Should we rent a stroller or bring our own?

[MiniMe]

Thanks for all the info...I'm going to WDW in Oct with my niece who will be 2 and based on your info I think we will be bring a stroller instead of renting one.

 

[HaleyB]

Another plus for your own stroller is that you can fold it and are allowed to take it on the train at MK and the train going to Rafiki's Planet Watch at AKL. If you have a rented stroller you can't take those are on the trains and if you get off at a different point of the park you must walk back to where you started to get your stroller.

At the MK you just pull your name card out when you leave the stroller at a Train stop, then you find a stroller where you get off that has no name card and take that one. I have been doing it for years and it works fine.

Takeing a stroller on and off of a Disney Bus is a pain in the neck if it is crowded. If you bring one make sure it folds easily and small and that it is light enough to handle easily on the buses or use a car to get to and from the parks.

We brought a stroller last year and it was such a pain we left it in the room and rented one at the parks instead.

 

[Lisa Hale]

We've been debating the stroller issue for several days. We have a wonderful Peg Perego Milano that we bought last year just so that we could take it on vacation (we have a Peg Perego Venezia that we normally use). The whole reason we bought a second one (on ebay) was that we took one with us when our DS was small. We parked it outside the Liberty Tree Tavern and went inside to eat. While we were there, the parade started. When we finished eating, we came outside to find that someone had pulled out stroller over to the curb and, leaving it open, stood in the carriage part and collapsed the whole thing. There were a couple of people who were watching to see who it belonged to and they told us that a very large man (they said 300+ pounds) used it to stand in and try to watch the parade. Lovely, huh. So much for having researched and looked for just the right one for our son. It was completely destroyed and non-repairable. It wasn't Disney's fault, and we couldn't blame them, but that's why we bought a secondary, gently-used stroller from Ebay to take with us. We learned an expensive lesson the first time.

Also, just an FYI - the strollers can be difficult to carry into the buses, especially if only one parent decides to take baby back to the resort alone. It's very difficult to carry the baby and the stroller into the bus and get situated when everyone is very eager to get on the bus and go. It's also VERY difficult to get off the bus at the resort while carrying a baby and a large stroller. Last year I saw a lady trying to step down from the bus with a baby and a large stroller. She was alone (as was I, with my baby), and no one offered to help her. She very nearly dropped the baby and had to catch her awkwardly to keep from dropping her because she was afraid the stroller would fall. Please, be courteous, but don't move so quickly that you risk injury to yourself or the baby if the stroller gets away while climbing down from the bus. Let the stroller fall if you have to! It's much easier to replace and/or fix than your or that precious baby.

 

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

My children will be turning 6 & 7 on our next fall trip. This will be the first time we are going strollerless. When needed, we will rent a double.

That said, all the years prior, we always brought our own strollers to WDW. We purchased two separate graco umbrella strollers which were $40 each. I pushed one, my husband pushed the other one. This way, we were able to separate and take a child without leaving the other one without a stroller. My kids called these our Disney strollers because we left the others (and more expensive) ones at home.

Also, we never had a problem with the buses. People were always helping us when needed (carrying a stroller off the bus). I will admit, we are partial to the WL for the convenience of rolling the stroller on the boat instead of carrying a sleeping child.

Now, I will say.................................$18 a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!good grief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[duck_adoo]

we travelled w/our twin dd's when they were almost 6 and brought our own Lightweight Graco ones. In 38 more days ( ) we'll also be taking our 2 yo dd for her first trip.We went and bought another lightweight Graco stroller for about $40 at Walmart. We tested it out at the zoo and it worked great. It reclines, has a canaopy, and underneath storage. And the thing that REALLY sealed the deal ...it has baby Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto on it. It also has a cup holder. I also agree w/the other posters about being able to throw ponchos,water bottles, all that fun stuff underneath.
Good luck

PS We never had a problem on the buses with them either. They collapse easily and compactly.

 

[bnr0212]

We went to disney 3 weeks ago and I bought a Maclaren Volo for my ds 5 and dd 3. They are a bit pricey at $100 but they can hold up to 55lbs, they weigh only 9lbs, they fold up easily, and they have a strap that you can carry it over one shoulder. They were worth every penny! Bringing our own stroller made a HUGE difference, especially when walking out of the parks in the evenings, there's nothing worse than a tired, cranky child that wants to be held when you also feel tired and cranky - not a good picture

 

[DisDarling]

Our 5 year old daughter walked the entire 1st day at the MK- was SHOCKED she did! But than every day after that, she wanted to be carried. We hadnt planned on renting a stroller, so we usually carried her or rented one just now and then, and not every day. I would think its DEFINITELY worth it to bring your own! We will be taking ours from home this Dec!!

 

[kizmac]

We went to disney 3 weeks ago and I bought a Maclaren Volo for my ds 5 and dd 3. They are a bit pricey at $100 but they can hold up to 55lbs, they weigh only 9lbs, they fold up easily, and they have a strap that you can carry it over one shoulder. They were worth every penny! Bringing our own stroller made a HUGE difference, especially when walking out of the parks in the evenings, there's nothing worse than a tired, cranky child that wants to be held when you also feel tired and cranky - not a good picture

I was eyeing the Volo myself because I really liked that you could get it in girly colors, being light weight to me is not really a big deal, but they don't recline or have cup holders! With $100 you'd think you could atleast have a cup holder. We can't do without at least a 2 point recline because the baby will still need to snooze.

Please tell me if I'm wrong about the recline, because I did really like their colors! That's my only beef with Graco is their lack of girl patterns or colors. I had to settle for navy blue with bears......to boyish for my but what can I do

 

[bnr0212]

You're right the Maclaren Volo does not recline (which wasn't a problem for me because my kids are older and I knew they weren't going to need that option). However, Maclaren makes a more expensive version of this stroller called Triumph that does have a more features still no cupholder but it does have multiple recline positions, raincover and also the carrying straps. It goes for about $149.

 

[grimley1968]

First of all, I just wanted to say to everyone: awesome thread! This is kind of a tough decision for the parents among us out there, and there has been some great info on here about this issue.

We were seriously considering not bringing our strollers for the first time this trip, until I saw that price increase for the double stroller rentals. WOW. We'll definitely be bringing our own. Folding them up for the buses can be a pain, but certainly worth saving $18/day for us.

I came across a decent looking double umbrella stroller in KMart the other day. It should be perfect for us. It's a side-by-side stroller, both seats recline and it has a cupholder . Our oldest DD, 6, may not need to use it all day, but our youngest DD, 2, will probably sit in it a lot and may even take her naps in it. If both kids aren't using it, we can use the second seat for carrying stuff around. This stroller definitely looked easier to push around than some of the massive double strollers I've seen in other stores.

I do sort of like the double strollers Disney offers for rent. They're sturdy, easy to push, and comfy enough for kids if there's a blanket or something in there. We rented one once for MNSSHP a few years back. But $18 day? No way.

 

[MECH8T7]

When we went this March, we rented a double for my DD6 and DD4 each of our days in the parks. When we go next year, I think we are going to bring our Peg Perego Plikomatic umbrella-style single stroller from home instead. It folds up and has a step on the back so that the kids can take turns between sitting and standing. I'm sure there will be fights initially over who will get to sit but we'll try to put an end to that quickly by threatening to make them both walk. (We have a folding Maclaren twin stroller which we could take but its pretty bulky and much heavier than the Plikomatic)

We were staying at the Poly and one of the disadvantages of relying on stoller rentals in the parks was that we often had a bit of a walk from either the TTC or the GCH back to our room in the Tahiti longhouse. We really missed having a stroller on the nights that we left the MK late and the kids were forced to walk back to our room after falling asleep on the monorail.

 

[my3princes]

For those of you looking for Maclaren Strollers check out Albee baby online. They have awsome deals on 2004 models. You can get a Truimph for $119 and a Quest for 129.99 depending on colors of course.

 

[mommykds]

I came across a decent looking double umbrella stroller in KMart the other day. It should be perfect for us. It's a side-by-side stroller, both seats recline and it has a cupholder . Our oldest DD, 6, may not need to use it all day, but our youngest DD, 2, will probably sit in it a lot and may even take her naps in it. If both kids aren't using it, we can use the second seat for carrying stuff around. This stroller definitely looked easier to push around than some of the massive double strollers I've seen in other stores.

I do sort of like the double strollers Disney offers for rent. They're sturdy, easy to push, and comfy enough for kids if there's a blanket or something in there. We rented one once for MNSSHP a few years back. But $18 day? No way.

I agree!!! Do you know what brand is was that you saw in Kmart? My middle child is 6 & the little one is 4..all the umbrella strollers I checked out on line say they are for kids under 35-40 lbs. My little one is 40 but the older is 44. I HAVE to find something because I am not paying $18 per day to rent a stroller..
Thanks!

 

[HaleyB]

This will not help if the $ for rent is the concern, but I just remembered what I did when I took an 13 month old to WDW 8 years ago. We brought a small cheap umbrella stroller, it was super light and easy to fold. Great on the bus and a life saver from the bus to the room and from the gate to the bus too.

However it was a royal pain to use in the parks, it just didn't roll well... so we rented a Disney stroller and we were able to fold the umbrella stroller and hook it over the handle (I may have tied it with a baby blanket or something, can't remember). It worked out great.

We also used a baby back pack carrier (we used to hike, we did Yellowstone for a week with him up on our backs, that was about 35 pounds and 7 years ago). It was really easy to use in the parks and we were glad we brought it. Many people saw us using it with envy.

Something like this, but ours went to 60 pounds and was about $60 at Babies-r-Us. http://www.toughtraveler.com/cat3.asp

 

[Feralpeg]

I noticed the other day that they sell foldup strollers at Once Upon A Toy for around $50. If you did'nt want to go to the trouble of bringing one with you, that is an option. It would be a lot less than $18 a day.

 

[GrumpyBa*D]

They are expensive to rent and only help within the parks.... so that leaves you each tired and carrying a tired, cranky or sleeping child from the gates to the bus or car and then to the hotel


on the other hand you have to load the stoller on the buses monorail, boat etc and would save you money and leaves one adult with free hands....

flip a coin


hopefully soon i'll have this delemma

 

[mommykds]

Well I ran to Babies R Us today & got 2 umbrella (kolkraft) stroller for $19.99 each. They have a small canopy for shade & alittle mesh basket for holding stuff. The weight goes up to 37 - 40 lbs. My guys are about 40lbs. each so hopefully it will hold up for the week at Disney. (we don't use strollers anymore for day to day things so it just has to work for Disney!) I got the same color (blue) so the kids won't fight about which one they want to sit in.

 

[Dizneydaz]

I always bring my own stroller. My DD is starting to get a little big-she's almost 6 but only 35 pounds and 41 inches. I use it to roll right up to the airplane door. It makes it easier to carry our carry-on bags. I also bring it into the room every night and repack for the next day. I am not looking forward to the day when DD gets too big for the stroller. Oh my aching back! The only problem is that since we rent a car we use the trams in the parking lots and unlike Disneyland, the trams at WDW do not have room for unfolded strollers. Therefore, we usually walk from our parking space to the park. Okay first thing in the a.m. but harder leaving the park. I've never had a problem with the airlines damaging my stroller. It always brought right up to the end of the jetway (by the airplane door)

One note however: We had a problem returning home on American Airlines in Dec. 2003. After I booked our flight online (from So. Calif.) AA changed some of our flight times. The left us a very small window of time to change planes in Houston-I figured they knew best. How wrong I was. Even though our flight from Orlando to Houston arrived early by the time our stroller was brought up from below, and after literally running through the terminal carrying my DD, when we arrived at the gate it was too late! The doors close 10 minutes before takeoff. I did ask one of the flight attendants, several times, when the stroller would be up and she replied-very snippy, I might add, that it would be up soon. Finally, after at least 15 minutes one of the flight crew retrieved our stroller. We were able to make a flight leaving within the next few minutes to a different airport, however, after we returned home we did have to drive another hour (that same night) to the Ontarior airport to pick up our luggage-it made the connecting flight. American Airlines refused to deliver our luggage. I WILL NEVER FLY AMERICAN AIRLINES AGAIN. My preferred carrier is Southwest-never had a problem, never missed a connection. Anyway, sorry for the rant-I just can't stand American Airlines. 62 days and counting

 

[kidd_freeper]

We have 2 DD and I was wondering if we should rent the Disney stroller at the parks or bring our own. The rental fees are expensive.

Bring your own!
1. CMs routinely relocate strollers. In a vast sea of rented strollers, your own stroller will be easier to find after you get off a ride.
2. Rented strollers dont fold and cannot go on the railroad. Or the momorail. Or the buses. Or the trams.
3. It takes time to stand in line to rent and return a stroller.
4. Rentals are expensive.
5. Just because its a Disney stroller doesn't mean that its good quality. Many of the rented strollers that I saw had wobbly wheels.

The only advantage that I can think of to a Disney stroller is that you don't care about how the weather will treat it. Cheaper strollers will fall apart in the damp Florida climate.

 

[Mom2Kelly]

Saw a nice umbrella stroller with basket underneath the other day at Babies R Us for $49.99-Euro Trend Sport is the name.

My 5 year old DD fit comfortably in it.