STROLLERS?

[BobbyDukes]

One Hundred Percent agree with some of the people here, ITS ALL UP TO YOU. If its going to make your experience better by having your seven year old in a stroller after walking ten miles in EPCOT and at the end of the night you need to wheel his sleeping body back into your room from your bus.
My wife and I are bringing our double stroller for our 3 and 6 year old next trip.

 

[5Tulips]

We were at DW last month with our kids ages 7 and 5. No stroller. We toured six days - two long days, two 1/2 days, two long days - opened and closed the park. They never asked for a stroller. The nice weather helped their stamina, I’m sure. If they had asked or we felt they were dragging, we would have rented one. But mid day ice cream breaks and shows seemed to give them a second wind. We loved not having to backtrack to find a stroller. We fit everything we needed in my crossbody bag.

 

[Rwsm2011]

We're going in a few weeks and I have rented a single for my 5 and 9 year old. I fully expect my 9 year old to be in it more than his brother. After 40 minutes of trick-or-treating, they were both complaining and we headed home. Last trip they were 3 and 7 and we rented a double and were so glad we did. I know we're in the minority, but I like having a place for my bag and lunches without having to carry them. I don't care what people think. I am not dealing with a whiny kid who doesn't want to walk anymore. I can almost guarantee someone will be in that stroller at all times.

ETA: Last trip, my 7 year old was the one sleeping in the stroller on the way out after the fireworks, and the 3 year old was wide awake. So glad we had a double because I did not want to be carrying a 7 year old back to the car.

 

[bettymae1121]

My DD will be 6 by the time we travel. I don't think we've used a stroller in at least 2.5 years, maybe more, at home. We don't even own one.

I think we are going to play it by ear and will rent a stroller at the park if/when it is needed. I suspect we'll be able to tour in the morning and into the early afternoon without one, but by mid-afternoon it could be necessary. Or maybe not, DD did a pretty full day at Hershey Park almost 2 years ago and I think she was in better shape at the end of the day than DH and I were! But that was a single day, not day after day after day.

If we wind up needing a stroller every day, yes it's more expensive to rent it in the park than arranging a rental for the week. But if it turns out we only need it certain days, cost-wise we may come out ahead. Plus we'll only have the hassle of dealing with the stroller for part of the day (afternoon into evening). If she's in the stroller for the afternoon and evening, in theory she should have enough energy to walk from the exit to the bus/boat stop and then from the hotel lobby to our room under her own power.

So long story short, if you are leaning towards thinking you won't need one...at least be open to the potential of renting one in the park on an as-needed basis if it turns out your child could use one after all.

 

[Betty_Baylor99]

When I took my youngest daughter to DW last year, she was 4 years old and she hadn't sat in an umbrella stroller in over two years. I had already sold off all our baby gear. I broke down and bought the lowest grade Maclaren Volvo umbrella stroller for our visit and it was literally a godsend. The amount of walking and the sheer size of the parks was a lot for her. Our family is returning back to the parks this spring and she will be 6. I'm bringing that same stroller specifically for her because even though I don't foresee her using it a lot, she still fits within the weight limit and I can see her needing it if she needs a place for her feet to rest, specifically closer to the end of the park day.