Stroller on the buses?

[Mom2Ben02]

I am planning on taking a double stroller to WDW, and plan to use the bus system. Will I be able to do this? Will everyone hate me and give me dirty looks?

 

[WDW Freak]

Yes and yes.
Seriously though, I've used the Maclaren double on the buses and although it wasn't the most enjoyable thing I've ever done it was doable. Most people were very understanding and made way for us.

 

[grafxgirl]

Yes and yes.
Seriously though, I've used the Maclaren double on the buses and although it wasn't the most enjoyable thing I've ever done it was doable. Most people were very understanding and made way for us.

LOL! Boy do we know about double strollers! When our kids were little we took one of these monsters on the buses, however the bus drivers make you fold strollers up, no matter what size they are. Last year we took a single umbrella stroller for our son, who was 3 at the time, and still had to fold it up.

http://www.twinstuff.com/store/catalog/images/ar265.jpg

 

[SueM in MN]

LOL! Boy do we know about double strollers! When our kids were little we took one of these monsters on the buses, however the bus drivers make you fold strollers up, no matter what size they are. Last year we took a single umbrella stroller for our son, who was 3 at the time, and still had to fold it up.

http://www.twinstuff.com/store/catalog/images/ar265.jpg

Federal Law requires strollers to be folded on the bus. The WDW buses actually have the citation for the law posted on the outside of the buses.

 

[delmar411]

it'll be fine on the buses just make sure you are prepared with it folded up before the bus pulls up. If it's a double jogger plan to stand in open area by the back door so that you don't take up too much space. Also if you happen to get one of the higher up buses, ask the driver to open the back doors for you to make it easier to get on the bus.

We've been many times with a double jogger and while it is a bit of a hassle on the bus, it's well worth it in the parks.

 

[TJA]

It is a pain on the buses, truthfully, but you will really appreciate it in the parks. Nothing is better than having 2 comfy and therefore happy kids.

Where are you staying? Some resorts have other transportation options, like boat, monorail, walking path, where you don't have to unload and fold your stroller.

 

[dudspizza]

<--------- not a fan of double strollers... they take up tons of room, especially on a crowded bus and crowded amusement parks.....we always traveled with a light, butterfly stroller for our daughters and eventually stopped bringing one at all... we rented one at the parks only if needed.....

that said, you have to do what you have to do to keep your kids comfy.... as long as you are prepared when the bus comes up and can fold your stroller in a timely manner, then no dirty looks from me.....

 

[ABNER.STERLING]

The bus route? The boat route? I read the boats direction to MK don't start till 30 min before park opening on any morning including EMH. The other boat to the Contemporary starts earlier. Would I be best to take the bus? or take any boat I can get and walk to MK from contemporary if need be?

 

[delmar411]

The bus route? The boat route? I read the boats direction to MK don't start till 30 min before park opening on any morning including EMH. The other boat to the Contemporary starts earlier. Would I be best to take the bus? or take any boat I can get and walk to MK from contemporary if need be?

??? Resort guests arrive to parks on buses unless they drive to the parks. At the MK, you park at the TTC and take either the monorail or ferry boat to the park. If you are taking Disney transport from your resort (and it's not one of the ones on the monorail loop) then you take a bus that drops you at the park entrance.

 

[Hopefully]

<--------- not a fan of double strollers... they take up tons of room, especially on a crowded bus and crowded amusement parks.....we always traveled with a light, butterfly stroller for our daughters and eventually stopped bringing one at all... we rented one at the parks only if needed.....

that said, you have to do what you have to do to keep your kids comfy.... as long as you are prepared when the bus comes up and can fold your stroller in a timely manner, then no dirty looks from me.....

I agree
But please be ready to board when the bus arrives, stroller folded and ready to go.

 

[Mom2Ben02]

OK, I guess it will be ok to bring. My husband will be THRILLED with this news. He love strollers and chaos.

 

[TJA]

OK, I guess it will be ok to bring. My husband will be THRILLED with this news. He love strollers and chaos.

LOL, it will be okay. Most of us have been through it so we understand. I always grabbed the kids and went to find some seats while DH stood up front or anywhere out of the way with the stroller.

 

[sharadoc]

Please just be considerate of others. I have had encounters with stroller users who were very arrogant and had a "right of way" mentality. One particularly horrid night after MVMCP, a dad with a stroller outright refused to take his sleeping daughter out and rolled the stroller onto the bus, took up all the room by the back door and discussed loudly how he wouldn't move her or fold up the stroller. It was after 1 am and I guess the bus driver didn't notice or care at that point.

That stroller took up good standing space and I was left stranded with nothing but the overhead bar. At that point, I HATED strollers and his arrogance.

I understand the need for them, but just please try to be considerate of the rest of us. Don't sit in the first seat with the stroller folded in front of you taking up the aisle. Move as far to the rear as you can, tucking it in near the back door is the best.

Those sit and stands are just as bad, by the way. I swear they are the same size folded as open!

 

[goofy4tink]

Don't stand there, at the bus stop, with your kids in the stroller, waiting for the bus to come, then approach the bus door and start to remove the kids and fold up the stroller. That will ensure that you get not only dirty looks but some not so nice comments as well. Be all ready to just hop on the bus. The driver 'may' allow your dh to board through the back door with the stroller, but don't expect to be able to board with him. That back door is basically for exit only, but sometimes drivers make exceptions for larger strollers to board.
Have the kids out of the stroller and the stroller folded up, ready to go before the bus comes into view.
When you get on the bus, head to the rear of the bus, if at all possible, and take a spot with the folded up stroller, near that rear exit door...much more room there. DH will most likely have to stand with the folder up stroller and you should be able to find seating close by. If the bus is empty or close to that (many seats available) your dh could sit down, with the folded stroller next to him on the floor. Do NOT try to put the stroller on a seat. Do NOT just stop at the front of the bus with the stroller...people need to be able to get past you!

I have seen guests try to board the bus with children still in the stroller. When the driver told them the stroller must be folded up, their response was 'but my baby is asleep!!' Too bad, take the baby out and fold it up. I've seen guests in line for the bus, with their child still in the stroller, and the stroller full of bags from the shops. Then the bus comes along, the family moves with the line, and it's only when they get to the bus door that they take the child out, and start removing the many bags, and then fold up the stroller. Can you imagine how annoying it is to be behind that family??!

IF you are considerate of others you won't get those nasty looks. Those looks happen when parents want the world to revolve around their needs..and other guests to move aside for them, or to wait for them to board the bus in their own sweet time.

 

[Oglet]

We used strollers for our kids when they were young and with that said my biggest pet peeve now that I work at Disney is people who somehow believe that their empty stroller gives them the right to block and stop wherever they want on the monorail platform.

I've had people just stop right in front of me and when asked to keep moving down they just turn around and say "No", sometimes you will get a "I need room for my stroller" or "where else are we going to go comment"

Wheeling empty strollers onto the monorail during a quiet period isn't a problem, I don't even have a problem with a sleeping child in the stroller during extremely busy times being wheeled on, what I really really dislike more than anything is someone who thinks their empty double stroller gives them the right to make people wait for the next monorail because they haven't got the consideration to fold the thing up.

I personally would like to see all strollers that are not occupied have to be folded up on the monorail.

Okay time to step down off my soap box and hand the topic back over

 

[maxiesmom]

Bring whatever stroller works best for your family. But keep in mind that there will probably be times where someone has to to try and hold the stroller while standing on the bus. As others have pointed out, you cannot keep anything in your stroller. It has to be folded whenever it is on the bus.

And do not try to board the bus thru the back doors. You are not supposed to, and it is every easy to get squished by the doors because the driver closes them because they couldn't see you.

Also, as far as the stand wherever there is room thing goes, once you board the bus you need to move as far back as you can on the bus. This goes for everyone. You don't get on and then stand right by the door. Move all the way back so that other people can get on without tripping on you.

 

[ccgirl]

Don't stand there, at the bus stop, with your kids in the stroller, waiting for the bus to come, then approach the bus door and start to remove the kids and fold up the stroller. That will ensure that you get not only dirty looks but some not so nice comments as well. Be all ready to just hop on the bus. The driver 'may' allow your dh to board through the back door with the stroller, but don't expect to be able to board with him. That back door is basically for exit only, but sometimes drivers make exceptions for larger strollers to board.
Have the kids out of the stroller and the stroller folded up, ready to go before the bus comes into view.
When you get on the bus, head to the rear of the bus, if at all possible, and take a spot with the folded up stroller, near that rear exit door...much more room there. DH will most likely have to stand with the folder up stroller and you should be able to find seating close by. If the bus is empty or close to that (many seats available) your dh could sit down, with the folded stroller next to him on the floor. Do NOT try to put the stroller on a seat. Do NOT just stop at the front of the bus with the stroller...people need to be able to get past you!

I have seen guests try to board the bus with children still in the stroller. When the driver told them the stroller must be folded up, their response was 'but my baby is asleep!!' Too bad, take the baby out and fold it up. I've seen guests in line for the bus, with their child still in the stroller, and the stroller full of bags from the shops. Then the bus comes along, the family moves with the line, and it's only when they get to the bus door that they take the child out, and start removing the many bags, and then fold up the stroller. Can you imagine how annoying it is to be behind that family??!

IF you are considerate of others you won't get those nasty looks. Those looks happen when parents want the world to revolve around their needs..and other guests to move aside for them, or to wait for them to board the bus in their own sweet time.

Very well put. You summed it up perfectly. As others have mentioned, they need to be folded on the bus. The rest of the transportation methods (monorail,boat) they do not need to be folded.

 

[culli]

I must be lucky I find that people are very helpful and considerate when they see me with our double stroller. It is a city elite (awesome stroller BTW) and can be a tank on the bus - but better than most and folds very quickly. However, I'm always ready to go take up as little room as possible say excuse me, sorry, thank you etc. People go out of their way to help us and smirk very kindly "Yeah we remember those days!". I will usually just ask the bus driver if he minds opening the back so I don't have to plow through people.

A double stroller is awesome and we bring it all over disney - tired crabby kids = tired crabby parents. I do try to avoid the busses at all costs, we try to stay at EPCOT resorts so we walk to 2 parks and even go through EPCOT to take monorail to MK - yes I hate the busses that much!

 

[SueM in MN]

Bring whatever stroller works best for your family. But keep in mind that there will probably be times where someone has to to try and hold the stroller while standing on the bus. As others have pointed out, you cannot keep anything in your stroller. It has to be folded whenever it is on the bus.

And do not try to board the bus thru the back doors. You are not supposed to, and it is every easy to get squished by the doors because the driver closes them because they couldn't see you.

Also, as far as the stand wherever there is room thing goes, once you board the bus you need to move as far back as you can on the bus. This goes for everyone. You don't get on and then stand right by the door. Move all the way back so that other people can get on without tripping on you.

Yes, it's very dangerous to board at the back unless the driver knows you are doing it and says it is OK. We saw a little girl get squished by the doors once. The door was still open from loading DD's wheelchair and the driver had gone up to the front to close the door. Before he got it closed, someone came along to the back door with a stroller and a small girl. We told him not to get on because the driver had gone up to the front and it would be closing any second. They guy made a comment on the lines of "Who do you think you are? You don't have a right to tell me what I can do" and started boarding.
My DH ran to the front to alert the driver, but it was too late and the door shut on the little girl.

 

[livndisney]

We used strollers for our kids when they were young and with that said my biggest pet peeve now that I work at Disney is people who somehow believe that their empty stroller gives them the right to block and stop wherever they want on the monorail platform.

I've had people just stop right in front of me and when asked to keep moving down they just turn around and say "No", sometimes you will get a "I need room for my stroller" or "where else are we going to go comment"

Wheeling empty strollers onto the monorail during a quiet period isn't a problem, I don't even have a problem with a sleeping child in the stroller during extremely busy times being wheeled on, what I really really dislike more than anything is someone who thinks their empty double stroller gives them the right to make people wait for the next monorail because they haven't got the consideration to fold the thing up.I personally would like to see all strollers that are not occupied have to be folded up on the monorail.

Okay time to step down off my soap box and hand the topic back over

( I NEVER use the smilie-but your post deserves it!)