stoller help! 2 single umbrellas or 1 double umbrella?

[captainpixiedust]

Hi!

I'm new to this forum (though I have been lurking a fair bit over the last week or so...)

We are planning to go to WDW in early May 2008 and will be staying onsite at the Wilderness Lodge. This will be our first visit with children. DS is 3 and DD is 18 months. We will be buying a new stroller(s) for this trip (and to use afterwards). We are considering the Maclarens because of their high weight limit. My DS (3) is very tall for his age and weighs about 38lbs.
We are torn between buying a double umbrella stroller like the Maclaren twin triumph or buying 2 Maclaren volos and using stroller connectors whenever we might need the convenience of only pushing "1" stroller.

Are the Volos comfortable? My DD falls asleep easily in her carseat (and on occassion in her highchair!), so the lack of recline does not necessarily bother me too much (though, has that been an issue for anyone?) How is the mesh fabric against delicate skin?

I've heard that the seats on the Triumphs are quite shallow. I'm worried that it would be too small for my DS to be completely comfortable and would get very limited use as a result. I also worry that his legs will be too long and drag on the ground or wheels if he is not making a concious effort to keep it on the foot rest. Does the Volo have deeper seats?

Has anyone had success with using the stroller connectors with 2 umbrella strollers? Is it much wider than a double stroller?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Gokstate]

I did a lot of research before I bought my strollers and here is what I ended up with.

1st child - bought a single Maclaren Triumph. I am in love with this stroller but my almost 3 year old is on the small side and weighs about 26 lbs.

2nd child - bought a double Maclaren Rally Twin. I also love this stroller but it is definitely heavier than my Triumph. I did a lot of research and had a hard time deciding between two Triumphs (we now have the Rally Twin and also two Triumphs) with a plastic joiner or the Rally Twin. What sold me on the Rally Twin is the fact that it will fit through all standard doorways and through nearly all store aisles. The connectors add about 8" to the width of your two strollers so I was afraid that this would get huge. I also love the Rally Twin because both of the seats fully recline and there are little storage pouches on the back of each sun hood.

If you only have one person to push the stroller most of the time, I would highly recommend a twin Maclaren over two singles with attachers. If there are two of you to push, I would recommend two Triumphs (or similar) because they are definitely easier to maneuver through crowds and stores.

Either way, you can't go wrong. You will love having a Maclaren and won't know how you got along without it!

 

[kileybeth]

absolutely 2 volos, they are wider than all other mac's. also those prince lionheart stroller connectors work great on them! here is a tip. lock your front wheels only and they push even better. a snap to install /uninstall in case one parent goes one direction and one the other. think about this also when you are installing your after market cup holders ( I have valcos which I love, top of line) so they install/remove easily but not all do. you want them on outside of each stroller with respect to how you will link them. ,maybe better to say one on left, one on right? ugh. confusing, sorry.

anyway, you can not go wrong with the volos. my 5 and nearly 3 year olds will be in them in a few weeks in Disney. woo hoo

last tip, get them now and practice before you go. makes bus and monorail and even car travel so much more pleasant! I "trained" my DH and 2 teen agers and this last trip was the most stroller friendly trip ever. fold up is a breeze once you do it 10 tens in a row!

also volos are so lighweight even 2 hooked up is still light weight!

 

[kileybeth]

that last post of mine did not answer your questions! so sorry I just get so excited about volos I go off on a tear! What I meant was the actual seat for the child is wider than other Macs. the configuration of two mac volos together is no wider than normal double strollers. whew. hope that helps!

 

[MinnieMe2DW]

I could've written your post about 6 months ago. We will be there in early May too with a nearly 3 year old ds and a 16 month old dd. We got the 2 Mac triumphs and the stroller connectors !! I figure that way, at one point when our son no longer wants to be in the stroller (not just at Disney, but in general), my dd will still need to be, and we can seperate them. Either way, I've heard nothing but great things about the Macs! I love my Triumphs !

 

[staci]

Hello!I just asked your question about a month ago! We will be there the first of May too!!

My kids will be dd 22 months and ds 4 year. I ended up deciding 2 volos for the following reasons:

1. DS rarely needs a stroller anymore. If I am going to buy a Mac and spend the money, I want to make sure I can use it in the future for dd. A double would not get used as much at home as a single.

2. If we need to separate during our stay (sick child, diaper change run, etc) it will be much easier to be able to separate the strollers.

3. Crowds. Navigating a double down main street at parade time would be awful.

4. Resort use. My ds wont need a stroller at the resort (to get to the pool, food court etc) but it will be easier to have dd in one (she's a bolter ).

5. Airplanes. As awful as this sounds, I know that they have a history of damaging things. If I only bring one stroller and they accidentally damage it, getting through the airport with the LO would be awful. With two strollers, I have a better chance that one of them will make it through in one peice!

6. Last reason, my kids will stroller nap. On our last trip, ds did every day. But I am concerned if they are side by side in a stroller, and one is sleepy and one is not, that they will not calm down. I think it will be easier to rest if their best friend isnt in the next seat

Hope that helps you! Have fun whatever you decide! Maybe we'll see you down there!

 

[bayportkat]

I just bought another Mac Quest. My ds is 5 and dd is 3. They both still like the stroller and will sleep in it. I got it on Albeebaby for 119 including shipping. It is a little feminine, so I will use it for dd and use the old one for ds. We never used stroller connectors- we had the Quest and a regular umbrella the last trip and if necessary, one of us just pushed both strollers or just sat down for a little while until the other got back.

 

[Mom2JoeyandBen]

We were in the same situation as you. At first we decided that we would just buy another umbrella stroller for our youngest and use 2 singles. However after one trip of using our umbrella and our travel system (since DS was only a few months old) I realized that I wanted a double. We got the Maclaren twin triumph because of the high weight limit too. DS is tall for his age. I was worried at first about how the two of them would sit next to each other and how naps would go with the baby or with my older son. Also if DH and my oldest son wanted to go somewhere when I was feeding the baby, then DH wouldn't have a stroller. But all of those worries have been unfounded. So far it has been wonderful. One stroller for bus rides and monarail rides is wonderful and only having to find one stroller in stroller parking saves time. When we had 2 it took us a while to find both in the sea of strollers. We have used the stroller for 3 visits so far at the parks and it has been wonderfull. My 3 year old is now almost 4 and is 40 pounds and very tall and is very comfortable in the stoller. He even falls asleep in it. Our youngest just turned one and he loves the stroller too. My DH got a great deal on the stroller by looking online for it.

 

[captainpixiedust]

Thank you for all the input! I'm leaning towards 2 Volos, while my husband seems to be leaning towards the Twin Triumph.
We're hoping to get to ToysRUs this weekend to try the kiddies in the Twin Triumph. I have not found any place near us that has Volos to try (we live in Canada and Maclarens don't seem to be readily available... I was surprised that our ToysRUs actually had the Twin Triumph! )
I suppose our decision will depend on how DS fits in the stroller... I'm still worried that his head will be close to the canopy and/or his knees will come up high when he puts his feet on the footrest in the Triumph.
Is the seat in the Volo deeper than the Triumph?
Would the Volo offer adequate support/comfort for my 18 month old daughter?

Thanks again for all the suggestions and advice!

Magda

 

[kileybeth]

the seat is actually deeper in the volo which allows for a nice nap. The deepness is created by the soft material of the seat. My son is 44 inches tall and still fits comfortablly without knees knocking anything.

support for an 18 month old? guess I'm not sure what you mean? It is created like any umbrella stroller so not a firm board to their backs but there is certainly enough support? maybe I am missing real question? sorry to be so dense!

the twin macs seem to be even a bit narrower than the quest or triumph when I look at them. I know I test drove one and my then DS4 complained about the seat being to "squishy"? Narrow I think he meant.

I am so sorry you can't find a volo local to try out. You could always order and return if you don't like them I guess? To bad one of us volo loving Disers isn't closer to you!

 

[iheartdisney]

Has anyone had success with using the stroller connectors with 2 umbrella strollers? Is it much wider than a double stroller?

I've used the connectors with 2 umbrella strollers, and in my opinion, they are more trouble when they are worth!
1. it makes the stroller about 4 inches wider than a double umbrella, so squeezing through doors is ALOT more complicated.
2. (and this is the biggest) You have to push each stroller with the same ammount of force and angle as the other (which is pretty hard, considering how wide the handles are, plus when you turn or try to move out of the way) If you don't, the front wheels will turn into each other and jam, and you are stuck in the middle of a crowd trying to untangle them.
3. If you use a double with curved handles (we had the jeep) the inside handles also kind of overlap.

If we were in Disneyland with the narrow walkways, I'd say two (since you have two pushers) would work. But WDW has MORE than enough room to use a double umbrella

 

[captainpixiedust]

Thank you kileybeth for all the info on the Volo! I wasn't really clear about my "support" question... I guess I was actually trying to ask if it was comfortable enough for naps and sitting for longer stretches.
I know my DS3 will be in and out of the stroller thoughout the days, but my DD will be spending much more time in it, hence why her comfort is more of a concern for me.


Thanks again!

Magda

 

[kileybeth]

my DDalmost3 last trip just 2.5 and smaller (maybe 18-20lbs) sat most of the time in her volo while her brother was in and out a lot as well. she seemed very contented to sit for long stretches. She has some breathing issues that tire her out and therefore needs to be pushed quite a bit. She also slept nearly every day for a couple of naps (usually at least an hour in morning and 45 minutes in afternoon or longer at parks and certainly she conked out in late evening (no matter where we were only to be tossed into her pak and play once we hit the hotel.)

DD is now almost 3 and still naps on occasion in the volo when I am out and about. She weighs about 30 lbs now (yeah! we've turned a corner in her growth!)

Iheartdisney, try locking the front wheels, it works like a charm. at least on the volos not sure about cheapy umbrelllas. And true, connected they measure close to 35 inches wide. standard exit door is 36 inches and most doors at Disney exceed that. I can't compare that to a double mac but I think it should come in under that since the seats are narrower. I have owned the double jeep. Not a nice experience. I will never go back from my Macs.

However, a double is never an easy ride IMO just a nasty necessity. which is why I love the connectors. I rarely need them but when I do it is click-click-click and they are installed in under a minute and off we go. These have been a life saver for me as we most often have 4 adults to push 2 strollers and you would think we wouldn't need to even think about this BUT the other three adults all love the big rides and I often get stuck with 2 little ones who can't ride but want to do something or we need to go potty or whatever.

 

[kileybeth]

opps! I tried to edit above post but couldn't do it. the actual width connected is 38 inches(the connectors hold them apart a few inches) . I guess Disney must have wide doors!! I have pushed through a few of them. I just got my macs out of car and tried this. I can push through some of my interior doorways but not others. But I reiterate, they do push like a charm connected (and that with my DDalmost3 and DS5 in them)

so unless you have the ability of two pushers most of time or to hook up once already on site or only outside for walks or in wide mall aisles maybe this won't work for you.

thought I might add an example. we were playing in the climbing/play area of mission space while my DH and 2 teens rode the ride for the3rd time (yeah, lots of waiting! we had already made the potty run) I looked over to see another mom inside with 2 volos connected! so I guess she made it through the doors to that attraction (my volos where outside this time) but I had just come from a potty run with mine! 2x they worked.

 

[captainpixiedust]

Wow! Thank you again Kileybeth for all of that info! I was wondering about the actual width of the connected strollers... thank you for answering that already!
It's been a few years since I was last at WDW (this will be the first time with wee ones), and I never took too much notice of the washrooms and strollers within them.
Can strollers fit into the washrooms? Can 2 connected Volos fit?

Thank you again so much for all your help!

 

[mommytomy3]

absolutely 2 volos, they are wider than all other mac's. also those prince lionheart stroller connectors work great on them! . fold up is a breeze once you do it 10 tens in a row!

also volos are so lighweight even 2 hooked up is still light weight!

This is exactly what I bought, (2 volos and the prince lionheart connectors) for my upcoming trip for my 2 & 4 year old!

 

[captainpixiedust]

So we went to our local Toys R Us on Saturday (just before a blizzard that dumped 52cm of snow on us! ). We tried our 2 kiddies (DS3, DD 1.5) in the Maclaren Twin Triumph... unfortunately my DS3 looked kinda squishy (mostly at the shoulders) and the seat did seem rather shallow for him. I was kinda surprised at the overall fit for him since he is quite thin and not nearly as tall as I had originally thought (we just measured him last night for the purpose of figuring out what rides he can go on... we thought he was easily over 40"... he measured in at 39.25"!!! I'm hoping that with sandals and a possible growth spurt between now and early May we can make it to that 40"! ) I guess he might be wider across the shoulders???
So it looks like the Twin Triumph is off the consideration list.
I'd be ready to go straight to the 2 Maclaren Volo solution, but DH seems less keen on the idea of each of us pushing a stroller, so we tried the kiddies in the only other sbs double stroller they had, the Combi Twin Sport 2.
They actually both fit nicely and seemed rather comfy. I did a test run around the store and it seemed to maneuvre quite well. Now I know that the store floor surface will differ greatly from the ground surfaces at WDW. Does anyone have experience with the particular stroller in WDW? Does it fit through all doorways?
We have had a single Combi Soho Sport for a few years and have been happy with it.
We have not bought the twin Combi yet since we are hoping it might go on sale in the upcoming weeks.

All does not end there though... I am so intrigued with all that I have heard about the Maclaren Volos that I felt I really needed at least one (even if we were not going to go with the plan of using 2 with stroller connectors). I reasoned that I needed a light compact stroller to keep in my car for DD1.5. So I went ahead and ordered a Volo in crimson!
Who knows... once it comes in we can try both kiddies in it and if DS3 fits really well, perhaps we will change our minds and order a second Volo and stroller connectors!

Thank you again for all the help!