The thing I hate most. . .

[TinkerDeb]

Yikes. You guys are a tough crowd! I knew I'd get lambasted for my comment about waiting until my son was 8 to bring him to WDW. (I didn't go until I was 17, and gee, I turned out okay!!) I just was trying to make a point that we got to ride every ride (Rock and Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, plus all the rides designed for smaller children) and he loved every minute of everything we did. I know that couldn't have happened if he was in a stroller. My next door neighbor went with her 3 year old and did the stroller route, and by the time she got home, she was so anti-Disney, I didn't even want to speak to her, for fear that she would spoil our upcoming trip!! (Her son didn't want to go on anything!) So....for those of you brave enough to have gone with children so small, and to navigate Christmas crowds with strollers, hooray for you....truly! Different strokes, that's all! Happy New Year to you all!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

TinkerDeb, I agree that if a person is making a once in a lifetime trip to WDW that 8yo is a good age, but that is not the case for many people here on these boards.

I went when my children were 4, 7, and 10 yo. We were waiting until the youngest was 4 so he'd be old enough to at least remember it and we had no plans to return soon if ever. We then had a 4th child when our youngest was 6yo and returned to WDW a year later. So our kids were then 1, 7, 10, and 13. Obviously the 1yo didn't remember that trip, nor the other 2 trips we took that year lol (darn annual passes!).

I did make it up to my little guy this year, though, since I bought him and me annual passes and brought him in Feb for a week and December for 2 weeks (he's now 5yo)--again, darn annual passes. I'm REALLY making it up to myself, though, since I went for 5 days with my DH and will be going 5 days with my 3rd child, now 11yo.

Anyway, if I had of waited until my youngest was old enough to ride everything then my oldest would be grown (she's now 17yo). There really is no minimum age to enjoy WDW. Nor maximum, for that matter. My 81yo mother had a great time and rode almost every ride (didn't ride RnR).

T&B

 

[disneymom3]

Well, I think the main problem is those stupid Disney strollers! I NEVER have crashed into anyone while using our own stroller, but I can't tell you how many people I clipped or had near misses with when we took a trip without our own stroller. They are just awkward, they stick out too far in the front, you can't see the front very well, ugh. I just hated them. Thankfully youngest DS spent most of his time in the MK just walking along and we didn't even rent a stroller until well into the day. I think it is pointless to have them in Fantasyland anyway, everything is easily within walking distance.

As far as being 8 years old....that one made me LOL. My youngest is just three and by the time he was 2.5 he had been to WDW 4 times. He talks about it all the time and has big plans for his next trip. (He tells us he is going on Splash Mtn and Mission: Space. He better grow fast!) I can't imagine not having gone until he was 8! And oh my, that means I would have had to wait 16 years from the time oldest was born until youngest turned 8. That is SO not going to happen

 

[Lil_Tink]

Welcome to the world... People do rude stuff.... Ususally people on vaction dont care... my family does but alot dont.... :jumping4:

 

[bytheblood]

Heres my thought on it....

It's not the stroller thats the problem....it's the drivers.

 

[bytheblood]

Yikes. You guys are a tough crowd! I knew I'd get lambasted for my comment about waiting until my son was 8 to bring him to WDW.

One thing I am starting to learn about this board is that you are not allowed to have an opion unless the reader shares the same one with you.

Geesh! Disagreeing is one thing, but quite a few of the posters here are downright nasty if you dislike something they do.

 

[QUACKHEAD]

NOW, I can't bring my 8 mo old boy or my 80 year old dad......Lets just ban em all. Strollers, wheelchairs, ECVs, PCBs, XYZs, Segways, surrey bikes, food and towell and whatever stinkin caravan the CMs push and pull around the place, the ones with the ONE wheel with a flat spot!!! Did I forget anything or anybody? (Howard Dean's) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
I feel better........All done!

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Yikes. You guys are a tough crowd! I knew I'd get lambasted for my comment about waiting until my son was 8 to bring him to WDW. (I didn't go until I was 17, and gee, I turned out okay!!)

***I didn't go until I was 29 and it was a crying shame! If I had known then what I know now I would have honeymooned at WDW!***

I just was trying to make a point that we got to ride every ride (Rock and Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, plus all the rides designed for smaller children) and he loved every minute of everything we did. I know that couldn't have happened if he was in a stroller.

***My 5 year old can't ride RnRC but she always loves every minute of our trips anyway and she does it from the comfort of a stroller. BTW she'll be making her 9th trip this month, hopefully.***


My next door neighbor went with her 3 year old and did the stroller route, and by the time she got home, she was so anti-Disney, I didn't even want to speak to her, for fear that she would spoil our upcoming trip!! (Her son didn't want to go on anything!)

***That sounds like a different problem, not related to being a young child. Some people just don't get the magic of a WDW vacation and probably would never at any age or circumstance.***


So....for those of you brave enough to have gone with children so small, and to navigate Christmas crowds with strollers, hooray for you....truly! Different strokes, that's all! Happy New Year to you all!

***Thank you! And Happy New Year to you! Enjoy your trips!***

 

[3Mousketeers]

I just have to pipe in on this one. I have to agree with DisneyMom3 that the Disney strollers are awful!!! The brakes are terrible and the steering is next to impossible. That, of course, does not justify rude behavior. The problem is those of us w/ borderline stroller kids have a dilemma. I have a 5 and almost 7 yr old who can walk alot but definitely need a stroller at some point, especially at Epcot or late in the day at MK. You can't just bring a double umbrella for kids of that age b/c they won't fit so you're stuck with the scary disney strollers. I pledge to be as careful as humanly possible and stay to the side etc. But, I think many of those people you see manuveuring in the middle are just trying to get to the side and no one will let them in. Let's all be polite to each other. Please let me into traffic and I won't run over your toes. LOL.

 

[rigsby25]

I have been on both sides of the coin. I have been a mom with a double stoller, and now my kids are teens. I have never hit anyone with a stroller. No one has ever "cut my stroller off". But at Disney - I'm sorry, but the look on these people's faces just seem to say "I have the stoller, therefore I have the right away. Move or get rammed". I'm sorry if your other son or daughter runs off, and you feel the need to hurry enough that some people have to be rammed. That is nonsense. If you can't control your kids don't take them into crowds. For their own safety.

 

[capthooksmom]

I am sorry, but I have to agree.

I get so irritated by the mindless people with strollers who just stop in the middle of a walkway to point at a bird in a tree, to stop and argue with their spouse or child or to tie their shoe. MOVE OUT OF THE WAY so that the people with a clue who are walking can go on and they do not run into you because you stopped abrubtly.

Um, stroller-less people do this as well. More frequently in my experience.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I totally disagree about waiting until your children are older to go to WDW. You don't know how many times people tell me why do I bother, the kids are too little to remember. Then they say, why don't you go to hawaii, etc.? Well, I for one think that WDW is the perfect place for a small child. There are baby stations, plenty of child friendly rides, and a hotel close by for us to take a break. To me, Hawaii would be better for my children to enjoy when they are older. For now, we go to WDW.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

The thing I hate most is NOT being at DW. While there I can cope with anything as it sure is a lot better than the Real World. LOL

Slightly Goofy

 

[peacefulgirl]

Enough on opinions **sigh**, now whats the answer? Can we have a "stroller/WC, Ect." path ? Would it work? As they say around here, "if your not part of the solution, your part of he problem" ...

 

[Sawyer]

I push my children in strollers at WDW when they get tired of walking. They have more fun that way. I'm always dumbfounded when I read these threads that basically complain that little children have the nerve to go to WDW. It's sortof like when you go to a parade and the adults shove the kids out of the way to grab the candy thrown from the floats.

 

[Alexander]

Yes, yes, yes...But you can't blame the strollers can you? It's the drivers! Maybe they should issue special licenses for them.

 

[minijeanie]

my first trip with kids to wdw were when they were 4 and 5 respectively. put them both in single strollers for ease ..knew they would be tired at end of day.

my personal opinion is that kids don't really enjoy it till the age of 4...don't care what anyone says ....they are tooo..........young....if you think you 12 month old is having a blast at 9:00 watching illuminations.........think again...... I'm tired of seeing cranky whiny babies screaming at the top of their lungs becasuse their parents wanted to be there...if you have an older sibling, then be responsible..have one parent go back to the hotel and one parent stay with the older child...
it's called doing what is right for your kids....
something many parents seem to forget../
okay off my soap box on this


but honestly, after kids were out of strollers had no issues with other people and strollers..actually respected them....it is tough when you have to lug it around all day.

only bad incident I have was at nite time spectromagic parade...we waited hour ahead of time to secure nice spot to see parade.
around 10 minutes before parade,,,one pushy parent begged my daughter to give up her spot so her child "in stroller" could see..
my daughter easily gave it up....( which I applauded her)
did I want that young child to see this...

absolutely


but....her parents should of thought ahead like I did..and secured their own spot... so be it

luckily we had seen parade before so it wasn't a total necessity to be right upfront..

and that is my stroller story

 

[Luv2Roam]

We were at MGM today and it was busy. While walking down the main street heading out, I had a stroller in front, and one directly behind me. I knew that was not a good position to be in. I figured in a matter of timer the stroller in front would come to a dead halt, the mother would bend over, and the one behind would hit me.
Well, I was half right. I am glad the person behind me was paying attention. Thank you, whoever you were! I appreciated that! (I even heard them complaining about the dead stop. )
I think it is mandatory that strollers stop in busy walkways every so many feet.

And I don't think there is a bad age to take kids to WDW. Even if they don't remember, the pictures later will speak volumes!

 

[capthooksmom]

my personal opinion is that kids don't really enjoy it till the age of 4...don't care what anyone says ....they are tooo..........young....if you think you 12 month old is having a blast at 9:00 watching illuminations.........think again...... I'm tired of seeing cranky whiny babies screaming at the top of their lungs becasuse their parents wanted to be there...if you have an older sibling, then be responsible..have one parent go back to the hotel and one parent stay with the older child...
it's called doing what is right for your kids....
something many parents seem to forget../
okay off my soap box on this

I guess I am irresponsible because my son is not quite 4 and has been to WDW 3 times. The first he was 4 months old but it was a family celebration planned 2 years before he was born and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was too important to DH's family.
We went on another family trip 2 months after DS turned 3. He remembers a LOT about that trip. He remembers the rides he rode with his cousins, he remembered Cinderella's castle, he remembered Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight, Small World, I could go on and on. Plus MK was open until midnight the day we were there. We kept asking him if he was ready to leave, he said no he wanted to ride. So, if at midnight at MK you saw the tot with a huge smile on his face, it was my DS.

For 7 long months after that trip he continually asked when are we going back to WDW? We decided to go again for Christmas. He was dragging us to the bus to get to MK, again rode rides until midnight (and was quite happy) remembers ALL of the characters he met, which ones signed his autograph book, the boat ride to DTD...Even now, a month and a half later, every time we head east on I-10 he asks if we're going back to WDW.

I could also list his memories from IOA, but I won't put you through that.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but please do not call me irresponsible and suggest that my child doesn't have as much of a right to be there as yours. Our entire family loves WDW and the best part of it is enjoying it together.

 

[rigsby25]

I agree that young children should be able to go. And having young children should not prevent older children from going. Disney is for families after all. But don't use your strollers and wheelchairs as crowd movers. I think the best solution is to have someone from your OWN family walk ahead of you and behind you. This will prevent anyone from stepping in front of the stroller and cutting you off. You can say "hold on spouse, I have to bend over and check the child, etc." Then if there is an "accident", I'm sure your own family will be quite forgiving.