Opinions? Should we take the stroller or not?

[MaryKLady]

Bring it. Dealing with a stroller is SOOOOO much easier than dealing with a hot, tired and cranky child.

We just came back from Washington DC and I should have brought one there for DD6.

 

[dizneechic]

We haven't used ours in 2+ years at home and went for our dd's 5th b-day in Feb. We brought it not because we thought she would need it, but because my 8 y/o had a heart procedure done 2 weeks before and was only 1 week post hospital release when we left so we thought he may need it more than she would. It came in handy at the airport when kids didn't want to wear jackets, we had bags of food and drinks for 5 wrangle (not to mention backpacks for 3 kids and our carry on) BUT once we got to WDW it stayed in our car the entire time. We were thankful to have it just in case, but never really needed it.

We also didn't do the parks commando, we arrived between 9-10 and had 5 pm ADR's and went home after so our days weren't excessively long. We kept it to the kids pace, had lots of rest time for my oldest, and just enjoyed everything we did without the rush factor.

 

[cmskok]

Hi! My daughter is 6 and we go to Disney at least once a year for 9 days or so, When we go, we always take the stroller..I think it is a necessity! I would bring my own because the rentals are expensive and you cannot take them back to your resort with you. You will be amazed by how tired the kids and parents get by the end of the day and the last thing that you want is to be carrying a sleeping kid and all of the accumulated stuff during the day...The stroller is handy for holding something, whether it is your child or the stuff!!!

Oh, the bonus: airport security. If you have a stroller, most airports will send you to a separate line. It can be a major timesaver! Good luck!

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

I'd bring it also. My DS walked a lot when he was 5, but sometimes it was nice to have it, especially for World Showcase.

 

[Britgirlus]

I was in your position last year - our first trip (7 nights), ds 5 (almost 6) - not sure what to do. We decided to go without, and figured we could rent one if he needed it. He never did - we made sure we took a break every afternoon in the hotel (we all wound up taking naps most days!), and didn't stay out late (apart from a couple of firework nights) - and he did just fine. This was in May (actually, monsoon week) - so the weather probably helped alot. We're going back again this year, same time (CAN'T WAIT !!) - and will do the same thing again. He did fall asleep once on the bus - but woke up at the resort and walked to the room. It's really not that hard - unless you try to do too much - if the older kids can't walk because they are so exhausted, it's time to slow down, take a break, get an early night, sleep in - or do whatever it takes to get everyone energised again.

 

[tam626]

My son will be 5 on our next trip & we are taking it. He nevers uses one other than Disney. It's just so much easier for them to take a break in the stroller when they get tired & you can keep moving.

 

[Mickey'n'Me]

We usually bring our umbrella stroller. That way it folds easily and is light weight. Our 5y.o. walks most of the time but when she gets tired and having to hold her when it is so hot is miserable. Even if you rent a stroller at the park you have to turn it back in before you leave the park and carry her to the bus possibly. It is also nice to have the stroller at the resort. Dont know where you are staying but you may have to walk a long way from the bus stop and that stroller at the end of a LONG hot day is a wonderful thing. If your child ends up walking the entire time you can use it to carry all of your fun things you bought at the park that day I say definately bring a light weight stroller!!!!

 

[wildeflowers]

Just wanted to give everyone an update on the stroller situation in case you're trying to decide like I was.

My husband conveniently "forgot" to pack the stroller in the car the day we left, so we went without it. Day 1, she walked and was fine. Day 2, she walked again, but I could tell she was starting to get tired. Day 3, I asked her if she wanted a stroller to sit in and she definitely did. We did a multi day rental, which ended up working out nicely as she was definitely old enough to walk to transportation after turning it in, but the rest of the days, she was asking as soon as we walked in the park for me to go get her a stroller. If she were younger, I would have rather had my own to take with us back to the resort, but not having to cart it on the bus was convenient.

So, I would definitely recommend bringing a stroller for kids this age. If you don't want to spend $ on a rental, get the smallest foldable stroller possible though, as sometimes those busses can be crowded and dealing with anything large can be a nightmare if you end up with a packed bus.