WDW Rental Strollers Comfortable?

[zad's mom]

We're preparing for our first trip to Disney and I'm debating on whether I should buy an umbrella stroller or rent one at the parks for our trip.

My DS (2 yrs) usually does not ride a stroller when we go out since we usually are not out for long periods of time with him. If we do go out, he either walks, rides a grocery cart, or we carry him. But he's getting to be heavy and I don't think my DH and I can carry him around WDW for any length of time. And I also don't think we'll use the umbrella stroller again after the trip. So I'm thinking of renting since it will be more cost effective. However, one big factor is comfort. Do the rental strollers recline so that kids can take a nap? How comfortable can a hard plastic stroller be?

I would appreciate any advise you all can give. Thank you.

 

[BevS97]

they don't recline, they are a very strange shape and are sort of always reclined,
unless you are going for a very short trip, it's going to be cost effective to buy a stroller, and also it means you can use it from the parks to the car which is when we seem to need it the most.

they look like this

 

[mikedani+3]

When we went last year our dd was two yrs. old and we ended up renting. There are pros and cons for sure. The rented strollers are not as comfortable, but my dd did fall asleep and we ended up putting a jacket under her head to use as a pillow.
On the up side, if you are staying at a resort, you don't have to carry a stroller on the bus. Also the rented strollers are roomy inside and are very easy to maneuver around the parks.

If you have older children like we do, a double stroller is a good choice, and worth every penny. (IMHO) Our older children would take turns sitting in the double with the "baby."

One down side to renting was not having a stroller to ride out of the park to the buses. At the end of the day, that can be a killer. I think in the end, it comes down to weighing the pros and cons and deciding what suits you more. Good luck!!

 

[disneymama73]

One down side to renting was not having a stroller to ride out of the park to the buses. At the end of the day, that can be a killer. I think in the end, it comes down to weighing the pros and cons and deciding what suits you more. Good luck!!

I couldn't agree more. We have never rented a stroller for this exact reason. I can just see us, exhausted and carrying our kids to the bus. UGH! We love having the stroller to get the kids to the bus, especially in a crowd after fireworks, and even from the bus to the hotel room most nights.

 

[HitchhikingGhost]

If you still do not wish to take your own, check out A Baby's Best Friend www.abbf.com

They have all types of strollers and we have used them in the past, so I know theirs are comfortable.

I couldn't agree more about the need for one being the greatest at the end of the day to the parking lot. Having a stroller from ABBF also was nice to go shopping with.

Hope this helps.

 

[Kate-n-sam]

http://allearsnet.com/pl/strol_faq.htm
Check out above link for lots of stroller info including photos of the strollers from each park.
Bring your own, you won't regret it. If only for carting around your stuff....
Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I just got home from a trip with my 3 kids (1, 3, 4). We took a double MacLauren stroller and rented a stroller from A Baby's Best Friend. ABBF was a great way to go for us. The basket on the ABBF stroller was much bigger and easier to use than on our stroller. The park rental strollers don't have baskets.

Another thought though is that I can't imagine getting through the airport without the double the stroller to keep 2 kids contained. Gate checking the stroller was quick and easy and the stroller was right there when we got off the plane.