Stroller rentals- Good idea or not?

[knjmaran]

We are going to WDW in Oct. We are traveling with our 7 & 4 yr old DSs. I know that they will get tired easily(especially the 4 yr old). I've heard that you can rent double strollers for approx. $18, or for your entire trip as long as you keep your receipt( can park hop and get another stroller).Has anyone done this?? Has there been any problem with getting another stroller?? Is it cheaper just to rent per day or for the whole trip???? Should we bring our own? We really didn't want to check a stroller onto the plane & have to carry it to & from the parks. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is it a good idea to rent or not????????

 

[cancer_survivor_06]

You can park hop and get a stroller just hold on to your receipt it is cheaper if you rent by the week than by the day. I have never rented a stroller from disney, I prefer the convience of being able to walk out of the park w/ my dd's in a stroller especially if they fall asleep. I have this one in a different color and it has been great we have had it since 2004 and I mostly only use it for our trips to disney my dd6 will be 7 on our next trip and she fits in it and it steers great.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/inde...&cp=2255983.2256189.2256203&parentPage=family

ETA~you may want to consider bringing one and renting another if you need it.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I think for a 4 year old and a 7 year old the double rental is a great idea. The rentals are just not that great for smaller kiddos b/c they are the hard plastic. Or, like pp said, you could bring a single for your 4 your old and rent one for the 7 year old if you need to.

 

[CleveRocks]

Don't be confused when people use terms like "weekly rental" or "length-of-stay" rental ... no such things.

If you are going to rent a stroller for more than 1 day during your trip, you can do a "multi-day rental." By paying for this in advance, you get a $2 oer day discount. It can be for as many days as you want. The stroller CMs don't know how long you're staying and they don't care.

You will receive as many daily stroller rental passes as you pay for. Each pass is good for an entire day, no matter how many parks you visit that day or how many times you enter and leave the same park.

During very busy times it's possible they can run out of rental strollers, but that's pretty rare.

Renting is more expensive than bringing your own, but I love the idea of not having to mess with taking strollers on crowded buses.

If you have any more specific stroller rental questions, please ask!!!

 

[septbaby]

Friends were in Disney with DDs 3&8, rented a double and needed it. I just saw photos and both girls were comfortable. Their little legs get tired, they get cranky and you get irritated, no Magic in that. Spend the money and keep the Magic alive. Also the hidden gem, you get to "control" their movements, hmm think of the things they won't get into!

We will be getting single, multi day rental for my 5yrold nephew.

 

[LoveThatDarnMouse]

Love the strollers, they are so easy to push and hold all my crap plus my kids! However, having to leave them in the park and get the sleeping child to the monorail or bus really sucks! We have taken a smaller "umbrella" type stroller and kept it sort of on top of the rented stroller to put them in on the way out. Saves our backs from breaking when they are asleep leaving the parks. Down side, stroller rentals, IMHO, are expensive, but I don't think you can put a price on the comfort of a sleepy little angel in a stroller.

 

[tinkandpan]

We bring strollers when travelling with little ones who might fall asleep in the parks- but when it is just the older one (5) we rent them. He gets tired and cranky from walking all over (i know there are people who flame about putting a 5 year old in a stroller) but at the end of the day when leaving and such it is so much easier than telling him come on come on. They are large enough for the big kids as well and easy to push. Like somoene said- you can buy the days at one time and save 2 dollars per day- but there is no LOS price.

 

[knjmaran]

Thanks all!!!! I think that you all were very informative. I will probably just rent the strollers, because I don't want to check them.

 

[DisneyGrandParents]

You can get a much nicer stroller for less $$ by renting from A Baby's Best Friend (www.abbf.com).

We have done this numerous times on past trips (not just strollers), after first learning about them from happy Dis-ers on these boards. ABBF is a top-notch outfit, delivering to your hotel before you get there to the luggage room. As for strollers, we found it much more convenient to have it with us all the time, not just in the park. We used it everywhere, like going to the mall one day and walking around the resort, etc.

Everything we have had from ABBF has been clean, well-maintained, a better value than the park rentals, and available at our arrival. Highly recommended!

 

[WhoLetTheMouseOut]

You can get a much nicer stroller for less $$ by renting from A Baby's Best Friend (www.abbf.com).

I couldn't agree more. After reading all the rave reviews on these boards we have been using ABBF for every trip. They have the nicest items and it's so convenient. One less hassle on the trips and everyone is happy. Great things at a great price! Two thumbs way way up!

 

[toesmom]

We are going to WDW in Oct. We are traveling with our 7 & 4 yr old DSs. I know that they will get tired easily(especially the 4 yr old). I've heard that you can rent double strollers for approx. $18, or for your entire trip as long as you keep your receipt( can park hop and get another stroller).Has anyone done this?? Has there been any problem with getting another stroller?? Is it cheaper just to rent per day or for the whole trip???? Should we bring our own? We really didn't want to check a stroller onto the plane & have to carry it to & from the parks. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is it a good idea to rent or not????????

I always find good deals on Maclaren double strollers through craigslist.org

Try that, you can find one for about $100, which is just about the cost of renting. Get back and relist it and get your money back.

Maclaren double strollers folds super small, very light and most carry up to 55 lbs per seat.

Worth a try at least.

 

[Grumpy24]

Another ABBF fan here. Much better than the park strollers, plus no waiting in lines or switching styles at different parks. Very clean and convenient to have 24/7 also.

 

[queenof3]

I was also wondering, will they give you your money back if you don't use every day of the rental that you originally purchase? I am just thinking that I don't know if we'll end up using one every day but will probably purchase the multi day anyway.

Also, is there a separate place to go each morning to pick up the stroller without having to wait in line? I thought I heard that it is quicker to get or a separate place to get them.

TIA

 

[CleveRocks]

I was also wondering, will they give you your money back if you don't use every day of the rental that you originally purchase? I am just thinking that I don't know if we'll end up using one every day but will probably purchase the multi day anyway.

Also, is there a separate place to go each morning to pick up the stroller without having to wait in line? I thought I heard that it is quicker to get or a separate place to get them.

TIA

As long as you have your cash register receipt, you can get a full and immediate refund for any unused rental passes you have. When you actually pick-up a rental stroller, the CM in the pick-up line will stamp one rental pass with that day's date. That pass is good all day, and you can use it again and again if you come and go to and from that park or any of the other 3 parks. If you want to get a refund, the CMs know if a rental pass has been used or not simply by eye-balling it to see if it has a date stamp or not. If it hasn't been stamped, then it hasn't been used.

The stroller rental places have 2 lines, in 2 separate areas (they aren't shoulder-to-shoulder next to each other), what I call the pay line and the pick-up line. The pay line is for people renting by the individual day, and for people who are paying for a multi-day rental. The pick-up line is where everyone goes with their rental pass. If you previously did the multi-day rental, then you already have all your rental passes, thus you go directly to the pick-up line and totally avoid the pay line.

And when I say pick-up "line" ... I've never waited in a line, because even when it's crowded they just whip those strollers out. Most often there will be at least 2 CMs in the pick-up area, one checking and/or stamping the rental passes and the other(s) putting those strollers in the hands of the people.

 

[queenof3]

thank you so much! boy I have learned so many great tips!