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

[indimom3]

I hate having to take a stroller to the parks, but I always bring one just in case. It also helps if you're waiting to see a parade or something you have somewhere for the kids to sit. Our last trip, we took the stroller to the park and it basically sat there parked all day until we needed it in the evening.
We were on the fence about bringing one for our trip next week, but decided to bring it - even if we only use it for the walk to/from the parks, that's 15 minutes of whining we don't have to endure from our 4 and 5yos.

 

[nbliss]

Here is my 2 cents. We took our 5 (1 month from being 6) and 8 year olds last October to DL. Renting a stroller never entered my mind. I personally can't stand strollers (even though I owned and used 3 myself when they were younger!). My kids did great. We take a lot of walks where we live, so they are used to that (granted, DL is more walking than usual). They were also so excited to be there, it didn't seem to bother them. If they got cranky, we had a seat, had a snack, and they were ready to go again. I think a stroller is more of a pain(moving around, worrying about losing it, etc), and if you don't need one, better to not have one.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

If you were staying offsite I'd say bring one for the walk home. But GCH is in the parks I don't think you'll need one. Rides are closer together so there is less walking from ride to ride. I was shocked when we went to the MK and the carousel was the first ride after coming through the castle. At DL, you have 2 rides on each side before you even get to the carousel. Point being, there aren't a lot of long stretches of walking in the park. Even with little ones we use the stroller more for crowds and for going from land to land. Once in an area we park the stroller once and can do a few rides before we move on.

 

[starshine514]

I think it really depends on when you're going and how much you're planning to do. We just got back from a peak time (8:00 am - midnight DL park hours). We park hopped everyday, went back to the hotel (DI&S - right across the street) for an afternoon nap and then closed out the park (sometimes park hopping then, too). I wore a pedometer this trip. One day, I clocked over 14 miles! I brought a stroller for the girls to share (though the 5-yr-old had it 75% of the time), and yes, the 7-yr-old was still happy to plop down in it (I measured her step, 14.5" per step versus my 29" - she has to take twice as many steps as I do). I saw kids bigger than her in strollers there.

Stroller parking is sometimes a pain, as is maneuvering through the park (especially when it's crowded and people stand in the middle of walkways and have conversations). If I was going to tour like we did, I would recommend a stroller to at least have for the evenings. If I was going during a less busy time with kids your kids' ages, I would consider not taking it. We actually didn't take one for our January trip (I ended up carrying the 5-yr-old a lot; she was not ready for all the walking) and wound up bringing it again for our last trip.

 

[Lisa71]

Our kids are 6 and almost 5. Our son has mild CP, so we have to bring a stroller as he simply cannot walk that much all day without falling over. We have done the parks without one for our daughter, but find it much easier if we have been running around all day to have one just in case she tires. We once had a sound asleep 4 year old and had to carry her back to the car. She sleeps hard, but carrying her from the parade to parking was not fun.

 

[Brian Noble]

We did not at that age. Then again, we also skipped it at WDW at that age, and just elected to go at the kids' pace. So, YMMV.

 

[joihan777]

I love 'em. The stroller holds the family supply backpack when the kids aren't in it, (Saves my back from getting sweaty!).

When the 3 & 6 y/o get tired... they take turns. Though I've had to carry them around for hour before =(

 

[3monkeys4me]

My kids will be 8 1/2, 6 1/2 and almost 3 for our next trip. Our youngest rarely uses a stroller at home. Since we will be going in the summer our tentative plan is to start off in the morning without a stroller and then bring our umbrella stroller (maclaren volo) with us to the parks in the evenings. I have a ring sling that packs up very small and can use it to wear my toddler if both she and our 6 year old cant walk at the same time. Dh will be there too, and he can give a piggy back ride to the 8 year old if she needs it, though she walked the whole time for our last trip when she was 6 1/2.

FWIW, we are pretty active and hike frequently through out the summer. Both the older kids do 6-8 mile hikes and don't generally need a break. We keep the pace slow and have no issues with finding a spot to sit and rest awhile if needed.

 

[Mama Who]

My experience is that a healthy six year old has absolutely no need for a stroller at Disneyland. Yes, rentals are available.

 

[Kyliec1989]

Check out city stroller rentals. citystrollerrentals.com they rent out strollers and then you can keep the stroller the entire day, no returning it or not being able to take it to downtown Disney. It's yours 24 hours a day. They will drop it off at your hotel before you get there and pick it up after you leave. They also will drop off a case of water for $9 I think, and that will save you a ton in the park. Their customer service is amazing- the owner is great. And depending on the length of your stay, it may be cheaper than renting one from Disney for half the day. It's $40 for 3 nights, which can include 4 full days, and that already includes drop off and pick up for free. They clean them meticulously and they are much higher quality then disneys.

I would get one if I were you, because the walking is still heavy in my opinion. I always have sore feet and Im an adult! Plus it's nice to keep your things in. I would take valuables with you in case though. And there is plenty of stroller parking in my opinion and tons and tons of people using strollers.

 

[DBMC]

Last time we went, we had a 2, 3, 6, and 11 year old. We brought our sit and stand stroller. (horrible stroller for Disney BTW) ALL of the kids used the stroller at one time or another. The 6 year old sat by his sister a lot. Even the 11 year old hopped on the back a time or two at the end of a very long day. Obviously the 2 and 3 year olds used it the most, but the other kids where happy to have it too. I would bring one. If you find you don't need it, great. I would for sure recommend getting a nice one though. If you don't have one, there are stroller rental companies. That is our plan for our next trip.

 

[gigi0902]

My experience is that a healthy six year old has absolutely no need for a stroller at Disneyland. Yes, rentals are available.

Pretty judgmental, don't you think?

My 8 year old daughter is in competition cheer, practices 3-5 days a week and takes tumbling classes on top of that. We live up the mountains here in so ca. and she can easily hike 4-5 mile hikes with me no problem and is as healthy as you can get, but when it comes to Disneyland, she can't last the entire day (we do one day trips from opening to closing). The few times we didn't bring a stroller, she was crying from her legs hurting her so much and my husband wound up finding a seat for her to sit with at while I went on rides with the rest of our kids.

I have no desire to turn what is supposed to be a fun trip into meltdowns and tears because other people don't think she should be in a stroller.

 

[jilld11]

I think I would bring a small stroller as your kids may get tired, but after the first day you would know if you need to bring it every day. I think their age is on the cusp of yes or no, but totally depends on your kids. My older two are 9 and 7 and I wouldn't bring one for them. Only my 9 month old. But they don't need it, but some kids might. Just don't bring one of those huge strollers or one of those double strollers. It really is just rude for others. Have a great trip

 

[Mama Who]

Pretty judgmental, don't you think?

Not in the least. The title of the thread asks, "do we need to take a stroller?" and I responded that in my experience, it is not necessary for healthy children of that age. In your experience apparently a healthy 8 year old is incapable of handling Disneyland without a stroller or a meltdown but that is YOUR experience and not mine.

If, when asked, you are allowed to post that you think an 8 year old needs a stroller then I, when asked, am allowed to post that I don't think a 6 year old does. See how that works? Without any criticism of the person asking the question, we offer our different points of view.

But hey, it's pretty judgmental of you to think me answering differently than you would is judgmental, don't you think?

 

[DBMC]

Not in the least. The title of the thread asks, "do we need to take a stroller?" and I responded that in my experience, it is not necessary for healthy children of that age. In your experience apparently a healthy 8 year old is incapable of handling Disneyland without a stroller or a meltdown but that is YOUR experience and not mine.

If, when asked, you are allowed to post that you think an 8 year old needs a stroller then I, when asked, am allowed to post that I don't think a 6 year old does. See how that works? Without any criticism of the person asking the question, we offer our different points of view.

But hey, it's pretty judgmental of you to think me answering differently than you would is judgmental, don't you think?

My first reaction was that it was judgmental as well. Not because you don't agree, but your answer kind of sounded like you were insinuating that only unhealthy kids would need a stroller. This probably isn't what you meant, but at first glance it came off like that. Reading it again, I think you just said "healthy" as in an average child. But alas, I am not good at reading people in internet land.

 

[Mama Who]

My first reaction was that it was judgmental as well. Not because you don't agree, but your answer kind of sounded like you were insinuating that only unhealthy kids would need a stroller. This probably isn't what you meant, but at first glance it came off like that. Reading it again, I think you just said "healthy" as in an average child. But alas, I am not good at reading people in internet land.

A 6 year old with Down's Syndrome will probably need a stroller. A 6 year old with severe autism will probably need a stroller. There are many medical reasons a 6 year old would need a stroller. In my experience, a child that age and fortunate enough not to have any of those challenges can manage Disneyland without a stroller. Our family has always done just fine (for multiple generations) with school aged children walking. In our experience, the only child in the extended family who needed a stroller beyond the age of about 4 was one with a health issue. That isn't a judgment, it's an experience.

Judgmental would be calling someone lazy or spoiled or foolish or rude for making a different decision. I am not telling the OP that she's stupid and smells of feet and kicks puppies, I'm saying that I think the answer to her question is probably, "no." Her 6 year old will probably (barring unmentioned issues) be perfectly capable of managing Disneyland without a stroller, saving them a nuisance and an expense. Yay! I look forward to being in that position again. Alas, my youngest is currently under 2 and getting too big for me to wear, so strollers are going to be part of my reality for a while longer.

 

[jdb in AZ]

When our son was six years old he could run circles around us so no, we didn't bother with a stroller. But we're not commando-style Disney tourists who run from one ride to another, either. We went during off-season so we didn't have to stand in line for hours, and the parks weren't open from 8 a.m. til midnight.

It's not a one-size-fits-all answer -- lots of variables to consider.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

I think it would also depend on the pace you are wanting to take. Are you willing to walk at your child's pace or do you want to move pretty briskly between attractions? Are you using a touring plane like RideMax, where you are supposed to be at a specific ride at a specific time?

Granted, my daughter was only 3 when we were there in October. We used RideMax, and there were times she would have been running to keep up with the pace on her little legs, or we would have been carrying her. The pace wasn't particularly fast for the adults, but it would have been fast for her.

We plan to go back when she's 5, and I wouldn't hesitate to bring a stroller. Part of that is selfish--I don't want to carry her between rides. It's murder on my back. And, it's great to have the OPTION to push her. Even if she only uses it 25% of the time, that's 25% of the time that she's not miserable. And if she's not miserable, we're not miserable, and neither are all of the people around us.

I pretty much decided that I'd rather bring it with me and not use it at all, than not bring it and wish we had. And I was unwilling to spend the money to rent one for part of the day when we gate checked it for free. ;-)

 

[disneychrista]

This is only an opinion (which is what you asked for).

There is no need for a 6yo to be in a stroller. The attractions are pretty close to each other, it will take up more time moving the stroller than he will slow you down.