How many people at Disney rent vs. bring thier own strollers

[Gabrielsbigtrip]

Okay rental afficianados:

We are going in early may and I want to rent for my 5 year old son.

I don't want to lug a stroller with me in the morning where I know he will be full of energy. Plus we are park hopping. I do want to get one in the evening though. Will I have a problem with there being enough or do I have to get one in the morning? Do they ever run out?

Sorry first timer

 

[NotUrsula]

I'd say that most kids 5 and under will be using a stroller for at least part of the day.

Most people with children under 2 will bring their own, above that age I'm guessing it is about 50/50. There is a huge crowd of "they will be too young to remember it" true believers out there, so remember that the majority of children you'll see are at least 3 yrs. old.

 

[mnasmom3]

Okay rental afficianados:

We are going in early may and I want to rent for my 5 year old son.

I don't want to lug a stroller with me in the morning where I know he will be full of energy. Plus we are park hopping. I do want to get one in the evening though. Will I have a problem with there being enough or do I have to get one in the morning? Do they ever run out?

Sorry first timer

We typically go in May or June and haven't ever had them run out on us. If they did though, I'm sure it wouldn't be too long before one became available when people leave their stroller behind to hop from one park to another.

 

[electricfish]

Last time we went our DD was 5. I went out and bought an $85 stroller to take with us, used it for the trip and then resold it for $35 when we got home. I liked the convenience of having the stroller in the resort, sometimes it's an awful long walk from the bus stop back to your room, especially at the end of a long, hot day.

This time she's 7. We're going to play it by ear and rent as necessary. We might not need one the first couple of days, but after that she'll probably do better in a stroller.

 

[Elmo888]

sorry to hijack,
This is our first trip in a loooong time, and my first ever with a child. I'm going to take my jogging stroller. It's not as big as some joggers, but I'm still worried that it may be a pain. But the cost of a rental for 8 days is to much!
We are off site so the bus will not be a problem but how is the monorail with strollers?

I'm not sure that I would take a jogger, even if I didn't have to take it on the bus. It really depends on the jogger. Is the front wheel fixed or does it swivel? If it swivels, it might be work. I saw some joggers there, but it just seems like they would be harder to maneuver through crowds and small spaces. (Again, it depends on the stroller.)

The jogger should fit fine on the monorail. You just push the stroller right on - it is so nice. If you have to take a bus, though, you will have to fold it and that would be a huge pain. If you go from park to park and one of them isn't on the monorail, I would just use the car.

Does that help?

 

[Elmo888]

I forgot to add that we took our own for our 2 yo. Two things to consider are the age of your child and the number of adults in your party. With the younger ones, even up to age 4 or so, I would guess, it is nice to have a stroller to take your child from the transportation drop-off to your hotel room at night when the child is tired. It can be a long walk from the bus stop/boat stop/monorail stop to your hotel room, and carrying a tired older toddler/preschooler can be difficult.

We had 2 adults, so one manned the stroller (DH) and one manned the toddler (me). It would be difficult if the small children outnumbered the adults - I think that a double umbrella would work well in that case.

If you are using the bus and are taking a stroller, I would definitely go with an umbrella-style, even if you have to beg, steal, or borrow one. Or buy one used and resell it when you are done (or keep it for your next trip!).

 

[kileybeth]

OP you are getting some good advice on this thread. I would also suggest looking for all the other post about strollers, there are about a 1000 or so I think

under 3 take your own and don't worry about it, by the end of your trip you will be all be experts at folding/lifting/packing/unpacking/lifting/folding and everyone in your party will have learned which part is their job!

I'm also a fan of buying and than reselling/donating. We often look at the Disney rentals and wonder what the attraction is other than pure convenience. to rich for my blood when I can buy something and resell for a fraction of the cost? OR just look at it as part of the magic and budget it in early. . .also I'm one who likes my stroller for pool side and strolling around resort or walmart for that matter.

and do accept help! My DH and I visited alone this past winter and seemed to lift/hold/help load/unload for young parents more than when we travel with our own kiddos. It's the magic I think, eveyone just helps out when they see you struggling.

have a great trip

 

[SueM in MN]

We have a double jogger that we bring..It is big, but on the bus I take the girls with me on the bus and they let DH load at the wheelchair entrance and he just stands out of the way. Of course if the bus gets too crowded we just wait for the next one to come.

You can't count on doing this though.
People have posted that they tried to bring a stroller onto the bus thru the back door (where wheelchairs are loaded) and were stopped by the bus driver. We have seen that happen when we have ridden the bus, even when it wasn't that full.