Help Me Make a Choice About Strollers

[kidd_freeper]

We are taking the whole family to WDW in July. This include my sons: 4 yo, 5 yo and 6 yo. We will spend 6 days in the parks. We have a single stroller and a tandem stroller at home, but they are large when folded up. None of them like riding in a stroller, but I know they will get hot and tired (and cranky) if they don't. I see my choices as:

1. Rent a WDW stroller.
- My understanding is that I can get a Length-of-Stay rental for $8/day...
- and that I can get a refund for any unused days.
- Good for these older kids, but...
- cannot be brought out to the parking lot,
- cannot be brought on to the train ride (we'd be without a stroller after the ride is done),
- and when strollers are moved by the CMs, we'd spend a lot of time looking for it.

2. Buy an inexpensive stroller.
- Beats the problems with a rental, but
- we don't need another stroller
- tough to find a foldable stroller, with basket & canopy, that will carry a 45 lb kid and be <$48.
- would have to bring it on the plane

Any input? Any opinions?

 

[Our2Girls&Disney]

I don't know much about rentals, but we just returned. DD8 walked without complaining once. We purchased a cheap stroller from K-mart just before leaving for DD4, it had a basket and canopy for $30. I thought it was worth the money because if I would have rented one, 7 days x $8 = $56. Even if I threw it away when the trip was over, I saved money. In your case, it sounds to me like you might be able to get away with two in a stroller allowing one to walk and two to sit. They could take turns. I am not sure I am much help, maybe people here will know if a 6 yo can walk Disney, I know when my DD was 5, she couldn't do it for the whole day.

 

[kidd_freeper]

I don't know much about rentals, but we just returned. DD8 walked without complaining once. We purchased a cheap stroller from K-mart just before leaving for DD4, it had a basket and canopy for $30. I thought it was worth the money because if I would have rented one, 7 days x $8 = $56. Even if I threw it away when the trip was over, I saved money. In your case, it sounds to me like you might be able to get away with two in a stroller allowing one to walk and two to sit. They could take turns. I am not sure I am much help, maybe people here will know if a 6 yo can walk Disney, I know when my DD was 5, she couldn't do it for the whole day.

Whats the name of the stroller? Did it fold up compactly (would it be a hassle on a bus)?

 

[bartleby1]

Personally, I would rent a double. I'm not sure on the cost, somewhere around $16 per day? They are great for older kids. The only lightweight strollers that have a higher weight limit that I can think of are maclarens (up to 55 lbs) and they are wonderful strollers, but a bit pricey.

The rentals are so easy to push, even with heavier kids in them. I wouldn't dream of using anything else for my older two.

 

[luvlumpy]

I just got back from WDW where we rented a double stroller for the length of our stay. My dds are 2 and 5. You can not bring them out of the parks. You can leave them at the train stations and pick up one when you get off. They have ones waiting for you. Just take your stuff and name card with you. We only experienced trouble finding our stroller after Mickey's Philharmagic. It took a few extra minutes to locate it. I would not have traded the stroller for anything. It was very convenient. If we had brought our own we would have had to fold it up for the boat or bus rides from the WL to the other resorts or parks. It only took a few seconds each day to go get our stroller. I kept our name card and used it each day. I would highly recommend it. I know most people here bring their own strollers, but we have always enjoyed renting one.

 

[kidd_freeper]

You can leave them at the train stations and pick up one when you get off. They have ones waiting for you.

Really? I know where to get strollers neart the Main Street station, but where do you get them in Frontierland, or in Toontown?

I considered the access to strollers while going on the train to be a major drawback to renting one, but if I can pick another up at each of the stations, then I would consider it a major reason for renting a stroller.

Can anyone confirm that if you get a length of stay rental that you can get unused days refunded?