Hello Ladies,
We are going to Disney World in September and I currently have an Easywalker quatro stroller (single, for my 6 month old). It's a little big and doesn't fold down very small. A few of our friends have suggested that we get a smaller umbrella type stroller or even a double stroller that will accommodate our 5 year old as well. My problem with that is, the easywalker is such an amazing stroller, very easy to push and maneuver, lots of suspension and air filled tires. I am not a fan of those tiny plastic tire strollers. Also, my son will almost be six and weighs over 55lbs, most of the strollers that I have researched have a max weight limit of 45lbs. I don't want to spend a ton of money another stroller but friends have said that getting on and off of trams and things like that will be difficult with a big stroller and that it would be best to have somewhere for the big kid to crash too. We have never been to Disney World before so I am lost! We will be there for 10 days!
Please let me know of any suggestions, what worked best for you? Do we deal with the stroller we have now, buy an umbrella and make the big kid walk or get a double?
Any other ideas or suggestions are welcome! TIA!!!
An almost six year old really does not need a stroller. You are going to be
there for 10 days. That is a long time. So if he is tired, you can take
breaks and go back to hotel. As far as the little one, umbrella strollers
work best. Small and compact. Easy to maneuver thru crowds, unlike
the big ones. The strollers Disney rents are very good so either one, but
leave the big one home. You will be glad you did.
Don't take a stroller rent one there. It is so much easier to get around on the transportation if you don't have a stroller. If you must have one you just want an umbrella one for the little one cause they are hard to get on and off the buses and trams going from park to park.
I would either rent there, or find a sit n stand style one on craigslist. Your older one will most likely walk for a good part of the day and can have the option to sit when a little tired. I say find a used one becuase you dont want to pay full price for only a couple of days of pushing it.
I strongly recommend a stroller for each child! We love our city mini. We have that "comfy" stroller and then take one nicer umbrella type stroller. The umbrella can fold and hang from the handles of the city mini. Our girls (ages 2 and 5) love the city mini. We do 10 day disney trips and love having the option of strolling the girls (you move much faster this way!). Also, if you rent a stroller, you won't have it when you leave the parks (meaning you have to carry 2 tired often sleeping children) AND the must have backpack...and anything you've purchased that day (unless you're staying on property and have purchases sent back to your room)! Oh, I would leave the huge stroller at home....it's much too difficult to get on and off the buses!
Feel free to message me if you want more disney advice! We LOVE disney!
Do yourself a favor, and rent the strollers they have there! So many people have told me how great their strollers are they glide on air even if you have an 8 yr old on one side and an infant on the other. There isn't much effort in pushing those strollers even if they are carrying a lot of weight. and you don't want to be working out in the hot sun of florida while on vacation.
I would just bring your single stroller for the baby. We picked up a larger-type stroller at a local thrift shop actually (lucky find!) for $10 and used that for our daughter when we went to Disney last year, when she was 3.5. She wasn't in a stroller any longer at that point but it really came in handy at the park when she was tired and/or we wanted to get someplace quickly and we didn't have to worry about losing her in a crowd. Folding and unfolding it on the trams and monorail was not that big a deal. We donated it back to the thrift store when our vacation was done. I also appreciated having the basket down below for bags and camera. They do have strollers to rent at the parks if your son suddenly seems to need one, but they are around $15 a day.
If you are going to Sept, start getting your son used to lots of walking now. Spend the summer walking longer and longer distances every day to every other day so by the time it is time to go, he will have built up some endurance. When we took my husband's sons to Disney when they were 6 and 7 (and probably barely weighed 50 lb each) they had no problems walking with us - they kept right up and never complained about getting tired (but then they were hungry all the time!). Last month we were at Disneyland in CA - not quite as big, but still a lot of walking. Daughter is now almost 5 and she walked just fine. They have a train that goes around the park with 4 stops so sometimes we used it just to give her a break and make it easier to get to the other side of the park rather than walking more.
Get the Unofficial Guide to Disney World - they come out with a new edition every year and it's always proven to be invaluable to us! Especially when it comes to planning how to hit the rides and do the most while minimizing waiting in line!
We've been to Disney twice with our kids who are now 6 1/2 and almost 4. The first time we took our sit and stand. At the time, DS was 14 months and DD was 4. She could use the small seat or stand. While it worked, it was not the easiest to push. The next time, I looked into renting a city mini double. For the cost to rent for a week, I could get a used one off craigslist. So that's what I did...get a used one off craigslist. It holds up to 100 lbs, has a great full shade and reclines far back. At the time, my then 5 year old did about 1/2 walking, 1/2 riding. Disney is a TON of walking, it can be hot and there can be waiting (say for a parade). It was welcome to give her a break when she needed it.
I've been to Disney once or twice a year for the last 10 years and when I had kids at your kids ages, the GRACO double stroller was the best! Forget about umbrella strollers or counting on your big one walking, it'll make for a miserable experience. I suggest you go to Once Upon a Child or another store that sells used kids' stuff and buy a Graco double stroller that they both can seat on, the back seat reclines flat, you can put the baby car seat in the front. The space underneath is great for storing stuff too. Don't get a tandem as it's too hard to navigate through stores, crowds, etc. It folds quite easily and can fit in smaller car/SUV trunks or in the trams at the parks. My youngest are now 8 and 6 so we rent the doubles if we are only going for a day or two to the parks, but before that the Graco was a life saver! the Best wishes and God bless!
Scrap bringing your own I LOVE the Disney strollers you can rent! They turn on a dime, they hold all sizes of kids, you don't have to mess with constantly folding your own up to take on the monorail, busses and boats that really end up just getting in the way. After I rented one and realized how amazing they really were, I'll never bring my own stroller to Disney again.
I really like the City Mini. We have a city micro, which is similar, but in the mini the seats recline and in the micro, they don't. My son is about 45" and 47 lbs and he is comfortable in it.
DOUBLE CHECK with Disneyworld BEFORE you go if you decide to rent a stroller. Disneyland recently stopped renting doubles and they only have single strollers available. That said, if you take the Easywalker that you love for the baby, you might be ok renting a Disney stroller for your five year old.
I definitely think you will want a stroller for the big kid. My son is ok without one if we go for 3-4 hours (which is what we usually do), but he gets tired if we're there any longer.
have a fun vacation!!
The last time we went my daughter was 2.5yo and hardly used the stroller at all. Actually it was a fight just to get her in it she walked everywhere. I would not get a stroller for an almost 6yo, he can walk. I also would not rent a stroller from Disney for the 9mo. They are just the typical plastic strollers that sit up and do not allow the child to lay down. If you want your 9mo to nap at all I would bring your own. Use the stroller you have now, you'll be happy you did.
Being that your son will be almost 6 when you go I would just get him used to walking more now so he doesn't require a stroller. Then rent a stroller there when you go for your little one, they're great! If you require one for times you're not at Disney World I would buy an inexpensive lightweight one to take and use, something you can use for short jaunts when you get home.
I would rent a single stroller at the park. No reason at all for a 6 year old to use a stroller. Why would you want to push him around the park when walking is good for him? Ten days is a LONG time. I would have been hitting my head against the wall by day 5. (possibly I could do 6 days there without kids).
we just got back from Disney World last week. We took our combi side by side, so compact & lightweight, best stroller ever.
Does your 5 year old still ride in a stroller any other time? If not, I would suggest to just let the 5 year old walk. We took my son to Disney last year and he was about 2.5 years old. We took a stroller the first day and then never again. He did not want anything to do with riding in the stroller. In fact, we have never really used it since then. We were there with my nephews who were almost 4 and 5.5 at the time - they did not use strollers anymore either. If the kids get tired, just find a place to sit and rest for a bit, or go back to your hotel for a while. No need to spend 8 solid hours in the parks, you have 10 days to cover all the ground, and you can leave and come back as much as you want. Oh, and my advice is to figure out the "speed pass" system at Disney ASAP when you get there. You can avoid waiting in major lines which will make it easier on you and the kiddos. We would go in the morning and get speed passes for everything we wanted to do, and then plan our day around what time we had the passes for. It worked out really well. Have fun!
no stroller I know of will accommodate your older child. If you feel he will need something (there is a lot of walking) I would bring a wagon. but I have never been to disney world so I am not sure how well even a wagon would work with the trams.
When my older son got to big for strollers we did a buddy board for a while. it is a small board that attaches to the back of your stroller that the older child can stand on. My son loved it! But I got it in the UK, so I am not sure where you can get one here, maybe online?
