Stroller or not?

[Witchy Chick]

I initially was not planning on a stroller rental for our upcoming April trip since our kids are 7 and 6. However, since we may be having a couple of late(r) nights in the parks (until 10, 10:30pm) I don't want to take the chance of having to carry my tired 50-pounders out of the parks. Any stroller advice (for or against)?

Does anyone know if you can still get "boogie boards" from Kingdom Strollers to attach to a single stroller? I'm not seeing anything on their website. Thanks!!

 

[Schneewittchen]

I had a pair of crummy umbrella strollers for my then 3 and 5 year old last year. Was so happy to have them when the kids started passing out around 9 - 10 ish. I have every intention of bringing them again for my 4 and 6 year old this Spring.

 

[BigHero4]

My advice would be to not bring your own, let the kiddos walk (make sure they have comfy shoes), and if they need a break duck into CoP or HoP for a rest. Or sit out at Casey's and watch the world pass by for a while. If they need to sleep, you can rent a stroller in the park and keep the Magic moving.

 

[Witchy Chick]

Well, I wouldn't be bringing my own as we no longer use strollers for them in every day life. Disney, not being "every day" life however....... LOL

I was looking at Kingdom Strollers (that we've rented from before). A single would be $40-$45 total for our stay, and a double would be $65. A Disney single would be $39 if rented multi-day ($13/day for 3 days) and a Disney double (multi-day) would be $81. The Disney strollers would have to be turned in at the front of the park (and we might end up carrying kids to the bus), and a KS rental we would take all the way back to our resort.

We also have mid-day breaks planned to go back to the resort for naps and pool time so the kids might not be as tired as I am worrying about.

Thanks for the input!

 

[DrummerAlly]

For me, either pushing a stroller around with a kid who should be walking or pushing an empty stroller around all day wouldn't justify either the cost or the inconvenience of having a stroller for kids that old. If it were me, I'd skip the stroller all together and make sure we get back to the hotel before real exhaustion kicks in.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I initially was not planning on a stroller rental for our upcoming April trip since our kids are 7 and 6. However, since we may be having a couple of late(r) nights in the parks (until 10, 10:30pm) I don't want to take the chance of having to carry my tired 50-pounders out of the parks. Any stroller advice (for or against)?

Does anyone know if you can still get "boogie boards" from Kingdom Strollers to attach to a single stroller? I'm not seeing anything on their website. Thanks!!

It depends on your daily schedule. If you were touring from rope drop to 10pm, they would no doubt be on their "last legs," if not asleep, by the time you leave.

However, it sounds like you're stopping for naps in the afternoon and not returning to the parks until the evening. In that case, there's no reason that able-bodied kids of that age would need a stroller. We've done the, "tour from rope drop to lunch, naps until 3, back to a park from 4 to 9pm+" schedule since our kids' first visit to WDW at ages 4 and 6, and we've never used (or needed) a stroller.

 

[SAV]

When my kids were that age we toured the park from open to after the nighttime shows, never went back for a break and they were able to both walk the entire time. It was rather nice to not have to worry about a stroller. Kids are tougher and more resilient than you think. Especially if you are going back for mid-day breaks. I'd say just go without and you can always adjust on-the fly and rent one in park if absolutely needed.

 

[PhilharMagician]

When my daughter hit 5 she was done with the stroller. We were at the parks open till close with a sit down TS dinner which offered her a break. She was tired at the end of the day, but it was not a problem. Good sneakers and wearing socks helps.

If they just fall flat from all the walking then rent a stroller towards the end of the trip to give them a break.

 

[jaklgreen]

We have been taking our kids since they were 1&2 years old. Stopped taking the stroller at 5 and they did great. At parks like MK, it is not as much walking as you would think. You walk to a ride then sit on the ride, then walk to the next etc. I see no reason to push your kids or yourself with a go go go touring style. Especially if you have been before and/or planning on going back. Being tired and worn out does not make for a happy person or happy vacation. We would make the kids sit down on the bench for a few minutes every hour or so and give them a snack and a drink and use the restroom. If you just take it slower and take the time to sit and relax then you will not have any issues with them not being able to walk back to the room. Plus my kids did not want to get in a stroller at that age saying they were for babies.

 

[RandomPrincess]

Every family is different but we just did 3 days at Uni/IOA with a 4 and 6 year old no stroller and it wasn't bad. Our park days were 9 - 8 though. We haven't used our stroller in over a year and our kids are used to hiking up to 7 miles in the real world. Since you have breaks built in I think you will be fine.

Check the height and weight on the stroller rentals make sure they can handle the weight of your kids and they aren't going to crammed in because they are to tall. Pushing 100 lbs in a stroller can be a pain as well.

Also take in to consideration having to push around a stroller everyday. Folding and unfolding every time you take a tram, boat or monorail. Finding the stroller parking area and coming out of the ride having to find your stroller in the giant sea of strollers (it never seems to be in the same place you left it) and then going to the next ride and repeating. Also most shops and restaurants will be having you leave the stroller outside as well, if it fits at all.

Personally after 2 trips to WDW with a double stroller we were so happy to ditch it this trip. In the end though only you can make the choice what is best for your family.

 

[kimberlymautz]

I'll be heading down this fall with my daughter who will be five during the trip. I plan on bringing down an umbrella stroller with us, but I'll be leaving it in the room for the most part. I figure if we have a few days in a row at parks she'll probably get tired and eventually we'll end up wanting it, and I'll be kicking myself if I don't have it. We spend enough time in Philly and I plan on having some more long days between now and then to essentially train her to handle the walking, but she'll be five and there's really only so much she can take.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We became a stroller free family about 2 months before my younger daughter turned 5...so, as an older 4 year old. The reality, while it's a lot of walking...there's also a lot of sitting in attractions and standing in lines...which is not nearly as exhausting as actually walking all day. Case in point, we spent something like 5-6 hours at the zoo last week - which is all walking (minus lunch) and that wore them out more than park opening to fireworks/evening EMH in a Disney park. In that first stroller free trip, I watched for warning signs that we might need to slow our pace by stopping for a quick snack (i.e. a small sitting break) or find a show that would require us to sit for a bit. I kept in park stroller rental as an option in case we really needed it, but we didn't. The girls are now 7 and 9 and we still use a similar approach...well, except that we no longer look at stroller rental as an option. If they're that tired at these ages, we're done in the parks and call it a night.

 

[jaklgreen]

I watched for warning signs that we might need to slow our pace by stopping for a quick snack (i.e. a small sitting break) or find a show that would require us to sit for a bit.

This!!! My hubby and I discuss how we see so many kids on the verge of a meltdown at WDW and the parents are clueless. They are not paying attention to their kids and just dragging them along and the kids are miserable. I cant tell you how many times I have seen a little one crying and saying they have to go to the bathroom and the parent is just brushing them off. We always stop and sit down with a snack every couple of hours and go to the bathroom BEFORE we get in line for a ride. It is just simple little things that make a huge difference between a happy vacation and a meltdown. It all comes down to being observant of your child.

 

[Bryan Slater]

Instead of renting a stroller I suggest bringing yours. Airlines allow strollers free of charge and it saves a ton of money instead of renting. That's what I do. Plus if you don't have one you can buy one for less then it would cost to rent one. But if you definitely are renting check outside Disney for rental strollers has they are much cheaper on prices.

 

[glvsav37]

No Stroller??!!! But how am I going to lug my 4 changes of clothes, portable cooler, resort mugs, sunscreen, cell phone charger, professional level camera gear and snacks I snuck out of the buffet in the morning????

Forget the kids.....I NEED IT!!