Newibe here in need of some advice!

[joy13]

We are leaving for Disneyworld on Oct. 29th and staying for a week. My husband and Mom are coming with and my almost 3yo is going too. My first question is about Strollers. We will have one - as we need it at the airport, but I wondered if we are better off renting one at the parks? Do they have places to park strollers while on rides and how secure are they?

Another question I have is - we are going to MNSSHP on Halloween Are all the snack type food places open too? I see a lot of people eat at the Liberty Tree that night, but we are doing the Princess lunch that morning, so I thought a small dinner will be better.

Any other advice for my daughter's age would be awesome too. How to handle carry-in food etc. TIA!

 

[JRawkSteady]

Park strollers have a tendancy to be "accidentally" taken or misplaced. If you decide to rent, put something on the handle (like a pirate flag) - people are less inclined to take a stroller with someone's personal property on it.

 

[peter pan217]

We are leaving for Disneyworld on Oct. 29th and staying for a week. My husband and Mom are coming with and my almost 3yo is going too. My first question is about Strollers. We will have one - as we need it at the airport, but I wondered if we are better off renting one at the parks? Do they have places to park strollers while on rides and how secure are they?

Another question I have is - we are going to MNSSHP on Halloween Are all the snack type food places open too? I see a lot of people eat at the Liberty Tree that night, but we are doing the Princess lunch that morning, so I thought a small dinner will be better.

Any other advice for my daughter's age would be awesome too. How to handle carry-in food etc. TIA!

i am only 12 but i can answer the stroller question they do have them in the parks for rent (they have single or double) about MNSSHP i have never been we always go at christmas to MVMCP hope yall have fun

 

[misslissa]

Hi there!

I think the biggest thing I would be thinking about for a 3 year old would be what she would be scared of... or not. At times, I couldn't believe some little ones... usually older than 3... but still young... that were on some of the rides or even in some of the shows that we were in. Of course, it usually led to them being brought out sometime in the middle. If you haven't already, I would recommend reading up on some of the show/ride reviews from a parents' perspective! And, have a wonderful time! You must be so excited

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

As someone who's traveled to WDW with a dd starting when she was a year old (she's almost 6!), I would say bring your own stroller to the parks and save the cash for something else. My dd was much more comfortable in her own stroller, the WDW rental ones do not recline, so if she gets sleepy there's no way for her to lie down. Also, there's no cushion, they're hard molded plastic. We do rent a stroller now that my dd has outgrown ours and only uses it when she's really tired.

 

[Horizons16]

havent needed a stroller in years, cant really help

But


WELCOME!

 

[joy13]

As someone who's traveled to WDW with a dd starting when she was a year old (she's almost 6!), I would say bring your own stroller to the parks and save the cash for something else. My dd was much more comfortable in her own stroller, the WDW rental ones do not recline, so if she gets sleepy there's no way for her to lie down. Also, there's no cushion, they're hard molded plastic. We do rent a stroller now that my dd has outgrown ours and only uses it when she's really tired.

Thanks! That's what I was thinking. Do they have a good place to park them when we all go on a ride?

 

[JRawkSteady]

There is stroller parking near every attraction - however, if it's not parked in the designated place or if room needs to be made, the CM in that area may move it, so don't get worried if you don't see it in the EXACT spot you parked it. I've seen so many guests get panicked and then realize it was just moved a few spots over to make room on the walkway

 

[joy13]

There is stroller parking near every attraction - however, if it's not parked in the designated place or if room needs to be made, the CM in that area may move it, so don't get worried if you don't see it in the EXACT spot you parked it. I've seen so many guests get panicked and then realize it was just moved a few spots over to make room on the walkway

Thanks for that head's up - I would have been one of the freaked out ones

 

[henrylovespooh]

Just got back from WDW. We took our almost 3 year old DD and 4 year old DS. We took our own stroller and rented one in Epcot on the day we weren't staying late. Since our kids are on the big side, our stroller can be hard to push and the rentals seem to move better.

I would definitely bring your own. There are plenty of places to park your stroller - you will see signs for Stroller Parking. We have never had our stroller taken. I will alert you that CM's are often moving strollers within the stroller parking areas to make them fit better, so you might want to tie a scarf, balloon or bandana to your stroller to make it easier to find.

My DD loves the princesses, the Peter Pan ride, and It's a Small World. We rode that a lot! She was scared of the Pooh ride for some reason, and also liked the carousel, Dumbo and the Magic Carpets.

I packed a couple juice boxes and some snacks in my backpack each day. DD likes peanut butter crackers and Teddy Grahams. Neither are messy and both take awhile to eat since there are individual pieces, so they keep her busy when in line or when we needed her to be settled.

DD loved Storytime with Belle in MK. It's along a walkway between the castle and Tomorrowland that goes along the teacups. Belle comes out and tells her story and kids get to be in the show if Belle asks and they want to do it. Afterward, those who watched the show get their picture with Belle. Much of the area is shaded and you sit on benches, so it's a nice break. It takes about 15 minutes. We did it on a day without Spectro and Wishes so the park wasn't crowded, and we walked in and got a second row seat about 7 minutes before the show.

We also had to stop and watch Cinderellabration many times because DD loved it. It's short and doesn't take up much time.

If you're not sure how your daughter will do with characters, don't schedule any character meals the first or second day. My DD starts off shy and then after a couple days, she's hugging all of them.

A mid day break is nice for kids that age - even if she won't nap, try a dip in the pool. The parks are so visually stimulating, a break helps prevent tantrums.

My kids loved MNSSHP. My advice because of your DD's age is not to waste time trick or treating that much. The lines were very long because of the way it's set up, and since your DD probably won't be staying at the party until midnight, just wait till you're leaving the park and then you can fill her TOT bag from a bin on the way out. The longest lines were on the walkway between Toontown and Tomorrowland and by the Jungle Cruise. Get your free family picture early so DD's in a good mood. Spend some time on Main Street so she can see the ghosts projected on the buildings. Princess Jasmine and Aladdin are behind the Magic Carpets ride if DD wants her picture with them.

Hope this helps. Have a great trip.

 

[ParkPrincess]

We took our stroller last year; but like someone else mentioned, it did get a bit heavy and difficult to push. After the first day, we chose to rent them from the park. For us, it was well worth the money. Also, we weren't having to lug it on and off the buses. That was a huge pain, and it took up so much space.

 

[mommaU4]

As far as the strollers it really could go either way. We brought ours to use in the airport and around DTD, but didn't want to hassle with it using the Disney busses back and forth from the parks to the hotel so we rented in the parks. I remember the strollers at Disney studios being very nice, not plastic at all, of course that was awhile ago.

Either way whether you rent or not they do have designated parking areas at all attractions and shows so look for that when you park your stroller. And just a side note, I always left my diaper bag/backpack in the stroller (never my wallet of course) and never did I have a problem with someone taking it. A balloon or something tied to the actual stroller will also help you locate it faster among the sea of thousands!

I have a question of my own. My twin girls are 5 now and have long been out of a stroller but little legs can get tired easily at WDW. Would it seem odd to see such "big" kids in a stroller if we needed to rent one for them? Anyone?

 

[AJKMOM]

When we had 3 small kids, we used to take the cheapie umbrella stroller. Tie something to the handle that is noticable, so you can find it in the sea of strollers when you exit the attraction. We used to tie a red bandana where we could see it. I did read here at the DIS that someone had an expensive stroller stolen at the MK while they were on a ride.

 

[ParkPrincess]

I have a question of my own. My twin girls are 5 now and have long been out of a stroller but little legs can get tired easily at WDW. Would it seem odd to see such "big" kids in a stroller if we needed to rent one for them? Anyone?

If they fit, then I wouldn't think it would be odd. Take advantage of the strollers if they fit comfortably in them. It can be very tiring with all of the walking.

 

[ganggreen4jc]

I will remind you (and some have alluded to it) to never, ever leave anything in your stroller that you can not live without. Take all valuables, medicines, camera's, etc with you. Strollers can and do get stolen or ransacked at WDW just as everywhere else. Strollers can be replaced, certain other things can not.

Sad fact of life, but important not to overlook!

 

[momofbgtwins]

We brought our own double umbrella stroller and it worked out great! I recommend tying a bright bandana or yarn to the handle so you can spot it easily if it has been moved.

My DD was afraid in the Pooh ride (and she LOVES Pooh) because it was dark. She also hated the Peter Pan ride for the same reason. My DS was fine in both. Because they both love pirates, we took them into Pirates of the Carribean, BUT with glow sticks. It made a big difference! They both liked it.

We had breakfast with Pooh, at the Crystal Palace. At first they were shy, but they loosened up and we have pictures with all the characters. They loved posing with Minnie, Donald and Goofy at the judges tent at Mickey's Toon Town Fair.

All in all it was a great experience for them. They also loved Animal Kingdom, and Sea World.

Have a great trip!