Stroller Question

[disney0928]

We'll be travelling w/ our 2 DS's in June, ages 6 & 3. DS3 wears AFO braces and gets tired from walking VERY easily. He has many minor disabilities, and wears down rapidly. DS6 is small for his age & gets tired in the evenings as well. We won't have car, and will have to rely on the busses, which makes bringing a double stroller prohibitive. We are considering renting a double in the parks each day. My only concern is that at day's end, both boys will be too tired/already asleep to walk back to our room at Pop Century.

Do you think the luggage hold area near the hotel check-in might hold 2 umbrella-type folded strollers in their storage area for the day? I was thinking if they would do this, we could then just get the umbrella strollers out of the storage area, and roll the boys off to bed! I don't want to be a nuisance, and I know our double stroller from home would take up WAY too much bus space. So, honestly, what do you think?

Any other suggestions appreciated!

 

[cepmom]

Just wondering if you have 2 umbrella type strollers, why not bring them into the parks instead of renting? That way you would have them to walk to the bus pick up area and you would have them once you got off the bus to walk back to your room. Since they are umbrella type, they should fold up quite easily and compactly. ( also you would save a bundle by not renting a double each day)

 

[disney0928]

Thanks cep mom! It is something we have thought of....

BUT... DS3 is still in diapers, and probably will be for a verrrrry long time. Plus, all the stuff that gets picked up along the way. Add in the camera, etc. We just have too much gear, I guess. I am hoping to eliminate some of the non-essentials (sending packages to front gate, or to hotel, etc). I am just worried that hanging too much stuff off the back of an umbrella stroller will be more likely to cause a tip, and injuries.

Toting 2 sleepy guys, and gear, plus a big bulky stroller would be inconsiderate to others on the bus. But the gear could make the umbrellas unsafe in the parks. I have seen mesh bags on the back of some umbrellas. Are those safe? Would they hold a small diaper bag maybe? Then, we could bring the umbrella types in with us to the parks. Older DS only needs the umbrella at day's end really. He does like to sit in it for parades & fireworks, but not for long periods (thinks it is babyish). Younger DS will have to have some wheels available all day....just not sure which way to go

TIA!

PS: just noticed we're both in MA...very cool...nice to meet ya here!

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks cep mom! It is something we have thought of....

BUT... DS3 is still in diapers, and probably will be for a verrrrry long time. Plus, all the stuff that gets picked up along the way. Add in the camera, etc. We just have too much gear, I guess. I am hoping to eliminate some of the non-essentials (sending packages to front gate, or to hotel, etc). I am just worried that hanging too much stuff off the back of an umbrella stroller will be more likely to cause a tip, and injuries.

Toting 2 sleepy guys, and gear, plus a big bulky stroller would be inconsiderate to others on the bus. But the gear could make the umbrellas unsafe in the parks. I have seen mesh bags on the back of some umbrellas. Are those safe? Would they hold a small diaper bag maybe? Then, we could bring the umbrella types in with us to the parks. Older DS only needs the umbrella at day's end really. He does like to sit in it for parades & fireworks, but not for long periods (thinks it is babyish). Younger DS will have to have some wheels available all day....just not sure which way to go

TIA!

PS: just noticed we're both in MA...very cool...nice to meet ya here!

An umbrella stroller won't tip while the child is in it (the child's weight is a counterweight to the stuff in the bag), but it can tip backwards as the child is getting in or out of the stroller. Since his weight is out, the weight of the bag becomes too heavy for the front of the stroller to stay on the ground. That can happen no matter what type of bag it is because it's the weight that causes the problem. If you could find some sort of bag that distributed the weight closer to the center of the stroller (like underneath it), that would help. Wheelchairs have little outrigger wheels called antitippers that stick out in the back and prevent the wheelchair from tipping over. I don't know if they make anything like that for strollers, but it would be interesting to see if they do.
Also, look at what you are carrying and how else you could carry it. Maybe some stuff could go in fannypacks and then you would have a smaller backpack. I actually have a small bag that I adapted by cutting off some straps and adding others with velcro on them so that I can attach the bad under DD's seat on her wheelchair. It's out of the way and is weight in a stable place.
i would also not use a diaper bag. When our kids were little, we always used backpacks. They are much easier to sling on your shoulder and usually are more stable to keep on a stroller (one of our very best backpacks was actually one meant for bike touring that had adjustable straps to go over a bike's handlebars. It worked perfect on an umbrella stroller or narrow child's wheelchair.

One advantage (as someone else noted) of having the stroller with you is that you won't have to tote sleeping children to the bus stop. But, as you mentioned, you will still have to remove them from the stroller to get on the bus plus carry all your stuff.
You could also bringing one umbrella stroller and rent one stroller at the park. When your older child doesn't want to ride in it, you could use it to cart your stuff (and then wouldn't have to worry about the weight tipping over the umbrella stroller).

 

[ladydancer]

We just stayed @ Pop in Oct. and will be staying again in April. I only remember 1 park having the bus stop for Pop being first. The rest were a very long hike from the stroller depot to the bus stop. We will be bringing our own strollers in April.

 

[disney0928]

I hadn't thought of where the bus stops @ each park, to load for Pop would be. Guess we'll be bringing our own umbrellas, hoping they don't tip. Thanks for the honest responses!

 

[Selket]

We brought our own stroller a couple of years ago to the parks and although not a double it was still a really large, heavy stroller. My younger one has low muscle tone and at the time couldn't stand or walk so we had a GAC to use it as a wheelchair in lines (which fortunately we didn't need to do much with FP and careful planning!). I also have an older son who was 5 at the time. We had no problems bringing the stroller in the bus - there seemed to be some seats across from the rear door that the stroller fit under nicely. We stayed at AKL so it was easy to get an empty bus.

I wonder if having a GAC would allow you some access to the bus with your larger stroller to put it under a seat and store it on the way to the park? We rented a stroller in the parks for our older DS when he got tired and that worked really well.

Hope that makes sense!

 

[SueM in MN]

I wonder if having a GAC would allow you some access to the bus with your larger stroller to put it under a seat and store it on the way to the park? We rented a stroller in the parks for our older DS when he got tired and that worked really well.

Hope that makes sense!

There really isn't any place to store a stroller under the bus seats (especially a big stroller).
The older busses have most of the seats facing the front of the bus. Those are harder buses to hold a stroller in (since the aisles are narrow). The newer buses have most of the seats along the sides of the bus facing the middle. That gives a few less seats, but the aisles are wider, which makes it easier to to load/hold large strollers.

 

[Selket]

Must be the newer busses I remember then Sue - we could easily get our big stroller under those seats across from the back door but I don't know about a double stroller - how large those are when they fold up.

 

[SueM in MN]

The seats across from the back door are some of the only seats that face toward the middle of the bus in the older buses. Those particular seats can be folded up yo accomidate a wheelchair or ecv (actually, each bus can hold up to 2). Because of that, there are some "protrusions" from the bottom of the seat that might catch on a large stroller. They don't stick out really far, but could be a problem with large strollers.
Also, if they need those seats for a wheelchair, the people sitting there will be asked to move.
The newer buses have the same arrangement for those few seats as the old buses did. Most of the other seats on the newer buses also face the center of the bus. I don't know how the seat supports are spaced though or if they come from the side wall of the bus (which would leave a clear space) or if some come from the floor.
Also, the older buses had a flat floor once you got in and the seats at the back of the bus had some that faced the middle. Thise left a large floor space in the center of the bus.
The newer buses are lower to the ground, which makes them easier to step in and out of. But some of the seats are actually above the wheel well, so you need to climb a few steps to get to the rear of the bus seats and it's much tighter there.
I know they have recently gotten some brand new buses that are a little different design. I don't know what the seat arrangement in those are.