Just Back 09/03-09/09-the good and bad

[jcdeberry]

I'll second what nkerniea said about the flip-flops, no way. I know some people do it but the time I tried flip flops for a park day my entire body hurt. I'm strictly an athletic shoe guy now, but I'll wear flips in the room.

We'll be taking a 6 & 7 year old on their next trip in the spring. We've spoken of just getting one stroller for the 6 yr old and maybe the 7 yr old will use it briefly. Now I'm not so sure.

Depending on the weight of your kids, you can rent the Disney double stroller, They are sturdy and easy to maneuver,

 

[LibrarianBecky]

The September heat is not kidding around. That was probably our biggest surprise on our first trip to WDW. We managed okay, but drank more water (and ate less food) than I would have planned for. Sounds like you had a good trip, though!

 

[lolomarie]

Thanks for the report. We are going to HS on an AP day too (but not APs). What time did you arrive at the gate? I'm aiming for an hour to 45 minutes before. We have a 9:45 FP+ for TSM so I just need to get the other 2 rides in TSL done.

 

[AngiTN]

I'll second what nkerniea said about the flip-flops, no way. I know some people do it but the time I tried flip flops for a park day my entire body hurt. I'm strictly an athletic shoe guy now, but I'll wear flips in the room.

Depends on the flip flops.
Not all are created equal.
They make some for runners to wear for recovery.
Those work for all day wear at Disney and your feet may actually thank you at the end of the day.
But they are about the only ones.

 

[jcdeberry]

Thanks for the report. We are going to HS on an AP day too (but not APs). What time did you arrive at the gate? I'm aiming for an hour to 45 minutes before. We have a 9:45 FP+ for TSM so I just need to get the other 2 rides in TSL done.

We got there at 8:30 and were probably 15 people back. They didn’t let us past the turnstiles until 8:50 but everyone walked nicely to TSL. We were able to do all 3 in an hour.

 

[Ashley Marie]

We have a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old so we bring a double stroller. But pushing 85 lbs around the parks for a week is horrible. I’m looking forward to giving up the stroller in the near future...

I took my 6yo daughter to MNSSHP last night, just the two of us, while my husband went back to the GF with our younger son. He took the stroller with him. It was the best night of my trip, and my daughter made it from 6pm to almost midnight without complaining about wanting a stroller to sit in.

 

[Nancyg56]

Depending on the weight of your kids, you can rent the Disney double stroller, They are sturdy and easy to maneuver,

That is what we did when we needed the stroller. The last trip was an August nightmare in terms of heat, humity, torrential rain and misery. I was glad that we had a spot for the girls to get out of the sun in DAK, and out of the rain in DHS and the MK. The nice thing about the DIsney strollers is that you are not stuck with them. We used them a few times during the trip, and then we gifted them to another family before we left the park for the day. No folding them up to travel.

 

[Dbktmc]

We'll be taking a 6 & 7 year old on their next trip in the spring. We've spoken of just getting one stroller for the 6 yr old and maybe the 7 yr old will use it briefly. Now I'm not so sure.

We took our 6 yo last year and tried a strollerless trip. He was fine for the first 2 days but couldn't make it the next 7. Part of it was our fault as we kept walking at our pace and didn't slow down for him. As usual, we had several people give us the "look" as my son was in the stroller but I didn't care. It was incredibly hot at the end of June and he is a super tall 6 year old. We did what works for our family. Others like to judge because it makes them feel superior. For us, it was a great trip with the stroller!

 

[goodeats]

My 6 year old did fine without a stroller on our 8 night trip last month. We all wanted to take breaks everyday due to the heat anyway, and she only fell asleep on the bus once. She never once asked to be carried. We stayed in the parks until close a few times.

I prefer to be strollerless, but to each their own.

 

[sjberg79]

There are times I have wished my son would have gone in a stroller. He gave his up when he was 2. Freakishly physically independent MOST of the time. After a long day at Disney he will insist his Daddy carry him on his shoulders. Both my husband and son are extremely tall so they look like Godzilla together like that. As long as your kids will ride in a stroller, let them. While pushing one is heavy, it's still less stress on the back than carrying 60+ pounds on your shoulders because your 4 year old refuses to get in a stroller because he made up his mind they are for babies. I think he heard that at pre-k because I would never say such a myth. I'd ride in a stroller if I could find anyone willing to push me!

I hear ya on the heat. We went the last week in August and both my husband and myself said it was our 1st and last summer Disney trip. In all of our pictures we're both all sweaty. I saw lots of people who didn't break a sweat though, I envy them!

 

[fla4fun]

I think the funniest thing I have seen at MK was a Dad pushing the stroller with MOM in it, and the child walking alongside

On our first trip to WDW I was 8 and my sister almost 3 (two weeks before her birthday), and no strollers for either of us. Of course it was only one park back then, so you would only spend a day or two instead of a whole week. We didn’t complain though, because we wanted to come back for another visit.

My sister has two pair of the runner recovery flip flops and wears them A LOT, even to work. She loves them. But I don’t think she would wear them to Disney.

A trip to Disney in late August or early September is not for the faint hearted. The heat really takes it out of you and people seem to get frustrated more easily than during cooler weather.

 

[qv09vvp]

Just back from Sept 7 to sept 12 trip. We only hit the parks on Sept 9 (sunday MK ), Sept 10 (monday HS), Sept 11 (tuesday EP) For the most part ride wait times were low (like 15 or less) for most non-biggies... still minetrain, peter pan, test track, soaring, even slinky dog was less than an hour for peak times. while i loved it, hubby said never again in that heat/humidity. walkways *& stores relatively unpacked except for Epcot Tuesday evening... rain came and was BIG but in general didn't last long. I would go back at that time again, but alas hubby says no way.

 

[Micharlotte]

We were there the same week and had a great time! We managed to miss most of the rain, just happened to be in a different park from the rain. We only had rain twice for about 10-15 minutes. The heat wasn’t as bad as it had been in previous years and crowds were manageable for the most part. We had a great time and can’t wait to go back next year for the same week!

 

[WillowRain]

I wore flip flops the entire trip. I have the good skecher ones with grip. The only time I was slippery was on very wet floors, but outside I was fine.

I disagree on the bathrooms, they were really gross this trip. Water all over the floor, pee on the seats, paper everywhere, empty towels and soap, wet counters that you would get your shirt all wet leaning over. It is what it is, but they could be maintained much better.

People were EVERYWHERE! The walkways and lines, I guess depending on what park you were in. But the wait times were random, some days high and some low. Like I saw Frozen at 15 mins mid day on Tuesday I think, then TT was 120. Super weird. I even saw Aladdins Carpets at like 90 mins??? I wondered if that was a glitch.

I did not do a stroller for my 7 year old, she had a hard time towards the end of the trip. I got a wonderfully hilarious video our last night of the castle doing the little song and light show, with her bawling in the background like a baby. Can't wait to show her kids that video someday!!!!

 

[AngiTN]

We have a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old so we bring a double stroller. But pushing 85 lbs around the parks for a week is horrible. I’m looking forward to giving up the stroller in the near future...

I took my 6yo daughter to MNSSHP last night, just the two of us, while my husband went back to the GF with our younger son. He took the stroller with him. It was the best night of my trip, and my daughter made it from 6pm to almost midnight without complaining about wanting a stroller to sit in.

This is all I can think when I see the big kids in strollers. I get folks think the kids get tired. Heck. I get tired. But gotta realize someone had to push them around. Something to think about when considering the pro con stroller list. I tell people who ask me, don't underestimate your kid. As you found out, when the option of a stroller is not given, most kids never ask or complain. Too many jump up and offer before the kids even asks. Heck, I'd take being pushed around if someone asked, wouldn't you?

 

[bpadair32]

I was getting a constant unwanted cherry flavored nicotine buzz all day every day. Smells better but way more concentrated than traditional cigarettes, I could feel it. Everywhere, just walking around, walking to the car, sometimes flower scented. Can't imagine what that does to kids.

I think that there are a lot of people that think vaping doesn't count as smoking. I really wish Disney would enforce the smoking areas more or get rid of smoking in the parks altogether. There are so many kids around whose lungs do not need to deal with that.