Rent or Bring Strollers & Are the DW Strollers Bulky?

[Wendy31]

Hi!! I've got some more stroller questions for all of you experts!

DH & I are taking our 2 children to DW at the end of May.

Our DD is 5 & weighs about 38 pounds.

Our DS is 3 (will be 4 in July) & weighs about 35 pounds.

Both don't like walking much, so I *know* we'll need strollers.

At first, we were going to bring 2 umbrella strollers, but my DH's brother told him how much of a pain it was to get your strollers on & off the buses. So, now DH is interested in renting a double stroller each day.

My questions about renting - -

Realistically, how much time does it take each morning (& when you leave and come back or park hop) to get a rental?

And, are the DW strollers bulky? From the pictures I've seen, they look a lot bigger than an average umbrella stroller. And, after all the posts I've read about people jumping in front of your strollers & people getting their ankles clipped by strollers in the crowds, I really want a stroller that's crowd-manageable.

So, I've found an umbrella stroller that I'm trying to convince DH that we need to buy. It's a Chicco Capri Stroller - has a sunshade, a small basket underneath, & is taller & "sturdier" than a typical umbrella stroller. More pluses - it weighs 11 pounds, folds up nicely, & has a carry bag w/ a shoulder strap. The only negative is the price - $49.99, which is, I know, relatively cheap for a stroller but considering our kids are about to "grow out" of strollers - our DW trip would probably be the only time we'd use it.

We'd buy two, & another nice thing about this stroller is that it can be connected to the other one if needed. So, therefore, I can connect the two strollers into a side-by-side umbrella stroller & then leave the kids w/ DH & shop!

So, what do ya'll think? Opinions? Advice?

Thanks so much!!!!

ETA - We're staying at a FW cabin, so I see us using the boat to get to the MK & the monorail (from the TTC) to get to Epcot. I think we plan on driving to MGM & AK. But we'll be dealing w/ the buses at FW.

 

[YesI'mObsessed]

Ok, this too was my dilema. Ds is 5 weighs about 50 lbs and dd was almost 3 weighing 35 lbs. I ended up buying a double side-by-side umbrella stroller at my local consignment shop for about $30.00. And let me tell you.......it was the best thing I ever did! I was so torn about bringing versus renting. I used the heck out of that stroller. It was a graco, easy to push, lightweight, and easily folded down. Yes, it was a pain to fold it up and down getting on the bus considering all the stuff we lugged with us to the park each day. But it was worth it when we got off the bus and we had to shlep back to the room after a long day at the parks. If you take the boat or the monorail, you don't have to fold it up, major plus. The one time we rented an additional stroller for my niece (my sister wasn't as smart as me ) , it took only minutes. However, we went in December and it wasn't crowded. So....my advice to you is to bring your own, I love my new stroller so much I ditched my old front-to-back one that was way too bulky. I was worried about doorways, by no problemo. Even on the monorail. Good luck to you!

 

[2dogmom]

I would say you should bring your own, especially since you know your kids will get tired. If you rent a stroller, and your kids fall asleep, you will be having to carry them to the transporation. If you are mostly using the boat or monorail, you can probably roll right on.

 

[pbharris4]

I say Bring your own. You have umbrella strollers and they aren't that heavy taking on the bus. I took ours -a huge travel system one minus the car seat-last year and THAT was awful getting on the bus, BUT was great for the parks. I never had a problem with the crowds even with huge stroller. Monrail/boat was a breeze-it actually gave us more room. If you rent, you have to return it every day so if you go to DTD or a mall or anywhere else you won't have one. The double strollers are bulky and don't look very comfy either. I have rented a double once so my then 5 yo dd could sprawl out. If your kids were any younger I'd defintely say Bring your own. I guess it depends on how much they like to walk.

 

[NJDisneymom]

another vote for bringing your own!!! I am just trying to decide if I should bring one stroller with the step on the back for my 5 year old or two umbrellas.

The park strollers are big and bulky, a pain to steer thru crowds and taking 2 umbrellas on the bus would not be much trouble at all. Taking one huge stroller is much harder!!!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

but remember if you bring two strollers you have to push one too.....when we have a double stroller DH does all the pushing

 

[disneytyme]

We were there last Memorial Day when it was swamped and I think we waited about 15 minutes for the stroller, but the other times we have only waited a few minutes. We love the double strollers and have never had any problems with them being to bulky or hard to control in the crowds. They are great for hanging your bags on also. However the rental fee is crazy

 

[heathersmom]

My DD is 5 and weighs about 42 pounds. I went to Walmart tonight to buy an umbrella stroller to take. Great price $10 but it says they only hold up to 40 pounds. Are there other cheap strollers out there that hold bigger kids? Just curious.

 

[deejohn]

We always brought our own. It was never a problem on any of the Disney Transportation. You just need to fold it up BEFORE you get on. Many people fold it at the door, hold up the line or crash into others. The line for the rentals is usually worst at first opening, and the rate is very high, especially if you rent one every day of your vacation.

Good luck, and enjoy!!!

 

[tjmw2727]

Once my kids got past 3ish I found it easier to rent a stroller especially if I was staying at a resort with bus transportaion. Especially since I often travel as the only adult with my 2 dds'.

Waiting for a stroller was never a problem and with the new lenght of stay rental you fill out the form and pay once making it even quicker. If your rental gets wet or you loose track of it you can get a new one. If you park hop you can get a stroller at each park and only pay once per day.

They are IMHO very easy to push and my girls liked that they could climb in and out easily. I brought along a bandana with a bright design to help me spot the stroller in the sea of strollers!

Here is a great link to stroller faq's with pictures.
http://allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm

TJ