strollers on the ship?

[janohiomom99]

My family and I are planning our first Disney cruise for this Sept we are planning on the Western Itin.
We have 10 and 13 yr old boys and 3 yr old and 1 yr old daughters. Should we bring our own stroller? And if we do should we bring the big jogging side by side stroller which both my daughters can ride in comfortably? It is as large as a wheelchair in width....it easily passes through doors at the mall and such, but I am concerned about the width of doors on the ship not to mention the trouble it may be to try to get it on and off the ship. Or should I take a small umbrella stoller and let them take turns? I also have a back pack to carry the little one in if the older needs to ride.

Is there room to store my big stroller on the ship, in the cabin?

We are getting two cabins that are adjoined so maybe we will have enough room to get the stroller in one of the cabins.

Has anyone used the strollers on board? Seems silly to not let the strollers off the ship...it sure would be more convienant than trying to bring one from home.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would not bring a side by side stroller or any other double stroller. The elevators are SO small that you have a hard time getting one empty enough to fit you and the stroller in it. I brought an umbrella and it was small enough to manuver around ok. I did get a stroller from guest service on the ship the last cruise and we took it off the ship no problem. They take a 100.00 deposit for the stroller so they don't care where you take it because if you dont' bring it back they have your 100.00.

 

[janohiomom99]

thank you for the info...we will just rent...that makes life much easier...whew!!!

 

[janohiomom99]

is the 100.00 refundable when returning the stroller?

 

[Heathercat]

I just got off the April 2-9th cruise and I did not see one stroller....

 

[aprilgail2]

is the 100.00 refundable when returning the stroller?

Yes, they do not charge for using them unless you don't bring it back or ruin it. They charge your room 100.00 and then credit it back to your room once you return it.

 

[afoss]

I have taken a double stroller on a cruise before and it is fine. It was not a side by side one but a front and back. When we went on shore, we didn't open up the stroller until we were off the ship so the elevator was not an issue.

I have heard the ones you can rent are nice and it seems like they are usually available. This would solve the whole "where do I store it in the cabin" issue.

Just keep in mind that the stroller, whichever kind you may bring, may come in handy at other times. IE. airports, waiting in any lines, etc.

 

[janohiomom99]

Thanks for all the added comments...we will probably bring an umbrella stroller just as a back up and to use in the airport and lines

 

[4formickey]

we took our umbrella stroller on our frist cruise and it really helped. Often the kids didn't take a nap so they fell asleep at dinner. We just put them in their stroller and finish eating. When we didn't need it , it folded up and went under the bed. It also help us with easy transport because the little feet don't keep up and you can move a little faster. It was a life saver.

 

[cruisenewbie2004]

We saw strollers everywhere on our Magic cruise. We brought and used an umbrella stroller and stored it in the closet. The people down the hall had a big stroller and they folded and parked it in the hall overnight. It was a big ol thing, too.

 

[piglet33]

We saw strollers everywhere on our Magic cruise. We brought and used an umbrella stroller and stored it in the closet. The people down the hall had a big stroller and they folded and parked it in the hall overnight. It was a big ol thing, too.

I don't like it when people do this. It makes such a big obstacle to get around in the narrow hallway. We always kept ours in our room no matter what size we brought. Just think what a hard time a person in a wheelchair would have trying to get down the hall if there were strollers there.

People, please be considerate and do not put the strollers in the hall.

Putting flame suit on.

 

[janohiomom99]

I would never dream of leaving anything in the hallway overnight. I am very surprised that Disney crew members ALLOWED them to do this. I am sure it is a violation of fire codes or some such thing. I have cruised before and I know that on other ships the hallways arent very wide at all.
Also I am surprised someone just didnt help themselves to their stroller, they are lucky they still had one in the morning.

We have decided to take an umbrella stroller and a back pack carrier. If the older daughter (3 yrs old) wants to ride in the stroller we can put the 1 yr old in the back pack carrier. Both items can be stored in the overhead bin or checked at the gate and stowed under the plane. We have done that before. I am so glad I came across this Forum...there is tons of information and everyone seems real helpful.
Thanks again!!!

 

[mmouse37]

Just be aware that DCL only has a limited number of strollers to rent onboard...they do not have enough for everyone. Go early and rent one....and, I believe you keep it for the whole cruise so you would still have to store it in your room....I do not think it is the rent and return the same day as in the parks....I have a feeling if you go to rent one later in the week for a shore excursion they may not have any left.

The elevators and dining rooms are hard to have a double wide stroller manuever in....keep it to the smaller strollers...much easier.

Now, I agree about not keeping things in the hallway, but when I cruised with my aunt we had a wheelchair and our room steward told us it was alright to leave it in an alcove in the hallway down from our room, as my 84 year aunt would have tripped on it in the cabin.....but, I would never do this again as one morning we went to get it and it was gone!!! We called guest service who called security and they searched the ship....found it 4 decks down and on the other end of the ship....seems someone decided to take it for a joy ride in the middle of the night!!! So, next time I will shove it somewhere in my cabin out of the way.

 

[JennsBabySky]

I was just thinking about this, but it could be because I am seriously addicted to strollers! I have a 15 month old and a 4 year old who still LOVES to ride. On our last cruise (when our little one was 8 months) we took a single stroller and the Baby Bjorn and they took turns riding in the stroller. We used it all the time. Our 4 year old daughter needed it in the airport and when off the ship and shopping in town. We needed it for the 8 month old, on the ship. He would sometimes nap in the stroller, eat snacks, watch sister in the pool.

So, I was considering our small double at first. It converts between a single and double, so we could use it as a single on the ship and a double off shore. For a double, it has a relatively small fold. However, cabin space is so limited, I just don't think there is anyplace we could store it without cursing it for most of the trip. Plus, I think I need something even narrower for elevators and crowds. I remember getting stuck a few times with our single on the last cruise (nothing terrible, but some areas can get crowded, especially when characters are out or during deck parties). I finally decided to bring two umbrella type strollers. They fold small and are light weight and have a shoulder strap. I figure we'll have one under the bed for the majority of the trip, but we'll use it offshore for our 4 year old. The second, we'll probably leave leaning in the corner and use it on the ship for our 15 month old. It is really nimble and narrow, so I think it would be ideal for the crowded spots. Plus, with the shoulder strap, we could always fold it and carry it away if our son has a meltdown. We have the Maclaren Triumph and a Silver Cross Micro, but I would think other, less expensive umbrellas should also work. But since I love trying new strollers, I had to try the Micro. I just got it (used, for a great price) and so far it is excellent. I think they will work quite well.

Good luck,
Jennifer

 

[lbgraves]

We didn't get one from GS until Tuesday before we went into GC. We returned it that afternoon since we wouldn't need it anymore.