Would we be absolutely insane to bring our Graco?

[PatricenPete]

We are going to WDW in September for 10 days. We have a full size Graco double stroller that we use for our infant and our 3 year old. It is a big stroller and very heavy, but it has all the space we need. It can accomodate our 4 year old if we need it to and we can wear our baby in the Baby Bjorn. It has a great storage basket, two cup holders and is an all around really strudy stroller.

How much of a pain in the butt is it going to be lugging this thing on and off the buses? Are people going to hate us? :lol: How many of you have brought your big doubles? I read all the time about everyone bringing their lightweight doubles and want to hear about some of your experiences bringing a bigger double.....TIA!

 

[LWatson]

I am looking forward to seeing answers on this because I'm trying to decide if we should bring ours in Dec or not. I will have a 4yr old and 2yr old and I have a side by side easier to push, but no storage and the 4yr old drags his feet on it. Then I have the Graco Duo Glider w/ the storage just a little more diff to push and a lot bulkier.

I did though see a lot of the doubles like ours in Feb, but we took our side by side since we didnt have the GDG w/ us at our parents at the time (We took a vacation during vacation...LOL).

 

[Belle4mygrl]

Years and I mean years ago when the older 2 were little, we took our huge double stroller. I never regretted taking it. Although, we stayed off property.

I wouldn't care if anyone hated you. You have to do what is best and comfortable for you and your children. It is your vacation too.

 

[HGD24]

Bring whatever you think is going to be most comfortable for your kids. Their all day comfort is far more important than a few minutes of possible hassle and eyerolls on a bus.

 

[PrinceCharmingsMom]

Absolutely bring your stroller! I have a Graco and its a single but I wouldn't go to ANY park without it. I love my space and holders and I have a HUGE carbiner clip I got at Home Depot that I use to hold daily purchases unless we do package pickup. We see Graco double strollers there all the time. Take and use what works for you. Make your life and vacation easier not harder trying to use something you don't want to!

 

[clc053103]

Unless you have no intention of ever getting on transportation beyond the monorail, I would leave it at home. I wouldn't want to lug a Graco on and off a bus. Nor do I think by any stretch that they are the easiest strollers to push and steer- I don't care how big the basket is!

 

[LisaNJ25]

I have a double graco and did not bring it. My kids turned 2 and 3 during their last trip. I did not want to deal with lugging it off and on the susses. We went with 2 nicer umbrella strollers and loved it.
Also remember you are not guaranteed a bus seat.. so hubby could be standing holding that stroller.

 

[daleswife]

Who cares if everyone hates you? I have brought my big InStep Safari stroller for the past two years and am gonna take it again in september. Its big and bulky and heavy and I dont care. Its perfect for our family. Heads up, ask the driver if you can enter from the back of the bus where they load the wheelchairs. I did that for our whole trip last year and am gonna do it again this year.

 

[lissawynn]

I debated about taking our Peg double last summer. We drove and had plenty of room for it. However, I took our two Maclaren Triumphs instead for two reasons. First, the strollers are very light and can be broken down easily for the small boats to and from WL or a trip on a bus. The other reason I took the two single strollers was because each child had his/her own space. If one was cranky, there wasn't the added issue of "she's touching me", etc. Also, when I wanted to hit the monorail loop and do the shops, I was able to take our daughter, while my DH and son went back to the WL, each in his/her own stroller.
Do what you feel is best for your children. WDW shouldn't be the testing ground for stuff like new strollers.

 

[kevschickee]

I have a front and back double but I am renting a side by side graco and I could care less if people hate me for it lol. I want my girls to be comfy.

 

[LWatson]

Okay have any of you all ever flown w/ the double? I'm flying next week to TN from TX and have a layover (and again on the way back 2wks later). I'm wondering if they are okay to gate check. I'm doing this flight alone w/ 2 kids so anything to make my life easier would be great.

 

[4forMe]

Okay have any of you all ever flown w/ the double? I'm flying next week to TN from TX and have a layover (and again on the way back 2wks later). I'm wondering if they are okay to gate check. I'm doing this flight alone w/ 2 kids so anything to make my life easier would be great.

I've brought my Graco double stroller for our last 3 trips. It was always gate checked at the airline (Southwest).

OP, do what's comfortable for your family. DH and I argued last year about bringing it. He felt since our youngest was 5 we would no longer need to. I was adamant that we bring it. It ended up being the right decision. Yep, I didn't care what people thought about having my 5 yr. old in a stroller when he was tired. The 2nd seat we used for our soft sided cooler, snacks, souvenirs, etc. However, we stayed offsite so we didn't have to deal with lugging it on the buses.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[mom2meiko]

we are going in january and will absolutely be bringing the double graco! it won't be the easiest to carry on and off the buses but we want the kids to be comfortable and able to nap in it if needed.

as for anyone else - while we won't go out of our way to be a problem we aren't going to apologize for bringing a stroller of any size to disney! we don't expect special treatment because of it but we don't expect to be flamed for it either.

 

[hsmamato2]

No flames please....I;'m a mom too! But I HATE those huge strollers on busses. there is NO room for them,as they don't fold down small,and they are SO hard to deal with,I've watched many families struggling and just wonder why? If you need that much kid carrying capacity,you need a car,believe me, dragging your kids and all the stuff you've jammed into a huge stroller out for the standing room only bus ride back is NOT fun. If I had one of these big ones,I'd rent a car.
When my kids needed them,we had a small foldable type for our own sanity.
this is IMHO- and I love the cute widdle babies riding in the monster sized strollers with 42 cup holders,but not the strollers themselves!

 

[TisBit]

We took (and will take again) our Graco double stroller. Yes, it took up some extra room, but no big deal. It really doesn't take long to break it down or load it on a bus (much shorter time than most people that have ECV's and people that just don't take their kids out of the stroller till they get to the door of the bus).

We actually just left it outside if we went in stores, etc. Also, we found that we usually parked in the stroller in a land or area of the park while we did all the rides nearby, then came back for it before moving on.

 

[mybabesuz]

I think it would be a giant pain on the buses.
They are sooo heavy.
What if the kids fall asleep?
I don't think DH can carry the stroller and a kid?
I think you will have your hands full big time.


Maybe you should bring a single stroller for the baby and rent one for the other two.
If you do bring it, sometimes you can ask someone in line to help you.
We had two single stroller and a 1 and 2 yo.
People offered to help us a lot.
Good Luck...

 

[mom2meiko]

thank you to the above responses. i read the same post and have been trying to find a way to formulate a response that wouldn't bring me down to that ridiculous level. you both responded well and i agree with what you have said!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Well here it comes from someone who has small children (but not stroller age anymore) and never took a big bulky double stroller.

Why should I care if you bring one? Because they don't fit next to you on the bus, thats why. And when we are all crammed in at the end of the night and its standing room only, more than once the person who brought their double stroller thought it was OK to rest part of that bulky thing on me, because it wouldn't fit completely by him and there wasn't any room to rest it on the floor, because of all the standing people.

I told him to get his stroller off of me, nicely. And on this more than 1 occasion the person with the stroller got nasty with me. because according to them it was OK to rest the part of this stroller that didn't fit on his lap, on my lap. But that wasn't happening.

So to all you out there who bring your big bulky double strollers and say who cares its none of my business, well newsflash it is my business when you rest that big thing on me and expect it to be OK.

And to the person who said, if I don't like strollers I should rent a car , wow how incredibly rude. I'm not the one taking up an extra seat with my huge Hummer sized stroller. If you can't handle the stroller, leave it home! Its not my job to help you carry it because the bus is crowded, you have 2 sleeping kids, 2 diaper bags and 10 bags of sounvenirs. And if 1/2 your stroller is resting on my lap yea I'm helping you carry it.

 

[mom2meiko]

ok - so you disapprove of the full size double strollers - so your suggestion to those families traveling with 2 young kids (ages 2.5 years and 6.5 months for example) would be what?

 

[daleswife]

Well here it comes from someone who has small children (but not stroller age anymore) and never took a big bulky double stroller.

Why should I care if you bring one? Because they don't fit next to you on the bus, thats why. And when we are all crammed in at the end of the night and its standing room only, more than once the person who brought their double stroller thought it was OK to rest part of that bulky thing on me, because it wouldn't fit completely by him and there wasn't any room to rest it on the floor, because of all the standing people.

I told him to get his stroller off of me, nicely. And on this more than 1 occasion the person with the stroller got nasty with me. because according to them it was OK to rest the part of this stroller that didn't fit on his lap, on my lap. But that wasn't happening.

So to all you out there who bring your big bulky double strollers and say who cares its none of my business, well newsflash it is my business when you rest that big thing on me and expect it to be OK.

And to the person who said, if I don't like strollers I should rent a car , wow how incredibly rude. I'm not the one taking up an extra seat with my huge Hummer sized stroller. If you can't handle the stroller, leave it home! Its not my job to help you carry it because the bus is crowded, you have 2 sleeping kids, 2 diaper bags and 10 bags of sounvenirs. And if 1/2 your stroller is resting on my lap yea I'm helping you carry it.

My stroller sets on the FLOOR, not on my lap and if you would have read the post you would have seen that I said I stand by the DOOR to keep my stroller away from everyone. The fact that you dont like them doesn't mean I shouldnt bring them. Im not going to make my children suffer to make others happy. And the comment about renting a car, well lets just talk about that. First of all, it was said (in a different post) that those of US who do bring HUMMER sized strollers should rent a car. Why should I have to rent or take my personal vehicle just because you dont like my stroller. those buses are for everyone stroller or not. And You know that people will be bringing them and using the buses. Thats the way it is. Its Disney and Im not making my kids walk just to make others happy.