Stroller and Disney Bus Transportation????

[vanderty]

Hi, I am new here. We are currently planning our summer trip to the World July 4-9. We are staying at POR. We have a 7 year old and 20 month old twins. Sometimes I think we are NUTS for even attempting this trip.

I have a large Valco Twin Runabout Stroller. This is one of the all-terrain type strollers that I absolutely LOVE!!! It can handle anything, but it is large, bulky and heavy. Last year when we went to the World for the twins first b-day we stayed at Wilderness Lodge so we could just roll the twins on and off the boat to get to the parks.

This year finances dictate we stay in a moderate resort. How do you get to the parks on a bus with a large double stroller? Is this even realistic? I don't want to rent strollers b/c they will sleep during the day and the rentals look uncomfortable plus I want to have our stroller for DTD and the water parks. We will not be renting a car but using DME.

Please tell me if I can put the stroller on the bus, how to do this, or any tips you may have.

Thanks in advance.

Tammy

 

[SueM in MN]

How do you get to the parks on a bus with a large double stroller? Is this even realistic? I don't want to rent strollers b/c they will sleep during the day and the rentals look uncomfortable plus I want to have our stroller for DTD and the water parks. We will not be renting a car but using DME.

Please tell me if I can put the stroller on the bus, how to do this, or any tips you may have.

Thanks in advance.

Tammy

All strollers need to be folded before you get onto the bus.

The rental strollers may look uncomfortable to adults, but all the kids I've ever seen in them look very comfortable and lots have been sleeping when I've seen them, so they can't be that uncomfortable. For older toddlers, they are very nice because the kids can get in and out of the stroller easily.

If I were you, I would bring the stroller. You will for sure use it in the airport and at the resort and would have it for when you go to the water parks and DTD. You could try the park rental strollers and see how they work out for your family. If they work well, you can just leave your stroller at the resort on park days.

 

[Kies99]

You can take your stroller on any bus, but you have to collapse it down. Also, be aware that sometimes the busses might get full and if you have a huge stroller that is still bulky when collapsed, you might get dirty looks.

 

[mary174]

I had this problem. On our first trip my husband and I brought our big bulky double stroller and it was a pain for every bus trip. For our next trip we brought reclining umbrella strollers. That made things alot easier. Even on late nights when the boys fell asleep on the bus, my husband could carry out both strollers and then come back and help me with the boys. These were ours, so we could take them with us everywhere. We like longer trips, so buying them was much cheaper than renting.

 

[momsoftwins]

i just came back from a solo trip with my twins. i will say that i had some not so magical times with the buses. you might want to think about the single umbrella strollers.that way you could still hold a child and the stroller at the same time. have a larger double mgiht mean that one parent is trying to hold or help on the bus 2 kids and the other is taking care of the stroller. when the bus is full and lots of ppl want on it.. ppl get alittle rude watching you try to lug your family on. on 2 days on my trip i just got a taxi back to the hotel. easier and faster and worth the 20 bucks. i wished the bus drivers would open up the bottoms of the buses more for ppl to put the strollers down there instead of wasting space with a stroller. well that is my 2 cents. if anything just have a great trip and enjoy your family

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

Are you driving to disney if so you could try the bus the first day and if doesn't work out for you consider driving to the parks each day. If you don't want to have two umbrella strollers but want something smaller and that doesn't cost alot check out the jeep twin umbrella stroller. I have one for my dds and it is great. I go w/ one from target or walmart theirs are gray and not black.

 

[agentpleakley]

We've tried both ways --- when we brought our stroller it was a real pain using the busses. Last trip we rented, whew - what a relief and DD didn't balk about getting into the stroller -- she loved it.

If you do decide to bring your own HUGE stroller -- PLEASE be considerate of people on the bus. Last trip -- our DD(4) had to STAND on the very crowded bus because one extremely RUDE family would not move their GINORMOUS stroller for her to sit down.

 

[laughinplace199]

I'd bring reclining umbrella strollers. We did this for many trips when our kids were stroller age. They're not too big, easy to fold and bring on the bus, you'll have them for the resort, and they'd be cheaper than renting a double in the parks.

 

[dcgrumpy]

I'd also recommend reclining umbrella strollers. Either two singles or a double. We brought or huge double stroller once, never again. These would be good, they recline and have a sunshade http://www.nextag.com/jeep-stroller-umbrella-wrangler/search-html

 

[Mickey-4-Me]

Hello Tammy - my name is Tammy also.

We had this very same dilemma last summer.

We bought a brand new Sit 'n Stand stroller for our 20 month old and 5 year old last year because it was cheaper than renting a daily double stroller. Plus we needed it for the airports, from the bus stops to the parks, from the parks to the bus stops, at the water parks, and around the resort.

This was our experience:
Using the stroller at the airport was wonderful. Our youngest napped while we ate breakfast and relaxed a little catching our breath. We gate checked the stroller. (Suggestion: Once they allow boarding, fold your stroller before gate checking it. The airport employee may not know how to fold it properly and I have heard stories of broken cup holders, etc.)

TaDa - Once we landed our stroller was waiting for us right outside the plane doors. We retrieved our luggage and awaited Magical Express. Our stroller along with our luggage was placed under the bus and away we went.

Using the stroller around the busy resort was necessary and helpful.

Here is where the problem begins, they pack you in like sardines on those darn buses to and from the parks. In the AM, we waited in the bus lines to the parks with our son in his stroller shielded from the beaming sun. When the bus would arrive, I would carry my son on board while my husband folded the stroller. People gave us sssssooooooooo many dirty looks because our stroller was bulky. My husband would stand near the rear exit doors of the bus on the lower step with the stroller because there was just no other room. In the PM, as soon as we stepped outside the park (no more stimuli) our son would fall asleep. It would not have been fun standing and holding a heavy, sleeping 20 month old in the bus line after a long, fun-filled Disney day. A stroller in this situation is a God send.

Okay, so..., what am I saying?...? If you can withstand the dirty looks carry your own. It is only cumbersome while you are on the bus. Otherwise, you will be ssssssoooooo thankful that you had the stroller. If you don't want to fold and carry a heavy stroller, then take the suggestion of some other Disers and buy a twin umbrella stroller. However, while small and portable most umbrella strollers do not recline. I know some children can sleep without reclining i.e. the car seat. However, I just can't stand to see kids slumped over like that. It looks painful. They need a pillow or something to prop that precious head up.

If you choose to rent, tie something around the handle of your Disney stroller (like a printed bandanna or scarf) to identify yours from the others. I have heard stories of mistaken stroller identity.

Plus, it is hot in Florida, VERY hot in Florida. Although the rented strollers have that canopy, it just doesn't look sufficient. We bought a Kiddopotamus sun shade to fit our stroller that was fantastic. Your babies will thank you.

 

[Mickey-4-Me]

Oops. Posted twice. I'm not sure how to delete this.

 

[kjbrown]

I only had one child when we went to Disney a year ago, but we bought a new MacLaren Triumph stroller and I was SOOOOO glad I did. It folded down quickly and easily and had a shoulder strap. We had the embarking on a bus routine down to a science.

The MacLaren is great because it has a canopy, a little cargo room below, and still folds up quickly and easily and is lightweight. I HIGHLY recommend it!

I also highly recommend having your stroller with you. We did as a previous poster said, and brought it with us into the airport terminal. Gate checked it. I actually got a special bag for it, which was great, I've heard stories of the stroller getting wrecked on the plane. It was waiting for us at the end of the gate when we got off.

We took it all around the Port Orleans FQ where we stayed, and on the bus to and from the parks every day. I never got any dirty looks. In fact, I think we got a few sympathetic ones from people without kids.

It was GREAT having our own stroller, not getting in line to get it, worry about returning it, and it was super easy to spot at all the attractions.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[dfarner]

I cannot recall-do the park strollers recline? Or are they the hard plastic-type stuff? Are they the same in each park? Do they have straps for a squirmy one year old?

 

[DizzyKitten]

I cannot recall-do the park strollers recline? Or are they the hard plastic-type stuff? Are they the same in each park? Do they have straps for a squirmy one year old?

Here is a link to the All Ears page with Stroller info. They also have pictures of the strollers for each park.

http://allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm

 

[disneyfreak33]

We bought this http://www.babysuppliescenter.com/Combi City Savvy Stroller - Carolina Sky/Store/4716140

except we found one for 70.00 I suggest doing some searches if you wish to buy this one. It is very lightweight, about 11 lbs. has a shoulder strap, it folds very easily and it reclines quite a bit so the are laying pretty flat for napping also comes with a travel case. We are happy with it and our daughter doesn't mind it.

The only thing I don't like is the canopy is small so it doesn't shield the sun all that much. It shields her face but not the rest of her body and the basket on the bottom is smaller then I would like but otherwise it's not a bad stroller at all.

hope this helps!

 

[dfarner]

Thanks You Guys!

 

[happypooh]

I think we'll be in the same boat as you - we're going to bring our sit and stand and we'll be hoping for not too many bad looks...its so sad that people are not more understanding - I sure would prefer to bring a smaller double stroller if I thought it would meet our needs but we're going to have to bring this one if we're going to keep everyone in our family happy! We'll see how it goes for this trip and next time we'll have our twin traveller which is a little less bulky.

 

[pjupton]

Oh man, if I had 20 m/o twins and a Valco, I'd definitely want to take it too. I saw one there last year with the toddler seat on it. The same family had a P3 in doubles setup and I just followed them and ogled for a few steps!

We took 33 m/o twins last fall and I chickened out on bringing my Mountain Buggy Urban Double. We opted instead for two Maclaren Volos. The year before when the boys were 22 m/o we took an Eddie Bauer Transit Tandem. We didn't use the busses that trip, but not because of the stroller - it is small enough (tandem style but umbrella fold).

I wouldn't say it will be IMPOSSIBLE to take your Valco on the bus, particularly if you are planning to go at off times. But, I wouldn't want to be trying to schlep it, the twins, your bags, and the older child on the bus right at park closing.

 

[kjbrown]

OH! I just remembered one moment when I *did* get some dirty looks. We were leaving MGM and saw the bus leaving, so we RAN with our 3 year old, our stroller and our stuff. The bus driver was nice enough to wait for us, but I don't think the passengers were too happy with us. Especially when I caught the stroller on the door and couldn't get in at first. Then I got in, and didn't realize it but had closed the stroller with my kid's sippy cup in the basket, which then leaked all over me. Boy, did I give parents a bad reputation that day...

 

[DisneyPhD]

Having your own stroller is important, but mangaing both it and the kids on a busy bus it difficult. Having said that as much as I love POR the busses there are by far the most busy of any resort we have stayed at. (almost every deluxe and mod, no values.) We have a peg pergo double and it is comfortable, but small as far as doubles go. Even then 2 adults holding 2 sleeping children standing up with a stroller to manage is difficult on a very full bus. I would try not to stay until closing if at all possible, those are the wrost times. Could you bring an extra adult to help? Sometimes that makes things better.

kjbrown, what a story. That could of been DH, don't worry most parents know what a tough job it is. Those who don't know and give dirty looks, often get the toughest kids later. It all works out.