do you use a stroller for your child in WDW?

[disneynutsss]

My name is disneynuts and I am a strolleraholic...

I have brought my stroller from home, for MY convenience, for my son when he was 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and yes.... even 8 years old. It is great for holding our drinks and cameras and snacks and any and everything else I bring or buy. My son is also lazy. Unfortunately for him, this year we will not be bringing a stroller, he just wont fit anymore (he is now 10), and I will listen to him whine thruout the park about his aching feet! Feel for me!!!

 

[jeffemy]

I most definately used a stroller in WDW when my DS and DD were young. One visit when my DS was 3, and another when my DD was 4.5. We no longer used a stroller at home so we actually purchased an umbrella stroller to take with us solely to use at WDW. She never used it when we returned home except to play with her dolls! It was a decision based upon my child's ability at the time. I really don't see why some people feel they have the right to tell you whether or not you can use a stroller.IMO, they need to MTOB.

I was once approached in a mall while I was shopping with my 3 month old DS by a woman who was outraged because I was shopping with a stroller. She told me I shouldn't be taking up space with the stroller and that I shouldn't take my baby shopping and said I should have hired a sitter. This was a total stranger, I was astounded! I replied that I had just as much right to be there as she did, though she obviously didn't agree. Too bad, I guess she had to deal with it , like I had to deal with her being an obnoxious busy-body.


I think I may have met GG! LOL!

 

[Gabrielle]

My kids are older now but I think I used a stroller for them while at WDW until they were about 6 or 7 years old. There's an awful lot of walking at WDW - the strollers really come in handy on long walks to the food court if you're at one of the spread-out moderates.

 

[MinnieGi]

Absolutely, we use a stroller!!!! DD just turned 3 and there is no way we'd make it w/o a stroller. And yes, I bring the BIG stroller with storage basket, cup holders etc. On our past trips I needed that space for DD's drinks and snacks, diapers, water bottles etc. Now that she is potty trained I may switch to a smaller stroller but it still must have the storage basket! I plan on bringing a stroller with us for several more years to come. DD does get out and walk around but certainly not all day. WDW is just such a huge place to walk all over for little ones.

Besides if DD did walk around ALL day we'd never get further than Main St.!! She stops to look, comment, and get a close-up of everything!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by Rexfan
Would my 6 year old DS fit comfortably in one of the rental strollers? He is in leg braces, has had one surgery so far, and can't walk far without pain. The thing is, that he thinks he is too old for a stroller, and I am sure he is too small for a wheelchair. He's not a very big kid and I'm hoping he'll see other kids his age in them and not be miserable from trying to keep up.

The strollers at WDW come in several sizes. CMs have posted that the largest size will fit up to a small 12 yr old, so I'm sure your son would fit in one.
You are right that the adult wheelchairs would be too big (even if he was a large 6 yr old). WDW apparently does have some children's size wheelchairs to rent, but they must be few and far between since I have only seen one in 20+ trips to WDW.
Another option is to rent a child's wheelchair from one of the off-site full service medical companies:
Care Medical:
http://www.caremedicalequipment.com/

Colonial Medical
http://www.colonialmed.com/about_cms.html

I've also been told that this compnay rents special needs strollers (basically large size umbrella strollers)
http://www.all-about-kids.com/main.htm

Another option would be to check with his therapist/doctors to see if there is a lending closet for equipment in your area or your school district.

 

[swilphil]

Rexfan--You got great advice from SueM, so I don't have much to add. While your son will definitely fit in the rental strollers, I don't know how comfortable it will be for him, especially with leg braces. You might want to call WDW and ask them about the child wheelchairs or any other accomodations they may be able to make for your son. We were able to get some priority line passes, for an unrelated reason, the last time we were there. They let you go to the front of the line on rides. Obviously they don't hand these out very often. The CMs seem to go out of their way to help when they can. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Rexfan]

Thanks Sue and Sherri! I'll do some research before we go, but I'm relieved that strollers could be an option!

 

[mkingdon]

We've just returned from 2 weeks at WDW (last 2 weeks in August). My DDs are 6 & 8 and we rented strollers EVERY day.

They had to have a single one each as they were not comforatble in a double, but if anyone thinks the girls could walk all those miles in 90 degree heat, they must be insane.

My 8 year old had no problem fitting into a single stroller and she is not small for her age.

As a previous poster quite rightly said...When the people complaining (and what are they complaining about - I'll bet they do something to annoy someone during their trips) start paying for my trip, and looking after my kids I'll listen to them.

Until then I'll do what suits my family best.

They were cranky and tired even with a stroller, so I will continue to use them until the kids tell me they don't want them.

Craig

 

[lisadam]

DS will be 4 1/2 when we go in November and we will most certainly use a stroller as we have for our last two annual trips. Like others have said - we don't use one at home anymore - with some exceptions like a day at the zoo or when he's been ill but the weather has been nice enough to take him for a "stroll" - but he'd be so miserable walking and the fun is in the attractions and the sights sounds and smells of Disney - not the accomplishment of getting through on his own two feet.... although I am not above using the "accomplishment" line on him if I need to convince him to walk when the time comes...

I HAVE gotten comments from friends about taking him with a stroller - most of them along the thinking of "if he can't handle the walking he's not old enough to go " ok - that's their thinking -

 

[crabmeal]

We will be bringing a stroller for DD who will be 13 months. I think they are very conveinient too. They are great for holding all that baby stuff. When I shop without DD i feel strange without my stroller. I actually have to hold my bag and the stuff I want to buy! Im glad I read this thread because now I know I can rent one there for DS who is 5. I know he will want one and he outgrew the ones at home because he is 50 lbs. Im going to be tired from all the walking so I feel better now knowing Ds will be able to get a break. And I try to be mindful of other people when wheeling my stroller. i can't imagine someone using it to get through the crowds- yikes!

 

[C.Ann]

I'll be going to WDW the end of Jan - early Feb - with my grown DD and my then-to-be 5 yr. old granddaughter.. We're going to bring a stroller from home and play it by ear.. We won't have any "men folk" with us to help out if she gets tired, so we figure "better safe than sorry"..

I have a feeling DGD will want to do a LOT of walking, but at least if she gets tired, we'll be prepared..

Now if I could just get my DD to push ME in the stroller - well - that would be a totally AWESOME trip!!!!

 

[caveat lector]

Wow, it never amazes me what petty things people with find to complain about.

If you want to rent a stroller, and push it around empty, that is your right.

If you act improperly with said stroller, then the issue is probably not the stroller. It is merely a conveyance (sp?) for your bad attitude.

I enjoy WDW greatly, but my purpose for going has shifted to my children. If the rental of a stoller enhances their experience, and helps to create fond memories, I WILL do it.

 

[dijid]

I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a stroller for the parents convenience. However, I am definitely in the minority here as I only took a single stroller back in May when DD was 3 1/2 and DS 22mo. It is a Peg Pliko and has steps on the back, so DD could hop on and off going to and from the parking lots. But she walked all around the parks. We never went commando and were never out more than 3-4 hours at a time. On our last day, we decided to go to the MK just for one last ride before hitting the road (gotta love that AP!) We - gasp - went without a stroller. Took the tram from the parking lot, DS walked to the monorail, walked into the park, took the little car thing to the castle and then rode the carousel. Both kids did just fine and I'm sure could have gone a little longer. I look forward to going some day without a stroller or diaper bag!

 

[MrsMud]

I am all for using a stroller (although, I called it a carriage out of respect for my Dds, who never really used a stroller past 20 months). Anyway, we rented a stroller each park day when my Dds were 3 1/2 and 5 1/2. I think it was great! We were able to navigate much faster, they didn't get tired from walking, AND I knew where they were every second! We also rented a stroller this summer at Hershey Park (girls were 5 and 7), and I plan on renting one at WDW in a few weeks!
I really don't care what anyone else thinks about it. It works great for my family, and that's all that matters!

 

[decker96]

We went to WDW last year. Our DS was 2 and DD was 5. We brought our stroller from home for DS figuring DD was old enough to walk. Our first night we went to Epcot for about 3 hours. DD started complaining about her feet being tired after an hour. We tried letting them switch off riding, but DS walked TOO SLOW and he refused to hold our hands or let us carry him (he's very independent ). The next day we did MK, left our stroller in the hotel room and rented a double stroller for both of them. It worked out much better. DS fell asleep in it and we could lay him down in it while DD walked for a while. We rented strollers the rest of our stay. Next time we'll leave our own at home and just rent!!

 

[SueM in MN]

Originally posted by swilphil
Rexfan--You got great advice from SueM, so I don't have much to add. While your son will definitely fit in the rental strollers, I don't know how comfortable it will be for him, especially with leg braces. You might want to call WDW and ask them about the child wheelchairs or any other accomodations they may be able to make for your son. We were able to get some priority line passes, for an unrelated reason, the last time we were there. They let you go to the front of the line on rides. Obviously they don't hand these out very often. The CMs seem to go out of their way to help when they can. Hope you have a great trip.

Wheelchairs are not able to be reserved ahead of time, so even if they have any children's sizes, there may not be one available. If you are staying on site, you could try calling WDW Resort Special Reservations:
(407) 939-7807
(407) 939-7670 [TTY]
They are the department that deals with special needs requests.
In general, wheelchair users wait in line with everyone else (this is called Mainstream Access). All the lines at AK and pretty much all at MGM are Mainstream Access. Epcot and MK have Mainstream Access at the Fastpass lines.
You could go to Guest Services in any of the parks and request a Guest Assistance Card (GAC). It's not needed by someone who has a wheelchair, but is more to let the CMs know about things they can't easily see that you need assistance with. These cards are not meant to (and usually won't) shorten your wait in line, but they may allow you to bring the stroller in line (treating it like a wheelchair) if the line would be too much walking for your son. There are also some lines with moving walkways where people with mobility disabilities may need a little more time for boarding and unloading. A GAC can help with this. You can follow the link in my signature to get to the disABILTIES Board fro more information.

 

[MassMom94]

We were there for eight days, 8/23/-8/30. We rented a stroller for DS5 (almost 6) for one day, day seven. Prior to that he had resisted a stroller, but he would (understandably) get tired from all the walking. Since we were returning to Epcot that day, I suggested the stroller and he finally agreed. It was really, really helpful. After we spent a few hours at Epcot, he was agreeable to move on to AK, where we got another stroller. I'm sure he would have been whining to go back to the hotel had he been walking instead of riding that day.

We found we didn't need a stroller in the MK or Studios for him, but YMMV.

I think strollers get such a bad rep at WDW because some people do seem to use them as battering rams. I was careful to mind my space and not bump into people. It's not that hard. I don't know why others seem to have such a hard time with this.

 

[arminnie]

I can't imagine why anyone would care who uses a stroller.
Whenever I've seen older kids in a stroller they are usually asleep. I have no children so it's a moot point for me.

Some people on the boards have complained about the way strollers are used at WDW but I can honestly say that I've never had a problem there.

Now the malls are a different story. I've seen women exit from stores using the stroller as a forced entry tool - just not looking at the flow of pedestrian traffic at all, but I have never experienced that at WDW.

I take very little to the park, but if I did need to cart around a bunch of stuff I would not be adverse to using a stroller as long as there were plenty to go around and that I was not depriving someone who needed one for a child.

 

[St.LouisFan]

When the kids were small, rented strollers were the only way to go. The little ones didn't get worn out too quickly, they didn't get lost, they were shaded from the Florida sun, and we made good time if we were in a hurry.

You can also carry a bag on the stroller. Remember the first camcorders? They were gigantic but we wanted movies so I hooked the camera bag on the handle, too. Sure, I was worn out at the end of the day but I had a happy family with wonderful memories that we still talk about. Now the kids are in college and some day Grandpa will again insist on a stroller at WDW.

Leaving for another visit on New Year's Day!

St. Louis Fan

 

[Lora]

1999 - DD's almost 2 and almost 4 - took a big, bulky double (tandem) stroller....notice that I didn't return to WDW with it EVER again. It was a major pain to fold up on the buses, etc.

2000 - DD's almost 3 and almost 5 - took 2 instep umbrella strollers with Prince Lionheart connectors - These strollers were 2 of my best baby/child paraphernalia" purchases I've made. We used the connectors a few times, so they were worth it, too.

2001 - DD's 3 1/2 and 5 1/2 - took same 2 strollers and used them contantly....especially helpful while waiting for parades. (picture of 2 children content w/ snacking or snoozing).

2002 - DD's turned 5 and 7 during our trip. Took SAME two strollers. Used both sometimes and left one in the room sometime (girls took turns in them). Still glad I had both strollers with me.

NEXT WEEK!!! - Will probably take one of the strollers and have DD's (almost 6 and almost 8) share when needed.