How do you get YOUR stroller down to Disney?

[bibbity bobbity boo]

Im SO confused. I just read this 3 times on Deltas website and its just not making ANY sense to me. LOL ... Please tell me in simple terms what I need to do to get my stroller down to Disney on Delta.

We just bought the stroller tonight (Maclaren Triumph if that matters) and it is in the factory box but not sealed because we want to assemble it first and make sure its okay...but if we put it back in that box with packing tape...would that be considered factory sealed enough?

Do most people check it or bring it on as carry-on? Id rather check it like luggage but Im worried about it getting destroyed? If you normally check it...how do you check it and has it always been fine?


Fragile/Limited Liability Release Items
Fragile items as carry-on or checked baggage
We allow fragile items that meet baggage allowance standards as carry-on or checked baggage, as long as certain requirements are met. This may include signing a form that limits our liability.

We will accept a fragile or perishable item without a limited liability release if it:

Is packaged in the original factory-sealed container
Includes internal protective packing material
Is typically designed for shipping
Items that are not appropriately packaged, and are not assistive devices, will be accepted upon completion of a limited liability release.

Assistive devices will be accepted regardless of the packaging. However, we reserve the right to complete a limited liability release noting pre-existing damage, and to request the passenger's signature. Passengers presenting assistive devices as checked baggage are encouraged to purchase excess valuation. For more information, visit Declaring Baggage Value.

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Examples of Fragile & Bulky Items
Amplifiers
Animal Trophies
Antiques
Archery Equipment
Beer
Bicycles
Blueprints
Cameras
Car Seats
Ceramics
China
Counters
Crystal
Diving Equipment
Doll Houses
Dolls
Figurines
Fishing Rods
Flash Equipment
Flowers
Lenses
Liquor
Maps
Meters
Microscopes
Mirrors
Model Airplanes
Model Trains
Musical Equipment
Ornamental Bric-a-Brac
Oscilloscopes
Paintings
Perfumes
Plants
Polygraph Equipment
Projectors
Radios
Sculptures
Sketches
Sleeping Bags
Speakers
Stereos
Strollers
Stuffed Animals
Tape Recorders
Televisions
Tennis Racquets
Tents
Terrariums
Trophies
Vases
Wines

THANKS!!!

 

[tanyaandallie]

You should have no problem checking your stroller. I have never heard of a stroller being considered a fragile item. We checked ours with our luggage and it was not in the box. The box was a monster that probably would have taken up our entire trunk. The airline has these big plastic bags. They put our stroller in the bag and off it went. It came out just fine. You can also buy a stroller bag to put it in if you are worried about it being damaged.

Lots of people gate check theirs b/c they like to be able to push their kiddos up to the gate. I like to check ours. I put my ds in a sling and my dd walks. For us it's easier.

ETA - You don't need to do anything with your stroller to get it to disney. Just take it to the airport and check it. The only problem with leaving it in the box is that if the box is bigger than their standard luggage requirements they may make you pay for it.

 

[PA Princess]

Hey, we also just purchased a Maclaren Triumph...just today, in fact! Good news is that there is absolutely no assembling whatsoever! We literally took it out of the box and it was good to go - way cool!

We have always gate checked our strollers...just left it right outside of the airplane before we boarded and it has always been waiting right there for us when we deplaned. I have read of some people having damage issues, but we never have in a dozen or so flights with various strollers and kiddos.

 

[Colinsmom]

If you tape the box back up, it's not factory sealed. You can still check it that way, but they will make every attempt to deny responsibility should it get damaged in transit.

We gate check our strollers - figure that there is less handling, so less chance to get broken or lost. And we use it to get everything (we fly with car seats) to the gate. Though one time our gate-checked stroller was misdirected and took a couple of days to catch up to us. Our stroller usually comes back with some new scratches on the plastic, but packing the hood and tray in our luggage helps some with that.

 

[bibbity bobbity boo]

See, Im making MORE work for myself than necessary! I LOVE how helpful everyone is here. Ok so now I need to decide if I want to gate check it or just check it with all of our luggage and I dont NEEED to buy a stroller bag because Delta will definetely provide a plastic bag for it to protect it whichever way I decide to check it right? I should probably check alllllll my "luggage/stroller" together so that it STAYS together though, right? Thank you!!!

 

[tanyaandallie]

I have never flown Delta so I don't know if they always provide the plastic bag. I know Continental does. I also am not sure that they will give you the plastic bag if you gate check. I am thinking they will not as they are generally in a huge hurry and you just leave the stroller sitting in the jetway. I have gate checked our single stroller a few times and they didn't offer a bag for it. I was glad to get the plastic bag b/c I was being cheap and didn't want to fork over the $50 for a double stroller bag.

 

[Honeymooner04]

My husband flies for a commuter partner of Delta and I can speak from experience that they do not always have the plastic bags. It just depends on where you are flying out of. I bought the stroller bag for our stroller and if we are checking other luggage we just check it and if we are only bringing carry on items I gate check the stroller.

 

[tammy1210]

With both Delta and UsAirways we've always gate checked the strollers - and after each flight they have them unfolded and waiting for us to use in the airports - it's always been very convenient!

 

[pl'smama]

I agree with gate checking your stroller. That is what we did and it was so helpful to have the stroller right up until we got on the plane and ready for us right when we got off. Depending on your child's age they may get cranky or be a bit slow when walking through the airport. If you can put them in the stroller right away it will save you a bit of grief over worrying if they will run ahead.


Have a great time!!

Suz

 

[LauraAnn630]

We push our stroller right up to the plane and they take it. Its there when we get off.

 

[loveysbydesign]

We gate checked ours last time but a wheel got cracked (we could still use it as there are 4 wheels on the back and it still worked with 3)
My ? is can I out it in a stroller bag at the gate to gate check it????

 

[CarolRN]

We gate check ours everytime in a stroller bag. We bought the one from Babies R Us, I think it is by Eddie Bauer and was about $30.00. Even though they claim not to take responsibility for strollers, my stroller bag was torn the one time I bag checked it and Delta paid to have a reinforced panel on it. Now it's sturdier than ever. I will never bag check my stroller again. For the damage to be done to the bag it took a hard toss. The foot tray also pops off now but I can get it back on.

Long story short. Gate check it and with a good stroller I'd buy the bag.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I think that gate checking and checking with your baggage both hold risks. When you bag check they get beat up like regular luggage. When you gate check they take your stroller and toss it down to the tarmac. Not gently at all. I have gate checked and bag checked. The few times I have gate checked we have had something broken and/or lost. We gate checked my dd's infant carrier. It came back without the canopy and without the level that hooks on the side. We gate checked our brand new stroller and it came back without the cup holder. We have since bag checked everything and not had a problem.

I think that either way there are risks. If you get a bag your less likely to have something lost or broken.

 

[jessica52877]

We have always gate checked but I also have never taken anything but an umbrella. We have a Mac and I would be scared to death to check that thing, but would gate check it. I feel less handling that way!

 

[kelscross]

I've always done gate check with our strollers. Rolled them right up to the plane and left them and they were waiting for us when we arrived at the gate. They have not been damaged.

 

[kldmom2000]

We flew Delta this past fall and we gate-checked our Maclaren-no problems

 

[all4fun]

We have flown Delta numerous times and always gate check our stroller (Kidco LS2000). I never bothered bagging it first because to me that's just an extra hassle I didn't want to deal with. I do usually remove the canopy and anything removable and put it in a checked bag before we leave for the airport though and just put it all back on once we get checked into the hotel. We can live w/out a canopy or cupholders for a couple of hours.

A few things I've read online that I've never seen happen on Delta -

I've never been given a bag for a stroller. I've never asked for one either. I guess I thought those were only big enough for car seats and besides as I previously said I didn't want to be bothered w/it anyway. I'm usually the one also carrying the car seat on board plus a bag and the thought of also wrangling a stroller into a bag as well wasn't something I wanted to deal with. DH and I usually board seperately - I w/the stroller, bag, and car seat (I use the stroller to carry the seat down the jetway) and dh & ds a few minutes later so I've had a chance to install the seat first.

I've also never seen anything thrown from plane to the tarmac. Not saying it doesn't happen but every flight we've been on there has either been steps that people carry items up and down, or a ramp, or some sort of lift they use. My stroller has been on numerous flights and has never been noticably damaged. Maybe we've just been lucky.

hth

 

[SueM in MN]

A couple of gate checking suggestions:
- tell the gate agent you want to gate chack the stroller before boarding starts. Usually, they will give you a gate check before. If you wait until after boarding begins, the agents are busier and more likely to make a mistake on coding your destination city.
- before boarding, remove anything that is attached to your stroller, like extra cup holders, hooks, bags, removable canopies. That will lessen the number of things that can get caught and cause damage.
- after taking your child out, fold the stroller and secure it so that it will not come unfolded while in transit. If it's not folded, the baggage people will try to fold it and since they may not know how your particular stroller folds, they may bend it.
- the strollers take a little while to be brought up from the baggage compartment (they usually carry them up a stairway at the airplane end of the jetway)
- this last might seem elementary, but don't forget to pick up your stroller at the gate. We have a wheelchair, so we are often the very last people off the plane. We sometimes see a stroller sitting at the door of the plane when all the people have gotten off. A friend who was a flight attendent told me that people frequently forget their strollers in the rush to get off the plane.

 

[brergnat]

I would definitely gate check it. That way, you know for SURE it's on the plane. If you bag check it and it gets lost, then what?

I would also advise purchasing a bag to contain the stroller.

You just spent a good $150 or so on your Maclaren...you don't want it to be broken! Take the canopy OFF, fold the stroller, and put it in the bag. There is an inexpensive nylon bag available out on the web that is red and says "Gate Check" on it. It is for strollers and it's $15. Check this board...I saw it here in a post.

The one and only time we ever flew with a stroller, it was broken when we arrived. The clip that held the basket up was snapped off and then the basket was all floppy. It was a cheapo Graco Metrolite, and thankfully, we were at the end of using it anyway, but the point is, as careful as they are when they load the stuff, it moves during the flight and can very easily get crushed by other cargo during takeoff/landing and then when they try to take it out, it's caught on something and then it breaks.

Next time we fly, we'll be taking two Maclarens with us and we will DEFINITELY gate check BUT use a bag. They don't always have bags available for you, so don't rely on that.