Who has used a double side by side at WDW?

[3DisneyBuggs]

I am thinking of renting a side by side double instead of renting the park one. I have a 2yo and 4 yo. 2 years ago we rented a double front and back stroller and hated it. It was too heavy to push and maneuver. I'm afraid the side by side won't fit into the entrance gate at the parks or the shops. Silly, right? I think the kids will be more comfy in a stroller wher ethey can recline in comfort. So are the side by side easier to handle than the tandms?

 

[brymolmom]

I have a 3 and 4 year old and the last 2 visits - we brought an OLD Graco side by side - not sure of the model but it is almost like 2 attached umbrellas - but they each recline independently and have a really good storage area. In addition to saving a TON of cash - we like it so much better than the rented one.

It does fit through all the entrances (although honestly - we left it outside all the shops). I highly recommend getting a used one from a garage sale - then it doesn't matter if it gets ruined or whatever.

It was a little cumbersome getting it onto WDW buses and onto the tram for getting to the parking lot. But, all strollers are cumbersome - maybe just slightly so for a double.

 

[mommyoftwinfants]

I took my double jogging stroller the 1st time we went and no trouble getting in the gates or doors but once you get into a (park) store that is whole other story (I would suggest leaving the stroller outside or have someone wait outside with the kids.) I only took the side-by-side because my dad went with us and could carry the stroller without any problems when needed. On the bus we always sat in the very back with the stroller directly infront of us but there were also 6 of us so no one was really sitting around the stroller but us. We never held up the line because we had the stoller (but the bus drivers always opened the back door for my dad to go in with the stroller while we entered through the front). It was so nice for the boys to be able to lay down when they wanted to and one could lay down when he needed to rest and the other one could sit up, we also loved the jumbo storage on the bottom of my stroller since it was our 1st trip we bought lots of goodies. If you have someone with you that can handle the weight of the stroller without any problems I say go for it.

 

[brymolmom]

Just a heads-up for the OP...the pp's experience is not the only one. Many buses require that you break down your stroller and not enter it with kids in the stroller (maybe they made an exception because their kids were younger??) - We've always been required to fold ours up and bring it in through the 'regular' door and my husband has to hold it up (folded) for the duration of the ride. Yes, cumbersome - but it was fine as long as you had enough hands.

 

[mommyoftwinfants]

I said my dad went through the back door with the stroller not the kids.

 

[tanyaandallie]

We have the Maclaren Ralley Twin which we took last fall for my then 3 year old and 20 mos old. We didn't have any problems at all, but it is fairly narrow. Some are more narrow than others so make sure you check deminsions when you rent/buy. We never took the buses so can't comment on the bus but ours does fold up decently small. Not tiny by any means but compact enough.

The stores are a much tighter squeeze. We still took it in the stores but it was more difficult. IMO any stroller is tough in the stores there b/c they are just jam packed. I don't think it would have been any easier with our tandem (Graco Duoglider).

 

[Elliott]

We took an inexpensive Kolcraft side by side with our 2 and 4 year old DD's and were very happy with it. It is light and easy to push, especially on concrete (which is all you really have at WDW). I definately recommend somthing lightweight if you are taking WDW transportation, making getting on and off boats and buses much easier. I was able, with some practice, to fold it down in 5 seconds and unfold it in about 3 seconds!
The CM's at the park entrances allow strollers with kids in them through the swinging gates as long as a family member puts the kids ticket through the turnstile reader. A side by side is also wider than it is long and I feel you have a little better control over the stroller and are able to watch out for those folks that are not so aware of, or courteous to, those of us pushing the little ones.
As for the shops we didn't go in many stores with the kids and if we did we would usually leave it in one spot while we did the attractions and stores around an area.

 

[Schmeck]

I second (or third?) the notion to leave the stroller outside of the stores. I saw many displays tipped over by wide strollers, sometimes stuff actually fell on the kids in the stroller! Of course, most of the time, the strollers just wouldn't fit between the displays, or there were too many people in the place for a stroller of any size to fit!

As long as you have enough adults to handle the kids and the stroller, you should be fine. Have a great trip!

 

[moparop]

I love my mac sbs. It is narrow enough to fit through a standard dorrway and is easy to push! We had it at Disney last year and had no troubles taking it anywhere we wanted to go!

 

[DonaldDuckFan]

We used our Combi side by side while we were there for our 2 and 4 year old, which I loved! It was great on the buses since it folds up pretty small it was easy to carry on and hold.

Amy

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I used a sbs stroller for 2 of my kids and never had an issue using it at Disney. Like others, we were directed through the swinging gates (instead of the turnstiles) at the park entrances and we too left ours outside when we went into shops. Never had to break ours down on the monorail. We didn't use WDW busses or the boats, so I have no experience there. I wouldn't hesitate to bring a sbs to the parks again if I had to. As OP said, it was no more cumbersome than a regular stroller is.

 

[PaulaSue]

I took mine and had no problems, my kids were 2,4/5 (b-day girl) and 7. I always hated my friends front to back strollers becasue they were so heavy and hurted my back to push and lift. My kids were heavy enough.