Strollers and belongings at the parks

[disneywatcher]

We kept our diaper bag and purchased items in our stroller basket. Things like our KTTW card, park tickets (military tickets and cant be combined with the KTTW cards) ID cards and credit cards were kept in a little waterproof bag that attatched to our Lanyards.

 

[maxiesmom]

soo...if we forgo a diaper bag and do backpack...you are allowed to take them on the rides??? what about a ride like space mountain??? Although, I won't be riding it w/my girls...DH might w/his brother and nephew..so i'm sure he would just leave the backpack with me....

You can take a backpack onto most, if not all, rides. Usually it can go by your feet, and if you just loop it around one leg you won't loose it.

If you are nervous about your friend's stroller being stolen, you can always get a stroller lock. Also, don't leave anything you can't afford to replace in the stroller. I once had my camera stolen that I stupidly left in a stroller. There are even bad people at WDW, and while the odds are you won't encounter one of them, you might be unlucky like I was.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Have you forgotten about parking at the MK?

When you factor in the Monorail or ferry ride, it could take 45 minutes to an hour to go to the car and back.

I never said anything about timing. What I said was there is not all that much more actual walking involved; meaning a good part of the walking is the walking from the attraction to the front gate.

Add to that, the need to fold the stroller when you get onthe tram (and potentially unfold it when you get off. Usually, you can push the stroller directly onto the monorail with child inside. At park closing, sometimes you can fit more compactly if you fold the stroller.
Once you are at the gate, it is not all that far to the monorail station, there's is a little distnce when you go down the monorail ramp to the tram station, but once you are onthe tram, the distance is only how far down the row your car is. All together, if you are carrying a sleeping six year old, then it is quite a bit. But fomr the perspective of coaxing her, it's three relatively short walks.

And that's only MK. At the other parks, the distance is quite a bit less from the front gate to where you board the tram.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

If your friedn lives in Orlando, then likely it's a great stroller. I disagree theat two strollers are better than a lightweight double. You need two adults to push two strollers. Only one to push a double stroller. If you aren't pushing it around gift shops, most of the main sidewilks in WDW are fine.

Yes you can bring a backpack on rides. We try to go as light as possible to WDW. I think the payoff is good. Also, each time you enter a park, you need to go through a bag search. If you don't have a bag, you can skip it. If you only use the stroller for bottled water, jackets and little else - then you would not need to do the bag search -say. Alternately, if you use a bag, and are considering how to organize it, etc. At bag search , youwill need to open every pouch. A quick solution we use, if we can't avoid a bag - is to use one or two clear ziploc bags. You just hold them up and walk past (While everyone is wearing jackets.) after security, you can put the jackets inthe stroller while you are waiitng to go through the turnstiles. Typically the only items we have in a 'bag' are - as I said - bottled water and jackets. You could eaily use the same strategy with diapers and wipes.

 

[imthatgirl]

Ok, here's my two cents. Do NOT take a double stroller to Disney. You will hate it and people will hate you. They are heavy. They are bulky. They are very hard to steer and you will not easily be able to take it in and out of store and walk-through attractions (I'm thinking Epcot World Showcase, for instance). I had a double stroller once and used it once before selling it because it was soooo hard to use. I know you said you will have a car, but it might be relevant to someone else reading that larger, heavier strollers are extremely hard to manage while folded up on a Disney bus.

I just wanted to point out that this seemed like an issue with your double stroller. I never had an issue with mine, it came on many a Disney trip and we loved it! It wasn't any heavier then a regular stroller and had a one hand fold feature. It was easy to use and navigated the parks easily. As far as going inside stores....I would never even bring an umbrella stroller into a store anyway.

If anyone "hated me" for the stroller I was using I would suggest they get a life

 

[11Tinkermom]

I didn't ask my friend what kind of stroller it is...but i'm pretty sure its top notch...not that my friend is a snob...but she does like nice things and such. They have annual passes to the parks and she said they never go to one of them w/o this stroller..so it must be ok??? WE will prob bring our one larger umbrella type stroller in the car w/us...we are driving to FL.

Right now the only park we are going to is MK...this may change...its kinda still up in the air. Thanks for the advice on the not leaving anything in the car. Its been soo long since I've been I forgot how far away the parking was from the gate. DH would have been livid with me!!! So thanks for that.

Also, thanks for the tips about bags being searched...I tend to overpack...so i may have to rethink things.....

 

[scarlet_ibis]

I just wanted to point out that this seemed like an issue with your double stroller. I never had an issue with mine, it came on many a Disney trip and we loved it! It wasn't any heavier then a regular stroller and had a one hand fold feature. It was easy to use and navigated the parks easily.

Well, I'm glad you had an easy time with yours. My umbrella strollers weigh less than 7 lbs and I have never seen a double that was lighter than that. My double was a Maclaren and was a heavy, unmanageable beast. I wouldn't take mine around my neighborhood for a walk, much less Disney World! I sold it for $10 just to be rid of the thing.

As far as going inside stores....I would never even bring an umbrella stroller into a store anyway.

I can think of at least half a dozen scenarios where I'd take strollers through stores at Disney. For instance, you can wait out a rain shower while keeping both your child and the stroller dry by ducking into a shop and browsing. I it's crowded on the main thoroughfare, you can get out of the park by going through the stores. If your older child is riding a ride, the younger one is tired, and it's hot outside, you can browse in an air-conditioned store while waiting. We've always found Epcot/World Showcase a great place to explore when a child is sleeping in a stroller, but you can't do that if you won't take the stroller inside the stores/exhibits.

Umbrella strollers fly through stores because they have to be accessible to wheelchairs so the aisles are wide enough. Side-by-side doubles are too wide to get through and back/front doubles and sit-and-stands are so long that they don't corner well enough, making it so much more likely that you're going to clip the corner of a display and knock something over, or not be able to navigate at all inside. They're also much harder to handle because you have the weight of two children in there, instead of just one. (I'm picturing my kids and that could be almost 70 lbs of child for the ages that the OP listed.)

Just some things to think about.

If anyone "hated me" for the stroller I was using I would suggest they get a life

Much like the person complaining about the wheelchair user above, get your ankle clipped by someone who is having problems steering one of those land yachts and you'll hate them quickly enough. Same for the person using the double stroller who cuts people off because they don't turn easily (or the person using it as a battering ram to get through a crowd, which is not to say that you did that)! Or the person taking up an entire bus row with their stroller while you and your kids stand. Or the person who lets their 20 lb behemoth fall over onto you or your kids on a bus ride.

It's just my opinion that, at Disney, those giant strollers are sot often a pain in the rear for the owners and a menace for the other guests. If you don't *need* one, I wouldn't do it.

---

Back to topic, one more thing the OP should check is the weight restrictions on the strollers. I know the last time we took two strollers, I think my oldest was 6 but she was too heavy for our cheaper umbrella stroller. We had to be sure that she went with the Maclaren instead. If the OP is going to borrow the double, she should check the weight limits since 6 is sort of the upper end of what strollers are generally designed to accommodate. Also realize that a borrowed stroller might not be *comfortable* for you to push. Our cheaper stroller is somehow too short or not angled correctly for my (taller than me) DH to push comfortably and it bothered him to push it for any length of time.

I do know people who have used coupons and sought out sales and bought very nice strollers (say, Maclaren Volo) for their Disney trips and then sold them on Craigslist as "1 week of use" for more than they paid for them. True story.

 

[imthatgirl]

Well, I'm glad you had an easy time with yours. My umbrella strollers weigh less than 7 lbs and I have never seen a double that was lighter than that. My double was a Maclaren and was a heavy, unmanageable beast. I wouldn't take mine around my neighborhood for a walk, much less Disney World! I sold it for $10 just to be rid of the thing.

I guess this just goes to show that a putting thought into the things you buy is important. I assume the OP would do that.

I can think of at least half a dozen scenarios where I'd take strollers through stores at Disney. For instance, you can wait out a rain shower while keeping both your child and the stroller dry by ducking into a shop and browsing. I it's crowded on the main thoroughfare, you can get out of the park by going through the stores. If your older child is riding a ride, the younger one is tired, and it's hot outside, you can browse in an air-conditioned store while waiting. We've always found Epcot/World Showcase a great place to explore when a child is sleeping in a stroller, but you can't do that if you won't take the stroller inside the stores/exhibits.

I would think that not everyone tours WDW like you do. I should think you should assume the same. Just because you would do something, certainly doesn't mean others will too

Umbrella strollers fly through stores because they have to be accessible to wheelchairs so the aisles are wide enough. Side-by-side doubles are too wide to get through and back/front doubles and sit-and-stands are so long that they don't corner well enough, making it so much more likely that you're going to clip the corner of a display and knock something over, or not be able to navigate at all inside. They're also much harder to handle because you have the weight of two children in there, instead of just one. (I'm picturing my kids and that could be almost 70 lbs of child for the ages that the OP listed.)

Just some things to think about.

Ummm, ok. In your stroller research have you used each and every side by said stroller? Because my Combi didn't have these issues. But in your stroller expertise, you already know that.


Much like the person complaining about the wheelchair user above, get your ankle clipped by someone who is having problems steering one of those land yachts and you'll hate them quickly enough. Same for the person using the double stroller who cuts people off because they don't turn easily (or the person using it as a battering ram to get through a crowd, which is not to say that you did that)! Or the person taking up an entire bus row with their stroller while you and your kids stand. Or the person who lets their 20 lb behemoth fall over onto you or your kids on a bus ride.

It's just my opinion that, at Disney, those giant strollers are sot often a pain in the rear for the owners and a menace for the other guests. If you don't *need* one, I wouldn't do it.

Again, don't assume everyone uses the exact same stroller as you. Step outside your box for minute. I certainly know how to push a stroller. I would bet most moms do.

 

[scarlet_ibis]

No need for you to try to pick a fight.

I was simply giving examples of the usefulness of an umbrella stroller (in a store and otherwise) versus a bulky double stroller -- from my experience both as the former owner of one and my observations made over six trips to Disney as a parent. Still, the number one reason I like having the two strollers was being able to go separate directions. The OP has a 6 year old and a 2 year old and there's a good chance that they will be interested in different rides. When my oldest were 5 and 2, we spent a good chunk of the day going separate directions because my older one was obsessed with the big kid rides in Frontierland that my younger one couldn't ride those, but loved IASW.

The OP isn't considering buying a double stroller. She's considering borrowing one. We don't know what kind of stroller that is. I'm sure the OP knows how to push a stroller, but that doesn't mean that pushing a stroller that she's unfamiliar with and that is much heavier (with the weight of a 6 year old added) and longer or wider than she is used to might not present certain challenges. As an analogy, I certainly know how to push a shopping cart, but when my kids want one of those car carts and all three pile in there, it's hard to push and turn.

I'm not assuming that everyone uses the same exact stroller as I do. I've been clobbered by all manner of strollers at Disney.

 

[11Tinkermom]

ok, ok, no fighting here

OP here....
My 2 girls are the same weight...DD (6) is 35-37 lbs..in the 20% in her age range...while DD (2 1/2) is 34-35 lbs in the 80% in her age range So, they are quite differently built obviously.

My friend's girls are older and weigh more and while she can't remember the weight limit, she assured me they use it all the time and sometimes her 4 yr old would rather walk while the older 2 (6 & 9ish...) would ride and rest. And I highly doubt I will be pushing this stroller, i'd prob break my back, that's what DH is for

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[chartle]

I never said anything about timing. What I said was there is not all that much more actual walking involved; meaning a good part of the walking is the walking from the attraction to the front gate.

Add to that, the need to fold the stroller when you get onthe tram (and potentially unfold it when you get off. Usually, you can push the stroller directly onto the monorail with child inside. At park closing, sometimes you can fit more compactly if you fold the stroller.
Once you are at the gate, it is not all that far to the monorail station, there's is a little distnce when you go down the monorail ramp to the tram station, but once you are onthe tram, the distance is only how far down the row your car is. All together, if you are carrying a sleeping six year old, then it is quite a bit. But fomr the perspective of coaxing her, it's three relatively short walks.

And that's only MK. At the other parks, the distance is quite a bit less from the front gate to where you board the tram.

Sorry if I seemed harsh, I just didn't know whether the OP knew that the parking lot for the MK is so far away.

 

[11Tinkermom]

i infact did NOT realize it was that far away and MK is pretty much all we are planning on right now

 

[chartle]

i infact did NOT realize it was that far away and MK is pretty much all we are planning on right now

Yes if you are driving, the Magic Kingdom's parking lot is across a small lake from the entrance to the MK.

Once parked, you have to make your way to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) by either walking or taking a tram. From there you will then take the monorail train or large ferry boat to get to the entrance.

Good news is that you just roll your stroller onto the train or boat, bad news you will have to fold it for the tram. If you get there early enough, you will be parked up front and can walk to the TTC.

I wouldn't plan on using your car for daily storage.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Sorry if I seemed harsh, I just didn't know whether the OP knew that the parking lot for the MK is so far away.

I didn't think you were harsh. I just figured we were clarifying different points.

I've been to other amusement parks where you do have to walk from wherever you park to the main gate. In that sense, the way one parks a car and enters MK is very unusual. It's good to clarify these things clearly.

 

[chartle]

I didn't think you were harsh. I just figured we were clarifying different points.

I've been to other amusement parks where you do have to walk from wherever you park to the main gate. In that sense, the way one parks a car and enters MK is very unusual. It's good to clarify these things clearly.

Our local amusement park, Kennywood, has a very unique way of getting people from their outlying parking lot, a ski lift.

A lot of stuff in Pittsburgh is either built into the side of a hill or on top of a hill.

The park itself is on a bluff over looking the Mon river. The main parking and entrance gates are across the street and you walk under the road through a tunnel to get to the park. Well the overflow parking is on a higher bluff above the park.

There are three ways to get down. You can take a shuttle or walk and take an escalator. Or Kenny's Parkway which is a standard 4 across ski lift. Try taking a stroller on that.

 

[khgreen]

Two umbrella strollers are very easy to manage. If one child wants to walk we would partially fold a stroller and push it or throw all our bags in it and push it. Our maclaren volo had a nice shoulder strap for carrying. It's also nice to be able to split up for bathroom breaks etc.

I always bring two bags-one small bag for valuables that I bring on all the rides and another larger bag for things like snacks, wipes, change of clothes (kid stuff). I leave that bag with the stroller. Actually I have a see through mesh backpack that hangs off one stroller and a stroller organizer with a drink holder that hangs off the other stroller.

I agree about parking the stroller in each "land" and walking around between rides. I wouldn't think you could take your stroller in line-especially the indoor lines. They have stroller parking areas outside of each ride-I know you mentioned letting your youngest sit in the stroller in line-maybe someone will correct me but I don't think this would work because you usually exit in a
different area than you enter and can't bring the stroller on the ride.

 

[Suellen]

This. I joke that I had another one just to get the stroller back. The first time I went to the mall after my DD outgrew the stroller I was like "What am I supposed to do with my jacket and bags?"

Last trip I made DD carry her school back pack. I mean if she didn't outgrow the stroller we would have a place to put it ... so why shouldn't SHE be the one to carry it??

Okay.... totally joking! I did NOT make her carry it the whole time ~ but she did take her turn. It wasn't bad at ALL and to be honest it was 1000000 times better than lugging a stroller!! The girls having to take turns carrying the backpack also helped limit the stuff they wanted to drag along with them too.


To OP ~ it will be a cold, cold day in Disney before I am pushing my 6 year old around in a stroller. Just saying.... if she starts complaining that she can't walk we'll be heading straight back to the hotel. Not judging you AT ALL! I don't care if someone is pushing their 40 year husband around in a stroller.. just saying ~ I am NOT going to be doing it!

 

[TandLMommy28]

We always just parked our stroller in the stroller parking in a land or area and walked that area, then put the kids back in the stroller to walk to the next place. For example, from the stroller parking at Tommorrow Land, it was a short walk to Buzz, Monster's Inc, etc. Then they'd sit in the stroller and rest while we walked to another spot. It worked out nicely. My kids were old enough to do a good chunk of walking but not old enough to be expected to walk the entire day (heck, I could barely walk the entire day, my feet ached by bed time!). This worked out as a good compromise for us.

But you may want to reconsider having two umbrella strollers. Yes, they fold up nice and small but they also seem to tip over faster and don't roll as well. Plus both adults will have to be pushing a stroller all the time. I agree with those who have said do a traditional double or a sit and stand. Sit and Stands tend to have a good amount of storage space, I think.