Borderline stroller users?

[MagicalMomAZ]

My DS is 3.5 & never uses a stroller when we go to the malls anymore, he also doesn't nap.

I was trying to decide whether to bring the stroller. Often in crowds he decides he likes it & maybe it will help him NOT get tired as quickly since I doubt he'll nap at the hotel.

Anyone here bring their stroller then regret it? Or maybe you just used for part of the day? The stroller rentals seem awfully big & uncomfortable.

 

[CoolPool]

Hi. You could always bring your stroller and park and leave it somewhere convenient. That way you have it if you need it particularly if you don't like the look of the rentals. And you don't have to push it around all day.

BTW, I see you are from Scottsdale. May I ask a hotel question? Which of the hotels there have the "most wow" pools/slides/water areas? I know a few of the hotels have amazing pools. I think I'd like to go out there next year with my twins. Thanks for any help!

 

[MagicalMomAZ]

Since I never stay here (CA is our vacation spot) the oly place I know of is the Princess. http://www.fairmont.com/scottsdale/Recreation/MoreActivities/

But Scottsdale is known for 5 star accomodations & dining so I KNOW there's more out there. The Point Hilton is another w/ great pools I think. Sorry I couldn't help more.

 

[Tink208]

My older son was almost 5 when we took him on his first Disney trip and we left the stroller at home...but we did end up renting one on the last day of our trip (it was the only day we did all day in the park), and we didn't rent it until later in the day. I think it is the only reason we made it through the whole opening to closing experience without any difficulty. In retrospect, I am thinking we should have rented one a couple of times when we were just there for our younger son's first trip; it might have cut down on some of the whining about sore feet...

 

[victorandbellasmom]

My son was 4 yo on our first trip and i didn't think a stroller was necessary. Boy was I wrong, we ended up renting a stroller each of those days. On our next trip, ds was 6 and dd was almost 3. We ended up bringing an umbrella stroller for dd and was glad we did. We went in the off season and we were able to stay at the park from open to close w/o having to go back to the hotel for a nap. We eventually got a disney visa and it was extremely handy when they ran the promo for a free stroller rental. Even at 5 and 6 years old, we'd still get a rental stroller for our dd towards the end of the day.

 

[bumbershoot]

My 3.5 year old loves to walk, and had dropped his naps back in October.

But Disneyland brought those naps back!!! I also had the weird experience of hearing a 3 year old saying "my feet hurt, let's take a little break".

We did rent the stroller for 3 days of our 5 day visit. But you know where the stroller would have been the nicest? Leaving and going back to the hotel. By that time I was so beat, and HE was so tired, that he begged me to carry him, and it just about dropped me to do so.

I planned to bring our lightweight stroller, but DH talked me out of it...so I rented while we were in the parks but DS hated being in it, and the time we needed them was after we were done.

I'd bring your stroller and take it to the parks. You might just leave it somewhere in each "land" and not use it during the day, but you might very well find it invaluable when you're going back to your hotel!

 

[avd3875]

We will be in DL the same week as you, with a 4yo and a carriage. DS stopped napping before he turned two, but always naps during our January visit to Disneyland. We bring our own carriage for several reasons, 1) the walk back to the hotel - it's only a 4 minute walk, but at the end of the day he'll just be too tired. 2) the rentals look too small for our tall guy. 3) The backrest reclines so far back that DS really can sleep comfortably in the carriage and we don't have to go back to the hotel while he gets some rest. 4)We can fit all our stuff in the basket of the carriage - I don't remember what the basket is like on the rentals.
Even though it isn't usually crowded when we go in January, it can still get overwhelming. DS sometimes just wants to sit in the carriage and take a break from the stimulation. When we don't need it we park it out of the way and leave it while we visit that "land". We also make sure to put a bike lock on it. We don't attach the lock to any fixtures in the park, it just goes through a wheel and the frame so it can't easily be wheeled away.

I hope you have a wonderful visit.

 

[DangerMouse]

Hi. You could always bring your stroller and park and leave it somewhere convenient. That way you have it if you need it particularly if you don't like the look of the rentals. And you don't have to push it around all day.

BTW, I see you are from Scottsdale. May I ask a hotel question? Which of the hotels there have the "most wow" pools/slides/water areas? I know a few of the hotels have amazing pools. I think I'd like to go out there next year with my twins. Thanks for any help!

The best resort pool areas in the Phoenix Metro area can be found at:

The Arizona Grand Resort has "The Oasis":

http://www.arizonagrandresort.com/oasis-water-park-hotel.php

The Pointe at Tapatilo:

http://www.pointehilton.com/tapatio-cliffs-falls-water-village.htm

The Point at Squaw Peak:

http://www.pointehilton.com/squaw-peak-river-ranch.htm

JW Marriott Desert Ridge:

http://www.jwdesertridgeresort.com/phoenix-resort-hotel/

My family has enjoyed The Oasis and the JW Marriott and both are awesome resorts.

 

[Anater]

We just got back from a three day trip in the parks with our son who turned four during our visit. He is so active that I try to keep him in a stroller when we go the the mall or long shopping trips so he's used to being in one. We rented one at the parks and it was significantly smaller than our 80 lb capacity BOB stroller. He was a bit cramped but it worked OK for us. We usually rented one late morning, just as he was starting to tire out. The only drawback for us was having to leave the stroller when we left the park at 10PM, and WE were tired. We usually ended up carrying him at least halfway to the hotel. Looking back I wish we'd had a way to bring our own stroller to the parks and have the flexibility to take it with us at the end of the day. The BOB was just too bulky for the trip and I was worried that the airline would have damaged it. If he was younger/smaller I would have bought an umbrella stroller for the trip. FYI, if you have the Disney Visa you get free stroller rentals; I applied for one six months prior to our trip mainly for the perks. Oh, and we paid for our Blue Bayou dinner with points we earned!

 

[CoolPool]

Thanks for the Scottsdale tips MagicalmomAZ and Dangermouse. I'll have to put on my Decider cap.

 

[Shakthi]

My daughter is 4 and my husband didn't think a stroller was necessary anymore. He ended up having to carry her all the way to and from the hotel. After a lot of walking, the little ones get tired easily. We ended up having to go to Walmart yesterday to get an umbrella stroller. It is so much faster to move around with her in it.

 

[trodrigue]

We just returned and I did take advantage of the free visa stroller for my 5 year old. Usually we got it towards the end of the morning session and then again when we returned to the parks in the evenings. It really came in handy. I hated the fact that you had to leave them at the gate, as going home to the hotel was probably when they were needed the most. Also, it annoyed me to no end that we couldn't leave the stroller at the GC entrance, go to downtown disney or back to the hotel for a couple of hours and then come back to our stroller. They always picked them up, making it necessary to go back to the stroller place to get another stroller, thus forcing the tired kid to walk even further. So, I vote for bringing your own. Even if my son wouldn't sit in it, we had a place to put our stuff.

 

[pycees312]

stoller definately... either bring a light one or buy a cheap one when you get there.. My DS is 4 and although he didn't use it all day but in the evenings and right before nap time it helped..

 

[dizzyami]

Bring the stroller!!! I took DD(6) and DS(4) in October, and while there were times I was pushing an empty stroller, there were many more times that I had two kids fighting over who got to ride next!!! Neither kid ever rides in a stroller anymore, but in DL (especially the walk to and from the park) it is a necessity. I would park it in a land, and then push it to the next one, even leaving it for a few hours one day by the train stop, and picking it up later.

We will actually be there the same time as you too - the 10th - 13th...I am glad, we will be going through Flagstaff this time, so I won't be able to pick you up on the corner of Shea!!!

 

[Padstack]

I'm gonna agree with bring a stroller. My DD2 refuses to take a nap when we are at Disneyland and very rarely gets in the thing. However, it saved me from having to carry my backpack and it gave me a place to put the cooler without having to rent a locker.