Stroller Decisions!

[disneykidsince1970]

Hi all - we are going the week after April this year. Our kids are just turned 5 and 6.75. They are on the petite side.

Do they really NEED a stroller? No. But.. I am thinking that certain times fo the day/night, I (!!) might be very glad that we have it.

And so... any opinions on pros/cons of stroller usage at this age?

For Pros - should we consider single or double?

Thanks!!
65 days!!

[Jillirose]

We rented a double, and could wheel our kids, backpack, purchases, etc. comfortably around. Even when my daughter (oldest) was in 2nd grade, she would ride for a bit. Also, depending on crowds, you may be criss crossing the parks a lot using fast passes. It will be hot when you are there and the kids will appreciate some breaks. In my experience with two, if you have a single stroller, there will be arguments! I guess you can see that the stroller worked for us! I can't really think of any drawbacks except $$ but well worth the investment. :thumbsup:

[Terra]

My sons are 3.5 and 5 years old. And for our day trips we always take a stroller. But evening/night they are zonked out and can barely make it back to the monorail. Plus when navigating through the crowds at night, I like having them seated!

How long are you going to be there? If your going to be there for 4+ days, I'd actually consider buying either 2 cheap umbrella strollers or a basic double umbrella for under $100. The WDW double strollers are $30 a day to rent, so you'd be saving money by purchasing one. And like the previous post said, it's great to have just to lug stuff around!

We don't use strollers in our everyday use anymore, but all day trips like that we have too. Plus our oldest has some special needs and it's a must.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a magical time :)

[BrerGnat]

Skip the stroller and just take it slow. They will do fine. Even my younger son (5) who is pretty lazy did just fine in December walking around all week. And, we LOVED being free of the stroller. It's so much easier without one.

Just plan to take lots of breaks with sitting/playing to break up the walking around, and don't push your kids too far, especially at night. Keep their normal bedtime for the most part and don't expect them to be out until midnight walking around if they are not used to doing that at home.

[jodijo]

My kids are teenagers now but have been going to DL and WDW since they were 3 years old. I have never taken a stroller. We just go there speed. If they need to stop and rest, we stop and rest. If they are tired, we go back to the hotel and nap.

I guess you could say that I am anti-stroller. I just think there are too many in the parks and it is ridiculous. I remember about 3 years ago we were trying to walk through Fantasyland and could not make it because the entire walkway was covered with strollers. It was crazy! The CM's were apologizing to guests without strollers and asking those with strollers to please park them in designated areas.

Just my opinion, but if you can go without, I would. Just take your time and go at the kids pace.

[Gator]

We have kids that will be 7, 5, 1 on our next trip. We have a single and a double stroller. And we'd be crazy to take the single instead of the double. If they made a triple, I'd bring it. Kids are so much better at WDW when they can rest their little legs. Bring a double. It's a lot of trouble toting it on the bus system, but it will be worth it.

[wdwcarrie]

We are taking our son, who will be almost 3, for his first trip in August, and several folks advised us to go the umbrella route. It allows for the convenience of the stroller but is more compact/less bulky than the WDW strollers!

[ewasilau]

My kids were almost 3, 4 and 1/2 and almost 7 when we went last year. We brought a single umbrella stroller (worn, but a good brand) and took it with us daily but only used it sometimes. We thought we would rent a double while at Epcot but we didn't need it. The kids walked and the younger two (who were younger than your youngest) occasionally took turns in it. For MK in particular, hardly anyone sat in it - we just moved it around from one stroller parking area to another. You have to park a stroller in designated spots anyway, so you end up abandoning it for periods of time, riding stuff, coming back to it, etc. So I would not rely on it to hold your stuff as you can't leave anything valuable in it if you walk away from it constantly. I wouldn't bring one if I were you (also a pain, even folded, on the buses, ESPECIALLY doubles - we had brought one 3 years ago). If your kids are exhausted one day, rent one for that day. 5 and 6/7 year olds look ridiculous in one anyway!!

[disneykidsince1970]

Thanks everyone... I am thinking that our morning park adventures we will prob skip the strollers...

I think that we will spring for a double stroller for our evening adventure when we arrive at MK abt 6:30 and stay for Wishes. Myabe silly...but with all those people, in the dark, I want them right in front of me!! :D

[LoriSan]

my DS is 7 and I still rent the stroller. He is too big for a regular stroller, but the Disney strollers are so easy to push a bigger kid. He can either be a slow-poke or always running ahead of me, so it's nice having him contained.

[disneykidsince1970]

my DS is 7 and I still rent the stroller. He is too big for a regular stroller, but the Disney strollers are so easy to push a bigger kid. He can either be a slow-poke or always running ahead of me, so it's nice having him contained.

:thumbsup:That's what I am thinking!!

Some good points by someone else about always leaving it anyway and not being able to really store your stuff in it so... I think we will only do the stroller in the eve when I expect that they will want to sit, get tired and I want to make sure I know exactly where they are at all times!!

[Terra]

:thumbsup:That's what I am thinking!!

Some good points by someone else about always leaving it anyway and not being able to really store your stuff in it so... I think we will only do the stroller in the eve when I expect that they will want to sit, get tired and I want to make sure I know exactly where they are at all times!!

Yeah, that's the biggest time when I like one for my boys too. They fall asleep early anyway [by 8pm] so they can't even make it back to the TTC. And I'm like you too. Far to many people crowded in when leaving, and I'm paranoid about getting separated. Plus my SPD son becomes anxious if he's right in the middle of a large crowd like that. He begins to have an anxiety attack. But if he's in a stroller, I can cover it with a blanket so he can't see [by his request], and he is able to remain calm.

[sonamae80]

For our next trip, we will have our 5 year old, 23 month old and 5 year old nephew. We will be renting a double stroller for the length of our stay for the two 5 year olds and bringing our own umbrella stroller for the 23 month old. Granted, my brother tells me over and over again that my 5 year old nephew "will NOT be riding in the stroller" because he won't need to! But, I figured we'd better be safe than sorry! ;)

[mudpuppysmom]

Sounds like you have made your decision, but I'll chime in anyway.....With our older son -- we used a stroller with him up until he was 4 and we did just fine -- yes the pace was a bit slower, but we still covered a lot of territory each day (meaning we did a LOT).

Now with our younger son -- this past trip "mom of the year" here forgot the stroller in the garage!! So what did we do.......we went without basically! I called a relative who lives about an hour away and he went to a local thrift store and purchased us a full sized stroller for $10 -- cloroxed it down and brought it over to us.....we used it ONE day.....we found a family walking into MK with a little one who were going to rent a stroller and "gifted" it to them....then told them to pass it along when they were done! Yes, DS#2 who is just 3 might walk slower, but he can cover just as much territory as his brother did at 4, so what I'm getting at is YOU know your kids -- you know how much they can walk and if you know they are not going to make it all day -- then you get/take a stroller for them. If you are planning on taking breaks, just leave the stroller in your room until you return later in the day and then "drag" it with you!

[disneykidsince1970]

I called a relative who lives about an hour away and he went to a local thrift store and purchased us a full sized stroller for $10 -- cloroxed it down and brought it over to us.....we used it ONE day.....we found a family walking into MK with a little one who were going to rent a stroller and "gifted" it to them....then told them to pass it along when they were done!

I LOVE this!! :thumbsup:

[Terra]

I mean to post this earlier, but this is why we take a stroller:blush: I titled it 9pm on the Monorail!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=527940178354&set=a.527940043624.2017661.186300200&type=3&theater

[hcortina]

We will be going in nov, my dd will be 5 and ds will be 2 and there is no way I wouldn't bring my double stroller. There are many reasons, but the main reason is so I know where dd is when everyone is trying to leave the park at closing time, no matter how long we wait there are always crowds. Just makes life a lot easier, and my dd will def pass out by the end of the night. Have fun!

[January-2007]

We liked bringing our own stroller because we drove to the parks and often times would walk from our parking spot to the front entrance, and that in itself is a lot of extra walking for our two year old son. When we go next year he'll be 3 and we're not sure yet if we'll bring it or not. We haven't used it regularly around home in a long time but brought it along on vacation and found it especially helpful when he would have his terrible two tantrums. We found we carried him a lot too and I can't imagine doing that in another year from now. Hopefully we can forgo the stroller next year when he's 3. Good luck with your trip- tell us how it pans out!

[wiltsan]

Was very glad to see this post as I was just about to post, "To Stroller or Not to Stroller." We are long time Disney visitors with usually two trips a year for the past 10+, really know the parks, best routes etc and really go full boar throughout the day and early evening. We just booked a trip for late March and this is the first year I am considering not having the stroller for my 7.5 year old DD but I am hesitant. We put in long days and with the heat that we are not used to, the whole family gets tired by the end of the day, not to mention a little girl with little legs who could potentially be walking (or me dragging :() 7-9 miles a day. She is little for her age and can tire quickly but I think she is too big for the stroller (though, I know it would make everyone's life easier). I have kind of prepped her that we would not bring one and she says that she can do it but I can see the turnstiles/monorail/bus at the end of the day in my mind's eye.....so the question is - is there a stroller that can fit a 7.5 year old and am I crazy to consider it and not just make her walk? Last year, we got a city jogger from Kingdom Rentals (great service) but her legs were dragging. Guess I am torn between slowing down (which we do not like to do), her toughening up and making it fun for all. Segway? LOL!

[AmandaChan]

I know you can rent those city mini double strollers, and they hold older kids pretty well. I might buy one with our new baby coming and I have even thought about how when our son is 5 and our daughter is 3 we'll take the kids and that's the perfect stroller to take them in. I mean if they're on the petite side, and you don't might pushing the kids around then I say go for it. If you don't like it just don't take the stroller the next day. My now 5 year old nephew was 4.5 on our last trip and I convinced my SIL to get a stroller of some sort for him and I'm not sure how he would have survived without it. He would have never made it around the parks all day.

[disneynarula]

Once my kids turn school age it's no stroller for them! We take long walks every day so they can walk when we go to WDW. I hate to add the the conjestion of strollers at the MK.

If you child has special needs that is a different story but there is no reason a healthy school age child can't walk in the parks.

That being said we don't have really long days at the parks. If we know we are going to be up late for a nightime fireworks we take them back to the hotel for a rest. Otherwise we just take them home early and put them to bed.