So parents- what is the BEST Disney stroller!

[CandleontheWater]

I was hoping I could get some advice from parents who have been to Disney with kids and stollers. My husband and I are expecting our first, and one of the first things that crossed my mind when we found out were were expecting was "I'm going to need a champion Disney stroller!" We are moving away from Florida, but since we (and my parents and in-laws) are DVC members, we'll probably still go down 2-3 times a year for Disney trips. Our 1st trip is planned for when the little one will be 5 months old. So please share with me what your favorite strollers are, so I can start looking with some informed opinions. I'm hoping to get something that will work well from birth through toddlerhood, and its going to need to be sturdy, because we are moving to Alexandria VA and the stroller will be our primary mode of transportation. Thanks in advance!

 

[stella27]

We took an Inglesina Zippy and I really loved it. Our baby was very comfortable; it reclines fully so he could nap; it has an awesome sunshade; we all enjoyed its larhe basket - and yet, it's not too bulky when folded - and speaking of folding - it's a dream!

I hung a Vera Bradley cargo sling off the handles and it worked really well for baby's supplies and ours.

I would love to have a swivel-wheel jogger down there, but it's so much harder to fold and deal with in regard to air travel.

 

[NotUrsula]

For WDW: A Mac (either a Quest or a Techno).

For commuting in the DC area? Well, a Mac is going to be very good, but so will some other options, particularly early on. You will probably end up with more than one stroller in that period of time if you are going to be getting around via public transit only most of the time. FYI, the new Mac Techno XLR's have a carseat adaptor bar.

When asked for my opinion on the best stroller to buy if you absolutely only will get one and will use it for a long age range, my answer is a Peg Perego umbrella-fold, either a Pliko or the new Si.

The 3 factors that should drive your decision if you're going to be a public transit commuter are 1) Weight (stick to aluminum, not steel), 2) Suspension (and note that slightly bigger wheels will be better on cobblestones), and 3) compact fold, preferably one hand.

A sling will also be a good investment to make commuting easier.

 

[hardingk]

We bought a Maclaren Techno just for our Disney trips. It has adjustable handles for DH who is tall, reclines back all the way, and is light weight to carry on the buses!

 

[Tiger926]

We have a Peg Pliko P3 and it's awesome at Disney, as well as Mac Techno XLR and Mac Triumph. Both Macs are awesome too, but the Techno is absolutely stellar as it has asjustable handles, wide seat, great sunshade, brakes, etc.

Good luck and congrats on baby! Tiger

 

[AmyBWV99]

We go to WDW 2-4 times a year as well and have stroller riders we've used various strollers down there, the one thing I'd suggest is getting something just for travel. We did after having our favorite primary stroller totally trashed by United. Airtran messed up a carseat and another stroller and what was the worst is we had to send it out for a new frame and were without it for 2 weeks. We learned and got a Pliko and Quest from Albee on super sale to use just for travel that way if they are messed up I'm not waiting on them to go out again. We travel with our strollers in bags and they can still get dirty from the abuse they endure flying.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

I have a Maclaren Techno xt-- it is our disney stroller. I have also fallen in love with Baby Jogger city mini-- absolutely love the way it folds up- has a great sun shade. I am addicted to strollers and deciding on adding the city mini to my collection. I do have a Peg Perego P3 which I absolutely hate. The steering on it is terrible. I guess I am spoiled by my mac. My girlfriend picked up a Maclaren Techno XLR 2008 from Marshalls ofr $179. It will also hold an infant carrier. If you have a Home Goods, TJ Maxx or Marshalls by you they all have been carring Maclarens at really good prices.

Congrats on your newest so to be disney fan

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

My vote is for the bjcm over the mac. I just sold my techno I loved it but it was not breathable at all and very tippy I would go w/ the silver cross dazzle before purchasing another techno. the bjcm has a good deep recline better sun coverage than the mac and it is open for ventilation but can also be covered in the back if need be. Check out the video on www.babyjogger.com. My other rec would be the peg line of strollers over the macs.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

Another vote for the Pliko!! I love it! I've played around with my cousin's Mac Triumph a couple of times, but I very much prefer the Pliko.

 

[turkeymama]

I wish someone had told me how great Maclarens were when I had my first child. I went through so many strollers for my second child. Maclarens are lightweight, easy to fold, easy to steer, and they accommodate larger (heavier and taller) children. For us, that last feature was very important with my son.

I'm sure you'll get many opinions, but I love our Mac.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I have seen a lot of Macs around Disney and I agree that they look like great strollers! They only question I have about them is that they don't appear to have a child tray. I don't have children yet, so I'm not sure how important that is going to be, but I can imagine that many meals and snacks will be eaten off that tray as baby and I zip around the National Zoo and the Smithsonian.

The question I have about the Pegs, is it difficult to steer them with one hand? I see that they have 2 handles instead of a bar, and I can imagine that there will be many times that I am pushing one handed. I need a stroller that is easy to steer because I am just not that good with anything on wheels

A stroller I have been looking at on-line, but haven't heard that much about is the zooper waltz. Does anyone have any experience with that stroller?

 

[J3nn78]

From someone who has owned over a dozen strollers in the last 2 years my vote is for

Baby Jogger City Mini as well. This stroller is far better than any mac, zooper, graco, etc...that I have owned or tried.

Easy quick fold- great for Disney buses too
Flat recline
The best sunshade of any stroller hands down
Good storage
Pushes like a dream

 

[NotUrsula]

I have seen a lot of Macs around Disney and I agree that they look like great strollers! They only question I have about them is that they don't appear to have a child tray. I don't have children yet, so I'm not sure how important that is going to be, but I can imagine that many meals and snacks will be eaten off that tray as baby and I zip around the National Zoo and the Smithsonian.

The question I have about the Pegs, is it difficult to steer them with one hand? I see that they have 2 handles instead of a bar, and I can imagine that there will be many times that I am pushing one handed. I need a stroller that is easy to steer because I am just not that good with anything on wheels

A stroller I have been looking at on-line, but haven't heard that much about is the zooper waltz. Does anyone have any experience with that stroller?

Can't tell you about the Zooper.

I've never had a snack tray on any of my 9 strollers, and I've never missed it. All of my strollers (even the ones that are 8 years old) have never had to have their covers washed for any spills, either. The only thing that my children eat in their strollers are Cheerios and water in non-spill sippy cups; for everything else we stop and find a table or bench that is easy to wipe down and clean up. We travel a LOT and I am a manic museum crawler; you won't be allowed to give baby any snacks while in a museum unless you are in a food service area. I tether the kids' sippies to the stroller with a webbing/elastic tether -- keeps them from throwing them.

For my cup holder, I really like my Sunshine Kids Buggy Buddy. It holds two cups/bottles in insulated pockets, and has both a larger "bucket" compartment and a small zipper pocket for keys, etc. I found that hard cupholders tend to break off in transit when travelling, one way or the other. $10 at Amazon.

Pegs are harder to steer than Macs, but not by much. They have good suspension when they are in good shape, just not as satin-smooth as that on the Macs. Having umbrella handles doesn't make a difference to being able to push one-handed *IF* the suspension is excellent. If the suspension is bad (or gone bad, as my 10 yo Pliko now has) then it is a major PITA.

I've also heard a lot of good things about the City Mini, but I personally don't do square-fold strollers on public transit. I like to be able to prop my folded stroller up between bus seats or slide it under benches, and square-folds usually don't fit. I just prefer the long rectangle folded profile for mass-transit. YMMV.

 

[DessertGirl]

I have had every stroller in the book, and sold them all when I found out about Baby Jogger City Mini. Do yourself a favor and start with this one. It takes NO effort to push, has incredible shade, and folds very easy. I have the double one for my kids, and I will never get another stroller. Do not buy Peg, they are horrible, and I don't know much about Mac's, but I have tried to push them and they do not even compare to the city mini.

Happy hunting, and congrats!

 

[MoeFam]

Add me to the " I will sell all my other strollers for the bjcm"...after using one at Disney last week- I immediately came home and started trying to figure out how to raise the money needed to buy that stroller. I have had everything and the Baby Jogger City Mini is by far the best stroller I have ever used. Nothing compares to how easy it is to fold etc.

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

We just purchased a baby jogger city mini for our disney trip. I took DH w/ me to the store to check them out. We were tossing up btwn a double and a single. DD is 6 but only 39 lbs 43 Inches. I wanted it for her too so we can get around a little faster w/ her seated. But dh vetoed the double for the single for DS soon to be 2. I absolutely love the sunshade and the 1 hand steering. I have arthritis in my shoulder so any motion tends to bother it. I can push it 1 handed. It steers a bit nicer than my mac. There are going to be many times you want 1 hand steering and w/ the bjcm you can it do. I also wish I had learned about the Macs and bjcm long long time ago. I have had over 10 strollers and none of them can compare to the mac or even come close to the bjcm. Definitely check out the bjcm. It can take an infant carrier too. I now need to go get it out of the box and play with it!

 

[HGD24]

Congratulations on the baby!!!!!

We have a Pliko P3 and love it! We bought it with Disney in mind after going to BRU and trying out every Mac and every other stroller there.

Our DD was 8 months old when we first took her WDW and she loved the stroller too! She slept in it several times and she used the tray quite a bit too. We kept her sippy and some snacks in the tray and even attached some toys to it as well (using sippy pal tethers to keep the toys and sippy from being thrown on the ground). We love the adjustable height handles since DH is very tall and I'm short. We did not have any issues with folding, unfolding and carrying it on the buses.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Happiest mommy]

congratulations on your baby for us we LOVED the Inglesina the one hand fold is awsome and the baby can lay flat which we really loved!

 

[tjlovespooh]

Yet another vote for the Baby Jogger City Mini I'm also a bit of a stroller addict (currently own 5 strollers ). If I had to choose just ONE stroller it'd definitely be the BJCM

Just in case you want to ask other "stroller experts" I suggest you check out the stroller swap group - great mamas with plenty of excellent advice there. Here's the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StrollerSWAP/

Congrats and Good Luck

 

[5 for WDW]

Congratulations!!

Another big Perego Pliko P3 fan!! It is a perfect WDW stroller and great for everyday use as well. Our daughter was always very comfy in it. The umbrella fold is a huge plus, especially on the buses in WDW.