[amyohara]

I know you can rent strollers at the parks, but what about the resorts? Should I bring an umbrella stroller from home? I may want to walk to/from Cont to MK some days. (Is that a reasonable exit strategy for when everyone is leaving at once on an early closing day?)

Anyone with older kids: recommendation for combi or maclaren for lightweight folding stroller? My 4yo is 48" tall, too big for most cheap umbrella strollers. I understand the rentals at WDW are very large, but will I want one outside the parks too, for the boardwalk or downtown disney?

[CaraMia]

IMO, the Maclaren or Inglesina umbrella strollers are the best. Pricey, but worth it. My brother has a double graco umbrella stroller that he used when his daughter was 4 yrs old and the other 2 yrs old. It was adequate but it didnt have the features that our inglesina had. The Maclaren and Inglesina's have sun shields, recline all the way back, and have a basket underneath. Most umbrella strollers dont have all those features. We got an Inglesina on close-out. I believe it was the prior year's model and we got it for just under $100. Normally they run about $160. And the Maclaren's run a little higher then that.

I definitely would bring the umbrella stroller. As you know, it folds easily and you never know when you will need it.

[Cheryl]

I don't know - a four year old might not need one. My 3 1/2 year old never got in the stroller last year & when my daughter had just turned 4, she never rode in one either. Just a thought - to save you some money.

[llama]

It's been a long time since I had a four year old - but the parks are so big and that's so much walking for little legs, I would imagine that a 4 year old would be happy to ride sometimes.

[MissDisney]

We always found that 4-year-olds need a stroller. They get tired and crabby without one, and that will take some of the shine off the day for everyone! I think the strollers from home are especially important in the parks! At the parks, you will be confronted with hundreds and hundreds of identical Disney strollers -- hunting for yours is a pain! Also, when you leave the park you have to leave the Disney strollers there, which means your child still has to walk or be carried to the car or hotel! Once, we had the brilliant idea that our 5-year-old was old enough to make it through a day without the stroller -- big mistake! We made a beeline to KMart that night and got a new one for the rest of the trip.
Hope this helps!

[Aggie_10]

My Biggest regret on my last trip to Disney was not taking a stroller. The last time I went, we stayed at the Beach Club in a standard or garden room. It was a very long walk from the room to anywhere in our hotel including the lobby, restaurants, pool, arcade, etc. It was especially a long walk to the bus stop and boat stop as well as to the Boardwalk. I called the front desk to see if they had stroller rentals to rent at the resort. The people at the front desk said no but gave me a brochure with of an outside company that did but the prices were very high so I decided against it. This trip my kids will be 9, 5, and 4. I plan to rent in the parks for the 5 and 4 year old. I also chose the Contemporary resort due to being on the Monorail. We booked a garden room and someone on DC recommended requesting a room as close to the main building as possible so I hope that will help with tired little legs. I plan to also bring two umbrella strollers or something else. Even though my five year old is in Kindergarten, he wants to be held by me still sometimes. I am just waiting for my back to go out, and I don't want it to happen at DW:)
Good luck.

[jk8]

We took a stroller for our 4 1/2 yr old after recommendations from this board. I am soooo glad we did for many of the reasons already mentioned. DS was 42 inches and 45 lbs but we used the cheap Walmart $9.99 model.

[ddoll]

I know the first time my youngest went without a stroller (he was 7), he ended up complaining he was tired and his feet hurt every day. He insited he was too big for one then, but I did hear him telling another kid that it's better to ride than walk.

[JM0318]

My DS is 28 so it has been a very long time since I needed a stroller... but my advice would be to take a stroller... when my DD was little... she was in one off and on even when she was 6, she was small for her age, but it saved her little feet and my back.... and she enjoyed riding at times...ºoºJudy

[Disney6]

On our trip in June we took 2 strollers, 1 for our 3 year-old and 1 for our not quite year-old. The 3 year-old didn't always use it but even our 6 year-old took time in it after a long day walking in the parks. You will definitely need it within your resort since most of them are quite large to navigate.

[Dana]

My DD was six years old and I has to rent a stroller for her when we went in 2000. Not only did it help with the all that walking, it helped me keep her with me in the massive crowds of Easter. She's ten, almost eleven, and still whines about the walking....heck I want a stroller on some days.

[asp8tis]

When we went in June our DS's were 2 1/2 and 5 1/2. We took a double umbrella stroller and I don't know what we would have done without it. The 5 year old ALWAYS wanted to ride. That's a lot of walking to do, and you're doing it for several days in a row. Also, I think they're safer in the crowds (esp. after parades or fireworks) both being in the stroller. That way they can't wander away or get trampled. Renting at the parks would never have worked for us because there were so many times we used it when we weren't in the parks (around the hotel, water parks, Downtown Disney, etc.). I would definitely recommend taking your own.

[Pooh Fan]

I would definitely bring a stroller from home. On our last trip, my son was 5 and used his quite a bit. We would usually let him ride from one area of the park to another. For example, at Magic Kingdom, he would ride from the front gate to Tomorrowland. Then, we would park the stroller, ride whatever rides we wanted to, and then DH would get the stroller and DS would ride from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland and so on. In fact, even my DD who was 10 got in a few times because she said her feet were really tired. Also, it is much cheaper to bring your own stroller than rent one from Disney if you are staying for an extended time. We bought ours in 2002 for an 11 day trip to Disney and used it again in 2004 for another 11 day Disney trip, so it was a great $100 investment for us.

[karliebug]

My kids have used strollers until they were 6. Definitely bring your own, it's cheaper. Last year we bought a umbrella stroller at a flea market for $5. It was in great condition. We used it all week and when we left, we gave it to another family to use, requesting that they do the same. I wonder if it is still floating around WDW??

[amyohara]

How tall are the rentals?

We can't buy cheap umbrella strollers because DH is 6'4" and hunching to push a low stroller will destroy his back. I've read Maclaren's have the tallest handles (and are only 8 lbs!).