Do we need to take a stroller to DL/DCA?

[iujen94]

Frequent WDW visitors making our first DLR visit this summer and looking for advice. My boys are going to be 6 (just turned) and 8 when we go this summer. We are staying at GCH.

f we were going to WDW I would absolutely bring our stroller. DS6 could/would walk a decent amount, but we move faster and there is substantially less whining once he gets tired if we have a stroller option ready for him (I've seen crazy debates on the WDW boards about older kids in strollers - definitely NOT looking to start a debate like that here - WDW is the only place DS6 has ridden in a stroller since he was probably 3 or 4). Just wondering if we should plan to take the stroller for our DLR trip. I've heard the parks are much smaller than at WDW and so theoretically there is less walking. Also, WDW is (to me) very stroller-friendly, with plenty of room to maneuver a stroller and also lots of convenient "stroller parking." Is DL/DCA similar in that regard, or is it more of a hassle to have a stroller there?

Finally, if we decide not to bring a stroller and then regret the decision, does DL/DCA have a stroller rental like WDW does? Can you take strollers back and forth between the parks or do you have to return them before leaving one park and get another one at the other park?

Thanks so much for any advice!

 

[martinolichfamily]

We are going in July and I will be taking a lightweight stroller for my DD who is 5 (6 in October)...I think it will be easier on her....If she uses it ok, if not ok....not sure I want to pay to rent each day if she wanted a ride.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

My DD's 1st stroller-less trip to Disney was our most recent one *she was/is 8, we've visited yearly/sometimes multiple times a year for the past several years. We do a lot of walking at DLR, she's wasn't always in it, we'd park it for a while and then she'd hop in it when we moved to a different part of the park(s) it's also nice for the walks from and to the hotel.

 

[coaches24]

Frequent WDW visitors making our first DLR visit this summer and looking for advice. My boys are going to be 6 (just turned) and 8 when we go this summer. We are staying at GCH.

f we were going to WDW I would absolutely bring our stroller. DS6 could/would walk a decent amount, but we move faster and there is substantially less whining once he gets tired if we have a stroller option ready for him (I've seen crazy debates on the WDW boards about older kids in strollers - definitely NOT looking to start a debate like that here - WDW is the only place DS6 has ridden in a stroller since he was probably 3 or 4). Just wondering if we should plan to take the stroller for our DLR trip. I've heard the parks are much smaller than at WDW and so theoretically there is less walking. Also, WDW is (to me) very stroller-friendly, with plenty of room to maneuver a stroller and also lots of convenient "stroller parking." Is DL/DCA similar in that regard, or is it more of a hassle to have a stroller there?

Finally, if we decide not to bring a stroller and then regret the decision, does DL/DCA have a stroller rental like WDW does? Can you take strollers back and forth between the parks or do you have to return them before leaving one park and get another one at the other park?

Thanks so much for any advice!

My DD is 3 so for us a stroller is a must for us. Weve only been once so far with DD and it was a Jan trip so it wasnt super crowded (but it was a weekend trip on presidents day weekend so it was somewhat busy). We found the stroller to be a blessing and not just because it kept DD happy. It allowed us to store everything we wanted to bring with us including snacks and water.

Stroller parking depended on the ride. We never had any real issues with it but there were some rides (later in the day when it was most crowded) where it could be hard to find a spot but we always did even if it was a little farther from the entrance then we wanted.

To me if it helps your son from getting cranky and having to walk to much then its worth it, and you can navigate just fine IMO through the parks.

 

[juliamollymama]

My DD is also 6 and hasn't used a stroller in almost a year. She makes it through even on our open to close trips. We found that she does fine until later at night and we usually find a place for her to sit and have a snack and she'll perk back up. She is big for her age and has a lot of stamina, so that may be why she does ok.

 

[chttyangel]

During our last trip DS was 4 and we brought an umbrella stroller. This time he is 6 and I will not bring one.

Both DCA and DL have allot of walking. DL tends to get crowded in some areas so I think a big stroller would be a total pain; thou I have never tried since I am a fan of umbrella stroller, but allot of people do bring them. If you think you would really need one, I personally would bring something light that you could fold up when things got crowded. DCA is a little more open and easier to move around.

 

[marcida2012]

We're going next week for 3 days and I'm taking a stroller for my 5yo DD. We are staying off site though and anticipate a 10-15min walk to the front gates, so I wanted something we could take outside the parks with us.

I found a decent one that was tall enough (my DD is super tall) on Craigslist for $40. I figure whether we end up using it or not, I will resell it when we get home.

 

[californiamomof4grls]

To answer OP's questions yes you can't rent them $15 a day. I believe you can take them back and forth. I would for sure bring it if you are staying of property. After walking around the park all day the walk home feels like miles and gets even longer when your trying to get the kids to the hotel too!
Plus you can throw things under that make it easier with your kids in tow! Snacks, water bottles, hoddies, and you just park it in the "land" that your in and you go around to the rides come back to the stroller move on to the next area.
I personally bring a double jogger. But I have a 7 year old that get tired very easily and then she starts to complain and slow down. So if by the end of the nights she can't hang I'll let her get in and have a ride too and like I said she is 7! LOL!

 

[Huff]

DL is somewhat smaller than MK at WDW. The walkways aren't as wide and the center hub is smaller in diameter. But its still a big park with a lot of walking. There are more rides at DL than MK and most of them have stroller parking areas available.

DCA is much more open with wider walkways than DL although currently construction walls are up in some areas which limits this.

Rentals are available and you can take them back and forth between the two parks. However, you cannot take rentals into Downtown Disney, which also means you can't take rentals onto the monorail because it stops in Downtown Disney. Disney won't allow them because Downtown Disney is located just outside the baggage checkpoint that exists in the walkway from the two parks and Downtown Disney.

Hmm...this would also mean that rentals cannot be taken through the DCA gate into Grand Californian resort which also connects to Downtown Disney.

 

[gigi0902]

We bring our Bob double jogger stroller for our 4 and 8 year old and I couldn't care less what other people think of me.

Our 8 year old does not last from opening to close and is asleep in the stroller along with the 4 year old. I just depends on your child and if they do well with lots of walking.

 

[Denton]

I plan to leave the stroller at home for our May trip. Our son is 3 and last year he only used the stroller during the late afternoon/evenings.

In the morning, the anticipation and adrenaline of being at Disneyland was enough to keep him going. The park hours were 10am - 8pm, so he wasn't on his feet all day long.

 

[bumbershoot]

Yes you can take the rental strollers across the esplanade to the other park. Can't take them anywhere else, though (not to DTD).

If you're staying offsite and have a walk...it's best to bring your own if you think it will be needed.

I canNOT recommend leaving things in the stroller, though. We've had something stolen from the bottom of our stroller, a brand new hat that was underneath an old ratty sweatshirt, and while we were compensated the following evening by a CM who heard DS talking about the "bad pirates" who had taken his hat, the *feeling* of being stolen from really hurt. Then when we thought about it, even leaving bottles of water sounds dangerous, b/c who knows what some weirdo might do to a bottle of water. And even if you don't want to be that paranoid, we've seen squirrels rummaging in strollers, and I don't particularly want to think about squirrel spit on my bottle of water. So when we were still in the stroller years, we ended up leaving NOTHING in them, and we are continually astonished at the what-feels-to-us-like-naive act of leaving TONS of stuff in the strollers at Disney parks....

So I wouldn't plan your "stuff" with the thought of leaving it in the stroller.



But...6 was when DS didn't need the stroller for Disney anymore. We took our Volo to WDW when he was 6 and it never even got set up. He just didn't need it. Yay!

 

[coaches24]

I'm sorry you had that experience that is terrible. But you are the first person I have heard about having something stolen out of a stroller. I try not to leave anything of value in ours but my DW did forget her IPhone in plain site while we went on rides a couple of times. Including while we rode the train around the park with our stroller in NO square. And we had zero issues.

As for squirrels we keep our water in a small zippered cooler so no worry there and snacks are in a zippered bag so I doubt squirrels can get to it.

Yes you can take the rental strollers across the esplanade to the other park. Can't take them anywhere else, though (not to DTD).

If you're staying offsite and have a walk...it's best to bring your own if you think it will be needed.

I canNOT recommend leaving things in the stroller, though. We've had something stolen from the bottom of our stroller, a brand new hat that was underneath an old ratty sweatshirt, and while we were compensated the following evening by a CM who heard DS talking about the "bad pirates" who had taken his hat, the *feeling* of being stolen from really hurt. Then when we thought about it, even leaving bottles of water sounds dangerous, b/c who knows what some weirdo might do to a bottle of water. And even if you don't want to be that paranoid, we've seen squirrels rummaging in strollers, and I don't particularly want to think about squirrel spit on my bottle of water. So when we were still in the stroller years, we ended up leaving NOTHING in them, and we are continually astonished at the what-feels-to-us-like-naive act of leaving TONS of stuff in the strollers at Disney parks....

So I wouldn't plan your "stuff" with the thought of leaving it in the stroller.



But...6 was when DS didn't need the stroller for Disney anymore. We took our Volo to WDW when he was 6 and it never even got set up. He just didn't need it. Yay!

 

[BNM]

I would not bring a stroller for a 6 yr old, especially if staying at the GCH. To me the GCH was basically in the park. If there are long days, it's easy to go back to the hotel for a rest.

That's just me, my kids walk a lot at home and the parks seemed very compact.

 

[lwilkison]

Frequent WDW visitors making our first DLR visit this summer and looking for advice. My boys are going to be 6 (just turned) and 8 when we go this summer. We are staying at GCH.

f we were going to WDW I would absolutely bring our stroller. DS6 could/would walk a decent amount, but we move faster and there is substantially less whining once he gets tired if we have a stroller option ready for him (I've seen crazy debates on the WDW boards about older kids in strollers - definitely NOT looking to start a debate like that here - WDW is the only place DS6 has ridden in a stroller since he was probably 3 or 4). Just wondering if we should plan to take the stroller for our DLR trip. I've heard the parks are much smaller than at WDW and so theoretically there is less walking. Also, WDW is (to me) very stroller-friendly, with plenty of room to maneuver a stroller and also lots of convenient "stroller parking." Is DL/DCA similar in that regard, or is it more of a hassle to have a stroller there?

Finally, if we decide not to bring a stroller and then regret the decision, does DL/DCA have a stroller rental like WDW does? Can you take strollers back and forth between the parks or do you have to return them before leaving one park and get another one at the other park?

Thanks so much for any advice!

FOr my DD (will be 4 yrs when we go again October 2012) I say "YES!"...umbrella strollers as so easy to tout about and leave in stroller parking and switch to others rides and come back for later.

If I could I would be in a stroller for some cozy nap time

As to leaving valuables/water in the stroller....NEVER EVER do it. Very common for strollers and things to go missing, kinda sad but unfortunately a reality

I had a stroller shipped to our hotel room for super cheap ($15 I think) from an online service...but there is also a Target just down the street (short city bus ride away)...so you could even pick up something from there

Have a great trip

 

[PigletSeeker]

I wouldn't. My kids are 7, 5, and 2. Only the 2 year old gets a stroller. My girls never used one past 3. It's just not that big. Sometimes my middle DD wants to be carried a bit on the way back to the hotel late at night, but that's it.

 

[WpgGal]

My DS5 has refused to sit in a stroller since he was 2. But on our recent trip, I ended up renting one for him after we had been at the park for 3 days. Even though DLR is not that big, those are long days and it's a lot of walking. He wasn't enjoying our trip as much as I had hoped until then...I think he was just too tired. Once we rented a stroller, he plopped right in, happy as a clam and had so much more fun the rest of the trip! He still got out and did a lot of walking, but it was a relief for him to be able to sit down when he wanted. I should also say we stayed at GCH, and even though it's close, the stroller still made that much of a difference!!
++++++NOTE++++++++
We also brought our own stroller for our baby. I didn't want to take a junky one for this trip. Ours is comfy for baby, handles well and has a lot of storage. We weren't planning on leaving it behind much, but I bought a lock just in case. The second time we locked it up (to take baby on the Haunted Mansion) we came back to find the lock had been cut. Oddly enough, the stroller was still there. Perhaps the jerks got scared off. Just a word of caution... Needless to say, we didn't leave it behind again.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I am a hater when it comes to strollers........so keep that in mind, DL is not stroller friendly, and staying on site really cuts down on the need. I bet you will not need one.

 

[squirrel]

You know your child best.

A friend is going this weekend with her two girls 6 & 7 and won't be bringing a stroller.

I took my cousin to WDW in 1999 when he was 8 and never thought about a stroller. Then when I was planning my trip in 2008 for my niece I saw all the people saying they were getting strollers for their 8 yr olds. When I mentioned it to my cousin, he was shocked and said no way would he have gone in one at 8.

My niece was almost 6 the last time she was at WDW and I used a stroller for her. There is no way she would be able to keep up with me for 14 days. If I was taking her to WDW this year at almost 9, I would probably rent one. She has asthma and it would make the trip not fun if I kept telling her to hurry up.

 

[Isatricia]

Every child is different and only you know what your child's stamina is.

We haven't taken our 6 & 8 yr old girls to Disney yet, but they have been to many zoos and to Sea World. They haven't been using the stroller to sit in for a while now - Most umbrella strollers have a weight limit of 30-35 pounds, some bigger strollers have a slightly higher weight limit and then there are some expensive strollers that have much higher limits. Strollers -esp the cheap umbrella strollers - can be very difficult to push with a heavy child in it.

Although the girls don't ride in the stroller (I have a little more expensive umbrella type stroller) I still take it to the zoo and other places because I like having a place to carry stuff. I keep debating with myself if I am going to take it to DLR. I like the idea of having it for "stuff" vs renting a locker. I don't like carrying backpacks and as someone who is always thirsty it is important to me to have refillable insulated water bottles with us.