Stroller help needed for Air/Land/Sea Disney Trip

[tee11]

Hello! We will be traveling with a 1 and a 4 year old. We are flying into Orlando, and staying for several nights at WDW (CBR), then going onto a Disney Cruise!

In the past we have used a single medium sized umbrella stroller (First Years Ignite) for the flight and cruise, and this has worked very well. I was going to do the same this trip, for the one year old...
but now I'm reading, that I will need a stroller at WDW for my 4 year old... plus my one year old might be not comfortable enough in the umbrella stroller which only has a small shade...

Should we bring our 'regular' stroller (City Mini) AND our umbrella stroller (for the 4 year old), or should we buy/rent/borrow a double stroller (like the City Mini side by side Double Stroller)?

I am concerned about maneuvering a double stroller through the airport and on the cruise ship... and storing it in our cabin!

So... what have other people done on a Disney Land and Sea trip with kids my ages?
Will be very grateful for any answers and insights!

TIA!!!

 

[mjkacmom]

I'd rent a double for WDW, and bring a single for the cruise. I don't think you need a stroller for the 4 year old anywhere except the parks.

 

[Muppetfan3]

You might be surprised about needing a stroller for the 4 yo on the cruise. We have cruised on well over a dozen cruises with our DD since she was 6 mo. A 4 yo cannot be expected to walk around on a big cruise ship the entire time (think about late nights, getting off the ship at ports of call, etc. and there are just those times that a 4 yo might be exhausted and need one). I think I would play it safe and bring a stroller for the 4 yo. While your double stroller is surely way nicer, you're right about being cramped for space in your cabin on the ship. If you can swing it, I'd just bring 2 umbrella stollers - one each child (if you can do this) because parking your double is going make you really cramped for space (or it could - maybe look at the size of your cabin dimensions versus the size of your City Mini??). Either way, hands down, my opinion (mother of 2), I would definitely have a stroller for my 4 yo available on the cruise (and WDW is naturally a given). You can certainly rent also but do yourself a favor get a stroller for the both of them on a cruise - you may not need it 24/7 on the cruise for your 4 yo but you probably will at some point and you will be happy that you did. Now, once my DD reached about age 6, she didn't need one at all, but that's just my opinion. Good luck and have the best time!!

 

[tee11]

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts! Thank you!

Here is where driving to FL would have been a big advantage, I would just bring all types of strollers!

I just remembered that this time we will also have the pack n play in the cabin (regular verandah), so it would be really difficult to park the double side by side! Maybe it would fit on the verandah?

Or if we rented one in WDW - it would have to be from one of those private companies, right? Because I imagine you need it most on the way to and waiting for the buses..? Plus, I read that the Disney ones are not really appropriate for age one?

Thank you also for reminding me about ports of call. I have to think about that. On past cruises (with one kid) we had never taken the stroller off the ship, and we used it only once or twice on board at the most), but this time we have a much longer cruise and more ports...

 

[Muppetfan3]

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts! Thank you!

Here is where driving to FL would have been a big advantage, I would just bring all types of strollers!

I just remembered that this time we will also have the pack n play in the cabin (regular verandah), so it would be really difficult to park the double side by side! Maybe it would fit on the verandah?

Or if we rented one in WDW - it would have to be from one of those private companies, right? Because I imagine you need it most on the way to and waiting for the buses..? Plus, I read that the Disney ones are not really appropriate for age one?

Thank you also for reminding me about ports of call. I have to think about that. On past cruises (with one kid) we had never taken the stroller off the ship, and we used it only once or twice on board at the most), but this time we have a much longer cruise and more ports...

Absolutely!! The other thing I just thought of (aside from ports of call if you do that or not) is the customs lines, the security lines, etc. When the kids are tired, it's no fun for them and easier just to use the stroller. I would look at the dimensions of your room - possibly could fit in the closet (maybe?? depending on if there is a shelf there obstructing or not). The verandah is a great option (but imo, if I did that, I would bring a cover - it gets so humid and muggy - and salty - from the air, condensation - and hopefully not waves!!). I think that's really smart as long as it's covered and protected out there. That's just my opinion.

About the Disney strollers, yes, I agree - not appropriate for little ones. And yes, if you rented one (although there are several really great options there too), you would need it for waiting on the busses, etc.

Good luck to you!! And have an awesome vacation!!

 

[tee11]

Thanks Muppetsfan! From our past cruises I can say that no stroller, not even the smallest, will fit into any closets on board the cruise ships! A small stroller may fit under a bed (ours did), but I'm not sure about the double City Mini or standard full size stroller.
We once had an extended balcony cabin that would have fit an armada of strollers, but this time we have a standard.
Yes, I agree with you 100% on the terminals, security lines etc. The umbrella stroller was our life saver on past trips (plane and cruise).
We haven't been to WDW in over a decade!

 

[mjkacmom]

I guess it depends on the kids. When we went on a cruise with our twin4 year olds, we never missed not having a stroller, although we did rent one for the parks. They were the youngest of 5, so used to keeping up with older siblings.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We did a Disney/Cruise/Disney trip last month. We flew to Orlando. We brought our City Mini GT for our 16 month old.

It actually fit under the bed on the Dream when folded.

The only issue we had was getting it out of the stateroom door on the ship, but otherwise it was fine.

 

[Runnergal]

We had our city mini double with us for the WDW portion of our land/sea vacation. Dc were 2yo and 7mo. City mini would not even fit through hallways on the ship. We were able to fold it and fit it under the bed. We borrowed a stroller at guest services for the baby. We could have borrowed one for the 2yo as well but he ended up pretty much walking everywhere. If you have a stroller you are stuck waiting for elevators which are often full. It is easier to take the stairs, if possible. I recommend renting a double at WDW and either bring an umbrella or borrow one on the ship.

 

[Princess Stitch]

We did pretty much the same itinerary as you with a 7 month old and 2 year old. We took two umbrella strollers (summer infant 3d lite). It worked really well. They were easy to store and maneuver. The people pushing around double strollers at Disney always look miserable trying to get around stores, or on and off transportation.

The little one actually even slept in his one night! He wouldn't fall asleep so i took him to deck 4 in the stroller and walked until he fell asleep.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

A stroller with a back pack back up for infant. Rent the few days you are at the park.

 

[1983disneykid]

Hi! we took our girls when they were 4 months and 3 and again at 1 and 4. Both times I used the umbrella stroller for the oldest and the city mini for the youngest in the parks. I just loved that the younger one could fall asleep in the stroller and we could recline it. Our umbrella stroller doesn't recline.

On the cruise, I often used the Ergo instead of either stroller. The ship is big, but there are plenty of spaces to sit in between places if the oldest gets tired. And when we went into port, we usually brought the umbrella stroller and the ergo. If the younger one wanted to get down from being carried, we could usually bribe her sister to get out of the stroller and we plopped her in there. Our city mini stayed stored the entire cruise! It can even be difficult to navigate.

The other reason we always brought two strollers rather than our double is in case we wanted to split up. Neither one of us would have to carry a child home from the parks.

 

[hpsalb]

We've cruise with small kiddos about that age, driving down to the parks and port.

If space is available in your vehicle, I would take the double for the parks and a smaller stroller on the boat. I highly recommend a carrier for the youngest, even just as a backup. I really do not think you will need the stroller for your 4 year old on the boat, but you could always swap the stroller and put the baby in the carrier. ODS is almost 6 and still uses the stroller for a park day, but I can't even recall the last time he used a stroller on the boat. I would not want a large stroller taking up space in my tiny cabin on the off chance that we "might" need it. The boat is not so big that he would need it onboard by age 4.

FWIW, We have a Britax B-Agile Double and a Joovy Groove Ultralight. The Joovy is compact, but has a good sunshade, decent recline and roomy basket. It folds up enough to go in the floorboard of the backseat. The double goes in the truck of my SUV with the luggage. We leave it in the car while we cruise.

 

[scrapquitler]

Hello! We will be traveling with a 1 and a 4 year old. We are flying into Orlando, and staying for several nights at WDW (CBR), then going onto a Disney Cruise!

In the past we have used a single medium sized umbrella stroller (First Years Ignite) for the flight and cruise, and this has worked very well. I was going to do the same this trip, for the one year old...
but now I'm reading, that I will need a stroller at WDW for my 4 year old... plus my one year old might be not comfortable enough in the umbrella stroller which only has a small shade...

Should we bring our 'regular' stroller (City Mini) AND our umbrella stroller (for the 4 year old), or should we buy/rent/borrow a double stroller (like the City Mini side by side Double Stroller)?

I am concerned about maneuvering a double stroller through the airport and on the cruise ship... and storing it in our cabin!

So... what have other people done on a Disney Land and Sea trip with kids my ages?
Will be very grateful for any answers and insights!



TIA!!!

Bring a single stroller for in the airport and on the cruise, then rent a double for while you are in the park.