Rented strollers and buses

[swild19]

I am trying to decided if we should bring our stroller or rent one from an outside company. I like the idea of renting but I have never used one of those kinds of stroller before. Our stroller is more like a fancy umbrella stroller and it folds up more compactly, like into a cylinder shape. The 3 wheeled kind that all the rental companies use look like they just fold in half. That seems really bulky for bus travel. How have you guys dealt with that?

Thanks.

 

[Malsf05]

I feel the same way. I plan on renting a Disney stroller so we don't have to deal with a stroller on the bus.

 

[MissDisneyDora]

I'm also a huge advocate of renting a stroller from Disney. I tried it out on my last trip and will definitely be doing it again when I go in 4 weeks. The Disney strollers are so lightweight and easy to get around with. I like that you don't have to lug them on and off the buses and that you can buy a pass on your first day that allows you to use Disney stroller rental for the duration of your stay. I'v heard a ton of people say in the past that they had problems with people stealing their rentals but to be honest I used it for 4 days last month and didn't have a problem with this at all. And there are easy to get to stroller replacement centers no matter where you are in the parks so you shouldn't have to walk too far to be issued another one should yours come up missing. And my favorite thing about the strollers - if you ride the Walt Disney World Railroad around the Magic Kingdom you can leave your stroller at one station and pick it up at another. I am a single mom travelling on my own so I did this loads as I found it a very easy way to get from one side of MK to the other while avoiding the June crowds.

x
Dora

 

[swild19]

I see your points but I don't think I want to rent from Disney. I want to be able to take it to the resort with us.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We rented a lot when my DS was younger and, yes, they are a bit bulky, but everyone on the bus has a bulky stroller and we all just dealt with it! Easiest thing to do is to sit (if you can find a seat) and just put it as flat against your knees as you can. Put one adult in charge of the stroller and the other in charge of everything else.

 

[Gracie09]

When my girls were younger we brought our large strollers. It's 10 minutes of inconvenience for 12 hours of easy pushing and hopefully a nap or two in there. This time they were older so we had a used macclaren that worked well.
We thought about renting from the parks but it was very convenient to have the stroller at the end of the night to head back to the room. I think we would have carried the girls otherwise

 

[branv]

To be fair, though, most of the rental companies use city mini gt, and this is its size folded:

It looks large opened, but is pretty darned compact folded. I have one of these and a nicer umbrella stroller. You'd be surprised how little extra space the city mini takes up versus the umbrella stroller. There is a difference, but not much.

Edited to add that we had thought about renting from Disney to avoid the whole bus situation, but the pros against the Disney were too many:

*city mini has a huge sun canopy in comparison
*city mini is more comfortable seated cushion wise
*(biggest one) parks stroller doesn't recline. Our city mini lies nearly flat. That, combined with the huge sunshade, means more likelihood for naps.
*city mini gt has an adjustable handle bar for different parent heights
*darn thing pushes like a dream, light as air to push and turns on a dime.

 

[staceyrhood]

My cousin came to Disney at the start of summer, she ordered an umbrella stroller on amazon and had it shipped to the resort (Beach CLub). It cost her like $25 for the stroller. No renting needed and she left it when they checked out for someone else. I have seen people post things on the boards about stuff like that.. "we are checkin out of ... on... would anyone like an umbrella stroller?" That might be a good idea for you. Have a great trip!

 

[MouseMama11]

In the past we've rented a City Mini from Apple Stroller Rentals and it was so easy and convenient. You tell them the date, time, and place to deliver it and they have it there for you. They pick up from your resort too! I liked having it for the resort and the parks. And they fold flat so taking it on the buses weren't that big of a deal.

 

[gatormom2tots]

BTW...if you rent a Disney stroller and it "disappears" they will give you another one free of charge.

We have brought our own and rented from an outside source. The one year we brought our own jogging stroller, the wheel broke. Disney CMs tried to help us with it, and then gave us a complimentary stroller since it appeared to be beyond fixable (what my DH gets for racing the kids in strollers throughout the park!)

It then disappeared one night after Wishes...we are guessing some family took it who had an exhausted kid. We didn't have any bags or anything in it and the park had pretty much cleared. CMs assured us that they don't collect strollers before park closing. Anyway....a CM brought us another one to place our zonked out kid and we basically had it for an hour.

After all the stroller drama last trip, we decided to again rent from an outside source rather than bring our own- its actually cheaper too in our situation. But it really depends on your family's needs.

 

[daisygirl902]

We rented a City Mini llast trip and LOVED it! They fold with one hand, and are super light - also they lay flat which is great for naptime. We use a McLaren umbrella stroller at home and debated taking it on our next trip, but we loved the Citi Mini so much we'll likely rent again. Most rental companies offer insurance for around $25 for the entire stay in case the stroller is lost or stolen.

 

[Mrslacem]

I've scoped out the rental companies... Is Apple the only one you have all used from?? I will nor bring out double from home its massive jogging! Thanks in advance

 

[kcpinwdw]

citi mini is a great stroller. We get the double and folding it for the bus is annoying, but that's because I load it with things for my twins. It is SO nice to have that big sun canopy though, and it pushes like a dream. it really is nice and light. I've used kingdom in the past. Next time renting from Orlando stroller rentals. I do recommend adding on the insurance plan though!

 

[DoleWhipMomma]

We rent just so our personal one doesn't get trashed. Strollers take a beating at Disney! They are a pain on the bus, but it is well worth it.

 

[dlowe2dwest]

We rented from Kingdom Strollers last year and we did again for this year. It was super easy, it was at the resort when we got there and you just drop it off at the end of the trip. As for the bus, it was ok. It folded smaller than the stroller we have at home but it still seemed big, especially when you're on stroller duty all week. It's not so bad on buses when no one is standing but when you have those buses that you're packed in like sardines, not fun.

 

[JKeenz]

helpful thread here! Planning on renting a city mini for our trip in November!

 

[Cinderella70]

How far in advance do you recommend calling to rent a stroller?

 

[DisneyJen0504]

We always rent because we have a very expensive stroller at home and don't want anything happening to it in transit or while we are there.

FWIW I have also seen many exhausted kids being carried waiting for buses or walking back to rooms after a long day. I was always happy to have our stroller. Never had any issues with the city mini GT folding up quickly, easily and it is pretty light. The sun canopy on the GT is amazing and many rental companies rent their strollers with accessories like cup holders, rain covers or even coolers.

 

[DisneyMommy4Two]

We rented from Disney in 2009. Their stroller served its purpose for us then, but it was inconvenient not having a stroller at the resort. Also, my then-3 year old son absolutely could not nap in it. This time around we're renting from Kingdom Strollers so my 2 year old can nap, and so we have it for Port Orleans and Downtown Disney. I would not want to carry a 30 lb toddler around in the August heat!

 

[austinsmommie]

We rented from Orlando Stroller 2x. We have rented the city mini. Love the company and the stroller. The stroller is lightweight and folds flat and fold easily with one hand. I would buy the stroller, but we are past the stroller age at home. The company left it at bell service and we left it with bell service when we checked out. We had to call the company when we had an issue with the front wheel and they brought a new one very quickly. Highly recommend them.