A 9 & 11 year old in a stroller?

[EMom]

Dear DISers,

I am a long time lurker, but am finally going to make my FIRST TRIP to Disney World, so I have come out of hiding to ask your sage advice! It has been my dream for many, many years to take my precious children to WDW. But as many of you know, life has a way of delaying our dreams. I lost jobs along the way, had to move into a smaller home, buy an older car....You know the drill. But after years of scrimping and saving, cutting coupons and eating all my meals at home, I am only two weeks away from making my dream a reality and being able to see the look of joy on my DS's and DD's faces when they see the WDW sign! How I have longed for this day!

But I am uncertain about how much they will be able to do in this heat, as we are not accustomed to such high temperatures and humidity. I don't want to push them too hard. I have heard the rental double strollers at WDW are quite sturdy and wondered if it might be a good idea to use one to make their time at the parks a little easier and more enjoyable. What do you experienced WDW moms think? BTW, my DS is 37 and my DD is 33.

 

[LuLuO]

I don't care what other people do, but there's no way I am still going to be pushing my kids in a stroller when they are that old. It is exhausting pushing them in the double now. When DS hits age 5 my plan is to ditch the stroller and it will probably happen sooner than that because he'd rather walk most of the time.

 

[spacemountainmom]

My ds was 11 when we went in January. He's 5'6'' and weighs about 120. Picture THAT in a stroller.

He always laughs when I bring up some of these stroller threads. He was 8 on his first trip and handled it just fine. He tells me that he would laugh his head off at any "big kid" he saw in a stroller.

 

[EMom]

My ds was 11 when we went in January. He's 5'6'' and weighs about 120. Picture THAT in a stroller.

He always laughs when I bring up some of these stroller threads. He was 8 on his first trip and handled it just fine. He tells me that he would laugh his head off at any "big kid" he saw in a stroller.

I don't have to PICTURE IT.....I SAW IT too many times to count. Not your son, mind you, but others of a similar size and age. Boys and girls.

As Kelly Bundy would say, "The mind wobbles."

 

[nmmom95]

Those kids have to be going into 4th and 6th grades! The older one is in middle school. I have a DS8. I think I'll tell him we're getting a stroller next trip and watch his head explode.

 

[MsPeggySue911]

This is what the mom on the moms panel answered to this question:

Trust me, I am well aware of how little ones can get very tired of walking. I really took advantage of utilizing the double stroller for as long as I could. Today, however, I think I would really get strange looks sticking my oldest in one. He is taller than his father!

Disney offers some great discounts should you decide to rent for multiple days, so I would definitely look into a "multiple day" purchase. Please click HERE to view the stroller fees. I simply LOVE their strollers. They are so easy to maneuver. You will want to place a bright ribbon or balloon on your strollers so that you can find them quickly as you exit each attraction. Oh, there will be "rivers" of strollers!

 

[EMom]

This is what the mom on the moms panel answered to this question:

Trust me, I am well aware of how little ones can get very tired of walking. I really took advantage of utilizing the double stroller for as long as I could. Today, however, I think I would really get strange looks sticking my oldest in one. He is taller than his father!

Disney offers some great discounts should you decide to rent for multiple days, so I would definitely look into a "multiple day" purchase. Please click HERE to view the stroller fees. I simply LOVE their strollers. They are so easy to maneuver. You will want to place a bright ribbon or balloon on your strollers so that you can find them quickly as you exit each attraction. Oh, there will be "rivers" of strollers!

I guess I will never make the Moms Panel, because I would have said, "Snap out of it!"

 

[spacemountainmom]

I guess I will never make the Moms Panel, because I would have said, "Snap out of it!"

ME TOO!!!!

(facepalm)

 

[Sparkleshine]

Wow, we just went to Sea World from open to close and didn't even think of bringing a stroller for my 3 year old and definitely not for my 6 year old! I know it isn't quite as big as Disney but still! When we go in Oct. we might bring the stroller in the evening for my 3 year old, but my 6 year old would not want to be seen in a stroller!

 

[hereyago]

ME TOO!!!!

(facepalm)

Count me in as well, that is just too ridiculous. Let's raise a whole bunch of mamby pambys

 

[morethananyonex]

I'm 21 and possibly the size of the 11 year old, does that mean someone will push me??

 

[AlwaysMoving]

I am amazed by the direction of this thread. When this topic comes up on the other forums, the response is totally different.

 

[MsPeggySue911]

I am amazed by the direction of this thread. When this topic comes up on the other forums, the response is totally different.

DO ppl defend their right to push their 11 year old around in a stroller?

 

[ICF]

My 5'3 11 year old would never -- ever -- allow us to push him around in a stroller.....if he would even fit in one.

Assuming those kids are healthy, that is sad and pathetic on the part of the parents to even want to put them in a stroller.

 

[disykat]

I think part of it is reading the scare stories on forums like this. "Your child will be exhausted and anyone under 10 needs a stroller," "no more than two adults can fit in a budget level hotel," "you must have ADRs to have a decent vacation because the table service restaurants are awful." etc.

Everyone wants to have the best vacation ever, so the scare stories seem believable. People need to understand that these things are opinions, not facts!

That's why people like me continually feel the need to add the opinions that "no need for healthy older kids to have a stroller," "we fit two adults and two adult sized teens in POP with no issues," and "we ate counter service and had a good variety." You really have to hear both sides to get a realistic picture - not just the scare stories.

 

[Melbies]

Wow, that is crazy! If they were special need, that would make sense but it doesn't sound that way. Make those kids walk the park!

 

[Pigeon]

I'm trying to imagine the reaction if I told my 10 year old she should get in a stroller.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

The first time we took our kids to WDW, DS had just turned 4. (He was small and we still bought him a ticket.) We walked in EPCOT for 12 hours, open to close, and he never complained. Got back to our room and I was giving him a bath. He had 3 blisters on each foot. I felt like the worst mother ever. We bought expensive bandaids at the Poly giftshop and went out again the next day. We never rented a stroller but one night after the fireworks at MK we picked up an obviously abandoned one on the way out for him to ride because he was asleep.

No wonder kids are obese if they can't walk in WDW.

 

[spacemountainmom]

At those ages, I would have been told that I have two choices:

1. Keep walking and quit whining

2. Leave the park and go back to the hotel

My kids would be given the same choices, but they outlast mom and dad by a long shot!

Unfortunately some people don't feel this way and I am related to some of them. I know someone who is planning a trip with a 7.5 and 5.5 year old children. They are actively looking for a new stroller that will handle this load. They pretty much say that they don't care what people think because they will never see them again.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

The only family I know of who used them after their kids were in school were as follows: Dad was a coach who lived by the model that he should be at least as healthy and fit as his players; mom ran half-marathons on a regular basis. Both were tall.

Their youngest had just finished K and still wore a size 3-4. Their oldest had just finished 2nd grade and still wore a size 6.

They were park commandos who wanted to go full bore from opening to fireworks.

So they used a double stroller. And you know what? I got no problems with that. Their kids are healthy and happy and extremely active. And they, quite frankly, wouldn't care what you think about them.