Double Stroller ?'s...

[drivencrazy]

We are looking into buying a double stroller for our trip and we are wondering what would be better for at DW. We will be using it for our 2 and 4 year olds. I was thinking a side by side would be great so they can both see everything and we don't have to fight with putting one in the back seat. But will it be hard to get around with a side by side? I have also thought about getting a sit n' stand stroller. But don't know if they would then fight over who gets to sit where and if the one sitting in the back would still be able to see everything...

So what do you use, what has worked for you and others in the parks? Any info would be great!

Thanks

 

[jj1403]

Disney's rental double strollers are side by side. So, you won't have a problem if you bring your own. Doorways and pathways are able to accomodate the double strollers.

 

[chr1972]

We took a side by side for our almost 4 y.o. and 18 month old and it worked well. We have a Maclaren. No problems getting around. We were glad we took one instead of renting because of all the walking to and from the buses and at the resorts. Also, there were long lines in the mornings of people waiting on to pick up the rental strollers. PM if you have any other questions and I'll be glad to share our experience.

 

[LuvOrlando]

DS8 & DD7 are 14 months apart. I had a one in front of the other and got rid of it because the kids would tug on each others hair to get their attention and that wasn't a whole lot of fun for me. Also, the seat in the back was very small, had no tray and the child in front could never recline without a problem. I found the side by side much better because both sides reclined without squishing the one in the back and the kids could see & talk with each other. I really enjoyed the fact that the kids could share stuff & play together.

On the flip side, there were occaisions when it was a bit cumbersome(like in the mall between racks) but they do fit in 99% doorways. Also you need to be sure your car trunk is able to fit it in.

In the end I felt that my kids spending time together side by side was worth the trouble.

 

[Ariel8676]

We have a side by side for my girls and we have never had any problems.
We have a Maclaren, but people also recommend the Chicco double(its also a lot less expensive then the mac)

 

[drivencrazy]

Thanks for the info... I am looking at a "peg perego aria twin" but am going to be looking into the other ones suggested on here! Thanks Again!

 

[finz2left]

I loved the Aria Twin when my kids were tiny. Once they were 3 and 4, it was a bear to push! Make sure you try them with the kids in it! We moved to a Bob Revolution Duallie which is MUCH bigger and more cumbesome to load and unload, but a DREAM to push and we were incredibly grateful to have it at Disney. WE took our car rather than the busses -- and the tram was a bit of pain -- but other than that, we'd never trade our Bob RD!

 

[fenfur]

We recently splurged and bought the Maclaren to use now here at Disneyland and for our trip next year to WDW. I wanted something that would fold up nice (busses ugh). I love it so far. What is great about the Mac is that it open so both boys can climb in and out on their own, so I don't need to do a lot of lifting them in and out. They know when we pull up to the stroller parking area they get out and we walk to the ride entrance, and when we get out we head for the stroller and they climb in. Well the one year old I need to strap in still and I pick him up to put him in, but he can do it on his own, just doesn't like to.

 

[gabbysmom04]

We have the aria that we have taken to WDW twice, we love it! We also have the peg perego front back stroller, it is a dream!!!! Anyway, the aria is lightweight easy to fold and fits almost anywhere. I also like that the seats are not cramped looking.

 

[MissionMouse]

we have done trips with double strollers...our own and renting Disney's. Like others have stated - renting one you will leave it at the entrance area and after that you are either the daddy or mommy mule. Sometimes this can wear on you.

If you bring your own you do have to always have it with you. You may have to fold it up on a Water Taxi or Monorail depending on the crowds. A double wide will fit on both of these transportation options. The Ferry is a sure thing while the GF and PR yacht will require you to fold it up and carry everything. Your hand make get soiled so have the wipes near by.

Overall, you can travel easy with a double wide with the exception of a few corners here and now which may be tight. At these times you will realize if you like the type of wheel configuration of your front wheel or not.

The one thing we did experience were a few impatient rude guest who don't realize the double wide stroller is no wider than a wheel chair or themselves who tried to walk over the stroller with our kids in them. Typically, this happened on Main Street in the MK. You may need to take point in front of the stroller at times to 'protect' your childern and communicate their behavior will not be tolerated.

 

[katie111]

My kids are 15 months apart (now 3 & 4) and I think I've bought practically every type of stroller out there. We had the front/back Graco but its fairly heavy & the kids were always kicking each other in the back in it. We also have the aria which I loved when they were little but it is hard to push now. Also, its sort of cheaply made for the $$. My basket fell off after about 9 months, you really cannot put too much stuff in there. But it is lightweight & folds up great. We also have a double jogger by In-Step. This is my favorite as there's plenty of storage & its really easy to push as the front wheel moves. However, its heavy & doesn't fold up that small so it would be tough on the Disney transportation. I have friends with the sit n stand & they do always fight over the seat. Its also very heavy, try it out.

What we did last year was to bring 2 Chicco umbrella strollers. It worked out great. If one of them wanted to walk for awhile we would just leave a stroller at a ride & pick it up later. But most of the time they were tired & they would hop right in. And my kids don't usually sit for too long in the stroller at home. There was no fighting because the strollers were identical & they were not sitting next to each other. About the only issue was which parent was pushing them but that wasn't a big deal. If we were just going to dinner or something that didn't require a lot of walking we would usually just bring one.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[riggins]

We've been using a double stroller at WDW since our girls were infants (now 3 and 5). We've always used a side-by-side and thought it worked great. We've taken a Peg Aria Twin, but the Maclaren is our favorite. The Aria folds too big and is bulky on the bus. I would think that any model that folds fairly small and isn't excessively heavy is probably a good choice. Good luck!

 

[NotUrsula]

If you are considering a jogger at all, I would recommend the Kelty -- it has umbrella-fold handles, and folds remarkably compactly for a jogger.

 

[barbie78]

I just bought a twin Maclaren and it's the best $$$ I've ever spent! My girls love riding and this stroller is so easy to take anywhere. I can fold it up and carry it in one hand and my infant in the other. It also has a rain cover that I know will be perfect for WDW when it rains. And it doesn't take up my entire trunk!!!

 

[4theloveofdisney]

We had a Graco front/back one. The back seat sat up higher than the front and it also layed flat which was great for my littlest one. Both seats had trays, double umbrellas, and a deep basket. We took many, many trip and never had a problem using it.

 

[sammieJ]

I actually bought a cheap side by side at a thrift shop just for my disney trip a year and a half ago, and am going to use it again when we go in dec for my two boys ages 2.5 and 4.5. It is a kolcraft maybe (??) and is cheap even new. I am sure it is not as nice as the maclaren, but it suited our purposes just fine - it was basically like two umbrella strollers side by side, but with a top hood that you can flip up for shade. It folded up easily, and while it was not roomy for them, it did the trick.

I had no problems getting around with it at all, because it was very narrow.

If I had wanted it to be used for extended napping, it would not have been good, but we stayed at the contemporary, and just wheeled it on the monorail and went back to the room for naptime.

If I weren't trying to save money, though, and didn't already have way too many strollers, I would have gotten the side by side mac.

 

[cinjam]

I have two boys who were 2.5 & 5.5 for our trip last month. For that trip we used a double side-by-side Maclaren Twin Traveler - I love it. I had a SBS Combi Twin Savvy that was ok, until the frame cracked. In WDW we've also done two mac singles (with the stroller connectors) - stroller were great, connectors were so-so.

I like the SBS, fits through doorways with no problems easy to maneuver. Kids weight 32 & 50 pounds - so we are pushing a lot of weight around!

 

[mikkiwikki]

I stressed about this decision last year. Looking back I really have to laugh.
Went with a then 2 yo and 5 yo.

What ended up working best was 2 umbrella strollers.

The days we were in the parks and rented a double stroller, we got about 5 feet and the kids were fussying with one another, so we turned around and got two singles.

Some days we went to the park with only one umbrella stroller, and then if the 5yo got tired...(hardly ever) we rested as a group. Its kinda funny the number of strollers. I look back to pictures in the 80s and there were hardly any strollers in comparison to now.