Stroller substitute for older kids

[MaryJaneP]

1. Can you imagine the problems if they had to park wagons in addition to parking the strollers? No room left to walk.
2. If you need a stroller, get one. Personally, we rented from WDW. We also chose not to go park commando and even us adults enjoyed a mid-day resort/pool break. As soon as the youngest could walk the park (4-5), we stopped stroller rental.

 

[Gabe1]

Disney does not allow anything that can be pulled behind you, wagons or pull coolers as example. They user tended to cut off people next to them or behind them.

 

[3Caballeros]

With my 5 year old, I would not go without a stroller. She can rest her legs and enjoy the sights. And it helps to get places faster than if she were walking.

I like our small stroller that has room under it to carry a small cooler and things. It is small enough to easily manage on bus and in crowds, too. I think when she outgrows it, I will still take it to tote the cooler and jackets. It is a great way to stow stuff while riding rides.

 

[minniemickeyfan]

Thanks. Any idea why wagons are not allowed? What about a wagon that can be folded down?

At the moment, I'm leaning towards an umbrella stroller. Mostly to save my back. My youngest WILL be pooped at the end of the day, and those long, rushed walks back to the bus will no doubt strain my already chronically sore back, while lifting her. My kids are not use to the hot/humid weather, and I can't recreate that at home, so practising long walks in those conditions is not feasible for me to do. Maybe I'll look for a cheap sit and stand on Kijiji, and it can be a reprieve from the walking every so often, while the front is used for bags.

Thanks for your constructive advice.

Just a few weeks ago I saw some kind of soft mesh wagon (sorry I wish I could describe it better) and I thought oh they'll have to take that back to their car. But later in the trip I saw the exact wagon in the park being used by another family. I'm not sure if it would hold 2 bigger kids or not though.
I like the idea above and maybe you can get them out for some walks before the trip.

 

[UberPlannerMom]

I have a feeling the wagons are prohibited because they are so low to the ground and are therefore a bit hard to see in a crowd. As it is some woman almost flipped my sons stroller TWICE on our way out of MK one night. I guess she just kept thinking there was an open spot in the crowd and not looking down at all. My son could have really been hurt had he not been strapped in and had my husband not been super quick on the counterbalance. Imagine if he had been just chilling in a wagon that has a less secure handle? Ouch!

 

[MickeyisMyBestFriend]

If you know they won't be to walk around Disney without a stroller I would recommend a lightweight, foldable one.

 

[Cmj267]

My kids will be 5 and 7 when we visit WDW for the second time. They've outgrowned the stroller, but I'm not sure they will be able to handle all the walking. Is there an alternative for this age group. A wagon would be ideal, but would no doubt be an issue with the buses. I need something that folds up.

Suggestions are appreciated.

Amazon has a double umbrella stroller that is pretty afordable. I really wish someone would make a folding bench on wheels for older kids to have a shady place to sit and to stow coats and snacks. Its not about not letting them walk. A safe, shaded place to sit and to store stuff is just plain practical for elementary and preschool aged kids. Good luck!

 

[popcenturylover]

Our last trip was in May of 15'. Our daughter was 6 & went without a stroller for the 1st time. She did really well. We did take a few more breaks than usual but, my older daughter & grandson were with us & she was pregnant. So, that gave us another excuse for extra breaks. I would try to go without a stroller & if you need to rent one or go to a nearby store(if you have a car available) & buy a cheap umbrella stroller.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Disney does not allow anything that can be pulled behind you, wagons or pull coolers as example. They user tended to cut off people next to them or behind them.

And yet I've seen both of them going thru security without incident. Perhaps Disney security should read its own rules.

 

[Gabe1]

And yet I've seen both of them going thru security without incident. Perhaps Disney security should read its own rules.

We saw a family (angry being turned away with a wagon last month) I know they make allowances for people with disabilities to comply with ADA regulations. They are tagged like a stroller used as a wheelchair etc for young, those can go into buildings like The Land at Epcot. Anywho\

Disney Theme Parks & Water Parks – Frequently Asked Questions

Q.

What types of personal items are not permitted inside the theme parks?

A.

You may not bring the following types of items into the theme parks:

• Wagons
• Skateboards
• Scooters
• Drones
• Remote control toys
• Inline skates
• Shoes with built-in wheels
• Strollers larger than 36" x 52" (92 x 132 cm)
• Suitcases, coolers or backpacks with or without wheels larger than 24" (61 cm) long x 15" (38 cm) wide x 18" (46 cm) high. Coolers required for medication may be stored in a locker or at Guest Relations.
• Any trailer-like object that is pushed or towed by an ECV, wheelchair or stroller
• Wheeled mobility devices with less than 3 wheels and devices that cannot maintain stability and balance when stopped, unpowered or unoccupied. Training wheels or similar modifications are not permitted.
• Alcoholic beverages
• Weapons of any kind or object that appear to be weapons (toy guns, toy blasters, squirt guns, etc.)
• Folding chairs
• Glass containers (excluding baby food jars and perfume bottles)
• Pets (unless they are service animals, defined as any dog or miniature horse trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability)
• Balloons and straws are not permitted in Disney's Animal Kingdom Park for the safety of our animals
• Tripod stands or monopod stands that cannot fit inside a standard backpack
• Wrapped gifts (all gifts must be able to be unwrapped for inspection)
• Selfie sticks (hand-held extension poles for cameras and mobile devices)

 

[EvilQueen-T]

I get your concern and you know your kids better than anyone. I had 2 kids who did great walking the parks by 5 and 1 who was just didn't handle the heat well and pooped out and wanted to be picked up or whined us to death after a full park day. She was also the type to drop off to sleep at 830pm no matter if we were on vacation or not. If they're not use to being out in the high heat with humidity like we get here in the summers it adds to the drag feeling. No one wants to spend half their day with an overtired hot sweaty kid wanting to be picked up in a long line. You could always still rent a disney stroller and while lots of people on here will have positive or negative opinions about that but it's your family, your money paying for your vacation, and your business. Unless your kids are overly big for their ages getting a double and letting them take turns or share it as the day gets later could work. They could walk as much as possible and use it as a back up/just in case kind of thing. If you skip using anything at all just think of how a vacation will work best for your family so does it work being in the park from 9am- 11pm or later. Does taking a mid day break help recharge everyone, or will they do well getting to the park early but finishing up at dinner time. You know your kids best and disney is a pretty pricey vacation these days so do what's going to work best for you and your family to get the most out of your trip with everyone smiling not arguing and whining.

 

[Phonedave]

Suck it up buttercup (what I told ours at that age) and when they are ready to take a break head back to the resort/hotel for a pool or room break, not when you get through the ride queue you are in but right away. Great time for a power nap for mom and dad too! Be prepared to make sacrifices and leave the parks when they hit the wall or they will make the stress level skyrocket for mom and dad!

Sometimes parents need to suck it up as well (OK, maybe not my first choice of words to use).

Having kids changes things,. As a parent you have to change as well. If your kids are too big to go into a stroller, yet cannot handle a 14 hour day at the parks, then you may need to cut back on the hours for a while. You may not like it, and you may want to go rope drop to kiss good night, but there are a lot of other things you are going to have to do or not do as a parent as well. My WDW trips with my kids have changed greatly over the years as they have aged. From trips in strollers, to walking and cutting days short because they were tired, to changing what attractions and parks they liked, to a bunch of other things.

Mine were out of strollers at a very early age, and for the most part did fine, but I did carry kids out of the park at closing on a number of occassions.

-dave

 

[EvilQueen-T]

I totally get why they don't allow wagons in the parks since you couldn't fold them down to take them on disney transportation but they would have been nice when my kids were in the 4-5ish age range.

 

[epcotlover888]

my 9 yr old cousin had bad blisters towards the end of our trip last year, so we rented a wheelchair

 

[BigRedDad]

We stopped the stroller at 5. We missed the rolling storage though. Best advice is to start them walking now before a trip so they can get use to it. Start by doing 1 mile and work up to 2 miles. It is not that much walking at one time at WDW, but it does add up. You will notice that they fatigue sooner so plan on doing things where they can rest. Ideas are things like Philharmagic, People Mover, other shows that are about 30 minutes or more.

 

[SAV]

What about one of these bad boys? It is a 3 wheeled mobility device...and also a cooler.

 

[Phonedave]

I totally get why they don't allow wagons in the parks since you couldn't fold them down to take them on disney transportation but they would have been nice when my kids were in the 4-5ish age range.

I think it has more to do with the fact you pull a wagon, as opposed to push it. Think about how you take turns when you drive a car when towing a trailer. If you cut a turn too tight, you clip the curb with the trailer. Same goes for a wagon. I envision people pulling a wagon through a crowd, where the person with the wagon passes somebody, and then makes a turn before the wagon gets past somone. That wagon is going to turn right into that persons legs.

People get hit enough with strollers when people can see the stroller in front of them. Imagine what happens when people are pulling wagons behind them.

-dave

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

You just need to do what is best for you. My 6 year old ran a 5k (yes, ran the entire way) but I still wouldn't expect her to be able to walk all day in the parks. I have a baby too so I need a stroller anyway. She takes breaks in it and I hold the baby. Strollers can be inconvenient, but can also be a convenience. I love having a place to put my stuff!

 

[PrincessL]

Our kids will be just shy of 3,5&7 years old by the time of our trip and we will be bringing our city mini double stroller by baby jogger with us again. This will be its 4th trip to WDW. The youngest will be in it majority of the time but it is nice to have the other seat for whoever needs a break or even a cat nap. At 5&7(above avg height and weight) they will still be able to ride in it. It is a model that is rented by the repritable stroller rental companies as they are all over the park. Like PP it depends on how you choose to tour the parks. But, to answer your original question if you think you need an option don't rule out the stroller since wagon is not.

Does DH get frustrated folding it up each time on and off the bus...yes! But to us it's worth it.

 

[RandomPrincess]

I went to DL for 3 days with my 7 year old (she's the same size as most kindergartners though) and we walked the whole time. Open to close. But this was also a trip focused on her so we were only doing the things see wanted to do and had a lot of fun exploring at her pace. She's also used to talking 5-7 mile hikes a couple times a year.