Should I take a stroller?..

[Mbcalebd]

my kids really dont use a stroller anymore but just wondering if I should take one..rent one..or just go without? THey are age 5,6,6,& 9. Would it be good to get one in case they get tired and need to rest and just to carry our stuff(snacks...water etc) or is it best just to walk and carry a fanny pack/bag or something. Will the strollers be more of a pain? Thanks..leaving on Friday so just trying to get some last minute things done!

 

[Donald is #1]

First the disclaimer.. I don't have any kids. So feel free to take may advice with a grain of salt.

If you are planning on spending most of the day at the parks, then I would look at renting one double stroller at each park. That way, it should be large enough for 2 of your smaller kids and even your 9 year old could probably take a break. I have seen many grade school age kids look very tired by noon at WDW. So renting a stroller each day would be great insurance.

 

[dburg30]

I would see how it goes, and if you need one rent one. I'm going to guess you will wind up renting them . IIRC what are they, $1 to rent or something like that?

 

[toesmom]

I would see how it goes, and if you need one rent one. I'm going to guess you will wind up renting them . IIRC what are they, $1 to rent or something like that?

$9 for single, $18 per day for double.

It's really expensive, makes more sense to check craigslist.org for a local deal.

 

[Cruz91]

If not - I'd take a stroller that the younger ones can at least take turns in. This is especially true if you're going commando - with no nap breaks and staying late at the parks.

We just bought one this spring at a garage sale exclusively for use at WDW because it has a big basket under the seat that we can throw the lunch cooler in.

Have fun! Stay cool!

 

[djblu883]

YES YES YES...even the bigger kid may at some point want to take a break...BTW be sure you buy some spray misters before coming into the parks.....they are 17 bucks each once you get there...i sw them for 3 bucks at Walmart!!!!! The heat will wear all of you down quickly and you will need these as well at the stroller...paking frozen water bottles if possible will be a biggie too!!!!!

my kids really dont use a stroller anymore but just wondering if I should take one..rent one..or just go without? THey are age 5,6,6,& 9. Would it be good to get one in case they get tired and need to rest and just to carry our stuff(snacks...water etc) or is it best just to walk and carry a fanny pack/bag or something. Will the strollers be more of a pain? Thanks..leaving on Friday so just trying to get some last minute things done!

 

[dburg30]

$9 for single, $18 per day for double.

It's really expensive, makes more sense to check craigslist.org for a local deal.

I need to find who told me they were cheap and punch then in the nose

 

[dougsmom98]

Your kids are at a tough age to decide whether you need one or not. If you are spending every day in the park from early in the morning until the parks close then I would say yes. If you are taking mid day breaks, you may not need one in the morning but if you go back to the parks for late night shows then I would grab it for the evening. You are going when it is hot so the kids are going to poop out a lot sooner than usual. My boys did not use one at all on our last trip, but we only did 2 parks in the 6 days we were there. It was February and a lot cooler though. The stroller is great for holding drinks and such but it can be a pain if no one is using it too. I would suggest that you drive it over to a general area and then park it. When you move to another area, grab it and go and then park it again.

 

[disneygal2007]

yes yes yes when we took our kids Aaron 2 at the time and Daniel 6 we got a double stroller and at times during our 7 days he would go on there and go to sleep for a hour or so along with the 2 year old so yes get one.

 

[carissanboys]

My recommendation is to just rent a double one. I went to Disney in March with my 3 boys who were 2, 4, and 6 at the time. We brought along two inexpensive umbrella strollers for the younger two. Our youngest has never been a big stroller user and didn't really want to be in one. He wanted to be carried instead. So we ended up just taking one umbrella stroller to the parks and using it to hold our bags or DS5. He's not a big walker and gets tired quickly. The problem was it was difficult to push him in that stroller because he's not little. We got smart towards the end and rented a double stroller. My youngest thought it was cool so he actually would get in it on occassion. It held my middle son much better (and pushed easily!) and my oldest could take a break now and again.

I know they're pricey, but I found it so much easier to just rent. You probably won't need one for every park (like MGM which is small) since your kids are on the older side. The one disadvantage to not bringing your own is if you have to walk quite a distance back to your hotel. We stayed at Shades of Green and sometimes would walk from the Poly over to our hotel and it was a bit of a walk. It was nice to have the stroller for those times.

 

[dancin Disney style]

When my DD was 6 we had to rent a stroller for her. She had not been in one since she was 2 but in the heat she became really cranky and was clearly not having a good time. Once we put her in a stroller she was a different person, she started having the time of her life. Also, if you have stroller you can then put a few extra things in your backpack because your not carrying it. I would suggest one double stroller than they can take turns.

BTW, you will walk 5-8 miles per day at WDW. More than likely your kids can't take that.

 

[AmandaCagle]

We rented one and it made our visit much more pleasant. The kids do get tired and the stroller really helped with that. Also, be sure to bring a bandana or something to tie on to yours. That way you can find it in the sea of strollers parked outside each ride. The rental is expensive, but we loved loved loved the strollers. If anyone knows of a discount, please post it. I know that Disney visa card holders get free rentals at Disney Land in California, but we are going to Disney World in Florida.

 

[grumpy.uncle]

At certain times you can get free stroller rental w/ your Disney Visa card. I think it is just at DL not at WDW though. You do alot of walking in hot weather. My nieces get tired of walking fairly quickly. We have an old stroller that we have taken for the younger one and I always offer to pay for a stroller for the older one. They can take walking for a while, but that Florida heat just zaps your strength. There were days I wish I could have sat in a stroller. It's also nice to have someplace to stash your gear, snacks, etc. Disney does charge way too much for stroller rental, but it's one of those things you need if you are traveling w/ smaller children.

 

[nisi]

Hmmmmm.... tough call. If your kids aren't used to the heat and lots of walking, you'll probably want one at some point. Even my very active, ball of energy dd6 needed a break a few times, so we would trade off between dd2in stroller/dd6 walking, or dd2 in sling/dd6 in stroller, or sometimes dh pushing dd2 in stroller and me giving dd6 a piggyback ride (I guess we could have used a double a few times )

Bringing one vs renting? Hard to say. Personally, I was glad we had our own. It was nice to be able to bring it on the train at MK or AK. Plus we had a car, so it was great to have it once we left the park. And it was easier find in a sea of strollers than a rental wuold have been. And, this is totally a personal preference thing, but the rentals kinda smell like PineSol. Yes, disinfectant is a good thing when we're talking about a rental stroller, but I really can't stand that smell. That alone was worth it to me.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

My DD is almost 6 and I am taking one for her.

 

[dburg30]

My brother was wondering, is it that price for the day for all parks? Or if you park hop is it a rental at each park?

 

[dr&momto2boys]

My brother was wondering, is it that price for the day for all parks? Or if you park hop is it a rental at each park?

You get a receipt that you can turn in at the next park and get a stroller without any additional cost.

Definately RENT just for the convenience factor with kids that age, i.e. not having to haul around your own stroller outside the park and having a place for your stuff even when the kids aren't utilizing it. Also isn't there a discount if you do a weekly rental? (Assuming you'll be there that long.) When my twin nephews were five, they used it constantly and then weren't cranky tired from walking so much.

 

[dancin Disney style]

My brother was wondering, is it that price for the day for all parks? Or if you park hop is it a rental at each park?

The price is per day and is the same at all parks. If you are park hopping all you need to do is save your receipt and show it to the stroller attendant at the next park and you will receive another stroller.

To save a little money, if you know at the time of the first rental that you will need a stroller for more than one day you can pre-pay for all your days. If I remember correctly the savings is $2 per day. They will give you tickets for the number of days that you purchase.

 

[crarmy]

my kids really dont use a stroller anymore but just wondering if I should take one..rent one..or just go without? THey are age 5,6,6,& 9. Would it be good to get one in case they get tired and need to rest and just to carry our stuff(snacks...water etc) or is it best just to walk and carry a fanny pack/bag or something. Will the strollers be more of a pain? Thanks..leaving on Friday so just trying to get some last minute things done!

Ok, I really debated on this one when we went in Nov. Little ones were 3 and 5. I ended up buying a "sit and stand stroller" by Baby Trend. It was the best investment (price wise it was cheaper than renting a double stroller for 8 days). At times my 5 year old would walk, but most of the time she rode. The 3 year old never walked, he refused. And carring him would of not been good.

And I would of hated for them to have been as tired as we were after walking all day!