Newbie with a stroller/airport/age question

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

We're flying in to DL this year (always driven..never flown with kids).

We're already hauling carseats on the plane (this is a must for us, so not really debatable) so we were considering not doing the stroller. We have two kids 2 and 4. The 4 year old is pretty good at walking..but I'm afraid he'll start to get exhausted if we don't have something for him to ride on/in. Obviously we'll HAVE to get something for the 2 year old. (The 4 year old walks around a local amusement park and has done a few times this summer already..but it's been a few years since disneyland and I can't remember if it's tons bigger?)

Our thoughts were either bring the umbrella stroller for our 2 year old, bring the sit and stand stroller for both, or rent one (or two?) strollers in DL.

Ok so the breakdown of my questions...

1- will my 4 year old need the sit and stand? Should I bring the umbrella?
2- should I rent a stroller (or two?)
3- if I DO bring a stroller, is this going to make me hate the airport..and possibly life?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

If you have a Disney VISA you can get 2 free stroller rentals for the parks. DL doesn't have double strollers.

You can also gate check your stroller at the airport so it will be at the gate when you arrive instead of at the luggage carousel. Then you will have it at the parks as well for both kids. DL is big for a 4 year old and he will probably get tired by the afternoon, so you'll probably want to have something for him too.

 

[bumbershoot]

Even with one carseat and stroller for our one kid, we kinda hated the airport experience, but overall it was worth it. Had to have the carseat, since we were going to be borrowing my brother's car and driving San Diego to/from Anaheim, and from past experience we knew we needed the stroller.

For our 4 year old, the stroller isn't so much for inside the parks, but to get to and from your hotel. Therefore, for us, renting a stroller just doesn't cut it (though we've done it, and my hips are still recovering from carrying my then 3 year old all the way back to the hotel every night, and dealing with his dawdling looking at every Bird of Paradise flower along the way in the mornings AUGH I'm impatient).

Although we were tired and sweaty getting through security, ultimately it's all worth it. You can put the kid or the carseat in the stroller while walking along, so that's good.

We have a carseat bag from Eddie Bauer (well, had...we left the Roundabout with my brother for my SIL's sister to use when they visit, and bought a new carseat for my over 40 pound boy when we got home, and we left the bag with the Roundabout) that made carrying the seat a bit easier. Thankfully the airports seem to have loosened up a bit...just a year ago they were making us take the seat all the way out of the bag to get through the xray machines, but now they just unzip it and look, then let the whole thing through.

Anyway, having our own stroller was very much worth it, and we were happy to have dealt with it.

Oh and the sit and stand...my 4 year old wouldn't have stood on the stand part...when he wanted to be in the stroller, it was b/c he was TIRED. And when WE wanted him in the stroller, we needed to strap him in, LOL. (unless the standing part has a harness or something?)

I'd bring a stroller for each of them so they can be comfy when you need or want to use the strollers.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

oh ya, I'd def be gate checking..even tho I fear lugging it all ALL the way haha. Guess this means no carryon's.

And the sit and stand does have a spot to sit for the 'stander' luckily. It also straps him in..mine's pretty good about staying in it..i'm just wondering if he'll even use it...but you have a good point about getting to the hotel.

HmMmMmmmmmmm

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

oh and I totally had to laugh about the birds of paradise.

Sounds like my 4 year old..maybe strapping him down is a good idea LOL

 

[disneydreamerbelle]

I would bring a stroller simply for the fact that it makes getting through the airport a lot easier. We load our two car seats on the stroller along with some other luggage, and have the kids walk through. Then having the stroller at the parks is an added bonus! I can't imagine having to carry the two car seats plus get two kids through the airport

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I wondered this. The sit and stand is large and could probably hold both carseats if I got smart with some bungee cords......You bring up an excellent point...

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I would bring a stroller simply for the fact that it makes getting through the airport a lot easier. We load our two car seats on the stroller along with some other luggage, and have the kids walk through. Then having the stroller at the parks is an added bonus! I can't imagine having to carry the two car seats plus get two kids through the airport

We do the same thing. We make our girls walk while pulling their little carryon suitcases, while the double stroller holds the car seats and any carryon I may have. When we get to the gate, we gate check the stroller and carry the carseats on with us. We do the reverse on the other end. Both of my girls love to walk, but at Disneyland there are times were one or both want to rest in the stroller and I couldn't imagine not having it. We just did a trip to Boston using this plan and it worked great.

I will admit that you might get some nasty looks as you're trying to fold up the stroller to get it through the x-ray (and yes, you have to put it through), but what we normally do is I take the girls and all of our carryons and shoes and go through. DH puts the carseats through right after and then the stroller last. By the time the stroller comes through I can normally have shoes back on all of us.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I was afraid they'd x-ray it

What..uh...what if it doesn't fit through?!

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

btw, thanks for the tip..I'll go through with the kids first!

 

[Brady's Mom]

I worried endlessly about this when we traveled to DLR in March from Utah. We usually just drive our van and that makes it sooo easy. Stroller in the back w/ the luggage and children in their car seats!

We flew Delta and left early in the morning, so that was good, not a lot of people at the airport that we might hold up while going through security!! I called Delta and emailed them 4 or 5 times to try to get an answer about what to do with the stroller and booster. I never got a satisfactory answer, everyone I talked to seemed a little confused about the question???!!!

So, we ended up gate checking our double stroller and booster seats. The stroller was way to big to go on the security belt, so they looked it over really carefully and we ended up going through the handicapped line as that was the only place we could fit. The car seats went through the xray machine. The hardest part was keeping track of children, carryons and car seats. But if you are prepared and patient you can do it!

We have 4 boys and travelled with all 4 of them. The two older were together, (19 and 11) and kept track of each other and their stuff, my hubbie and I took the two littles and went through security with one adult in front and one adult in back. My two littles thought the security gate was a little scary and were a bit hesitant at first, but when they saw dad do it they were great about it.

My biggest recommendation is slip on shoes for everyone! We had a couple of people with tie shoes!! Fortunately, the security people were good about the little people in our group and my big kids are responsible and my hubbie and I knew it might be kind of a zoo! The stroller was great for taking the car seats through the airport and my little people walked holding onto us and the stroller. It worked out great. Although we can't go as fast when they are walking, they thought the moving "sidewalk" was really cool.

I would take the stroller. We used it every day at DLR and loved it. My littles liked having a place to "rest" and we liked keeping them in one place where they couldn't get lost. (Always my biggest fear at DL, since I got lost there when I was 12)

Sorry for the novel! pm me if you have any specific questions. Gate checking was a good fit for us and worked really well. We would do it again, but are driving in Dec.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I'm from Orem too!

Okay so I've been talked into the sit n stand. I guess my biggest worry is security now LOL I wore sandals last time, do you have to remove socks?

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

No you don't have to remove socks. And I second the notion of easy on & off shoes. I wouldn't stress too much about security. It can seem daunting, but it goes pretty smoothly. The security people are normally really nice about helping getting everything through. And your sit & stand should fit just fine through the x-ray machine, since we've been able to fit our big Graco Duo Glide through. Only once have they hand scanned it, every other time we've been required to put it through the x-ray.

 

[Brady's Mom]

Yay!! People from Orem unite. Sometimes I feel like the only person here who loves DL as much as I do. Nice to "meet" someone who is as obsessed about it as I am!!

Security at the airport did not actually wand scan our stroller, they actually physically looked over everything. We took all of our stuff out of the bottom and it was a pretty easy process. The only hard part was counting all the people with us regularly so no one got separated. I'm a little obsessive/compulsive.

Good luck and don't worry, I have already worried enough for 10 people. You will be fine and very glad to have your own stroller and car seats.

Where are you flying into?

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Thanks Jamie!

And Brady's mom- We're doing Jetblue into LongBeach. I LOVE that place LOL And yeah seriously, I LOVE Disneyland. I haven't been since we got married (In 03) so it's OVERDUE. We were dying we couldn't go this year and our inlaws surprised us and bought a trip for the whole fam! I'm hoping both kids enjoy it..I know my 4 year old will, but the 2 year old..well she's a 2 year old. HAH I'm pretty obsessive about keeping track of my kids (not just so they don't get lost, but so they don't cause problems for other people in public situations..getting in the way etc..) so I'm hoping that the excessive amount of nieces going will help HAHA

 

[bumbershoot]

Thanks Jamie!

And Brady's mom- We're doing Jetblue into LongBeach. I LOVE that place LOL And yeah seriously, I LOVE Disneyland. I haven't been since we got married (In 03) so it's OVERDUE. We were dying we couldn't go this year and our inlaws surprised us and bought a trip for the whole fam! I'm hoping both kids enjoy it..I know my 4 year old will, but the 2 year old..well she's a 2 year old. HAH I'm pretty obsessive about keeping track of my kids (not just so they don't get lost, but so they don't cause problems for other people in public situations..getting in the way etc..) so I'm hoping that the excessive amount of nieces going will help HAHA

We got married in '03, too. Haven't had luck with another baby yet, but we do have the 4 year old.

You might want to read through my trip reports! Hubby and I had both been to DLR as kids, but our first trip back as adults was in '05, when DS was about 1.5 years old. Then at 2.5, then twice when he was 3 (then a solo trip for ME), and then we spent his 4th b'day down at DLR in May. And we're working on another trip before our APs expire, for as soon after my son grows another half inch and is tall enough for Grizzly! Zoiks!

 

[Sy-]

Want some advice from a seasoned traveller (me)? Talke your car seats and get a travel bag for them ($20). Then when you get to the airport check them in with your luggage. The airlines won't charge you the baggage fee for car seats! Car seats in airplanes are pointless! They take up too much space and they aren't going to save anyones life if the plane crashes! Sit your youngest in the seat like everyone else and buckle him in. Depending on the length of your flight they will be spending half the time on your lap anyways and with the car seat out of the way they could even lay down and put their head on your lap.

If you need to push your youngest around the airport use an umbrella stroller and gate check that. Don't plan on gate checking your uber deluxe-o expensive stroller. You are just setting your self up for a lot of heartache when they deliver your $800 stroller in 5 pieces.

edit: Here... car seat bag $14: http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids-10330-Travel-Bag/dp/B000EDL81I I use this bad to carry a full size car seat AND a backless booster for my 4 year old!

 

[Brady's Mom]

We went with a big group in March and it was fun. The only thing I wish we had done was made a family plan. You know, one for our 6 people. Written down and executed. We were with older teens/grownups and they can eat anytime, but we have two smaller children and in order to keep them happy and sane, we have to plan meals at very regular intervals. There were a couple of times when meals were late and my kids were cranky, not unbearably so, but tired and hungry. So meals are a biggie for my littles.

Also, we missed some of the rides that our 5 (now 6) year old wanted to go on because we didn't have said plan. But, we are going back with almost the same group of people and I am already writing down our plan. The other members of our group can tag along or not as they wish, but we will have a plan, Darnit!

And I wouldn't give up my stroller for anything, it has a big space in the bottom for storage and we take lots of water bottles and snacks that my kids will like, granola bars, jerky, goldfish, nuts, and we always get a cup of ice or ice water at any of the counter service places. Very handy and it keeps people hydrated and uncranky (is that a word? )

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

Molly- Thanks! I didn't realize they were links! I'll definitely read them! Yeah DS is REALLY disappointed he's too short for so much haha

Sy- Thanks for the ideas! The reason we're taking the carseats onboard (and the ONLY reason..not really a safety thing for on the plane) is because I know what can happen to a carseat if you check it. I'm sorta um..obsessed with carseat safety and I don't want to chance damage to my carseat I can't see. Yeah weird that I'm planning on checking my uber expensive stroller tho huh LOL

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

uncranky (is that a word? )

I'm 99.9 percent positive it is.. LOL



Okay so I was thinking about doing a good trip plan..I haven't figured out what days are disney days yet..once I get that set in stone I'll get to the details. We have a whole week and a citypass so we're trying to figure out what we can feasibly do and what we can't with two little kids. (I'm thinking universal is out..just mostly for MY sanity..haha)