Will I regret not bringing a stroller?

[SDFgirl]

We are heading to DW in Oct. My kids are 5 and 7 (newly 5 and 7 - summer birthdays).

We took them to a theme park in May and they did fine without a stroller. I am just concerned about multiple days. I don't care if we go slow and take lots of breaks, but my 5-year-old can be dramatic and whiney when she's wiped out.

I really don't feel like lugging along a stroller, but are they young enough that I'll regret it?

 

[mattsar]

We are bringing one for our 4 1/2 year old. I would much rather bring it and not need it, than not have it and regret it. However, if you don't bring one and then need it after the first day, you could then rent one...

 

[emij]

However, if you don't bring one and then need it after the first day, you could then rent one...

On our trip to DL last year, I took the stroller for DD(3) and DS(5) walked for the first 3 days just fine (we "walk trained" for 4 months!). On our last day, though, I had many things I wanted to accomplish, so we rented him a stroller for that day. I thought he would be embarrassed being so big and in a stroller, but he had worn out feet but still wanted to see and do, so he was thrilled!

I would not have wanted one for him the first few days, but was glad we had one on that last day. In that situation, not having it to transport and deal with the other days, totally made the one day rental price worth it to me.

 

[Gregawsk8]

DD ( 6yrs old) still uses the stroller. We bring our sit n stand since we have DS that's only 2 yrs old and she likes to take breaks in the stroller to rest & it def comes in handy at night. She's always asleep on the way out to the buses and its a lot better then having to carry!

 

[Disneylover99]

I would bring an umbrella stroller for your five year old.

 

[ponyboy]

The first time my youngest son went with us he was 5 and we didn't take a stroller and he was fine. We don't go commando or anything and there are plenty of places to sit down and seated attractions to do so he wasn't on his feet all day.

There's no way I would want to mess with a stroller in that place unless it was absolutely necessary.

 

[lizard1]

For my kids, it depends on how long we will be in the park each day and how intense our touring plan is. If I don't care how fast we get from place to place and am not going from rope drop until late, then we can easily leave the stroller (this is with my 4 1/2 year old). If I know we will be running from place to place (if there are certain things that HAVE to be accomplished in one day) or plan on touring ALL day, I realize that is a LOT of walking for someone who is so little and we bring the stroller just in case. I do this because I am also thinking about myself- I would rather push a stroller around all day (even if it isn't being used) than need to carry a too-tired child out of the park at the end of the night.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

No one wants to carry a 5 year old after walking the park one day or many days. Especially with drinks for heat, raincoats for rain and having a change of clothes handy on the stroller it can be a real blessing.
I'd much rather have it then buy one at the park. You can take a smaller one, rent one, or pick one up at a yard sale and dump it at the end of the week.

 

[mesathemom]

We always go to target first thing and buy a cheap umbrella stroller for our DD. She is turning 6 in a month, and we will still do the same when we go in October. She likes having her own spot available to take a break!

 

[maxiesmom]

If you don't want to bring one along, set aside the money to rent one, just in case. If you bring one along, make sure it is comfortable for you to push. If you are tall-ish, many umbrella strollers can be uncomfortable, as their handles seem to be a bit short.

 

[WIDisneyFan]

I would suggest bringing it - On our trip 2 years ago we thought our 5 year old would be fine so we did not have a stroller for her - suffice to say I now own one of the $50ish Disney umbrella strollers as it was a cheaper option for the 5 days we had left then renting.

 

[pkelly6]

My DDs will be 7 and 4 (turning 5 in Oct) on our trip next month. We are not taking a stroller but will rent one on our Epcot day and possibly our AK day. We also are not planning to commando tour and will take many breaks. I'm not worried about seeing it all (excuse to go back!), so if kiddos get too tired we'll head to resort to swim/rest. Here's our schedule:

D1-travel/half day
D2-Magic Kindom
D3-Epcot
D4-swim/MNSSHP
D5-Animal Kingdom
D6-half day/travel

 

[disney world dreamer]

its my opinion that a 7yr old should not need it at all.
and a 5yr old can certainly do without it as well.
i would not recommend bringing it.
if you see that at some point the 5yr old absolutely cannot go another day without a stroller than rent one for the day.
i'd say the fee of renting one for a couple of days is worth not having to lug one from home that you don't really want her to use anyways and you know if you bring it you will end up using it more than you'd like.

 

[3Gsandme]

Mine were 7 and 4. The 4 year old is pretty small and she was worn. out. The 7 year old is pretty hardy and even SHE was tired and needed a break from time to time. We've done theme parks with our kids, but I think Disney is just a lot larger so the walking isn't as comparable.

We opted to rent a stroller and we ended up renting one 3 days out of 5. The kids just needed it. I think if you know that your 5 year old gets out of sorts when she's tired, I'd plan on a stroller to avoid that melt down.

 

[MSSANDRA]

The year that DS had just turned 5 we had the same debate. We really did look to purchase one but could not find what i wanted for a price i was willing to pay. We decided to budget to rent in the park, when and if we needed to. He was fine. Never needed it. We went at a moderate pace and took a break most days. Only carried him once when he was sound asleep when we got back to the resort. No whines at all. MOST 5 year olds however, do need a stroller and i would suggest either taking one, or being ok to rent whenever you need one.

 

[disney212]

Depends on the kids, i took mine when they had just turned 4 and 5 and they were fine for the whole week. Fast forward to when the same kids were teens they whined about how tired they were.

 

[kohlby]

Most 7 year olds will not need one. For 5 year olds, it seems split down the middle. My older two kids did not need one at 5. My younger one does - but not for endurance reasons but for getting-away-from-the-crowds reasons. He has some sensory issues and really needs a place to hide away at times. So, my suggestion would be to make sure you have money budgeted just in case your 5 year old needs one. And make your expectations clear. My eldest complained about walking at all when he was 6. We told him we would stay in the parks as long as everyone was doing well - he made sure he was never the reason we had to leave and didn't complain at all and we worked him super hard! (7 different parks over 8 days. His 3 year old sister was in the stroller and baby brother in the sling, so he was the only kid who had to keep up with the parents).

 

[memiaj]

We didn't do a stroller last time, my kids were 4 and 5. They walked the entire time. They were seriously troopers! We'll see what happens this time when they're 6 and 7.

 

[BethanyLynnFit]

Took our 4 and 6 year old this past Spring, no stroller and they were awesome! Our family is very fit & healthy and we are used to lots of activity, so I think that's a huge factor. Not that no one ever got tired, of course they did! We scheduled breaks, and ate a table service meal each day for down time while in the parks. We didn't do "marathon" days and went back to the resort early. And honestly, if my four year old was struggling and we were "on a mission" one of us would piggy back her.

Good Luck with whatever you choose!

 

[klk77]

For those of you who don't take a stroller, where do you out all your stuff?

We've taken one for our twins for last three years (were 5 this year). While I don't think they can handle the walking without whining excessively just yet, I wonder what I'd do with all the other stuff we lug (lunch, snacks, drinks) when we eventually stop hauling the stroller.