Stroller or just get Preferred Location Room

[dreamn_Disney]

My son will be 3.5, 39" tall, and about 37 lbs. when we go to WDW this Aug. He will not be able to use his Combi anymore. I am wondering if I should get a different stroller or just rent one each day and use the preferred room so if I have to carry him at night it won't be such a hike. We are staying at POP and I will be me my ds and my dd who is 15 but will also be tired and of no help carrying a sleeping toddler. I am wondering about the cost of upgrade and stroller rental? It may be cheaper to just get a new stroller. How close are the preferred rooms to the bus stop?

 

[WDWorBUST]

I would definitely get a stroller. You can get a Maclaren Quest on albeebaby.com for $139 (I think) and stroller rental is $8/day (Again I think - I have never rented) The preferred rooms are $10 or $12 more a night and you can luck out and get pretty close or there are some preferred rooms that are still not fun carrying a sleeping toddler. (My DD is currently 3.5, 39", and is weighing in at 33 pounds and it's starting to get to be a real pain to carry her) Also you can luck out and get a fairly close standard room. (But you can also get a standard room that's out in the North 40 I wouldn't go without my own stroller at this point with DD.....maybe next year or the next I might just rent (and I seriously doubt that because as long as she'll fit comfortably we'll take her Mac).....but this September we will still have her stroller for sure. So $20/day additional adds up to breaking even at 7 days. I don't know how long you will be there....but even for 5 days you could turn around and resell a Mac if you don't think you'll need it and come out even or ahead.

 

[jenrein]

3 and a half years old....could go either way. Either you are carrying him or you are lugging a stroller on and off the bus. I did not envy the parents trying to get kid and stroller onto a packed bus I must say. And I guess I must be a pretty strong parent- I carried my 6yr old from the bus to the room almost every night. And trust me we did not have a preferred location room- we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside allllllll the way in the back. Stroller rental was maybe $8 a day or I think we paid $30 for 4 days.

 

[MomofKatie]

We brought along our $10 Wal Mart umbrella stroller when DD was younger. We didn't need anything fancy, and it was super easy to fold up and bring onto buses, trams, boats, etc. DD really appreciated it (and so did I!!) when she was tired and cranky after walking around the parks. Sometimes even the walk to the bus stops at the parks is loooong for a tired little kid.

 

[CastleCreations]

I agree with the others, get a stroller. A good umbrella stroller would be great for this trip. At Pop, some of the preferred are far from the busses. You have to go all the way around the pool, and usually through the lobby to get out by the busses and if you're going to animal kingdom, it's alll the way....at the end (I think...) Your son will be in a much better mood if he's not cranky because of tired legs. If your older child is 15, make her help you. LOL. The bus steps can be a little steep for little legs. Have fun on your trip!!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We brought along our $10 Wal Mart umbrella stroller when DD was younger. We didn't need anything fancy, and it was super easy to fold up and bring onto buses, trams, boats, etc. DD really appreciated it (and so did I!!) when she was tired and cranky after walking around the parks. Sometimes even the walk to the bus stops at the parks is loooong for a tired little kid.

We have done this too. Actually, we pick one up at Walmart or Target once we get to Orlando...normally costs less than $25. I don't bring one from home cause toting any stroller on a plane, IMO, is a big pain in the butt. I don't like renting strollers and then of course you don't have use of them at the resorts. When we are ready to leave Disney, I just find someone to give it to. On occasion we have left it with a CM at the resort front desk and asked them to find a good home for it-never a problem. We spent less than we would have on a rental and we had use of it 24/7. A 5lb stroller is nothing to tote around when it is collapsed...I'd rather that than tote my DN around at 30+ pounds...cause at the end of a day at the parks...I am tired too!

 

[blessedby3]

Yep, I dont think getting on the busses with a stroller (especially an umbrella type) is a pain at all. I would much rather have the stroller and not deal with a whiny child that wants to be carried. You will have your older child and one of you can hold the folded stroller and the other can grab your youngsters hand. They are nice to have at the resorts at the end of a long day in the parks. Many nights we came home from the parks very late and we just plunked our DD in the stroller and rolled it right up to our room. Wish someone could have pushed me.....

 

[CrazyaboutCinderella]

When we went in 2005, my then 14 year old niece, would always volunteer to carry my then 11 month old son to and from and on the buses. She discovered that when she held him, people usually offered her their seat, so she could sit with "her" baby. Also, we were dumb enough to bring a double stroller with us, we also had our 4 yr old nephew with us. That thing got very difficult to haul around.