Strollers

[WDWspider]

OK, we finally decided not to try and rent strollers each day at the parks. We also decided that our current stroller was too big to try and lug back and forth.

We compromised and bought a nice $30 stroller (light weight, only the essentials, yet comfortably fitiing our son) and some attachments for cup holders and snack trays (ones that fit on the sides and out of the way).

Still I have these question:

Is it pretty safe to leave you stroller outside each ride?

If not, what precautions can be made to help verify our stroller will be there when we come back from something like the Great Movie Ride which everyone spends a lot of time inside?

We will have a backpack to store our valuables in and take with us on rides so that is not my concern, I just want the stroller to be there too. :lol:

I am going to SeaWorld and IoA too if that makes any difference.

At IoA we will have a non thrill rider with us so he can watch things most of the time for us there.

 

[goofyman]

You made the right chioce with buying your own. The ones at the park are ok but not great for the small ones who will spend alot of time in them and may want to nap. As for saftey, It's Disney, they are totally safe. it just may be a bit of a walk as to where you will park it and get on line for the ride..HAVE A GREAT TRIP!:sohappy:

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I have found that people are less likely to "borrow" someone's stroller if it is a personal one. They take the WDW ones constantly. I would suggest tying something like a balloon to it, so that you can find it faster though.

Pam

 

[Cheryl]

Good move buying the stroller...even if you get a few uses out of it, it's better than spending $7 per day to rent one. We take my son's stroller every year basically b/c he gets tired of walking (he's got those growing pains in his knees and constantly complains when he's tired) and wants to be carried so the stroller really comes in handy.

As for the balloon idea listed above, I'm not too sure that's a good idea. When we were down there in July, I saw about a 10 year old go up to a stroller and take the Mickey Mouse balloon off the stroller (no one said anything b/c we didn't know whether it was his family's stroller or not) but found out that it wasn't when the people came back for it and found their balloon missing. That kinda stunk.:hammer:

When we were down there and at the AK, it was raining and we put a poncho over the stroller so it didn't get drenched before going into one of the shows and luckily there was a CM outside the door who saw but someone tried to steal the poncho off the stroller to put on their stroller. It's not like we wouldn't have known that it was ours....we had Six Flags Great America ponchos which were bright orange so it stuck out like a sore thumb! Thankfully the CM was there to put a stop to our stroller fiasco.:lol:

So, remember to make sure you take your bag with you...you mentioned that you had cup holders...maybe you could put a sipper cup or something simple like that in there or perhaps tying a ribbon or something to it to help identify it. Just a couple of ideas.

Have a great trip!:animwink:

 

[Lilo]

My experience is that there are people who will take anything if it's not nailed down. I rented a stroller in MK, went to eat at Tony's, came out -- no stroller. Also heard another person complain of the samething, but it was there personal stroller

I was able to replace the stroller I rented because I had the receipt. But what about that person who had the personal stoller taken - nothing could be done.

 

[copper]

I never worried about my stroller in WDW. I had a double stroller (expensive)
and parked it everywhere, no problems. I always had my "stuff" draped on the stroller, except valuables, and trust me no one ever took anything. I've been to WDW 4 times with stroller and never a problem. I can see a WDW stroller getting taken especially one that doesn't have personal belongings on it. My girls are 8 now so didn't bring the double stroller on our last trip but I ended up renting a stroller in Epcot (a lot of walking). There is no shame in getting a stroller for older kids if its going to make the trip more pleasurable.

 

[Moustronaut]

Originally posted by Cheryl
we had Six Flags Great America ponchos which were bright orange so it stuck out like a sore thumb!

YELLOW MICKEY PONCHOS RULE!!!! :sohappy:

 

[Cheryl]

Originally posted by Moustronaut
YELLOW MICKEY PONCHOS RULE!!!! :sohappy:

Well of course the yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos rule but if you have some that you could use without having to buy them on property, why not use them!:hammer:

It allows you to spend more money on souveniors!:lol:

 

[RogueHabit]

We did the exact same thing, buying instead of renting. We worked out that we saved about $40.00 over the course of a two week vacation and that included the cost of a new stroller at about $60.00 or so.

It made for such an easy life to. No more carrying our youngster from the gates to the transport and at the MK we could walk he straight onto the lake crossing.

Also, travelling from the UK we were able to take her stroller all the way to the gate, drop it off with the checkin desk and collect it at the first baggage claim area after passport control at Orlando International.

In the parks it was much easier to find our stroller amongst the hundreds of park strollers and we always felt safe about leaving it parked up.

 

[gjpjtj]

Never had a problem with anyone touching our personal stroller. (Or anything in it). Just purchase one that folds easily, and can be carried down the narrow aisles of the bus, if that is part of your plans.

 

[WDWspider]

Thanks Everyone, you make me feel much better. A lot of your comments make good sense. And I didn't even think about the fact that we saved money by buying a stroller vs. renting. We were thinking more about convienence and not having to wait to get a stroller each morning, then return it at night.

Are their designated areas for strollers outside of most rides?

 

[Lilo]

Originally posted by spider-man

Are their designated areas for strollers outside of most rides?

Yes there are areas and they usually have a sign. If not, the CM's will help you. Have fun:sohappy:

 

[SewIn2Disney]

I remember reading a tip in a guide book on preventing others from stealing your stroller. Take a diaper and spill some root beer in it to make it look dirty. Then place it in a clear plastic bag and tie it to the back of the stroller. Who's gonna want to steal a stroller with a dirty diaper?:lol: :hurl:

 

[gjpjtj]

Originally posted by SewIn2Disney
I remember reading a tip in a guide book on preventing others from stealing your stroller. Take a diaper and spill some root beer in it to make it look dirty. Then place it in a clear plastic bag and tie it to the back of the stroller. Who's gonna want to steal a stroller with a dirty diaper?:lol: :hurl:

:lol: :lol: :lol: That's great!!!!

 

[Debbie]

Another thing I found to come in handy was we bought a stroller cover from the Right Start catalog. It fit perfectly over the stroller and was clear with strategically placed air holes, so baby can see where he was going.

 

[Erika]

Originally posted by gjpjtj
Never had a problem with anyone touching our personal stroller. (Or anything in it). Just purchase one that folds easily, and can be carried down the narrow aisles of the bus, if that is part of your plans.

That is SO important. I cannot tell you how many parents I saw last week struggling with large, heavy stollers on the busses. Many times the parents ended up standing and the strollers slipped away and struck other people's children- it's too hard to hold onto a bulky stroller and a handrail at the same time.

None of those parents looked like they were having very much fun!

Those with umbrella strollers whipped them around with no trouble and were able to hold onto them very easily, whether sitting OR standing.

I made a mental note that I would do as my parents did, and use an umbrella stroller for travel!

 

[WDWspider]

Originally posted by Erika
That is SO important. I cannot tell you how many parents I saw last week struggling with large, heavy stollers on the busses. Many times the parents ended up standing and the strollers slipped away and struck other people's children- it's too hard to hold onto a bulky stroller and a handrail at the same time.

None of those parents looked like they were having very much fun!

Those with umbrella strollers whipped them around with no trouble and were able to hold onto them very easily, whether sitting OR standing.

I made a mental note that I would do as my parents did, and use an umbrella stroller for travel!

We did not go Umbrella, too many minuses for us on those, however the one we did buy, fold up very compact and still has an overhead canopy and undercarriage, so we were very happy with it. It is very thin when folded up. We had the buses in mind when buying so Ithink we are ok. The stroller is very light also, another important consideration for us as well. I think we did the right thing, but Umbrellas were out of the question for us, we have one at home, but it is for city parks, or walks around the apartment, that sort of thing.

 

[Lilo]

Spidey have a MAGICAL time:wave:

 

[Invero]

I second that notion on the small, easy to fold strollers...

While, yes, the umbrella strollers are best, there are some nice small strollers that have all the storage, cupholders, and whatnot, but are still small and lightweight.

Do me a favor though... When you see the bus coming, fold the stroller then. All too often, I'll get folks wheel the stroller right up to the door... stop... block traffic... and take forever to fold the stroller. Or, they'll try to get on the bus with the unfolded stroller, and kid still in place. They'll ask, "Do I have to take the kid out?" to which I'll say, "No... but usually it's easier to fold without the kid in place."

I'm so evil :drevil:

 

[Dwarful]

Ok here is my two cents! When we went to WDW in May with five kids we let the youngest ride around in a nice comfy stroller. No one ever bothered it and it was fairly cheap. We also strapped the back pack onto the back of the stroller to hold ponchos, diaper wipes, diapers, snacks, sunblock, ink pens and autograph books! No one ever bothered anything the whole ten days we were there. I don't recommed umbrella strollers for small kids..they need shade and support that most umbrella strollers just don't offer. Ours folded small and was lightweight so it wasnt an issue on the buses. We also did rent a double stroller occasionally for the older two girls for Epcot and the long days at MK (night parades etc). We didnt even bother bringing the stroller home. We paid $35 for it on sale at Wal-Mart..cup holder, basket underneath, reclining seat and sunshade! Then when we were leaving All Star Movies I just approached a family with a small child and asked if they had a stroller and if not would they like this one? They offered to pay $20 for it because they were going to be there a whole week and had planned on renting one not knowing how large ASM was! So it saved us money and it saved another family money!
You know the thing that drives me crazy? No discount on strollers for on site guests staying for one week or more. Sure would be a nice little perk if I could pay once and get a plastic card to swipe..sort of like a ticket for strollers the way they work for multi day pass holders. One price for single strollers a higher price for double strollers. Just a thought!