Aahhhhh yes.... my DH was just not thinking apparently......

[kldmom2000]

When he made this statement at dinner last night....

"Wow-I can't believe we're finally going to Disney with no carseats, no diapers, no strollers...... "

Ummm...... No strollers???? Are you kidding me!?!?!? We still have a 4.5 yr old who would turn into a villian herself if I made her walk all day x 7 days Besides, the Maclaren is awesome for stashing all our stuff

 

[kerry34]

LOL, my dh had the same attitude when my youngest ones were 5yrs old and then learned the hard way. He changed his mind pretty quickly and agreed that the stroller was a total necessity. My youngest were 7 on our last trip and when we went to Epcot we still used a stroller there....way too much walking even for a child that age. There little legs get tired.

 

[Schmeck]

What stuff do you need to drag around with you for a 4 1/2 yr old? What if you just rent a stroller there, as needed? Then you don't have to lug stuff onto the buses, etc.

 

[Minnie824]

I have the same attitude as your DH! My youngest is finally potty trained, and in Oct, DDs are 6 and 3.5. We are NOT bringing a stroller. We plan to rent one as needed, but thats one less thing to lug around the hotels, airport, transportation, etc.

 

[kldmom2000]

What stuff do you need to drag around with you for a 4 1/2 yr old? What if you just rent a stroller there, as needed? Then you don't have to lug stuff onto the buses, etc.

Water bottles for 4 people... sunblock.... a change of clothes or swimsuit for the girls as my older one FREAKS out if she gets wet on Splash Mtn. or the squirting water.... I carry my DSLR camera in a Tamrac backpack that's already heavy enough and full enough to fit much else in and DH won't carry a backpack so it's up to me.....

 

[kldmom2000]

I have the same attitude as your DH! My youngest is finally potty trained, and in Oct, DDs are 6 and 3.5. We are NOT bringing a stroller. We plan to rent one as needed, but thats one less thing to lug around the hotels, airport, transportation, etc.

My Maclaren is just so awesome in that it folds up quickly and is very compact... weighs less than 10 lbs I think? We didn't bring the Mac in one night to Epcot last fall when DD was just turning 4 and by the end of the night, I ended up having to give her a piggyback ride (ouch) back to the hotel (YC) because she was so overtired and in a royal mood if you catch my drift Plus, she gave up naps by 15 months, but for some reason in Disney, like clockwork she'd wipe out and nap in the stroller for 2 hours everyday.... I'd hate to be carrying her around or stopping our fun because she's in a bad, bad, bad mood from being overtired.......

 

[katieandallycat]

We went a when DD's were 7 and 11. Brought the stroller for the 7 year old. She is autistic, and if nothing else could cage her during busy times (and she still liked riding in the stroller so that help). At Epcot even my 11 year old said if she could she'd ride in a stroller. Of course my kids are used to DL, which is so much more compact.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

We brought an umbrella stroller that I bought specifically for the trip when dd was 5. We were pretty commando tourers and it worked well especially at the end of the night when she was tired and we were heading towards the buses. She could relax in the bus line and then get up so we could fold it when the bus approached.

 

[Red Wings Fan]

DD8 and DS4 here....and we will definitely require full time stroller duty. Looks like maybe the sit-n-stand might work out best for our two since we're gonna see how long DD can take it prior to getting into whine mode. DS is also on the spectrum and need to keep him in-check as well.

KLDMom...Looks like we'll be at the YC same time. We'll be the family with the son running circles around the big globe (if I remember right) while the rest of us get dizzy watching.

 

[kldmom2000]

DD8 and DS4 here....and we will definitely require full time stroller duty. Looks like maybe the sit-n-stand might work out best for our two since we're gonna see how long DD can take it prior to getting into whine mode. DS is also on the spectrum and need to keep him in-check as well.

KLDMom...Looks like we'll be at the YC same time. We'll be the family with the son running circles around the big globe (if I remember right) while the rest of us get dizzy watching.

LOL! If my 4.5 yr old DD sees him, I'm sure she'll join in too!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Well, you can tell your DH that you'll be happy to do without the stroller as long as he carries your 4 1/2 year old when they are too tired to go on. Let him ponder that thought for a bit...he may change his mind after he mulls that over. Or...go without and when DH cries uncle, you can send him back to the gate to rent a stroller.

Honestly though, I'd take an umbrella stroller-that is my transportation of choice for our 2 year old. Light, easy to fold up and not cumbersome.

 

[Nursejilly]

I just bought a Mac Quest on Ebay!! I know our DD age 3 will need a nap and the rental strollers look so hard and uncomfy! Plus the Mac can hold a 55 pd kiddo!! You can't beat that! After having several cheaper strollers i am hoping the Mac will be worth the money!

 

[brymolmom]

I'm the opposite of the OP's DH - I dread the day when we DON'T have a need for a stroller - I, too, bring lots of stuff (sunscreen, change of clothes, snacks, drinks, camera, hats, little medical kit with bandaids, etc., anitbacterial wipes and lotion, plus light up toys if we're staying late enough for evening parades). I LOVE having the stroller for 'stuff'. My kids are going to be 3 and 5 on upcoming trip - so I'm thinking maybe one more trip with the double side by side after this one.

I like the security factor too - I don't have to do the 'constantly counting the kids' thing when I know they are both right in front of me riding in the stroller. I also like the convenience of being able to whip across a whole park to do one more 'quick ride' on SM (if we have Fastpasses, of course) even if we're standing at the other end. If we didn't have the stroller - we likely wouldn't opt for going way out of our way for one ride. And with the heat - it takes a lot out of the kids. I think the first time we do it stroller-free we'll try to do a January trip so at least we don't have to contend with that.

 

[mommyof3princess]

I agree with being the mom and having to pack all the things the whole family needs. I think it is much better with the stroller. Even if we go without the twin two year olds. We started renting a stroller for our oldest who just turned 6. She can go without but by mid day she gets slower and slower. Stroller = no back pain from carring the back pack for 8+ hours.

 

[PA Princess]

We also prefer to use a stroller if a kiddo needs one. Our boys by 5 and 6 (they are now 12 and 11) were good to go on a trip without bringing a stroller (we rented a double a day at Epcot for a rest and other than that they were great).

Our oldest dd however is a whole other child and we brought an umbrella stroller for her at 5 for several reasons. One, she was a smaller child than her brothers so she had to take even more steps to keep up, and two and most important, she has a much lower threshhold for discomfort and is far more easily riled up...something that can impact the whole trip for all of us. I know some say that the price for having kids is you miss a lot, but we have two older kids and it seemed silly for them to miss a lot when the stroller was an easy solution to the issue.

Last year at 6 we did not bring a stroller for dd but we did rent two days when she asked (at Epcot and then a day at MK after a very late EMH). This year at 7 we will have the same plan for her...rent if the need occurs. Also, we now have a Mac for our dd2, so the 7 year old could take a turn in there if the two year old is out and about.

 

[redmomof4]

I just bought a Mac Quest on Ebay!! I know our DD age 3 will need a nap and the rental strollers look so hard and uncomfy! Plus the Mac can hold a 55 pd kiddo!! You can't beat that! After having several cheaper strollers i am hoping the Mac will be worth the money!

As a fellow Mac owner, I can tell you they are soooo worth the money. I used to have a techno and a twin traveler sbs, I am looking for a volo for our upcoming trip to replace my zooper ez.

 

[kileybeth]

I remember the one year we thought we could get away with no stroller, what was I thinking? My 2 youngest were 6 and 9 years and on the small side but my DH is a commando all the way. After the first day at MK, he was hightailing it to WalMart for an umbrella stroller so fast I couldn't stop laughing the whole way there! (They shared that cheapy umbrella stroller the next 6 days!) He also is our designated backpack carrier so he has never complained since (at least not loudly) about strollers making there way into our plans. We have since had 2 more kiddos now 2 and 4) He didn't like the Visa bill with 2 macs on it for sure but when he realized the double graco stroller was gone he was very very happy!!

I have been heard to say I will bring a stroller with me even my kids are all grown and gone! How else will I carry all those water bottles, cameras, cell phones, wallets, and so on and so forth?

 

[Schmeck]

Water bottles for 4 people... sunblock.... a change of clothes or swimsuit for the girls as my older one FREAKS out if she gets wet on Splash Mtn. or the squirting water.... I carry my DSLR camera in a Tamrac backpack that's already heavy enough and full enough to fit much else in and DH won't carry a backpack so it's up to me.....

Get a small backpack for the one who freaks out, and have her carry her own stuff around. Get those lanyards for your water bottles, bring a smaller bottle of sunscreen for the parks (or get those sunscreen wipes) and dump out everything in the Tamrac backpack and weed out the junk. Then, get a smaller bag that you are comfortable with, and put the bare neccessities in it. What ever anyone lelse needs, make them carry it themselves.

Rent a stroller at the parks when you need to - you can put stuff in that while you are on rides, but of course take your camera with you.

 

[Schmeck]

I have been heard to say I will bring a stroller with me even my kids are all grown and gone! How else will I carry all those water bottles, cameras, cell phones, wallets, and so on and so forth?

Please don't leave your wallet and camera in the stroller - even while you're just pushing it around someone could reach over and grab it. There have been posts about pickpockets getting into WDW now. I'm sure strollers are easier to 'pick from' than pockets and pocket books...

 

[Ellester]

Well, you can tell your DH that you'll be happy to do without the stroller as long as he carries your 4 1/2 year old when they are too tired to go on. Let him ponder that thought for a bit...he may change his mind after he mulls that over. Or...go without and when DH cries uncle, you can send him back to the gate to rent a stroller.

Honestly though, I'd take an umbrella stroller-that is my transportation of choice for our 2 year old. Light, easy to fold up and not cumbersome.

That's what we did last trip. My DH is very anti-stroller, we haven't even owned one for over a year. We had the agreement that he was the one who would do the carrying of our then 2y10m old son. He kept to his part of the bargain, he did carry him quite a bit over our 7 park days, cat naps and all. I rented a stroller only one day when our little guy wasn't feeling well and as it was I ended up taking him back to the room for the day at lunch. We can't comfortably use umbrellas (I'm 5'11" and dh is 6'3", they are much too short) and DH HATES carrying the strollers on the bus. Our 5yo and 8yo walked the entire time and it worked out just fine. So, it is possible.....