Two single strollers or one double?

[esc38372]

We will be going to DL in a few weeks to celebrate my DD1's 5th birthday. My second DD is 2 years old. We will be driving down from the SF Bay Area in a minivan with my parents and my sister, so space in the minivan is at a premium.

Do you think I should bring two single umbrella strollers (Maclaren Volo & Maclaren Quest) or one double stroller (Baby Jogger City Series Double)? The double is very comfy--reclines, big sunshades, etc--but it's a side-by-side stroller so it will take up a lot of room in the minivan and will be more difficult to maneuver at DL. The single strollers are much easier to navigate/store, but they have minimal sunshades and very little room in the baskets to store things. We will have enough adults to be able to split up the kids if needed, like to bring DD2 back to the hotel for a nap.

We will be staying at HoJo--is the walk down the street very bumpy? Would it be nicer to have the cushy suspension of the double stroller?

We also just applied for the Disney Visa, so assuming that we qualify and receive our credit card in time for our trip, we may also have the option of getting the free Disney stroller rentals, but we would still need strollers for the walk to and from HoJo.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Double strollers are not allowed...that probably makes your decision easier!

We always use our Visa to get the strollers for free and my girls walk to and from Hojo (well, DD2 did get carried back by hubby the last couple of nights!)

 

[tripletlyblessed]

Where are doubles not allowed? I've seen a lot of them at the parking garage. I've taken a double and a triple with no problems and would take the Baby Jogger.

 

[Brady's Mom]

We always take our double jogger and have never had a problem. It is very comfy for our two DS's and we love the big canopy and storage in the bottom.

The only difficulty with the double is that we have to go through the floodgates at DCA because the stroller is too wide for the regular stroller gates. It takes an extra couple of minutes to get in, that's all.

 

[Disney*Happy]

I also have a Baby Jogger double stroller and that is what we use at Disneyland. I find that it is not too difficult to manuever because of the swivel front wheels and mine fits through all doorways and aisles and Disneyland. It is definitely the most comfortable for my kids just in case it is really sunny or one of them decides to take an unexpected nap. The storage space is great as well so that we can carry all needed items with us...extra clothes, jackets etc. without one of us having to run to the hotel/locker and without having to pay extra for a locker. Whatever you decide...have fun!

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

Originally I thought double, because I assume oldest will walk more than ride and I hate pushing an empty stroller.
However, I once I read the entire post I am going with 2 singles.
-- space in van in limited
-- youngest may go back to hotel for nap w/o oldest
-- side by side much more difficult in "traffic" (if it were front/back double I would not add this to my concideration list)
-- storage space- just use bags and hang them on the handles, when child is of the seat move bag to seat

 

[PinkBudgie]

Mom of twins here. When my boys were little (they are 15 now) they used to have a thing you could buy that clips two umbrella strollers together. That way you could clip them together when you just wanted one person to push, or pull them apart when needed. It seems like something you could still get because it is a great idea. You might have to look at a baby store find one. Or maybe some twin store online.

 

[LavenderPeach]

Since you said that DD2 may need to go back for a nap in the middle of the day I would also vote 2 single strollers. I don't have experience pushng a double stroller through DLR but I would think 2 singles would be easier to get through the crowds.

Assuming you get your disney visa before you leave, you could bring one umbrella stroller and rent the second one when you get there. That way both kids will have a stroller if they need it at the park but you would only have to fit one into the van. DD5 could walk back to the hotel and DD2 could ride, (or DD2 could be carried and DD5 could ride if they're both tired).

 

[cccdisney]

We had a similar situation last November when we went with my mom, sister and brother (both adults). My youngest were 5 and 2 and we typically take our Side-by-Side Twin Swift. However since there were so many adults in our group we decided to do two singles - one was a Maclaren and the other a Peg Prego. It worked out great because we could split the little ones up occasionally.
However when we went back in January without all the extra adults we used the double!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Double strollers are not allowed...that probably makes your decision easier!

We always use our Visa to get the strollers for free and my girls walk to and from Hojo (well, DD2 did get carried back by hubby the last couple of nights!)

Well heck...I don't know what I was thinking... sorry for the incorrect info. I was tired last night, I guess! Maybe I was remembering that they don't rent double strollers. Anyway...I will try not to post late at night anymore.

 

[momto2nenas]

I would take the 2 single strollers. We have done both (double and 2 singles) and the 2 singles was definately easier for DH and I. We could split up when there was a slow crowd in front of us, park them much faster for the rides, and w/ the 2 we still had enough room to stow our backpack, camera bag, diaper bag, cooler, etc.

My DD was almost 5 our last trip and she still used the stroller A LOT so definately have one for the older child.

 

[esc38372]

Thanks for your input, everyone! It seems like the best option is to bring two single strollers (or possibly one if we get the Disney VISA in time for our trip). It's sad because I *love* our double stroller and would definitely bring it if we were locals in So Cal and were going for a day trip, but I don't think it's worth the space in the minivan, given all the other stuff we'll need to bring down.

Thanks again!

 

[McCall]

That is right they don't RENT doubles there is little room at Disneyland as it is it is nothing like WDW. Taking a double gets in everyones way, makes it very hard for you to manuever etc. Two singles would be infinitely prefferable.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

With so many adults going I'd definitely take 2 single strollers.

Have fun!

 

[jolynda]

Here's another vote for 2 single umbrella strollers! MUCH more maneuverable and strong sun shouldn't be an issue in March! Have fun! We are making the same drive down on at the end of the month!

 

[jolynda]

We will be staying at HoJo--is the walk down the street very bumpy? Would it be nicer to have the cushy suspension of the double stroller?

We also just applied for the Disney Visa, so assuming that we qualify and receive our credit card in time for our trip, we may also have the option of getting the free Disney stroller rentals, but we would still need strollers for the walk to and from HoJo.

Thanks for your help!

walk to/from Hojo to park is smooth. If you can get park strollers for free, II think I'd lean in that direction -why? Because you don't HAVE to walk from Hojo - you can take the ART shuttle - kids ride free, adult all-day pass is $3/day. If you go back and forth a couple of times a day, that can save a LOT of walking and when my kids were little, the shuttle was a ride in itself! The ART shuttle saved our trip on more than one occasion! have fun!

 

[dmked]

I say bring the double. That way if one person is staying off of the ride with the kids, they can walk somewhere if they want to. Sometimes it gets boring just sitting there waiting for the others to get off the ride and pushing 2 strollers is kind of hard being only one person. We brought our double (last summer we had a 2.5 y/o and a baby) and it worked out great, it had a ton of storage underneath so no one had to carry around anything, a bonus!

 

[wwomant]

In January we took our 19 month and 4 yr old to DLR. Like you we wanted to take our double, but it just wouldn't fit in our sedan with all our luggage. Instead we took our Graco single and our Jeep umbrella. We were so glad we did and wouldn't do it any other now even if we had the space. Like others have said it gave us so much more flexibility and was easier to maneuver in crowds.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

Double strollers are not allowed...that probably makes your decision easier!

I am not sure where you are getting this unless you mean it as a joke??

I take my double but it's tandem. We also have done 2 singles. It is your preference, however if you plan on maybe one going back for a nap while the other one stays then 2 singles it is!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

I am not sure where you are getting this unless you mean it as a joke??

No, I am just a complete moron and I think I was getting it confused with the fact that you can't RENT a double. I don't know...as I said earlier in the thread, I was tired and shouldn't have been posting that late at night! I will make sure I know what I am talking about before I hit that submit button from now on.....