Going strollerless...feels so liberating!

[smorkovsky]

My daughter will be two months shy of 5 when we go, and we are making the same decision....no stroller. I realize I may need to change that plan, but she's not a stroller kid, so I know she'll be ok on the days she's fresh. And I don't want to deal with a stroller, so I'd rather carry her for a bit than push a stroller all day for her to sit in for 45 minutes.

 

[G719]

I had on my disney to do list "rent stroller". My oldest was almost 7 last summer when we went and she was fine but we did a stroller for the 4 year old DD. Well I have erased that from the to do list. We just did Hershey Park stroller free! I figured this would be the test for the 5 year old and she did great. We spent an evening in the park for the free preview included with our tickets. We did 6-9:30 that night. Then went back the next morning 9:30-2:30 for the waterpark, took a break at the campground for dinner, then went back to the park 5:30-10:00. The park is quite spread out with a couple hills. So we are going to see how disney goes in November. As a last resort we will get a park stroller or go back to the resort. And as a side note, this is the child who still likes to ride at the grocery store in the car cart.
It was so nice to be stroller free!

 

[Karlzmom]

Our trip in 2012 was our 1st completely "stroller-less" trip. In 2011, we went with no stroller except for Epcot, where we rented one. So, DS was 5 when we moved only the biggest park being stroller-worthy.

On the issue of carrying *stuff*, I was really concerned about not having a place to stow things, but found I really didn't miss it. In fact, I've been hauling stuff I really didn't need.....I carried my bagolini and it was all ok. Better than ok...it takes a lot out of you to push the buggy all day and then add in the extra walking to park or find it after you finish the rides...all adds up.

 

[tlpbupu]

I am currently debating going stroller free this trip. My concern is that if I don't get one it will backfire on me when I need it most which is trying to get out of the park and back to the buses. My situation is a little different in that my DD is 7 and also on the autism spectrum, high functioning, but still on the spectrum. She is also big for her age and I would have to rent a stroller that could accommodate her. I think we may just rent one in the parks if needed, but that won't help me get to the buses and back to our room (if far from the bus stop) and I'll be honest, I just don't want to have to think about paying for a Disney stroller! Does anyone know how much notice Orlando Stroller Rentals needs? If the first day didn't go well do you think I could get a stroller for the rest of the week (depending if they have one I need)? Thanks.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

My DD was 4.5 our last trip and we didn't use a stroller for her at all. She would have hated it anyway. Our son was only 2.5 so we had a stroller, but we really only used it to "corral" him when we had to cover a lot of distance. It stayed parked most of the time. This was a week long trip in June. Between all the sit down attractions and mid day breaks they were fine.

On our next trip they will be 7.5 and 5.5. I am very excited to be stroller free.

 

[famy27]

Our last two trips (when DD1 was 4.5 and 6) were stroller-free. It was amazing in every way. I don't really lug any stuff to the parks. The only issue we ever have is jackets. Once she was out of diapers, there was just not much we needed. A small bottle of sunscreen and our credit cards was basically all we carried.

The earlier trip was a bit more of a challenge, as DD ended up on DH's shoulders quite a bit. However, DH absolutely HATES pushing a stroller through crowds and lugging it on the plane, so he was much happier with her on his shoulders. For our last trip, there was no question. I suppose I am the only one with a 7-going-on-13 year old. She would be embarrassed to be seen in a stroller, pretty much since she got to Kindergarten.

However, we went and had a baby, so now we are back to the stroller life for a few more years. I'll console myself by saying that at least I have a place to put the jackets now.