Stroller or no stroller

[kevschickee]

We are going to WDW in October for the 1st time with kids. Halee is 3 and Danica will be 2 by the time we go. Well Im not sure if I should bring a stroller or just rent one in the park. So I have a few questions

1- Is it easier in the airport to have a stroller or not have one
2- Is it easy to get a stroller in the parks or do they tend to run out
3- how hard is it to get on and off the busses with the stroller

thanks for looking I am so excited about ot first family trip to disney

 

[AmyBWV99]

Depends what kind of stroller you are taking but you will want one for certain for children that young to get around the resort property and thru airports. In on regard it is a pain to take on and off the plane and getting it searched but so worthwile. Whatever stroller you take will be more comfortable than the retals they are rock hard plastic.

 

[jmann]

We are going to WDW in October for the 1st time with kids. Halee is 3 and Danica will be 2 by the time we go. Well Im not sure if I should bring a stroller or just rent one in the park. So I have a few questions

1- Is it easier in the airport to have a stroller or not have one
2- Is it easy to get a stroller in the parks or do they tend to run out
3- how hard is it to get on and off the busses with the stroller

thanks for looking I am so excited about ot first family trip to disney

We have only one child, 4 the first time we went. The stroller is so handy in the airport. Lots of people have them getting on and off the bus so it really is no big deal. I'm assuming you are bringing a folding stroller. At the end of a long day at the park the last thing you want is to have to carry your sleeping kids back to the room, which can be a good walk depending where your room is and where the bus stop is. The stroller is even handy for stowing any gear you bring into the park.

 

[friskykitten]

One more thing to add, if your child is likely to nap during the day while you are at the themeparks (or both of them as they are 2 & 3) then the WDW strollers will not be a good option. They don't 'recline' and as AmyBWV99 mentioned they are hard as a rock. With children that young I would definately bring a stroller from home. I never had any trouble using the stoller at the airport either. In fact it helped me 'carry' my child as well as a couple of bags.

Disney has run out of stollers on occasion but only during the most crowded times. Still you have to wonder how sanitary they really are......did they really clean up that puke? What about a child in diapers that may have leaked urine and Disney didn't know it so they only did a cursory cleaning? Sorry, I always tend to run toward the morbid.

Getting on and off of buses can be challanging. And tiring. But it is still worth doing as putting your child back into the stoller for the sometimes LONG walk back to your room or food court can be a major blessing.

I have five children and would definately recommend you bring your own stoller from personal experience. Once they turn 4-6 ish the Disney stollers are great. My 10 and 12 year old still complain that they want to ride in a stroller when they get tired from walking at WDW. Too bad mom is mean enough she won't let them!

 

[brymolmom]

At that age I would bring a side by side, easy to collapse and folds flat, stroller. If you don't have one - look at garage sales.

The buses can be a pain - but you'll get used to it after a time or two...dh and I have it down to a science now.

 

[carj]

I actually liked having the stroller at the airport. It was a place for the kids to sit and for us to stash our stuff as we waited. We brought a sit and stand last summer on our trip. We folded it up and sent it through at the security gate. Then we popped it open and moved along to our gate. When we boarded the plane, I folded it down and put it inside a nylon tent cover. It was really an oversized nylon bag. The strollers are gate checked and sit outside once you arrive, raining or not!

Buses-Most of our trip when I was on the bus, I was by myself with a 7 year old and a 4 year old. We had a rental but my husband had it for work for 4 of the days. I was still able to get on and off with our stroller with no problems. Make sure that before you board, you have the stroller ready to fold. Fold and climb aboard! It didn't take up any more room that just our family because I put it under my seat most of the time. I tried to sit where this was possible if I could.

I think that the problem with renting a stroller at the park is that you will not have it at the hotel or in the parking lot. That is a loooong walk with 2 tired kids at the end of the day.

With kids that age, I think that you should bring your own stroller. Have a great trip!

You didn't ask about this but I will say that I really preferred having a rental car. Especially at the end of the day, it was nice to be able to relax in a car. It also eliminated any issue with the stroller and the buses.

 

[teachallday]

You could rent from an Off-Site location like Orlando Stroller Rental:
http://www.orlandostrollerrentals.com/

but, I think you will want a stroller in the Airport with two kids that young, so I recommend you bring one from home.

 

[tanyaandallie]

If you have an easy to travel with double, I'd take it. If you don't and you think you can handle the airport with no stroller, I'd rent from Orlando Stroller Rental. I personally would want something far more comfy than the super hard Disney strollers for my 2 and 3 year old.

 

[mwatson011]

We took my dd2 and dd3 in January, it was not crowded, and we did not have any problems renting a stroller at WDW. Neither of them will normally sit in a stroller if we go to the mall, so we did not take one with us. My little troopers hoofed it through MK the first day, and AK the second day. Our third day was Epcot, and they begged for a stroller when they saw them lined up . So we ended up renting @$31/day for the rest of our stay, enough to purchase a really nice double stroller. I agree the WDW strollers are hard, and no place for a little one to sleep. Mine have never slept in a stroller anyway, so that didn't matter to us.

We are going back to WDW in December, and actually found a stroller swap on disboards that is basically free, you just donate and install a replacement part if needed. You can also rent one, as others have suggested, for a more comfortable seat. Some people buy used ones off craigslist for travel, so your at home stroller doesn't get banged up.

Bottom line, you can push em, or you can carry em.

 

[bartleby1]

For kids that young, I would definitely bring a stroller rather than rent. We only flew one time, when my youngest was 19 months but having the stroller at the airport was wonderful (dragging three kids through an airport while trying to carry all of your stuff is not an easy task). It was so easy to gate check the stroller and then it was there waiting for us when we got off the plane. My little one came down with a stomach bug on the way home and threw up all over me. We were SOOOOO glad to have the stroller waiting when we exitted the plane!

Also, the rates on the rentals were increased to a ridiculous rate of $31/day for a double. That price could really add up depending on how many days you need one.