Tell me your experience with a 5 yo and walking vs stroller

[Jerzetta]

We used a stroller at 4 and 6 years old and DD is very tall. On the 2nd trip when she was 6 we would sometimes leave the stroller at the beginning of the park and tell her we are going to walk through MK and pick it up on the way out. That way she knew the stroller was there at the end of the night and we didn't have to carry her. Plus we navigated faster and figured she could last 2-3 hrs in MK. So we park it at Tony's and got it at the end of the night.

 

[KimBean]

Last trip dd turned 6 while we were there. I was unsure of how it would go so brought umbrella stroller we hadn't used for awhile in the trunk. Never needed it. Never even came up. So close to 6 you are probably fine. Closer to 5 I would probably have one with me. It will just work better with one no reason to stress yourself. If she doesn't want to ride in it then don't bring it but it's also nice to have somewhere to put bags etc. another reason I liked stroller was simple containment. You get in large crowds and walking kids are hard to navigate and keep safe. I loved when I could strap in and keep them safe and be in control.

 

[AZMermaid]

We are on Magical Express right now. We walked 71 miles the last 9 days. My daughter is 5y3m. We were willing to rent if needed.... but we didn't need it one bit. She was skipping through AK this morning. I was dragging more than her. She's a very typical kid, nothing special (besides to us). We typically went rope drop to 6ish. We did one late night. No whining or complaining at all- except squabbles with her 6 year old brother. So.... yes, it is totally doable!

 

[nursejackie]

We have a 9yo and still take a stroller every year. It stops any moaning when we are criss-crossing the parks all day, and it's really handy to hang/store things e.g. jackets/drinks etc so you don't have to carry them. We'll be taking it at Christmas, and his knees will be touching his ears when he sits in it!

 

[Dismama2boys]

We use a stroller as much for us as the kids. At the end of the day in massive crowds, I'm too exhausted to keep up with my littles. Having them strapped in helps me know they won't get trampled and I can focus all of my attention on getting us out as quickly and safely as possible. And selfishly, I'd frequently rather move at my pace rather than theirs. We find having a stroller waaaaaay easier.

 

[tmh43]

You know your kid best!

Most people favour strollers for kids and I was so worried to eschew this advice our first trip. However just in case anyone has a kiddo like mine I'd like to share. We've now been with DS 3 times, and we've never brought a stroller. DS is a high energy kid, he never stops moving and has a difficult time sleeping at night- except at Disney! We don't go back to the room for naps and we go from rope drop until fireworks. Also, because he is our only, we are able to carry him for a few minutes here and there if he gets a bit tired. And another point is that he has always been very good at listening and staying with us, he knows our phone numbers, would be able to get help if he got lost etc. On our first trip when he was 3 I did bring a woven wrap, but he walked a ton even at that age, it was mostly just so he would crash at the parks and DH and I could enjoy fireworks. Our last trip he was 4.5. I absolutely love not having to push a stroller!

If you do decide to go sans stroller, definitely make sure you "train" them a few weeks before. I make my kiddo walk lots to train before vacations by walking around our neighbourhood and the like! If your kiddo is not used to walking distances, or you use the stroller at home, I definitely wouldn't go cold turkey for Disney. And check them for blisters! Even adults get them with that much walking, and a young kiddo may not know why their feet hurt so much.

 

[DisneyCAL]

Our trip a couple years ago when DS and DD had just turned 5 was stroller less! I hate strollers and the kids have never really cared for them either. We spent most of our summer "Disney training"....walking at the HS track and going on hikes. It really helped all of us get used to walking so much each day and it broke our shoes in nicely for the trip. No complaints from the kids, they did great!