How difficult is it to take strollers in the bus?

[Mlgurney]

I am traveling with my family and really thinking I'd like to rent two single strollers outside of the park. I'm traveling with my 5 year old, 7 year old and 16 year old. Obviously I'll have to carry a stroller and my 16 year old will carry the other. Will I regret this? My parents, brother and niece will also be with us, so they can help get the kids on and off the bus, but I figured I'd be doing most of the work! Help! Also, walking is not an option all day for my kids?! I just know they won't be able to make it, and if I have a stroller they will probably nap in it!

 

[firecracker725]

I am traveling with my family and really thinking I'd like to rent two single strollers outside of the park. I'm traveling with my 5 year old, 7 year old and 16 year old. Obviously I'll have to carry a stroller and my 16 year old will carry the other. Will I regret this? My parents, brother and niece will also be with us, so they can help get the kids on and off the bus, but I figured I'd be doing most of the work! Help! Also, walking is not an option all day for my kids?! I just know they won't be able to make it, and if I have a stroller they will probably nap in it!

If you can avoid two strollers, that would be best. Either do one single and have them switch off or rent a double. We brought out City Mini Double for our 5 and 2 year olds and managed fine on the busses.

 

[mco65]

We took a DOUBLE stroller for the TWINS every year until they reached ~6. It was a bit of a pain to take on and off the bus because of its size but it was well worth the hassle to have the stroller in the park. As long as your stroller collapses and you can carry it with ease, then you wont have any issues taking it on and off the bus.. There are going to be a lot of strollers so you wont be in the minority if your trying to get your stroller on the bus..

 

[Hannathy]

IMO will you regret it? YES

Personally I wouldn't take any but if you feel you need to I would take 1. At those ages they aren't going to need to be in them from morning to night, yet you will have to deal with 2 strollers the whole time, on the bus, walking in, in the crowds, going from ride to ride, parking them, retrieving them, going into stores either parking them or pushing them in the crowds inside, or restaurants. It really gets to be quite tiresome after several hours. It is quite freeing without one.

With 1 they can take turns for little breaks. And is the 16 yr old really going to want to push a big kid around all day? that's a lot of work in the heat and humidity.

If you do make sure you have both strollers folded up and ready to go before the bus shows up.

 

[davedmaine]

I am traveling with my family and really thinking I'd like to rent two single strollers outside of the park. I'm traveling with my 5 year old, 7 year old and 16 year old. Obviously I'll have to carry a stroller and my 16 year old will carry the other. Will I regret this? My parents, brother and niece will also be with us, so they can help get the kids on and off the bus, but I figured I'd be doing most of the work! Help! Also, walking is not an option all day for my kids?! I just know they won't be able to make it, and if I have a stroller they will probably nap in it!

None of my business, but do you really need strollers for 5- and 7-year olds? Will they even fit?

 

[EMode]

My 16 year old would make me regret it

Are you talking those big clunky strollers? I would avoid those on the bus at all cost. If you had 2 umbrella strollers that you could fold up while you were waiting in line then those would be much easier to get on and off with, especially if you are going during a busy time where the buses will be very crowded.

 

[squirrel]

My 16 year old would make me regret it

Are you talking those big clunky strollers? I would avoid those on the bus at all cost. If you had 2 umbrella strollers that you could fold up while you were waiting in line then those would be much easier to get on and off with, especially if you are going during a busy time where the buses will be very crowded.

The problem with umbrella strollers is that the cheaper ones only hold 35lbs and the more expensive ones 55lbs. I doubt either child would fit the weight limit. Even if they fit inside having extra weight makes it hard to push.

 

[luvmy2babies]

You haven't mentioned their heights/weights. That is going to dictate what you need to rent. I think I'd do a single Baby jogger City GT and have them take turns. Or I might go with an inside the park double. If they are healthy, I don't think I'd rent a double or 2 singles from an outside company.

I have started having my son walk for parts of our trips. Not just to Disney, but at the zoo and other places. He's tiny though so sometimes it is just easier to let him ride.

My daughter fit in the City Mini at age 7 and was under the weight limit. I pushed her the day after she'd recovered from a stomach virus on our first trip until she was up to walking.

I also didn't catch when you were going. The weather will play a big part in it as well.

 

[dsnymomof4]

We just went in December and I insisted on taking a stroller for DS6 because I KNEW he would be tired at the end of the night PLUS I wanted to have somewhere to put all of our stuff! My girls argued with me saying he's too old, it's embarrassing, etc. There were tons of kids way older than 6 in strollers. And yes, if we didn't have it, I'm sure he would have been ok, but there were many nights that he fell asleep and it was much easier to push him back to the room than it would have been to carry him. There were times we would park it in one area and leave it for hours, then at least we would have it with us later. I would definitely recommend taking the lightest and most compact stroller(s) possible. We used to take a big bulky double stroller when my girls were little, and it was a PAIN to fold, carry on and have to try to keep it as close to us as possible just so people could walk by. There really isn't a lot of aisle room for strollers. I bought a $40 stroller a few years ago just for our Disney trips - much cheaper than renting. Have a great trip!

 

[msmama]

The good thing about kids that age is that they don't need a ton of help getting on and off the bus. They get tired easily (hence the strollers) but they're not super needy like a toddler would be.

I've taken one child and a stroller by myself and I don't think it's that difficult. Way easier than having to carry a kid at least!!

That said, is your teenager going to want to act as parent #2?

 

[henry72]

When the kids were 4 and 7 we took one stroller and would let the 7 year old use it on occasion. Ours was a MacClaren Volo and folded up really quickly. I think two strollers are just fine. (Just have them folded and ready when the bus comes.) I wouldn't go buy an double just for this trip but would consider only taking one. This trip the kids will be 6 and 9 so no strollers for us though I am sure the 6 year old will want one.

 

[MouseOfGold]

Took my Britax double on my last trip this past Dec.. My mom handled getting the kids on the bus while I folded the stroller & carried it on. Most bus trips I was standing with my folded stroller on he bus while my mom sat with the kids. Anything large you stuff beneath the stroller will have to be removed for it to fold nicely. Any drink cups will have to be carried as well. So there is extra stuff to carry as far as cups, belongings, etc. aside from the kids. Keep that in mind. I used a backpack which came in handy. Love my stroller, fits in all doorways but had a hard time in some of the stores because the aisles are narrow and there was a lot people. I ended up not shopping as much as I would have liked to.

On our upcoming trip this year I have decided to bring 2 single strollers. A Chicco Liteway (nicer than a cheap umbrella but not as big as a regular single) for my dd who will be almost 2 and a cheaper umbrella for my 3 yr old ds (hoping he will walk more this trip).

 

[Talukdar]

First of all why you need stroller for 5 years and 7 years children. I think no need of stroller for them. If you want to carry it on bus than you can use locker of that bus. It wouldn't be so difficult for you.

 

[jlsmith376]

We didn't take a stroller for our 6 year old on our last trip, but we did have a double for our then 14 month old and 4 year old. Our 6 year old walked almost all of the time, but at the end of the day he was tired so the older two would switch off in the extra seat. It was a bit bulky on the bus, but worth having IMO.

That being said, I don't think I would have been able to push the older two in a double so I think two singles are probably the best option. We once took a single conventional stroller, and a cheap umbrella. When folded, the umbrella stroller actually fit in the basket of our conventional stroller. It did stick out the back a bit, but it didn't get in the way of pushing the conventional stroller.

 

[Lilliputian]

"How difficult" is kind of relative. I mean, if you had a 9 month old who couldn't walk, and the stroller was small, then it would seem pretty easy. My hunch is that with children those ages, and the sizes of the strollers you'll need for them, it's going to seem like a hassle. Getting just one stroller that they can take turns with would probably be a better option. You might even want to consider just renting a park stroller when/if you need it, even though it is more expensive. It's a nice large stroller, and you don't have to worry about it on the bus.

 

[Gracie09]

Just don't over pack the stroller and have a plan. We only brought what fit in a backpack. A lot of people over pack strollers because they can. When waiting for the bus you pack the back pack and get the kids out. Have them folded before getting on and head to the back.
We take a large double when we go. Never a problem. I was I charge of the kids and back pack and dh took the stroller

 

[maxiesmom]

I would take either a double stroller or just one, not two. I wouldn't force another family member to have to spend their vacation pushing the younger kids around. I also wouldn't want to have to deal with 2 strollers on a bus.

Btw, Disney buses do not have stroller storage. You have to hang on to your strollers. Sometimes you have to stand, hang on to your strollers, your kids, and all of your stuff.

Do one stroller or do a double. Don't rent 2.

 

[Mlgurney]

We are going the beginning of October. My Mom will actually be pushing one stroller as she likes to too help balance herself. I just figured my 16 year old could help me get them on the bus. Both of my kids are about 45 pounds. I was thinking about getting the city gt strollers.

 

[Happyjen27]

It won't be too bad. If you had a 1 and 3 year old it might be difficult, because of holding them, and keeping them from running off. But a 5 and 7 year old would probably wait patiently while you work things out.

What about one stroller and one of those added seats or standing spots for the 7 year old? We rented a double stroller for my 6 year olds this past year, and we used it about half the time. Not at all through Animal Kingdom, and not usually for MK unless we were there at night when they would be tired. If we were going this year, I wouldn't rent or bring one at all now that they're 7. I understand that if there is one for the 5 year old, that would probably make the 7 year old want a ride once in a while too, but the extra seat or rider plate would be good for that.

 

[treemi01]

What are you bringing? My average sized 7 year old is 57 lbs, which puts him out of the weight range for every stroller on the market that I know of. We would never dream of putting him in a stroller, but maybe because he's the oldest of 4 kids. He's successfully done 3 Disney trips sans stroller, and we move pretty fast. Anyway, you can't fit a 7 year old in a small stroller, so at least one will be big and bulky. The 5 year old is also probably out of the weight range for an umbrella stroller, so I'm assuming we are talking 2 full sized strollers. If so, each is about 20 lbs plus the weight of a 5 and 7 year old, which if we are talking about average sized kids is about 42 and 55 lbs, respectively. I wouldn't worry about the buses too much if your 16 year old is willing to fold and lug it (and hold it while likely standing on the bus) because your kids are old enough to get on the bus unassisted. What I would worry about is if you and your 16 year old are physically able to push 60-80 lbs all day in the heat and humidity. Personally, I've never seen a 7 year old in a stroller, but I guess that would be my biggest concern.

We have 7, 4, 2 year olds, and a 3 month old. We will be going next month and will be bringing 2 lightweight strollers for the 2 year old and baby. If the 4 year old gets sleepy, I can probably carry the baby in the ergo and give him a short ride, but the weight limit on the stroller is 40 lbs and he's close to it so it may not work. We've ruined a stroller on a Disney trip by letting a slightly larger than recommended child use it. With all of the miles we put on in a trip, it broke the stroller, so we are not going to do that again. Rental companies won't let you go over the weight limit for that reason.

So, I guess if it's worth lugging 2 full size strollers through an airport, on buses, to restaurants etc. and carrying them/emptying them every time you get on a bus, and chasing them around all day, I would go with 2 full sized strollers.

Personally, while it's not a huge deal to do it while our kids are young, I'm counting down the years until our first stroller free trip! About 4-5 years to go!