Opinions Needed: Stroller in Disney World?

Dont need it for a six year old. If she gets tired stop n sit for a few minutes. If you really think she must have one rent it at the park. Do you know what a giant pain a stroller is getting on buses boats etc.

I think the easiest thing is to rent it from the park. When we went with a 3 year old, we rented it right there on the second day. If I remember correctly, you can then leave it at the park and pick it back up later in the evening without paying again. I found that we didn't need it every day because she had the energy, if I was going for a long time, I would probably have rented every other day.

I know its a long day, but I don't know one 6 year old who would be caught dead sitting in a stroller. My son refused to sit in one past 2.

I took my son to Disney when he was about 3 or 4... We didn't use a stroller because I didn't want the hassle.. In the park, you ll see all sorts parked by the rides and in some cases, people have even left their personal belongings in the stroller... and in other cases, there is always someone sitting nearby and watching the stroller while others go on the rides.. I personally would find it a hassle to use a stroller..

We stayed at a hotel nearby and after about 4 hours in the park, we went to our place and took a rest and then headed back to the park.. MANY families do this.. you ll see that by afternoon, there are tons of kids asleep in their strollers but there are also families leaving the park to eat, freshen up and then they head back for the parade..

If it were up to me, I wouldn't rent a stroller. If your child is too tired to walk around, then that is a sign to head back to the hotel and rest up.. Also, Disneyland has benches all over that you can rest on along with eating areas that have lots of seating..

but do what you think is best for your child.

wait and see if you need one. but if you do then rent it from disney its only like 15 a day to do that and you get it right inside the door.

Our son did without a stroller since he was 4 yrs old.
They have boundless energy - the walking helps tire them out.
When they need a break - take a break!
Sit and have a cool drink or snack.
Also consider going back to the resort for an afternoon nap then go back to the park for the evening.
People rent strollers for kids that are too old and/or to carry all their stuff.
I was shocked when my sister rented a stroller for my 10 yr old cheerleader athletically inclined niece - it was flipping ridiculous!
If you need a cart to haul around stuff then you're carrying too much.
Everyone should wear their own fanny pack and carry their own stuff.

http://toobigforstroller.tumblr.com/

The stroller (or wagon) is really there to hold all your "stuff" you know, sweatshirts, water, sunscreen, etc. You keep your precious items (kid, camera, phone, $) with you at all times and the stroller spends most of the day parked outside the rides while you're in line, along with a thousand other strollers.
Besides, I don't know a single six year old who would be caught dead sitting in a stroller lol!
Even my youngest walked most of the day at age three, and when she sat down we ALL sat down, at a restaurant or on a bench (plus we took a long siesta at the hotel in the afternoon.)
Have fun!!!

My kids still used one at 6 . The ones from disney only though . They wouldn't be caught dead in a regular one . The disney one is easy to maneuver and is just a seat . It's great for the fireworks ! I would rent nod for magic kingdom and Epcot . Have a magical trip !!!!

I don't think you'll need one at that age. I stopped bringing one to Disneyland for my son when he was five and it was never a problem. My daughter is 4.5 and just did Legoland without a stroller (smaller park, but still had to be walking and on her feet all day).

If you do bring one, when you're on a ride, there will be a stroller parking area near the start of the line. Bring your valuables with you, but you can leave other stuff (sweatshirts, snacks, etc) in the stroller.

Finally, if I were you, I would plan not to use one, but then rent one in the park if I got desperate.

Rather than a stroller (which a 6 yr old may view as too "babyish") what about renting a wagon? That way she can still have a ride when needed, and a it doubles as a carrying tools for light jackets, a new stuffy of mickey mouse, and whatever else you buy. I've not been to DW for years so I don't know if they have restrictions on wagons or not. As for what to do with them, there should be a "corral" to park them for rides if I remember right. Don't leave anything in it you can afford to lose - renting a locker to put valuables in is always a good idea.

Have fun!

My kiddos haven't had strollers in the parks since they were about 5. Strollers are a huge pain to get through the crowds, you have to find a place to park them (and hope they are there when you come back), you can't leave items on them. (Don't get me started about the people that post complaints on Disney chat rooms about having their Coach diaper bag stolen WHEN THEY LEFT IT ON A STROLLER!!!).

We always try to plan for breaks in our day where the kids, and everyone will have a break from standing and walking. If you are using a dining plan a sit down restaurant will give you a much needed break.

We carry a backpack with water and a few snacks. Everyone takes a turn carrying the pack.

Have Fun!!

M

We just went in May for the first time with our kids. Our daughter is 6. It was a long day, but there is NO way my kiddo would have sat in a stroller. Even at her most exhausted. We never had to carry her. There were some slow strolls to the buses at 10 at night, but she was fine.

And they have stroller parking all over the park. It is a sea of strollers. I imagine you could spend a lot of time wasted dropping off and picking up a stroller.

I guess it depends on whether you think your child would want to/need to sit in a stroller. I know that by the time my kids were four they would not have sat in a stroller. They would have been terribly embarrassed to be seen riding around in a stroller. We never went to Disney, but when my kids were that age they had more energy and stamina than the adults did!

My kids were 4 and 6 when we went. We rented a double stroller from Disney. Our 4 year old used it quite a bit. Our 6 year old a little. She was really almost too big for it. But it was great to have when we got tired of carrying around our backpack and little stuff we seemed to pick up along the way. (Our backpack wasn't real big--water bottles, band aids, cameras, sunscreen, a few little snacks, etc. But I have back issues and after several hours it was hard on my husband too.) We used it more as a trolley for stuff than as a stroller for kids.

One of the nice things about renting at Disney is that we didn't have to schlep the stroller everywhere we went. We didn't have to get it back to our hotel room or get it in and out of our car.

When we went in rides we parked the stroller in stroller parking lots near the rides. We either took valuables on the ride with us, or one of us stayed with the stroller.

At six years old I would not get her one. When she's tired, sit down and rest and get an ice cream, snack, etc. If she were 4 or under I would say yes. When you are in line, one of you can hold her briefly or she can lean up against you and there's lots of sitting on rides and at shows. Have fun!!!

My son would not have been caught dead in stroller at that age. Walking is good for her. We did Disney Land (yes it is smaller) and California Adventure in one day when DS was 4. Never ever occurred to us to get a stroller. How about sitting down and taking a rest if she gets tired? There is stroller parking at every ride so that is not an issue.

Definitely get something. I vote for a jog stroller or a wagon.
The only problem with renting one there is getting the right kind or if they
run out.
Scope out the nearest big store nearby to your hotel & buy one there if
nothing else. You will most likely need it. Little legs get tired w/that big
spread out place. My youngest at 5 was super tired. We took a jog stroller
to get around fast when we had to get to the next ride AND for resting!
Total lifesaver.

Whatever you do.....get something.
Have a fun vacation.

When we went to Disney World, the kids were 4, 6 and 9. We rented a double stroller when we were at Epcot, because that place is huge. Even the 9 yr old sat it in at some point just to relax. I think we also rented one at the Animal Kingdom, but that was towards the end of the trip and the kids were tired.

I would wait and see. At least Disney has the option of renting strollers at the parks. I certainly would not want to lug a stroller around on Disney Transportation. That would be a pain.

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We started going to Disney when daughter was 2 and went every 2 years until she was 16. She is 20 now.

I might have had a stroller the first time at 2.

If I were you, I would wait and see. The Disney strollers are not that expensive so why pay ahead for something that you might not even use?

I do know when we were there I HATED the strollers because people would bump into each other, the exits to rides were cluttered with strollers, and over all it strollers make it harder to get around. Many people are so self absorbed with "their" trip that they forget thousands of other people are having their trip as well. It takes patience!!!

My daughter would have refused a stroller at 6 because she considered herself a teenager by then, LOL and tried to do everything like the big girls do.

If your daughter needs a break, find a bench and have refreshments.

Another option... if you were to see that you wanted a stroller and did not want to rent from Disney, take a cab ( I assume you have no car if you are flying ) to Target, Big Lots or something like that and get a cheap umbrella stroller. At the end of your trip, leave the stroller at the front desk for someone else who might need one.

We did that often with pool toys and when daughter did need a stroller. We fly everywhere so we would buy what we needed at the location and leave it for someone else.

What resort are you staying at? They might have options as well. We never stayed anywhere but the Polynesian, my favorite of the Disney resorts!

Every ride has stroller parking. Unless you decide to leave your wallets behind, no one ever needs sit out to watch the strollers.
I would definitely bring a stroller for her, to give her a place to rest/nap when needed, in case you have to get somewhere fast and tired little legs can't do it, even just to haul the backpack when your back gets tired.
We're headed to Disneyland in November and are bringing our small umbrella plus our big double BOB for our 6, 4, and 2 year olds. Personally, I'd rather bring my own, lightweight stroller than rely on a rental company.

We went over Memorial Day weekend with my son who will be 5 in September and my 9 year old son. My husband and I wore our fitbits as a JFF. In one day at the Magic Kingdom, we walked 11.5 miles!!!

We took our trusty old Graco - it carried our cooler and extra clothes for the boys. The 4 year old was in and out of it the whole time. We arrived at opening at 9am and left around 10pm when the 4 year old had fallen asleep in the Graco and our 9 year old was begging to sit down. He had walked the whole way. When we got on the ferry to return to parking area - my husband picked up the 4 year old so that the 9 year old could sit in the Graco - he fell asleep before we got to the other side - slept all the way to the car, transferred to car, to Graco to get into hotel and then to bed. Boy was I happy to have the good old Graco with us.

Good luck with your decision - maybe you do want at least a wagon. Keep in mind that even in November, it can be hot and you can take a cooler with drinks and snacks into the parks.

Cheers,
C.

If you can afford it, then I would do it. We have been to DW and DL multiple times with kids of all ages. This last time we had a 6, 9, 13, and 15 year old. We used a stroller some days, and not other days. We did good without it at the beginning of the week (we stayed 8 days), but by the end of the week, and one with the stomach flu, we needed that stroller and it held stuff, the 6 year old, or the 9 year old (he was the one with the stomach flu...and no we did not bring him into the park while he was sick, but when he was feeling better he was still so weak/tired).

That being said...it is so so so much easier without the stroller....no one having to go back to the stroller area to get it. But there are times it is useful. At this age there is no really good answer...depends on your child, what you bring into the park, how long your visit is, how long it is to get back to your room. It also depends on your vacationing style. We go go go all day at the parks...so they do get tired. If you are a bit more slow going, you may not need it as much. So I would get one...just in case.

It depends on your child, but a lot of kids (of all ages) get tired of so much walking plus the fact that Disney is VERY over stimulating so it’s nice to have a place where the kid can relax. It is also nice to have somewhere to keep your stuff like drinks, snacks, and jackets.

There is “stroller parking” all over the parks and there are cameras EVERYWHERE in all of the parks. You are being watched from the time you enter the parking lots. If something goes missing from your stroller it should be reported so they can find who did it. (I never had anything stolen from our stroller when we had one). They will move strollers if they are not parked in the “stroller parking” section so if you get off a ride and can’t find it they probably moved it.

There are many companies that rent strollers here in central Florida or you could just rent one if needed at the parks.

FYI: Disney does not allow wagons or anything that kids are pulled behind you. I think SeaWorld and Universal allow wagons, not sure.

Six is right on the line. I would wait and see if she needs one. If she does, then just rent it from Disney (I think the single is $15/day). Their strollers don't look like strollers--more like carts. They're also good for holding coolers, bags, etc. If you rent a stroller from a company, it's going to be a typical stroller and she may look really big/uncomfortable. Plus, like other moms said, hauling it from the hotel to the park will be a pain! And, there is stroller parking everywhere.