We will be taking our 4 year-old to Disney World for his first trip in a few days - very exciting. Thanks so much for all the great information posted here. We are still undecided about whether to bring a stroller or rent one at the parks. What works best?

Bring your own. You'll appreciate having it if you have large hotel grounds to maneuver... of if your little guy is sleeping on the way out of the parks. Also, the rentals don't recline, some are jogger-style, others are hard molded plastic - so if your kiddo is wiped out from a big day, it's not a very comfortable napping place. I also love having my stroller at the airport (I gate check it so I can use it all the way to the plane). I don't lose Max in the airport and I can handle my bags better that way.

Is it a pain to have to check it at each attraction? Is there somewhere where you can check a stroller for part of the day?

Is it a pain to have to check it at each attraction? Is there somewhere where you can check a stroller for part of the day?
You don't really check them - you just park them in the designated area while you're in the attraction.

Also, the CMs will be 'rearranging' strollers quite a bit (especially if it's busy) so you might want to do something to your stroller to make it stand out so it's easier to find!

Good suggestion. Thank you.

We have usually brought our own and prefer that but there are downsides: getting on and off buses for one. You'd be surprised how impatient guests are when they see you and even if you have been waiting 20 minutes and were the first in line few people will hesitate to hop on while you are folding up the stroller (even if you are folding up at lightning speed). And once one person passes you everyone else assumes the same. I can't tell you how many times I've hopped on the bus at the end of the night and the number of people that passed me took up the last seats and I find myself standing with a pile of stroller bags and such ;P


The other downside is the end of the night after the big fireworks or night show. Trying to get through the crowd at MK main street is INSANE! If you have a rental, you can just abandon the stroller and all is good. This is probably my least favorite moment at WDW. People see the stroller and they just keep cutting you off so that you are at a virtual standstill for many minutes while you see the crowd rushing past you. And if you get bold and start pushing the stroller while in the crowd people get all mad at you for being so "pushy." If only they knew you'd been standing there while the last 100+ people went by.

I say bringing your own stroller is a good idea. A good question to add to that is what kind of stroller do you plan to bring?

I ask this because the first year we went, we took our "big" stroller and while it made our little one very comfortable, it was hard to get it folded up for the busses, etc., especially when things were crowded. But it also had great under-seat storage, which helped as well. (Was able to keep most of the stuff in there while folded.)

The next year, we bought a cheaper fold up stroller. (Not an umbrella one) It was smaller, lighter, and cost about $40. While it worked out a little better, it nearly did not survive a week at WDW. (Took it back.)

This past year, we got another medium-sized sroller that folds up so small and is so light, I can sling it over my sholder with the attached strap. This one was the ultimate winner and a great choice for the World. Price: about $70.

In essence, the type of stroller you bring can make a big difference in how it performs and how it transports.

My other tip would be to get a balloon or two for it so that you can pick it out out of the stroller parking areas. And I always make it a point to put a custom nametag on it that says my name, and cell number.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the helpful information. I hope I wasn't one of those impatient people without children who pushed pasted strollers before I had my own. Maybe on a bad day, but likely not at Disney.:fez:

I have a fairly small stroller but not strap - that sounds helpful.

Thanks again!

When our son was younger, we always took our own stroller - and rented a car so we wouldn't have to deal with it on the busses and could come and go as we pleased. On our trip to WDW last Dec, our son was 4, and we decided to let him walk until he got tired and rented a stroller at that time. I think there was only one time that hubby had to carry him to the tram, and then from the tram to the rental car because he was sleeping. It worked out well not having to lug the stroller around when we really didn't need it.

Now we have our baby daughter as well. When we were at DL a couple weeks ago, we brought her big stroller, along with the Baby Bijorn front pack. When my now 4 1/2 y/o got tired, he sat in her stroller while I carried her in the pack. It actually worked out really well!

I'm probably too late for the OP, but I noticed last week that they sell umbrella strollers at Once Upon a Toy in DTD for $40. Unfortunately, I don't know what brand they are, but I think they came with a carry bag/strap.

We are back from our trip. Our 4 year-old had a ball and can't talk about anything but going back.

We decided to pick up an inexpensive stroller when we got to Orlando. We got one at KMart our first day for about $15 - very basic umbrella stroller with a canopy. It was sufficient for the times we needed it - but didn't look that comfortable the one time my son fell asleep. On our third day it disappeared at the MK. It was parked for a while at the stroller parking area outside of IASW, and when we went to pick it up after the parade it was gone. It wasn't in lost and found. The next day the stroller rental at Epcot gave us one for free when they heard what happened. We wound up having a stroller when we needed it, and given the circumstances I am glad that we didn't bring our own.

I saw strollers for sale in front of the gate at MGM, but did not see what they cost. They were Kolcraft and were more sturdy than the one we bought.