If the cost of the motorized carts goes up there are places outside of Disney that rent them for very reasonable rates. It might cut down on the abuse of those as well.

I'm not sure it's true anyway unless they held a high pressure meeting and decided that the problems they were causing weren't worth the revenue. Ankle injuries alone could be mind boggling. If they don't rent them, they won't be liable.

 

[bartleby1]

As a separate note.. I've gotten an answer to how long it's been since the last stroller increase and similar to the ECV's.. it's been over three years since the stroller rental increased.

I'm wondering if perhaps a new fleet of strollers in the works or something? Certainly, even given the three years between price increases, I still think this increase is WAY too high...

The other idea being that Disney either a) wants out of the stroller rental business or b) wants to reduce the # of strollers in the parks ... makes more sense than ANY other option I can think of -- unless they are replacing all the current strollers with something new.

But regardles, knowing it's been three years since the last increase, does at least explain some things.

Knox

That sounds about right as far as when the last increase was. I also recall it only increase about $2 or so (reasonable increase if you ask me).

I certainly hope that disney is replacing the strollers for the cost they will be charging because I know that last summer the strollers were not in great shape, especially at the MK. Many were dirty, worn, had torn sunshades, didnt' steer properly, etc. We returned a few before finding one that worked and learned quickly to test them before leaving the rental area. My mom had the same problems with her ECV rentals. Many had bald tires and she got stuck on more than one occasion.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

Everything goes up everywhere and I get that but between rooms ( which are really getting crazy), tickets, less value in the dining plan, and now this Disneys pricing is getting alittle crazy. This is just my opinion.

 

[boomhauer]

I totally agree with you. WDW is a business and I am sure that someone didn't all of a sudden decide, "Hey lets increase the stroller prices, so we can squeeze even more money out of people!" In any large corporation decisions like this are not made lightly and a lot of research is put behind making them. With this economy many companies are having to make difficult financial decision.

We can all speculate why they have made the price increase, maybe to decrease stroller traffic, maybe because their are too many dishonest people stealing strollers or maybe they did it instead of raising the price on something else that would affect everyone and not just those who use strollers, whatever the reason is they have every right to do it and we have the choice to pay for it or not pay for it.

I feel just the opposite. I don't think this decision was well thought through at all. Disney execs make mistakes too. This is a snowball effect:

1.Much fewer people will be renting strollers. What does this mean?
A.People will bring their own strollers, which will create almost unmanageable waits and crowds for buses.
B.Because of point A, people will start renting cars and venturing off of Disney property.
C.People will deal with the price increase for strollers, but in return, have less money to spend at the parks.


Just for fun, I'll start a poll and see what people's plans are going forward.

 

[Jazmine8]

Ok, While I don't agree with the price increase there hasn't been any CEO or CFO chiming in on this discussion and therefore none us us can say for sure why the price has went up for stroller rentals. Disney may be losing money somewhere else and has chosen to make up that loss with the stroller rentals. Because if they made increases somewhere else that has already seen an increase, folks would still be angry with them. I mean it's every day on the news that many counties across the US are increasing taxes on many different things to make up a budget defecit. And who do you think pays for it?....the tax payers ofcourse. I don't even think guests of WDW would be happy to see increases in tickets prices or dining which is hit or miss in terms of quantity, quality and overall experience. I for one will have to increase my budget for a weekly rental cause my 6 year old niece may become tired, too hot, sick anything and can't walk the miles it takes to do all the parks. I mean all of the parks can fit into AK alone.

Another thing is that for people who say that those who rent really doesn't need to is an opinion. I could never look at someone child's and by my standards say that, "that particular child doesn't neeed to be in a stroller". You cannot tell by looking at a child and say if they have special needs or not. Not all needs are visible to the naked eye- for all those smarty pants people who know everything. And Yes Disney does provide assistance in certain cases but not all and esp w/o and doctor's note. Every parent knows what there child can handle and if that what's works for them than fine. and in case people don't realize it whether or not people choose rentals or thier own, there will still be plenty of strollers in the stroller parking areas, parks, buses, and monorail.

 

[JeremyGNJ]

The thing is I don't believe Disney will make money, I think they will loose it. I, for one, planned on renting a double stroller for at least one day of my trip next month. Now I won't. That is money lost, not gained. And I can't believe that I am the only person who won't be renting a stroller who otherwise would have. I don't see how they will gain that money back, even if some people do choose to pay the higher price.

They made a 50% increase in the price of the strollers. That means they only have to rent 66% of the normal amount of strollers to break even.

Trust me, everyone is still going to rent strollers.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

I know that this opinion is unpopular, but, all I can say is hoorah! Six and Eight year olds riding around on their butts instead of getting exercise, in my mind, is almost criminal. We have a new generation of over-weight, lazy kids that expect everything to be done for them. The one's with the legitimate gripe are the one's with little tiny, young children. The first time I visited my kids were that age (6 & 8) and frankly it never even crossed our minds that a stroller would be necessary. And it wasn't. Taking a longer break is the answer, I'm sure.

If the cost of the motorized carts goes up there are places outside of Disney that rent them for very reasonable rates. It might cut down on the abuse of those as well.

I'm not sure it's true anyway unless they held a high pressure meeting and decided that the problems they were causing weren't worth the revenue. Ankle injuries alone could be mind boggling. If they don't rent them, they won't be liable.

I am not disagreeing but some kids need them for reasons we dont know. Which is why its best not to judge. My kids are both healthy and eat good and are not heavy and ds8 walks and ds 4 uses a stroller for now.

 

[ADKSPiette]

For next trip this October our DS will be 5 and DD will be 2. I plan to bring our own stroller for DD, but was going to rent one for DS. He never uses a stroller at home, but I feel that with all the walking at WDW an occasional break (ride) in the stroller is best for everyone!

I just bought a Double Stroller - Maclaren Techno for $249.00 (free shipping). I have a 5 year and a 18 month old so I feel your pain.
I figure at this cost, you only have to use the stroller 8 times to get your money back from paying at Disney.

 

[jenn-n-okla]

When our kids were smaller we always brought an umbrelkla stroller with us...folded up nice for bus/car transport and at the end of the trip we either gave it to another Disney family at our resort or left it with relatives who live in FLA and were visiting with us...

check out this link for a nice $25 stroller.....perfect for a week at the park!!

http://www.target.com/Disney-Novelt...8456144?ie=UTF8&rh=k:umbrella_stroller&page=1

I saw that too. They have tigger, pooh, and piglet as well.

 

[boomhauer]

They made a 50% increase in the price of the strollers. That means they only have to rent 66% of the normal amount of strollers to break even.

Trust me, everyone is still going to rent strollers.

I won't. That price is absurd. I'll buy one and bring it with us.

 

[eliza61]

They will no longer be "the happiest place on earth" because now there will be so many more children who are VERY tired, VERY cranky, and VERY irritable since their parents can't afford to pay such a huge fee to rent a stroller!

How about taking a break when the kids get tired?

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We're planning on a family trip back to Disney later this summer to introduce our baby grand-daughter to a wonderful experience.

But seeing this thread about the cost of stroller rental is really making me roll my eyes. How on earth can WDW justify this type of expense?

My daughter and her hubby own a Maclaren Techno XLR system (stroller) there is no way they'd be brining it to use at WDW. We were counting on renting a stroller but good grief.. not at these prices.

No idea what we're going to do now...

If your granddaughter is the same one in your siggy (cute picture!) I wouldn't rent one of the Disney strollers for a 1-year-old anyway. They only have a safety belt and a toddler needs at least a 3-pt (preferably a 5-pt) harness. Plus, she will probably need a reclining stroller to doze and nap during the day. I recommend that your daughter buy a lightweight travel stroller if she is concerned about her Techno being stolen. However, I've seen many expensive strollers at WDW and the vast majority (99.5%) never get bothered.

Regarding the cost increase - WOW. That's just a huge jump. When I saw it on the DIS, the first thing I did was email my best friend who is going in 2 weeks, to let her know so she would take her stroller from home.

 

[Melora]

We always rent a double stroller even though our kids are older.

But after hearing how big some kids are its no wonder no one looks twice at us. I have TINY kids... my 7 year old is 43" and 45 pounds and my 8 1/2 year old is 46" and 47 pounds. They both fit comfortably in a double. I swear I never get the whole "Oh your kid is too old for stroller" routine. I haven't used a stroller since my son was probably around 4 (then only at the mall) but Disney is a different animal. We go for 8 days at a time and walk probably 5 miles day so I don't expect any kid to be able to keep up day after day without getting cranky. I want to enjoy my vacation!

Last time we were there in January we decided not to spend the money. First day wasn't too bad but the second day my 7 year old got tired. Third morning he woke up with a fever Typical for him... must be airline travel! So we rented a stroller and ended up being happy we did. I think he got better faster because we weren't dragging him around while he wasn't feeling great.

When we go this summer we were planning on renting a double because it gives them a nice break out of the heat. It gets so outrageously hot and my son especially has fair skin and reddish hair so the more I can keep him shaded the better.

Now there is no way I will rent a double. We will probably do a single and let whoever needs a break use it. And to be honest, I love a place to keep my stuff as we walk around the park. I really don't like the huge double anyway so I guess this is a good excuse to wean us off of it!