I have a Bone to pick

[maggiegrace1]

Ok, so since this seems to be the "stroller" discussion post. We're going in December of this year. My DD will be nearly 3 (and walking since 8 months old), and we're consider not bringing the stroller with us to the parks. We've got a nice framed backpack for her to jump up in when she gets tired, and she is going to want to walk / run most of the day anyway.

So, my question here to any parents would be, are we insane to think this will work? We're going to bring our umbrella stroller with us, but plan to leave it at the resort until we've decided that our backpack plan is not working. Are we dreaming too big here and should we just bite the bullet and bring the stroller with us on day 1?

I would bring the stroller..it is a lot of walking for someone so young...even with breaks

 

[zurgandfriend]

LOL! "In my day we didn't have television, and movie pictures! In my day if you wanted entertainment, you had to stare at the sun until your eyes burst into flames! And that's the way it was, and we liked it!"

Whenever I start a rant like that my DS always counters with, ya Dad in your day you had to ride a dinosaur to school.

 

[misterID]

Back in my day we didn't have video-games! We just sat around and watched a potata' bake! That's the way it was and we liked it!

 

[trr1]

I would bring the stroller..it is a lot of walking for someone so young...even with breaks

same here plus get a harness for her like this and if you dont use the stroller you can use it to carry her stuffed animal you buy

 

[maggiegrace1]

same here plus get a harness for her like this and if you dont use the stroller you can use it to carry her stuffed animal you buy

Yeah..I am not a fan of those..I will use the stroller..

 

[sshindel]

No offense to those that use the harness, but I'm just personally opposed to leashing my kids. Just a personal choice, no judgement to anyone, I swear!

My mom tells me that when I was a kid she spent days hand-making a harness for me for my Disney trip, and the moment she pulled it out, I was so uttlery offended at the thought of the harness, that I behaved from that moment onward and never set foot away from them.

We don't plan on having her walk all day for sure, and expect her to spend a good portion of the day up in the backpack. I think since we get in at around noon on day 1, we'll try it out without the stroller on that day, being a short day, and see how crazy we are. I just find that even now she pretty much refuses to sit in the stroller, and we've done full days at theme parks closer to home.

 

[David S.]

Couple that with people not wanting to stop and smell the roses (so to speak) because it's not "fun". Just for kicks you throw in the parinoia factor - that touring a park is akin to a 90 day safari in the bush, and you have (as somone mentioned) people using the strollers as rolling supply carts for snacks, hand sanitizer, a change of clothes, water jugs, toys, first aid kit, etc. Maybe Dinsey could allow people to hire real Sherpas in AK.

I may be in the minority but I find the longer my day is in the parks, the more likely I am to savor the "little things" and "smell the roses". Because on a full day I know I'm going to get my rides and attractions in, so I'm more likely to go at a slower pace and savor things more. I guess I should be thankful that I'm in really good shape and I enjoy doing the Rope drop - close type of days without getting too tired, and also take time to savor the design details and "smell the roses".

I've notced the "Sherpa" phenomonon you referred to! Personally, I LOVE traveling LIGHT as a feather in the parks and can't stand carrying things around. This makes it easier to be on the go all day!

The only thing I bring in the parks with me are two 3 inch by 4 inch ziploc bags, both of which fit comfortably in a locked velcro or zipper pocket. One holds my AP, Drivers License (in case there is an issue scanning the pass and they need Photo ID backup), and any FP's I aquire during the day. The other holds my car key, a sealed extra contact lens in the unlikely event one falls out, and enough cash for food, snacks, and any souvenirs I may want to "impulse buy". If I buy anything during the day, I send it to package pickup and pick it up on the way out (I love that service, and it's FREE!)

When I enter the parks, I pick up a Times Guide and put it in a different pocket, without a lock, so I can easily reference it throughout the day.

I don't even carry a cellphone! (Too bulky for my taste, and I don't want the outside world intruding on my escapism!)

I love the "free" feeling of not having to lug things around, and having my pockets feel light, with just the two thin Ziploc bags locked safely in them.

Of course, I do realize that my solo visits make it easy for me to comfortably do long days while traveling light, and that people in large parties, especially with young children, will need to carry more than the barest of minimums.

 

[EaglesfanNJ]

Yup, in this day and age, kids are as lazy as ever.

I have to blame cable and video games.

So wait...........you blame cable and video games for kids being as lazy as ever. However, you don't blame the parents who are responsbile for putting said cable and video games in front of their kids? If the parents monitor the TV watching, and don't buy the games, then the problem would not exist.

 

[jakeman]

Dave has a good point.

A little off topic, but we are taking our son for the first time (he is 11) in October and plan on doing as much stuff as possible.

Given that he is 11 we will be going from rope drop to kiss goodnight and attempting to see everything possible. This is something my wife and I have never done in our hundreds of visits to the parks.

The wife and I have gotten to the point that just a few hours in the parks is good enough per day for us. We've tried to stay but get "bored" mid-afternoon having completed everything we wanted to.

It will be interesting to see if there is truly more than one day of activities at each of the parks if you complete everything.

 

[graphite1326]

When I was 7 my parents took me to New York City. Talk about walking. You ever walked one of those city blocks. It was 1964 and we went to the Worlds Fair. Talk about walking, WDW is a piece of cake. No stroller no leash. My parents didn't even consider packing a stroller. LOL Were they invented yet?

Yes I do remember Small World & COP.

 

[kaos]

The Great Stroller Debate continues....


Here's my deal on this stroller thing-

My 7 month old likes his stroller, but only AFTER we put him in the bigger forward facing version. Even in shopping carts, he turns himself all the way around to see where he's going, not where he's been. Having said that, he'll be 11 months old when we go to WDW. We have a cheap little umbrella stroller that we're bringing that folds down to nothing, and he will not be in the stroller on the busses, monorails, or boats. That's just rude. In fact, most of the time, he may not be in the stroller at all. Given that he's not even a year, he cannot yet walk. My wife and I both feel that by the age of 3, he shouldn't need the stroller in WDW, but if he's too big to carry during that inevitable afternoon snooze, he'll probably have a stroller. But once he's 5, he's on his own 2 feet!

I carry all his stuff in a backpack, and when we're out in WDW, I use my Camelback. My big problem with the people and their strollers is when the kid/kids are walking and jackets, toys, shopping bags, etc... are what is in the stroller. The big debate that we're having now is to "Backpack Buddy" or not...

 

[tonganprince]

Yeah..I am not a fan of those..I will use the stroller..

My sister in law bought a cheap umbrella stroller when she got there and used it for the duration of her stay, then threw it away. I believe it was cheaper than even renting one for a day.

 

[kaos]

No offense to those that use the harness, but I'm just personally opposed to leashing my kids. Just a personal choice, no judgement to anyone, I swear!

The "Backpack Buddy" is the way we're leaning, and it's not so much to control the behavior as it much as it is making sure that my son doesn't have a "lost parent" issue. As it is now, he's in control of my life, so why not let him be the one who controls where we go at WDW? And, the nice thing about the backpack buddy is that the "harness" comes off and he has his own backpack to lug around his snacks in.

 

[kaos]

My sister in law bought a cheap umbrella stroller when she got there and used it for the duration of her stay, then threw it away. I believe it was cheaper than even renting one for a day.

That's what we're doing as well... unless of course it survives the trip. They're $20, but you can actually get them free sometimes at Babies R Us with purchase of diapers or other goodies taht you need anyways...

 

[devoy1701]

My sister in law bought a cheap umbrella stroller when she got there and used it for the duration of her stay, then threw it away. I believe it was cheaper than even renting one for a day.

seriously. They're like 20 bucks at Babies R Us!

 

[fillerup]

Wow - 4 pages of posts and no screaming, name calling, or accusations of insensitivity.

Must be a record.

 

[Evil Genius]

I must say afte reading this entire thread that I find people allow such incredibly trivial matters as strollers and ECVs effect them.

It's the people pushing said strollers that cause the issues...not the strollers themselves...that's like blaming cars for tailgating and causing wrecks rather than the drivers.

As to those bringing up the "Jeep" strollers. I know when we took our six-month-old daughter back in '04 we used a LARGE stroller and had all the gear to go with it. (diapers, changes of clothes, formula, etc) but it was a necessity! It wouldn't all fit easily in a backpack.

Hell I get frustrated with the strollers too! We've used them with our kids up to the age of six (theey're all small for their age) and even when I was using it I got tired of people running into me with theirs...it's matter of courtesy more than anything.

I won't get into the ECV issue...as I come to it from a very different angle and I don't wish to get on that proverbial soap box.

 

[UberPlannerMom]

Last year we spent our summer vacation in DC for a week. We did a bunch of the museums, the white house, the pentagon, the capitol building, the mall, arlington cemetary and just some general meandering. We had to have walked just as much as we will at Disney, if not more. For example, our day at the white house we got off the metro 9 blocks from the white house, ran the 9 blocks so we wouldn't be late, did the tour of the white house, then walked three blocks to a white house souvenier place, followed that up with a 16 block walk to a different metro station (I was so ready to smash my hubby over that one!), had a three block walk to the museum we were going to, did the huge museum, walked five blocks to find somewhere hubby would eat, etc., etc., etc. They don't allow strollers in the capitol or the white house (possibly the pentagon too) so we decided that we would do the week with no stroller. Oh my goodness! I thought we were going to die. Our son was three, almost four, at the time. It was unbearably hot and when he got tired we would have to carry him while he slept in our arms. Let me tell you, I would have given anything to have a place to sit him while he slept! WOW! Even our then nine year old started taking her turn carrying him at times! Finally the last day was at National Zoo and we rented one of their strollers for the day. He would get in and out of it as he needed it and wow what a relief it was! Amazing! We aren't going to use a stroller to be lazy, we are going to use a stroller to keep us from being miserable from the extra body heat! Of course, we will really need it this trip since being pregnant means the hubby would have to do all of the carrying!

 

[ssnyder4]

We went last Thanksgiving and got the sit and stand for our almost 2 year old and a little over a 5 year old...it was fantastic...both can walk and are healthy, but think about how tired your feet are at the end of the day. Then consider that for every step you take they are taking at least 2...I don't think this is promoting laziness by child or parent...

Also, I can't imagine letting my kids walk down MSUSA after the fireworks...I would have them in the stroller to prevent them from getting lost. People aren't looking out for other kids, they are looking for the bus, the last shopping stop, etc...I can only imagine how many kids get separated from their parents if even for a moment or two. I don't want that happening to my family.

Everyone is talking about what it was like when they were kids at WDW...the crowds are insane now compared to what they were back in the day. You probably weren't waiting in line at hour or two at a time for a week at 4 different parks...we only really had MK at the time so you can't really compare the two.

Lastly, strollers suck, but it's part of life at WDW. And if people wouldn't stop walking in the middle of the street it's pretty likely that they wouldn't have strollers running into them from behind. If you need to stop move to the side, find a bench and get the heck out of the way.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Well, that does nothing for people bringing their own.


Having thought about this some more, I think it also stems from a variety of reasons. Economy, expansion of WDW, and the general mindset of people.

With the current economy, people want the most bang for their buck. That means touring the parks from rope drop to kiss goodnight. That means seeing as many attractions as possible. Of course WDW is much bigger now, it takes longer to see all 4 parks plus DTD, water parks, mini-golf, etc etc. However vacation time has not become larger. People still get so many weeks of vacation per year. So now you are trying to cram much more into the same period of time. Couple that with the instant gratification, go-go-go, bells, whistles, and lights, (and also paranoia) mindset of the current generation and you have a perfect storm of stroller use.

People don't want to let junior sleep in for a bit, go to the parks, take a break on a bench with a cold drink, see some more, go to the resort for a rest, come back later, and then go back to the resort at a resonable bed time for the kid. They want to see it all. Go, go, go!!! - of course your kid is going to be tired. Couple that with people not wanting to stop and smell the roses (so to speak) because it's not "fun". Just for kicks you throw in the parinoia factor - that touring a park is akin to a 90 day safari in the bush, and you have (as somone mentioned) people using the strollers as rolling supply carts for snacks, hand sanitizer, a change of clothes, water jugs, toys, first aid kit, etc. Maybe Dinsey could allow people to hire real Sherpas in AK.

Really though, people are the best judge of what their kids can handle. However if your kid can't handle something, you need to also ask yourself why they can't handle it. Maybe you are pushing them just a bit too far.


-dave

First trip this September with an 2 year old. We plan on early morning, good lunch time naps, back for an afternoon visit and early evening bedtime like usual at home (7:30 or 8pm). We know our limits and dont want to make her life, our lives or the people around us miserable. It is a lot for a 2 year old to take in.

LOL! "In my day we didn't have television, and movie pictures! In my day if you wanted entertainment, you had to stare at the sun until your eyes burst into flames! And that's the way it was, and we liked it!"

Those skits were awesome!

Yeah..I am not a fan of those..I will use the stroller..

For a split second I thought about one of those for my parents to use this Sept while Sam and I have a date night... but then, after that split second, I would rather them hang at the resort then put one of those on my child.