Strollers

[alliemanningsc]

What do you do with your stroller on the airplane? We are flying to WDW in May, which will be our first flight with DS.
TIA
Allie

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
We took an umbrella stroller with us. You can gate check it before you get on the plane. Just tell the people at the podium that you're checking a stroller and they'll give you a tag to put on the stroller. Then right before you get on the plane, you leave the stroller there and when you get off the plane, it will be there for you. I was nervous about all this at first, but it was so easy.

 

[SueM in MN]

When you leave your stroller at the gate, make sure that you have folded it and that it will stay folded. If there are any removeable pieces that might either come off or get damaged during travel, remove those and bring them on the plane with you.

And, the last thing sounds obvious, but it apparently is something people forget....
remember to pick up your stroller when you leave. My youngest DD uses a wheelchair, which means we usually are the last (or almost last) to leave the plane. We often see strollers still sitting at the gate when we leave because people didn't think of it in the rush to get out.

 

[all4fun]

A good bit of info I gathered here:

Always fold the stroller yourself (lock and/or bungie it closed) because you don't want the airline/baggage personnel trying to figure out your particular stroller and breaking it in the process.

It's a good idea to remove anything removable (ie canopy, snack trays, cupholders) and put it in your checked bags. Put it back on when you get there. Helps prevent things from being broken or lost in transit.

Hth!

 

[blessedby3]

Definately gate check it. I would never let them throw it on the luggage conveyor belt with the rest of the luggage. Your stroller would never be the same. They throw everything around and would stack stuff on top. I have always gate checked and have had no problems.

 

[FatElvis]

Definitely remove the tray if you can. When we went a few years ago, the parent tray on ours was gone when we picked it up. While we waited for our luggage, my husband went to the baggage office just to see if maybe they found it. They just laughed and took him to an enormous bin of them and told him to take his pick! He wasn't sure which might fit and they said take 2! I guess the Orlando airport sees a LOT of lost stroller items.

We hated that stroller and nearly left it at one of the parks , but when we go next time I will definitely put mine in a travel bag at the gate. I read somewhere that the canvas bags that those fold up chairs come in will fit many strollers and are way cheaper than the official stroller bags.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you use a full bag for your stroller, make sure to mark clearly on it that it IS a stroller, or you probably won't get it back at the gate when you get off the plane. The only gate-checked items that are normally delivered to the gate after landing are those that have visible wheels.

I always used open-ended sleeves to cover my strollers in transit (so that I could pull the folded stroller down the jetway), but just in case, I marked the sleeves with a stencil that said "BABY BUGGY - DELIVER TO GATE" in 3" letters.

FYI: the gate-check tag isn't a guarantee that it will come back to the gate if they don't see wheels. The same sort of tags are placed on luggage that won't fit into the overhead bins, and from full-sized planes that baggage goes to the carousels.

 

[Elmo888]

And you have to fold the stroller and put it on the conveyer belt to go through security. And I agree with the gate check. It is easy and convenient to have your stroller to get your child to and from the gate. And if your front wheels lock, I would lock them before you hand the stroller to the attendant.

After you land, they bring the strollers out in the tunnel (what is it called?) that you take to get from the plane to the gate. I thought that it would be out at the gate, but they don't bring it to the gate. And it takes a little time, so there is no need to rush off the plane.

I hope that helps.

 

[crzy4pooh]

I agree - we always gate-check. Getting through security can be a bit difficult if you are bringing a large stroller. They always insist that is be on the conveyor belt. When we went to San Diego/DL a few months ago, we decided we'd just find a cheap stroller at Target when we got there. We were so shocked that we couldn't find any umbrella strollers in any of the stores near our hotel! I do know WDW sells umbrella strollers in several stores. One I know of is Once Upon a Toy at DTD - I think they are made by Jeep and sell for about $40 if you want to wait and get one here.