Ok, so I'm cheap...

[sara74]

I have to face facts. Despite the trip we have planned, I am truly cheap at heart. I can't bear the thought of spending $300 on a new double stroller for just our trip! I am expecting #3 in the summer so if I did it the stroller would see some decent use. Please convince me that if I shell out for a new double stroller I will really use it for more than Disney! We have the Graco and I have always loved it, take it on long walks (2+ miles no problem) and feel satisfied, but I hear everyone talking about the Maclaren and Combis and wonder if I should get a new stroller for our trip! Also considered renting a stroller, but with DS 21 months I feel like we will need the stroller in the airport and should just use the $ we would spend renting on a new stroller to keep - or take the one we have and keep the $! And then there is the 'should I get 2 separate strollers or just get the double' question! Is the Graco front-back double really that bad at Disney? HELP!

 

[gris gris]

Funny I'm having the same problem!! I REALLY want a Maclaren (single) but don't want to spend the money. We took DD to Disney at 4 months and brought a cheap umbrella stroller. It was awful because it didn't recline and it wasn't very comfy. I was going for the "it's easy to fold when getting on the bus". And I saw everyone in the airport with their big Graco travel systems thinking I should have just brought that.

This time around we'll have DD at 4 and a new baby at 6 months. I don't want a double but I don't want to bring the crappy umbrella (it's that JEEP model). Anyhow I think this time I'm just going to bring the big Graco and the infant seat and rent a stroller for DD if she's tired of walking.

But since you have 3, I'm not sure? I'm an impulsive buyer so I'd probably just do it and then regret it when I got back from Disney. Can you think of anywhere you'd be going after Disney where you could use the double?

 

[sara74]

We use our current double all the time - walks, mall etc. But what I am having a problem with is spending $ on a new one when we have one I am already good with. It is just that I 'hear' so many people with the Maclarens, etc that wouldn't dream of bringing a Graco to WDW. Are the other strollers going to make my experience that much better/more convenient etc or are these people that wouldn't have been satisfied with the stroller I have at home either? I guess what I am wondering is - if it is good enough for home is it good enough for WDW? Or is there something so great about these others that I should shell out the $?

 

[TiggerStac]

Ok..I have had 3 different strollers.

The big graco travel one w/infant seat, a not cheap, but not expensive umbrella ...and my maclaren that I bought before going to WDW in December.

I have to say the best is the Maclaren!! My DS used the Graco, until I got an umbrella stroller from babiesrus that was suppose to hold up to 45 lbs. I got this when DS was about 2 years 5 months, to bring on our disney cruise. It actually fell apart, screws came out of the bottom right before we were heading to WDW in December. My son was not even 40lbs at the time. I decided to invest in the Maclaren, after hearing a lot about it, testing it out and realzing that it goes to 55lbs. I only use it for Malls and WDW with DS now. I tried the mall thing without a stroller and didn't even make it 1/2 way thru until he asked me to carry him (ugh). We are planning on having another child, so I thought it was worth the investment.

The original umbrella I bought was about $75.00, and the Maclaren I chose was $139.99 not even two years later (should have gone w/the maclaren back then).
When (hopefully when) we have another child, I just plan on using my graco while they are in an infant seat, so I have the luxury of not having to get the child out of a carseat and into a stroller. Then...off to the Maclaren. I love it!!!

 

[jennifer293]

I have a Graco side by side that I LOVE!!! It is wide but I can maneuver it just fine. We took it to WDW last May and it will go again this July. We couldn't have made the trip without it. DH was in charge of breaking it down for the buses and we never had a problem.

The best part about the stroller is I got it off of ebay for $2.51 and it was new!!!

I would say if you REALLY want the Maclaren then to check on ebay I am sure you can find one much cheaper on there than you can buy one at the store.

 

[rt2dz]

I'm cheap too. I wouldn't spend money on a new stroller just for a trip, especially when I don't have a problem with my current stroller. It would mean giving something else up. $300 is few extra days at Disney, souveners, a top of the line meal, etc. And then when you say you wouldn't hardly use it elsewhere, I find the justification even harder. Besides, I've done it with bigger and lighter strollers, singles v. doubles, etc and I really don't notice much of a difference--another reason I couldn't justify the cost.

FYI--ds#1 will be 5 in 3 weeks, DS#2 will be 2 in two days, and DS#3 is almost 5 months.

PS--I don't think the rentals are good at all for a child 2 and under, which 21 months certainly qualifies for. Wait to age 3 before renting, imho.

 

[graciepooh]

My DH says I'm the only person he knows who can squeze a penny so hard that two dimes fall out of it. Why not consider buying a used one? Where we live there is on local online trading/buying site. I bought a Babytrend side/side double stroller that sold for around 300.00 for 50.00. It was barely used, in fact I don't know if they ever really used it at all. I've owned it for a year and plan on keeping it one more. When I'm done I'll put it in my yardsale and get 75.00 out of it. The only thing I had to do was clean it, I'm a germ nut. Good luck from one cheapskate to another.

 

[belle&beast]

We just got back and used our Evenflow double stroller (the name escapes me now) and it was great! We have never had a problem with it and my DH did all the folding and transporting on the bus, but we were able to maneuver easily. When we bought it we paid around $200, but I have seen it for around $88 now. I recommend this stroller and we have been using it for 2 years. My DD is 4 and my DS is 2.

 

[3littleHalls]

I was afraid of spending that much....I have a garage full of strollers...the freebee umbrella stroller w/purchase from TRU, Gracos, Evenflo, and Maclaren. I love the Maclaren Twin Traveler...it has been worth it. We got it before we had our third child. So, our son was just 2 when we had our 2nd daughter. After much research, trying other strollers, we just decided to try it. I wouldn't even take it out of the box until the baby was born. We have gotten so much use out of it, and know I will be able to use it for quite sometime. Good luck deciding.

 

[hannabanana]

I say buy it , keep the box, see if you use it when the new baby comes, and if you don't- sell it on ebay (that's why you keep the box ). I have actually gotten every cent of what I paid for a Peg Perego back on ebay because I bought a color that was discontinued so it drove the price up, plus, I had used it for a year when I sold it. You could also do Craigslist if you don't do ebay. Maclarens have great resell, especially the doubles, so you may find it costs much less than a cheaper one.

 

[DisneyPhD]

When we bought I double stroller I had WDW in mind and bought one for that reason. We used it all the time for other reasons and have gotten ton of use out of it. (beside 3 trips to WDW!)

My biggest problem with it was when the baby was newborn and it didn't fit the car seat in it. Once she was 6 months old or so that didn't matter.

We have a peg pergo aria twin and we love it. Both girls are very comfortable in and it pushs great. The only complant is the canapy doesn't really help much.

We have a combi single and I thought we would get the double, but I found I didn't like the 3rd whelle in the middle and the peg pergo pushed smoother. I like the removable trays and they recline great. Both girls have slept very comfortably in it on our last trip (17 month and 4.5 years old.)

It was pricey, but I have never once regreted it. Now I really wish we had a single peg pergo P3, but DH is putting his feet down.

 

[Disney_1derland]

I just can't justify that expense when you already have one. No stroller is that darn superior I know they are nice, I know they are great blah blah blah. But really. Take the one the kids are already used to and they'll be happier and so will you. Spend that money on all the fun stuff you'll want to do/eat and whatnot once you're there!

 

[MomofM&M]

We used two ultra light graco strollers on our trip in October and that worked well. If you might purchase a tandem just for the trip, I would check out the safety 1st transit tandem. I haven't seen the real deal since I live out in the boonies but the safety 1st web site shows it to fold up like an umbrella. It's also on sale at baby age for $99.

 

[aicrag51]

I have a graco double. I purchased it to go on a "air" trip other than disney. Bought it at Babies R Us. I questioned them as to their return policy even if it was used. They said I had 90 days to try it out. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or even use it enough. Well, a year and half later it's still with me and we use it everywhere, on walks to the park, at the mall, or even to let DS just sit while his older brothers run around outside. I now have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and they both sit comfortably. It was worth it for us. What was great was if I didn't enjoy it I could easily have returned it. Good Luck.

 

[In Luv with Disney]

We have a peg pergo aria twin and we love it. Both girls are very comfortable in and it pushs great. The only complant is the canapy doesn't really help much.

I, too, had the Aria Peg Perego Twin stroller. I did a lot of research before buying it and I had one necessity when it came to the double stroller...SIZE! I wanted something that was going to fold compactly and be lightweight. The Aria Twin weighs in at less than 15 pounds, which is VERY light for a double! Most of the Graco's are 28+ pounds! And they take up so much room in the car. That was something I was not about to deal with.

So we spent $329 ($358 with tax ) and thought it would be wonderful! Turns out, we had to return it 3 times...the third time I said forget it, this is too much money on a stroller that I had to return 3 times. (1st one canopy ripped on both sides, 2nd one wheel and tray broke, 3rd one the basket collapsed and more ripping on the canopy). Keep in mind my son is 4 and my little girl is now 8 months. I returned the stroller (after the 90 days at Babies R Us) and since I had the box and the original receipt and it was damaged, they gave me full price back for it. I went about bought a Maclaren single (Quest Mod) for my little girl and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!

I am in the same boat, though...I need a double stroller but I do not want it to break the bank, since DS 4 is BARELY in it anymore. But there are times when I DEFINITELY need one for sure!

I was thinking of the Jeep Wrangler double stroller...it's a double umbrella stroller, and it folds up sooo light and compact! The seats are padded nice and they both recline independently. It only costs $79 and comes in 3 colors.

Should I go for it???

 

[pooh4evr]

We took our unbrella stroller to the airport for DD23 mos and gate checked it- then we rented a stroller from A baby's best friend for the parks. We got a side by side double and it was great for us (4yr old and 23 month old) I believe it was about $75 for 8 days.

 

[rt2dz]

I was thinking of the Jeep Wrangler double stroller...it's a double umbrella stroller, and it folds up sooo light and compact! The seats are padded nice and they both recline independently. It only costs $79 and comes in 3 colors.

I do not have this stroller. I test drove it in the store and found it a little difficult to steer with two. Granted, I was needing it for a soon to be born and an 19 month old, but was test driving it with then 18 month old and my 4 yo. However, when I looked up reviews online, I found most people had major complaints on it down the road. It tended to fall apart after 3-5 months of use. I talked to people I knew (and some I just saw out and about) with it and all of them told me if they had to do it over, they wouldn't buy it.

Again, no personal experience. Just my research. I ended up buying the super cheap ($80 at Walmart) Evenflo take me too! double tandem. It is light, easy to push, held the carrier (what I needed until baby outgrows it), large basket, and easy to fold. I drive a Dodge Durango (next to no cargo space with the third seats up) and it fits in the car--with some space to spare. The canapy for the front barely exists, but you could always buy one of those attachable shades.

 

[princessjv]

If you choose to go for it, make sure that you really love it! Test Drive, Test Drive, Test drive (with kids in it). Drive that thing all around the store, fold, unfold, take it to your car and practice putting it in and out.

We too have 3 strollers (a graco with infant carrier, a zooper and a maclaren twin). LOVE The Zooper (though it is a single) and Love my Maclaren! What I have found is that I like the way my Zooper and Maclaren fold (both are umbrella folds), the mesh basket under, they are easy to move, height of handles are a bit taller, 5 pt harness straps, and boots (I live in the tundra).

If you choose to go for it and you really love the stroller, it will be worth every penny!

 

[Cheerio]

We have the Graco Duo Glider and LOVE it! It has tandem seats, controls nice and isn't too expensive. We bought it in Oct '01 when I had my second son, and I still use it now that we've had a third. I love the big basket underneath, the front seat reclines a little and the back seat fully reclines for naps. Also, both seats hold the Graco infant car seats, if you'd be using one. The newer ones even have cup holders and both seats have snack trays

 

[lovesdumbo]

I bought my first "Disney" stroller in Oct 2002 when I took my DD when she was 3 1/2. I left my DS home with DH and I was 6 months pregnant with baby #3. It was a MacLaren Daytripper single. It was a great stroller and we have gotten lots of use out of this stroller. I do not regret buying this stroller.

I bought a MacLaren Twin Rally for a Disney trip in Jan 04 when DD was 4 1/2, DS turned 3 on the trip, DD was 11 1/2 months. We took that stroller and rented a comfy single from ABBF. (We just couldn't handle 2 strollers, 3 carseats, and all the other stuff for our family of 5 in the airport....) This worked OK but while that double stroller is smaller than the Graco tandem it is still quite big and I'm not sure all that much easier to deal with on Disney transport than the Graco. We bought the Graco tandem when DS was born. That stroller has seen a lot of use at home.

I "justified" my Mac twin purchase by saying I would get a lot of use out of it at home when taking DD to preschool. We did use it sometimes but used the Graco more and it turns out that my youngest HATES the Mac twin. She didn't like umbrella strollers and didn't want to share her space with a sibling. I do regret making this purchase.

You would think that would scare me off buying new strollers but for our Oct 2004 I did purchase a Peg Perego Pliko P3. I've got to say I LOVE this stroller and so does my youngest. I wish I had purchased this in 2002. Its relatively light weight, comfy for child, stands when folded, has a tray for child, and has a running board on the back for an older child. This was a perfect Disney stroller. We took this and rented in the parks. For our Oct 2005 trip I took both the Peg Perego and single Mac and didn't have to rent any strollers.

I also took just DS for a quick trip in Aug 2005 and brought the Mac single. It was the perfect stroller for a 4 1/2 year old.

SO....my advice you do NOT need a Mac twin stroller.