Which stroller would you take?

[fightinfire21]

we are debating on which stroller to take with us this year to Disney. We have a Maclaren Volo and a Jeep Liberty Limited.

Last year was our first trip with a child (our daughter was 1) and we purchased the volo specifically for that trip. The volo worked out pretty well. It folded nice and small for on the buses (we only use Disney Transportation, no rental) and was lightweight. Only disadvantages are that it tips over easily without a passenger, it has not room to carry much of anything, and that it does not recline. Also, sometimes, the small wheels make it a little difficult to push.

We have had the Jeep Liberty Stroller for awhile and we really like it. It is a "jogging" style stroller with three large tires that is very easy to push. It has a HUGE basket underneath for holding stuff and it is MUCH more sturdy. The only disadvantage I see with it is that it does not fold up very small.

We are leaning towards taking the Jeep this year for a few reasons:

1. Our daughter is much more active now than last year and we expect her in/out of the stroller more. With the volo it will be a constant battle of moving the bag around to keep it from tipping over.

2. The Jeep just plain holds more stuff. That = less to carry!

3. Last year we tried to go back to the room for a nap every day. By the time she was asleep we would go to the bus stops, wait for a bus, ride back to the resort, and then walk to the room. Most of the time she was awake by the time we made it to the room. So this year we are thinking of just letting her fall asleep in the parks then just kind of hanging out or going into an Air Conditioned show or something rather than return to the room. Also she would often fall asleep before we returned to the resort for the night. In both situations the Jeep Reclines and the Volo doesn't.

The only thing I am concerned with is the big stroller on the bus and it being a pain to load/store/unload. I really don't think it will be that big of a deal as I have seen lots of people doing it but I just wanted to get some peoples opinions on how it has worked out for them with a big stroller in the past.

Thanks in advance for reading my long post and for your reply!

 

[ireland_nicole]

I'd go with the liberty; you're using the bus twice a day, you're using the stroller for 9-12 hours. Go with the more comfortable one imho.

 

[DonnaBelle06]

I am a big fan of small umbrella type strollers. My twin used her Maclaren (it does lean back/has a sunshade) and she also had the same jogging stroller that you mentioned.

With the jogging stroller you would have a harder time with it folding "small" and alone it is not that light weight.

Just food for thought. With you trying to carry that, plus your packages/diaper bag/etc and the baby - you might want to use your mac since it is light weight.

 

[Elvistelth]

Personally, I'd prefer the larger one because it has more options. I'm past the stroller phase now but remember vividly fighting with a giant double stroller as I tried to carry it to the rear of a WDW bus, banging the stray knees which were unfortunate enough to stick out in the aisle.

 

[Jenny-momof3]

We took our HUGE Graco Quattro last year and don't regret it one bit. My ds was 3 then and needed a comfy stroller to relax in.

This year since he's 4 1/2 we're taking the Maclaren Triumph. It does recline so he can sleep if needed. But he just doesn't use a stroller much anymore so no need for the bigger one.

I'm pregnant with #4 and you better believe when we go next year I'll be taking a big stroller again. We spend all day at the parks and I don't want my little one uncomfortable because it's an inconveniece on the bus for 10 minutes.

 

[Elvistelth]

If you have a stroller and are afraid of theft here is a kooky way to keep thieves out of your stuff: Take a diaper and put a Baby Ruth candy bar in it. The hot Florida sun will help with realism. Tie this up in a clear plastic bag so the inside of the diaper is visable and hang it from your stroller when you go on a ride. No one will want to mess with your stroller when they see this horror show.

 

[CLR4321]

It sounds like the Jeep would be the better bet for you based on what you have said, so I would take that one. If the only concern is that it doesn't fold up as small, that can be dealt with.

 

[Rascal1003]

We have a Jeep Liberty that we bought on a previous trip to Florida and it is absolutely perfect for park days. The amount of storage is a big bonus and it moves so easily across the cobbles, tracks and bumpy pathways.
Add to that the fact that our son (almost 3y/o) sleeps easily in the Jeep due to the amount of space it has....there is no contest for us!
We also found that the large shade/canopy on the Jeep kept the rain out really well wihout actually needing to put a proper rain cover on during the heavy, short showers.

Getting it on and off the bus was a bit of a nuisance, but quickly forgotten when it was so useful in the parks.

 

[Disneychix]

After much of the same debate you're going through I brought my bigger stroller last year for my 20month old. I didn't regret that decision. The ability to store everything in the bottom was great. I loved that DS could sleep more comfortably and I especially LOVED having the snack tray. It was so much easier for DS to snack and eat with the snack tray.
We only had one bad bus experience but that was my DH who nearly lost his mind in trying to close the darned thing.

 

[Thumper43]

Hi! I'm dealing with the same problem right now with taking our son. I don't know whether to go with the larger or smaller stroller. But we will have a rental car so I'm guessing after reading your post, we should probably go with our larger Chicco instead of our McClaren since he's more comfortable in that one.

We took our HUGE Graco Quattro last year and don't regret it one bit. My ds was 3 then and needed a comfy stroller to relax in.

This year since he's 4 1/2 we're taking the Maclaren Triumph. It does recline so he can sleep if needed. But he just doesn't use a stroller much anymore so no need for the bigger one.

I'm pregnant with #4 and you better believe when we go next year I'll be taking a big stroller again. We spend all day at the parks and I don't want my little one uncomfortable because it's an inconveniece on the bus for 10 minutes.