Stroller ages Disneyland

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Frequent WDW visitor planning a trip to Disneyland. I've heard it is much smaller and more walkable, and we are looking at staying off-site in one of the "walkable to Disney" hotels. My 8 year old uses a stroller at WDW... should I plan on bringing one to Disneyland? He has gone stroller-less at Islands of Adventure and SeaWorld Orlando at age 5-6, but those were shorter than Disney days. Wasn't sure what to expect in California, but if we can avoid being the bulky Bob jogger (the only stroller we have that he still fits in) on the plane, it would be great.

 

[Geemo]

While the parks are close together and not the size of Disney World's you will do a considerable amount of walking. When we have use a pedometer we would clock between 7 and 10 miles each day.

Edit:
"bulky Bob jogger" Not sure of the size of your stroller but Disneyland has a Size limit on what they allow in the parks. If it is larger than they allow you will have to take it back to the hotel

 

[DizMe]

I'm not sure. I imagine you will get various answers, but my *personal* feeling is that I wouldn't want to deal with a stroller at DL with an 8-year-old and I don't think they need it unless there is some underlying reason for it. My grandson is 7 and we've not used a stroller since he was 5 and it has worked out well. We didn't take our kids to DLR until they were out of strollers, which was something of an incentive for them, I suspect, to be ok without them at 4 LOL. Of course, you don't do it the same with kids that age when they're not in strollers, but you don't do it the same way anyhow.

 

[MouseBrief]

Gosh, it’s hard to say. I think it’s absolutely doable without a stroller, and it would probably be nice to not have to worry about parking a stroller and finding it again as you are hopping on and off attractions. Plus, security sure goes quicker without a stroller.
Still, you wrote that you use a stroller at Walt Disney World, so I would give you a couple of things to consider as you are making the decision for your family. Will you be getting a Park Hopper? Yes, Disneyland is walkable and compact compared to Walt Disney World. But for us, that means we like to bounce back and forth between the two parks at Disneyland. If you are planning on doing the same, think about how Park Hopping might add some steps to your visit and whether you will want a stroller for moving between the parks.
Second, I think the distance to your chosen hotel will be a big factor. Because the trek back to the hotel is the least exciting part of the day and usually at the end of a long day, you might be wishing for a stroller. If you pick a hotel that requires you to cross a few streets, will you feel better having him close in the stroller?
I think either choice is a good one, and I hope you have a great visit!

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

While the parks are close together and not the size of Disney World's you will do a considerable amount of walking. When we have use a pedometer we would clock between 7 and 10 miles each day.

Edit:
"bulky Bob jogger" Not sure of the size of your stroller but Disneyland has a Size limit on what they allow in the parks. If it is larger than they allow you will have to take it back to the hotel

It's a Bob Revolution jogger, same size/brand as some of the stroller rental companies at Disney World carry. Are DL and WDW stroller size rules the same? It's s just a pain to fold, though I guess we wouldn't have to deal with busses and could check it at the counter and not at the gate at the airport.

He did a Disney 5K earlier this year, but then later that day, fell asleep in the stroller at Epcot, so I don't know. The trip is still a ways off so maybe we will just have to train for walking Disneyland mileage, just like we trained for a 5K.

Though we are thinking of going stroller-free for my son, we are bringing a stroller for my daughter, so we won't be completely stroller-free either way....but she still fits in compact-folding umbrella strollers, which are a lot easier to travel with, if she is going to be the only one who needs a stroller.

 

[disneychrista]

I am firmly in the no stroller camp. Personally, I would never use a stroller for a school aged child. My kids were 3 & 5 when we went the first time. I didn't even consider a stroller for the 5 year old and my 3yo daughter refused to use one.

I do understand that every child is different and just because my children didn't need stroller doesn't mean that all children shouldn't use one. I am just sharing my experience and opinion on the matter.

 

[AZMermaid]

We didn’t need one when my kids were 4 and 5. We did use it a little at 3 and 4. My older one probably would have been fine, but for us with them close in age it was a double or nothing. They didn’t need one the following June in WDW at 5 and 6 either. We didn’t offer it, but were ready to rent one if needed, and they never complained once.

 

[Iceman93]

Just remember that a stroller is also a handy place to keep "stuff" throughout the day, and a possible nap location (while mom and dad sip wine or beer in DCA!).

 

[SLThomas318]

We def used a stroller longer than usual out of convenience for our WDW trips, but the youngest was 7 for Disneyland this past summer and we did not bother with a stroller. We didn't do park hoppers and spent the whole week so we didn't do park open to park close days. We also stayed at DL Hotel and Grand Californian (split the week up) so our walk to the park from our resorts was pretty manageable. My 7 year old did fine... the husband gave him a couple of piggy-back rides leaving the park towards the end of the week. How old is your youngest? Our final stroller trip at WDW our kids were 6 and 8 and we opted for the single BOB so that they could switch out if they really needed it (we go in Summer so the FL heat zaps them much faster) and in a pinch the older one could sit on the front (that little triangle). I know they are bulky, but I always found my BOB's a dream to push (especially all day in the parks).

 

[BayouQueen]

We just did a DL trip with six-year-old DGD. She is energetic and curious as all heck and could run our legs off, but…we felt much more relaxed having her in a stroller a lot of the time. The parks are so crowded and the kids move so fast, it’s more relaxing knowing they’re safe and with you.
We didn’t do that with our own kids years ago, but it wasn’t so crowded back then.
I’ll add that at one point we were not even allowed to take two-year-old DGS in his stroller to the Pooh ride area because it was too congested, but other than that the strollers were very helpful.

I’m kinda sorry to give this viewpoint, because I know how the strollers clog up the parks, but that’s just our experience. If a child is less bold and likes to stay near, it might be a different story.

 

[DnA2010]

We just did a couple of days in DL, one being rope drop to after WOC, including starting in DCA, hopping to DL and then back to DCL and my daughter was totally fine, the parks are very close together

 

[juxtapose]

We did DL with both kids at age 5 without a stroller. It feels significantly smaller than WDW, as in there are less long walks, not that you necessarily walk less. They both did fine for 5 days in a row. If needed, we said we could rent one but we never needed to.

 

[Psymonds]

Frequent WDW visitor planning a trip to Disneyland. I've heard it is much smaller and more walkable, and we are looking at staying off-site in one of the "walkable to Disney" hotels. My 8 year old uses a stroller at WDW... should I plan on bringing one to Disneyland? He has gone stroller-less at Islands of Adventure and SeaWorld Orlando at age 5-6, but those were shorter than Disney days. Wasn't sure what to expect in California, but if we can avoid being the bulky Bob jogger (the only stroller we have that he still fits in) on the plane, it would be great.

generally: you will walk more than sea world or most parks at WDW other than MK. I frequently do 30k steps for good neighbor hotel stays at WDW, figuring 5k steps just getting there (on property hotels are not much better).

DS7 did spring break this year without a stroller for the first time.

in my mind the decision comes down to am I willing to carry said child home from the park after fireworks, versus do I want to have to track a stroller all day. when he was 6 we brought a stroller to WDW but would leave it for long stretches of the day parked.

 

[kikismom]

I wish we still had a reason to bring a stroller. I LOVED not having to carry anything around with me. We took one when my daughter was 6 but only ended up using it for storage, I think she sat in in just while we were waiting for a parade. I always joke it saves me a lot of money to not have a stroller. If I have to carry it I'm very picky about what I buy.