Strollers

[dny1112000]

I'm trying to decide if I should bring a stroller with me and rent one as well.

Do I want to hassle with it in the airport and at the end of the day when trying to get on the bus?

I've seen the pictures of the strollers but can't tell if there is a storage area for me to put a bag or supplies.

Should I rent one and bring one or rent 2.

My girls are 4 and 2 if that makes any difference.

Thanks!!

 

[AmyBWV99]

We have a 18 month old - we bring his each time (comfort for him). We rent a car so I don't know about buses, but the strollers they rent at WDW are hard plastic and don't look especially comfortable.

 

[golden1]

I have the same dilemma. My kids are the same ages and I think I am going to bring one stroller and rent another for the 4 year old. It helps that my stroller has a running board for my 4 year old to stand on so she can rest.

 

[maelstrom]

I would say definately bring one for the 2 year old because the WDW ones are hard plastic and she may not like that. As for the 4 year old, I'd go with an as-needed basis. Maybe she might want to walk this trip.

 

[ClemsonTigger2]

There is a storage area - mesh "bags" hanging on the back, with easy access to all your stuff. We kept our autograph books and pens, water bottles, camera, and snacks back there - and the top is strong enough that we put our backpack on top and basically left it there. We chose to rent so as to avoid the hassle on the busses, etc. - and the Disney strollers were much easier to maneuver than any of our own. Even when our bigger kids piled in with the little ones at the end of the day, it wasn't hard to push the stroller. Oh, also, yes, they are hard plastic, but the way they were curved made it a bit more comfortable - my kids thought they were fine.
Hope this helps!

 

[AuntPatti]

We just took by DBF DGS(4) to the Magic Kingdom and were very glad we rented a stroller. It was much easier to keep tabs on him and not worry about him running ahead or wandering off. The only thing I will do different next time, is bring his own stroller rather than rent one. The hardest part was him falling asleep on the bus and then having to carry him back to the room!

By 9 o'clock at night he was ready for bed. The bus was dark and quiet and he just zonked out. There was no waking him to even try to get him to walk to the room. My DBF is 65 and has emphysema. It's hard enough for him to carry himself without loosing his breath. I'm 45, 5'4" and have never had children of my own. Carrying a 4 year old, who is quite big for his age, was quite a challenge. Thank god there were large garbage cans every so often where I could rest his butt and readjust.

Next time I'm bringing along his own umbrella stroller!

 

[CastMemberJoey]

Renting one is easier I think.....not as cumbersome as taking it through the airport.

 

[mtemm]

we were so glad we brought our own! well, we brought the double stroller for the twins (age 2), and occasionally rented for our 4 year old. the stroller in the airport was wonderful, not cumbersome. we gate checked it, so were able to get the kids from point A to B much easier than if we had to carry them or have them walk. especially nice if you end up at a gate at the far end of the airport. the only thing that was a pita was going thru security, since we had to fold it and run it thru, but even that wasn't too bad.

while it wasn't fun taking it on the bus, it wasn't too bad, and was nice getting too and from the parks to the bus stops and such.

 

[A M&Asmom]

Well...I brought our small stroller thinking that the days we went to Magic Kingdom we would use it because we could just walk from the Contemporary where we were staying...well...we didn't end up doing that. We rented a double everyday and that way the older one could ride when he got tired...we also brought in a small cooler with water and spray fans in it so we set it in the bottom of the stoller also.

BUT....even though we never used it at the parks...I was so glad I had it at the airport. We gate checked it and then when we had layovers we had the stoller to put the youngest in or to throw our bags onto and push them through the airport instead of carrying them. So that is my take...I am glad I had it if just for the airport...& rent at the parks...(oh yeah..my youngest was 2 and then next one was 5 at the time of our trip..the hard stroller at the parks didn't seem to bother them ever..they even fell asleep in them)...oh and there was storage area on the back of the strollers except for the mesh strollers at MGM..

 

[Got Quattro?]

Yes for the 2 year old.

No for the 4 year old.

 

[trypnotic]

We like bringing our own Graco stroller but always rent a car and don't have to deal with the buses. Dealing with the tram + stroller is a pain so I could see how someone using the bus wouldn't care to bring a stroller. I think it was the most useful in the airports.

We have fun decorating our Graco too. If it weren't for the decorations, it'd for sure get lost in a sea of them if we didn't make it stand out somehow! It's hard to miss the giant, green mickey head with our names on it!

 

[ERMama]

we will be bringing our stroller for our will be 22 month old. its a normal sized stroller but fold like an umbrella.
heck, may even rent one for our 6 yr old to save his legs a few days (and avoid the whining).

 

[Vickie46]

my daughter is 4 and she told us to make sure we save extra money to rent because she loves the strollers there.. they move faster and are smoother!

 

[ogreenlee]

I've been going back and forth on this, as well.

We're driving, so bringing our own is no problem, but do I want to rent one at the park? I'd love to, but I am gonna want my own since we're staying at SOG and will have to walk from the Polynesian back to the resort. I can't imagine any of us carrying my dd3 that far.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I'm just curious.......

Is there any way to rent a stroller for your whole stay, like from an outside company?

When we go, we use a towncar service and they offer stroller rentals, I rent their very nice deluxe model and it is only $20 for the whole length of our stay. It's a great service they provide because you don't have to wait in line at the parks to rent the stroller or to return it or worry about them being out of strollers and plus, I like having the stroller for outside of the parks, but I'm sure you have to use their car service to be able to rent the stroller, so I was just wondering if there are any companies that you can just rent a stroller from?

 

[MissionMouse]

....My girls are 4 and 2 if that makes any difference.
Thanks!!

I think it does. Our trip last year we rented and we have two girls who were 4 and 2 at the time. We have brought our own in the past, but you need to consider your overall WDW Vacation plans and what you plan on carrying and staying. In the airport we just rented the luggage cart. When we brought our own stroller we hated breaking it down and carrying it for buses and water transports...sometimes even for the monorail. We find little need to carry around a special bag for a 2 or 4 year old. Thus, we no longer had the burden of a stroller or bag...we loved renting the double stroller and the kids enjoyed them too. They could easuly jump in and out of the double stroller. We found less people issues when we rented the Disney stroller too. For us, the pros outnumbered the cons.

 

[Disney Doll]

I'd bring one for both of them. Maybe a coupleof those umbrella strollers that fold up to be pretty small and also seem to fold pretty easily???

There's a lot of walking at Disney even outside of the parks...think of how far you could potentially be from a bus stop or food court at some of the bigger resorts...and a tired child is a cranky child!!!!!

 

[OHIODISNEYFAMILY]

I love my travel stroller. It's on sale for $39 at One Step Ahead.com right now. It's called an STS-1 Lightweight. It folds up tiny and light, with a carry strap.....yet it still reclines, has a canopy, and has an underneath basket.

We don't even park it for attractions like Fantasmic....we just fold it up and carry it in.

It probably wouldn't be big enough for the 4 year old, but it works great for my 2 year old. I used it at Disney last year - as well as a trip to Seattle this fall. I found it to be invaluable at the airport.

Laurie in OH, mom to

Alex, 11 years old
Julianne and Leah, 10 years old
Audrey, 2 years old

WDW visits in 1973, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005!
Currently planning a December 9-16, 2006 trip!