Strollers and Disney

[Tinkerbellandfamily]

I've been reading alot of stroller questions so I thought I'd just throw this out there. There are some good and bad that go with deciding on bringing your own stroller or renting. First off, my son is 5 and he loves to have the choice of sitting if he needs to so having a stroller is always mandatory. I choose to bring my own because I'd rather save money that would otherwise be spent renting one. At the airport I walk the stroller down to the point right before I get on the plane, and it's taken and put on the plane and when we land in Orlando, my stroller is brought up and we can continue on our way.
There are some things to consider when you are planning on using the bus in WDW. Some of the buses have narrow aisles and having a big stroller makes it difficult for you and everyone else. If you can get to the back of those buses you will have more room for the stroller. I do not bring a big stroller but in order to keep the aisle clear for people to walk by I had to set it on some seats across from me. I was scolded by an old woman as she got off the bus for that, even though there was no good answer as to where the stroller should be put. Even if I had put the stroller on the seat instead of sitting on the seat myself, I still would have been standing in the aisle, in the way of other people. It seems like the newer buses have alot more space so if you are lucky to get one of those, it's great!

I've also been reading about strollers being stolen. I have never had this personally happen to me so I can't really comment too much on it, although I think it's ridiculous that someone would do that. I do get frustrated when I come out of a ride and find my stroller has been moved far away, especially at night in areas that aren't as well lit. I would say that before you assume the stroller is stolen, take a few moments to really look around, even if you don't think the stroller would have been moved that far. If you see a cast member moving strollers and you still haven't found yours, ask them for help. If they moved strollers to a different area, they can atleast point you in that direction.

If you have an older child and a younger child and you are considering renting a double just in case, my advice is just rent it. I have been to Disney with a 13 year old that sat in the double just to relax for a few. Yes, he's active all the time and has no health problems, but sometimes kids just need to have a few moments and if it keeps everyone happy, then go for it. And when the younger child decides to take a nap, there will be more room for them to stretch out.

One more advantage to having my own stroller is that when I was last in Disney, my son fell asleep early one night(about 6.) My family and I were having dinner at Mama Melrose and I did not want to wake him. I told the hostess that I would need to take the stroller in with me and asked if they could sit us somewhere that would allow for the stroller to not be in the way. Because the stroller was not as big as the Disney one, I was able to park it out of the way and my son was able to get a much needed rest.

 

[ilandrazdsw]

We used our sit N stand for our DS5 and DD3. It worked out GREAT! Even with Christmas crowds we never had a problem on the busses. No one ever said a word...except for talk among parents about trying to find a better method of storing strollers. Only once we declined a rather full bus because it would have been just plain unsafe to ride with the stroller. The stroller was narrow as a single which made it easier to navigate crowded sidewalks in the parks and stores.
If you do not have a stroller for when needed for 2 children I suggest renting from an outside sourse (orlandostrollerrentals.com). Yes, you would have to "lug" it on the bus, but that walk to the busses can be very long if you have to carry a 5 year old...and some resort rooms are a long walk from the busses.

 

[miprender]

Part of the reason we are renting a car is we had HORRIBLE experiences on our last trip with our two strollers. The buses and drivers for the most part were very inconsiderate and unaccomodationg for people with strollers

 

[DRS_Are_Best]

We were told that if there was any doubt, make sure you have access to a stroller. Since we're going to be at the parks for 7 days and would need a single AND a double stroller, we figured we'd just bring along some of ours. And, if kids don't want to sit in them, we have another place to hold things (i.e. diaper bags, snacks that we can't finish, etc.).

We just can't wait until our trip.....

 

[daleswife]

WE take our double jogger. WE dont fly down so I dont have that problem. But as far as the drivers go, I was told last year if you had a large stroller (mine qualified easily), that you could enter from the back of the bus. I had only one problem with doin this last year. I was behind a man in a wheel chair and I had to wait (which is fine, (I do believe in extending courtesy to people in wheelchairs). After they loaded the wheelchair I commenced to getting on the bus with my stroller and the bus driver said..."you have to take that to the front of the bus" I politely told her that a CM told me that I could load my large stroller from the back of the bus and that if there was a problem to call the bus terminal and speak to a manager and they would take care of the problem. She did radio the control room and ask them if it were true and they dispatcher told her it was in fact true if the person had a large stroller, that it would make it easier for that guest to enter the bus and easier for the other passengers to load if the stroller were already on the bus.

I always loaded the stroller and my DH took my DS21months and DD5 to the front to load with everyone else. So I was the only one getting on the bus at that time.

I will be taking my double back with me this september because to me renting a double at disney for $31 a day is completely out of the question and out of my budget.