Stroller Rent or bring double?

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

I thought I had this decided until DH said that he wasn't too fond of folding our monstrous graco double stroller.

Here's the dilemna... We are flying from O'hare with a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old. I think it would be nice to have our stroller and gate check it.
We are staying at ASMo so we would have to fold up our stroller everytime we travel to the parks.
We planning on hotel hopping to look around so the rented ones couldn't help us there.

Our options are:
A) Take big double (and listen to the complaining from Dad)
B) Take nothing (and listen to the complaining from kids)
C)Rent stroller from parks (and listen to my wallet complain as well as the kids in the airport and at hotels)
D) Take our single graco or our shade-less umbrella

I read something when I did a stroller search about free strollers for AAA or Disney Visa. Is that true or is it just for Disneyland.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Ariel8676]

I would personally bring my own stroller. Would you maybe consider buying a new double..maybe one that is lighter or less bulky?
While it is a pain folding strollers to get off and on the bus, it is a bigger pain when your children are very tired and you have to return a rented stroller and CARRY the kids from the gate to the bus and then to the room. Also the strollers you rent are not very comfy, they are very hard and obviously the children could not lay back and take a nap..MGM has mesh type jogging strollers, but still not very comfy ( coming from my 4 yo..lol) Also you are definitely going to want some sort of sun protection, i don't think a shade-less stroller is a good idea...Good Luck!! By the way we have a Maclaren twin traveller..its awesome!!

 

[4lilpoohs]

I brought my Graco side by side for my two year old and five year old. I managed doing it all by myself.

 

[my3kidsmom]

Well, I will say it is definitely going to be a pain getting that stroller onto and off the bus, but I think you will be glad you have it in every other circumstance. We just got home from our Disney trip with our 6, 3 and 1 yr old. We took a single umbrella stroller and a double umbrella stroller. We grumbled everytime we had to get on or off a bus....especially dh who ended up having to carry BOTH of them since I had to carry the youngest. But, one day we went back to MK for a dinner reservation and didn't take the double stroller since we would only be in the park for a couple of hours for dinner. BIG mistake! The kids were hot and tired as soon as we got off the bus and started complaining. We ended up having to rotate 3 kids in and out of the ONE umbrella stroller just for the walk to and from the bus to the park entrance. And, my arms got SOOO tired. It's a lot longer walk to the bus stops than you realize....especially when you are carrying a little one.

My only suggestion would be to maybe get a double umbrella stroller instead. I bought the Jeep side by side and it really worked out perfectly. I think it was only about 80.00. In fact, I had originally planned to rent a double while at the parks. Then I saw the jeep double stroller and decided it would cost less to just buy a stroller and I'd still have it in the future. We have a Graco DuoGlider, but I just can't imagine carrying that monster everywhere! Dh just shakes his head and laughs at our collection of strollers now.

Bridget

 

[Jennyvelaz]

My only suggestion would be to maybe get a double umbrella stroller instead. Bridget

second that vote!
and....
Bring! Bring! Bring!

 

[Minnie824]

Ok...we went last Nov with our 4 yo and 19mo. We had the side by side double stroller. Was light, easy to fold, but still a pain on the bus for DH. This year we're going, kids will be 5 yo and 2.5 yo. We're bringing a single stroller. Here's why....my little DD didn't want to ride. Her little legs walked everywhere! I don't know how she wasn't worn out. And when she didnt ride, the older DD didn't or there was only 1 in. There was very rarely a time when both of them were actually sitting in the stroller. I want to bring our single stroller this time, because I want to have something, where at least one could ride (older one?) and if need be, we could carry the smaller one. Plus, somewhere to store the backpack, and shopping bags at downtown disney. I say, bring a single stroller, if they both really need to ride and its not working out, then rent a stroller at the parks. Good luck!

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

Thanks for the input! I really like having somewhere to store all our stuff. DS will still be in diapers. Our double is great for holding things and the kids are comfortable in it. I asked my DD what we should do and she said "I'm gonna walk!" So I said that we should bring the single to which she replied "No, you better take the big one cause my little legs sometimes get tired!"

So I guess I should show this to DH and see which one is more annoying... lugging ours around or buying a new one/ renting one?

 

[2sweetangels]

we are beinging our duo glider double stroller with us, my mom said that the strollers there are hard plastic and you can't recline the seats so I decided to bring my own that have cusion seats and I can recline the back if they fall asleep, it is big but I rather my DD's feel more comfortable in thier stroller then a stroller that is all hard plastic

 

[mom2bellaandlivi]

I had the same question. I think that we are just going to take our own. The youngest will need to nap before we go back to the hotel.

 

[Mom2T&G]

I just bought a Kolcraft double umbrella stroller at babyage.com for $65 (including shipping). We are going next week with our 3.5yo and 21mo boys

 

[momofbgtwins]

We're (DH and I) having the same dilemma. Our twins will be 4 the next time we go to WDW. They've outgrown, weightwise, our Kolcraft double. We don't have a need for another stroller at home, but we will need one for the parks, and the airport. My kids are big dawdlers! I like the stroller for getting from point A to point B quickly without having to carry them. Because we need the stroller in the airport, renting at the parks isn't the solution for us. But I HATE having to spend the $$$ on a Maclaren because it's the only stroller with the weight range we need. We aren't going until September so we have time to mull it all over. (We're staying offsite, so we won't have the hassle of trying to get a stroller on Disney transportation)

 

[my3kidsmom]

momofbgtwins, my kids are/were over the weight limit for our Jeep double umbrella stroller, too. But, it really didn't affect their ability to ride in it. My oldest dd's head was above the headrest, but she just scooched down. If you are near a Babies R Us, maybe you could go test one out?

Bridget

 

[MissSixty]

Bring your own and gate check it at the airport. Best thing I ever did was bring my own. It would have been a nightmare without it. Trust me on that one.

 

[mama4]

I stressed over this a lot. Kind of takes away from the fun of planning the trip. 1st trip (w/ kids) they were almost 3 and 15 mths. We took our Graco side by side. It was great for the parks and getting to busses but a nightmare for dh to get on/off the busses. Also, if you are in the parks late, the stroller tied my husband up so he wasn't able to help me carry sleeping kids onto the busses (we were ok -I have a 14 yo son who was a huge help).
2nd trip (this past April) kids were almost 4 and 2. We took our single graco (old stroller from when 4yo was a baby) and they took turns for a while but, as planned, we ended up renting a single one day at MK. 4 yo walked a lot because he wanted to and 2 yo even walked more than I expected when Daddy was available to keep up with him (I was 7 1/2 mths pregnant and a little too slow) Anyway, this arrangement worked out well for the ages my kids were on this last trip. I would not have considered buying an expensive new stroller. Maybe an inexpensive double umbrella at most but with the options you are considering, I would probably calculate the cost of renting and compare to cost of buying a single umbrella with a sunshade and maybe try to find a carrying strap for it and bring your single Graco. With a strap you might be able to hang the umbrella on the handle of the Graco when the older child isn't in it. And I do believe the two would be easier to handle on the busses than the monster double. Also, I believe you can do a length of stay rental if you decide to rent one. I think it saves you a few bucks. Good luck and have fun!!

 

[momofbgtwins]

my3kidsmom - the Jeep double is made by Kolcraft, and has the same weight restrictions (35 lbs) as the Kolcraft we currently have, so I assumed we'd have the same problems. My DH has trouble pushing the Kolcraft with both kids in it, and it's almost impossible for me if there is even a slight incline. My DS is 39 lbs, and my DS is 37 lbs. But thank you for the suggestion!

 

[princesserinsmom]

We are having the same problem. The double stroller is heavy and a pain to fold and carry on and off the bus or tram. So we are bringing the single stroller for my 13 month old son and an umbrella stroller for my 4 year old daughter. She likes to walk but we will be staying out later than she is used to and imagine she will get tired. So we will bring both of them and each have a kid to push.We are leaving in a week so i hope this works