question about where to park stroller

[bellebuzz]

dh and i will be going (first timers) in 10 days!!!! woot woot!
our dd and ds will be in a stroller that we plan to rent at the park entrance but my concern is with all the crap i will have in the stroller how do i make sure its safe when we are both on the rides with the kids? i know someone mentioned there is a parking spot for strollers at rides...is that true? are they safe? obviously money and camera will be on dh and i at all times but diaper bag and etc... will likely be in stroller. any tips or advice on what to do or expect?
thanks!
bellebuzz

 

[RiversideBunny]

You will not have any trouble spotting where to park strollers at the rides.
There are many of them. Thousands, millions
They are taking over the earth.

Like anything else, don't leave valuables lying around and don't forget your kids.

Be aware that you are joining an infamous group know as the 'Stroller People'.

Have fun.

 

[devoy1701]

dh and i will be going (first timers) in 10 days!!!! woot woot!
our dd and ds will be in a stroller that we plan to rent at the park entrance but my concern is with all the crap i will have in the stroller how do i make sure its safe when we are both on the rides with the kids? i know someone mentioned there is a parking spot for strollers at rides...is that true? are they safe? obviously money and camera will be on dh and i at all times but diaper bag and etc... will likely be in stroller. any tips or advice on what to do or expect?
thanks!
bellebuzz

lately it seems like you can just drop your stroller off anyway and not think twice about it! :brick: :fork:

in all seriousness though, you will see signs that saw "stroller parking" where you should park your stroller. Please just be courteous of those signs and try to make sure you're not parking your stroller in a bottlenecking area if there is no designated stroller parking nearby. There is nothing worse than when the strollers take up more room on a walkway than the path that people are following!

have a great time! :wave:

 

[Master Yoda]

Like Riversidebunny stated it will be pretty obvious where to park your stroller but do not be surprised if it gets moved while you are away from it. The CM's managing stroller parking have to try and keep the place organized and that typically means moving things around from time to time. As far as leaving things in the stroller just use common sense. Take things like purses and cameras with you but everything else is pretty safe. In nearly countless trips with a stroller I have never had anything go missing including cameras.

 

[heartodisney]

dh and i will be going (first timers) in 10 days!!!! woot woot!
our dd and ds will be in a stroller that we plan to rent at the park entrance but my concern is with all the crap i will have in the stroller how do i make sure its safe when we are both on the rides with the kids? i know someone mentioned there is a parking spot for strollers at rides...is that true? are they safe? obviously money and camera will be on dh and i at all times but diaper bag and etc... will likely be in stroller. any tips or advice on what to do or expect?
thanks!
bellebuzz

Oh you will see where to park them..just be careful of those of us that do not have one! :lol:

 

[erstwo]

There are no "secure" areas to park your strollers. There is usually one Cast Member per stroller parking area and their job is to keep the strollers in order (usually moving them into line - so much fun when you get off the ride trying to find your stroller - ESPECIALLY if you rent from Disney! :hammer:.) They won't be able to know which of the 100 strollers across from It's a Small World is yours or if someone else is messing with it.

BUT we've never had anything taken from our stroller in 5 trips over the past two years. There are a few stories of people having their things stolen or even the entire stroller taken , but they are very few. In general, I take our camera and DH keeps up with our Key to the World Cards (all you will need in the parks - they are your room key, your credit card ~charged to your room~, and your meal plan card - no need for cash.) We've never had a problem. We leave the diaper bag in the stroller.

Have a great trip!

ETA - Since this is your first trip - You might consider renting from Orlando Stroller Rentals instead of Disney. Cheaper and better strollers in my opinion. You will have to take the stroller back to your room each night though.

 

[Rob562]

Bring something to tie to the handle to make your stroller easily identifiable from a distance. As others have said, don't leave anything valuable/irreplacable inside. And don't chain/lock it to benches or fences like you see once in a while. :lol: (Though that's typically people bringing their personal stroller)

And when walking in crowds, be mindful of where the front edge of your stroller is in relation to people walking in front of you. You don't want to become one of THOSE stroller people...

-Rob

 

[tizzo]

Pretty much just echoing what others have said, but two basic rules of thumb:

1. Don't leave anything behind that you can't bear to lose. Noone is "guarding" your stroller, and there's no stopping someone who decides for whatever reason that they want to steal whatever is in your stroller.

2. Don't panic if you don't see your stroller where you left it, as CMs do indeed move them. Just look around and you'll very likely notice that there is a heavy concentration of strollers in one place and few if any in the location where you left yours. This means a CM took all the strollers and put them in one place, and that is where you'll find yours.

 

[Duke of Disney]

You can't miss where to leave it. My niece would not get in the rentals they had, so he had to buy a "Jeep" stroller to make her not cry. I guess the brown plastic non-padded stroller wasn't to her liking!

I saw tons of them with purses, backpacks etc. in them unattended, but I like to think at least while people are at Disney, they would refrain from stealing - since everyone is just there to make it through the park and have fun!

Have a great time, take time to slow down and relax while you are there if you can!:sohappy:

 

[SAV]

Have you considered bringing your own stroller instead of renting one? The rental ones are OK, but they don't have much storage and are REALLY EXPENSIVE. They don't look to be that comfortable either.

As it has been said, you will know where to park it and don't be surprised if it is moved. The CM's are there to reposition them to improve traffic flow.

And the biggest thing to watch out for are the ignorant people who are in a hurry and just cut in front of you and then look at you like you did something wrong when they get their ankles bashed. You need to watch out for THOSE PEOPLE.

 

[raven]

Just leave it in the middle of a walkway like some guests do.

 

[Dwarful]

In really busy areas like Fantasyland it is easier to park your stroller in one area, do that section and then move the stroller. It is way too much trouble to move the stroller from Winnie the Pooh, to Snow White, to Mickeys Philharmagic, etc,

Note that in some areas like "The Land" at Epcot strollers are not permitted inside the building, park it outside in the area where all the signs (and all the other strollers) are located.

Finally, please don't wait until you get to the entrance of a line ride to unload the stroller of your child and belongings, while blocking the entrance for everyone else. This just adds to everyones frustration level.

We have brought our own, and we have gone the rental route (esp. when the girls got older and it wasn't needed every day). We have always left things behind while on the ride, obviously nothing super important. Although on Christmas Day 2004 our youngest left a lanyard full of pins in the seat of the stroller while we were enjoying a big family Christmas dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. By the time we got through the mob of people to where the stroller was parked, we were happily surprised to see nothing had been taken! Obviously don't be too tempting to others, but a diaper bag or backpack will usually be left alone.

 

[Rob562]

One other minor thing I just remembered while reading someone else's comments, specifically about Kilimanjaro Safari. It's the one attraction where they will actually tell you to bring your stroller into the queue with you. There is a CM stationed at a drop-off point about 3/4 of the way through the queue where the CM will take the stroller from you and park it in the stroller area. This area is near where you get off the safari.

And while we're in the area, you might want to consider leaving the stroller parked while on the two walking trails (Pangani Forest in Africa and Maharaja Jungle Trek in Asia). They'll let you in with your stroller, but they can be a burden when you get to viewing areas, and some of the pathways get pretty narrow and the strollers are an impediment to other Guests walking along.

-Rob

 

[EpcoTim]

On top of another guest, preferably one that is without stroller.

 

[BigB911]

Do not rent a stroller!!! It is so much cheaper to purchase an umbrella stroller from Wal Mart, and leave it behind at WDW, than to rent one every day for a week.

Most likely, you'll need a stroller at the airport, too. If you bring a stroller with you, it can be gate checked, and brought back up to you when you disembark the plane.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Make sure you have access to tug boats and a pilot to allow the Nimitz class stroller smoother access to all the attraction entrances.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Everyone has good tips, but I'll just add that there is a school of thought that says most stroller "theft" at WDW is just a case of mistaken identity. If you rent from Disney, you will have the exact same stroller as a thousand other people in the park that day and it's possible people will get confused. Try to think of a way to personalize your stroller to make it more obvious that it is YOURS. On my last trip, I bought the red umbrella stroller that they were selling in the parks and I wrapped Livestrong-type bracelets around the handles... just something that will make your stroller different.

 

[nicnic]

I agree with marking your stroller, especially the WDW ones, lots of guests have their name laminated and tied to the stroller with bright colours.
Even better take your own, umberella strollers are easy to get around disney busses, boats, monorails. We take ours and have no problem, its also alot more comfortable for the child, those Disney ones are awfully hard.
Also dont forget to take a cheap poncho to cover it over whilst you are on a ride, if it rains it will be kept dry.

 

[Master Yoda]

One of the best markers for you stroller is one of those orange bike flags that you can get for about $5 at a bike shop. In a sea of hundreds of identical blue plastic strollers your's will stick out like a sore thumb. A balloon will work pretty well for this purpose to.

 

[riogirl]

You will see exactly where to park your stroller. My best advice is to tie a bright colored ribbon on the handle so when you get off the ride, your stroller will be easy to find. Sometimes the cast members move strollers to make room or organize, so make sure yours stands out! It works!