Onsite with personal strollers

[SueM in MN]

I also found the stroller fit very well folded up under some seats near the back across from the rear door (perhaps those are wheelchair seats? maybe not but there were no wheelchairs on the bus so I don't remember!). It worked to put the stroller there as long as you are willing to be last off the bus We were never in that much hurry.

Those are the seats that fold up to make room and a tie down system for wheelchairs and/or ecvs. Those seats don't have any supports underneath them so that when the seat is folded up to the wall, there is a clear space to drive a wheelchair into. If you are sitting in those seats and someone with a wheelchair needs them, you will be asked to move.

For folding strollers for boats and the monorail, if it is not busy, they often will allow strollers to be pushed right on. If it's busy, then they usually say that strollers need to be folded to take less room.

 

[ducklite]

I don't mind the kids. It's their slow, wait until the last second parents that bug me.

I agree. When you KNOW you need to fold it, start at least getting it together as much as possible before the bus pulls up.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

That's just great. Added pressure for someone like me who's not that familiar with folding the dang thing in the first place. Rush me, and it will take longer.

If you aren't that familiar with it, maybe a little practice before you're under the gun might help? I know I'd rather spend 15 minutes before my trip figuring it out than trying to do it while standing in the pouring rain at a bus stop. Just a kind suggestion.

Anne

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Those are the seats that fold up to make room and a tie down system for wheelchairs and/or ecvs. Those seats don't have any supports underneath them so that when the seat is folded up to the wall, there is a clear space to drive a wheelchair into. If you are sitting in those seats and someone with a wheelchair needs them, you will be asked to move.

For folding strollers for boats and the monorail, if it is not busy, they often will allow strollers to be pushed right on. If it's busy, then they usually say that strollers need to be folded to take less room.

Sue, you beat me to it. Thanks for posting this

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

I think I'll add my two cents to this discussion.


If parents would take just a few minutes beforehand to plan, prepare, and THINK, things would run a lot smoother and easier for them. Here are a few personal suggestions that I have:

1. ALL strollers MUST be folded PRIOR to boarding any Disney bus. Folding the strollers on a Disney bus is not just a Disney policy, but rather the law. Although other bus companies may not care, Disney bus drivers strictly enforce this law. We care about your child's safety, and having them sleep in a stroller on a bus just isn't safe. It should be noted that strollers that are used as wheelchairs ARE allowed to board the bus, however, they must be secured just like a wheelchair. Depending on the situation, Disney will strongly recommend that the child be removed from the stroller.
2. What stroller to bring? I see so many folks bring these huge goliath strollers. Do you really need something that big? Would a small easy to handle umbrella stroller work for you? Or, one of those still compact strollers with the pouch below, and a reclining seat? The smaller and ligher they are, the easier they are to take on the bus.
3. Once you've decided on a stroller, take a few minutes to become familliar with it. Learn how it works, how to fold it, how to take it apart, etc. Make sure EVERYONE in the party knows how to fold it.
4. Take a few minutes to figure out what you will need to bring with the stroller. The less stuff you have to lug around the better. Don't forget to take advantage of Package Delivery or Package Pickup at the parks and Downtown Disney. It's a free service, and means you don't have to lug all those huge packages all day. Just let the CM know before they start ringing things up.
5. Keep stuff ORGANIZED. The neater and more organized everything is, the easier it will be to take it out and fold it.
6. Have a game plan. When you see the bus, know that you will take care of the child, and your partner will take care of the stroller.
7. I understand that it is preferred to keep the children in the stroller until the last minute. That's fine. I might recommend that when you get to the bus stop, you start preparing. Get everything neat and organized, and ready to go. Once you see the bus pull around the corner and approach the bus stop, that's when you start to get the child out, and fold the stroller.
8. With our new low-floor buses, the front door is extra wide, and so are the aisles. This makes it easy for guests with strollers, especially the large one. If you happen to have an extra large stroller, and one of the older RTS buses pulls up, it's still no problem. Wait in line as normal, and when you get to the front door, ask the driver if you can take the folded stroller through the wider back door. As long as you ASK FIRST, fold the stroller prior to boarding, and have the rest of the party go through the front door, this will be no problem. The key is to ask first, otherwise those doors WILL close on you.

Hope these help.

 

[Stitch Inside]

If you aren't that familiar with it, maybe a little practice before you're under the gun might help? I know I'd rather spend 15 minutes before my trip figuring it out than trying to do it while standing in the pouring rain at a bus stop. Just a kind suggestion.

Anne

Hey Anne,
Thanks for the kind suggestion, but it was a joke. See my second post.
And BTW, wear something to identify yourself and we'll try to stay out of your way.

 

[Gagebre]

And try to have it ready to fold as soon as I see the bus approaching. Once while at Epcot we were waiting in line to board a bus back to our hotel and for some reason they would not let us board the bus. I had my child out of the stroller with it all folded up and tons of other things hanging off each arm! I finally started getting frustrated after 15 minutes or so because nobody would let us know why we were not able to board the bus. They finally let us into the air conditioned bus (it was so hot outside!) and there was a couple who had one of the Epcot strollers on board already and were refusing to take their child out of it! I have no idea how they actually got the stroller in there in the first place but they were extremely mad and rude and the bus driver had to get someone higher up to try and explain why they couldn't do this. It still took a while for them to coax the couple into taking their child out of the stroller so they could get the stroller off.

 

[bigbabyblues]

DH always folded ours right before he stepped onto the bus, but the baby was already out of it when the bus pulled up. The stroller wouldn't even fit unfolded, nor would I attempt it!

 

[justhat]

[*]With our new low-floor buses, the front door is extra wide, and so are the aisles. This makes it easy for guests with strollers, especially the large one. If you happen to have an extra large stroller, and one of the older RTS buses pulls up, it's still no problem. Wait in line as normal, and when you get to the front door, ask the driver if you can take the folded stroller through the wider back door. As long as you ASK FIRST, fold the stroller prior to boarding, and have the rest of the party go through the front door, this will be no problem. The key is to ask first, otherwise those doors WILL close on you.
[/list]Hope these help.

Tyler, is this a rule, or up to each driver? The reason I ask is that we asked this several times on our first trip with our daughter (when we HAD to take our huge stroller cause she refused to stay in any stroller that did not fully recline and face mommy when she was 3 months old) and were told no about 95% of the time. We stopped asking after about the 7th or 8th bus ride. We just thought it would be easier for everyone since our stroller was so big, but the drivers almost always told us that it was for exiting and loading handicapped passengers only. We had the stroller folded, so it's not like we wanted to keep it open in the wheelchair area or anything like that. A driver who picked us up at MGM let us use the back door, but he was the only one the whole trip. Now that Madison is older, we can bring our much, much smaller Maclaren stroller so it makes everything easier so it's no longer an issue, but I'm just interested for any future babies we have who may not like to face away from mommy. Thanks!

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Tyler, is this a rule, or up to each driver? The reason I ask is that we asked this several times on our first trip with our daughter (when we HAD to take our huge stroller cause she refused to stay in any stroller that did not fully recline and face mommy when she was 3 months old) and were told no about 95% of the time. We stopped asking after about the 7th or 8th bus ride. We just thought it would be easier for everyone since our stroller was so big, but the drivers almost always told us that it was for exiting and loading handicapped passengers only. We had the stroller folded, so it's not like we wanted to keep it open in the wheelchair area or anything like that. A driver who picked us up at MGM let us use the back door, but he was the only one the whole trip. Now that Madison is older, we can bring our much, much smaller Maclaren stroller so it makes everything easier so it's no longer an issue, but I'm just interested for any future babies we have who may not like to face away from mommy. Thanks!

It's a guideline for our RTS buses (the ones with the stairs). If it's a low-floor bus, then it would be a front-door only item.

Not sure why a driver would not allow you to board through the back door of an RTS bus. There are some situations that would make it difficult, though. For example, if the back of the bus was already filled up, or if it was a free-for-all type bus stop like at Pleasure Island. When there are large crowds there, it's hard to keep the folks from bombarding the back door.

 

[Melrosgirl]

I've never seen a driver tell someone it was okay to enter through the rear door on a bus.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

95% of the time, it isn't. It's strictly prohibited, because after that last passenger exits, the doors will close.

If a guest has an oversized stroller (like a double jogger style), as long as they've reached the front of the line, the stroller is pre-folded, they may ask to board through the back of the RTS only.

 

[goodferry]

I, too, have not almost never had a bus driver allow us to use the rear door on one of the buses with rear stairs. There was one exception, we were coming back from dinner at the BC late one night, on a bus to the Magic Kingdom, and we were the only ones on the bus. The driver told us to go ahead and use the back door to load the stroller and took us right to the Polynesian, where we were staying!

 

[rgribik]

I agree with getting everything ready before the bus comes. I take 5 kids(3 dd and twin ds) and we have it down to a science(we have gone to Dis many, many times). I never take my huge strollers, we are on a different schedule than at home. I never expected my kids to sleep peacefully at a noisy park, I only hoped for some peace every now and again. But, wouldn't it be nice if Disney had some sort of area to put your stroller in for the bus ride! Even if it took a few extra loading and unloading minutes I would be grateful to get rid of the thing for the bus ride. Just a thought!

 

[justhat]

It's a guideline for our RTS buses (the ones with the stairs). If it's a low-floor bus, then it would be a front-door only item.

Not sure why a driver would not allow you to board through the back door of an RTS bus. There are some situations that would make it difficult, though. For example, if the back of the bus was already filled up, or if it was a free-for-all type bus stop like at Pleasure Island. When there are large crowds there, it's hard to keep the folks from bombarding the back door.

Yeah, they were the RTS buses, and at normal stops, so average crowds at the stops. We haven't gone to PI in years, though we have gotten on at the Marketplace, but don't think we asked there. We asked at AKL and the GF, and then at some of the parks going back to the resorts. The MGM driver who let my husband board at the back with the stroller (baby and I got on normally since we had no need to go through the back) also let the other family waiting at the stop load their stroller on in the back too. We were the only 2 families there.

 

[Selket]

If you are sitting in those seats and someone with a wheelchair needs them, you will be asked to move.

Yes, I didn't mean to make anyone think their stroller (or them) could stay there if someone in a wheelchair needs to board. That is why I mentioned I think they are the wheelchair seats. We just happened not to be on the bus with anyone in a wheelchair that week. The large space underneath the seat makes it a good place to put a large folded up stroller (rather than trying to hold on to it in the aisle or it taking up a seat space).

 

[DebIreland]

premature stroller foldation

Bwahahahaha!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

When there are large crowds there, it's hard to keep the folks from bombarding the back door.

I can attest to that. We've had people try to get in thrui the back door while the bus driver was loading DD's wheelchair. (For the older buses with lifts, sometimes as the driver was putting the lift down).

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I can attest to that. We've had people try to get in thrui the back door while the bus driver was loading DD's wheelchair. (For the older buses with lifts, sometimes as the driver was putting the lift down).

That hapened to me to. The driver would tell them to get off and wait with everyone else!

 

[Disney_Queen34]

I can understand to some extent waiting until the bus pulls up to fold the stroller but can't understand the bringing the stroller on the bus still open. BIG safety hazard IMO.