Stroller or no stroller?

[jenng1983]

I'll be taking my kids, one of whom will be 4 at the time, to DL in February. I'm debating between renting a stroller for my 4 year old (wagons or things like that aren't allowed, from what I hear) in case she gets tired of all the walking. Thing is, I'll want to rent from a company across from DL, not rent daily from the park.

1 - do you think it will be more of a hassle than it's worth to keep track of it, especially a rental one?

2 - if I rent one from DL on an as-needed basis, are they readily available?

3 - would it be better to buy a cheap one when we get there, in case of theft?

 

[corinne76]

Okay I'll bite. The stroller thing...you'll get answers on both sides. Some say no stroller, while others are more "why not?" about them. Basically in answer to your first question, the answer is up to you. How much does your kid walk? Do you think you will really use it? For our family, DS will be 4.5 when we go next and yes, we will bring a lightweight stroller. He likes to sit at times, and it will help hold our stuff. But that's us. some people just feel tied down to a stroller and prefer not to have one with the.

Sorry, I can't help with the other questions as I have no experience. I do think, with seemingly more thefts happening, I'd be afraid to bring a rental in case I lost that. Because of that I'd be more drawn to renting a DLR one.

 

[GatorChris]

My daughter and son rode in one until they were 7 and 5. Of course, that was at WDW where there's a lot more walking. By the time my son was 6, he didn't need one, but we still had one for the baby. I suppose we'll be taking it until she's at least 4, and maybe 5. She likes to walk, but those little legs just won't cut it for 4 or 5 days. Plus, the stroller helps keep control of where she is. Instead of always having to hold her hand, or look around for her, or see if she's straggling behind, I know she's in the stroller. That's peace of mind, and it's worth pushing a stroller around for that.

 

[dec2009mama]

we are bring out stroller for our 5 year old -- he needs it -- too much walking if we are there for 7 - 10 hours a day x 5-7 days at a time!
why rent or buy? bring it with you? unless you don't have one anymore?

 

[jenng1983]

we are bring out stroller for our 5 year old -- he needs it -- too much walking if we are there for 7 - 10 hours a day x 5-7 days at a time!
why rent or buy? bring it with you? unless you don't have one anymore?

I don't have one. I could borrow from a friend, but I've never flown with a stroller, and feel like it would be a hassle.

 

[D1sneyfam1ly]

I say yes to stroller because I would rather have a lightweight stroller to keep track of then have a tired 4 year old who wants to be carried or dragged around Disneyland. My 4 year old is very energetic but a long day in the park is hard on her little feet and it is nice for her to be able to sit down and rest when she needs to. It is up to you though. I have always brought my own so I don't have a lot of experience with renting but I have never had an issue to theft or know anyone who has. (Not that it doesn't happen)

 

[colormegreen]

By the time I took my son for the first time he was 5 and was to old and big for a stroller. However, when we would go to Sea World when he was about 4, we indeed took his stroller and was useful throughout the day. My sister uses one for her daughter and she's 4. She isn't always in it, but when she starts getting fuzzy it helps. We are local, so no hotel breaks, and that helps if she wants to take a nap or simply just take a break. Ultimately, I'd say better safe than sorry and just have one as a precaution.

 

[Imdboss]

I was so happy when we no longer needed a stroller. The last trip we had one was when DS was 3 and that was just a basic umbrella stroller, when he was 4 he walked the whole time. We do 12 hour days with a break in the middle. I think kids can handle a lot more than we think while in disneyland!

 

[agamble]

Last year we took the double stroller and my daughter (who was 4) hardly sat in it at all. We bought D-APs, and went for 2 short trips for holiday fun. Again she pretty much just sat in it walking from the hotel. This year we're bringing the single stroller for our 2 y/o only. I told my daughter she'd have to walk, we're staying across the street. She's almost 5 and can handle it.

Strollers with baskets are nice for carrying junk, and can also be useful in the airport. But if you only have one kid you also have less junk and only one kid's hand to hold. They can be a pain to push through crowds though, and you are only allowed to park them in certain areas, and you have to fold them up for Fantasmic, and maybe WOC. But if your hotel is a far walk, you'll probably want the stroller at least for that. Carrying a sleepy/grumpy child for 15-20 minutes would not be fun. If you're taking ART though, keep in mind they'll make you fold it up. If you don't think you need the basket for carrying things, but you really want the stroller, consider an umbrella stroller as they're light, easy to push, an cheap to pick up.

 

[YukonMommy]

Chiming in.....Yes to the stroller! We find it convenient (for tired legs and carrying stuff). My son was 4 last time we went and he rode in it towards evening and always when leaving the park. We called it our "portable locker" as we stored our hoodies, snacks, drinks and blanket in it. We would park it when we got to a land and went to find it when we were ready to leave. We never had anything stolen out of it. Tie a bright colored ribbon so it is easier to spot in the sea of strollers!!

We always brought ours on the plane and gate checked it, easier to keep everyone and carry ons contained while waiting and getting our luggage.

Have a magical time!

 

[LaurenDis]

We are going in May and renting a Valco double (can be used as a triple) from City Stroller. They (City Stroller) have been amazing working with us to pick the right stroller, and insurance is only $20 for the whole trip (5 days). That way we aren't stressed about it being stolen or something.

We have 4 yo twins and a 5 year old and don't want to deal with them getting tired, etc. Much easier, even if we have to "keep track of one more thing".

 

[Goose&mavie]

Absolutely yes to the stroller. When our LO went she was 3 and hated riding her stroller at home. There, it was such a long walk in total everywhere (7miles we walked that first day) that we rented a stroller from DL park. Bad mistake, we found out too late you couldn't leave the park with it. We realized we would have to make the trek to DLH without the stroller, and that was so hard! LO really rode in the stroller a lot and it was a great help inside the parks.

Next time we went we were planning to rent from city stroller rental, but we actually ended up buying an umbrella stroller recently (uppababy g-luxe) and will take that with us for our next trip in September.

They also sell cheap umbrella strollers outside the rental kiosk for $50 but its really expensive for the type you get.

 

[sillybaer]

I haven't priced for Disney because we're close enough that driving makes more sense but every time I've priced stroller rental I've decided I could buy one for cheaper than renting. I would look for a very basic cheap umbrella stroller. They fold easily enough that you could bring one with you. Or if your travel plans include a non-park check-in day you might be able to take a bus to Target or somewhere and buy one.

 

[VandVsmama]

Another vote for using a stroller. We did a couple of years ago for our then 4 yr old. Rented one from Anaheim City Strollers and they were great. I was able to steer it one handed while my other hand held ODD's hand. They labelled it very clearly with our name. I paid for the insurance and it wasn't that much more. It was waiting for us at our hotel when we checked in and they picked it up from our hotel when we left.

I would totally rent from them again. The stroller meant that I didn't have to carry a very heavy 4 yr old at the end of the day. She just fell asleep in the stroller.

 

[Epek]

My 4.5 yr old still uses our stroller! For 1- he's a runner still. If he sees something he wants to look at or touch, he goes. So we make him ride if we're walking to another land or park hopping. For 2- he almost always crashes out at the end of the night. Neither of us wants to carry him, so stroller it is!

 

[DaveNinja]

buy a cheap umbrella stroller when you get there. they;re easier to drive around than the rentals. I bring a stroller because i cant stand walking at the pace of a tired little kid.

 

[elmoandzoey]

We used a stroller for DS when we were at WDW last. He was 4 1/2 at the time. We bought a cheap one at Walmart or Target the second day on our way to WDW. DS hadn't used a stroller since he was 2 so we didn't bring one b/c we didn't have one but all that walking, standing in line and the pure excitement was too much for him. Of course there were days when he would sit in it for maybe 15 minutes only and others when we would nap in there for 2 hours. When he didn't sit in it we just used it for our backpacks. We also decided to buy and not rent b/c we found it easier to spot ours and not grab someone else's by accident because the rented ones all look alike - even though you get a nametag on it. Buying also came out cheaper than renting. If you rent, I think it'll be more likely someone may accidentally grab yours than someone stealing it.

I don't know how long you'll be at DL but if you are unsure if your little one will need one, go without one on the first day. If she still needs one, get one for the rest of the day at Disney. Then either buy or rent one for the rest of the trip.

 

[Carolynleanne]

Our oldest is almost 4 and I would not do Disney without a stroller. He's a great walker, but Disneyland EXHAUSTS him and he regularly passes out for a nap through out the day for an hour or two. It keeps the meltdowns to a minimum

 

[coaches24]

Since you are thinking of renting one you could just wait and see if your child needs it first. I have never rented a stroller as I am within driving distance and always brought my own but assuming they have plenty of strollers that you could get one at any time I don't see an issue with starting without one and then getting one if you find you need it during the day. For those people who do rent strollers they might be able to chime in on whether the strollers run out or not.

I took DD when she was 4 for one day and she was fine walking around all day without it. That was the first time I didn't use a stroller at DL. I get the appeal from both sides. I loved my stroller the first few trips with DD, but not having one that one trip was really nice as well.

Depends on how well your child walks and what you plan to carry around with you. It can be hard to give up all the things your stroller can carry that would now be a big burden if you have to put it in a backpack. Makes you rethink your "needs" in the parks.. Or it did for me anyway. I didn't need nearly as much without a stroller because I didn't want to carry it all on my back.

 

[agamble]

I bring a stroller because i cant stand walking at the pace of a tired little kid.

LOL! Now you're making me rethink bringing the double stroller. I really don't want to as it's a lot heavier and more difficult to push around. Also, the single stroller is more comfortable for the 2 y/o if he does need to take a nap while at the park. I think we'll just chance it and bring the single. Hope I don't regret it. I guess if the almost 5 y/o is too tired then it must be time to return to the hotel .