Stoller Situation

[juniorlilly]

We are planning our first trip to disney as adults. We have a 4 year old girl, have to have a stoller of some sort. Was planning to buy an umbrella stoller to take with, BUT I remember at our zoo they have rentable 3 wheeler stoller things. Does WDW have this? Is it easier to just bring my own? What happens with either one when we all go for a ride in the teacups or something else? Which one is easier?
Thanks



- sorry if this is on the wrong board - in my planning anyway??....

 

[metscool]

Disney does have a stoller like the one you are thinking about. It is easier to bring your own. You save a lot of money that way.

 

[Master Yoda]

A generic run of the mill umbrella stroller will run you around $20 at Wal-Mart. It will cost you $10 a day for a rental stroller and you will not be allowed to remove it from the park so it is much easier to buy one.

 

[Emerald Rose]

We've always brought our own strollers; however I have seen many folks rent one and it seems just fine. We just found it easier if you park hop to have a stroller you can bring from place to place. Also our stroller reclines which offers a place for naptime if you need that and sun protection. And a place to store necessary things like bottled water.

 

[GenerationX]

What happens with either one when we all go for a ride in the teacups or something else?

You park your stroller in the designated area next to the attraction entrance; there will usually be sixty gazillion other strollers already parked there. However, it's not too difficult to spot your stroller when you return. If you've rented a stroller, your name will be on a card attached to it. If you've brought your own, it will stand out next to the rentals.

Two other notes:
1. Your stroller may be moved by a CM while you're on the attraction.
2. Don't leave anything of real value in it.

 

[DisneyBride94]

I say DEFINITELY bring your own stroller... preferably something a little better than an umbrella stroller so that 1) it has a sufficient sun shade to shield your little princess from the Central Florida sun 2) it has a decent under carriage basket in which you can stash your extra gear (water bottles, snacks, camera) which otherwise you'll have to continually cart through the parks on your person. 3) most umbrella strolls start to get a bit small for a 4 year old...you want something that provides a decent foot rest and is comfortable enough for snoozing...she will almost definitely fall asleep in the stroller at some point during your trip.

We have three children, ages 2, 4 and 6... All three will be in a stroller for our upcoming trip--our six year old is savy enough to know that if he is willing to sit in a stroller 1) he'll get to more rides more quickly 2) he won't be as tired as his parents who are pushing him 3) his feet won't hurt 4) he won't have to worry about getting lost while he's looking here, there, and everywhere.

THe nicest thing about having your own stroller is that you get to take it with you when you leave the park... This is important when you have a sleeping child and have to get her from the stroller return to the bus which is located a quarter mile away. And it is also helpful when you have to get said child from the bus stop at your resort back to your hotel room a third of a mile away. When carrying your sleeping four year old, you suddenly realize they are no longer babies because they now represent a 38 pound dead weight in your arms! ANd they are awkward as hell to carry while you nurse a limp cause by a persistent blister on your big toe...and as hot humid air causes the sweat to drip off your brow and into your tired blood shot eyes.

We take a double stroller with dual under seat baskets that hold a lot of gear (rain ponchos, sunblock, hats, umbrella, camera, water bottles, bathing suits, a towel). We also take a single umbrella stroller.

Nobody will purposely steal your carriage--whether it be a personal carriage or a Disney rental. Cast Members may MOVE your carriage from where you parked it to keep things orderly outside of attractions...

We ALWAYS tie a colorful bandana on our stroller so we can readily identify it in case there are others that look similar.

If you board an attraction that your Disney rental can not go on (Like the train)...you can get another one at your destination. If someone accidentally takes your rental stroller, likewise. Your own personal stroller can be collapsed and taken on the train with you... (Or you can park it you are taking a round trip on the train).

With a 4 year old you may find you want to occassionally find a strategically chosen parking place for your stroller and then visit nearby attractions on foot...(For instance, in Toon Town). But most places have a stroller parking area specifically designed for this purpose.

HTH?

 

[ThumpersThought]

To add to what DisneyBride94 had to say:

I'd go with a better stroller than your low end umbrella... two reasons:

The parks (and resort areas) are huge -- you will do a lot of walking -- therefore the stroller will also move a lot.

1. a cheap stroller will be harder to push. This will wear down the the parents. The number of times I see an exhausted parent pushing a wobbly squeaky stroller up the monorail ramps...

2. I've watch many-a-stroller fall apart. Again, you'll be putting several miles on this stroller. The bigger the kid, the more the strain.

You don't have to go top of the line, but do get something that you don't mind pushing 20 miles. And yes, I've always brought my own.

 

[WaltzingMatilda]

Excellent advice, you all. We're doing a massive family trip in September and I was all about renting, while my sister has decided to bring her own. Then as has been mentioned, I thought about the walk from the park to the bus, and the bus to the room....bringing your own makes sense in the long run. I was going to get an umbrella stroller, but having read these replies I think my 4 year old(and myself) will have a much better experience with something a little more heavy duty. Thanks!

 

[ReallyBigKid]

I believe free stroller rental was included in the Magic your Way package w/ free dining.

 

[CoffeeJedi]

what's a stoller?

 

[WaltzingMatilda]

what's a stoller?

Cute!:lol:

 

[kal1484]

I believe free stroller rental was included in the Magic your Way package w/ free dining.

Where did you hear that at? I've never heard of free stollers, except for CMs...:veryconfu

 

[KimviG]

to rent or not to rent

I was also considering renting a stroller this time. We have gone 2x and brought our stroller which DS is currently growing out of. The only thing that is annoying about having your own stroller is when you get on the buses you have to fold yours up and it still takes up alot of space. I found that at the end of the night I ended up holding DS after all while waiting in line for the bus to get the stroller all closed up and all the things out of storage. Anyways I see that you can pay up front for the stroller at $8 for a single for however many days you are going to be in the parks and then save your reciept for when you get to the next park get the stroller there. I wish Disney visa holders would get free stroller rental like at DL (why do they have so many more offers than WDW resort?) then I would tottally go for it. Anyways If I decide to bring then I'll probably have to buy a new stroller unless I'm able to squeeze one more year out of this one.

 

[steveNJ]

Bring your own, it is much easier.
We bought a Combi last year before our trip to replace the giant travel system. Best stroller ever!
Weighs only about 13lbs, folds in just about 2 seconds, throw it over sholder and off you go. Folds to almost the size of an umbrella stroller but has all the features of a larger travel system. Great for crowded DW buses so everyone doesn't get hit with your mega stroller. Great in stores, can just fold it up and carry, or move through narrow areas like an umbrella stroller would.

We were in and out of buses in record time, leaving behind the parents struggling with their mega strollers. You should have seen the looks of envy :lol:

This is close to what we bought but not exact:
http://www.barebabies.com/cocodxstke.html

and no i don't work for them, I'm just that impressed with it

 

[Gravydeen]

My vote is to rent

Unless you are going to buy a new stroller, you run the risk of yours breaking in some way with all that walking. One trip to Disney can use up the life of a normal stroller. So I would not start out with one you have been using for 6 months already. It's really easy to suddenly get a very annoying squeeky wheel or one that will not roll right. Then again I guess you could just go rent one at that point and throw you other one away. The cost of renting verses buying a new decent stroller is probably not that much. So I would not let the money be the dominant factor.

My vote is to rent. We have gone on trips and rented and brought our own. I think it depends on your child. If the child is young enough that they need to recline and sleep, then bring your own. If they are a little older, and they are too heavy to carry, then the trip to the bus or car can be handled by the child just walking for a minute or two. I remember having to quickly fold down our stroller then still hold our child and then sqeeze onto the bus. That alone could put quite a stressfull cap on the end of the day.

I know how many people feel about strollers on this board so I will not try to create too much of a fight. My advise is to use a stroller as long as your child will let you. I don't feel 6 or 7 years old is too old. If you want your child to last 8-10 hours for multiple days on end, put them in a stroller. They will be less cranky and still get plenty of exercise waiting in lines.

 

[mrtoad]

We have done both, bring and last time rent. It is cheaper to bring your own but a pain bringing it on the buses. If you don't mind spending the money to rent and you don't need it for the resorts just the parks, I would say rent. It made our life much easier during bus travel. If you rent for the length of stay rather than day by day, they give you a price break.

Either way brnig or rent, they are good to have with you. It is a ton of walking and could be the difference between a cranky kid and a non-cranky kid.

 

[PoohB]

We went last month and had bought a brand new umbrella stroller for the purpose of our trip. And, of course, it sat in the living room while we went to WDW. Don't ask me how you forget something as important as a stroller but I did. Anyway, we ended up renting and found it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We ended up getting a double for my daughter, 4, and her cousin, 6, to share. It was $18 a day I think. It did have alright shade and plenty of storage. At least for us, but we didn't have anything like diaper bags or any big stuff. The girls did nap in it just fine. It is not a nice reclining stroller but it was alright. I actually liked not having to fold it up to get on buses and trams. It really wasn't hard to keep track of. We only lost it once when it was moved and as soon as we asked a cast member working sith the strollers he helped us find it no problem. Both sides of the debate have good points but IMHO after doing both, for a toddler, I think I actually prefered the renting.

 

[juniorlilly]

Thanks everyone!! *funny*stoller*

I can see that everything has the pro's and con's! Right now we only own one of those mega stroller systems - that do not fold up compactly and are pretty heavy as well. So I didn't want to bring that at all - but does has the awesome driveablility- with one hand etc.

Our off-site hotel does have shuttles/busses to the park so that would be the times we would be using them if we don't use our rental car instead and park ourselves.

With us going to visit universal-seaworld-and cape caniveral? and ripleys- it probably is worth it to invest in the nicer stoller - that I can use again later at our home activities as well- circus etc. Since I will need to pay a minimum $8 a day if we rent. Makes sense..and that light weight one looked like the way to go.

Thanks again!!!

 

[peemagg]

I have to add a second vote for that Combi stroller. I bought one this year for my sister to use with my niece instead of her big stroller. My sis is not that big of a girl, so the one she has is tough for her to pick up and handle, especially since she is now 5 months pregnant with twins. It is a great stroller for quick trips, but I do like my tandem stroller for long days. It has two seats that are in front of each other and when I lay the front seat down, there is room for my niece to stretch out comfortably to nap.

When we take the kids to Disney in about 1 1/2 years, we will be bringing both strollers. We will need them for 3 kids under the age of three.

 

[Chape19714]

Please keep in mind as a courtesy to the Cast Members. Please do NOT lock your stroller, be sure it can be easily moved. Cast members may move your strollers so that they are closer to the exit.